Contagion Chapter Fourteen
Sitting in the front seat with Rick, Taylor stared straight ahead though every so often he could feel Rick's eyes on him. Usually when Glenn wasn't giving directions to him. "Maggie said she loves me," he revealed knowing that was the words that had made him nervous and scared. "She doesn't mean it," Taylor justified as he shook his head not wanting her to mean it. The last woman who loved him had died. "I mean she can't. I mean...well..She..she's upset or confused. She's probably feeling, like..."
"I think she's smart enough to know what she's feeling," Rick interrupted as he nodded his head. Maggie seemed to have a good head on her shoulder's so he wasn't sure why Taylor seemed to be doubting that Maggie may actually love him.
Taylor shook his head at Rick's words, "No. No," he repeated with almost a certainty to his tone. "No, you know what? She wants to be in love, so she's... she needs something to... to, like... to hold onto.."
Rick couldn't help but laugh as Taylor kept trying to justify reasons for Maggie not loving him. It was almost too much for him. "Taylor, it's pretty obvious to everyone Maggie loves you," he said as he looked at the man beside him. "And not just because you're one of the last men standing. So what's the problem?"
"I didn't say it back," Taylor answered as he chewed his lip. "I couldn't..I just kept thinking of the last woman who said that to me," he muttered as his thoughts went to Natalie. "It was different with Maggie though. We barely know each other," he said knowing Natalie had said it after they had been dating for a few months. He had only known Maggie for days. "What..what does she really know about me?" he asked knowing Maggie only knew about his wife and his children. She didn't know much else. "Nothing. We're practically strangers. But I..I didn't know what to do with it. I just stood there like a jerk."
"Hey. Hey, this is a good thing, something we don't get enough of these days," Rick told the man knowing he needed to just enjoy the feeling of Maggie loving him as well as maybe also being in love with Maggie too. "Enjoy it. And when we get back, return the favor. It's not like she's going anywhere."
Glenn who had stayed silent during Taylor and Rick's conversation watched as Rick pulled in front of the bar and held the shotgun he had closer to him, "Rick?" he asked from the back seat to get the older man's attention. When Rick looked at him he sighed, "I know about Lori, her being pregnant," he spoke seeing Taylor turn to give him a look. He figured that meant Jessica hadn't told him. "I got her those pills."
"I figured," Rick answered as he opened the door to the truck and got out.
Getting out as well Glenn looked down at the pavement after he shut the door. "I'm sorry I kept it from you."
"Don't be," Rick told him as he walked towards the bar. "You did what you thought was right. It just so happens it wasn't."
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Avery chewed on her lip as she stood at Daryl's campsite that he had made away from the main house. She had finally worked up the nerve to come here and from the daggers he was shooting her she was almost second guessing herself but she wasn't going too, not after the progress she had made before Sophia. "I wish you'd stop looking at me like that," she told him as she crossed her arms.
"And I wished you'd leave me alone," Daryl replied as he looked at the girl in front of him. Losing Sophia had been such a huge blow to him and now he was just lashing out and he was going to push people away including her, especially her. "I don't want your pity."
"It's not pity," Avery spoke as she shook her head. "I'm here because I lo...like you," she corrected herself before she said she loved him. Love was a heavy word and right now she wasn't sure she wanted to use it.
Daryl laughed bitterly at Avery's words, "Well I don't like you," he lied to her. The moment he spoke those words he watched as her expression changed some as if he had slapped her and he hated himself but he had to do this. "I didn't like kissing you either."
At his last words Avery backed away from him some as she uncrossed her arms but before she could reply she watched as Lori came over to where they were at.
Reaching Daryl's new camp site Lori made a face seeing Avery but she didn't question it. By now it seemed pretty apparent that Avery liked Daryl. "Moving to the suburbs?" she asked Daryl watching as he began to sharpen one of his knives. "Listen, Beth's in some kind of catatonic shock. We need Hershel."
"Yeah. So what?" Daryl asked his tone staying just as harsh with her as it had been with Avery.
"So I need you to run into town real quick and bring him and Rick back," Lori answered as she looked at Daryl hoping he'd do it. "Daryl?" she asked when he didn't respond right away.
Looking up from sharpening his knife Daryl eyed Lori, "Your bitch went window shopping. You want him? Fetch him yourself," he told her honestly. "I got better things to do."
After Daryl spoke to her that way Lori just looked to Avery and then back at Daryl, "What's the matter with you?" she asked not understanding why he was being like this. "Why would you be so selfish?"
"Selfish?!" Daryl asked being even more harsher now with his tone. "Listen to me, Olive Oyl I was out there looking for that little girl every single day. I took a bullet and an arrow in the process," he told her as he glared some. "Don't you tell me about me getting my hands dirty!" he continued seeing Lori just look at him seemingly stunned by his out burst. "You want those two idiots? Have a nice ride. I'm done looking for people," he said honestly before going back to sharpening his knife.
After Daryl's out burst Avery watched as Lori walked away and she just shook her head, "You're an asshole," she told him honestly. "But I'm not giving up on you no matter how much you push me or others away," she told him before walking away herself.
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Walking behind Rick as they entered the bar Taylor chewed on his lip as he held a handgun close to himself just in case there were walkers in here though he didn't see any.
"Hershel?" Rick asked after Glenn shut the door of the bar behind the three men. He could see the old man sitting at the bar in front of him.
"Whose with you?" Hershel asked as he held a glass of alcohol in his hands. He knew Rick wasn't alone, he had heard other footsteps.
"Taylor and Glenn," Rick answered as he kept his eyes on Hershel's back.
Hearing that Taylor was here Hershel sighed, "Did Maggie send Taylor?"
