Contagion Chapter Ten
Zac smirked as he stood and watched Beth as she shot the target he had given her. A small empty coke can. "I swear you should be an Annie Oakley at this rate," he said as he watched her move the gun down and turn to face him.
Beth looked at him as she made a face, "I don't know about that," she muttered as she shook her head. "I don't even really feel comfortable shooting a gun period to be honest," she admitted as she walked to him and handed the gun back. They had been out here now for what felt like several hours.
"You keep saying I shoot good, why don't you show me how you shoot?" she asked eying him curiously. "I think it's only fair."
Taking the gun from Beth, Zac made a face as well especially when he felt the spark that passed between them. A spark that Beth must have felt too because he heard her mutter ouch as she shook her head briefly. Blushing he walked away from her some as he raised the gun and pointed to the pop can as well. Taking a few deep breaths he eventually fired and grinned when the pop can was knocked over.
"Impressive," Beth said from where she stood beside him. "Let me guess you're a gun enthusiast?" she asked as she shrugged innocently. "I think most of the Georgia boys I know are or try to be."
"I guess I sort of am," Zac answered as he walked back to Beth. "I used to go fire guns a lot at shooting ranges in Tulsa and I also played air-soft. My wife once joked we had too many guns and bullets in our house and she was right. We had three hand guns and tons of bullets."
Beth raised an eyebrow as she heard how many guns he had. "Three?" she asked trying to make sense of why he had three guns.
"Our fans are pretty crazy," Zac defended as shrugged now himself. "A few of them had tried to get on our property once. I wanted to make sure we had a lot of protection if need be and I always brought them on tour with us too. I think having them saved most of us when this all started."
Nodding at his answer Beth guessed it made sense, "So tell me how come you and your wife seem to be having trouble?" she asked changing the conversation on him. "I didn't hear everything but what I did hear seemed kind of heated."
"Just typical married stuff. I found out something and I'm ticked at her so I do things to make her ticked at me," Zac confessed as he blushed before looking away from Beth's gaze. "I know I'm an asshole."
Beth laughed at his answer, "Nah you just sound like a typical man," she teased him before walking to the blue truck they had brought. It was truck that had once been Otis's. "You better get me back. You promised my daddy we wouldn't be out all day."
"That I did." Zac said as he looked up again and walked to the truck as well. "And I hate to break my promises," he winked as he opened the door for her to get in.
Turning to say something to Zac before getting in the truck Beth chewed on her lip as she saw just how close Zac was to her and she gulped. She knew it was wrong but a part of her wanted to kiss him and against her better judgement she gave into that. She was sure she could play it off as teenage hormones.
Zac froze when Beth kissed him. It was something he hadn't been expecting and it was something he knew he shouldn't have liked or gotten butterflies from. She was sixteen and he was twenty-five and this was wrong and yet he responded to the kiss briefly before pulling away and just looking at her. He had kissed someone else. He had done what he was semi-mad at Kate for doing.
"We should go," he muttered out before walking away from her and getting in the truck. When she got in Zac did his best to forget that this truck had no space and that they were technically on the same seat. He did his best to forget just how close Beth Greene was and he certainly did his best to forget that he had liked kissing her because it was wrong. She was only supposed to be someone he could connect to by teaching her how to shoot and maybe talking about music which they hadn't even done today like he had wanted too. He had been too busy watching her with that damn gun.
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Taylor crossed his arms as he stood in the Greene Family kitchen. Maggie was starting on dinner early and Taylor had came to help her though it seemed she was giving him the silent treatment. "Are you going to talk to me?" he asked her after awhile of her silent treatment. "Maggie I..." he started but was cut off by her.
"I asked for your trust and you betrayed it," Maggie blurted out harshly as she looked at him before chopping up the carrots. She was angry and so she wasn't being so nice when it came to her cutting. "Now my dad's pissed at me," she said as she looked up at him again. "Your turn."
"So your dad thinks they're sick," Taylor said remembering what Dale had told him after Dale had spoken to Hershel. "You agree with that?" he asked only getting silence in return. "Even after what you saw at the well."
Maggie shook her head, "I'm not sure what I saw at the well."
"Yes you are," Taylor replied knowing she was damn sure what she had seen when the walker had been pulled out of the well. He had been watching from the porch. "If you had seen Atlanta you would not have a barn full of walkers," he sighed knowing how infested Atlanta had been when they had went to the CDC.
Maggie glared at Taylor," I wish you'd stop calling them that."
