Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or show, I'm just having a lot of fun with them.

Warnings: Violence, Blood and Gore, Mpreg, Character Death.

A/N: Because this is the end of season two it's going to be packed full of stuff and POVs. Including a brand new one that will be added to season three. I hope everyone enjoys the end of the season, Missing Scenes chapter will be added before I start on the next story of the series, keep an eye out it'll be called Seven Months, not original but it defiantly let's you know what it's about.

Beside the Dying Fire

POV: Carl

I was upstairs with Dale's binoculars, Daryl's abilities were gone and back where they belonged. I had them for only a couple of hours, by nightfall I could no longer hear miles away, or see in the dark.

I didn't like being left behind, I looked through the binoculars one last time and saw Shane and Dad emerge from the forest in the field, so I took the binoculars off and set them down, then while Mom and the others downstairs were busy arranging things so that it was more comfortable, I left. They were all distracted, so it was easy to sneak out of the house.

When I arrived at the field I saw Shane on top of Dad with his hands around his throat choking him, I screamed. "Dad!" Before I ran the rest of the way and grabbed Shane's arm taking his strength and trying to get his hands off my dad, I was hit with this sudden wave of pain. I cried out it was so intense and everywhere causing me to fall down and curl up in the fetal position.

I didn't know what was going on around me, I just knew of pain, I closed my eyes and tears fell down my face. I heard my dad screaming at Shane, I didn't hear Shane, I didn't know what was said, and until it was over I didn't register that Dad had stabbed him, that he did it for me, the pain I was in.

It felt like an eternity, when in reality it was actually only a few minutes, and then it was over, the pain died away and with it my cries. I slowly unfolded and sat up as I looked at Dad who was sitting next to Shane's body, tears of his own slipping down his face at the loss of his friend.

I moved to where Dad had dropped his holster and grabbed it to give it back to him, but he didn't take it as we both sat there for a little while.

"Let's get you back to the house, your mother will be worried." He told me. He got me standing, the strength I'd had from Shane completely gone now.

We started back, we stopped as I looked at him and asked. "Dad, why was Shane trying to kill you?" I still had a hold of Dad's holster as he faced him.

"Carl, Shane was sick, he was in pain and I believe it was driving him crazy. He was dangerous, and believed I was to blame." It was clear he was holding something back, but I decided not to push, I didn't think I really wanted to know. Dad hugged me for a second, neither of us noticing the noise.

We parted, I started forward again, when Shane's dead corpse grabbed my Dad's back pulling to bite him, he gave a started noise 'causing me to turn around. "Dad!" I cried as I pulled out the gun from his holster while he pushed Shane away. This time I didn't hesitate as I shot Shane between the eyes when he made to grab for dad again, that would be twice now I saved his life.

Dad fell to his knees after Shane had collapsed. I walked over to him, he took his holster and gun back, I checked to make sure the gun I'd taken from Daryl was still in my pocket, I should've asked Daryl if I could use it, but I hadn't thought when I took it in first place, and I just assumed dad had, I didn't know that Daryl had looked for it earlier that day. Dad stood putting his holster back on as we looked at Shane.

While we stood there baffled by what happened, we had no idea that at that very moment, a herd of walkers in the woods were headed for us. They had just been minding their own business, shambling along, until I fired that gun, drawing their attention to the farm.

Dad and I started back for the house, with no idea what was right behind us, or the danger we all were in. "You bit too?" I asked as I looked at dad.

"No."

"Shane was."

"That wasn't Shane, you know that."

"Used to be." I wanted to know how it got so bad that Shane would want to kill my dad. "What happened, dad? Were you attacked?" That could've been the only thing that happened to turn Shane into a walker.

"No." Dad turned to me as we stopped, I felt like he was about to tell me why Shane was really trying to kill him, when we heard all this growling, we looked and saw a huge herd headed our way. "Oh my God. Gogogogogogogo." Dad said under his breath as he grabbed me and started to lead me away.

Half way to the barn between us and the walkers Dad stopped and crouched down to the ground, I was freaking out. "We-we gotta get to the house, tell the others." I whispered.

"We'll never get through that. Can't go around. Carl, stay close. Go!" He whispered urgently as we started running again for the barn.

They were everywhere, we ran to close to one and it snarled at us, Dad pulled me away before it could grab me. I ran full out with dad behind me, I made it to the barn as more walkers came from our right and left, dad closed the doors behind us.

He grabbed a metal pipe off the ground and wedged it between the door handles to hopefully buy us some time. A bunch of the walkers started banging trying to push their way in, I was scared, no scratch that, terrified, I was putting all my trust and faith into my dad to keep us alive. Because if anyone could get us out of this, it would be him.

I heard their scratching as the barn door was creaking and it wouldn't be long before it broe and they got inside, I whimpered into the back of my throat, dad put a reassuring hand on my back to calm me down.

Dad had a plan, he led me to the part of the barn that held the gas cans. "We're going to put gas along the floor." Dad informed me. We each grabbed a can and left the room. "All right, here we go." Dad said as he started to pour the gas on the grass, I followed suit right next to him. "Come on, hurry." Dad told me, I poured faster as I walked backwards with dad to the ladder leading up to the loft.

Once the cans were empty we set them down, the walkers were almost inside, as boards were missing and the ones still holding them back were breaking. "Oh shit, okay, up there. Hurry." Dad told me.

"Well, what about you?" I asked.

"I'll be right there." He promised. He bent down some as he held his lighter out for me. "Drop the lighter when I say." Dad instructed. "We'll stop some of them from reaching the house and distract the others, so at least we'll have a chance." I must've looked as scared as I felt, he put his hand on my arm. "Hey, hey, hey, look at me. You can do this. Carl…I love you." I nodded. "All right, gogogo." I took the lighter and headed up the ladder as he went back for the double doors we'd closed earlier.

