Radioactive Chapter Twenty-Two
Jessica chewed her lip as she sat around the fire pit. Rick had called a meeting supposedly to tell everyone what the next move would be. Jessica had to admit she wasn't sure what she wanted to do. She half wanted to stay but there seemed to be tension between Shane and Rick that she didn't like. She was beginning to learn that she hated tension and she was questioning now why she had even went with Merle. That had caused a lot.
"I've uh..I've been thinkin about Rick's plan," Shane stated as he walked over to where what was left of their group was sitting. "Now look there are no guarantees either way, I'll be the first one to admit that. I've known this man a long time. I trust his instincts. I say the most important thing here is we need to stay together so for those of you that agree we leave first thing in the morning, okay," he said as he looked around at the group.
After Shane spoke a silence seemed to surround everyone and Jessica looked over at all of her family. Zac and Kate seemed to nod at each other in agreement. Apparently it seemed to her they had already made a silent agreement before this meeting to do something and she guessed this solidified whatever that was.
Seeing Isaac and Nikki she saw them looking down as if they were unsure and Mac well he looked just as unsure as them. Avery on the other hand kept eying Daryl and Jessica figured she'd stay just for him whether she'd admit it or not and Taylor well he just seemed to still look so lost and like he had no hope.
Standing from her chair she slipped off and headed towards Merle's tent. When she got there she went inside and sat down on the sleeping bag that used to be his. Hearing someone come inside not long after her she half expected it be Daryl but it wasn't. It seemed he was doing a good job at avoiding this tent since last night. He had slept in the truck that Jessica knew once belonged to Merle.
"So what are you going to do Avie?" Jessica asked as she eyed her sister who came to sit down next to her.
Avery shrugged, "I'll probably stay," she confessed as she looked down. "It's easier and I'm afraid out there I won't make it on my own."
"And out there doesn't have Daryl," Jessica laughed as she nudged her sister in the side. "I saw the way you kept looking at him after Shane talked."
Blushing Avery shook her head, "No I am not just staying because of Daryl," she defended as she shook her head. "What are you doing though? Staying and going to the CDC or leaving and trying to make it on your own?"
Jessica laughed again as she chewed on her lip briefly, "Staying even if I don't like the tension brewing between Shane and Rick," she said as she shook her head.
Avery smiled when she heard Jessica say she was staying, "I'm sure the tension is just because Shane has lost his woman now," she spoke as she remembered the night on top of the RV with Shane. Having sex with him after he had literally death stared Rick and Lori's tent. It was something she regretted even if it had made her feel alive. It was something she never wanted anyone else to know about.
"Yeah well Shane needs to stop being a jackass and get over it," Jessica muttered. "Anyway it's not like he is that hot. I don't see why any woman would want to sleep with him."
Again Avery felt herself blush as she looked away from her sister, "Yeah well I'm sure the same could be said about Merle," she muttered not meaning to get offensive but she felt that way after Jessica's words, mainly because she had slept with Shane herself.
Jessica was about to ask Avery why she was getting all defensive when it hit her and she just shook her head. "No.." she said as she felt her mouth drop open. "You and Shane?" she asked as she still shook her head not sure how she felt about Avery having sex with Shane.
Avery nodded her head, "Once the night Rick came back. I was going back to the tour bus to change into my pajamas."
"And you did a lot more than change into your pajamas," Jessica said as she shook her head. "I don't know what to say," she admitted honestly as she looked at her sister. "I mean Jeremy I could understand because you were young and naive but Shane...I mean you like Daryl."
"You are really judging me for who I slept with?" Avery asked Jessica as she locked eyes with her sister. "And I don't like Daryl," she corrected her sister even if she was starting to think that maybe there was something deeper there especially after last night and how she had felt in his arms.
Jessica shook her head again this time at Avery's denial of liking Daryl, "Lie to yourself but I know. I'm your sister and I can read between the lines."