Rick looked at Taylor and Glenn briefly before walking towards Hershel, "He volunteered," he answered. "He's good like that," he smiled as he reached the bar where Hershel was. "How many have you had?" he asked seeing Taylor and Glenn move away from the doors as well though both seemed to be keeping an eye out for walkers just in case.
"Not enough," Hershel responded knowing he could probably drink more.
"Let's finish this up back at home," Rick told the man as he leaned in a bit closer. "Beth collapsed, is in some sort of state," he said as he saw Hershel turn to look at him. "Must be in shock. I think you are too."
At Rick's words Hershel raised an eyebrow, "Maggie's with her?"
"Yeah, but Beth needs you," Taylor answered this time from where he now stood beside one of the tables.
Hershel scoffed at those words, "What could I do?" he asked as he shook his head. "She needs her mother or rather to mourn like she should've done weeks ago. I robbed her of that," he frowned as he looked down at the glass in his hand and then at Rick again. "I see that now."
"You thought there was a cure," Rick told him honestly knowing he had good intentions. "Can't blame yourself for holding out for hope."
"Hope?" Hershel asked before taking a drink of the alcohol. "When I first saw you running across my field with your boy in your arms, I had little hope he would survive."
Rick nodded, "But he did."
"He did," Hershel repeated after Rick. "Even though we lost Otis. Your man Shane made it back and we saved your boy. That was the miracle that proved to me miracles do exist," he admitted. "Only it was a sham, a bait and switch. I was a fool, Rick, and you people saw that. My daughters deserve better than that," he said before taking another drink.
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After some time sulking in the tent Kate made her way towards the main house. Going inside she headed to the room where she found most of the people gathered and she shook her head seeing Zac sitting on the bed on one side of Beth while Patricia sat on the other. Zac hadn't looked up yet to notice her standing in the door way so she turned to leave jumping slightly when she found Jimmy standing behind her.
"Was just coming back from the bathroom," Jimmy smiled as he looked down at Kate. "Your husband offered to sit at Beth's side while I left for a bit."
Kate nodded a fake smile appearing on her lips, "My husband's good like that," she said feeling that green ugly monster rear it's head again though she was trying to hide it.
"I'd almost think he was in love with my girlfriend," Jimmy muttered knowing he'd been jealous of Zac since the day Zac had watched Beth sing.
Kate shook her head, "That's ridiculous," she told him as she even made herself laugh at that. "He's married to me."
Jimmy shrugged at Kate's words, "Men cheat all the time. I'm sure the world ending doesn't stop infidelity."
"You're wrong," Kate replied before turning and walking past Jimmy. She couldn't let him see that his words were affecting her. She hated how everything was affecting her lately.
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"So what do we do? Just wait for him to pass out?" Glenn asked as he stood with Taylor and Rick at the doors of the bar. Hershel had been drinking still for awhile now and he wasn't sure the man was going to leave willingly.
"Just go," Hershel said from the bar where he had heard what Glenn asked. "Just go!"
Rick looked down at Hershel's words, "I promised Maggie I'd bring you home safe."
"Like you promised that little girl?" Hershel asked not caring how his statement came across.
At Hershel's question Rick walked back to where he was, "So what's your plan? Finish that bottle?" he asked once he reached the older man. "Drink yourself to death and leave your girls alone?"
Standing from the bar Hershel walked towards Rick, "Stop telling me how to care for my family, my farm," he said as he looked Rick in the eyes. "You people are like a plague! I do the Christian thing, give you shelter, and you destroy it all! "
Rick leaned in close to Hershel, "The world was already in bad shape when we met."
"And you take no responsibility! You're supposed to be their leader!" Hershel finished staying in place even as Rick moved in closer.
"Well, I'm here now aren't I?" Rick asked in response to Hershel's last question.
Hershel looked at Rick for the longest time before answering, "Yes," he said before repeating the yes again. "Yes, you are."
Seeing Hershel walk back to the bar Taylor heaved a sigh and walked away from the doors. If Hershel was this stubborn then he could only imagine what Maggie could be like.
"Come on," Rick said as he walked to where Hershel had sat down and took another drink. "Your girls need you now more than ever," he said as he reached out towards the man.
Hershel moved from Rick's grasp as he turned to face the man, "I didn't want to believe you. You told me there was no cure, that these people were dead, not sick. But when Shane shot Lou in the chest and she just kept coming, that's when I knew what an ass I'd been, that Annette had been dead long ago and I was feeding a rotten corpse! That's when I knew there was no hope. And when that little girl came out of the barn, the look on your face...I knew you knew it too," he said not once breaking eye contact with Rick. "Right? There is no hope. And you know it now, like I do. Don't you? There is no hope for any of us."
As Hershel talked Rick looked towards Taylor and Glenn to see they had moved away from the front doors and were just standing in the middle of the bar waiting patiently. Much more patiently than he would be waiting if he were them.
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Jessica went onto the RV and paused as she found Avery sitting in it, "I figured you'd be out there trying to talk sense into Daryl."
"I tried," Avery shrugged as she looked at her sister. "He's still being stubborn so right now I'm just going to let him be a jackass. Maybe he deserves a few hours being that way."
"I think he's taken more than a few hours," Jessica replied as she looked at her sister. "You wait much longer then you may just lose him as he continues to pull away."
Avery shook her head at that, "I'm not going to let that happen," she said as she ran a hand through her hair. "Now let's change the subject off of me. How are you?" she asked knowing Jessica had to be freaking out. It was getting dark and Rick, Taylor and Glenn still weren't back from the bar.
"I've been better," Jessica answered hating that she was so worried about Glenn. "I don't even know why I'm so worried over Glenn," she admitted as she looked down at the floor.
"You worry because you love him," Avery answered for her sister knowing she was the same way about Daryl. "You love him and you don't want anything to happen to him but deep down you know in this world anything can happen to him."