Looking away from her Taylor ran a hand through his hair, "What do you call them?" he asked as he raised an eyebrow and looked at her curiously.
"Mom," Maggie replied referring to her step-mother Anette, Beth's mom. "Shawn," she said again this time referring to Beth's half brother. "Mr and Mrs. Fisher," she said as she laid the knife down, keeping eye contact with Taylor. "Lacey Duncan," she finished naming off people she knew who her dad was keeping in the barn.
After she had finished talking to him she left the kitchen and soon also left the house. She needed to go out and clear her mind as well as get away from Taylor.
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"I don't know why you are going back into town," Jessica hissed out as she sat on a horse opposite Glenn. When she had found him after leaving the kitchen he had told her he had to make another run into town to the pharmacy though he hadn't told her why.
Looking over at Jessica, Glenn shrugged, "It's for Lori," he said not wanting to tell her why. He had already accidentally told Dale today and Dale had confronted Lori. The last thing he needed was to tell someone else. "And you didn't have to come along."
"What does Lori need at the pharmacy?" Jessica asked as she raised an eyebrow. "And I wanted to come. I don't trust you out by yourself."
Glenn remained silent for awhile at both of her questions and once the pharmacy was almost in sight he chewed his lip, "I can take care of myself on my own," he nodded knowing with her here he would just want to protect her before himself. It made him a liability.
"You may not come back to me," Jessica replied as she lead her horse to the pharmacy. Getting off of it once they had arrived she got off of it and tied it in place. "I want you to come back and not leave me like Joe and Merle did," she said knowing she was tired of everyone leaving her.
Not saying anything else as she walked inside the pharmacy Jessica waited til they were inside, "So what does Lori need again from the pharmacy?" she asked sarcastically knowing that the last time they came she had Glenn getting something then too.
"Can't say," Glenn answered when Jessica had asked him again what Lori wanted.
Stopping in her tracks Jessica turned to face him, "So you're keeping a secret from me too?" she asked a bit harshly. "I mean keeping the barn secret from the group isn't bad enough but you are keeping one from me as well?"
Glenn rolled his eyes but held the piece of paper out to Jessica. "Crawl out of my butt," he responded to her not wanting to argue. "Help me look please."
Jessica took the paper from Glenn and unfolded it. Reading the words she felt shocked and eventually she looked up at Glenn. "You have got to be kidding me," she replied as she turned her back towards him and headed the short distance behind the counter in the pharmacy where they kept all of the medicines.
Getting behind the counter she grabbed a basket and laid it down before going to the rows of medicine and beginning her search. She was pissed now over what Lori had Glenn risking his life for.
As she went down the row of medicine Jessica kept grabbing bottle after bottle reading the labels on them and putting them back when they weren't what she was looking for. After putting one of the bottle down though she froze when she felt a hand on her coming from the other side of the shelf and from the familiar moaning and smells she knew it was a walker that had a hold of her.
"Get off," Jessica muttered as she tried to get her arm away but the walker's grip was tight and her arm stayed in his grasp even as the shelf rocked back and forth causing bottles of medicines to come dropping off. "No! No!" Jessica screamed as she felt her heartbeat quicken and her world seemed to almost slow down. This wasn't how she wanted to die.
Glenn who had been at the front of the store heard Jessica and the moment he rounded the corner to where he had a clear shot of the situation his eyes widened, "Jessica!" he called out hearing and seeing her still struggling with the walker. That was all it took for him to take off running to where she was. He wasn't..no he couldn't let her die.
On his way to where she was he cleared off a shelf before taking the shelf off and running with it. Climbing on top of the counter he raised the shelf and hit the walker square in the face watching as it fell to the floor and released it's grip on Jessica.
After that he dropped the shelf and moved down off the counter going to Jessica, "Did it get you?" he asked putting both of his hands on each of her shoulders. "Did it bite you?!"
Jessica was just in too much shock to answer Glenn and instead she cried feeling him pull her into a hug. As they hugged though she watched the walker stand back up and she yelled out Glenn's name before pulling away and she just made a face wanting to be sick at the sight of the walker standing in front of them half his head literally hanging off his shoulders.
Seeing Glenn reach for something in his pocket she just stood there dazed watching as Glenn finally made a clean shot to the walkers brain and it fell again though it kept making gurgling noises and that was when Glenn just started stabbing it repeatedly in the head.
When he stood back up again finally she watched him come over to her and this time it was her that pulled him into a hug and she broke down crying again.
