She was stuck in a tank. A few days ago, Allie and her friend Morgan met a lawman named Rick. He said he was going to Atlanta to find his family, so she asked to tag along. It was easy to read the hesitation on his face, when he looked her over and warily eyed her belly. It had been almost 15 weeks since the dead started walking, making Allie around seven months pregnant. She told him that he had to take her, that by staying in King County they were sitting ducks. Eventually being the good man he was, the lawman agreed to take her and they left with the promise Morgan and his son Duane wouldn't be far behind. Rick seemed to have a head on his shoulders so pairing that with his bag of guns, Allie thought this might turn out well.

But right now, she's really starting to question her own judgment.

The pair arrived into the city, quiet like. The car from King County ran out of gas a ways back, but they were lucky enough to find a horse. The next few moments seemed to happen in slow motion, but when she replays them in her mind it's the opposite, like someone is pressing fast forward on a tape. Her yell to stop didn't leave her mouth fast enough as Rick pulled his gun and shot the dead man standing in front of him. From living with Morgan, Allie learned loud noises are like ringing the dinner bell for these things. As predicted, they were immediately swarmed. Rick quickly jumped from the horse, then helped lift her off and together they dove under a tank. The dead began crawling under from all directions, and Allie looked up to see a hatch for them to crawl inside. The pair did, and immediately closed it.

An undead soldier was inside, but Allie quickly removed the knife from her combat boot and stabbed it in the eye, straight to the brain. "Don't go shootin' that gun again, cowboy. It got us in enough trouble."

Rick nodded, and looked up to see another hatch. Allie watched as he climbed up, and promptly closed it. "They're swarming the tank."

And that's how Allie ended up stuck in an army tank in downtown Atlanta. The heat outside had to have been in the 90s making the inside of this metal oven over a hundred. Sweat soaked her body making her red, knee length summer dress cling to her body. Her wild blonde curls were tied back in a ponytail, but the few loose strands stuck to her face. The lawman wasn't looking much better, as his once again easily-readable face told her his fear mirrored her own, and sweat seemed to drip from his face and soak his uniform. "We're going to die in here, if not from the dead, then heat stroke." She struggled to get out, her breath still not returned to her. Allie placed a hand on her stomach and shifted slightly when the baby moved in an uncomfortable position.

"You alright? Not hurt anywhere?" Rick asked, moving to look her over. She bit her lip and nodded as the baby delivered a rather strong kick.

"He's a little upset and very much awake." She grimaced. Rick looked like he was going to say more, but a voice from the radio stopped him.

"Hey! You alive in there?" Allie watched the lawman stumble over to pick up the radio. The voice was male and young, probably someone in their twenties. Allie watched as the two talked about their predicament.

"I got somebody with me, she's pregnant." Rick said after a moment, glancing at Allie.

"Doesn't matter, you gotta' run where I told you to, and do it now." Then the voice stopped.

"Run?!" Allie exclaimed. "That's the best plan he's got? Rick…I-I can't. I won't be able and slow you down." She shook her head, looking down at her belly. This was it for her.

She waited on the lawman to agree, but instead his hands grabbed her face to level it with his. "Look at me." He commanded. "Look at me, Allie." Her reluctant blue eyes found his. "You aren't dying here, not like this. I won't let you."

The pair stood, and went down the right side of the tank as instructed. Rick helped Allie out and down and held on to her hand as he lead them. Rick shot everything in their line of sight, and Allie held tightly onto the knife in her free hand.

"Whoa! Not dead!" A voice yelled as they turned the corner. She was right, he was probably in his twenties and looked to be Korean. "Come on, come on! Faster!" He lead them down an alley and up a ladder on the side of building. Allie followed the stranger up, Rick close behind her. They pulled off on the first landing.

Rick held his hands on his knees, Allie leaned against the building, and the stranger stood, all trying to catch their breath. Allie offered a shaky laugh and said, "Well that was too close for comfort."

"Nice moves there, Clint Eastwood. You the new sheriff, riding in to clean up the town?" The Korean asked sarcastically.

"It's not his fault, his don't know no better." Allie defended. Rick nodded to her, grateful.

"Whatever, yee haw. You're still a dumbass." He glared.

"I'm Rick, this is Allie. Thanks. " Rick offered his hand.

Allie thought he wasn't going to take it, but he grasped it, shaking and said. "Glenn, your welcome."

They had to climb further up the building as the walkers as Glenn called them began to climb the ladder. Upon reaching the roof, Rick grabbed her hand, once again pulling Allie along. "Oh great, more ladders." She whined, following Glenn into the building. The boy pulled a walkie-talkie from his bag.

