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On a deserted Georgia highway, Sheriff's Deputy, Rick Grimes drives his police cruiser past overturned and damaged cars scattered blocking the road, making him stop. He gets out and takes a gas can out of the trunk. He walks past the remains of more wrecked and abandoned cars down a hill towards a gas station. Various corpses and garbage are spread across the gas station, where a handmade sign hanging reads "NO GAS".Rick searches around, when suddenly, he hears something and ducks down behind a car. He catches a glimpse of the slippered feet of a little girl on the other side of the car as she picks up a teddy bear on the ground. He stands up and sees a little girl walking away, so he walks closer to her. Rick keeps calling to her until she turns around to face him. Her lips and right cheek have been torn away, exposing raw teeth and muscle.Rick's face falls as she starts walking towards him, growling. She approaches faster as he steps back, draws his Colt Python and shoots her in the head. As her body falls to the floor, Rick lowers his gun.About two months prior, Rick and his partner and best friend, Shane Walsh are eating hamburgers and fries inside their police cruiser. They joke about the differences between men and women. When the conversation turns to Rick's wife, Lori, he turns somber. He says that they've been fighting lately, and says that Lori accused him that morning of not caring about his family in front of their son, Carl. Suddenly, the cruiser's radio cracks to life reporting a high-speed pursuit in progress involving two armed suspects.Rick and Shane dump their food and rush to the scene. When they arrive, they lay down a spike strip and meet up with their co-workers, Lambert Kendal and Leon Basset. As they all wait for the car, Leon muses about their chances of getting on a police chase reality show. Rick tells him to focus, and worry about having a round in his gun chamber and the safety off.At that moment, the car approaches, pursued by two more cruisers containing the Linden County Sheriff's Department officers. The car, with the suspects inside, speeds over the spike strip, shredding the tires. The driver loses control of the wheel and the vehicle flips off the road, rolling several times before coming to a rough stop upside down in a field.Rick carefully approaches the overturned car. A man emerges from the vehicle and immediately starts shooting at the officers. Rick yells at him to drop his pistol, but the man shoots directly at Rick and hits him in the chest. The policemen shoot the gunman down, killing him as Rick also falls to the ground.A second man emerges from the vehicle brandishing a shotgun, but is also shot to death. Rick is revealed to be okay and injured having been wearing a bulletproof vest. He tells Shane to not tell Lori about what happened.Meanwhile, a third gunman unnoticed by everyone crawls out of the car and through the grass. The man fires his gun and hits Rick in the side, where his vest does not protect him. He falls to the ground bleeding as Shane shoots and kills the third man before rushing to Rick's aid. He begs for Rick to stay with him, barking at Leon to call an ambulance, but Rick remains motionless.A while later, Shane delivers flowers to Rick in the hospital, but Rick isn't fully conscious while Shane starts talking to him. At an unknown time later, Rick awakens and responds to Shane's presence. He discovers that Shane is no longer there. The flowers have wilted and died, the beeping of the machines have stopped as has the clock; the room is empty. Weak, dehydrated and alone, Rick pulls himself out of bed, and falls onto the floor. He calls out for a nurse to help him, but no one comes.Rick is able to get himself up, and he stumbles into the bathroom, drinking water directly from the tap, before he heads for the door. He opens the door and notices a gurney is blocking the entrance to his room. He pushes it aside and continues walking in the dark and disheveled hallway.The hallway's lights flicker and wires hang from the ceiling. He goes to the nurse's station and tries the phone, but it's dead. He finds a set of matches while also looking for anything else worth taking from behind the desk. Suddenly, a flickering light draws his attention, and through a doorway, Rick sees the ravaged body of a nurse missing most of her skin. A horrified Rick backs away from this. Continuing further down the hallway, he sees that the walls are covered in blood with numerous bullet holes. A double door leading into the cafeteria has been chained shut, a message scrawled across in black paint: "DON'T OPEN/DEAD INSIDE." A pair of grey disheveled hands reach through the cracks and fiddle with the padlock and chains, moaning and groaning as more fingers start to reach through the cracks growling. Terrified, Rick stumbles backwards.He tries the elevator but it's dead, so he exits through a heavy door into a dark stairwell that reeks of rotting flesh. He chokes on the smell as he lumbers down the stairs, lighting matches until he finds the exit. A door opens to the back of the hospital into the loading bay. When Rick's eyes adjust to the bright sunlight, he sees hundreds of decayed, fly-covered bodies wrapped in sheets and arranged in rows and piles. He leaves the hospital and stumbles up a hill. There's a military helicopter, sandbags and other signs of a military cordon, but everything has been abandoned.He wanders down the road in his hospital gown, spotting an overturned bicycle in a park. As he reaches for it, the badly decayed body of a mutilated woman, her legs and lips missing, turns and reaches for him, pathetically moaning and growling in. Startled, Rick falls off the bicycle but regains himself a moment later, mounts the bike, and hastily rides away.Rick bikes over to his home to find the front door open and the house deserted. Sobbing on the floor, he calls out for Lori and Carl, questioning if any of this is real or if he's dreaming. He heads back outside the house and sits on the steps. He spots a man stumbling down the road and waves his hand to try and get his attention. As he is doing this, a young boy creeps up from behind and hits him with a shovel. The boy's father, Morgan Jones, approaches the stumbling man Rick was waving to and shoots him in the head. He then proceeds to walk towards Rick and points a revolver in his face, demanding to know why his side is bandaged, but Rick passes out before he can answer.Later that night, Rick wakes up with his arms and legs tied to a bed. The young boy, Duane, stands guard with a baseball bat. Morgan arrived and asks if he has been bit. Rick informs him that he has been shot and that is why he is bandaged. Morgan releases him from his bonds, but warns him he will kill him if he tries anything.Rick recognizes the home that they are in as his neighbors', Fred and Cindy Drake's house. Rick then accuses Morgan of murder for shooting the man that Rick was waving to. But, Morgan implores that the man was a walker]. He expresses dismay over firing that gun, as it draws more of them out. He warns Rick not to open the covers he placed on the window, as the walkers outside will see the light and be drawn to the house.While they eat dinner, Morgan realizes Rick is unaware as to what has happened, so he informs him as to what happened; that the walkers are actually dead people who will attempt to eat you if they attack you.A car alarm suddenly goes off, and Duane turns off the lights in the house, as Rick and Morgan peer out to the street through heavy covered windows and boarded up doors. The street is filled with walkers, drawn by the noise of the alarm. When a woman wearing a nightgown appears and walks up to the front door of the house, Duane runs away crying. Morgan comforts his son while Rick stares at the woman through the peephole at the front door. The woman looks around and tries to turn the door handle. Morgan remorsefully tells Rick that the walker was his wife and when she died, he couldn’t bring himself to killing her and so released her to allow her to roam the streets.The next morning, Rick walks outside in a face shield, carrying a baseball bat. Upon finding a nearby walker, Morgan tells Rick the only way to permanently kill one is to destroy its brain. Rick approaches the walker and swings the bat repeatedly at its head until it dies. He quickly becomes fatigued, most likely from his still-healing gunshot wound.Back at Rick's house, he tells Morgan he thinks his wife and son are still alive. He explains he found empty drawers in the bedrooms and the family pictures and photo albums were gone. Morgan laughs at this, mentioning that his wife was doing the same thing when they evacuated. Duane suggests to Rick that they could be in Atlanta. Morgan explains that the government was telling people to head to a refugee center there with military protection and food, before the broadcasts stopped. He also explains that the C.D.C. is rumored to be working on a cure.Rick, Morgan and Duane head to the King County Sheriff's Department, where they luxuriate in hot showers thanks to a separate propane heating system. As they dress, Morgan tells Rick that his family were headed to Atlanta but he and Duane never made it because they got "stuck" after his wife got bit, and after she died they just stayed hunkered down at the Drake's home. Afterward, Rick packs a duffel bag with guns and changes into his sheriff's uniform and hat. He hands Morgan a rifle and some ammunition.They head outside and start loading the weapons into the trunk of his cruiser. Rick prepares to set off for Atlanta, while Morgan says he'll follow in a few days, once Duane has learned to shoot. Rick hands Morgan a walkie-talkie and he tells him to turn it on every day at dawn to make contact. Before leaving, Morgan gives Rick a warning that sometimes the walkers can amass into a herd, which can prove dangerous if encountered unprepared. Rick then spots a reanimated Leon who claws at the chain link fence separating them. Rick admits he didn't think much of the young officer, but he won't leave him like this. He shoots the reanimated Leon in the forehead with his revolver, putting him down. Then, he and Morgan drive away from the sheriff's department in opposite directions.Back at the Drake's house, Morgan is nailing the doors shut while Duane covers the windows before dark. Morgan then heads up to the attic carrying the rifle Rick left him. He looks at old photo albums and pictures of his wife. He then props the rifle up and proceeds to snipe several walkers in the hope of drawing his reanimated wife out. However, when she emerges, Morgan breaks down and cannot bring himself to kill her.Rick returns to the park where he found the legless walker. He follows a blood trail for quite a distance to find her again, crawling helplessly. She reaches for him futilely. Rick apologizes to the walker for what has happened to her, and then remorsefully puts her down with a shot to the head.Later, en route to Atlanta on Highway 85, Rick sends out a broadcast on his cruiser's CB radio. In a camp outside the city a group of survivors receives the transmission. A young blonde girl, Amy, runs to the CB, but can't get a reply. Lambert, Shane, Lori, and Carl are among the survivors, however, they don't recognize Rick's voice over the garbled transmission. Both Lambert and Shane try to get a better signal on the radio, but by the time Shane takes over the CB controls and introduces himself, Rick has left the emergency broadcast channel.Lori voices that she's been saying for a week that they should put signs up on the highway warning people away from the city, and volunteers to go on her own, but Dale and Shane argue that venturing out is too risky. Lori walks off and Shane goes after her. Inside her tent, Shane tells Lori that she needs to keep it together for Carl, who has lost so much already. Lori agrees and they kiss passionately, before Carl interrupts them, not seeing them kissing. Lori promises him she's not going anywhere and tells her son to go finish his chores. He runs off smiling. Shane exits the tent and notices Lambert eyeing him.Back on the road, Rick's cruiser runs out of fuel, so he abandons his car on the highway and heads out on foot with a gas can and the duffel bag full of guns, making sure to grab the family photo he keeps above his rear-view mirror and stashing it in his jacket pocket. He approaches a farmhouse looking for gas. He peeks in the window where he makes the grisly discovery that a couple had committed suicide. Rick tries to locate the keys of the pick-up truck parked in their driveway, but finds a horse on their property instead. He saddles up and rides the rest of the way to Atlanta with the bag of guns slung across his shoulder.When he arrives to Atlanta, he discovers that there is no safe zone like Morgan and Duane described. The entire city is laid abandoned with the streets littered with dead bodies and abandoned military vehicles. Several walkers take notice of Rick and proceed to follow him.Suddenly, Rick catches the reflection of a helicopter passing by through a skyscraper. He speeds up the horse to try and follow it but ends up running into a large herd of walkers. He fails to escape and topples off to the floor as the walkers start to devour the horse. While the walkers are distracted, he manages to scramble underneath an abandoned tank. Several walkers notice him and begin to reach out at him from the underneath the tank.Rick shoots several of them, but is quickly outnumbered by the walkers. With no other option, Rick decides to shoot himself in the mouth until he notices an open hatch underneath the tank. He quickly climbs into it to escape the walkers.As he rest inside the tank, Rick takes the gun from an apparent dead soldier inside the tank, but the soldier suddenly wakes up; he is a walker. Rick quickly shoots the soldier in the head, but is then disoriented by the loud gunshot reverberating inside the tank. As he recollects himself, he noticed his bag of guns on the street. He opens a hatch on the top of the tank, but is quickly noticed by several walkers. He shuts the hatch, as walkers begin swarming the outside of the tank.Completely surrounded by walkers; Rick, unsure of what to do next, decides to attempt suicide again by placing his gun to his forehead, but before he can do it, he is interrupted by a voice that breaks over the CB radio in the tank. "Hey. Hey you, dumbass. You in the tank. Cozy in there?" the voice says. Rick looks up and slowly lowers the gun from his forehead.