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Maggie screamed out as she ran through the woods away from her father's house. She had been on her way back when she had been spotted by a nearby walker and now that walker was chasing her and she knew it was almost to her. "God damn it," she muttered as she felt her breathing get heavier and she ran faster.
It was during her running though that she tripped and after she fell she backed away as the walker soon bent down trying to get her. "Someone help me!" she called out as loud as she could and she started to move backwards on the ground to get away from the walker.
Mac who had been nearby in the woods paused as he heard Maggie scream out and he took off running, reaching for the knife in his pocket. As he ran towards the scream he heard her call out again and by the time he reached her he saw a walker reaching for her leg.
Going to the walker before it could fully grab onto Maggie's leg Mac stuck the knife into it's skull watching as it went limp. Pulling his knife out he looked at Maggie seeing that the poor girl looked shaken up. "Come on," he said holding his hand out to her and helping her up.
Maggie stood up and took Mac's hand, "I...Taylor," she muttered wanting to see Taylor.
"I'll take you to my brother," Mac nodded as he kept a hold of Maggie's hand and walked with her through the woods. It was obvious from her shaking that the attack from the walker had scared her, obviously shaken her up well. "I'll rub it in his face as well that I played the knight in shining armor to the lady he likes," he teased trying to lighten the mood.
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Slamming the gate at the farm after they arrived back Jessica spotted Lori, "Hey!" she called out harshly as she walked towards the woman. "We got your stuff."
Glenn who was walking behind Jessica ran after her, "Jessica..please," he pleaded not wanting her to cause a scene.
Lori raised an eyebrow at Jessica's outburst and turned to lead her inside the tent she shared with Rick, "C..come on in here."
"Why?" Jessica snapped as she followed behind Lori. "Nothing to hide," she said as she reached inside the bag when Lori turned to face her. "Got your special delivery right here," she continued as she pulled stuff out. "We got your lotion, we got your conditioner, your soap opera digest..."
Lori was still stunned at Jessica's outburst and she was sure as the girl kept on her eyes got even wider, "Jessica?" she asked questioningly.
"Next time you want something get it your damn self," Jessica spat as she locked eyes with Lori. "We're not your errand boys."
Shaking her head Lori looked at her muttering a hon before looking down at the ground and seeing the packet of morning after pills that she had asked Glenn to get.
Jessica too spotted the packet and picked it up roughly, "And here's your abortion pills," she said throwing the packet at her before walking off.
Glenn who had stood there wordlessly watched Jessica walk off and he turned heading after her. He would explain to Lori what happened later. He knew he would need too.
"That was not cool," Glenn muttered as he reached up with Jessica.
Jessica looked at Glenn, "Which part? The part where that bitch almost got us killed?" she asked as her voice cracked at the thought.
"I should have gone alone," Glenn spoke after Jessica turned her back to him and walked away some again. "If you want to blame anybody blame me," he told her knowing he should have tried harder in stopping her from going.
Nodding her head Jessica rolled her eyes, "Right?" she asked sarcastically as she turned to face him. "Take the blame," she said as she locked eyes with him. "You know for a smart guy you're really stupid."
"Kay I'm confused," Glenn admitted as he scrunched up his face. "Because I think you just paid me a compliment but you made it sound..." he continued but was stopped when Jessica walked over to him and pulled him into a kiss.
Pulling away from the kiss Jessica looked at him, "I've already lost three people that I cared about most in this world," she spoke as she stayed close to Glenn and when he said her name she shook her head and shushed him. "Shut up. You're smart, you're brave, you're a leader," she said feeling confident in her words. "But you don't know it and our friends don't want to know it. They'd rather have you fetching peaches. Just a dead guy in the well, send Glenn down," she nodded before moving away from him slightly. "You're walker bait. I can't take you becoming one of them," she admitted honestly before walking away from him again.
Standing in silence Glenn just watched Jessica walk away processing what she had said to him.
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Taylor ran a hand through his hair as he paced back and forth in the kitchen. It had been awhile since Maggie had left and he was fighting against his better judgement to go and find her but he just figured if he did that would cause more issues for them.
"Taylor!" Mac called out as he entered the house with a still shaken Maggie at his side.
Hearing his brother Taylor stopped pacing and he left the kitchen, pausing when he found Mac who was holding onto a dirt covered Maggie. "What happened?" he asked as he walked over to them and the moment he made it he felt Maggie's arms go around his neck. It was a definite change from her attitude when she left earlier.
Maggie held onto Taylor tightly as she closed her eyes, "O..one of those things..those walkers attacked me," she spoke as she felt tears go down her cheek.