I heard him shouting and banging on the door. "Hey! Hey! You want some?!" He tossed the pipe across the room and threw open the doors. "Come and get it!" He screamed as he started to back up, leading the walkers into the barn. I stood at the top of the ladder watching my dad, he wasn't scared of anything, back then, he was my hero.

He continued to bait them, screaming at them to come and get him, as he reached the ladder. I moved out of his way, looking at all the walkers down there while dad was still on the ladder as they were grabbing for him when he screamed. "Carl, now!" I opened the lighter and turned the wheel watching the flame flicker to life, I hung it over the edge and then let go.

It dropped into the gas and a bright, burning, blaze started. Dad got to the loft and put his arm around me as we watched for several minutes as the walkers caught fire and started to reach up, moaning and groaning while engulfed in flames.

We slowly moved back to the exit of the loft, as we got out dad and I started to shoot the walkers around us, we needed to get off of here before the whole barn burnt down. Not long after, dad and I saw the R.V. driving up. "Hey! Here!" Dad yelled as he waved his arm to get whoever was driving the R.V.'s attention.

"Get in here!" He shouted as he pointed where he wanted the R.V. to stop. "Put it right there! Come on!" As the R.V. got closer I saw Jimmy in the driver's seat before he pulled up and parked next to part of the roof that was hanging over.

Dad jumped from the loft to the roof then held out his hand for me, I took it and jumped next to him, I concentrated on not taking dad's ability, he might need it. I didn't feel the shock as he let go of my hand so I guessed that it worked, and I knew with enough practice I'd be able to control this new mutation.

Dad walked on top of the R.V. and helped me over again, we heard gun shots and saw the truck with Andrea in it firing off rounds at the walkers. The R.V. was now surrounded as we stood there, the door suddenly opened and dad and I heard Jimmy's screams as he was swarmed.

Dad got on the ladder and kicked one of the walkers in the head before shooting it as he climbed down, while the others were busy eating Jimmy. Dad continued to shoot walkers as I followed him.

"Carl, now!" He shouted as I was going a little slow and the walkers were going to be on top of us soon. He grabbed my arm as I made it to the ground, turning me in the direction around the R.V. We got around to the front as Jimmy made one last scream before blood splattered on the front windows.

"This way. This way!" Dad screamed at me as he led me away from the walkers that were all over the R.V.

Dad had one hand on his gun, the other on my back as he led me around the barn to the side as walkers were in front of us, and behind. "There, head for the woods now, as fast as you can, come on." Dad instructed then led the way into the woods, away from the farm.

Dad had a plan though, we circled around and came out the other side of the house, we ran, I saw Hershel firing round after round at the herd, shouting and screaming at them to come and get him. He didn't notice the walker behind him, dad did though and he shot it through the back of the head.

Walker blood splattered onto the back of Hershel's head, he spun around in surprise as he looked at us. "Where's Lori? Did you see Lori?" Dad asked.

"I don't know what happened Rick they just keep coming, it's like a plague, there everywhere." Hershel said distraught.

"Lori! Did you see her?" Dad asked again harsher this time looking for an answer.

"No!"

"We have to go. Find mom and the others." Dad said as he looked at me, then back at the mob of dead as he fired again.

"It's my farm!"

"Not anymore! Come on!" Dad screamed as he grabbed Hershel's arm forcing him to come with us, he kept screaming at the walkers as dad and I made it to the last vehicle there, the red van. Hershel watched our backs as dad got into the driver's side and I opened the passenger door.

He used the butt of his shotgun knocking a walker to the ground as dad yelled at him again. "Hershel! Come on!"

I got in along with dad, Hershel got in the back seat. "Go!" Hershel screamed as he closed the door and dad started the engine, then headed out, I didn't know if mom was alive or dead, our group was split up and our home was lost, I started to realize that there was no such thing as home, because every time we started to feel safe, we would be reminded how unsafe our world had become.

Dad drove us away, as dad put his hand on my shoulder he tried to reassure me. "We'll head to the highway, you mother will be there." I looked at him with hope in my eyes. Hershel was looking out the back watching his farm disappear in the distance. It belonged to the walkers now, just like Atlanta, the C.D.C, home. The last place I had felt safe was just a memory.

POV: Daryl

It didn't take long for us to get back to the house. I heard Andrea speaking as we got onto the porch. "I'm going after them."

"Don't, they could be anywhere, and if Randall comes back, we're gonna need you here." Lori said seconds before I opened the front door and Glenn and I walked into the living room where everyone was standing or sitting around waiting for us to get back.

"Rick and Shane ain't back?" I asked since I didn't see them.

"No." Lori answered.

"I heard a shot." I informed them.

"Maybe they found Randall." Lori suggested.

"We found him." I told 'em.

"Is he back in the shed?" Maggie asked.

"He's a walker."

"Did you find the walker that bit him?" Hershel asked.

Glenn answered this time. "No, the weird thing is he wasn't bit."

"His neck was broke." I finished.

"So he fought back." Patricia suggested.

I continued to explain what I knew of the situation. "The thing is Shane and Randall's tracks were right on top of each other, and Shane ain't no tracker, so he didn't come up behind him, they were together."

Lori walked up to me as she begged. "Would you please get back out there find Rick and Shane and find out what on earth is going on?"

"You got it." I told her.

"Thank you." She said as I moved to head out and find them.

"Guys get out here." I called as I heard something, I looked towards the barn, and right past it I saw them. Andrea stopped beside me, along with Hershel, Glenn and the others were right behind as they saw them as well. There were so many walkers, we were all in deep shit.

"Patricia, kill the lights." Hershel whispered.

"I'll get the guns." Andrea said, she and Patricia walked by Maggie, Jim and T-Dog back into the house.

"Maybe they're just passing, like the herd on the highway. Should we just go inside?" Glenn asked. I had a firm hold of my crossbow, it appeared that we'd be putting Glenn's recent camouflage ability to the test.