"I'm coming, got two guests and four geeks in the alley." He said as he led them down a staircase. Unfortunately two more waited at the bottom.

"Oh shit." Allie mumbled. But before anymore can move, two people came out of a door in makeshift armor and began to beat the moving corpses. Glenn ran and yelled at Rick and Allie to follow, so the lawman pulled them inside, the armor guys following.

They weren't in the door a second before a blonde had a gun at Rick's throat. " I outta kill you."

Allie stood frozen, her hand still firmly on Rick's. A tall black man, a shorter Hispanic, an older black woman, and Glenn looked at her. The Hispanic immediately began calling the blonde, Andrea, off. "If your going to shoot him, do it."

"No!" Allie cried out. "Please don't, he doesn't understand."

Andrea looked from Rick, to Allie, then to their hands, Allie's belly, and finally back to Rick. It was obvious Andrea backed off thinking Allie was his pregnant wife, but if it meant Rick's safety, Allie wasn't going to correct her. Andrea began to go on about how they're dead now, and the Hispanic grabbed Rick, pulling him along and causing Allie's hand to slip from his.

The Hispanic was obviously in charge of this outfit he began to yell things at Rick. Glenn looked to her. "You alright?"

She nodded, "I'll be fine."

"You're pretty fast, you know for a pregnant lady." He smiled.

She laughed in response, the feeling immediately changing to fear when she saw the front of the department store they were in to be swarmed with looked to Rick, "What the hell were you doing out there anyway?"

"Trying to flag the helicopter."

That was a first for Allie. She sure as hell didn't see a chopper, but she wasn't exactly looking up either. The others looked to Allie, and she just shrugged.

The Hispanic called the black man T-Dog, and told him to contact the others. "The refugee center?" Allie asked.

She was only met with sarcasm; meaning apparently with the rest of the city the center went under. Gunshots began to ring out and sounded like they were coming from above them. "Oh god, is that Dixon?"

"Dixon? Dixon who?" Allie yelled out hurriedly, thinking of her husband. No one answered, but the girl quickly followed everyone, hoping for the best. She followed them up the stairs, one hand on the rail, the other on her belly. Her heart seemed to beat hard in her chest, hopeful and anxious.

A man in his fifties stood on the ledge of the roof, his back to them as a fired off another shot. "Dixon, are you crazy?" The Hispanic yelled.

He turned and smiled, jumping down. "Aye, you outta' be more polite to a man with a gun. I mean that's just common sense and all."

Allie swallowed tightly and stood a little straighter. Her heart seemed to stop beating at the revelation of who this was. His name was Merle, and he was the insane older brother of her husband. Merle was an ex-marine, drug addict, and dangerous. Allie watched in shock as he got into a racial argument with T-Dog. The verbal fight turned physical, and Merle began attacking T-Dog and anyone who got in his way. The other pulled a beaten T-Dog away, and Merle stood and laughed.

"Now we're gon' talk about who's in charge." His back was still to Allie, and he had yet to notice her. "Anyone? Anyone?"

"Merle?" Allie spoke.

He spun to her, a the smile on his face widening further. "Well well, if it ain't little Allie Cat. Ole' Darylina will be happy to see you."

"Daryl? He's fine?" She asked quickly.

"Course. He's a damn Dixon. Stay back now, and little ole' Merle handle 'is." Allie nodded, elated that Daryl was fine. She learned quick when to stay out of Merle's way, and this was definitely one of those times. His tirade continued till Rick came up behind him with a pipe. He looked to Allie, almost for approval, so she nodded her head once. "Anybody, anybody?"

"Yeah, me." Dixon fell fast, but he wasn't out. Moving quickly Rick had him cuffed to a pipe and the two had a heated conversation. "All I am anymore is man looking for his wife and son. Anybody who gets in the way of that is gonna lose. I'll give you a moment to think about that." Carl. Allie remembered. Rick had called Duane Carl when Morgan found him. Allie watched as Rick flicked Merle's face and through the drugs from Merle's pocket over the ledge.

Merle began yelling at Rick as he walked away before turning to Allie. "Allie Cat get me outta these. Come on baby girl, help ole Merle out. Get me out of these fucking cuffs!" She flinched as he raised his free hand and slammed it down.

"How you know this bastard, you like him? All drugged up and shit?" T-Dog interrogated her.

"Can you take me to Daryl?" She asked ignoring his question. "You know where he is?"

"Thanks to this ingrate it doesn't look like anyone is getting out of here." Andrea rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"You alright, darlin'?" The black woman asked her.

"Look I may be related to him, but I don't want no trouble." She said, warily, leaning against the ledge.