"And you're reading wrong," Avery nodded as she stood up and turned to leave the tent. Making it to the flap she turned to face Jessica, "I'm glad you are staying though and I don't think I'll be the only one," she smiled as she stepped out of the tent and headed to the tour bus. Avery was sure that Glenn too would be happy that Jessica had decided to stick around.
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Nikki looked at Isaac as they made their way back to the tour bus. It was dark now and each of them were holding a sleeping child. "So are we staying or going?" she stopped midway to the bus and asked him. "I mean Miranda and Morales are leaving and heading to Birmingham. We always said if we lost the safety here we'd try and head for Florida and see if we could find my family."
Stopping in his tracks Isaac turned to face Nikki, "We did say that," he confirmed as he looked down at her. "And I think we should do what we said," he told her knowing the decision had been made for him the night the camp got attacked. "The CDC or Fort Benning could be pipe dreams and I feel we need to try on our own just like Morales and Miranda."
Smiling at Isaac's words Nikki felt relieved that she and her husband were on the same page, "How are we going to tell the others?" she asked knowing his family would have objections.
"We tell them tomorrow morning," Isaac nodded to her as he turned away and headed inside the bus. Going to the back he put Everett down into a bunk and watched as Nikki slowly laid Monroe down beside Everett. Shutting the curtain he headed to the bunk he shared with his wife. Slipping inside he waited until Nikki was beside him before pulling her close.
Nikki rested her head on Isaac's arm and she closed her eyes taking a deep breath, "I love you Isaac and I'm glad that I still have you and the boys. I'm glad that we're also on the same page about this."
Isaac rubbed Nikki's back knowing he felt the same way, "I love you as well and I'm glad for the same things," he whispered knowing he could be just like Taylor. He could have lost everyone that mattered to him and were his reasons for being here.
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Standing around the next morning as everyone packed things up or finished packing things up Zac sighed to himself. He wasn't sure if he had made the right choice to go along with what Kate wanted and stay with the group but he wasn't going to dispute it.
Turning when he heard Shane ask everyone to listen up he looked at the man and crossed his arms.
"Everyone with the cb's we're gonna be on channel forty. Let's keep the chatter down okay," Shane spoke as he eyed the people gathered around. "Now you got a problem, don't have a cb, can't get a signal, anything at all you are gonna hit your horn one time. That will stop the caravan. Any questions?"
"We're uh..we're not going," Morales spoke up feeling all eyes on him.
Miranda held her two children to her as she felt the eyes on her and her husband, "We have family in Birmingham. We wanna be with our people."
Zac looked at them and crossed his arms over his chest. It was when Isaac spoke up though that his attention was raised even more.
"Nikki and I are leaving as well," Isaac added in as he looked at his wife. "She has family in Florida that we are going to try and find."
After Isaac spoke Zac shook his head as he walked over to Isaac. Uncrossing his arms he grabbed his older brother and pulled him away from the group as Shane talked to Nikki, Miranda and Morales.
"What the hell are you thinking, leaving like that?" Zac asked under his breath. He knew he shouldn't be mad at Isaac for leaving since that had been his first thought but he was.
"I'm thinking of what's best for my family," Isaac told Zac as he chewed on his lip. He hadn't expected people to take this nicely.
Zac shook his head, "And this is best?" he asked his tone staying bitter. "Leaving without any protection and how do you plan to get to Florida. We had chosen to leave the bus here," he said knowing that had been decided over breakfast this morning.
"I was kind of hoping you'd give us a gun and let us use the bus," Isaac admitted as he locked eyes with Zac.
Staring at Isaac for what seemed like forever Zac finally sighed deciding to give Isaac what he wanted. Leading the way towards the bus he felt Isaac fresh on his heels. It was after giving his brother a gun and the keys to the bus that everything seemed to fly by and Zac eventually watched as the others from their family and the camp came to bid goodbye to the Morales family and to Isaac and Nikki.