"I saved her," Mac added in as he watched Maggie holding onto Taylor. "I played her knight in shining armor but even after saving her it was you she asked for," he nodded before turning to leave them.
Watching Mac leave Taylor held Maggie closer to him and he closed his eyes. He was thankful that she was okay because he wasn't sure he could handle losing someone else. He never wanted to lose her.
At Taylor's silence Maggie continued to cry and she almost wanted to tell him he was right about those things but she stopped herself because she wasn't sure if she was fully ready to say that out loud.
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Zac chewed on his lip as he paused at the entrance of the tent. He had just gotten back from shooting with Beth and he wasn't sure he was ready to face Kate, not with his guilty conscience eating away at him. Beth had kissed him and he had let her, hell he had even kissed her back briefly before pulling away. He had known it was wrong but it still happened.
"You going to come in the tent or stand out there all day?" Kate asked as she looked at Zac's form outside their tent.
Coming out of his thoughts Zac forced a smile as he went into the tent. Seeing Kate giving him a look Zac knew though that he probably shouldn't be smiling so he dropped it. Kate was either going to lecture him on something or have a conversation and neither option sounded the best right now.
"What happened to make you mad at me?" Kate asked once Zac was in the tent in front of her. "Things were fine and then you just got mean and I don't understand by you telling me to ask Taylor."
Zac looked down and away from Kate as she spoke, "Taylor told me about the kiss at the CDC," he admitted as he looked up finally. "I don't get why you kept it from me," he frowned feeling almost broken in this moment. "It makes me think it meant more to you."
At Zac's response Kate felt her eyes widen, "Trust me it didn't mean more to me," she said as she stood up and walked over to her husband. "I didn't tell you because I knew you'd do like you did. You'd get angry and paranoid."
Zac wanted to deny what she said but he didn't because deep down he knew it was true, "I'm sorry," he finally whispered as he pulled Kate to him and kissed her. He kissed her with all he had in him and he hoped to god now that she never found out that he had kissed Beth.
Kissing Zac back Kate wrapped her arms around his neck before pulling away, "Is that all that was bothering you?" she asked him as she raised an eyebrow. When he nodded she smiled, "How about you tell your sister's to find somewhere else to sleep tonight."
"Why?" Zac asked as he felt confused.
"Because I plan on making love to my husband and showing him just how much I do love him and no one else," Kate whispered before kissing Zac again.
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That night Avery huffed as she entered Daryl's tent. She hadn't been here since dinner time and now she was back. Seeing his curious gaze she looked at him, "Don't kick me out," she told him as she laid her sleeping bag down. "Zac and Kate are getting lucky tonight and they sent Jessica and I elsewhere."
Daryl couldn't help but laugh at Avery's words, "So you chose to come be a pain in my ass?" he asked not liking how close her sleeping bag was to his.
"Better than sleeping in the cramped RV or in Lori and Rick's tent and god forbid I even think of sleeping in Mac and Taylor's," Avery said before rolling her eyes. "They both snore worse than Zac."
"So I'm just your last option," Daryl muttered as he rolled his eyes, "Lucky me."
Avery shook her head, "My first," she said as she slipped into her sleeping bag. "I never considered the other options til you said what you did and I thought of reasons not to go there," she smiled as she looked at him. She knew she was being more open with him than she ever had been but she didn't care anymore, not after almost losing him. "Goodnight Daryl," she said before closing her eyes.
Taking in Avery's words Daryl felt his guard lower some and he sighed. He hated knowing that she was getting more under his skin as each day passed. He didn't do stuff like this. Hell he was still a virgin and he was in his forties. This was all new and just plain wrong and he wanted it to stop but he doubted it would.
"What did your dad do to you?" Daryl asked her after she had closed her eyes. "On the way to the CDC Jessica said you were messed up because of something your dad had done."
At his words Avery opened her eyes and looked at Daryl, "Jessica had no business saying what she did," she muttered as she shook her head. "But my dad he..he did things to me that father's shouldn't do to their daughters. He fucked me up and I think I'm still fucked up from it."
Making a face at her words Daryl frowned and he wanted to confess his own stories about his shitty dad. About the reasons of why he flinched from her touches and why he had been trying to hide his back from her but he didn't. He stayed silent because he didn't want to let her in more than she already was and as he stayed silent he watched her close her eyes again and eventually her breathing evened out.
As he watched her sleep though he bit his lip and reached over nervously to brush some hair that had fallen into her face off it. She was beautiful when she slept and he wasn't so sure that he liked it when she was silent. Not anymore at least.