I glanced at him. "Not unless there's a tunnel downstairs I don't know about." I looked back at the walkers. "A herd that size would rip the house down."

Lori walked out a minute later after having gone upstairs to get her son. "Carl's gone." She informed us.

Carol, Glenn, T-Dog, Maggie, Hershel and I looked at her. "What?" I asked.

"He—he was upstairs I can't find him anymore." Lori said her hands on her chest, she was starting to freak out.

"Maybe he's hiding." Glenn suggested.

"He's supposed to be upstairs." Lori said raising her voice. "I'm not leaving without my boy."

"We're not." Carol told her. "We're gonna look again, we're gonna find him." Carol reassured her as she went back into the house with Lori.

Glenn muttered as he put his hand on the top of his head where his cap was resting. I grabbed his free hand and whispered in his ear. "We are going to make it." Glenn nodded as he saw the seriousness in my eyes.

Andrea came out with the bag of guns and set it down, Hershel took a shot gun, Maggie took a gun, she handed a shotgun to Glenn. "Maggie." He was confused by that.

"You grow up country, you pick up a thing or two." She told him as she checked the barrels in her shotgun.

"I got the number—it's no use." I informed them, there was to many, I lost count after fifty.

Hershel started loading his gun as he stated. "You can go if you want."

Glenn cocked his shotgun. "You gonna take 'em all on?" I asked.

"We have guns, we have cars." He finished loading and chambered one shell.

"Kill as many as we can, and we'll use the cars to lead the rest of them off the farm." Andrea said as she finished loading and stood up. T-Dog bent down and grabbed himself a gun.

"Are you serious?" I asked, incredulous, frankly I was thinking of grabbing our bags and taking off.

"This is my farm. I'll die here." Hershel told me seriously.

"All right. It's as good a night as any." I relented, before I hopped the railing to the ground while T-Dog handed Jimmy a pistol, then loaded his gun, as Andrea started loading up the rest of the guns in the bag.

I got on my motorcycle after I secured my bow, I waited for the others before leading them towards the barn where the walkers were coming from, as we got closer the barn suddenly started to burst into flames.

I pulled out Dale's pistol as I slowed to a stop and started to fire at the walkers, with my night vision it was easy to hit my targets. Andrea and T-Dog were in the pickup, they were driving along as she fired at the walkers, Jimmy was in the R.V. he parked at the open gate between the burning barn and the house blocking the way for the walkers.

Glenn rode with Maggie using his shotgun to shoot the walkers while Maggie drove the VW bug. I trusted Glenn, and I knew that Maggie would keep him safe.

Jimmy sat with half of him outside the driver's side window as he shot walkers, I sat there on my bike shooting, walker after walker. They got to the fence and started to push it over, I put the gun in my belt and drove down the line to Jimmy.

"Yo! Must've been Rick or Shane who started that fire. Maybe they're trying to get out back! Why don't you circle around? Go!" I screamed at him over all the noise of the walkers, the guns going off and the fire blazing in the barn.

"Got it!" Jimmy agreed, then got back in the driver's seat and headed for the loft exit, I drive off in the other direction as walkers were getting closer to me.

I took several more out, but it never stopped, and for several minutes I tried to beat back the herd, but I was low on ammo and after seeing the truck peel out, not sure who was in it, I knew it was a lost cause. I drove a fair distance from the barn, and sat there on my bike as I watched it all burn down. I didn't know where Glenn was, if he made it off the farm or if he and Maggie got swarmed, I was looking for their car and couldn't find it.

I sat there thinking of him and my unborn child, fear that they were both dead if we'd been mistaken about his camouflage ability. I heard a scream, filled with fear, I knew it was one of our group, I knew who's scream it was, I'd learned to listen for the patterns in the voices of our group. It was Carol.

I stood and jump started my bike again, then turned around and started back to the house, I saw her running from the walkers, panting as she was trying to catch her breath but knowing she couldn't stop.

As I got closer she saw me and headed for me, dragging her feet as I turned the bike so she could get on. "Come on, I ain't got all day!" I told her, trying to get her to hurry up.

She got on the back and wrapped her arms around my waist as the walkers got closer, she screamed. "Let's go!" Tears of fear in her voice and on her face as the walkers tried to grab her, I hit the gas and took off.

I knew then that the only place I could ever call home, was no longer a farm, a house, or a town. Home wasn't a place, to me it had become a person, and that person was Carol, Rick, Carl, T-Dog, Hershel, Lori, Beth, Maggie, but most of all Glenn, and our baby. This group, what was left of it by the end of that night, was my home, and I would die for any one of them, if I could've.

I drove along the dirt road, Carol had released my waist as she held onto the back with one hand and my chest with the other, I knew we needed to get back to the highway. If anyone of our group survived that's where they'd go, but the direction I had taken was the long way around, it'd be well after day break before we got there.

I saw walkers ahead of us before my headlights shined on 'em, I swerved to avoid them, there were also run down, abandoned cars on the side. The darkness was already lifting as the sun was starting to come up.

As I passed the walkers they turned to follow but I was too fast for 'em to keep up. Carol got nervous when she saw the walkers and wrapped her other arm back around me.

I got lucky though, some point not long after the sun rose I swung around a bend in the road and saw none other than the VW bug, right in front of me. I swerved to the driver's side and started to pass them, I looked and was met with Glenn's smile as he looked at me, I drove past and started to lead the way, we were soon joined by T-Dog in the blue truck. The rest of my thoughts on getting to the highway, where Rick, Carl and Hershel were waiting.

POV Glenn

After we got back Daryl was going to head out to find Rick and Shane, but there was a problem, a herd of walkers were headed our way. Daryl told us that a herd that size would rip the house apart, we had to take them out and lead them away from the house. So we grabbed guns from the gun bag that Andrea had laid out, then we all piled in the cars.