After bidding them goodbye himself he slipped his arm around Kate and headed to the church van that they had decided to ride in with T-Dog and Andrea. Mac and Taylor were riding in the RV with Glenn, Dale, Jacqui and Jim who was still sick and getting worse from his bite Avery and Jessica had opted to ride in the truck with Daryl or more like Jessica had and she had forced Avery to go along with her.
Getting in the van Zac turned to Kate watching as she shut the door behind her and then sat down beside him as T-Dog got to the front. Pulling Kate towards him he laid his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes as he heard the van start and soon pull away. He felt sad that they were leaving the camp and he felt sad that they were again losing family even if it hadn't been through death. He knew he'd never see his brother again. The odds were against Isaac and Nikki and their kids out there alone.
"They'll be fine," Kate reassured Zac knowing he was worrying. She could read it on his face the moment he laid his head on her shoulder. "They have each other and they'll be okay," she spoke as she smiled though it was bittersweet. In a way she knew that at least if harm did come to Isaac and Nikki they had each other and their kids. "Isaac's a Hanson he'll do fine out there."
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Avery rolled her eyes as she stood outside of the RV sometime later. They had driven god knew how long but had to stop because of the RV. The front was smoking and she wasn't even sure they had what it took to fix the RV.
"I told you we'd never get far on that hose," Dale said as he watched Rick stand up after examining the problem. "I needed the one from the cube."
Rick put his hand on his hips as he looked at Dale, "Can you jerry rig it?"
"That's all it's been so far is more duct tape than hose," Dale shrugged at Rick's suggestion. "And I'm out of duct tape."
Turning when Shane talked Avery heard him saying he had spotted something up ahead through the binoculars he had been using to look through. He had just finished speaking when Jacqui came running off the bus telling them things were getting bad with Jim.
It was after that, that T-Dog and Shane opted to go see what was ahead while Rick held things down here. Watching Rick go onto the RV Avery ran a hand through her hair as she went to the ground and sat down beside Kate.
"How are you feeling?" Avery asked as she raised an eyebrow. "I mean with the baby and all?"
Kate smiled at Avery's words, "I'm feeling okay minus the nausea all the time. Not throwing up much just feel the need too," she joked. "And the baby has started to sit on my bladder some."
Laughing at Kate's words Avery looked down at the grass, "It will be the only niece or nephew I have now," she said sadly as she took in the reality of the situation. "I mean with Isaac and Nikki gone," she whispered not wanting to believe they could die out there.
"Hopefully a niece. I've always wanted a girl," Kate said honestly as she rested a hand on her stomach. She still wasn't showing yet but in a month or so she figured she'd probably start. "I've always dreamed of having a girl with my hair and Zac's smile and eyes."
Avery laughed more at Kate's last statement, "God help us if the kid gets Zac's personality."
"What would be so wrong in that?" Zac asked as he came and sat down beside Kate hearing the last thing that Avery said.
Before Avery could respond though she watched as Shane and T-Dog came back and Rick also came out of the RV. Looking at Rick she raised an eyebrow as the man said that Jim wanted to be left here on the side of the road.
"And he's lucid?" Kate asked as she raised an eyebrow and stood up from the grass.
Rick looked down, "He seems to be. I would say yes," he sighed not wanting to accept the fact that Jim wanted to be left behind.
"Back in the camp when I said Daryl might be right and you shut me down you misunderstood," Dale said as he shook his head and looked at Rick. "I would never go along with callously killing a man but I was just gonna suggest that we ask Jim what he wants and I think we have an answer."
"We just leave him here?" Shane asked sounding perplexed by that idea. "Take off. Man I am not sure I can live with that."
"It's not your call," Lori said as she looked at Shane. "Either one of you," she added in knowing Rick had to feel the same way.
At Lori's words Avery looked down and chewed on her lip. Shane and Rick had both went inside probably to help Jim out of the RV. Staying silent she looked up when she saw the two officers return helping Jim walk. Standing up she followed behind them as they lead Jim to a tree where eventually everyone said their goodbyes and they were able to get back on the road after the RV had been fixed.