Zac smirked as he stood and watched Beth as she shot the target he had given her. A small empty coke can. "I swear you should be an Annie Oakley at this rate," he said as he watched her move the gun down and turn to face him.
Beth looked at him as she made a face, "I don't know about that," she muttered as she shook her head. "I don't even really feel comfortable shooting a gun period to be honest," she admitted as she walked to him and handed the gun back. They had been out here now for what felt like several hours.
"You keep saying I shoot good, why don't you show me how you shoot?" she asked eying him curiously. "I think it's only fair."
Taking the gun from Beth, Zac made a face as well especially when he felt the spark that passed between them. A spark that Beth must have felt too because he heard her mutter ouch as she shook her head briefly. Blushing he walked away from her some as he raised the gun and pointed to the pop can as well. Taking a few deep breaths he eventually fired and grinned when the pop can was knocked over.
"Impressive," Beth said from where she stood beside him. "Let me guess you're a gun enthusiast?" she asked as she shrugged innocently. "I think most of the Georgia boys I know are or try to be."
"I guess I sort of am," Zac answered as he walked back to Beth. "I used to go fire guns a lot at shooting ranges in Tulsa and I also played air-soft. My wife once joked we had too many guns and bullets in our house and she was right. We had three hand guns and tons of bullets."
Beth raised an eyebrow as she heard how many guns he had. "Three?" she asked trying to make sense of why he had three guns.
"Our fans are pretty crazy," Zac defended as shrugged now himself. "A few of them had tried to get on our property once. I wanted to make sure we had a lot of protection if need be and I always brought them on tour with us too. I think having them saved most of us when this all started."
Nodding at his answer Beth guessed it made sense, "So tell me how come you and your wife seem to be having trouble?" she asked changing the conversation on him. "I didn't hear everything but what I did hear seemed kind of heated."
"Just typical married stuff. I found out something and I'm ticked at her so I do things to make her ticked at me," Zac confessed as he blushed before looking away from Beth's gaze. "I know I'm an asshole."
Beth laughed at his answer, "Nah you just sound like a typical man," she teased him before walking to the blue truck they had brought. It was truck that had once been Otis's. "You better get me back. You promised my daddy we wouldn't be out all day."
"That I did." Zac said as he looked up again and walked to the truck as well. "And I hate to break my promises," he winked as he opened the door for her to get in.
Turning to say something to Zac before getting in the truck Beth chewed on her lip as she saw just how close Zac was to her and she gulped. She knew it was wrong but a part of her wanted to kiss him and against her better judgement she gave into that. She was sure she could play it off as teenage hormones.
Zac froze when Beth kissed him. It was something he hadn't been expecting and it was something he knew he shouldn't have liked or gotten butterflies from. She was sixteen and he was twenty-five and this was wrong and yet he responded to the kiss briefly before pulling away and just looking at her. He had kissed someone else. He had done what he was semi-mad at Kate for doing.
"We should go," he muttered out before walking away from her and getting in the truck. When she got in Zac did his best to forget that this truck had no space and that they were technically on the same seat. He did his best to forget just how close Beth Greene was and he certainly did his best to forget that he had liked kissing her because it was wrong. She was only supposed to be someone he could connect to by teaching her how to shoot and maybe talking about music which they hadn't even done today like he had wanted too. He had been too busy watching her with that damn gun.
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Taylor crossed his arms as he stood in the Greene Family kitchen. Maggie was starting on dinner early and Taylor had came to help her though it seemed she was giving him the silent treatment. "Are you going to talk to me?" he asked her after awhile of her silent treatment. "Maggie I..." he started but was cut off by her.
"I asked for your trust and you betrayed it," Maggie blurted out harshly as she looked at him before chopping up the carrots. She was angry and so she wasn't being so nice when it came to her cutting. "Now my dad's pissed at me," she said as she looked up at him again. "Your turn."
"So your dad thinks they're sick," Taylor said remembering what Dale had told him after Dale had spoken to Hershel. "You agree with that?" he asked only getting silence in return. "Even after what you saw at the well."
Maggie shook her head, "I'm not sure what I saw at the well."
"Yes you are," Taylor replied knowing she was damn sure what she had seen when the walker had been pulled out of the well. He had been watching from the porch. "If you had seen Atlanta you would not have a barn full of walkers," he sighed knowing how infested Atlanta had been when they had went to the CDC.
Maggie glared at Taylor," I wish you'd stop calling them that."
Looking away from her Taylor ran a hand through his hair, "What do you call them?" he asked as he raised an eyebrow and looked at her curiously.