Jessica swallowed hard at the things Avery said, "I've lost Joe and Merle," she whispered as her voice cracked. "I don't want to lose Glenn too."
"And you won't," Avery smiled as she stood up and pulled Jessica too her where she kissed her forehead. "You won't," she repeated."
Closing her eyes Jessica sighed, sometimes she hated that she relied on men too much. She half wished she could be as strong as Avery and survive without them. "I do love Glenn," she admitted her voice so slow she wasn't sure if Avery heard.
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"Look, I'm done. I'm not doing this anymore, cleaning up after you," Rick spoke to Hershel as the old man still sat the bar. "You know what the truth is? Nothing has changed. Death is death. It's always been there, whether it's from a heart attack, cancer, or a walker. What's the difference? You didn't think it was hopeless before, did you?" he asked as he turned to see that Taylor and Glenn had now moved even closer to where he and Hershel where. "Now there are people back at home trying to hang on. They need us, even if it's just to give them a reason to go on, even if we don't believe it ourselves. You know what? This... this isn't about what we believe anymore. It's about them."
After Rick spoke Hershel took his words in as he picked the glass up and took one last long drink before putting the glass down. Standing up he turned to leave but just as soon as they all got turned around the doors of the bar opened and two unknown men walked in.
"Son of a bitch," Dave muttered as he looked at the four men standing at the bar. "They're alive," he said before looking at his companion Tony.
Taylor who had stayed silent for most of the time at the bar still remained silent as he watched the smaller of the two men go sit down at a table and the bigger one sat down at the bar beside Hershel. Somehow between small talk the smaller dude had convinced Rick to pour them all drink and that was what he was doing now.
"I'm Dave," Dave said as he looked at the man who was pouring him a drink. "That scrawny-looking douche bag there is Tony."
Tony laughed some at Dave's words, "Eat me, Dave," he muttered sarcastically at his friends words.
"Hey, maybe someday I will," Dave replied as he picked up the drink once the man had finished pouring it. "We met on I-95 coming out of Philly. Damn shit-show that was."
After the two people were introduced Glenn smiled slightly as Rick made a shot for him as well, "I'm Glenn. It's nice to meet some new people," he said honestly glad to just see more survivors.
"I'm Taylor," Taylor muttered not feeling as happy as Glenn. He couldn't help but be wary. Taking the shot when Rick handed it to him he sighed but held it in his hands.
"Rick Grimes," Rick said as he poured a drink for Tony as well and brought it to where he sat at the bar.
Dave looked at the older man who was at the bar beside Tony wondering if he wanted a drink too, "How about you, pal? Have one?"
"I just quit," Hershel answered as he looked at Dave.
"You've got a unique sense of timing, my friend," Dave smirked feeling amused by the old man's answer.
"His name's Hershel. He lost people today, a lot of them," Rick spoke as he looked at Dave before looking at Hershel and nodding.
"I'm truly sorry to hear that," Dave spoke feeling sorry for the man's loss. Holding his drink in his hand he held it up, "To better days and new friends and to our dead...may they be in a better place," he smiled before taking the shot with everyone who had one.
After taking the shot Dave saw Rick eying the gun he wore in the back of his jeans and he reached for it holding it, "Not bad, huh? I got it off a cop."
"I'm a cop," Rick told Dave knowing he did still consider himself a cop even if the world had fallen. That had been his job before and it was still a part of him.
"This one was already dead," Dave assured Rick as he put his gun back in the pocket of his jeans.
After Dave's response Rick looked at Tony and then back to Dave again, "You fellas are a long way from Philadelphia."
"It feels like we're a long way from anywhere," Tony answered as he looked at Rick.
"Well what drove you south?" Rick asked curiously not sure if he trusted these two men and from the looks on Taylor's face he could tell he wasn't alone in that.
Dave shook his head, "I can tell you it wasn't the weather," he said honestly "I must have dropped thirty pounds in sweat alone down here."
"I wish," Tony muttered sarcastically wishing he had dropped that much.
"No, first it was D.C." Dave spoke recounting a few of the places they had been or had tried to go. "I heard there might be some kind of refugee camp, but the roads were so jammed, we never even got close. We decided to get off the highways, into the sticks, keep hauling ass. Every group we came across had a new rumor about a way out of this thing."
"One guy told us there was the coast guard sitting in the Gulf, sending ferries to the islands," Tony spoke recounting one of the stories they had heard.
After Tony spoke Dave continued, "The latest was a rail yard in Montgomery running trains to the middle of the country... Kansas, Nebraska."
"Nebraska?" Taylor asked feeling confused by that one.
Tony looked over at Taylor, "Low population, lots of guns."
Taylor made a face at that reckoning it made sense, "Kinda makes sense."
Looking at Taylor after he said that Dave raised an eyebrow, "Ever been to Nebraska? A reason they call' em flyover states," he said before laughing slightly. "How about you guys?"
"Fort Benning, eventually," Rick answered Dave's question.
"I hate to piss in your cornflakes, officer, but umm we ran across a grunt who was stationed at Benning," Dave confessed as he looked at Rick. "He said the place was overrun by lamebrains."
At Dave's words Glenn raised an eyebrow, "Wait, Fort Benning is gone? Are you for real?"
"Sadly I am," Dave nodded as he looked at the younger boy. "Oddly, the truth is there is no way out of this mess. Just keep going from one pipe dream to the next, praying one of these mindless freaks doesn't grab a hold of you when you sleep."
"If you sleep," Tony added in after Dave's last words.
"Yeah, it doesn't look like you guys are hanging your hats here," Dave noticed as he looked around the bar. "You holed up somewhere else?"