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Jessica who sat closest to the window in the truck Daryl drove looked over a smile crossing her face as she saw Avery had fallen asleep her head somehow leaned over on the redneck's shoulder. "Surprised you haven't moved her head yet," she stated as she eyed Daryl.
Daryl turned to look at Jessica briefly before looking at Avery's head on his shoulder, "Afraid if I move her head she'll wake up and start talkin," he said as he looked back out at the road ahead of them. "It's easier if she's asleep cause it's silent."
"If you say so," Jessica muttered under her breath as she turned to look out the window again. "I swear you and her are both so stubborn. It's obvious she likes you but she won't tell you because she has her issues thanks to our dad and you I don't know what your problem is but you are just as stubborn as she is," she sighed to herself.
Rolling his eyes as he listened to Jessica talk Daryl refused to even admit that Jessica was right and admit that he liked Avery or even entertain the idea that she liked him. No one had ever liked him at least no one that knew how to show it properly not even Merle.
"Yeah well dad's are known for messin kids up," Daryl muttered his breath as he thought of his own dad who was part of the reason he was like he was.
At Daryl's comment Jessica turned to look at Daryl but she didn't say anything instead she just nodded and went back to looking out the window. She let the silence fill the truck at least until they arrived at their destination. When Daryl had parked the truck she woke Avery up and then slipped out of the car. She didn't want to say anything but from the looks of this place it was a pipe dream to even come here.
There were dead bodies every where and the stench of dead corpses had attracted flies and well to be honest it was making her stomach turn. She almost felt sorry for Kate having to traverse through this mess.
Holding her nose Jessica kept her thoughts to herself and followed Rick and the rest of the group as they walked away from the cars, having to head around the dead bodies and the buzzing flies everywhere. The closer they got she swore the bodies increased and her hopes of this place being their safe place were fading.
When they made it to a set of doors in the back Jessica watched as Rick and Shane tried them and got nothing.
"There's nobody here," T-Dog said as he spoke up letting his thoughts be known.
Rick turned to look at the man, "Then why are these shutters down?" he asked referring to the shuttered doors.
Hearing Daryl yell out walkers Jessica turned feeling panic as she saw some walkers heading towards them. The threat of that was now making Carl and Sophia freak out. Backing closer towards the doors she watched as Daryl shoot an arrow at one and hit the target.
"I'm scared," she finally mused as she turned to see Taylor beside her.
Taylor stayed looking ahead as he smiled, "I'm not," he told her knowing that now could be when he died. Now could be when he joined his family. All he had to do was wait to get bit.
Jessica just gave Taylor a look before turning as Daryl snapped that Rick had made the wrong call about the CDC and Shane tried to calm the situation though he also told Rick it was a dead end. Something it seemed Rick didn't want to believe as he kept trying to get in despite protests from the others in the group. Protests that Jessica wished Rick would listen too. It was getting dark and soon it'd be worse out here than what it was.
It was only when everyone started to head back to the cars after Shane suggested they do so that Rick yelled out the camera moved. A comment that made everyone stop in their tracks. Jessica shook her head as she turned to look at the man. It was clear he had imagined it and before she could say that herself she heard the same words come from Dale's mouth.
"It moved," Rick said honestly as he walked closer to the shuttered doors. When he made it he heard Shane beside him trying to dispel what he had saw but he knew in his gut he had seen it move.
Shaking her head more Jessica watched as Rick made a plea to the camera saying he knew someone was in there. His plea even made her frown because it was apparent just how crazy and off his rocker he was at this moment and she eventually turned her back on him wanting to just get to the comfort of the truck.
Before she could even take a few steps though she turned back towards the doors when she heard them open and she froze in her spot as she shielded her eyes from the bright light that was coming from the building. It seemed that Rick had been right after all. There had been someone here and maybe this place could be their shelter in the end.