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In a camp set in a quarry outside of Atlanta, survivors are busy with various tasks. From the roof of an RV, Dale watches the perimeter of the camp. Meanwhile, Amy dumps mushrooms from a bucket into a bowl held by Lori, who sits at a fire pit. Amy asks how to tell if the mushrooms are poisonous, to which Lori replies they would have to eat one to know. Amy, unsatisfied with that method, tells Lori to ask Shane when he gets back. Lori nods, before she excuses herself to look for more mushrooms in the forest. She tells her son Carl, who's playing in the dirt, to stay where Dale can see him.Lori heads into the forest alone, unnerved by the sounds of snapping branches and moving brush, while she bends down to search for more mushrooms. Suddenly, someone grabs her from behind. Lori struggles but soon realizes it's Shane, pinning her down on the ground. They passionately kiss and begin to have sex.In Atlanta, sealed inside a military tank, Rick tells the young man over the radio what he should do. The young man informs him that he is surrounded by walkers and advises him to make a run for it while they're distracted and busy eating his horse. Rick asks if the man on the other end can see his bag of guns, but is told that it's not an option. Rick collects a grenade from the dead soldier and a shovel from the floor of the tank. He checks his ammo level in his pistol, finding sixteen rounds left. He pops through the top hatch and dispatches a walker with his shovel, jumps off of the tank, and runs down a nearby sidewalk toward an alleyway, shooting walkers along the way. He turns around a corner and is surprised by a young man, who reveals himself to be the one talking to him earlier over the tank radio. They race up a ladder to the roof, stopping to catch their breath on a platform halfway up. Glenn introduces himself and Rick thanks him for saving his life.Upon walking across the roof, Rick thanks Glenn for saving him, and they walk down a staircase into an alley which is occupied by two walkers. Glenn radios his group, prompting two people wearing riot gear and brandishing baseball bats to emerge from the building and beat down the walkers. Rick and Glenn rush into the building, followed by the people in riot gear.Inside the store, a woman points a gun in Rick's face, addressed as Andrea by one of the men in riot gear, furious at his recklessness. The man in question, Bruno Morales, informs Rick that his gunshots have attracted the horde of walkers to the doors of the store. A huge horde of walkers are gathered at the doors and windows of the store, furiously pounding at the glass in an attempt to gain entry. After realizing the walkers won't get in right away, Rick makes introductions with the group; Glenn, Andrea, Bruno, as well as Jacqui and T-Dog, the other man who had been in the riot gear.The group questions Rick about what he was doing roaming around the streets of Atlanta aimlessly. He tries to explain he was trying to flag down a helicopter. The group say they didn’t hear a helicopter, Jacqui suggests that it was just a hallucination. T-Dog tries to make radio contact with another unknown group, but fails to get a signal. Suddenly, they hear gunshots from the roof, and they rush to the roof to investigate.On the rooftop, the group finds Merle firing at walkers in the street with a scoped rifle. Bruno and T-Dog chastise Merle for wasting bullets and attracting more walkers. Merle scoffs at them and proceeds to racially insult Bruno and T-Dog, before punching T-Dog to the floor. Merle then declares himself the new leader of the group and states if they are any objections in a mocking manner. Rick then suddenly hits Merle in the face with the butt of his rifle and then handcuffs him to a pipe on the roof. He searches Merle for weapons, but instead finds a bag of drugs, which he tosses over the side of the roof much to Merle’s anger.Bruno informs Rick that there is no safe zone in Atlanta, but they are part of a larger group taking shelter on the outskirts of the city. With the streets unsafe to pass due to the walkers, Jacqui suggests they travel underground to escape, as the building will have access to the sewers. As the group travel downstairs, T-Dog stays behind to keep watch on Merle.In the basement, Glenn, Rick, Andrea, Bruno, and Jacqui stand at the top of a ladder that leads into the sewer. Rick and Andrea volunteer to stay in the store while Bruno, Glenn and Jacqui go into the sewer to find a possible exit.On the roof, T-Dog unsuccessfully tries to radio to the group without success. Merle mocks his attempts, and tries to persuade him to releasing him from his handcuffs, but T-Dog refuses to. In Glenn and Bruno travel through the sewer until they reach a grated barrier. They discuss a plan to cut through the grate, until they find a walker devouring a rat on the other side. As the walker attempts to reach at them through the grate, they abandon the idea.In the store, Andrea spots a mermaid necklace and says her sister will love it as it is her birthday soon. Rick encourages her to take it, stating that shoplifting rules no longer apply in this world. Glenn, Bruno and Jacqui return and state the sewers are unsafe to travel through. They venture back up to the roof.Rick spots a cube van at a nearby construction site a few blocks away. When discussing plans to bypass the walkers on the streets, Andrea states that the walkers smell dead while they don’t, giving Rick an idea. He takes one of the bodies of the walkers Bruno and T-Dog dispatched earlier in the alley. They acknowledge the walker's lost humanity. After the group shares a solemn moment of reflection, Rick begins hacking the dead body to pieces with the axe. Rick and Glenn then smear guts on themselves, disgusting everyone. Before leaving, Rick tosses T-Dog the key to Merle's handcuffs.Outside, Rick and Glenn crawl under the bus blocking the alley. They start to shuffle in to the streets, mixing in to the crowd of walkers unnoticed. Back in the store, T-Dog, Bruno, Andrea, and Jacqui race to the roof to follow Rick and Glenn with a pair of binoculars, and T-Dog tries again to radio the others.Back at camp, Amy frets over the whereabouts of the group and her sister. Dale, working on his RV's troublesome radiator hose with Jim, reasons with Amy that worrying won't make it better. Meanwhile, Lori's doing laundry as Shane teaches Carl to tie knots. Suddenly, the radio crackles and squeaks, and T-Dog's garbled transmission comes through, explaining that they're trapped in the department store, surrounded by hundreds of walkers. Lambert responds to the transmission but only radio silence follows. Amy insists they go to Atlanta to rescue them, but Shane refuses to let any more people go to Atlanta, as it’s unsafe, prompting Amy to angrily insult him.Shane walks away from the group over by his jeep, rubbing his head in uncertainty. Behind him, Lambert walks up and asks why going after the others is a bad idea. Shane repeats what he told Amy, claiming its a suicide mission. Lambert sides with Amy, reiterating her point about the others aside from Glenn volunteering, so they should be looking out for them. Shane gets more heated, asking what would happen if whoever went to rescue them died, too. Lambert is taken aback by his response, and reminds him that those trapped in the store aren't dead yet. A silent cold look from Shane gives him his answer; he thinks they're as good as dead. Lambert then says it's what Rick would've done. This makes Shane step up to Lambert, admonishing him for bringing up his former partner like that. Before he walks away, Lambert remarks that he should remember who he sleeps next to at night before preaching to him about disrespecting his friend. His words leave Shane deep in thought.Back in Atlanta, Rick and Glenn keep making their way through the crowd of walkers. Suddenly, rain begins to fall rather heavily, beginning to wash the guts' smell off of them. A nearby walker detects them as humans, and growls at Rick, who in turn, dispatches it with his axe. All walkers nearby start to come after them. Rick and Glenn fight the walkers while continuing to run to the construction site where the cube van is as the group on the rooftop watches. They are able to make it over the fence uninjured. Rick shoots at walkers while Glenn locates the keys. The crowd of walkers knocks down the fence and charges at them, but they speed away in the van just in time. On the roof, the group worries that they're being left behind.Rick orders Glenn to radio the group to get ready for pick-up, and mentions that they will need a way to lure the walkers away from the department store, eyeing a red Dodge Challenger sports car. Rick smashes the driver's side window to gain entry, causing the car's alarm to blare loudly.The group grabs their bags and rushes from the rooftop toward the loading dock, with no concern for unlocking Merle's handcuffs. T-Dog reluctantly turns back as Merle begs and runs with the key in hand to set him free, however he slips and drops the key down a drain by accident. As Merle angrily curses at T-Dog, he abandons him on the roof, but not before chaining the door so walkers do not find him.Outside the loading bay at the back entrance of the store, with the walkers lured away by Glenn's car alarm, Rick pulls the van up and the group piles in, catching their breath as they drive away from the city. They look around at one another and a guilt-ridden T-Dog admits to the others he dropped the key, leaving Merle trapped on the roof, still handcuffed to a pipe. Andrea then asks where Glenn is.On the road, Glenn drives the red Dodge Challenger and speeds out of Atlanta while screaming in celebration.
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In the roof of the department store, a handcuffed and delirious Merle Dixon sits alone, talking to himself about a violent incident from his past. Suddenly, he snaps back to reality and begins panicking as some walkers start to clamor at the padlocked stairwell door. Merle becomes hysterical, desperately trying to break free. He prays to God for forgiveness and then spots a hacksaw from the overturned tool box and his resolve suddenly strengthens. Taking off his belt, he repeatedly tosses the buckle end to try to reel in the hacksaw, lying just out of reach. At last, his belt reaches it. He pulls it towards him.On the road, Rick is driving to the camp, while Bruno advises him not to dwell on Merle's abandonment, claiming that nobody will miss him. Rick listens in silence.In the camp, Lori gives Carl a haircut while Shane promises him that they will catch frogs at the quarry, so they can eat their legs. Lori expresses her disgust at the thought, while Shane tells her she'll be begging for more once she tastes them, Their moment is interrupted by the approach of Glenn's Challenger alarm blaring. Amy rushes to Glenn and demands to know if her sister, Andrea, is okay. Dale tells Glenn to turn off the car alarm before walkers hear. Jim disconnects the alarm while Amy continues to ask questions about Andrea. Glenn tells her everyone's okay, except for Merle. Shane chastises him for drawing attention to their location.The cube van arrives. Andrea and Amy tearfully reunite, as do Bruno and his wife, son and daughter. Lori and Carl briefly watch the happy reunions before Carl becomes emotional and Lori leads him away. Shane watches them, sympathizing. He then asks Glenn how they made it out of the city. Glenn says a new guy helped them while Bruno adds that he's a police officer. He then tells an exhausted and apprehensive Rick to come meet everybody. Rick emerges from the van and recognizes both Shane and Lambert. The two trade stunned glances as Carl tearfully lifts his head and Lori's eyes follow. He spots Rick and runs into his open arms. Lori stares at Rick, but she tearfully embraces her husband and son. Shane and the rest of the group watch on, dumbfounded. Lori looks up at Shane, who attempts to smile away his obvious pain. Lori cries into Rick's shoulder while Rick turns to smile at Shane, who does manage an honest smile in return. His eyes fall on Lambert, who holds his gaze on him silently. Shane's smile falters.In the night, around a campfire, Rick describes the disorientation he felt waking up alone in the hospital. Lori explains she was told Rick would be brought over to Atlanta, but it never happened. Carl says Shane told him he died. Rick states Shane had every reason to believe he did, and he thanks Shane for looking after his family. Both Shane and Lori shoot awkward glares at each other. Lambert comments that he's glad that Rick survived. Shane tenses up when the man speaks, but the other officer says nothing more.Nearby, Ed Peletier stokes his family's fire with a fresh log. Shane intervenes, instructing Ed to take the log out so they can't be seen from a distance. Ed tells him to mind his own business, but concedes under Shane's forceful command and instructs his meek wife Carol to pull the log from the fire. Ed then glares as Shane bids Carol and their daughter Sophia good evening.Back at the group's fire, Dale asks what they should do about Merle. Andrea reasons that he was out of control, but Dale reasons that he's a human being and shouldn't be left there to die. Rick somberly claims that Merle is dead, as the department store was overrun. However, T-Dog, still filled with guilt for dropping the key, tells the group that he stopped to chain the stairwell door before he ran for the van.In their tent, Rick says goodnight to Carl. Rick then takes Lori's hand as he crawls into bed with her. He tells her he knew she and Carl were alive because their photo albums were gone when he returned to their house. Lori smiles and pulls one open. They reflect on their past mistakes and are grateful for the second chance that they have been given. Lori returns Rick's wedding ring, which had been removed when he was in the hospital, and the two discretely have sex. Outside, Shane, keeping watch on top of the RV, stares with malice and jealousy at Rick and Lori's tent as a thunderstorm builds in the night sky.The next morning, Rick wakes to find a fresh pair of clothes laid out for him inside the tent. He gets up and gets dressed. Outside, he finds Carol ironing his freshly laundered uniform, though she laments how much harder it is without her old Maytag. Rick thanks her for her kindness. Nearby, Glenn mourns as Bruno, Dale, and Jim strip the Challenger down for parts, taking gas for the camp's generators.Rick then sees his wife hanging laundry with Andrea and Amy. She asks if he slept okay and grins, saying she didn't want to wake him, before she catches a look in his eye. Shane arrives back at camp with more water, and Rick tells Lori he plans to return to Atlanta. Lori is shocked, but their discussion is interrupted by screams. Carl, Sophia, and Jacqui, who had been out walking, run in to camp deeply shaken. Sophia calls out for her mother and the men grab various weapons from the campsite.Rick, Shane, Jim, Bruno, and Glenn run past them to a clearing where a walker is devouring a deer. Amy and Andrea follow. The five men beat on the walker until Dale arrives and decapitates it. Dale wonders why the walker has made it this far up the mountain into the camp. Jim theorizes it is because they are running out of food in the city. Bruno proposes cutting around the parts of the deer where the walker ate, but Dale shuts the idea down. The walker's decapitated head suddenly snaps to life, much to the disgust of Amy and Andrea. Rick remembers Morgan's warnings, and gestures for Glenn to finish it off. Glenn sighs, but does so, driving his weapon into the walker's severed head.Returning to the camp, Rick pulls Shane aside. He tells him that if walkers are moving out of the city, it might make it easier to go back into the city. Shane asks him what for, and while Rick is slow to answer, he tells Shane about the bag of guns from the King County police station. Shane grills him for more to his answer, to which Rick admits he wants to go back for Merle. This makes Shane raise his voice, attracting the attention