"Mom," Maggie replied referring to her step-mother Anette, Beth's mom. "Shawn," she said again this time referring to Beth's half brother. "Mr and Mrs. Fisher," she said as she laid the knife down, keeping eye contact with Taylor. "Lacey Duncan," she finished naming off people she knew who her dad was keeping in the barn.
After she had finished talking to him she left the kitchen and soon also left the house. She needed to go out and clear her mind as well as get away from Taylor.
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"I don't know why you are going back into town," Jessica hissed out as she sat on a horse opposite Glenn. When she had found him after leaving the kitchen he had told her he had to make another run into town to the pharmacy though he hadn't told her why.
Looking over at Jessica, Glenn shrugged, "It's for Lori," he said not wanting to tell her why. He had already accidentally told Dale today and Dale had confronted Lori. The last thing he needed was to tell someone else. "And you didn't have to come along."
"What does Lori need at the pharmacy?" Jessica asked as she raised an eyebrow. "And I wanted to come. I don't trust you out by yourself."
Glenn remained silent for awhile at both of her questions and once the pharmacy was almost in sight he chewed his lip, "I can take care of myself on my own," he nodded knowing with her here he would just want to protect her before himself. It made him a liability.
"You may not come back to me," Jessica replied as she lead her horse to the pharmacy. Getting off of it once they had arrived she got off of it and tied it in place. "I want you to come back and not leave me like Joe and Merle did," she said knowing she was tired of everyone leaving her.
Not saying anything else as she walked inside the pharmacy Jessica waited til they were inside, "So what does Lori need again from the pharmacy?" she asked sarcastically knowing that the last time they came she had Glenn getting something then too.
"Can't say," Glenn answered when Jessica had asked him again what Lori wanted.
Stopping in her tracks Jessica turned to face him, "So you're keeping a secret from me too?" she asked a bit harshly. "I mean keeping the barn secret from the group isn't bad enough but you are keeping one from me as well?"
Glenn rolled his eyes but held the piece of paper out to Jessica. "Crawl out of my butt," he responded to her not wanting to argue. "Help me look please."
Jessica took the paper from Glenn and unfolded it. Reading the words she felt shocked and eventually she looked up at Glenn. "You have got to be kidding me," she replied as she turned her back towards him and headed the short distance behind the counter in the pharmacy where they kept all of the medicines.
Getting behind the counter she grabbed a basket and laid it down before going to the rows of medicine and beginning her search. She was pissed now over what Lori had Glenn risking his life for.
As she went down the row of medicine Jessica kept grabbing bottle after bottle reading the labels on them and putting them back when they weren't what she was looking for. After putting one of the bottle down though she froze when she felt a hand on her coming from the other side of the shelf and from the familiar moaning and smells she knew it was a walker that had a hold of her.
"Get off," Jessica muttered as she tried to get her arm away but the walker's grip was tight and her arm stayed in his grasp even as the shelf rocked back and forth causing bottles of medicines to come dropping off. "No! No!" Jessica screamed as she felt her heartbeat quicken and her world seemed to almost slow down. This wasn't how she wanted to die.
Glenn who had been at the front of the store heard Jessica and the moment he rounded the corner to where he had a clear shot of the situation his eyes widened, "Jessica!" he called out hearing and seeing her still struggling with the walker. That was all it took for him to take off running to where she was. He wasn't..no he couldn't let her die.
On his way to where she was he cleared off a shelf before taking the shelf off and running with it. Climbing on top of the counter he raised the shelf and hit the walker square in the face watching as it fell to the floor and released it's grip on Jessica.
After that he dropped the shelf and moved down off the counter going to Jessica, "Did it get you?" he asked putting both of his hands on each of her shoulders. "Did it bite you?!"
Jessica was just in too much shock to answer Glenn and instead she cried feeling him pull her into a hug. As they hugged though she watched the walker stand back up and she yelled out Glenn's name before pulling away and she just made a face wanting to be sick at the sight of the walker standing in front of them half his head literally hanging off his shoulders.
Seeing Glenn reach for something in his pocket she just stood there dazed watching as Glenn finally made a clean shot to the walkers brain and it fell again though it kept making gurgling noises and that was when Glenn just started stabbing it repeatedly in the head.
When he stood back up again finally she watched him come over to her and this time it was her that pulled him into a hug and she broke down crying again.