Rick shook his head, "Not really," he lied not trusting these two men with the truth of where they were staying.
"Those your cars out front?" Dave asked referring to the cars he and Tony had saw before coming in here.
"Yeah. Why?" Glenn spoke up as he looked at Dave curiously.
Dave nodded at Glenn's answer, "We're living in ours. Those look kinda empty, clean. Where's all your gear?"
"We're with a larger group," Hershel spoke up as Dave kept with his questions. "Out scouting, thought we could use a drink."
"A drink?" Dave asked feeling amused. "Hershel I thought you quit," he said before heaving a sigh and looking away from the older man. "Well, we're thinking of setting up around here. Is it..is it safe?"
Glenn shrugged at Dave's question, "It can be, although I have killed a couple walkers around here."
"Walkers? That what you call them?" Dave asked having never heard that term before.
"Yeah," Glenn answered.
"That's good. I like that. I like that better than lamebrains," Dave mused out loud.
Tony nodded agreeing with Dave, "More succinct."
"Okay, Tony went to college," Dave smirked when Tony added in what he did.
Tony shrugged at Dave's words, "Two years."
"So what... so what, you guys set up on the outskirts or something?" Dave asked still trying to figure out where the group was staying. "That new development?"
"Trailer park or something?" Tony asked as he stood from the bar and walked to use the bathroom in the corner of the room.
"A farm?" Dave asked before starting to sing the old MacDonald song briefly. "You got a farm?" he questioned again as he moved in the chair he was sitting at. "Is it safe? It's gotta be. You got food, water?"
Tony who was still using the bathroom added in his own comments, "You got cooze? Ain't had a piece of ass in weeks."
Dave put a hand on his face and shook his head at Tony's words, "Listen, pardon my friend. City kids... they got no tact. No disrespect," he sighed before looking at Glenn who seemed to be the most talkative. "So listen Glenn..."
"We've said enough," Rick spoke interrupting Dave. He knew now..he just knew in his gut these people were bad news.
"Well, hang on a second. This farm... it sounds pretty sweet.Don't it sound sweet, Tony?" Dave asked as he looked over at Tony.
Tony nodded as he turned back around once he was done using the bathroom, "Yeah, real sweet," he said as he agreed with Dave."
"How about a little Southern hospitality? We got some buddies back at camp, been having a real hard time. I don't see why you can't make room for a few more. We can pool our resources, our manpower," Dave shrugged not sure why they couldn't take them in.
Rick shook his head no at that, "Look, I'm sorry. That's not an option."
At Rick's rejection Dave just looked down before making a face, "Doesn't sound like it'd be a problem."
"I'm sorry," Hershel spoke now. "We can't."
"We can't take in any more," Rick agreed as he kept his eyes trained on Dave.
Dave just shook his head, "You guys are something else. I thought... I thought we were friends. We got people we gotta look out for too."
"We don't know anything about you," Taylor added in from where he stood. He was glad it seemed that now the others were being cautious with these two men.
"No, that's true. You don't know anything about us," Dave agreed as he looked at Taylor. "You don't know what we've had to go through out there, the things we've had to do. I bet you've had to do some of those same things yourself. Am I right? 'Cause ain't nobody's hands clean in what's left of this world. We're all the same. So come on, let's... let's take a nice friendly hayride to this farm and we'll get to know each other."
Rick looked down briefly, "That ain't going to happen," he said as he looked back up.
"Rick..this is bullshit," Tony muttered from where he stood beside the table that Dave was sitting at.
Rick glared as he looked at Tony, "Calm down!"
"Don't tell me to calm down," Tony snapped at Rick. "Don't ever tell me to calm down. I'll shoot you four assholes in the head and take your damn farm!"
At Tony's words Rick stood up and walked to the bigger man.
"Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa. Relax," Dave spoke as he stood from where he sat and walked towards Rick and Tony. "Take it easy. Nobody's killing anybody," he said before touching Rick's shoulder and then soon he walked to the bar and climbed over. "Nobody's shooting anybody. Right, Rick?" he asked as he turned to face Rick once he was over the bar.
Reaching behind him Dave laid his gun down on top of the bar though he could see Tony had a hold of his gun and Rick it looked like was starting to reach for his own. "Look," he said once the gun was all the way on the bar. "We're just friends having a drink. That's all. Now where's the good stuff, huh?" he asked before looking down under the bar. "Good stuff, good stuff, good stuff. Let's see.." he muttered though out of the corner of his eye as he bent over he could see Rick again putting his hand on the holster of his gun.
Pulling out a bottle he grinned at Rick as he held it up, "Hey, look at that. That'll work," he said as he started to open the bottle. "You gotta understand... we can't stay out there. You know what it's like," he said as he poured himself another drink.
"Yeah, I do," Rick nodded knowing what it was like out there. "But the farm is too crowded as is. I'm sorry. You'll have to keep looking."
Dave made a face after Rick spoke again, "Keep looking. Where do you suggest we do that?"
Rick shrugged, "I don't know. I hear Nebraska's nice," he said remembering back to the beginning of their conversation.
Laughing at that Dave sighed, "Nebraska. This guy," he muttered before reaching for his gun.
Taylor felt his heartbeat quicken as he watched Dave reach for his gun though before he could even do that Rick had his own gun lifted and he had shot Dave square in the head, killing him and then Taylor watched as Rick turned to face Tony and shot him as well though the first shot went into his chest and caused him to fall over so Rick made one more shot this time getting him in the head.
Looking at Tony who lay dead in front of him Taylor just swallowed hard though he knew the choice Rick had made to kill the two men had been the right one. If he hadn't they could be dead right now.
Rick just watched as Tony's dead body fell to the floor all the way and he swallowed hard before looking at the men in the bar with him. He had to do that to keep them safe..to keep the group at the farm safe.