of the camp. Shane loudly disapproves of the idea, stating Merle is as good as dead. T-Dog cuts in, and talks about the door being chained, meaning Merle is alive. He then states that he wants to go back for Merle as well, and if guns are part of the deal, it would be an added bonus. Shane gives up, and walks away angry.Later, Rick prepares to leave with T-Dog. Rick admits he wants Glenn to come along because of his experience getting in and out of the city. Lambert offers to accompany them as backup. Shane argues with Rick that they need everybody to protect the camp in case more walkers show up. However, Rick contends they need more guns, which he'd be able to retrieve from the bag he dropped outside the tank. Shane softens, knowing the value of more guns, but Lori still isn't convinced and continues to plead with Rick not to risk his life for a man like Merle. Rick explains to her that he also needs to collect his walkie-talkie from the bag so he can warn Morgan Jones away from the city. He claims he owes them his life. Shane also recognizes that the walkie-talkie would be better than their CB. Lori gives up arguing, and Carl tells Rick he's okay with his reasons for going back to Atlanta.Rick and T-Dog cut a deal with Dale for a set of bolt-cutters to cut the chains on the door. Dale agrees in exchange of one of the guns Rick intends to collect, while Jim wants to be able to strip the cube van for parts that they can use for the old RV when they get back. Shane then gives Rick the last of his bullets for his revolver. Rick loads his gun in the passenger seat while Lambert drives out of camp and the group watches as they exit the campsite. In their tent, Lori frets about Rick.In Atlanta, the group parks beside a railroad line. Glenn frets over the possibility of finding Merle dead, but T-Dog insists that the undead can't get through the chains on the door. Then, Glenn frets over finding Merle still alive. As they travel on foot below a highway overpass, Glenn decides the group should go for Merle first, because going for the guns would mean doubling back.Back at camp, Lori looks for Carl. Dale tells her he should be down at the quarry catching frogs. In the quarry, Shane and Carl try to catch frogs with a bucket and net. Shane falls in the water trying to drive them to Carl and instead they splash each other playing.Nearby, Andrea, Amy, Carol and Jacqui do laundry and discuss the division of labor. The women then discuss the luxuries of the pre-apocalyptic world that they miss, with Carol missing her washing machine, Amy missing her mobile phone, Jacqui missing her coffee making machine, and Andrea missing her vibrator, which results in the women bursting into laughter when Carol states she misses her too.Lori arrives at the quarry, ordering Carl to return to camp. After he leaves, Shane tells her not to take it out on him, and Lori warns him to stay away from her family. Shane asks Lori if she thinks he's not happy about Rick's return. Lori states Shane was the one who told her Rick died.Ed, frustrated over the women’s laughter, approaches them and demands they stop laughing and continue cleaning. Andrea throws the sponge at Ed and refuses to work. Ed then demands that Carol comes with him, but Jacqui rebukes that they know of his domestic abuse to Carol. As Ed tries to grab Carol, he slaps her across the face. Shane, upon witnessing Ed slap Carol, and still seething over his confrontation with Lori, pulls Ed away from Carol and proceeds to beat him to a bloody pulp. He warns Ed that if he lays another finger on Carol, Sophia, or anyone else in the camp, he will beat him to death. He then leaves Carol to tend to her battered husband on the floor.In Atlanta, Rick, Lambert, Glenn, and T-Dog return to the department store. They cut through the chain on the stairwell with the bolt-cutters and emerge onto the roof. On the ground, the hacksaw sits beside a severed hand with bloodied handcuffs hang from the pipe above. The four men look on in shock at the bloody sight.
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Andrea and Amy sit in a canoe on the quarry lake fishing. Amy holds an umbrella to protect herself from the sun. A discussion starts over the type of fishing knot their father used. They realize that their father taught them different fishing knots based on Andrea's need to catch the fish, and Amy's need to throw them back. Both women are on the verge of tears before Andrea reminds Amy of their father’s rule; no crying on the boat as it scares the fish. Amy wonders if their father is alive, as she believes Florida wasn’t hit that bad by the apocalypse. Andrea tells her not to worry about it. Amy thinks about the walker from the other day, and laments that she never wants to be like that. Andrea says nothing.Nearby, on top of his RV, Dale is keeping watch. He looks through his binoculars and in a field above the campsite, he sees Jim furiously digging holes into the ground with a shovel.On the rooftop in Atlanta, the four men look at Merle's severed hand in shock. Glenn almost vomits at the sight. Lambert remarks that he didn't think Merle would be crazy enough to do something like that. Rick sees no sign of him on the rooftop, which is strange to him. T-Dog feels responsible for Merle having to cut off his own hand, and takes out a durag in which he proceeds to fold up Merle's hand and place it in Glenn's backpack. While T-Dog is grabbing the hacksaw and the numerous other tools from Dale's toolkit on the rooftop, Rick finally notices a trail of fresh blood along the rooftop. The four of them begin to follow it.Back at the campsite, Dale approaches Jim in the fields, who refuses to respond as he digs what appear to be graves. Dale's concern mounts quickly when Jim won't take a drink of water, despite the intense summer heat. Amy and Andrea, meanwhile, present the group with their lines of fish. Bruno thanks the women, expressing gratitude that his children will have food to eat. Carl asks them if they could teach him how to fish like that, and Lori says she wouldn't argue with that, impressed by the womens' efforts. Dale interrupts the excitement to express concern over Jim, and points him out still furiously digging graves on the hilltop in the fields.Rick kills another walker, and notes that Merle managed to kill two walkers in the room one-handed. The trail of blood leads them to a kitchen, where a blowtorch is burning next to an iron steak weight crusted with skin — the result, they speculate, of Merle cauterizing his stump. They believe Merle has left the building. Rick agrees to search the streets for Merle.At camp, Shane and the others approach Jim, who still won't explain why he's digging. Lori tells Jim he's scaring Sophia and Carl, and Shane orders Jim to take a break. He swings his shovel at Shane, who tackles him. Subdued, Jim cries over the death of his wife and two sons, revealing the only reason why he survived was because the walkers were too busy eating his family.In an abandoned office above the department store in Atlanta, Glenn outlines a plan to retrieve Rick's bag of guns on an old whiteboard. T-Dog will watch his back from the store's alley, while Rick and Lambert cover a second alley that is two blocks away.Glenn and T-Dog climb down the ladder to the alley, and Glenn drops his backpack while T-Dog stays behind to cover him. On the street, Glenn runs towards the tank. Walkers are waking up all around him, but he grabs the bag — and Rick's hat — without much trouble and heads back toward T-Dog. In the alley, a teenager, Miguel, sneaks up on T-Dog from behind. He quickly turns and trains his gun on the teen, asking him who he is and where he came from. Despite T-Dog then lowering his gun, Miguel yells for help, making T-Dog panic.Rick and Lambert, hearing Miguel's screams, head for the alley. T-Dog is suddenly jumped by two men, Jorge and Felipe, who have also come for the guns — with which Glenn has just arrived to the alley. He turns to run the other way but the men grab him and start beating him. They take the bag of guns. T-Dog picks up his gun and fires. grazing Felipe's rear, causing him to drop the bag while yelling in pain. Felipe and Jorge instead grab Glenn, throw him in a getaway car while fighting off walkers and drive off, leaving Miguel and the guns behind. T-Dog shuts the gate in the alley to keep out the walkers before turning on the teenager. Rick and Lambert arrive just in time to keep T-Dog from punching Miguel. He explains that his friends took Glenn. Taking Miguel with them, Rick grabs the bag of guns, and his hat, and they head back up the ladder to the roof.At camp, Shane has tied Jim to a tree and is offering him water. Unlike earlier when Dale offered him a drink, this time, Jim accepts it. Lori and Carol are doing schoolwork at a table nearby with Carl and Sophia. Shane tells Jim he's going to keep him tied to the tree until he no longer thinks Jim's a danger to himself or others. Jim apologizes for scaring the children, and Lori forgives him on account of sunstroke. Dale asks why he was digging holes, but Jim cannot remember. He dreamt something is going to happen, and it has forced him to dig holes. Jim warns Lori not to let Carl out of her sight.Back inside the abandoned office building, Rick's looking for answers while a confused Lambert wonders what they've gotten themselves into. T-Dog is still angry after getting jumped by Miguel's group. Miguel snoops around in Glenn's bag, and finds Merle's hand. He screams, drops it, and falls on the floor. T-Dog remarks that that's the hand of the last person who beat him up, ironically telling the truth, while omitting important context.Miguel leads Rick, Lambert, and T-Dog to an abandoned factory, where the leader of the group, Guillermo, emerges. Rick proposes trading Miguel for Glenn, but has no interest in giving up his bag of guns. With Lambert aiming a scoped rifle at his head from a nearby rooftop, Guillermo demands the bag of guns, threatening to kill Glenn if they don't hand it over. Guillermo orders his man Shumpert to reveal Glenn. Shumpert does so, bringing him to the edge of a rooftop, his mouth covered with tape and his hands tied behind his back.Rick and the group retreat to a nearby foreman's office. Lambert suggests keeping the guns, but Rick refuses and says he owes Glenn for when he saved him at the tank. Rick knows how dangerous the mission could be, that he might get killed when he goes back to the factory, and tells the others to head back to the campsite. Lambert avidly refuses this, reminding Rick of how he's had his back for years as part of his police team, so they all load their guns and grab Miguel.Rick escorts him in to the warehouse carrying the guns on his back. Rick cuts Miguel loose and demands Guillermo hand over Glenn. Guillermo tells Rick that he's going to chop up Glenn and feed him to his three vicious man-eating dogs. Before the situation can escalate further, an old woman wearing a nightgown, Mrs. Alvarez, shuffles into the middle of the standoff, asking Felipe for help with "Mr. Gilbert". She notices Rick's uniform and begs him not to take Felipe away, saying he's turned his life around and they need him here. Rick tells the old woman that Felipe is helping him find a missing person. She assumes he’s referring to Glenn, and takes him by the hand.Mrs. Alvarez leads Rick into a nursing home auditorium, where several elderly people are grouped around an asthmatic man. Glenn is trying to console the man. Felipe helps the man with an inhaler. Guillermo's "three vicious dogs" are teacup-sized chihuahuas, and they yap at the group as the survivors realize what's really going on.Rick pulls Guillermo aside and confronts him, stating he was ready to kill everyone in the building for the guns. Guillermo explains he was only trying to protect the food and medicine for the residents, as the staff abandoned the patients, leaving Guillermo and Felipe, the only staff members behind. People trickled in to check on their grandparents, and suddenly he's the leader of a group of young men, women, and the elderly. The group agree to leave some of the guns to Guillermo so he can defend the nursing home. They then leave the nursing home and head back to camp.Back at the camp, the group is preparing for a fish cookout, and Bruno proudly shows off the upgraded campfire, with higher rocks to hide higher flames. Carl walks to the tree with Shane, who frees Jim and invites him to the fish fry. Ed, his face bruised and swollen, broods in his tent, declining Carol's invite to join the group for the fish fry. He grabs Sophia's arms and tells her to stay with him, but Carol says forcefully that Sophia is joining in with the fish fry, leaving Ed to angrily curse them as they leave.As the group sit around the campfire after dark, Bruno asks Dale why he still winds his wristwatch every day. Jacqui agrees that it's pointless, ever since the world ended. Dale tells a story that it is important to keep track of time. The group lightheartedly laughs about the story.Amy heads to the RV to use the bathroom, but before she can leave, Andrea stops her. She stands up and presents her with the mermaid necklace she took from the department store. Amy is surprised and happy, but knows her birthday is tomorrow. Andrea says she couldn't find proper wrapping and just wanted her to have it early. Amy smiles with her new necklace on, then leaves to go to the RV. Ed, meanwhile, hears rustling outside his tent. He thinks it's Carol bugging him to join the group, and unzips the flap to yell at her, but instead, he finds a walker. It attacks him, biting his neck as more walkers swarm inside the tent, devouring him.His screams attract the attention of the survivors at the fire. Just then, Amy emerges from the RV, complaining that they're out of toilet paper, as a walker approaches from behind the door. Andrea sees this, and screams out for her sister, but it's too late. The walker grabs Amy and bites her arm. Amy screams, while Andrea looks on in horror as the camp is sent in to a full on panic.Walkers attack from all directions, grabbing and devouring people all over the campsite. Shane orders Lori to get Carl and everyone else into the RV. He pulls out his pistol, only for a stray walker to attack him. He drops the gun, and is forced to shove the walker into the campfire, where it burns to death. Shane tries to find his gun, but cannot locate it, so he instead fires his shotgun. Amy screams in pain as a large chunk of her neck is bit by the same walker who bit her arm. Andrea runs for Amy as Jim and Bruno beat down walkers with baseball bats.Rick and the others, running toward camp, hear gunshots in the distance and quicken their pace, while back at the RV, Amy is dying from blood loss. Walkers corner Jim, and he angrily begins beating all of them one by one, screaming revenge for his dead family. Shane, Lori, Carl, Sophia, and Carol and slowly making their way to the RV, with the Bruno family close behind. Suddenly, Lori trips and falls when a walker reaches for her. She screams, and it's about to lunge, when it gets shot from behind. Carl stands there with Shane's pistol in hand. Shane helps Lori up, and she screams for Carl when a walker nearly bites him, but that walker also gets shot just in time. Rick, Glenn, Lambert, and T-Dog have arrived back at the camp, Rick firing the shot to save his son, and they quickly help shoot the remaining walkers. Once all the walkers have been killed, the survivors all stop and catch their breath. Carl runs tearfully into Rick's arms, and Lori looks on, terrified. Sophia cries in Carol's arms, while Miranda and Bruno console their children.Andrea, cradling a dying Amy, tries her best to comfort her. She eventually dies of blood loss, leaving Andrea to scream in anguish. Dead bodies litter the camp, and as the group recollect themselves, Jim states he remembers why he dug the holes; to bury the bodies.Elsewhere, inside a state of the art laboratory, a man in a hazmat suit studies a piece of undead skin on a petri dish. He observes a sample under a microscope, then writes down his findings. Feeling satisfied, he walks out of the lab area.