Jessica chewed her lip as she sat around the fire pit. Rick had called a meeting supposedly to tell everyone what the next move would be. Jessica had to admit she wasn't sure what she wanted to do. She half wanted to stay but there seemed to be tension between Shane and Rick that she didn't like. She was beginning to learn that she hated tension and she was questioning now why she had even went with Merle. That had caused a lot.
"I've uh..I've been thinkin about Rick's plan," Shane stated as he walked over to where what was left of their group was sitting. "Now look there are no guarantees either way, I'll be the first one to admit that. I've known this man a long time. I trust his instincts. I say the most important thing here is we need to stay together so for those of you that agree we leave first thing in the morning, okay," he said as he looked around at the group.
After Shane spoke a silence seemed to surround everyone and Jessica looked over at all of her family. Zac and Kate seemed to nod at each other in agreement. Apparently it seemed to her they had already made a silent agreement before this meeting to do something and she guessed this solidified whatever that was.
Seeing Isaac and Nikki she saw them looking down as if they were unsure and Mac well he looked just as unsure as them. Avery on the other hand kept eying Daryl and Jessica figured she'd stay just for him whether she'd admit it or not and Taylor well he just seemed to still look so lost and like he had no hope.
Standing from her chair she slipped off and headed towards Merle's tent. When she got there she went inside and sat down on the sleeping bag that used to be his. Hearing someone come inside not long after her she half expected it be Daryl but it wasn't. It seemed he was doing a good job at avoiding this tent since last night. He had slept in the truck that Jessica knew once belonged to Merle.
"So what are you going to do Avie?" Jessica asked as she eyed her sister who came to sit down next to her.
Avery shrugged, "I'll probably stay," she confessed as she looked down. "It's easier and I'm afraid out there I won't make it on my own."
"And out there doesn't have Daryl," Jessica laughed as she nudged her sister in the side. "I saw the way you kept looking at him after Shane talked."
Blushing Avery shook her head, "No I am not just staying because of Daryl," she defended as she shook her head. "What are you doing though? Staying and going to the CDC or leaving and trying to make it on your own?"
Jessica laughed again as she chewed on her lip briefly, "Staying even if I don't like the tension brewing between Shane and Rick," she said as she shook her head.
Avery smiled when she heard Jessica say she was staying, "I'm sure the tension is just because Shane has lost his woman now," she spoke as she remembered the night on top of the RV with Shane. Having sex with him after he had literally death stared Rick and Lori's tent. It was something she regretted even if it had made her feel alive. It was something she never wanted anyone else to know about.
"Yeah well Shane needs to stop being a jackass and get over it," Jessica muttered. "Anyway it's not like he is that hot. I don't see why any woman would want to sleep with him."
Again Avery felt herself blush as she looked away from her sister, "Yeah well I'm sure the same could be said about Merle," she muttered not meaning to get offensive but she felt that way after Jessica's words, mainly because she had slept with Shane herself.
Jessica was about to ask Avery why she was getting all defensive when it hit her and she just shook her head. "No.." she said as she felt her mouth drop open. "You and Shane?" she asked as she still shook her head not sure how she felt about Avery having sex with Shane.
Avery nodded her head, "Once the night Rick came back. I was going back to the tour bus to change into my pajamas."
"And you did a lot more than change into your pajamas," Jessica said as she shook her head. "I don't know what to say," she admitted honestly as she looked at her sister. "I mean Jeremy I could understand because you were young and naive but Shane...I mean you like Daryl."
"You are really judging me for who I slept with?" Avery asked Jessica as she locked eyes with her sister. "And I don't like Daryl," she corrected her sister even if she was starting to think that maybe there was something deeper there especially after last night and how she had felt in his arms.
Jessica shook her head again this time at Avery's denial of liking Daryl, "Lie to yourself but I know. I'm your sister and I can read between the lines."