Daryl on his motorcycle, Jimmy in the R.V., Andrea and T-Dog in the truck, I rode with Maggie in the VW bug, while Hershel, Patricia, Lori, Carol and Beth stayed at the house. Lori and Carol were looking for Carl who had gone missing, we didn't know if he was alive or dead at that moment.

Maggie drove along the fence line just like T-Dog and Daryl were doing as I stuck my head out the passenger side window with the shotgun shooting every walker I saw. The barn was on fire, telling us at least one of our group was over there, I saw Jimmy a few minutes later headed to pick them up as the rest of us were picking off the walkers and trying to get their attention on us and away from the house.

"Keep it steady!" I shouted as I was having trouble hitting them in the head with all the shaking.

"I'm trying!" Maggie screamed back, she was scared, just like I was. Right now I needed to be scared, it's the only time the walkers don't notice me, and right now I really didn't want them to notice me.

I fired a few times sending a couple of walkers to the ground, there was just so many of them, and Hershel was determined to protect his family's farm.

Maggie reached the end of the line, so she turned around, I got out sitting on the edge of the window as I pointed my gun over the roof of the car and continued to fire, until I was empty and forced to reload.

Once I reloaded I sat on the window again and continued to fire left and right taking walkers down, it felt endless and we only had so many bullets. Maggie had to turn around again so I sat back down into the passenger seat and continued to shoot out the window, we passed the truck as T-Dog drove in the opposite direction.

Maggie turned around again as I pulled the shotgun back inside, we saw the truck head off the farm, we didn't know who was inside, who was escaping this nightmare. "Where the hell are they going?" Maggie asked. "Should I follow them?" She glanced at me as I looked out the back window trying to see Daryl, but I couldn't find him or his motorcycle in all that mess, and I didn't know what to do.

I knew we couldn't stay here, I felt tears in my eyes from the hormones, because I knew what Daryl would have me do. "I'd say yes." I told her as I straightened out and looked ahead of us, there was nothing else we could do here, but I was praying that the others were getting off the farm as well.

There were dozens of walkers in front of us. "Swing it around, swing it around here." I suggested while I rolled up the my window.

Maggie stopped as walkers started banging on the hood. "Oh my God." She said fearfully. I reaffirmed my grip on the shotgun. "I can't get through." Maggie had tears in her eyes and voice as more walkers came at the side and were banging on the windows. We were surrounded.

"Head out." I suggested finally, we had to leave, it was our only option and Daryl would want me to protect our baby.

"What?" Maggie asked shocked.

"Get off the farm now." I told her.

"Don't say that."

"Maggie, it's lost!" I screamed at her as we looked at each other.

"The others—we can't leave them." She refused, she looked forward again just as a walker slammed its face against the glass, we both screamed in fear. Maggie put the car in reverse and started to pull away.

"Get off the farm now!" I screamed in desperation, my mind on Rick, Lori and Carl, Hershel and Beth, Patricia, Jimmy and Shane, T-Dog, Carol and Andrea. But most of all, my mind was on Daryl, he was out there on a bike surrounded by walkers. Though in my heart I knew that if anyone could survive this he would, and he'd find us, I knew that without a doubt, so I had no problems doing exactly what he'd want me to do for mine and the baby's safety, get off the farm.

Maggie revived the engine, then turned the wheel and hit the gas as she peeled out of there as fast as it would go, and drove, not looking back, not thinking of the home we just lost, the possible casualties to our group. The fear that it could very well just be the two of us, nothing, at least for a couple of hours.

It started to hit us, all that had happened when the sun came up a couple of hours after we left the farm, Maggie started mumbling. "Oh my God." Over and over again as she drove, I knew she was thinking about her family and all that she'd lost that night.

"All right, let's just—let's just circle back to the highway." I suggested trying to stay strong, even though right then I wanted to break down in fear that Daryl hadn't made it.

"Did you see my dad? Did—did he make it? Did you see?" Maggie asked as she looked at me tears in her eyes.

"I couldn't see anything." I told her, as I gripped the shotgun in my right hand trying to be brave, it was what Daryl would want.

"And Beth—I lost Beth we've gotta go back there."

"We can't go back, okay? There's nothing to go back to."

"But Beth—"

"I-I—think she was with Lori."

"Did they make it?"

"I don't know."

"Patricia? Jimmy?" I really wished she'd stop asking. "What if they didn't make it? What if nobody made it?"

"I don't know, I don't know, I don't know!" I told her as I looked at her tears in my eyes, a hand on my stomach, and that's when it hit her.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry Glenn."

"No, they made it okay? They had to." Because thinking otherwise wasn't an option. I moved my hand from my belly to my face to wipe the tears away. "All right, let's just circle around to the highway where we left supplies for Sophia."

"No, the herd came from that direction." Maggie said as she started crying, we drove over a small bridge across a lake in the wrong direction, we needed to get back to the highway, Daryl and the others would head there if they made it.

Maggie was in no condition to drive, scared that her family was gone, scared of the walkers, and I knew exactly how that felt, because that was exactly how I felt. "Just stop, stop the car." I told her softly. She sniffled as she slowed the car to a stop, she moved the gear shift into park. "Let me drive." I said as I opened the door and got out.

She scooted over into the passenger seat as I walked around to the driver's side and got in. I knew that Daryl was alive, I knew where he'd be heading because he'd know that's where I'd go.

I tossed by cap onto the dash board, and set the shotgun between us, then moved and pulled the door closed. I heard Maggie sobbing and turned to her. I took her hand and got her to look at me. "Hey, hey, hey Maggie, look at me. Look at me." Once she did I said. "We're alive, we made it. Okay? I'm sure they are too. Right?" She nodded as she swallowed.