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Deep in the city of Atlanta, Guillermo and Shumpert exit the Vatos group warehouse, getting ready for a supply run. Felipe, on guard duty, tells them to be careful as he’s heard more of the dead passing them by each night. “Relax, man, we know the city inside and out,” Guillermo replies. He and Shumpert head out further into the city.The morning after the attack on the camp, Andrea kneels beside Amy’s lifeless body. Glenn uses a pickaxe to definitively put down members of the group who were eaten. Lori approaches Andrea and expresses her sorrow over her loss. She tells Andrea that they have to make sure she doesn't come back. Andrea doesn't say anything though, so Lori sighs and walks away.Glenn walks over to the body of Ed. He's about to put the pickaxe in his head, when Carol stops him. She asks to do it herself, so he hands over the pickaxe to her. When she winds up, Sophia peeks at the body. “Is that him?” she asks. Carol tells her not to look, and Glenn respectfully leads her away. Once they've left, Carol slams the pickaxe into Ed’s head. She does it again and again until his head has been mutilated, all while she starts to cry. Jim watches her from afar, flinching slightly every time the pickaxe hits Ed’s body.Rick talks to Shane and Lambert near the put out campfire that still has a small plume of smoke. Shane is concerned about Amy, since she hasn’t been put down yet. Lambert tries to keep the peace by suggesting that they give Andrea some more time, which Dale also agrees with. Shane gets angrier and insists that she’ll only cause harm, but is interrupted by Lori who angrily shuts him down. Rick walks over to Andrea, and is about to tell her what needs to happen, but is met with her gun pointed at him. “I know how the safety works,” she says angrily. Rick backs off and goes back over to the others.Carl is still holding the gun he used to save his mother the previous night. Sophia, Eliza, and Louis walk over to him. Carl apologizes to Sophia for her father, but she just shakes her head and says that he was mean. Louis and Eliza ask how he learned to use the gun, but Carl replies that he doesn’t know how and just got lucky, and wanted to help. Jim walks by, and Carl briefly stops him. He asks Jim to give the gun back to his dad or Shane. Jim looks out of it, but agrees and takes the gun from Carl. The kids look at the bonfire of burning walkers, being manned by T-Dog and Bruno. Louis is grossed out by it, so they all move to another area.Dale kneels beside Andrea, and pays his respects. He sees Andrea touching something around Amy’s neck; the mermaid necklace, and he remembers it’s Amy’s birthday today. Andrea lets go of the necklace and simply stares at Amy, her skin looking paler. Dale comforts Andrea by telling her about his late wife, Irma, and how she succumbed to cancer despite Dale trying to find her a doctor that could treat her. Andrea shares her regrets with Amy, talking about how she could never come to her birthday parties as a child, since she was 12 years older than her. Dale tells her not to feel guilty, then leaves her alone. Andrea continues to look over Amy, and suddenly notices her chest is rising and falling.Jim sees Jacqui struggling to drag a walker over to the fire, so he offers to help her awkwardly. When he crouches down, blood is visible on his shirt. Jacqui asks him if he’s bleeding, but he denies it and says it’s walker blood. Jacqui says it looks fresh, which makes Jim grow uneasy. He whispers to her that it’s a scratch, but she denies it and shouts for him to show her. This begins attracting the attention of the other group members. Andrea watches Amy’s body, and suddenly, her eyes open. Andrea gasps. The rest of the group surrounds Jim, and Rick tells him to show the bite. Jim starts to panic further, and goes for the gun Carl gave him. T-Dog warns everyone just as Jim pulls it out. People scream and duck, and he runs up behind Jim. Everyone gasps when a gunshot goes off. Rick and Shane look around to everyone frantically, and then back at Jim. “That… wasn’t me,” he says shakily. Lori turns around, and everyone realizes that it was Andrea; she just put a bullet in Amy’s zombified head. “I love you,” she whispers to her deceased sister. Jim drops the gun and begins to cry quietly.Jim has been sent inside the RV, while outside, Rick talks with Shane, Lambert, Lori, Dale, Glenn, Bruno, and T-Dog about the situation. Again, Shane suggests putting Jim out of his misery right now. Dale tries to make a point off of what Shane said, but Rick shuts him down. The subject changes to the group’s next destination. Shane once again speaks up and suggests Fort Benning, which is 100 miles away. Lori is worried they won’t make it, and so is Rick. Instead, Rick suggests the Center for Disease Control, only 25 miles away. Shane says it’s in the opposite direction, and doesn’t like the idea. Rick presses further, wanting to help Jim. From across the camp, Bruno makes eye contact with Miranda, who is standing with their children. He calls Rick and Shane aside to speak privately. Lori nods to Rick and goes to check in on Carl.Bruno leads them to his family, and tells them that wherever the group is planning to go, that they aren’t going. Miranda says that they want to meet up with their family in Birmingham. Both Rick and Shane finally agree, and tell them that that is a terrible idea, as they won’t have anyone to watch their backs. Bruno remains firm, but Miranda begins to have second thoughts. He doesn’t like not knowing if their family is alive. Rick offers them a proposition; they go with them to the CDC, and if it doesn’t work out, they’re free to go on their own. Bruno and Miranda agree, and Rick shakes his hand.Inside the RV, Jacqui checks on Jim, who vomits into a bucket, a little bit of blood coming up with it. She places a damp rag on his head, and apologizes for how things went earlier. Jim apologizes instead, for waving a gun around. Jacqui forgives him and sympathizes with him. She promises she’ll keep him comfortable for as long as she can, and exits the RV. The group gathers up on the hill where Jim had previously been digging. Andrea moves Amy’s wrapped body into the final open grave, crying as she does so. Dale steps in and grabs the feet, slowly helping lower her in. Once done, T-Dog begins shoveling the dirt back in.Once the funeral service ends, the group walks back down the hill, but Lori stops Rick. She tells him that she thinks both him and Shane have valid points, but she promises to support his decision. Rick is thankful, and understands her point of view. He admits that he just wants to help Jim in any way possible. Before they join the others, Rick asks if Carl had learned to use a gun while he was gone. Lori says no, and she walks away while Rick looks on for a moment.Finally, everybody regroups around the fire pit. Shane and Rick stand in front of everyone, and to Rick’s surprise, Shane backs his plan to go to the CDC. Rick goes on to say that any remaining military and government officials would no doubt protect the building, and it's possible there are doctors left there. Glenn asks what they’re going to do about Jim, and Rick says he’s hoping that they’ll have a cure there.The group gears up, and leaves the campsite taking many vehicles with them; the RV, Carol’s Cherokee, the Morales family jeep, Shane’s jeep, and T-Dog’s church van. Over the course of 24 hours, the group drives towards the CDC. In the RV, Jim cries out from the bumpy roads, while Jacqui comforts him. Andrea rides with T-Dog and fiddles with her gun, still thinking about Amy. In the RV, Lori sits down next to Carl, where she finally asks him about the gun he used last night. Carl says he just pointed and shot, because he knew if he didn’t that she would’ve died. Lori just sits in silence, but wraps her arms around him.Finally, the group is forced to stop on the side of the road when the RV’s radiator hose fails again. Shane and T-Dog go make a quick run up ahead for some gas. Right when they leave, Jacqui bursts out, telling everyone that Jim is much worse than he was before. Everyone looks worried. Rick goes inside to talk to him. Jim is visibly pale and sickly. His eyes are bloodshot and he’s extremely sweaty. Rick apologizes for his pain, and asks him what he wants. Jim tells him how brutally painful the ride is for him, and asks if he can just be left on the side of the road. Rick refuses, but Jim repeats himself, and says that this is his first coherent thought in a while.Lori and Carol are shocked upon learning of Jim’s choice. Rick agrees, but reminds them it’s what he asked for. Dale speaks up and tells Rick that back at the camp, all he wanted to say was that they should ask Jim what he wants, and it seems now they have their answer.The group props Jim up against a tree, which he makes a weak joke about with a chuckle. Rick offers him a revolver one last time, but Jim refuses. He says he wants to see his family. One by one, everyone says their goodbyes. Dale thanks him for fighting. Lori thanks him for looking out for her boy. Jacqui gives him a quick kiss, and tells him it’s okay to let go. Everyone gets back into the vehicles and slowly drive away. Jim weakly watches them all leave, making eye contact with Carl and Sophia. When the vehicles turn the corner up ahead, Jim finally goes limp and his eyes close, finally dying.Back in the mysterious lab, a camera screen fizzles to life with static. A man introduces himself as Dr. Edwin Jenner to the camera, and states several statistical facts about his latest studies. He gets dressed later on in a hazmat suit and enters the lab. He puts some dead skin cells into a petri dish and on a microscope slide. While observing it under the microscope he witnesses the cells go through some shocking changes. He moves quickly to write down his findings, but accidentally knocks over a big cylinder shaped beaker filled with acidic liquid all over his samples. He foolishly tries to wipe it off, but it begins to corrode his suit and gloves. Jenner rushes himself to decontamination, where he strips down and is rinsed off. The lab is then decontaminated as well.Jenner screams “NO!”, but he can’t stop it. The lab is filled with explosions, effectively destroying the rest of his work. After this, Jenner gets drunk with a big bottle of wine, and talks to the camera in a drunken rant. He expresses intents of suicide, then throws the empty bottle on the floor, where it shatters.That evening, the group pulls up outside the CDC. As everyone exits, they immediately gag and cover their noses. Hundreds of dead bodies are scattered across the ground, both walkers and living people. Sophia hides behind Carol while Rick and Shane lead everyone to the CDC doors. Inside the main sector, Jenner gets an alert from the outside security camera, where he sees the group of survivors approach.Rick lightly bangs on the metal shutters covering the doors. Shane looks defeated, and tells Rick that no one is here after all, that they’re all dead. Rick shakes his head, and knows that people still must be here, as the shutters are still down. Lori warns them that they can’t be close to the city after dark. Some bodies nearby begin to reanimate and stand up. T-Dog and Dale begin killing the ones that do. Louis and Eliza cry to their parents, and Lori holds Carl close. Shane tells Rick that they need to go to Fort Benning. Andrea reminds them that they have no supplies, and Glenn adds that it’s even farther away now.Jenner backs away from the screen, whispering and begging for them to just leave. Rick doesn’t give up, and starts hitting the shutters. Lori starts pulling him away, when suddenly the camera shifts. Dale tells him he’s seeing things, but Rick approaches once more. Jenner watches him intently. Rick begins to scream into the camera, begging for help. By this point, Shane tells everyone to run for the cars as more walkers emerge. He pulls Rick away by his shirt, while Rick screams “You’re killing us, you’re killing us!”The screams make Jenner slam his fist on the table. He makes a bold decision, and types in a passcode on his keypad. Right as the group turns away and is about to make a run for it, the metal shutters on the door lift, revealing a bright light coming from inside the building. Rick and the others stand there frozen in shock. Before they can do anything, Shane shouts for everyone to get inside.Everyone rushes inside the building, with Rick and Shane entering last so that they make sure everyone is safe. The main lobby is dark inside, the light coming from deeper in the building. The group has their guns up, just in case. Once they venture inside more, they all hear an assault rifle click. They turn and see a man aiming the gun loosely at them. He smiles a little and says, “Hello. I’m Dr. Edwin Jenner.”