"And you're reading wrong," Avery nodded as she stood up and turned to leave the tent. Making it to the flap she turned to face Jessica, "I'm glad you are staying though and I don't think I'll be the only one," she smiled as she stepped out of the tent and headed to the tour bus. Avery was sure that Glenn too would be happy that Jessica had decided to stick around.
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Nikki looked at Isaac as they made their way back to the tour bus. It was dark now and each of them were holding a sleeping child. "So are we staying or going?" she stopped midway to the bus and asked him. "I mean Miranda and Morales are leaving and heading to Birmingham. We always said if we lost the safety here we'd try and head for Florida and see if we could find my family."
Stopping in his tracks Isaac turned to face Nikki, "We did say that," he confirmed as he looked down at her. "And I think we should do what we said," he told her knowing the decision had been made for him the night the camp got attacked. "The CDC or Fort Benning could be pipe dreams and I feel we need to try on our own just like Morales and Miranda."
Smiling at Isaac's words Nikki felt relieved that she and her husband were on the same page, "How are we going to tell the others?" she asked knowing his family would have objections.
"We tell them tomorrow morning," Isaac nodded to her as he turned away and headed inside the bus. Going to the back he put Everett down into a bunk and watched as Nikki slowly laid Monroe down beside Everett. Shutting the curtain he headed to the bunk he shared with his wife. Slipping inside he waited until Nikki was beside him before pulling her close.
Nikki rested her head on Isaac's arm and she closed her eyes taking a deep breath, "I love you Isaac and I'm glad that I still have you and the boys. I'm glad that we're also on the same page about this."
Isaac rubbed Nikki's back knowing he felt the same way, "I love you as well and I'm glad for the same things," he whispered knowing he could be just like Taylor. He could have lost everyone that mattered to him and were his reasons for being here.
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Standing around the next morning as everyone packed things up or finished packing things up Zac sighed to himself. He wasn't sure if he had made the right choice to go along with what Kate wanted and stay with the group but he wasn't going to dispute it.
Turning when he heard Shane ask everyone to listen up he looked at the man and crossed his arms.
"Everyone with the cb's we're gonna be on channel forty. Let's keep the chatter down okay," Shane spoke as he eyed the people gathered around. "Now you got a problem, don't have a cb, can't get a signal, anything at all you are gonna hit your horn one time. That will stop the caravan. Any questions?"
"We're uh..we're not going," Morales spoke up feeling all eyes on him.
Miranda held her two children to her as she felt the eyes on her and her husband, "We have family in Birmingham. We wanna be with our people."
Zac looked at them and crossed his arms over his chest. It was when Isaac spoke up though that his attention was raised even more.
"Nikki and I are leaving as well," Isaac added in as he looked at his wife. "She has family in Florida that we are going to try and find."
After Isaac spoke Zac shook his head as he walked over to Isaac. Uncrossing his arms he grabbed his older brother and pulled him away from the group as Shane talked to Nikki, Miranda and Morales.
"What the hell are you thinking, leaving like that?" Zac asked under his breath. He knew he shouldn't be mad at Isaac for leaving since that had been his first thought but he was.
"I'm thinking of what's best for my family," Isaac told Zac as he chewed on his lip. He hadn't expected people to take this nicely.
Zac shook his head, "And this is best?" he asked his tone staying bitter. "Leaving without any protection and how do you plan to get to Florida. We had chosen to leave the bus here," he said knowing that had been decided over breakfast this morning.
"I was kind of hoping you'd give us a gun and let us use the bus," Isaac admitted as he locked eyes with Zac.
Staring at Isaac for what seemed like forever Zac finally sighed deciding to give Isaac what he wanted. Leading the way towards the bus he felt Isaac fresh on his heels. It was after giving his brother a gun and the keys to the bus that everything seemed to fly by and Zac eventually watched as the others from their family and the camp came to bid goodbye to the Morales family and to Isaac and Nikki.
