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Summary: Andrea's desperate to get away from the group. When she overhears Shane's plan to slip away quietly, Andrea believes she's found her ticket out. But is it worth the risk?

How To Be Dead

Part I

"Suicidal imbecile
Think about it, put it on the fault line
What'll it take to get it through to you precious
Over this. Why do you wanna throw it away like this?"

-"The Outsider" by A Perfect Circle

The group was getting ready to leave, continuing their search for some form of safe haven.

Andrea knew that it was growing more and more futile.

This journey was leading them nowhere. The geeks outnumbered them immensely.

She could safe right now.

She could be safe and reunited with her sister, Amy. Dead, but safe. Instead, she was forced to move on day to day, wondering when death would pounce. She constantly kicked herself for allowing the geeks the chance to get so close to her sister. For allowing Amy to go off by herself to use the bathroom on the motor-home, innocent request as it was. The replay of the attack, watching Amy turn, and having to kill her haunted Andrea.

Then there was Dale.

The father figure, who had convinced her to reluctantly leave the CDC building seconds before the incineration process initiated.

As Andrea walked over to the motor-home, Dale must've noticed her look of deep concentration; the look of anguish that now replaced the smile she once wore.

"Andrea." He spoke.

She stopped, but didn't look up immediately.

"I know what you're thinking," he began; "but if I hadn't done what I did, you would be dead."

"I chose to stay." She retorted sternly, looking him in the eye.

"You chose suicide!" Dale stated incredulously, shivering inwardly at the memory.

Glenn, Rick, and a couple others glanced over in their direction at Dale's sudden outburst.

"I knew what I was doing." She spoke, hand resting on her hip.

"You weren't thinking clearly. You were grieving." Dale continued in a hushed tone, hoping the others would resume their conversation and pay no further mind to the conversation he was having with Andrea.

"And that automatically turns into me not being able to make decisions for myself? God, Dale, I'm not a kid and you're not my father. My family's dead." Andrea spat in an exasperated voice before turning to get on the motor-home.

"Andrea," Dale spoke sternly, causing Andrea to pause on the steps and turn around to face him.

"We've all lost someone. All we have now is each other." He finished quietly, but firmly.

Andrea said nothing as she turned back around and took her usual seat at the table by the window; ignoring Shane's, Carol's and Sophia's presence as she sat down.

Hours later, they were driving north on a highway littered with abandoned cars and cars with fully dead. Andrea blankly stared out the window, vaguely aware of Glenn giving directions to Dale in the front of the motor-home or of Carol talking to Sophia quietly, probably trying to qualm her fears.

This was the world they were stuck in.

No amount of hoping or praying was going to change that.

Andrea rested her hand on her neck to support her self in her boredom. She looked up to see Shane glancing at her before he turned his head and looked out the window.

Andrea had always been wary of the man ever since the group first came into contact with him months ago in Atlanta. There were times when he seemed like a fairly nice guy, but that day at the lake when he had nearly beat Carol's abusive husband, Ed, to death; that was when everyone in the group decided to keep their distance and only speak to him when necessary.

There was an odd noise.

Andrea assumed it to be some sort of potholes or something the vehicle was running over.

"Maybe we should turn back?" Glenn suggested warily.

"We don't have the gas." Dale responded.

Suddenly, the motor-home came to a jerking halt, flinging the passengers a several inches forward.

"That's not good." Glenn stated, setting his map down before standing up to follow Dale outside.

Andrea and the others followed as well.

Steam was pouring out of the hood like a chimney.

"I knew that duct tape wouldn't last long." Dale shook his head.

"We're gonna be stuck here?" Sophia whimpered.

"No. Everything will be alright." Carol soothed.

"We just need to find the right parts to fix it, right?" Andrea inquired.

Dale opened the hood and waved a hand at the steam cloud to try and clear it away to get a better look.

"I think it's more along the lines of we need to find another mode of transportation." Dale answered.

"I knew it." Glenn replied grimly.

"Hell, that thing was mostly duct tape to begin with. We all knew it was only a matter of time before it gave out on us." Daryl pointed out.

"You're not helping the situation." Andrea narrowed her eyes.

"Hate to say it; but he's right." Shane spoke up.

"Everyone needs to just calm down. We're going to sort this out." Rick raised his hands as he approached the group with Lori and Carl.

"And how do you propose we do that?" Daryl stepped forward.

"We're going to scavenge the nearby vehicles; see if we can't find something to help patch this engine up. If not, maybe another vehicle to replace it for the time being." Rick explained.

More to come soon.

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