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Earlier that day, in the center of Atlanta, Guillermo and Shumpert comb through a department store; the same one in which the Atlanta group had previously been trapped. Shumpert gives up and tells his leader that the place is a bust. Guillermo agrees, and they leave out the back.While they walk through an alleyway, Shumpert notices several dead walkers, and a trail of blood leading the opposite direction. They raise their guns and slowly follow the trail. Soon, it turns into just a dropping blood trail. They move some trash aside and see a pair of legs sticking out from behind a dumpster. They think it might be a walker, so they quickly move around to shoot it, but they stop in their tracks. The body is missing their right hand, but it’s been cauterized. Shumpert wonders what to do, and Guillermo decides that they should help him. They roll the man onto his back. It’s Merle Dixon.Dr. Jenner asks if anybody in the group is infected. Rick tells him about Jim, and asks if they can stay. Jenner tells them that if they take a blood test, they will be allowed in. Rick, Shane, Bruno, and T-Dog grab all of their supplies from the vehicles and run back in. Jenner shuts and locks the doors and says that he won’t open them again. He and Rick then shake hands.In an elevator, everyone is silent, until Shane asks why he has such a heavy gun around, since he’s just a doctor. Jenner simply answers that he taught himself to shoot. They arrive on the main floor, where all of his computers are. Lori asks where the other staff and doctors are, and Jenner finally admits that he’s the only one left there. People are shocked and defeated. Andrea scoffs and walks off, with Dale following after her.A few hours later, moods have mellowed out, and everyone is talking and laughing around the table, drinking some red wine. T-Dog and Jacqui come from the stove with pans full of cooked eggs, and begin serving everyone. Bruno offers Glenn some wine, and he reluctantly takes it, wincing at the taste. Carl asks to try some wine, and Lori refuses at first, but is coaxed into it by Rick and the others. Dale pours a tiny bit into a cup, and Carl takes a sip. He immediately gags at the flavor, and all the adults laugh. Sophia asks if she can try some, too, but Carol politely declines her request.Among the group happily eating, Rick takes a moment to thank Dr. Jenner, and the rest of the group follows in his path. Shane then asks why he’s the only one left. Jenner sighs, and slowly reveals that when things got bad, many of the other doctors either fled the building, or committed suicide. Everyone falls silent, and Jacqui awkwardly tries to change the subject.Jenner leads everyone down a hallway. Carol asks if they’re underground, admitting she is a little claustrophobic. He assures her that everything is fine, then turns to Carl, Sophia, Louis, and Eliza and tells them about the rec room. The kids all get excited and run off down the hall. Jenner looks at the adults and tells them about the showers with hot water. Glenn and T-Dog both break out into big smiles.The entire group enjoys their very own hot showers. T-Dog lets the water run down his body. Glenn scrubs his hair and can’t help but smile. Lori closes her eyes and allows the water to cascade down her face. Rick joins her shower and the two embrace with a kiss. Shane drinks a bottle of alcohol in the shower, looking more and more upset. Andrea is on the floor of the shower, her knees pulled up to her chest. She lets the water go down her body as she stares into space.Later on, Dale leaves the shower in a comfy robe, passing Jacqui in the hallway with a smile and wave. He passes one of the bedrooms, but stops when he hears crying and heaving coming from inside. He rushes in, finding Andrea vomiting in the bathroom and crying her eyes out. He helps her sit back, and asks what the matter is. She sobs over Amy and says that there’s nothing left for her, so why should she bother trying anymore. Dale tells her that she has a group of people that love and support her, but she doesn’t acknowledge it much.Unknown to them, Jacqui had been walking past and eavesdropped on the entire thing. She begins walking away, but is stopped by Glenn. He notices her upset attitude, and after asking, she begins to wonder if there really is nothing left. She points out the doctor’s state of operations, and how he doesn’t seem to inspire hope. She goes into her room and sits on the bed, Glenn following. Jacqui begins to ponder if the world ending is God’s way of punishing people, she can’t stop thinking about the deaths of Jim, Amy, and everyone else at the camp. Glenn awkwardly says that he doesn’t really look much into religion, but whatever sort of God exists, they surely would not punish people like this.In the rec room, Bruno and Miranda watch over Louis and Eliza reading some children’s books. Miranda smiles and says she’s never seen the kids so happy. Bruno worries that they still made the wrong choice, as maybe their family found safety in Birmingham. Miranda admits she has thought the same, but thinks that they should just take these better moments and cherish them. On the other side of the room, Carol watches over Carl and Sophia playing checkers, when Lori walks in, drying her hair from her shower. Carol is marveling at the rows of books on the shelves, something Miranda is also stunned by. Carol then tells Sophia that it’s time they go pray. Lori asks if she’ll take Carl, too, as she wants to find a book to read.Carol takes them both, and a moment later, Bruno tells his kids that it’s time for them to go to bed as well. Both of them whine and complain as their parents lead them out. Lori is left in the rec room alone. While she browses the books, she doesn’t hear Shane enter the room behind her. He watches her for a moment, clearly slightly intoxicated. He slams the door, which makes her jump. Shane tries to confront Lori over her attitude towards him, but she remains firm. She reminds him that he lied to her about Rick. Shane tries to tell her that his heart monitor was flatlining when he tried to save him, but she calls him on his bullshit. Shane gets angrier, but then professes his love for Lori. She is pushed back into a piano in the corner of the room as Shane tries repeatedly to kiss her. She begs him to stop, especially as one of his hands is going lower. Lori overpowers him briefly and scratches his neck, then quickly slaps him across the face. They stare at each other in silence until Shane storms off. Lori falls to the floor slowly and breaks down in tears.The next morning, Lori wakes up next to Rick, who smiles and kisses her. They arrive in the kitchen for breakfast, where T-Dog complains of a mild hangover. Jacqui stops Glenn and thanks him for talking to her last night, and says she feels better about things. Shane enters the room, earning a shocked look from Lambert, who notices the scratch mark on his neck. Lori looks away while he makes up an excuse that he did it to himself in his sleep. Lori excuses herself to use the bathroom. Lambert subtly follows her and catches her in the hallway. He asks her if she’s told Rick about her and Shane yet. She admits that she hasn’t, earning a disappointed sigh from him. She knows that she has to, and agrees that Rick needs to know, she just doesn’t want him to be upset and doesn’t know how to tell him.Before she can walk away, Lambert stops her one last time and asks if she had anything to do with Shane’s scratch. All she says in response is that he was drunk. Lambert nods only once and tells her that he understands, and won’t say anything. He tells her that she is a good woman, and knows she will make the right choice of when to tell Rick. Carl suddenly runs up to her from the kitchen excitedly. Initially confused, Carl explains to both of them that Dr. Jenner wants to show them all something in the main screening room.Everybody follows Jenner into what he calls Zone Five. He begins to talk about what he and the other doctors believed the outbreak to be. Jacqui suggests that it could be the wrath of God, making Jenner add that to the list. He instructs the computer to bring up the Test Subject 19 file and recordings. Everyone watches as a brain scan shows up on the big monitor, and Jenner begins explaining the inner workings of the human brain. Carol asks what the flashes are on screen, and Jenner tells them about synapses in the brain. “Those are what make you, you,” he says.He scans to the second event, and now the scan shows the test subject seizing slightly, and then their brain goes dark and body stops moving. Sophia asks her mom if that’s what happened to Jim. Carol nods and quietly says yes. Jenner tells them that this is the stage where the brain shuts down from the infection, and the person dies. Rick asks why he’s showing them this, and Jenner replies matter-of-factly that they wanted answers.The recording jumps to the next event. A small part of the brain stem begins to rejuvenate, some activity showing up on screen. Lori is shocked, and asks if it restarts the brain. Jenner explains that it’s only the brain stem. “It gets them up and moving, but the rest – the you part – is gone forever.” Louis thinks the footage looks cool, but Eliza tells him to shut up. Jenner asks if anyone in the group had a person go through something like this. Lambert mentions his partner Leon, but says he didn’t see him turn. Rick tells him that he found him at the station, and put him down. Jacqui mentions Jim, holding back some tears. Dale looks at Andrea, expecting her to speak. She briefly looks at him, but then looks at the floor.All of a sudden, in the footage, a bright flash happens on the screen, and the freshly reanimated subject stops moving, a huge hole through the brain now. Everyone gasps in surprise, and Andrea immediately knows what that was. “He shot his patient in the head,” she says. Jenner just nods silently. He laments the loss of Test Subject 19’s physical data just before the group arrived, as he wished he could have studied them further. After a moment of silence, Dale speaks up and asks him one last question, except it’s not about the video they all just watched. He points to the digital clock on the wall with glowing red numbers, and how it’s counting down. He turns back to Jenner, slightly suspicious, and asks, “What happens at zero?” Jenner takes a moment to reply, but he simply says that it’s when the basement generators run out of fuel. The clock only has one hour left on it. Before anyone can ask him further questions, Jenner briskly leaves the room.Rick asks the computer what happens when the power runs out. The computerized voice responds simply, “When the power runs out, facility-wide decontamination will occur.” Carl asks what that means, but Rick doesn’t know. Feeling uneasy, Rick takes Shane, Glenn, Bruno, and T-Dog down to the basement. None of them know what was meant by “decontamination” either. When they reach the basement, the lights all go out, and the emergency power comes on. Bruno and T-Dog go a different way than the others. They all search among the barrels of fuel for the power source, and they finally find the generator, hooked up to a single fuel drum. T-Dog and Bruno come running back, saying all they found were other empty fuel drums. They look at the almost empty fuel drum hooked to the generator, and collectively come to the horrifying realization that it’s the last fuel that the power has in this facility.Lori sits with Carl in their room as he reads from a kids magazine. She suddenly stands up, and puts her hand up to the vent on the ceiling. When he asks what she’s doing, she tells him that the AC stopped. Jacqui is nearby, in her room, on her knees with her elbows on the bed, praying. As soon as she finishes, the overhead light in her room goes out. She stares up at it, a look of uncertainty on her face. She exits the room at the same time as Lori, Carol, Dale, and Miranda. Carol says the lights in her room are out, too. Jenner is walking down the hallway at a rapid pace, so everyone begins to follow him demanding answers.He walks back into Zone Five, just as Rick and the others rush in from the basement. Jenner tells them that the facility is diverting nonessential power to keep the computers running up until the end, something taken into effect when the clock reaches 30 minutes, which it does right as they enter. He comments with disdain about the world’s reliance on fossil fuels, then goes on to say how he was in connections with scientists in France, who thought they were close to figuring out the disease. When asked what happened, he just sighs. “Same thing that’s happening now,” he answers, regarding the lack of power.Having had enough of Jenner’s cryptic talk, Rick tells Lori and everyone else to grab their things and go. Right as everybody runs to do so, Jenner enters a code on his keypad, and suddenly huge metal doors slide down and block every exit. The kids begin to panic, and Glenn begins yelling at Jenner to open the doors. Rick demands to know what truly will happen when the timer runs out. Finally telling the truth, Jenner tells the computer to define H.I.Ts. Everyone listens in pure horror as the computer reveals that the facility is going to be incinerated in several massive explosions. Carol begins to sob and embraces Sophia. Andrea looks up into the air thoughtfully, while Bruno shakes his head in disbelief. Lori covers her mouth in shock while holding Carl close. Despite this, Jenner insists that it would be a painless death. Not wanting to give up, Shane charges the door with a fire axe and hits it again and again. Sophia, Louis, and Eliza cry while surrounded by their parents. Jenner tells Shane that he won’t ever break through those fortified doors. Andrea agrees with Jenner, much to Dale’s disappointment, but she reminds him that everything out there is gone. She finally mentions how she lost her sister only a few days ago, and Jenner sympathizes with her, and says that they can be together again shortly.From the floor, Carol is in tears. She begs for him to let them leave, as she doesn’t want her daughter to suffer like this. Jenner insists that it isn’t suffering, as it would just be one small moment. This is enough to make Shane snap. He suddenly storms off and returns with his shotgun. Rick and Lambert try to block him, but he easily shoves them out of his way. Everybody ducks for cover when he aims at Jenner, telling him to open the door or he’ll be shot. Rick attempts to talk him down, but instead, Shane begins shooting through all of the computers. Rick charges him and wrestles the shotgun out of his hands. Once the weapon is out of his hands, Rick knocks him to the ground on his back.In a fit of emotion, Jenner reveals that he made a promise to “her”, and he points to the screen. He is upset with himself that he was unable to keep it and make her proud. Lori realizes that Test Subject 19 was Jenner’s wife. He had promised her that he would continue the research she had begun before her infection, and now he has failed her. Jenner tells everyone about how she was a much better scientist than her, she was much smarter, and that he merely “worked here”. Rick tries to appeal to Jenner, telling him that she didn’t have a choice in death, but he does. He pleads with Jenner to give them all a chance to keep surviving for as long as they possibly can.Rick’s words make Jenner pause. He thinks it over for a second, and repeats that he can’t open the doors up on the main level. Rick sighs, thinking that he failed. Suddenly, Jenner walks to his keypad and types in the same code as before. Glenn, who had taken over Shane’s previous role of hitting the door with the axe, is stunned when the metal door slides away, freeing them. Frantically, everyone in the group runs for the exit. Rick turns to Jenner, expressing his gratitude.