After bidding them goodbye himself he slipped his arm around Kate and headed to the church van that they had decided to ride in with T-Dog and Andrea. Mac and Taylor were riding in the RV with Glenn, Dale, Jacqui and Jim who was still sick and getting worse from his bite Avery and Jessica had opted to ride in the truck with Daryl or more like Jessica had and she had forced Avery to go along with her.
Getting in the van Zac turned to Kate watching as she shut the door behind her and then sat down beside him as T-Dog got to the front. Pulling Kate towards him he laid his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes as he heard the van start and soon pull away. He felt sad that they were leaving the camp and he felt sad that they were again losing family even if it hadn't been through death. He knew he'd never see his brother again. The odds were against Isaac and Nikki and their kids out there alone.
"They'll be fine," Kate reassured Zac knowing he was worrying. She could read it on his face the moment he laid his head on her shoulder. "They have each other and they'll be okay," she spoke as she smiled though it was bittersweet. In a way she knew that at least if harm did come to Isaac and Nikki they had each other and their kids. "Isaac's a Hanson he'll do fine out there."
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Avery rolled her eyes as she stood outside of the RV sometime later. They had driven god knew how long but had to stop because of the RV. The front was smoking and she wasn't even sure they had what it took to fix the RV.
"I told you we'd never get far on that hose," Dale said as he watched Rick stand up after examining the problem. "I needed the one from the cube."
Rick put his hand on his hips as he looked at Dale, "Can you jerry rig it?"
"That's all it's been so far is more duct tape than hose," Dale shrugged at Rick's suggestion. "And I'm out of duct tape."
Turning when Shane talked Avery heard him saying he had spotted something up ahead through the binoculars he had been using to look through. He had just finished speaking when Jacqui came running off the bus telling them things were getting bad with Jim.
It was after that, that T-Dog and Shane opted to go see what was ahead while Rick held things down here. Watching Rick go onto the RV Avery ran a hand through her hair as she went to the ground and sat down beside Kate.
"How are you feeling?" Avery asked as she raised an eyebrow. "I mean with the baby and all?"
Kate smiled at Avery's words, "I'm feeling okay minus the nausea all the time. Not throwing up much just feel the need too," she joked. "And the baby has started to sit on my bladder some."
Laughing at Kate's words Avery looked down at the grass, "It will be the only niece or nephew I have now," she said sadly as she took in the reality of the situation. "I mean with Isaac and Nikki gone," she whispered not wanting to believe they could die out there.
"Hopefully a niece. I've always wanted a girl," Kate said honestly as she rested a hand on her stomach. She still wasn't showing yet but in a month or so she figured she'd probably start. "I've always dreamed of having a girl with my hair and Zac's smile and eyes."
Avery laughed more at Kate's last statement, "God help us if the kid gets Zac's personality."
"What would be so wrong in that?" Zac asked as he came and sat down beside Kate hearing the last thing that Avery said.
Before Avery could respond though she watched as Shane and T-Dog came back and Rick also came out of the RV. Looking at Rick she raised an eyebrow as the man said that Jim wanted to be left here on the side of the road.
"And he's lucid?" Kate asked as she raised an eyebrow and stood up from the grass.
Rick looked down, "He seems to be. I would say yes," he sighed not wanting to accept the fact that Jim wanted to be left behind.
"Back in the camp when I said Daryl might be right and you shut me down you misunderstood," Dale said as he shook his head and looked at Rick. "I would never go along with callously killing a man but I was just gonna suggest that we ask Jim what he wants and I think we have an answer."
"We just leave him here?" Shane asked sounding perplexed by that idea. "Take off. Man I am not sure I can live with that."
"It's not your call," Lori said as she looked at Shane. "Either one of you," she added in knowing Rick had to feel the same way.
At Lori's words Avery looked down and chewed on her lip. Shane and Rick had both went inside probably to help Jim out of the RV. Staying silent she looked up when she saw the two officers return helping Jim walk. Standing up she followed behind them as they lead Jim to a tree where eventually everyone said their goodbyes and they were able to get back on the road after the RV had been fixed.