"I'm sorry Glenn, I'm worried about my father and sister. But the man you love, the father of your child is more important." She said her voice filled with anguish and regret.

"Maggie, Daryl's alive, I know it. If anyone can survive out there on his own it's gonna be Daryl. Hershel and Beth are alive, you just have to believe it. We're together and we're safe, we'll find them." I told her.

"But what if they aren't?"

"Then we'll do what they would want us to do, survive." She looked in my eyes and realized that as long as we made it, then so did they, in our memories.

With that said, I straightened up in the seat, put my hands on the steering wheel and headed back to the highway.

It wasn't an hour later that a motorcycle suddenly drove up beside us, I looked and smiled at Daryl and Carol, he drove in front as he lead the way, not long after I saw T-Dog driving the truck behind us. We would be okay, I knew that then, no matter what as long as we had each other, we'd make it, or so I hoped.

POV: Rick

When the sun rose I slowed the van down as I was getting closer to the traffic jam along the highway. It was the only place I could think to go after last night, the barn burnt to ash, just like our group. I wasn't sure who was left, I just knew that if anyone was, they'd head to the highway where we left supplies for Sophia several days ago. I can't believe it hasn't even been a full two weeks since she disappeared, since Carl got shot, since we found that farm, and now it was all gone.

It took two weeks to build relations with Hershel, two weeks to be welcomed to move into his house, two weeks to feel safe and secure. It took one night to destroy all that we had worked for, one night to lose our friends, our family, and our security.

All I had was Hershel, and my son with me. I didn't know if my wife was alive, if Hershel's daughters were alive, if Glenn, Daryl, Carol, T-Dog, Andrea or Patricia were alive. I had no idea who made it off that farm, and I blamed myself, it was my fault. I got into a fight with Shane, I killed him to save my boy, and Carl ended up shooting him because I didn't stab him in the head. I hadn't believed Jenner, it was unthinkable and now I had to live with the results of that denial, which the others had to suffered and possible died for.

I stopped the van in front of the car that had the message Carol had written for Sophia, which was smudged and streaked from past rain. The bottles of drink, and food, the blanket and flashlight still there on the hood for her untouched. I got out followed by Carl and Hershel, no one else was there, at least not yet, I was trying to stay positive about the situation for Carl.

I had my gun out as we walked up to the car. Carl turned to me and asked. "Wait, where's mom? You said she'd be here." I did promise that, but I was so sure that if she got off the farm she'd come here, we just needed to wait. "W—we gotta go back for her."

I faced him and held out my hand to try and calm him down. "Carl—"

"No. Why are we running? What are you doing?" Carl asked, he was upset, angry and scared so he was lashing out. He wanted his mother I understood that, but there was nothing I could do, we couldn't go back it was too dangerous. "Its—its mom. We need to get her and not be safe a mile away."

I bent down and put my hand on his shoulder as I whispered. "Shh. You need to be quiet, all right? Please." He looked at my face and sighed as he listened to me. There was walker blood along his neck. My hands unfortunately where covered in Shane's blood, I wanted to wash them but for now we needed to get things together as we waited for what was left of our group to arrive.

He looked at Hershel for a moment then back at me. "Please…its mom." He begged tears in his eyes.

I got on my knee as I started to say. "Look, Carl, listen—"

"No." He pulled out of my grasp and walked off passed the van, he was just angry and grieving.

I stood to follow when Hershel stopped me. "Rick." I looked at him, he was standing there with his shotgun in the crook of his arm, he took a step closer to me as he lowered his voice. "You've got to get your boy to safety. I'll wait here for my girls and the others." I turned and walked a few feet back to the car, Hershel followed as he continued. "I know a few places. We'll meet up at one of them later."

I turned back and faced Hershel as I asked. "Where? Where is safe?" Hershel looked away. "We're not splitting up." I told him.

He looked back at me as he said. "Please, keep your boy safe. I'll hide in one of the cars. If a walker gets me, so be it. I've lost my farm, I've lost my wife and maybe my daughters."

"You don't know that. They'll be here." I assured him.

"And you don't know that."

"You're a man of God. Have some faith." I noticed that over time Hershel started to lose what he believed in most, his God, his faith.

"I can't profess to understand God's plan, but Christ promised the resurrection of the dead." Hershel paused as he took a breath, then continued. "I just thought he had something…A little different in mind."

"We stick together." I told him leaving no room for argument, then walked over to where Carl was standing near the van on the passenger side, we stayed there a good couple of hours, hiding from a walker every now and then that would pass through.

We were hiding behind against the side of the van as the most recent walker was shambling through, it passed the back and headed forward not taking notice of us. I looked towards Hershel and waved with one hand as I whispered. "Okay, come, come." I slowly moved around with my gun in both hands.

Carl was between us as he followed me, Hershel behind him with his riffle pressed close as I moved to the back of the van. I looked through the open back, and saw the walker through the front windshield as it continued on its way.

I looked around, I turned to Hershel as he whispered. "I don't know how much longer we can stay here."

"I—I'm not leaving without mom." Carl said. The problem with that was, we didn't know if she was alive or not, and Hershel was right, but I didn't want to just leave if there was a chance.

"So we're just gonna walk away? Not knowing if my wife, your girls are still out there? How do we live with that?" I asked in a hushed voice.

"You've only got one concern now—just one—" Hershel glanced down at Carl. "Keeping him alive. Nature may be throwing us a curveball, but that law is still true." How could I ignore that logic and just stay here waiting for Lori who may never come.

I knelt down in front of my son, about to tell him the most difficult thing a father never wants to say. "Carl. It's not safe here. I'm sorry." Carl looked away knowing that I was telling him to leave his mother or even the possibility of ever seeing his mother again. "We'll—" I stopped as I heard what sounded like a motorcycle approaching.