“The day will come when you won’t be,” is all Jenner says, rather ominously. Rick turns to run, but is stopped when Jenner grabs his arm, pulls him close, and begins whispering something in his ear. Lori runs down to him and pulls him along with her. Rick is left in stunned silence at Jenner’s secret, as Glenn reminds everyone that they only have five minutes to escape. Dale grabs Andrea’s hand and goes to run with her, but she pulls away and announces that she’s staying. Dale is heartbroken, and begs her to come, but she refuses, saying she doesn’t want to end up bitten and infected like Jim and her sister. Dale waves the rest of the group on, and they all reluctantly hurry down the hallway to safety. Andrea slides down to sit on the floor, and Dale rushes to her. He tells her that Amy would not want her to do this, but Andrea just reminds him that she’s gone, and demands that he leave with the others.Upstairs, the group reaches the main level. T-Dog slams against the doors, him and Glenn trying to use the buttons on the wall. Shane and Bruno take the axes and begin slamming them into the windows. T-Dog grabs a chair and also hits the window repeatedly. Jacqui begins to panic, saying that God is punishing them. Glenn stops her and talks her into a calmer state, promising her that they will be fine. Down in the computer room, Andrea watches the clock tick down under three minutes. Dale watches as well, growing increasingly anxious.Shane attempts to shoot the window out with a shotgun blast, but even then it doesn’t work. Sophia is confused and distressed, and Shane angrily states that its reinforced glass, which makes sense for a government facility. Carol runs up to Rick, offering her help. He doubts her, but is proven wrong when she reveals something from her purse; the grenade he had taken from the tank when he was saved by Glenn. She mentions that she found it in his police uniform when she had washed it the first day he had arrived at the camp.Rick orders everyone to get back as he approaches the window. He sets the explosive down on the sill and pulls the pin. Stunned for a moment, Rick realizes what’s going to happen and bolts away. He just barely makes it to cover when it goes off, shattering multiple window panes.Back inside the building, Dale finally gives in, and sits down in a chair in front of Andrea. Confused, she asks him what he’s doing, which he reveals that he’s staying down here with her. Andrea shakes her head and demands again that he leave, she doesn’t want him down there. Dale becomes angry with her, almost forming tears in her eyes. “You don’t get to do that! To– To come into somebody’s life, make them care, and then just check out!” he shouts. Andrea is left in complete silence, but stares up at Dale with a hint of regret in her eyes.The group all hop out of the blown out window. Some walkers arrive, attracted by the blast sounds. Rick and Shane shoot them down easily. Miranda runs close to her children, and Bruno decapitates a walker with the axe. Everyone reaches the RV and other vehicles. Rick jumps into the driver’s seat and sticks the key in the ignition. He’s about to speed away, when Lori stops him and points at the CDC. “They’re coming!” she yells. Everyone else looks up and sees who she means; Dale and Andrea. The two of them hop out of the window and run as fast as they can across the grass.Inside, Jenner watches them on security camera footage. He smiles a little when he sees them make it out of the window. “They got out,” he whispers to himself. The clock is at 20 seconds left now. Alone in the huge room, Jenner closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, fully accepting his fate. Dale and Andrea are almost to the vehicles as the clock reaches ten seconds left. Rick desperately honks the horn to warn them. Lori shouts out the window for them to find cover. Dale pushes himself and Andrea down behind a wall of sandbags. No sooner do they duck for cover, the entire CDC building bursts into flames from the inside. Massive waves of fire and explosions send the structure crashing to the ground. The military weaponry and countless bodies become incinerated by the blasts. Trees are engulfed in flames and uprooted.Finally, the major damage settles, and only the aftermath flames are left. Dale and Andrea stand up slowly from their cover spot, both of them covered in dust and soot from the blast. Jacqui opens the RV door and ushers them inside. She embraces Andrea in a hug and tells her that she’s happy she is alive. Andrea only smiles slightly. Dale shakes Rick’s hand, and makes eye contact with Andrea again, who begins to glare at him.Nobody speaks a word, but Rick puts the RV into gear and drives away, prompting the others to do so as well; Carol and Sophia in their car, Shane in his jeep, the Morales family’s jeep, and T-Dog’s church van. Together, the caravan of survivors drive away from the massive black plume of smoke that was formerly the CDC, and head out into the unknown.Many hours later, in the middle of the night, back in downtown Atlanta, Jorge and another survivor stand guard outside the Vatos warehouse. Jorge complains that Guillermo and Shumpert still haven’t come back, but the other survivor shrugs and says that maybe they got overrun in the city. Both of them are interrupted by a noise from just outside the perimeter of the warehouse entrance. Jorge has the other man go check out the noise.The other guard slowly moves outwards, toward the noise with his gun raised. Jorge watches him from afar, feeling a wave of unease. Suddenly, the man is yanked around the corner, he screams and grunts for a few seconds, but is then silenced. Jorge gasps, and runs in the same direction. “Hey, who the hell is there?!” he shouts, waving his rifle around. He turns the same corner the man was pulled behind, and immediately sees his body lying there, a bullet in his head.Before Jorge can react, he notices a shadowy figure standing only a few feet in front of him. He goes to lift his rifle and shoot, but the figure moves quicker. He shoots Jorge in the torso four or five times. Jorge drops his rifle and slowly sinks to his knees. He watches as the shadowed figure waves to others around him, and slowly, the lead shadow and eight others just like them advance into the warehouse area. Jorge slumps down to the ground, succumbing to his gunshot wounds while staring up at the night sky. None of the attackers in the group bothered to shoot him in the head, however.The second after Jorge passes, the sound of gunfire erupts from inside the Vatos compound, and the windows light up occasionally with each time a weapon is fired. No one else is around to hear the screams of those inside.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
In a flashback, Shane runs through the hospital halls, in the opposite direction of many doctors and nurses. He tries to grab one of the nurses and ask her what’s happening, but she screams and continues running. Shane turns a corner and stops in horror as the military line up doctors and patients and shoot them to death against the wall. The head of the team steps forward and puts bullets into their heads, but is suddenly stopped when the doors behind them burst open, and a bunch of walkers pour inside, biting several soldiers who fire their weapons wildly.
Shane rushes back the opposite direction and runs into Rick’s hospital room. He takes a moment to observe his friend’s state, still unconscious and hooked up to the machinery. He grits his teeth and curses under his breath, before he turns and runs out, slamming the door. He goes to walk away, but at the last minute, he stops and wheels an empty hospital bed in front of Rick’s door; the least he could do. Covering his mouth from the smoke and smell of undead, Shane pulls out his gun and rushes to exit the hospital.
In the present, Shane is running out onto the street with two duffel bags. Ahead of him, Glenn jumps into the open RV door. From the door, Rick yells for him to hurry. He’s almost there, when walkers cut him off in front. Shane yells and is forced to turn around. In the RV, Rick jumps into the driver’s seat and tells everyone to hold on. Lori clutches Carl as he speeds off in the RV, swerving quickly to overtake Shane. Stopping a few hundred feet in front of him, Shane runs up just as the door swings open. He throws the duffel bags to Glenn and jumps in. The door is shut right as the walkers bang on it.
With everyone safe inside, Rick drives away easily. Carl rushes up to Shane and hugs him, while Shane laughs in disbelief. Dale commends him on the effort of evading the small cluster of walkers. Shane opens the bags he collected, revealing them to be full of food. He remarks that everyone else will be happy to see this. He looks up at Lori. She smiles a little, but her expression becomes distasteful after a few seconds. She walks to the back of the RV while Shane rubs his face, dripping with sweat.
Outside of a small rural church, T-Dog finishes siphoning the gas out of his van. He hands the can to Carol, who pours it into her Cherokee. She hands the can off to Jacqui, who sets it down on the dirt. She looks up and sees the RV pulling in. She turns and calls to everyone that they’re back. The RV passengers exit, with Glenn carrying the duffel bags, a huge grin on his face. Sophia is in awe when she looks inside and sees tons of canned food. Bruno shakes hands with Dale and welcomes them back, he thanks them for the efforts and that they’ll have lasting food for a time. Rick gives all the credit to Shane, who smiles, still panting from his run.
That evening, everybody is gathered around a small lit fire outside around their vehicles. They all share a lovely meal with the food acquired by Shane. Dale fixes Andrea a plate of food and hands it to her. She quietly thanks him, but doesn’t say much else, to his disappointment. Jacqui sits next to T-Dog and eats her own meal just as quietly. He asks if she’s okay, which prompts her to tell him how she almost considered staying in the CDC like Andrea wanted to. She doesn’t want to end up like Jim and Amy, but she agrees with what Rick had been saying down there too, that she and everyone else should try as long as they can.
While eating, Carl excitedly asks Shane multiple questions about his supply run that day. Rick jokes that he’ll be the one going on runs now. Carl turns to Lori and asks for her opinion on Shane’s run. She barely makes eye contact with Shane, and all she says is that it’s a good thing they got this food. Rick stands up and begins to address the group. He commends everyone for their positive attitudes in the few days it’s been since the CDC incident, and he’s still working on picking an official destination for them to continue towards. He tells everyone to get some rest inside the church, the group has already cleared it and made sure it was safe.
The following morning, Carol wakes up in the church. Nearby her, Lori and Carl are still asleep, the last ones, in fact. She stands up and walks over to Jacqui, who is fixing her hair. She asks if she should wake them, but Jacqui shakes her head and suggests leaving them be for now, as she noticed that Lori hasn’t been sleeping well. Agreeing, the two women walk outside the church. From the side entrance, which has its door open, Shane watches her sleep, a look of resentment on his face. He’s snapped from his thoughts when he hears Rick calling for him from the RV.
Gathered in a circle is Rick, Glenn, Lambert and Dale. Shane joins their huddle, and Rick proposes to him the same question he asked the others; where should we go? Shane rubs his head, and tells them that Fort Benning is still on the table. Lambert isn’t sure, citing the fact that they’ve only been traveling a few miles within the city of Atlanta and it’s still over 100 miles away. Rick asks him how the fuel situation is, and he responds that it’s as good as it can get, they siphoned everything from T-Dog’s van for the other cars. Dale is unsure if his RV will make the journey, due to its radiator hose. Rick asks him to give it another look and they’ll surely make it. Glenn tries to speak up, but Shane interrupts and pleads his case louder. From the church, Lori and Carl emerge, having woken up. He shuts Shane down with a firm pat on the arm and says they’ll head out in an hour, then walks away to greet his family. Shane looks on with growing anger.
T-Dog stands by his van, admiring it from the side. Jacqui walks over and asks if he’s ready to go. He answers yes, however appears to be not listening entirely. She snaps him out of it, and he apologizes. He tells her that he’s just a little upset to be leaving this van behind. He tells her how he drove around his neighborhood, collecting elderly during the onset of the outbreak, and bringing them to safe locations, and even saved Glenn’s life. Jacqui just smiles and takes his hand supportively. “Maybe it can help some other folks later on down the road,” she tells him.
Most of the group is gathered up by the RV. Bruno asks Rick where they’re headed. At first, he isn’t sure. This makes Andrea laugh dryly and go inside the RV. Dale wants to follow her in, but Lori stops him, telling him to give her a moment. Glenn speaks up again with a big smile on his face, and claims to know a perfect place to get help from. Rick is confused and asks him to spit it out already. Glenn continues to smile, and he looks over at T-Dog, too. “Guillermo’s people,” he clarifies, which makes T-Dog start smiling as well. The others in the group that hadn’t gone into Atlanta are confused. Shane asks who the hell they are, and Rick explains that they’re the people they traded some guns with in good faith. Dale questions if they’re willing to take them all in, but Glenn is adamant that they will help. Shane tries to appeal to Rick and tell him it’s not worth it, but Rick doesn’t listen and agrees to drive back into Atlanta to meet with Guillermo and the Vatos gang.