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Jessica who sat closest to the window in the truck Daryl drove looked over a smile crossing her face as she saw Avery had fallen asleep her head somehow leaned over on the redneck's shoulder. "Surprised you haven't moved her head yet," she stated as she eyed Daryl.
Daryl turned to look at Jessica briefly before looking at Avery's head on his shoulder, "Afraid if I move her head she'll wake up and start talkin," he said as he looked back out at the road ahead of them. "It's easier if she's asleep cause it's silent."
"If you say so," Jessica muttered under her breath as she turned to look out the window again. "I swear you and her are both so stubborn. It's obvious she likes you but she won't tell you because she has her issues thanks to our dad and you I don't know what your problem is but you are just as stubborn as she is," she sighed to herself.
Rolling his eyes as he listened to Jessica talk Daryl refused to even admit that Jessica was right and admit that he liked Avery or even entertain the idea that she liked him. No one had ever liked him at least no one that knew how to show it properly not even Merle.
"Yeah well dad's are known for messin kids up," Daryl muttered his breath as he thought of his own dad who was part of the reason he was like he was.
At Daryl's comment Jessica turned to look at Daryl but she didn't say anything instead she just nodded and went back to looking out the window. She let the silence fill the truck at least until they arrived at their destination. When Daryl had parked the truck she woke Avery up and then slipped out of the car. She didn't want to say anything but from the looks of this place it was a pipe dream to even come here.
There were dead bodies every where and the stench of dead corpses had attracted flies and well to be honest it was making her stomach turn. She almost felt sorry for Kate having to traverse through this mess.
Holding her nose Jessica kept her thoughts to herself and followed Rick and the rest of the group as they walked away from the cars, having to head around the dead bodies and the buzzing flies everywhere. The closer they got she swore the bodies increased and her hopes of this place being their safe place were fading.
When they made it to a set of doors in the back Jessica watched as Rick and Shane tried them and got nothing.
"There's nobody here," T-Dog said as he spoke up letting his thoughts be known.
Rick turned to look at the man, "Then why are these shutters down?" he asked referring to the shuttered doors.
Hearing Daryl yell out walkers Jessica turned feeling panic as she saw some walkers heading towards them. The threat of that was now making Carl and Sophia freak out. Backing closer towards the doors she watched as Daryl shoot an arrow at one and hit the target.
"I'm scared," she finally mused as she turned to see Taylor beside her.
Taylor stayed looking ahead as he smiled, "I'm not," he told her knowing that now could be when he died. Now could be when he joined his family. All he had to do was wait to get bit.
Jessica just gave Taylor a look before turning as Daryl snapped that Rick had made the wrong call about the CDC and Shane tried to calm the situation though he also told Rick it was a dead end. Something it seemed Rick didn't want to believe as he kept trying to get in despite protests from the others in the group. Protests that Jessica wished Rick would listen too. It was getting dark and soon it'd be worse out here than what it was.
It was only when everyone started to head back to the cars after Shane suggested they do so that Rick yelled out the camera moved. A comment that made everyone stop in their tracks. Jessica shook her head as she turned to look at the man. It was clear he had imagined it and before she could say that herself she heard the same words come from Dale's mouth.
"It moved," Rick said honestly as he walked closer to the shuttered doors. When he made it he heard Shane beside him trying to dispel what he had saw but he knew in his gut he had seen it move.
Shaking her head more Jessica watched as Rick made a plea to the camera saying he knew someone was in there. His plea even made her frown because it was apparent just how crazy and off his rocker he was at this moment and she eventually turned her back on him wanting to just get to the comfort of the truck.
Before she could even take a few steps though she turned back towards the doors when she heard them open and she froze in her spot as she shielded her eyes from the bright light that was coming from the building. It seemed that Rick had been right after all. There had been someone here and maybe this place could be their shelter in the end.