Sitting in the front seat with Rick, Taylor stared straight ahead though every so often he could feel Rick's eyes on him. Usually when Glenn wasn't giving directions to him. "Maggie said she loves me," he revealed knowing that was the words that had made him nervous and scared. "She doesn't mean it," Taylor justified as he shook his head not wanting her to mean it. The last woman who loved him had died. "I mean she can't. I mean...well..She..she's upset or confused. She's probably feeling, like..."
"I think she's smart enough to know what she's feeling," Rick interrupted as he nodded his head. Maggie seemed to have a good head on her shoulder's so he wasn't sure why Taylor seemed to be doubting that Maggie may actually love him.
Taylor shook his head at Rick's words, "No. No," he repeated with almost a certainty to his tone. "No, you know what? She wants to be in love, so she's... she needs something to... to, like... to hold onto.."
Rick couldn't help but laugh as Taylor kept trying to justify reasons for Maggie not loving him. It was almost too much for him. "Taylor, it's pretty obvious to everyone Maggie loves you," he said as he looked at the man beside him. "And not just because you're one of the last men standing. So what's the problem?"
"I didn't say it back," Taylor answered as he chewed his lip. "I couldn't..I just kept thinking of the last woman who said that to me," he muttered as his thoughts went to Natalie. "It was different with Maggie though. We barely know each other," he said knowing Natalie had said it after they had been dating for a few months. He had only known Maggie for days. "What..what does she really know about me?" he asked knowing Maggie only knew about his wife and his children. She didn't know much else. "Nothing. We're practically strangers. But I..I didn't know what to do with it. I just stood there like a jerk."
"Hey. Hey, this is a good thing, something we don't get enough of these days," Rick told the man knowing he needed to just enjoy the feeling of Maggie loving him as well as maybe also being in love with Maggie too. "Enjoy it. And when we get back, return the favor. It's not like she's going anywhere."
Glenn who had stayed silent during Taylor and Rick's conversation watched as Rick pulled in front of the bar and held the shotgun he had closer to him, "Rick?" he asked from the back seat to get the older man's attention. When Rick looked at him he sighed, "I know about Lori, her being pregnant," he spoke seeing Taylor turn to give him a look. He figured that meant Jessica hadn't told him. "I got her those pills."
"I figured," Rick answered as he opened the door to the truck and got out.
Getting out as well Glenn looked down at the pavement after he shut the door. "I'm sorry I kept it from you."
"Don't be," Rick told him as he walked towards the bar. "You did what you thought was right. It just so happens it wasn't."
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Avery chewed on her lip as she stood at Daryl's campsite that he had made away from the main house. She had finally worked up the nerve to come here and from the daggers he was shooting her she was almost second guessing herself but she wasn't going too, not after the progress she had made before Sophia. "I wish you'd stop looking at me like that," she told him as she crossed her arms.
"And I wished you'd leave me alone," Daryl replied as he looked at the girl in front of him. Losing Sophia had been such a huge blow to him and now he was just lashing out and he was going to push people away including her, especially her. "I don't want your pity."
"It's not pity," Avery spoke as she shook her head. "I'm here because I lo...like you," she corrected herself before she said she loved him. Love was a heavy word and right now she wasn't sure she wanted to use it.
Daryl laughed bitterly at Avery's words, "Well I don't like you," he lied to her. The moment he spoke those words he watched as her expression changed some as if he had slapped her and he hated himself but he had to do this. "I didn't like kissing you either."
At his last words Avery backed away from him some as she uncrossed her arms but before she could reply she watched as Lori came over to where they were at.
Reaching Daryl's new camp site Lori made a face seeing Avery but she didn't question it. By now it seemed pretty apparent that Avery liked Daryl. "Moving to the suburbs?" she asked Daryl watching as he began to sharpen one of his knives. "Listen, Beth's in some kind of catatonic shock. We need Hershel."
"Yeah. So what?" Daryl asked his tone staying just as harsh with her as it had been with Avery.
"So I need you to run into town real quick and bring him and Rick back," Lori answered as she looked at Daryl hoping he'd do it. "Daryl?" she asked when he didn't respond right away.
Looking up from sharpening his knife Daryl eyed Lori, "Your bitch went window shopping. You want him? Fetch him yourself," he told her honestly. "I got better things to do."
After Daryl spoke to her that way Lori just looked to Avery and then back at Daryl, "What's the matter with you?" she asked not understanding why he was being like this. "Why would you be so selfish?"
"Selfish?!" Daryl asked being even more harsher now with his tone. "Listen to me, Olive Oyl I was out there looking for that little girl every single day. I took a bullet and an arrow in the process," he told her as he glared some. "Don't you tell me about me getting my hands dirty!" he continued seeing Lori just look at him seemingly stunned by his out burst. "You want those two idiots? Have a nice ride. I'm done looking for people," he said honestly before going back to sharpening his knife.
After Daryl's out burst Avery watched as Lori walked away and she just shook her head, "You're an asshole," she told him honestly. "But I'm not giving up on you no matter how much you push me or others away," she told him before walking away herself.
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Walking behind Rick as they entered the bar Taylor chewed on his lip as he held a handgun close to himself just in case there were walkers in here though he didn't see any.
"Hershel?" Rick asked after Glenn shut the door of the bar behind the three men. He could see the old man sitting at the bar in front of him.
"Whose with you?" Hershel asked as he held a glass of alcohol in his hands. He knew Rick wasn't alone, he had heard other footsteps.
"Taylor and Glenn," Rick answered as he kept his eyes on Hershel's back.
Hearing that Taylor was here Hershel sighed, "Did Maggie send Taylor?"
