"Disoriented. I guess that comes closest." Rick explained his story to those listening around the campfire later that night. It was late and the afternoon had been spent much like most afternoons at camp, or at least that's what Glenn told Isabella and Millie. Everyone had something to do to keep the place running, much like things had been before the Change. They had spent most of the day letting Millie rest her ankle. Isabella allowed Glenn to give her a quick tour of the camp, but once they were done she was back at her friends side, clearly uncomfortable with all of the new people. Glenn went about his business, though he frequently came by to check on them. He was obviously nervous, unable to look them in the eye, but his kindness was just as obvious. Millie found it endearing, but Isabella was not as on board with the idea of making a new friend. She remained quiet when people of the camp would stop by to introduce themselves, nodding and uttering her responses under her breath. In her experience, people only cared about themselves, especially in this world. No thought to those around them. Why should this camp be different?

It was dark, only the smallest of fires to illuminate the people she and Millie were sat with. She looked at the people around her. Amy and Andrea sat cuddled on the other side of where she was sitting next to Millie. Next to them, was Dale. Millie told her that she had thought he seemed nice; she liked him quite a bit. His kind and caring nature was a nice change from the hostility in the city. T-Dog was okay, but she hadn't really talked to him much. He had the same trust-issue tendencies that she did, so she could relate to him on a personal level. She turned to Rick and his newly reunited family, surprising herself when she could help the small smile that tugged at the corner of her lips. Little Carl was a cute kid, and he seemed smart for his age. He reminded her of her nephews and the thought immediately got rid of the smile and any happiness she'd felt just then. Thinking of all the weekends she'd spent babysitting them made her chest tighten and she sucked in a deep breath. Now was not the time. Hopefully they were in a better place now, whereas Carl was going to have to grow up in this unforgiving world. Her eyes found Lori's face, Rick's wife. She liked her okay, but something about her just seemed off. Glenn sat close to Millie on her other side.

"Fear, confusion—all those things but, disoriented comes closest." Rick continued, bringing Isabella from her thoughts.

"Words can be meager things." Said Dale, "Sometimes they fall short."

"I felt like I'd been ripped out of my life and put somewhere else. For a while I thought I was trapped in some coma dream, something I might not wake up from ever."

Millie watched Rick as he spoke. He held tight to his wife and stroked his son's hair absentmindedly. There was a connection, a bond between Rick and Isabella and herself, she felt. Something that couldn't be broken. A brotherly, fatherly type thing. He saved their lives, whether Isabella wanted to admit it or not. If they'd stayed on that farm, there's no telling what would have happened to them. They had no more food, she was injured, and no means of transportation. She sighed and rested her head on her friend's shoulder.

"Mom said you died." Carl looked up at his father.

"She had every reason to believe that." Said Rick, "Don't you ever doubt it."

"When things started to get really bad, they told me at the hospital that they were going to medevac you and the other patients to Atlanta and it never happened." Lori explained.

"Well, I'm not surprised after Atlanta fell. And from the look of that hospital, it got overrun."

"Yeah, looks don't deceive." Shane said. Isabella looked at him and she could feel the glare on her face. She didn't like him. She didn't really know why, she just had a bad feeling about him. She rolled her eyes as he continued to speak, "I barely got them out, you know?"

"I can't tell you how grateful I am to you, Shane. I can't begin to express it."

"There go those words falling short again." Dale smiled, "Paltry things."

Millie gave a soft chuckle, staring down at her hands. When she looked up everyone was looking at her. She gave them an innocent what-did-I-do? face. Rick chuckled, "And then I came across these two, toughing it out on their own."

"We had no other choice." Isabella retorted, "That's how the world works now, get tough or die."

Everyone was silent at her words, and she wasn't looking at anyone. After a moment, she stood and walked away, clearly wanting to be alone. Millie simply looked down at the grass under her legs. The group looked at her expectantly, but she remained silent. She may have been a little more open-minded about people, but she'd learned that a person's past could be someone else's greatest weapon. The sound of a log thrown on the fire directed everyone's attention to the small fire behind Rick and his family. A large, scary looking man and a woman with cropped, silver hair sat around another fire. A small girl with short blonde hair was seated next to the woman. They looked a little afraid, but Millie wasn't really sure of what.

"Hey, Ed, you wanna rethink that log?" said Shane. Millie felt her anxiety rise in her throat, but remained silent.

"It's cold, man." Ed replied, bringing a cigarette to his mouth.

"The cold don't change the rules, does it? Keep our fires low, just embers, so we can't be seen from a distance, right?"

"I said it's cold. Why don't you mind your own business for once?"

Everyone was quiet as Shane stood and approached Ed and what appeared to be his family. Millie turned back to their own fire, trying to avoid the scene behind her. Truthfully she just wanted to go to sleep, but she wasn't sure where she was sleeping at that point. She yawned and waited for Shane to return and when he did Dale spoke up.

"Have you given any thought to Daryl Dixon? He won't be happy to hear his brother was left behind."

Millie felt a pang of guilt in the pit of her stomach. She was starting to regret letting them leave Merle up there like that. Yeah, he was being a douche, but his brother loved him. Well, at least she assumed his brother loved him. Who knew? At this point, they may simply tolerate each other because they're all they've got left. And even then leaving someone's brother on a roof to die sounded like the worst thing on the planet to Millie right then. She pulled her knees to her chest and rested her chin on her kneecaps.

"I'll tell him." T-Dog said, "I dropped the key. It's on me."

"I cuffed him. That makes it mine." Rick argued.

"Guys, it's not a competition." Glenn said, "Look, it's not anybody's fault. Merle needed to take a chill pill in the first place. You tried to help, it was an accident. And I hate to bring race into this, but it might sound better coming from a white guy."

"I did what I did. Hell if I'm gonna hide from him." T-Dog replied.

"We could lie." Amy suggested.

"Or tell the truth." Said Andrea, "It's like Glenn said, Merle was out of control. Something had to be done or he'd have gotten us killed." She looked at Lori and her family, "Your husband did what was necessary. And if Merle got left behind, it is nobody's fault but Merle's."

"And that's what we tell Daryl?" said Dale. The guilt rose in Millie's throat and she held back a groan, taking a deep breath. Dale continued, "I don't see a rational discussion to be had from that, do you? Word to the wise—we're gonna have our hands full when he gets back from his hunt."

"I was scared and I ran. I'm not ashamed of it." Said T-Dog.

"We were all scared. We all ran." Millie stared at the fire, her chin still in her knees and her arms were wrapped around her legs for warmth, "I don't think anybody blames you."

"Yeah, what's your point?" said Andrea.

"I stopped long enough to chain that door. Staircase is narrow. Maybe half a dozen geeks can squeeze against it at any one time. It's not enough to break through that—not that chain, not that padlock." T-Dog explained.

Millie looked at Glenn with a look of realization. She turned back to the fire, "So what you're saying is Merle's alive?"

"He's alive. And he's still up there, handcuffed on that roof. That's on us."