I slowly stood up as Hershel, Carl and I looked down the highway, the first thing we saw, was Daryl. He was on his motorcycle with Carol holding on as he was driving towards us, but behind him was a green VW bug that had blood splattered along the doors, and hood. As it got closer I saw that Glenn was driving and Maggie was in the passenger seat, though that wasn't the best sight. No, the best was a blue truck that held not just T-Dog and Beth, but my wife, Carl's mother Lori.

I looked at Hershel who was smiling, we moved from behind the van as Daryl led them across the grassy division between the roads, then turned off the engine. I walked over and took Daryl's hand, glad he was alive. Maggie came running toward Hershel, Carol leaned against one of the cars and smiled as Lori ran up to Carl and embraced him thanking God the whole time.

Daryl got off his bike as I moved to where Lori was on her knees holding our son, I wrapped one arm around her the other around Carl as I kissed her cheek. Hershel embraced Maggie, then Beth came running up. Maggie moved and she got between them as they hugged each other. I also saw Glenn hug Daryl, who put one arm around his waist, the other hand in his hair as he held him close. They parted after a few minutes.

I stood up, I saw T-Dog standing at the truck's driver side door just watching us. I looked at Daryl and asked. "Where'd you find everyone?"

"Well, those guys' tail lights zigzagging all over the road—figured he had to be Asian driving like that." Daryl teased as he glanced at Glenn.

"Good one." Glenn chuckled as he rested his head on Daryl's shoulder, Daryl's arm still firmly around his waist.

"Where's the rest of us?" Daryl asked.

"We're the only ones who made it so far." I told 'em.

"Shane?" Lori asked as she stood up. I shook my head, now wasn't the time to tell her what happened.

"Andrea?" Glenn asked.

"She saved me then I lost her." Carol explained.

"We saw her go down." T-Dog informed us.

"Patricia?" Hershel asked as he looked at T-Dog.

"They got her too, took her right in front of me." Beth said, Hershel turned to her as she started to cry. "I was—I was holdin' onto her daddy. She just—" Hershel pulled her close as she sobbed. Then asked tearfully. "What about Jimmy? Did you see Jimmy?"

"He was in the R.V. it got overrun." I explained, Beth held close to Hershel as she sobbed.

"You defiantly saw Andrea?" Carol asked.

"There were walkers everywhere." Lori said as she looked at T-Dog.

"Did you see her?" Carol asked again.

When no one said anything Daryl moved towards his bike as he said. "I'm gonna go back."

"No." I said.

"No!" Glenn cried at the same time as he grabbed Daryl's arm to keep him from leaving.

"We can't just leave her." Daryl said as he looked at me, then Glenn.

"We don't even know if she's there." Lori said.

"She isn't there. She isn't." I told them. "She's somewhere else or she's dead. There's no way to find her."

"So we're not even gonna look for her?" Glenn asked, it wasn't that he didn't want to find her, he just didn't want Daryl to go on his own without back up.

"We gotta keep moving." I heard that walker from earlier coming back. "There have been walkers crawling all over here." I informed them.

"I say head east." T-Dog chimed in.

"Stay off the main roads." Daryl said, he moved again this time grabbing his crossbow as he continued. "The bigger the road, the more walkers, more assholes like this one. I got him." He lifted his bow, aimed and fired, shooting it right in the eye, we all watched it go down.

Daryl was right, we decided to leave the truck, Daryl got his arrow from the walker as Carol and Lori grabbed the supplies off the car that we'd left there for Sophia. I took the lead in the van with my family and T-Dog, Daryl behind us on his bike with Carol, the VW bug took the rear with Hershel's family and Glenn who drove. We were leaving everything we knew behind once again.

As we drove I noticed my gas tank was getting low so I moved to the other lane and let Daryl lead, and took up the rear, I kept looking at the monitor as hit empty and about an hour later the engine started to sputter.

I hit the steering wheel as I cursed. "Damn."

"What's wrong?" Lori asked from the back seat next to Carl, T-Dog sat in the passenger seat.

"We've been riding red for the past hour." I informed them.

"Better make sure we don't get forgot." T-Dog suggested, he was right, so I honked the horn to get their attention.

Daryl slowed followed by Glenn as we stopped, I turned off the engine and everyone started to get out of the cars so that we could discuss the gas issue, we also needed to decide our next move.

As I hurried past the car Daryl asked. "You out?" Carol got off, as I closed the distance before answering his question.

"Running on fumes." I informed him.

"We can't stay here." Maggie said as she and the others got close to me and Daryl. Lori, Carl and T-Dog behind me, Hershel next to them. Maggie, Carol and Glenn on the other side of Daryl. Glenn had his shotgun in one hand, his other was on Daryl's arm, who was still sitting on his bike. I was starting to realize that all Daryl and Glenn's touching was how Glenn kept himself calm and focused, for Daryl it was his way of making sure that Glenn and the baby were safe, it was intimate, even the casual touching of an arm, for them it was a personal reconnection with each other. I envied their relationship.

"We can't all fit in one car." Glenn said as his hand moved down Daryl's arm, until Daryl grasped it with a firm but gentle hold.

"We'll have to make a run for some gas in the morning." I told them.

"Spend the night here?" Carol asked.

"I'm freezing." Carl said, Lori had gotten him in his red hoodie that had been left in the van at one point, it was zipped up with his hands in his pockets.

I walked over as Lori rubbed his chest. "We'll build a fire, yeah?" Lori asked, I started taking off my jacket for Carl to wear as well.

"You go out looking for firewood, stay close." Daryl instructed as he moved from Glenn to get off his bike and grab his bow. I handed Lori my jacket, she put it on Carl as Daryl asked. "Only got so many arrows. How you doing on ammo?"

"Not enough." I told him.

"We can't just sit here with our asses hanging out." Maggie said.

