Hush.

I didn’t stir when Glenn took his turn on watch, but it was his voice with Daryl and Rick that did wake me when the sun had barely risen. He was asking to come. “Look, I’m the person whose been in the city most, and I know roughly where we’re going.”

“We can’t risk sending too many people in, not leaving the group defended.” Rick was calm, as usual approaching it with an equal head. “We won’t be, Shane, T-dog...they’ll be here...”

Rick sighed, wiping a hand over his forehead, “We have no guarantee they’ll give us anything either way...”

“They should.” I added, pulling my shirt straight from where it had twisted around my body and ridden up. “They owe you and God knows they owe me, they won’t turn us away with nothing. But, even if they got funny, it will better for us if there’s more of us...or just people who know where and who they’re dealing with.”

Shane staggered over, rubbing his growing stubble, “One of ya should stay, most people here don’t know how to use a gun.”

“You’d be better off not using them anyway.” I countered with a bit of heat, “Only attracts more, you know that.”

“An’ what do you suggest we use instead, we only got knives, ain’t got no axes.” He shot mine a look.

“I’ll keep an eye out then. But knives will do if you get close enough.” He clenched his jaw but dropped it, turning to Rick who faltered a little, “I wanna get a’hold of Morgan, try the radio again.”
He twisted, “Glenn I think it’s worth you staying, we can handle this.”

Glenn frowned, “Well, why does Daryl need to go? If he’s a good shot maybe he should stay here. And he’s got the crossbow!” That seemed to click in everybody’s mind and make sense, because it was what happened in the end, although Daryl accepted with a groan, promising to “check a few more of these shit houses.”

We were taking the jeep, although there were mutterings about fuel use. “What if they offer for us to stay there?” Glenn asked quietly as the vehicle purred. I, for once, was behind the wheel of a car, for some reason my friends had never quite let me.

It may be due to the drinking and several small crashes behind me. Which the others seemed to sense now. “Slowly.” Rick half gasped, grabbing onto the door.

I went to snap back with some biting remark but swallowed it, lifting my foot a little off of the gas but stopping sharply down a cul-de-sac. Glenn, as always, had the map in his hands. “Why did you stop here?”

“I knew someone that lived down here, and I know the quickest way downtown.”

“Through the park?” Rick almost looked amused, even though the tall buildings were close enough he must know I was right.

“Through the park, along fourth and Washington and down...” I squinted trying to remember, “Left will bring us to the right kind of area, and then it’s just gettin’ round the back again.”

“Alright then, let’s get to it.” He hopped down, eyes scanning for walkers. A few had trailed after the jeep but far too slowly to be an issue now and like I had said before, they were all further in the city. Right where we were going. I adjusted the pistol in my belt, and let my fingers flex as always around the axe, empty backpack doing little more than making my back too hot and sticky.

I noticed they were both waiting for me and rolled my eyes, not walking slowly as I manoeuvred through the little path cut through the trees and onto the grass. It was getting long, with no council-men to trim it.

It was creepy in the park now, I used to come here a lot. My friend who had lived here had also at parts been a boyfriend. I had to catch two buses and walk A good mile in total to see him. But I’d always done it, he lived in a far nicer area than I did, and he had a lot of drugs.

I didn’t like to focus on that bit.

“It’s really creepy like this.” Glenn came up beside me, the knife T-dog had gathered in his grasp, shotgun strap clinging to his shoulders. “It was creepy anyway, back when I came here, that streetlight used to flicker and not work right.”

“Did you live near here?” He questioned and I shook my head.

“Nowhere this nice, just my...friend. My name should be scratched into that slide.”

He chuckled, “Really?”

“Well, it will say Livvi...with an I...” I winced for comedic effect, “But yeah, sadly that was what I used to do.”

“That’s sweet an’ all, but we need to get moving.” Rick adjusted his hat and I nodded, grabbing Glenn and tugging him away from his aim of heading towards said slide. We did head in quicker, although not the route I had planned. There were too many of them lingering about, I frowned and the three of us ducked behind some garbage bins from the cafe we were near. “Why are there so many of them here? This is the way I used to come in...there was never this many before!”

“Obviously they either ran out of food that way or there was some near here...we need to get higher up so we can work out a way, on that roof.” I pointed to the next building, the fire escape clear, “If it’s okay we only need to go a few blocks up and then loop around the back.”

I didn’t give them chance to argue, I darted off, swinging my arm and taking out one that had caught out scent. “Hurry up!” I hissed, already climbing. In just a few days I’d forgotten how tiring it was ascending on the thin vertical ladder, my arms screaming in pain as I pulled myself up properly onto the roof, treading quickly to the edge to glance at the busier road.

It was full, practically coated in them. “Shit.” I hissed, kicking at the tiny border, waiting for the others to join me.

“Well, that way is definitely a no, you got another.” I did, but it was basically over the rooftops. “The tank is two blocks that way.” I pointed, “So they haven’t moved too far.”

“But there’s more.” Glenn pointed obviously, again looking nervous. For some reason that irritated me a little. “No shit. We don’t need to get across down here, if we head further up we can cut down an alleyway or something, do it that way.”

“You want to go roof jumping?”