Rick looked at Taylor and Glenn briefly before walking towards Hershel, "He volunteered," he answered. "He's good like that," he smiled as he reached the bar where Hershel was. "How many have you had?" he asked seeing Taylor and Glenn move away from the doors as well though both seemed to be keeping an eye out for walkers just in case.
"Not enough," Hershel responded knowing he could probably drink more.
"Let's finish this up back at home," Rick told the man as he leaned in a bit closer. "Beth collapsed, is in some sort of state," he said as he saw Hershel turn to look at him. "Must be in shock. I think you are too."
At Rick's words Hershel raised an eyebrow, "Maggie's with her?"
"Yeah, but Beth needs you," Taylor answered this time from where he now stood beside one of the tables.
Hershel scoffed at those words, "What could I do?" he asked as he shook his head. "She needs her mother or rather to mourn like she should've done weeks ago. I robbed her of that," he frowned as he looked down at the glass in his hand and then at Rick again. "I see that now."
"You thought there was a cure," Rick told him honestly knowing he had good intentions. "Can't blame yourself for holding out for hope."
"Hope?" Hershel asked before taking a drink of the alcohol. "When I first saw you running across my field with your boy in your arms, I had little hope he would survive."
Rick nodded, "But he did."
"He did," Hershel repeated after Rick. "Even though we lost Otis. Your man Shane made it back and we saved your boy. That was the miracle that proved to me miracles do exist," he admitted. "Only it was a sham, a bait and switch. I was a fool, Rick, and you people saw that. My daughters deserve better than that," he said before taking another drink.
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After some time sulking in the tent Kate made her way towards the main house. Going inside she headed to the room where she found most of the people gathered and she shook her head seeing Zac sitting on the bed on one side of Beth while Patricia sat on the other. Zac hadn't looked up yet to notice her standing in the door way so she turned to leave jumping slightly when she found Jimmy standing behind her.
"Was just coming back from the bathroom," Jimmy smiled as he looked down at Kate. "Your husband offered to sit at Beth's side while I left for a bit."
Kate nodded a fake smile appearing on her lips, "My husband's good like that," she said feeling that green ugly monster rear it's head again though she was trying to hide it.
"I'd almost think he was in love with my girlfriend," Jimmy muttered knowing he'd been jealous of Zac since the day Zac had watched Beth sing.
Kate shook her head, "That's ridiculous," she told him as she even made herself laugh at that. "He's married to me."
Jimmy shrugged at Kate's words, "Men cheat all the time. I'm sure the world ending doesn't stop infidelity."
"You're wrong," Kate replied before turning and walking past Jimmy. She couldn't let him see that his words were affecting her. She hated how everything was affecting her lately.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"So what do we do? Just wait for him to pass out?" Glenn asked as he stood with Taylor and Rick at the doors of the bar. Hershel had been drinking still for awhile now and he wasn't sure the man was going to leave willingly.
"Just go," Hershel said from the bar where he had heard what Glenn asked. "Just go!"
Rick looked down at Hershel's words, "I promised Maggie I'd bring you home safe."
"Like you promised that little girl?" Hershel asked not caring how his statement came across.
At Hershel's question Rick walked back to where he was, "So what's your plan? Finish that bottle?" he asked once he reached the older man. "Drink yourself to death and leave your girls alone?"
Standing from the bar Hershel walked towards Rick, "Stop telling me how to care for my family, my farm," he said as he looked Rick in the eyes. "You people are like a plague! I do the Christian thing, give you shelter, and you destroy it all! "
Rick leaned in close to Hershel, "The world was already in bad shape when we met."
"And you take no responsibility! You're supposed to be their leader!" Hershel finished staying in place even as Rick moved in closer.
"Well, I'm here now aren't I?" Rick asked in response to Hershel's last question.
Hershel looked at Rick for the longest time before answering, "Yes," he said before repeating the yes again. "Yes, you are."
Seeing Hershel walk back to the bar Taylor heaved a sigh and walked away from the doors. If Hershel was this stubborn then he could only imagine what Maggie could be like.
"Come on," Rick said as he walked to where Hershel had sat down and took another drink. "Your girls need you now more than ever," he said as he reached out towards the man.
Hershel moved from Rick's grasp as he turned to face the man, "I didn't want to believe you. You told me there was no cure, that these people were dead, not sick. But when Shane shot Lou in the chest and she just kept coming, that's when I knew what an ass I'd been, that Annette had been dead long ago and I was feeding a rotten corpse! That's when I knew there was no hope. And when that little girl came out of the barn, the look on your face...I knew you knew it too," he said not once breaking eye contact with Rick. "Right? There is no hope. And you know it now, like I do. Don't you? There is no hope for any of us."
As Hershel talked Rick looked towards Taylor and Glenn to see they had moved away from the front doors and were just standing in the middle of the bar waiting patiently. Much more patiently than he would be waiting if he were them.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Jessica went onto the RV and paused as she found Avery sitting in it, "I figured you'd be out there trying to talk sense into Daryl."
"I tried," Avery shrugged as she looked at her sister. "He's still being stubborn so right now I'm just going to let him be a jackass. Maybe he deserves a few hours being that way."
"I think he's taken more than a few hours," Jessica replied as she looked at her sister. "You wait much longer then you may just lose him as he continues to pull away."
Avery shook her head at that, "I'm not going to let that happen," she said as she ran a hand through her hair. "Now let's change the subject off of me. How are you?" she asked knowing Jessica had to be freaking out. It was getting dark and Rick, Taylor and Glenn still weren't back from the bar.
"I've been better," Jessica answered hating that she was so worried about Glenn. "I don't even know why I'm so worried over Glenn," she admitted as she looked down at the floor.
"You worry because you love him," Avery answered for her sister knowing she was the same way about Daryl. "You love him and you don't want anything to happen to him but deep down you know in this world anything can happen to him."