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Maggie screamed out as she ran through the woods away from her father's house. She had been on her way back when she had been spotted by a nearby walker and now that walker was chasing her and she knew it was almost to her. "God damn it," she muttered as she felt her breathing get heavier and she ran faster.
It was during her running though that she tripped and after she fell she backed away as the walker soon bent down trying to get her. "Someone help me!" she called out as loud as she could and she started to move backwards on the ground to get away from the walker.
Mac who had been nearby in the woods paused as he heard Maggie scream out and he took off running, reaching for the knife in his pocket. As he ran towards the scream he heard her call out again and by the time he reached her he saw a walker reaching for her leg.
Going to the walker before it could fully grab onto Maggie's leg Mac stuck the knife into it's skull watching as it went limp. Pulling his knife out he looked at Maggie seeing that the poor girl looked shaken up. "Come on," he said holding his hand out to her and helping her up.
Maggie stood up and took Mac's hand, "I...Taylor," she muttered wanting to see Taylor.
"I'll take you to my brother," Mac nodded as he kept a hold of Maggie's hand and walked with her through the woods. It was obvious from her shaking that the attack from the walker had scared her, obviously shaken her up well. "I'll rub it in his face as well that I played the knight in shining armor to the lady he likes," he teased trying to lighten the mood.
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Slamming the gate at the farm after they arrived back Jessica spotted Lori, "Hey!" she called out harshly as she walked towards the woman. "We got your stuff."
Glenn who was walking behind Jessica ran after her, "Jessica..please," he pleaded not wanting her to cause a scene.
Lori raised an eyebrow at Jessica's outburst and turned to lead her inside the tent she shared with Rick, "C..come on in here."
"Why?" Jessica snapped as she followed behind Lori. "Nothing to hide," she said as she reached inside the bag when Lori turned to face her. "Got your special delivery right here," she continued as she pulled stuff out. "We got your lotion, we got your conditioner, your soap opera digest..."
Lori was still stunned at Jessica's outburst and she was sure as the girl kept on her eyes got even wider, "Jessica?" she asked questioningly.
"Next time you want something get it your damn self," Jessica spat as she locked eyes with Lori. "We're not your errand boys."
Shaking her head Lori looked at her muttering a hon before looking down at the ground and seeing the packet of morning after pills that she had asked Glenn to get.
Jessica too spotted the packet and picked it up roughly, "And here's your abortion pills," she said throwing the packet at her before walking off.
Glenn who had stood there wordlessly watched Jessica walk off and he turned heading after her. He would explain to Lori what happened later. He knew he would need too.
"That was not cool," Glenn muttered as he reached up with Jessica.
Jessica looked at Glenn, "Which part? The part where that bitch almost got us killed?" she asked as her voice cracked at the thought.
"I should have gone alone," Glenn spoke after Jessica turned her back to him and walked away some again. "If you want to blame anybody blame me," he told her knowing he should have tried harder in stopping her from going.
Nodding her head Jessica rolled her eyes, "Right?" she asked sarcastically as she turned to face him. "Take the blame," she said as she locked eyes with him. "You know for a smart guy you're really stupid."
"Kay I'm confused," Glenn admitted as he scrunched up his face. "Because I think you just paid me a compliment but you made it sound..." he continued but was stopped when Jessica walked over to him and pulled him into a kiss.
Pulling away from the kiss Jessica looked at him, "I've already lost three people that I cared about most in this world," she spoke as she stayed close to Glenn and when he said her name she shook her head and shushed him. "Shut up. You're smart, you're brave, you're a leader," she said feeling confident in her words. "But you don't know it and our friends don't want to know it. They'd rather have you fetching peaches. Just a dead guy in the well, send Glenn down," she nodded before moving away from him slightly. "You're walker bait. I can't take you becoming one of them," she admitted honestly before walking away from him again.
Standing in silence Glenn just watched Jessica walk away processing what she had said to him.
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Taylor ran a hand through his hair as he paced back and forth in the kitchen. It had been awhile since Maggie had left and he was fighting against his better judgement to go and find her but he just figured if he did that would cause more issues for them.
"Taylor!" Mac called out as he entered the house with a still shaken Maggie at his side.
Hearing his brother Taylor stopped pacing and he left the kitchen, pausing when he found Mac who was holding onto a dirt covered Maggie. "What happened?" he asked as he walked over to them and the moment he made it he felt Maggie's arms go around his neck. It was a definite change from her attitude when she left earlier.
Maggie held onto Taylor tightly as she closed her eyes, "O..one of those things..those walkers attacked me," she spoke as she felt tears go down her cheek.