“Ever heard of Parkour Rick?” I teased, although it was far from funny and I was beginning to think this whole thing wasn't worth it. “Just from the fire escape balcony to another, and then down. Look, we can cut down that apartment building there, three down, we’ll make it across there easily.”

He nodded, checking what I had said and obviously finding no query, “You’re sure they’ll help us?"

“They better.” I let the threat hang in the air.

We ducked into the back courtyard, the ivy caught in my loose hair and I hit it away, regretting not tying it up earlier. I was panting a little, it hadn’t exactly gone to plan and there was a lot more running than I had assumed. But we’d made it, all in one piece, none behind us.

“Do I just knock?” I shrugged, expecting someone standing with guns.

“I guess so, normally there would be someone around.” I didn’t want to risk rising my voice so we walked over, Rick rapping hard three times whilst Glenn and I stared around. There was nothing.

“The doors open.” Rick said, lines appearing on his forehead that aged him instantly. “That can’t be right.” I nodded at him when he caught my gaze and he shoved it open.

Instantly you could see something had gone wrong. We were met with three walkers, all coated in blood, chunks of flesh around their mouths. I didn’t let myself think, just reacting and so did the others. Rick grabbing a pole from the ground, god knows what they used it for and swinging, having to land several heavy hits until the skull caved. I took on the second with my axe and Glenn managed to shove the third against a car, the knife struggling to breathe through its head at first.

I sighed, wrenching my axe out with a lot of force, having to press my foot on its neck. “Holy shit.”

Glenn was the first to speak, “They got overrun didn’t they?” His eyes were wide and I felt my mouth dry further, hands start to sweat. I didn’t answer just turned back into the courtyard, there were another two walkers but they were distracted enough for me to be pulling out my axe before the other even dropped the raw flesh in its claws.

It was one of the old people. I groaned, gagging on the bile lifting in my throat. “Don’t run off like that.” Rick scolded, skidding to a halt behind me, “If it’s overrun we’re not going in!”

“But if it’s overrun all the food will be there still.” His face flickered with disgust, “If they’re dead Rick we can’t do anything but...” Glenn appeared, sweat in beads on his face.

“You think any of them are alive? They might have hidden somewhere?!” That was enough to get the hero in Rick nodding in agreement. We only ran into a few, entering the building but there was plenty of blood about, smears of it on the walls, half eaten corpses. My stomach was churning.

There were less inside, but then there weren’t that many bodies overall, especially not when I tried to work out how many had been here. Out the front was where the wave of the undead had gotten them. But we’d frozen and Rick had closed and bolted the door silently. I then proceeded to pretend I hadn’t just seen the massacre of people I had spoken to more than once in some respects.

I was sad, I couldn’t even deny it.

My chest hurt.

“Someone else has been here.” I blinked back into the present, “Look.” Rick continued, aware he had caught us both distracted, his voice a whisper, “Unless walkers managed to cut through this chain and padlock.” He was right, others had been here, maybe even let the walkers in. The kitchen was all but empty, there was nothing for us.

And I couldn’t take anything from their rooms, not here. It was different, if you sort of knew a place.

“It’s done, we go.” Rick stated and I didn’t try and argue. I wanted out of here, it was a graveyard now, some sick memoriam. A part of me hoped at least some of them had gotten away, the woman who gave me the boots that still coated my feet, Guillermo, his dumb sidekicks.

But it was unlikely, looking at this. It could even have been the friends of the guy I had killed, who had threatened me the same day trouble started. I’d tried not to think about that but now it was all I could see.

I’d done worse but that thought brought little comfort.

We wasted another night in the warehouse, and my whole body ached, although this time I had just gone directly to Glenn, glad for the feeling on his warm body close to mine. We also did the last watch together, to save issues with waking each other up. Lori shot me a knowing smirk I ignored, I had no reason to have a problem with her but she was already rubbing me the wrong way a little.

I shot Andrea a small smile, dumping my backpack onto the floor in the RV, running a tired hand over my mouth as I yawned deeply.

I was exhausted, I needed a real night sleep, or anywhere but a hard floor. “Right,” Shane popped his head in, “Everyone in the car needs to get there now, that means you Carl, quit buggin’ Dale.” He spoke quite harshly and I saw the hurt spread over the boys face as he got off the driver’s seat and brushed past Shane. “We alright to go?”

“Just give me a few minutes.” Dale replied and I stood, squeezing beside Glenn in the wide front seat. I’d far rather be perched a bit awkwardly then deal with whatever awkward moments Shane and Andrea were bound to have behind us. T-dog was asleep already, he’d stayed up longest and his snoring on the bed in the back was gentle but I like the rhythm. I couldn’t stop from focusing on it, waiting for every one like it was important.

“Daryl, ya good?” The call back was slurred due to the distance but seemed positive and the roar of the motorbike caught my attention quickly and Glenn met my eyes, giving me that small short smile. We’d been brief about what we had seen, spared them the gory details.

I felt guilty that I didn’t feel worse. At the time, in the home sure. But the moment we left I was back into planning routes, surviving and they drifted from my mind.

“Well then,” Dale rang out, waiting as Shane closed the door and sat around the small table, “Onto Fort Benning.”