During the ride over, Andrea sits by the window in the RV. With Rick behind the wheel, Dale sits beside her and asks her how she is feeling. At first she doesn’t answer, but then gives a short, snappy answer when he repeats her name. Stunned, Dale asks if she’s upset with him. Andrea turns to face him and says, “Why? Are you going to take away my choice to be upset, too?” After that, Dale says nothing more, but gets up and walks to the front of the RV. They’ve started to slow down. Rick, Lori, Glenn, and Carl stare out the front window. The street leading towards the Vatos warehouse is littered with a few walkers. Rick parks the RV and tells everyone to stay quiet. He disembarks with Shane, Glenn, and T-Dog, and meets up with Bruno. Carl gasps at the sight of the walkers, and Lori holds him back inside.
Rick tells them to be quiet and use hand to hand weapons, as the noise from their guns will only draw more. Everyone pulls out various melee weapons, mostly knives, save for Bruno and T-Dog’s baseball bats. They approach the walkers in the street, devouring a dead animal and walking nearby. Rick stabs the first one, followed by T-Dog whacking another across its head. The rest of the group watches from the RV, Carol holding Sophia close to her. Shane and Glenn begin to stab the walkers around the animal body. Bruno corners one against a brick wall and beats its head in. The last walker turns around from the entrance and faces Glenn, who stabs it easily. When the body falls, he and Rick look at it. “That’s… that’s one of their men,” Glenn stammers with wide eyes. “Jorge, I think,” Rick adds on with an equal look of worry. He whistles to the rest of the group, and they all jog past the bodies. He tells them that something isn’t right, and they need to go in deeper.
They walk around the compound until they reach the nursing home area. Ascending the steps, a zombified Vatos member comes out and trips down the stairs. Louis and Eliza scream when it claws at them. Miranda kicks it back, and it's put down with a bat swing from Bruno. Miranda shushes her kids and tells them that they have to be quiet. They sniffle a little and nod in agreement. Carl tells them it’s okay to be afraid, and that they can be brave. The group slowly enters the building. Sophia whines as they pass several rooms, all with at least one bloody corpse inside. Lori shields Carl’s eyes as they walk, while Rick peers in. Every elderly person in the rooms has been filled with one or more bullet holes. In one of the rooms, a walker is kneeling down and eating one of the elderly. Sophia starts to cry as Glenn pulls away to stab the walker. Shane turns back and snaps at Carol to make Sophia shut up. Carol hisses at him to back off, and Lori glares daggers at him. Some walkers appear from the corridor ahead, which are quickly handled by Shane and Rick. Once dead, Rick turns around and says that they need to keep going ahead, but walkers are coming from the other hall, which Glenn says leads to the multipurpose room like the gymnasium. T-Dog volunteers to go scope it out, but Rick says someone needs to go with him.
Before anyone else can talk, Andrea volunteers. Dale looks unhappy, and Rick is surprised, but he nods and hands her his knife to use, reminding them no noise. As they walk away, Dale calls after her to be careful. Andrea doesn’t look back, and says, “Relax, Dale, not like I’m gonna let one of these freaks bite me. That’s what I was trying to avoid in the first place.” He ignores the remark, but doesn’t make eye contact with anybody else. Rick whispers for everyone to continue onwards down the hallway. Reaching the cafeteria, Andrea and T-Dog bust open the doors. They’re stunned to see at least a dozen elderly walkers, and among them are Mr. Gilbert and Abuela Alvarez. Andrea expresses pity for all of them, but knows what they have to do.
Reaching a set of closed doors that connect to another corridor, Rick suddenly shushes everyone and has them duck down. Right as they do, a trail of several walkers walks past the doors, moaning and bumping into each other. Carl shushes Sophia, who is almost crying again from her spot on the floor. Shane and Lambert have their guns out, just in case. Jacqui sits next to Dale, directly under the windowed doors. She looks at him with shock when he suddenly faces her. “Am I wrong?” he asks with a whisper. She is confused at the question, so he repeats it, asking if it was wrong of him to save Andrea from the CDC. He tells her how he saw her and Amy almost like daughters, and after Amy’s death, he didn’t want to lose Andrea either. He saved Andrea for her, but admits that it was partially for him, too.
Jacqui takes in his words and is silent for a moment. When she finally speaks, she tells him how she almost stayed, too. Dale’s eyes go wide with surprise, but she continues. Jacqui says that she’s happy that she chose to leave, even with the way the world is. She tells him that it had been Andrea’s choice to die, and admittedly he should not have intervened, and he’ll have to make up for that. Dale nods, understanding, but she’s not finished. Jacqui ends by saying that with Andrea still alive, it’s up to her to continue to make that choice. Rick and Lori overhear this, but say nothing. Right when she says that, T-Dog and Andrea emerge from down the hall, their weapons and bodies covered in some walker blood. Lambert asks if they’re alright, and T-Dog explains the elderly walkers. Andrea asks why they’re all on the floor, which prompts Rick to stand up and see that the walkers have passed.
Everyone stands, and Lori wonders where they were headed. Shane notes that they were headed back the way they came, towards the exit. Rick tells everyone to stay behind him. Everyone briskly walks back through the compound and out into the industrial outdoor area. They stop in their tracks at the sight of a huge cluster of walkers, made up mostly of the Vatos gang members, including Felipe. One walker is tearing into the body of another person, and Rick sees that it’s Miguel, the young kid. All of the undead members notice the group, prompting the parents to shield their kids, who cry out in fear. Glenn nervously asks what they’re going to do. The zombified Miguel stands up from eating and looks directly at Rick. His eyes flash with pain and pity for these people, riddled with bullet holes and deep bites. He grits his teeth and pulls out his revolver. “Screw the noise,” he says, and puts a bullet in Miguel’s head.
Shane, Lambert, and Dale join Rick in shooting into the crowd of walkers. One of Shane’s shotgun blasts puts Felipe down, part of his face now blown off. Dale aims through his scope and shoots one of the walkers. With his eyes focused heavily, he is almost bitten into by a walker coming from his side. Before it can get him, it's shot in the side of its head. Dale, as well as everyone not shooting, turns to look, and sees Andrea lower her own gun. Rick fires off the final shot to put down the final walker, and everything goes quiet. He turns around to face everyone, and says that they should see if there’s anything left in the warehouse and garage that whoever massacred them didn’t already loot.
Not long after, the last of the guns and ammo left behind has been collected and loaded up with the rest of the group’s weapons supply. Glenn hands a shotgun to Rick and says he didn’t see Guillermo’s body in there, or as one of the walkers. T-Dog also mentions his “beefy right hand guy” not being there either. Rick sighs and says that he hopes it means that they made it at least. Carl sits alone on the curb of the road. Lori sits down beside him and rubs his back, asking if he was scared back there. He denies it, and in return, Lori tells him how brave he was for helping the other kids. Carl says that he doesn’t want to be afraid of the monsters. He tells his mother that he wants to be able to kill them like they all do. Shocked at his words, Lori says nothing, but stays by his side.
Entering the RV, Dale finds Andrea in the back. He stops her and awkwardly thanks her for saving him from that walker. She offers him a half-hearted smile and tells him not to mention it. She turns to walk away, but he stops her and tells her how grateful he is for her. Her expression is unreadable at first, but she acknowledges his words, then walks away. Dale stands there, feeling defeated. As Andrea exits, Jacqui enters, and she makes eye contact with him. She appears to understand what may have just happened, and offers a supportive nod.
Once everyone is regrouped outside the RV, Rick stops Dale and tells him that the RV is pretty crowded. Carol speaks up and says that the Grimes family can all ride in her Cherokee, as there’s still plenty of seating with just her and Sophia. They settle it, and Rick hands Dale the RV keys back. Shane suddenly asks the question on everybody’s minds; where are they going? Rick looks at him and smiles. “Fort Benning,” he answers. Shane looks surprised, and Rick extends his hand for a handshake. Shane stares at him, then smiles and returns the handshake, but pulls him in for a pat on the back. Rick tells everyone that it’ll be a long journey, but worth it in the end. Shane tells him that he’s doing the right thing, earning a nod from his friend. “I trust you, brother,” Rick says. Shane falters, and can only exhale as Rick joins Carol by her car, being given the keys to drive.
Dale starts up the RV, and everyone gets in their vehicles. With one last look at the Vatos compound, Dale leads them down the road and away. They traverse through the streets of downtown Atlanta, and eventually reach the highway where Rick originally rode in on the horse. Carl looks out of the back window, watching the cityscape fade away behind all of them as they drive out of the city for good.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Rick stands at the edge of an overlook. Far in the distance is the city of Atlanta, and below is many green trees and shrubbery in the middle of the Summer heat. He holds up the police radio to his face and begins speaking to Morgan. He tells him that the CDC was a dead end, and how they met a doctor there who told them that the whole world is affected by this disease, there are no more safe areas. He tells Morgan how he found his wife and son, and his best friend, having been rescued from the streets of Atlanta.
He warns Morgan that the CDC is gone now, and that Atlanta is not safe. “It belongs to the dead now,” he says. He takes a few seconds to pause and wipe away sweat from the beating sun. He says that he hopes he and Duane are okay, and that he’ll be able to meet up with them again someday. He signs off from his walkie broadcast and walks back down the incline towards the road. Shane is waiting for him by the roadside. He asks if he did everything he needed to, and Rick nods. Dale leans out from the RV and asks if they’re ready to go. Rick gives the go-ahead, so they all get back in and drive off.
While on the road, in the RV, Andrea disassembles the gun she was given by her father. Shane compliments her weapon and offers to help put it back together, as she’s begun to struggle. However, Andrea refuses politely, saying that now that she’s sticking around, she needs to get better at doing things herself. Jacqui sits in the passenger seat and asks Dale if he believes that Fort Benning will offer anything for them. Dale isn’t sure one way or the other, but thinks that either way, the journey is good for the group and gives them enough to keep going.
In the car behind, Rick is behind the wheel. Lori looks out the window and brings up the trip that the Grimes family took to the Grand Canyon. Carl says he doesn’t remember it, but Lori clarifies that he was only a baby. Rick adds that they didn’t stay long, as that first night, Carl came down with a bad sickness and threw up many times. They took him to a doctor to get him checked, but he was alright in the end. Carl feels upset that the vacation was seemingly ruined for them, but both Rick and Lori agree that they still had a great time. From the back seat, Sophia expresses an interest in seeing the grand canyon, and Carl asks if they could possibly go together. Lori promises that one day, they will all take a trip there, Carol and Sophia included.
When they go around a corner, Dale takes note of what he sees ahead. The highway is completely jammed with vehicles on their side. He slows the RV to a stop, which confuses the two vehicles behind. Glenn scans the road ahead, but doesn’t see a way to get around the wreckage. He suggests turning around to find another road, but Dale says they can’t spare the fuel. Carl asks Rick what’s going on, and Rick responds that they have to be careful. Dale slowly weaves the RV through the small openings between cars, while Rick and Bruno follow behind. As they pass more cars, they see that some have bodies inside. Carol tells the kids not to look and shields Sophia.
Everyone stares silently out at the mess. Just as Dale is making good progress, there’s a loud BANG! Glenn jumps, and Dale grits his teeth as smoke billows from the front of the RV. The caravan stops, and everyone exits their vehicles. Bruno asks what the problem is, and Dale points to the smoking engine. He sighs and says that he really needed the radiator hose from the van the group escaped Atlanta with, because he’s worried that he won’t be able to fix the hose this time. Rick suggests taking a look in some of the cars and trucks parked here, which Dale admits is a fair shot.
Jacqui and T-Dog say they’re going to try to siphon more gas. Miranda asks them to search for any kid sized clothing, if possible. As the group murmurs about scavenging other supplies from the cars, Lori speaks up. “This is a graveyard,” she says, leaving everyone silent, “I don’t know how I feel about this.” Rick embraces her and tells her that it’ll be okay. Shane remarks that the people still here aren’t using the stuff either way. Andrea gives him a look, and walks over to a nearby car to look inside. Shane walks off, while Dale hands a screwdriver to Glenn, telling him that he’s going to learn how to fix the RV’s engine.
While siphoning gas from another car, T-Dog looks around at all of the cars uneasily. He mentions to Jacqui that he kind of agrees with Lori, and that it feels wrong to be just taking things from all of these deceased people. Jacqui attempts to reason with him that if they were to leave it, it would go to waste, or some worse people might take it for themselves. “It’s the law of nature, as much as we may not like it,” she tells him. She adds on that she sees life in a new light after almost contemplating staying inside the CDC. She says that this world is about survival, not like the old world, and this new world can be ugly and twisted, and people you trust are more valuable than any supplies. Smiling a little, T-Dog asks if she trusts him. Jacqui smiles back, and tells him that she trusts him the most.