"Watch your mouth." Hershel told her, I knew she was just scared for herself and her family, she was also right, we needed a place to make camp that wasn't so open. "Everyone stop panicking and listen to Rick." Hershel told them

I was thankful for the support. "All right, we'll set up a perimeter. In the morning, we'll find gas and some supplies. We'll keep pushing on." I instructed.

"Glenn and I can go make a run now, try and scrounge up some gas." Maggie suggested, I saw Daryl put his arm around Glenn, in no mood to let him out of his sight now that he got him back obviously.

"No, we stay together. God forbid something happens and people get stranded without a car." I said.

Glenn put his head on Daryl's shoulder before he said. "Rick, we're stranded now."

I moved closer to them as I spoke. "I know it looks bad, we've all been through hell and worse, but at least we found each other." I moved off and shook my head before looking at Lori and the others as I continued. "I wasn't sure—I really wasn't—but we did." Lori had her arm around Carl holding him close, Hershel was next to them looking at his daughters, Beth got out of the car then and stood next to Maggie. "We're together. We keep it that way."

I looked at Carol who was standing between Maggie and Glenn. "We'll find shelter somewhere. There's gotta be a place." I looked down the highway.

Glenn moved away from Daryl and came a little closer to me as he said. "Rick, look around okay? There's walkers everywhere, they're migrating or something." I refused to believe that.

"There's gotta be a place not just where we hole up, but that we fortify, hunker down, pull ourselves together, build a life for each other." I said as I paced, I wanted what we had back at the farm, but that wasn't safe, somewhere safe. "I know it's out there we just have to find it." I told them emphatically.

"Even if we do find a place and we think it's safe, we can never be sure for how long?" Maggie asked, I didn't answer so she continued. "Look what happened with the farm. We fooled ourselves into thinking that, that was safe."

"We won't make that mistake again." Hershel assured her. Everyone looked around at each other, our group had been much big just last night and we lost four friends in the blink of an eye because we believed we were safe, or doing the right thing.

I turned and saw some brick ruins, it had walls and wouldn't be so open, I decided that's where we were going to stay that night. "We'll make camp tonight over there, get on the road at the break of day." I told them as I pointed to the ruins.

Carol had walked up to Daryl and asked. "Does this feel right to you?" Daryl didn't answer, just looked at her.

Beth walked up to me. "What if walkers come through, or another group like Randall's?" She asked, she was scared after all that had happened.

"You know I found Randall right?" Daryl asked. "He had turned, but he wasn't bit."

"How's that possible?" Beth asked.

"Rick, what the hell happened?" Lori asked, I didn't answer.

Daryl did. "Shane killed Randall. Just like he always wanted to."

"And then the herd got him?" Lori asked.

They all looked at me, at each other, wanting answers, so finally I knew it was time to inform them what Jenner had whispered in my ear before he died. "We're all infected." They were shocked, surprised, confused.

"What?" Daryl asked wanting clarification.

"At the C.D.C., Jenner told me. The mutatagin didn't make the infection, it is the infection. It was meant to keep us alive, but someone dies, and it brings them back. Unfortunately only the baser instincts, not the you, not the part that makes us who we are." I informed them.

Daryl walked away a few feet. "And you never said anything?" Carol asked a little angry.

"Would it have made a difference?" I asked 'em.

"You knew this whole time?" Glenn asked shocked, Daryl looked back at me.

"How could I have known for sure? You saw how crazy that mo—"

"That isn't your call." Glenn interrupted. "Okay, when I found out about the walkers in the barn, I told, for the good of everyone."

"Well, I thought it best that people didn't know." I told them, they all looked betrayed by my silence, I had been in denial, I couldn't tell them because I hadn't wanted to believe it myself. Telling them would've meant it was true so I kept quiet until I had proof that what Jenner had told me was true, I knew then, so it was time to tell them, they couldn't seem to understand that.

I walked away, they wanted to believe I betrayed them so be it, but I knew I had done what I had to, the others stayed, Daryl prepared to go out and hunt up some dinner while the others gathered fire wood and started to make camp. Lori though, she followed me, deciding she wanted to talk.

I walked to the fence line that was surrounding this beautiful area, a small waterfall from the lake were a dam just beyond the ruins was holding it back. The rest of the ruins not far from it, I stood there my gun at my side as I took it in, the trees with their leaves, no longer green, orange, yellow, a few burnt auburns. Fall was here and things were changing, not just for the trees.

Lori walked up behind me, she put her gun in the back of her pants before wrapping her arms around my waist and chest, rested her head on my back. "I'm sure you had your reasons." She said after a moment, she kissed my shoulder. "Is there anything that—"

"I killed him." I blurted out, interrupting whatever she'd been about to ask. She lifted her head, I could hear the confusion on her face. "I killed Shane. He came at me." I started to explain, she let me go as she pulled away from me. "He killed Randall to get me into the woods. He planned it. I had—I had no choice." I left out the part about Carl or his ability. I wasn't sure how the others would handle it, I didn't know how his mother would react in knowing that Carl has the most dangerous mutation we'd seen yet.

I also didn't want Lori to know that without Carl's help, Shane would've killed me, if she was going to be mad, or sad, or angry, it was going to be at me. "I gave him every chance and he kept leading me further out. He pushed me, and I let him. And after a while, I knew—I knew what he was doing, what he was up to. And I kept going." That was my big mistake, I didn't stop him there, I allowed him to follow through and it got him killed. "I didn't stop. I could have, but…I just wanted it over. Dogging me every step of the way. Acting like I stole you and Carl, like—like I was in the way. Blaming me for everything that had gone wrong since I got back. I just wanted it over. I wanted him dead. I killed him." She continued to be silent, I couldn't see her face or reaction of shock and anguish.

"He turned. That's how I knew Jenner—Jenner was right." I looked down at the ground, my hands as I held my gun between them. "Carl put him down."