The black woman laughed. "Don't mind Theodore, the name Dixon makes us a little nervous. Allie is it? I'm Jacqui, this is Andrea, and the man talking to your officer is Morales. Glenn," She said turning to him. "Get that water out of your bag and give a drink to Mamma here before she dies of heat stroke." He did as told and Allie smiled, grateful.

"Oh man," Morales said, "Hey Glenn, check the alley, see any manhole covers?" The sewers. Allie thought, putting two and two together. She watched hopeful, but Glenn shot them down.

"They must all be on the main street where the geeks are." Glenn guessed.

Jacqui thought quickly and corrected him. She explained in old buildings, there may be some in sub-basement. The group, minus Merle, a hurt T-Dog, and Allie, followed Glenn back inside to where the entrance to the sewer might be.

"Anybody out there? Hello, anybody read? I'm hoping to hear somebody's voice cause I'm getting real sick and tired of hearing mine." T-Dog said into the walkie-talkie. Allie sat beside him, occasionally passing him the water for a sip.

"Well that makes two of us." Merle growled. "Why don't you knock that off. You're givn' me a head ache."

"Why don't you pull your heat outcha ass. It might get rid of that head ache-"

"Why don't you both shut up?" Allie seethed, interrupting their fight. "Too damn hot for you two to be arguing."

"Don't sass me girl or I'll-"

"You'll what? Still be handcuffed?" Allie asked incredulously, causing T-Dog to snort.

Merle glared, but let it drop. "Where'd you go anyway? I mean how in the hell did your pregnant ass make it alone?"

"I wasn't. I went to visit my momma and daddy like I said, but I never made it there. I met some people in King County that took me in. Eventually, I met the

lawman." She answered. When she met Morgan and Duane his wife was still alive, it was actually her that took Allie in.

"It cause you gotta Dixon in ya, we can't be killed." Merle grinned.

"Yeah, like a damn cockroach." T-Dog rolled his eyes.

"He went lookin' for ya." Merle said suddenly. "Cried like a damn baby when the news said everyone in that area been killed. I kinda missed ya myself just so he'd shut up."

"He's ok, right? In this group." She asked.

"He gon' shit a brick when he realizes I found his little wife."

"Wife? Your married to the other Dixon?" T-Dog finally caught on. "He's an ass, but actually helpful unlike this fucker."

"Can you take me to him? If we get out of here?" She asked T-Dog, completely ignoring Merle.

"When we do, yeah I can."

The sewers idea failed, but even Allie couldn't put faith in this new idea. They all stood in lab coats and rubber gloves as Rick hacked at the walker, Wayne Dunlap, who lied in front of them. With each chop of the axe, the bones crushed and the putrid smell grew worse.

"Aw, I am so gonna hurl." Glenn moaned.

"Don't you dare, I'll join you." Allie threatened.

Together, they began to rub the guts and blood all over Rick and Glenn. "Think of something else, like puppies and kittens."

"Yeah, dead puppies and kittens." T-Dog grumbled. Allie barley moved away enough before Glenn vomited.

"Come on man, that was cruel." Andrea scolded.

"Next time let the cracker beat his ass." Jacqui supplied. Finally coated, Rick threw T-Dog the key to Merle's cuffs and left with Glenn.

In all honesty, Rick's plan was working, well until mother nature intervened. When those remaining made it back to the roof it began to pour. The rain that Georgia summers were notorious for left as quick as it came, but it was enough for the smell from Glenn and Rick down on the ground.

The next few moments happened fast, and Glenn radioed T-Dog saying to meet them on the street. Jacqui pulled her along, leaving T-Dog to uncuff Merle. Rick arrived right on time and Morales and Rick helped pull Allie into the truck. Allie looked around to see Merle wasn't with them.

"I dropped that damn key." T-Dog swore.

The ride back to the group's camp probably wasn't as long as Allie felt it was but, she knew Daryl was there making the kick's in belly feel more like a drumroll than a somber reminder they were alone.

"I wouldn't dwell on it," she heard Morales say to Rick. "Merle won't be missed, well except maybe by Daryl."

"Daryl?" Rick asked.

"His brother, but I think you may have brought something back to him he may want even more." In that moment Allie saw Morales glance back to her. Eventually the group arrived in what looked to be a quarry. "Come on, meet everybody."

The group vacated the truck, and Rick helped Allie out of the back. "It's ok, whatever happens. "Rick reassured her. "If he's not here, we'll keep moving and find them. Find our families."

She offered a tightlipped smile when they head Morales yell. "Hey helicopter boy, y'all come on out here."

Allie followed behind and saw each member be reunited with people and a little boy run out to Rick.

Carl. Despite the happiness Allie felt the Rick found his family, she couldn't help but frown.

Where was Daryl?