Jessica swallowed hard at the things Avery said, "I've lost Joe and Merle," she whispered as her voice cracked. "I don't want to lose Glenn too."
"And you won't," Avery smiled as she stood up and pulled Jessica too her where she kissed her forehead. "You won't," she repeated."
Closing her eyes Jessica sighed, sometimes she hated that she relied on men too much. She half wished she could be as strong as Avery and survive without them. "I do love Glenn," she admitted her voice so slow she wasn't sure if Avery heard.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Look, I'm done. I'm not doing this anymore, cleaning up after you," Rick spoke to Hershel as the old man still sat the bar. "You know what the truth is? Nothing has changed. Death is death. It's always been there, whether it's from a heart attack, cancer, or a walker. What's the difference? You didn't think it was hopeless before, did you?" he asked as he turned to see that Taylor and Glenn had now moved even closer to where he and Hershel where. "Now there are people back at home trying to hang on. They need us, even if it's just to give them a reason to go on, even if we don't believe it ourselves. You know what? This... this isn't about what we believe anymore. It's about them."
After Rick spoke Hershel took his words in as he picked the glass up and took one last long drink before putting the glass down. Standing up he turned to leave but just as soon as they all got turned around the doors of the bar opened and two unknown men walked in.
"Son of a bitch," Dave muttered as he looked at the four men standing at the bar. "They're alive," he said before looking at his companion Tony.
Taylor who had stayed silent for most of the time at the bar still remained silent as he watched the smaller of the two men go sit down at a table and the bigger one sat down at the bar beside Hershel. Somehow between small talk the smaller dude had convinced Rick to pour them all drink and that was what he was doing now.
"I'm Dave," Dave said as he looked at the man who was pouring him a drink. "That scrawny-looking douche bag there is Tony."
Tony laughed some at Dave's words, "Eat me, Dave," he muttered sarcastically at his friends words.
"Hey, maybe someday I will," Dave replied as he picked up the drink once the man had finished pouring it. "We met on I-95 coming out of Philly. Damn shit-show that was."
After the two people were introduced Glenn smiled slightly as Rick made a shot for him as well, "I'm Glenn. It's nice to meet some new people," he said honestly glad to just see more survivors.
"I'm Taylor," Taylor muttered not feeling as happy as Glenn. He couldn't help but be wary. Taking the shot when Rick handed it to him he sighed but held it in his hands.
"Rick Grimes," Rick said as he poured a drink for Tony as well and brought it to where he sat at the bar.
Dave looked at the older man who was at the bar beside Tony wondering if he wanted a drink too, "How about you, pal? Have one?"
"I just quit," Hershel answered as he looked at Dave.
"You've got a unique sense of timing, my friend," Dave smirked feeling amused by the old man's answer.
"His name's Hershel. He lost people today, a lot of them," Rick spoke as he looked at Dave before looking at Hershel and nodding.
"I'm truly sorry to hear that," Dave spoke feeling sorry for the man's loss. Holding his drink in his hand he held it up, "To better days and new friends and to our dead...may they be in a better place," he smiled before taking the shot with everyone who had one.
After taking the shot Dave saw Rick eying the gun he wore in the back of his jeans and he reached for it holding it, "Not bad, huh? I got it off a cop."
"I'm a cop," Rick told Dave knowing he did still consider himself a cop even if the world had fallen. That had been his job before and it was still a part of him.
"This one was already dead," Dave assured Rick as he put his gun back in the pocket of his jeans.
After Dave's response Rick looked at Tony and then back to Dave again, "You fellas are a long way from Philadelphia."
"It feels like we're a long way from anywhere," Tony answered as he looked at Rick.
"Well what drove you south?" Rick asked curiously not sure if he trusted these two men and from the looks on Taylor's face he could tell he wasn't alone in that.
Dave shook his head, "I can tell you it wasn't the weather," he said honestly "I must have dropped thirty pounds in sweat alone down here."
"I wish," Tony muttered sarcastically wishing he had dropped that much.
"No, first it was D.C." Dave spoke recounting a few of the places they had been or had tried to go. "I heard there might be some kind of refugee camp, but the roads were so jammed, we never even got close. We decided to get off the highways, into the sticks, keep hauling ass. Every group we came across had a new rumor about a way out of this thing."
"One guy told us there was the coast guard sitting in the Gulf, sending ferries to the islands," Tony spoke recounting one of the stories they had heard.
After Tony spoke Dave continued, "The latest was a rail yard in Montgomery running trains to the middle of the country... Kansas, Nebraska."
"Nebraska?" Taylor asked feeling confused by that one.
Tony looked over at Taylor, "Low population, lots of guns."
Taylor made a face at that reckoning it made sense, "Kinda makes sense."
Looking at Taylor after he said that Dave raised an eyebrow, "Ever been to Nebraska? A reason they call' em flyover states," he said before laughing slightly. "How about you guys?"
"Fort Benning, eventually," Rick answered Dave's question.
"I hate to piss in your cornflakes, officer, but umm we ran across a grunt who was stationed at Benning," Dave confessed as he looked at Rick. "He said the place was overrun by lamebrains."
At Dave's words Glenn raised an eyebrow, "Wait, Fort Benning is gone? Are you for real?"
"Sadly I am," Dave nodded as he looked at the younger boy. "Oddly, the truth is there is no way out of this mess. Just keep going from one pipe dream to the next, praying one of these mindless freaks doesn't grab a hold of you when you sleep."
"If you sleep," Tony added in after Dave's last words.
"Yeah, it doesn't look like you guys are hanging your hats here," Dave noticed as he looked around the bar. "You holed up somewhere else?"
Rick shook his head, "Not really," he lied not trusting these two men with the truth of where they were staying.