I heard a sniffle and some moans, I finally turned around to face her. Lori was bent over with her hands on her knees as she took deep breaths as she started to cry. I walked over and put my hand on her shoulder, she pulled away and batted at my hands like she was disgusted to be touched by me.

As I walked to her she continued backing away, I tried to touch her again, she pulled away, the look on her face said it all, clear as day. She wished I was the one that had died, in that moment, that reaction our relationship was ruined, she wanted Shane. She didn't have to say a word, her eyes said it for her, after a moment she turned around and walked away. I made a decision there, she was no longer my wife, the mother of my children yes, but as for our relationship that was over. I would protect her and care for her condition that was it, and I was so jealous of Daryl and Glenn, they had a better relationship then Lori and I ever had. Even before the dead came back and destroyed our world.

I stayed there until the moon was high, it was full tonight, I remember because of the eerie feel it gave off. Daryl had made a fire while T-Dog kept look out, Daryl had been unsuccessful in finding anything for us to eat that night. Lori got there first, I followed not long after.

Beth sat against her father as he kept his arm around her shoulder, her hand in his, Maggie sat next to him. Lori was sitting on their right with Carl, next to her was Glenn who sat with Daryl as he put his arms around Daryl's waist and pressed close, Carol sat on Daryl's other side, and T-Dog was standing on one of the walls with his riffle.

I leaned against one of the walls, they didn't even know I was back yet, I had come from the other side, they thought they were being quiet but I could still hear as Carol talked to Daryl. "We're not safe with him—keeping something like that from us." I didn't blame her, she had a right to question it, but things in this group were broken and I was going to fix it soon. "Why do you need him? He's just gonna pull you down."

"Nah, Rick's done all right by us." Daryl said speaking for Glenn as well, I knew that anything Daryl said or did Glenn was going to support, it was obvious what the rolls in that relationship were, I respected it.

"You're his henchman and I'm a burden." Carol said. "You deserve better."

"What do you want?" Daryl asked confused by what Carol was after, Daryl's main responsibility was to Glenn and this group, and yet she seemed determined to pull him away from that, at least the group.

"A man of honor." Carol informed him.

"Rick has honor." Daryl told her, Daryl trusted my instincts, he trusted my leadership because he knew whatever I did was for the good of the group, our friendship got stronger after that. I knew that I could always trust Daryl to have my back.

Maggie spoke up then, to Glenn and Daryl, as well as her father and sister when she said. "I think we should take our chances."

"Don't be foolish." Hershel told her. "There's no food, no fuel, no ammo." The leaves in the distance rustled at that time setting everyone one edge.

"What was that?" Beth asked.

"Could be anything." Daryl told her as he stood with Glenn, he let him go as he took his crossbow off his back. "Could be a raccoon, could be a possum." Daryl told her, Carol stood as well. I walked into camp from where I'd been standing against the wall.

"Walker." Glenn suggested.

"We need to leave, what are we waiting for?" Carol asked.

"Which way?" Glenn asked speaking about the noise.

"It came for over there." Maggie said as she pointed she motioned in the direction of the road.

"Back from where we came." Beth said as she and Hershel stood. Maggie and Glenn got their guns, Daryl moved to the other wall keeping his ears out for any other noises.

"Yeah." Maggie confirmed.

"The last thing we need is for everyone to be running off in the dark." I said, everyone looked at me. "We don't have the vehicles. No one's traveling on foot." I told them, then a branch snapped.

"Don't panic." Hershel said softly as he held his own shotgun close.

"I'm not—I'm not sitting here, waiting for another herd to blow through. We need to move now." Maggie said, I was sick and tired of everyone putting their two cents in, things were going to change right now.

"No one is going anywhere." I told them firmly.

"Do something." Carol begged.

"I am doing something! I'm keeping this group together, alive. I've been doing that all along, no matter what." My voice raised in a harsh whisper. "I didn't ask for this. I killed my best friend for you people, for Christ's sake!"

Lori and Carl were still sitting on the ground as she kissed the back of his head. Glenn and the others were shocked at this news of how Shane died, they all knew he was my best friend, they just hadn't been informed until that moment, I was the reason he died.

"You saw what he was like, how he pushed me, how he compromised us, how he threatened us." I looked around at them, then at Lori before I explained. "He staged the whole Randall thing, led me out to put a bullet in my back. He gave me no choice." I looked at Daryl. "He was my friend but he came after me." Carl turned in Lori's arms and cried into her chest as he was finding out the truth of the conflict last night.

"My hands are clean." I told them, Lori was quietly shushing him. I looked at T-Dog who was refusing to look at me as he continued to keep watch. "Maybe you people are better off without me. Go ahead." I told them as I looked into the darkness beyond our fire. "I say there's a place for us, but maybe—maybe it's just another pipe dream. Maybe—maybe I'm fooling myself again. Why don't you—why don't you go and find out yourself?"

I pointed outside our little group to the woods behind me with my gun. "Send me a postcard." I said raising my voice. "Go on, there's the door." No one moved. "You can do better? Let's see how far you get." They looked at each other, then back at me. "No takers? Fine. But get one thing straight—you're staying, this isn't a democracy anymore." I told 'em.

I looked at Lori who buried her head against Carl's, T-Dog was now looking down at us with a firm unpleasant look on his face. Hershel appeared a little sad and disapproving, Beth looked back at him not sure what to do or say. Glenn looked resigned, Carol betrayed, and Daryl, he didn't seem to care ether way. I left them then to talk or not, either way tomorrow I would start getting some order to this group. It was my way or the highway.

At the time I thought it was right, I thought it was the only way to protect them, I was shown later that it was a path of corruption and evil. I didn't know, I didn't think, I was just tired of them constantly questioning me and my motives. The discussions were over, I say who joins and who doesn't, I say where we go or stay and I say…how we live or die.

A/N: Thank you for reading the end of the season, I hope you enjoyed it, reviews always welcome.