"I saved her," Mac added in as he watched Maggie holding onto Taylor. "I played her knight in shining armor but even after saving her it was you she asked for," he nodded before turning to leave them.
Watching Mac leave Taylor held Maggie closer to him and he closed his eyes. He was thankful that she was okay because he wasn't sure he could handle losing someone else. He never wanted to lose her.
At Taylor's silence Maggie continued to cry and she almost wanted to tell him he was right about those things but she stopped herself because she wasn't sure if she was fully ready to say that out loud.
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Zac chewed on his lip as he paused at the entrance of the tent. He had just gotten back from shooting with Beth and he wasn't sure he was ready to face Kate, not with his guilty conscience eating away at him. Beth had kissed him and he had let her, hell he had even kissed her back briefly before pulling away. He had known it was wrong but it still happened.
"You going to come in the tent or stand out there all day?" Kate asked as she looked at Zac's form outside their tent.
Coming out of his thoughts Zac forced a smile as he went into the tent. Seeing Kate giving him a look Zac knew though that he probably shouldn't be smiling so he dropped it. Kate was either going to lecture him on something or have a conversation and neither option sounded the best right now.
"What happened to make you mad at me?" Kate asked once Zac was in the tent in front of her. "Things were fine and then you just got mean and I don't understand by you telling me to ask Taylor."
Zac looked down and away from Kate as she spoke, "Taylor told me about the kiss at the CDC," he admitted as he looked up finally. "I don't get why you kept it from me," he frowned feeling almost broken in this moment. "It makes me think it meant more to you."
At Zac's response Kate felt her eyes widen, "Trust me it didn't mean more to me," she said as she stood up and walked over to her husband. "I didn't tell you because I knew you'd do like you did. You'd get angry and paranoid."
Zac wanted to deny what she said but he didn't because deep down he knew it was true, "I'm sorry," he finally whispered as he pulled Kate to him and kissed her. He kissed her with all he had in him and he hoped to god now that she never found out that he had kissed Beth.
Kissing Zac back Kate wrapped her arms around his neck before pulling away, "Is that all that was bothering you?" she asked him as she raised an eyebrow. When he nodded she smiled, "How about you tell your sister's to find somewhere else to sleep tonight."
"Why?" Zac asked as he felt confused.
"Because I plan on making love to my husband and showing him just how much I do love him and no one else," Kate whispered before kissing Zac again.
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That night Avery huffed as she entered Daryl's tent. She hadn't been here since dinner time and now she was back. Seeing his curious gaze she looked at him, "Don't kick me out," she told him as she laid her sleeping bag down. "Zac and Kate are getting lucky tonight and they sent Jessica and I elsewhere."
Daryl couldn't help but laugh at Avery's words, "So you chose to come be a pain in my ass?" he asked not liking how close her sleeping bag was to his.
"Better than sleeping in the cramped RV or in Lori and Rick's tent and god forbid I even think of sleeping in Mac and Taylor's," Avery said before rolling her eyes. "They both snore worse than Zac."
"So I'm just your last option," Daryl muttered as he rolled his eyes, "Lucky me."
Avery shook her head, "My first," she said as she slipped into her sleeping bag. "I never considered the other options til you said what you did and I thought of reasons not to go there," she smiled as she looked at him. She knew she was being more open with him than she ever had been but she didn't care anymore, not after almost losing him. "Goodnight Daryl," she said before closing her eyes.
Taking in Avery's words Daryl felt his guard lower some and he sighed. He hated knowing that she was getting more under his skin as each day passed. He didn't do stuff like this. Hell he was still a virgin and he was in his forties. This was all new and just plain wrong and he wanted it to stop but he doubted it would.
"What did your dad do to you?" Daryl asked her after she had closed her eyes. "On the way to the CDC Jessica said you were messed up because of something your dad had done."
At his words Avery opened her eyes and looked at Daryl, "Jessica had no business saying what she did," she muttered as she shook her head. "But my dad he..he did things to me that father's shouldn't do to their daughters. He fucked me up and I think I'm still fucked up from it."
Making a face at her words Daryl frowned and he wanted to confess his own stories about his shitty dad. About the reasons of why he flinched from her touches and why he had been trying to hide his back from her but he didn't. He stayed silent because he didn't want to let her in more than she already was and as he stayed silent he watched her close her eyes again and eventually her breathing evened out.
As he watched her sleep though he bit his lip and reached over nervously to brush some hair that had fallen into her face off it. She was beautiful when she slept and he wasn't so sure that he liked it when she was silent. Not anymore at least.