"Those your cars out front?" Dave asked referring to the cars he and Tony had saw before coming in here.
"Yeah. Why?" Glenn spoke up as he looked at Dave curiously.
Dave nodded at Glenn's answer, "We're living in ours. Those look kinda empty, clean. Where's all your gear?"
"We're with a larger group," Hershel spoke up as Dave kept with his questions. "Out scouting, thought we could use a drink."
"A drink?" Dave asked feeling amused. "Hershel I thought you quit," he said before heaving a sigh and looking away from the older man. "Well, we're thinking of setting up around here. Is it..is it safe?"
Glenn shrugged at Dave's question, "It can be, although I have killed a couple walkers around here."
"Walkers? That what you call them?" Dave asked having never heard that term before.
"Yeah," Glenn answered.
"That's good. I like that. I like that better than lamebrains," Dave mused out loud.
Tony nodded agreeing with Dave, "More succinct."
"Okay, Tony went to college," Dave smirked when Tony added in what he did.
Tony shrugged at Dave's words, "Two years."
"So what... so what, you guys set up on the outskirts or something?" Dave asked still trying to figure out where the group was staying. "That new development?"
"Trailer park or something?" Tony asked as he stood from the bar and walked to use the bathroom in the corner of the room.
"A farm?" Dave asked before starting to sing the old MacDonald song briefly. "You got a farm?" he questioned again as he moved in the chair he was sitting at. "Is it safe? It's gotta be. You got food, water?"
Tony who was still using the bathroom added in his own comments, "You got cooze? Ain't had a piece of ass in weeks."
Dave put a hand on his face and shook his head at Tony's words, "Listen, pardon my friend. City kids... they got no tact. No disrespect," he sighed before looking at Glenn who seemed to be the most talkative. "So listen Glenn..."
"We've said enough," Rick spoke interrupting Dave. He knew now..he just knew in his gut these people were bad news.
"Well, hang on a second. This farm... it sounds pretty sweet.Don't it sound sweet, Tony?" Dave asked as he looked over at Tony.
Tony nodded as he turned back around once he was done using the bathroom, "Yeah, real sweet," he said as he agreed with Dave."
"How about a little Southern hospitality? We got some buddies back at camp, been having a real hard time. I don't see why you can't make room for a few more. We can pool our resources, our manpower," Dave shrugged not sure why they couldn't take them in.
Rick shook his head no at that, "Look, I'm sorry. That's not an option."
At Rick's rejection Dave just looked down before making a face, "Doesn't sound like it'd be a problem."
"I'm sorry," Hershel spoke now. "We can't."
"We can't take in any more," Rick agreed as he kept his eyes trained on Dave.
Dave just shook his head, "You guys are something else. I thought... I thought we were friends. We got people we gotta look out for too."
"We don't know anything about you," Taylor added in from where he stood. He was glad it seemed that now the others were being cautious with these two men.
"No, that's true. You don't know anything about us," Dave agreed as he looked at Taylor. "You don't know what we've had to go through out there, the things we've had to do. I bet you've had to do some of those same things yourself. Am I right? 'Cause ain't nobody's hands clean in what's left of this world. We're all the same. So come on, let's... let's take a nice friendly hayride to this farm and we'll get to know each other."
Rick looked down briefly, "That ain't going to happen," he said as he looked back up.
"Rick..this is bullshit," Tony muttered from where he stood beside the table that Dave was sitting at.
Rick glared as he looked at Tony, "Calm down!"
"Don't tell me to calm down," Tony snapped at Rick. "Don't ever tell me to calm down. I'll shoot you four assholes in the head and take your damn farm!"
At Tony's words Rick stood up and walked to the bigger man.
"Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa. Relax," Dave spoke as he stood from where he sat and walked towards Rick and Tony. "Take it easy. Nobody's killing anybody," he said before touching Rick's shoulder and then soon he walked to the bar and climbed over. "Nobody's shooting anybody. Right, Rick?" he asked as he turned to face Rick once he was over the bar.
Reaching behind him Dave laid his gun down on top of the bar though he could see Tony had a hold of his gun and Rick it looked like was starting to reach for his own. "Look," he said once the gun was all the way on the bar. "We're just friends having a drink. That's all. Now where's the good stuff, huh?" he asked before looking down under the bar. "Good stuff, good stuff, good stuff. Let's see.." he muttered though out of the corner of his eye as he bent over he could see Rick again putting his hand on the holster of his gun.
Pulling out a bottle he grinned at Rick as he held it up, "Hey, look at that. That'll work," he said as he started to open the bottle. "You gotta understand... we can't stay out there. You know what it's like," he said as he poured himself another drink.
"Yeah, I do," Rick nodded knowing what it was like out there. "But the farm is too crowded as is. I'm sorry. You'll have to keep looking."
Dave made a face after Rick spoke again, "Keep looking. Where do you suggest we do that?"
Rick shrugged, "I don't know. I hear Nebraska's nice," he said remembering back to the beginning of their conversation.
Laughing at that Dave sighed, "Nebraska. This guy," he muttered before reaching for his gun.
Taylor felt his heartbeat quicken as he watched Dave reach for his gun though before he could even do that Rick had his own gun lifted and he had shot Dave square in the head, killing him and then Taylor watched as Rick turned to face Tony and shot him as well though the first shot went into his chest and caused him to fall over so Rick made one more shot this time getting him in the head.
Looking at Tony who lay dead in front of him Taylor just swallowed hard though he knew the choice Rick had made to kill the two men had been the right one. If he hadn't they could be dead right now.
Rick just watched as Tony's dead body fell to the floor all the way and he swallowed hard before looking at the men in the bar with him. He had to do that to keep them safe..to keep the group at the farm safe.