While Glenn does his best to fix the engine, Dale approaches Andrea. He makes a lighthearted remark that he thought it would be smooth sailing for the rest of the journey. Andrea looks at him, and asks him what he’s doing. Confused, Dale stutters, until Andrea continues, and says that they aren’t exactly friends. Dale, still taken aback, brings up the Vatos encounter with how she saved him. She laughs dryly, “If I don’t want to die being torn apart by monsters, why would I be heartless enough to let anyone else suffer the same fate?” she asks. Glenn awkwardly listens from the front, while Andrea turns to face Dale. She says that she really is trying to forgive him, but she needs time and space. Glenn clears his throat and tells Dale that he tightened bolts on the engine and loosened the hose clamp, and he walks off to find a replacement hose. Dale nods to Andrea, then says it’s better if he takes over anyway.
Lori, Carol, Sophia, and Carl walk past some vehicles. A couple of them have their back hatches open. Carol stops and picks up a few articles of clothing. Lori eyes her, and Carol bashfully says that Ed never let her wear “pretty” clothes. Lori’s eyes soften, and she joins her in picking out clothes. She looks up and tells Carl to stay where she can see her, Carol echoing the sentiment for Sophia. Both kids nod and promise to do so. From a nearby box truck, Shane stares at Lori. His thoughts are interrupted by Lambert calling out and walking up to him. Shane greets him, but when Lambert doesn’t reply, he notices his unhappy expression. When he asks his former squad mate what’s wrong, Lambert snaps at him. “You’d do well to stay the hell away from her.”
Shane is taken aback, and leans in. Lambert goes on to tell him about the CDC, and that he knows what he tried to do to Lori. “That is Rick’s wife, and that is his marriage. If I see you try anything else on her, I will deal with you myself. You are sick, Shane. You are not the man I knew,” Lambert says. Shane says nothing, but his eyes become dark and cold. As soon as Lambert walks away, he rubs the back of his hand and punches the side of the truck. Suddenly, the bushes on the other side of the road rustle, and whispers can be heard. Shane immediately goes on alert, and cocks his shotgun in its direction. He yells for the unseen voices to show themselves.
Two strangers emerge from the brush with their hands raised; a man and a woman who look similar in age. Rick, Bruno, T-Dog, Glenn, and Jacqui come running over to the commotion. The two people insist they don’t want any trouble, and Rick shouts for Shane to stand down. Finally, after lowering his weapon, he backs away. Rick apologizes to the two of them and introduces himself. The man introduces himself as Tyreese Williams, and the woman introduces herself as Sasha, his sister. Sasha asks if they’re all a group, and Rick confirms it. Tyreese explains that they’ve been traveling on their own for a few weeks, after the death of Sasha’s former boyfriend, Chris.
Bruno tells them about how they’re headed to Fort Benning in search of protection. Shane gets annoyed and tries to make him stop, saying that they don’t know them and telling them things could be a risk. Tyreese insists they don’t want any trouble, and can just keep walking in the other direction if they want them to. T-Dog interjects, saying that there’s nothing for them back that way, because Atlanta is overrun and picked clean. Jacqui tells them how they were at the CDC for a short time, but now it’s gone as well. Sasha is left in shock at this revelation. “So there’s really no way to stop this?” she asks. Jacqui smiles a little, and says that with faith, they can make it through. Rick appears to think something over, then addresses Tyreese and Sasha. He says that since they’ll be headed in the same direction eventually, if the two of them would like to stick with them for the time being. The siblings smile at each other and accept gratefully.
As most of them walk back over to the RV, Jacqui turns to T-Dog and reminds him about what she said earlier about good people, and how this must be a reward for their faith. Bruno leads Tyreese and Sasha towards the others, wanting to introduce them. Glenn stays behind to pop the hood of a pickup truck in order to bring the hose to Dale. Shane is still there as well, and he leans on the side of the truck and rubs his hands over his face.
When Glenn asks him if he’s okay, Shane snaps, and responds that nothing is going right and that everything is backwards. He mutters that it should’ve been him and not Rick. Glenn hears it, and says that they’re both valuable members of the group, and that he shouldn’t think about dying like that. The look in Shane’s eyes indicates that sacrificing himself for Rick is not what he meant by that. Glenn, not picking up on this, suggests that Shane find some stuff in the truck behind him. Shane obliges and opens up one of the side hatches on the truck. The sight inside stuns him, making him almost forget what he was so angry about. “Hey, Glenn, were we short on water?” he asks in a joking tone.
When Glenn looks over, his jaw drops. Inside the truck are multiple huge jugs of water, all completely filled. Shane and Glenn laugh excitedly as Shane pops one open, the water splashing all over him as he drinks some and rinses his hair and face with it. Glenn unscrews parts from the truck even faster, wanting to get in on the action as well. Dale watches them from the RV as he continues to fix it. He’s suddenly approached by Sasha, who asks what the trouble is. After he explains the trouble, she eagerly offers her help, citing that her boyfriend Chris used to work on cars a lot, so she knows a thing or two about what’s needed. She walks off to help look for something useful.
Rick nods to Dale as he walks past, finding Tyreese leaning on the guard rail beside the road. He asks how he’s settling in, even though it hasn’t been very long. Tyreese is grateful, and says most people are welcoming. When Rick questions his use of the word “most”, Tyreese subtly glances over at Miranda, who leads Louis and Eliza further away from him. Rick tells him to give people a little bit of time, which Tyreese nods to. Andrea briefly steps out of the RV as Rick walks back over to it. She makes eye contact with Tyreese, who gives a small wave, and she merely stares at him before going back inside.
Dale closes the front engine opening of the RV, muttering to himself that that’s as far as he’s going to get right now. Rick walks up to him and asks him about the progress. He says not much, and that Glenn and Sasha are looking for suitable radiator hose replacements in case he can’t fix up this one again. Rick looks around, then asks quietly about Andrea. The question saddens Dale, however he simply tells him that she needs time, and he’ll respect that, but he won’t stop caring for her. After this, he walks to the ladder of the RV, rifle on his shoulder, and climbs up to the roof.
As soon as he reaches the top, Dale spots something moving near the back of the jammed vehicles where they had first come from. He signals Rick quietly, then grabs a pair of binoculars. Rick uses his own rifle’s scope to peer down the road. Both of them see a walker, but just one at first. Tyreese and Bruno walk up behind him and ask if anything’s wrong. Rick is about to reply that everything is fine, until he spots another walker, and then a third. Dale lowers the binoculars as dozens of walkers come into view. Rick sees them as well, muttering a terrified, “Oh, Christ.”
He turns to Tyreese and Bruno and tells them to hide immediately, then runs off down the highway. Bruno suddenly panics when he can’t find his family. Tyreese assures him that he will find them, and rushes in the direction he saw them go. Bruno looks on, worried, but quickly slides underneath a car, while Dale lies down flat on top of the RV. Rick runs down the highway until he finally spots the form of Lori, who is talking with Carol and Lambert. Rick hisses for her and everyone to get underneath the cars right now. Carl and Sophia come into view, with Carl asking his father what’s wrong. All Rick does is repeat for them to get under cars as well. Sophia calls out for Carol, but Carl shushes her and guides her underneath a truck. Lori pulls Carol beneath a car with her, while Rick, Carl, and Lambert find cover as well. Near the water truck, Shane sees the walkers approaching and grabs Glenn, shoving him under the truck and rolling under with him.
Tyreese finds Miranda, Louis, and Eliza on the other side of the highway. Miranda tenses when she sees him running towards them, and shouts for him to stay away. He quickly shushes her and tells her that they need to hide. She’s confused and skeptical, but suddenly, they all hear the moans getting louder. She asks for her husband, and Tyreese assures her of his safety. The walkers are even closer now, too close that they won’t find a car to hide under in time. Instead, Tyreese ushers them over the guard rail on the opposite side of the road and into the taller grass. He instructs her and the kids to crouch down and stay quiet, joining them as well. Miranda looks over at him, feeling regretful of her earlier distrust.
Inside of the RV, Andrea works on putting her gun back together. When she pauses, she suddenly hears the walkers outside, and looks out of the window. She almost screams out, but stops herself. Thinking quickly, she drops to the floor to avoid being seen in the window. Further out down the highway, Sasha is near T-Dog, the two of them watching the walkers grow closer. T-Dog asks her if she can see Jacqui anywhere, but Sasha can’t. A minivan with a bloody minivan sits a few feet away. Sasha runs to it and decides to climb inside, believing the dead smell will hide them. T-Dog freezes, seeing children’s stuffed toys in the backseat. He shakily declines, despite Sasha’s insistence, and he runs off. Sighing, Sasha closes the door, holds her breath, and lies down so she can’t be seen in the windows.
The herd of walkers is now walking past the cars where Rick and the others are hiding. Sophia looks over at Carl, her arms trembling and eyes welled up with tears. Carol is almost hysterical, nearly crying out loud, so Lori covers her mouth. Carl gives Sophia an encouraging gaze. Sophia eases her breathing slightly, and is able to stop shaking in fear. Carl smiles and nods, and she mouths “Thank you.” to him silently. T-Dog ducks down behind some other cars nearby. He peeks through the window of one of them, to see how close the herd of walkers is. A walker, closer than the rest, startles him so much that he gasps and trips. His arm is cut along the broken car window, gushing blood. T-Dog does his best to silence his cries of pain, and weakly stands up to run away from the advancing walkers.
Inside the RV, Andrea freezes when she sees an undead arm grab the doorframe. She silences a gasp and scoots away until she gets to the bathroom. A walker fully climbs inside the RV just as Andrea shuts herself inside the bathroom with the small folding door, keeping her feet planted against it so it can’t be pushed back open. Tears well up in her eyes and she covers her mouth. She looks up, and sees Dale looking back down at her from the roof. Her eyes darken for a moment as the walker rummages around inside. T-Dog continues stumbling down the highway, clutching his heavily bleeding arm. Unfortunately, he trips and falls, rolling onto his back as a walker gets closer. Everyone else in their hiding places waits, scared and silent, as the moaning herd continues to walk past them. Rick and Lori lock eyes from their respective cars, unable to exchange words.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The herd of walkers continues to move along the highway while the group hides. One walker bumps into the cars that Carl and Sophia are hiding under. Sophia whines and scoots the other way slightly. From the side of the road, Miranda asks if the walkers are gone. Tyreese shakes his head and tells her that there are so many of them. Inside the RV, Andrea keeps her feet on the door and holds her breath as the sounds of the walker inside get closer. Next to the small sink, she spots a shaving blade, one sharp enough to be used as a weapon. Straining her arms, so as not to move her feet from their defense, she reaches out for it. Her midsection aches from the uncomfortable position. Just as her fingers get a loose grip on the handle, they slip, and the blade falls to the floor with a small clinking sound.
Dale hears it from the roof, and looks down in horror. Unfortunately for her, the walker turns around, hearing the sound as well. Andrea begins to breathe more shakily, and as the walker faces the bathroom door, hears this too. It begins to growl and bang on the door, and Andrea starts to scream and beg for help. She glares at Dale with a death stare briefly, but it changes to a more pleading look after a second. He doesn’t waste any time, grabbing the screwdriver from his pocket, stabbing out the screen in the sunroof, and dropping it down for her. Andrea grabs it firmly and waits for her moment.
Out on the highway, T-Dog lies flat on his back as the walker chasing him gets closer. His vision is getting blurry from how much blood he’s lost. From behind the car next to the walker, Jacqui slips around and slams a knife into the side of the walker’s head. She heaves the body on top of T-Dog, then crouches back down. When another front straggling walker passes, she trips it and stabs it in the back of the head. As soon as it’s dead, she rolls over and pulls the body on top of her, and just in time. The second she goes still, the bulk of the herd walks past the both of them. Very subtly, Jacqui reaches out and squeezes T-Dog’s opposite hand to his injured one.
With a wave of adrenaline, Andrea pushes open the bathroom folding door and bodyslams the walker into the wall behind it. She jams the screwdriver into its eye socket and shoves it backwards. The walker falls on its back, prompting Andrea to straddle it and stab into its eye repeatedly, coating herself in streaks of blood while killing it. Once it finally dies, she pushes herself away and starts to quietly cry. Loud footsteps outside the RV startle her, and when she sees a figure about to enter, she tenses and readies the screwdriver. She relaxes when she sees it’s only Bruno. He tells her that the last of the herd is passing, then goes silent at the gruesome, bloody sight before him.
Slowly but surely, the herd moves past where the group is hidden. Everyone hidden breathes silent sighs of relief. Rick and Lori exchange relieved grins. Carl and Sophia slowly slide out from underneath the cars before everyone else. “That was close,” Sophia says, too loudly. From around one of the cars, a straggling walker suddenly lunges for Sophia, who screams. Another walker ahead turns around at the commotion. Sophia gets her arm grabbed by the walker, but she wrenches it away and ducks back under the car while Carl hides. The walker pulls at her legs but she screams and kicks at it until she gets away.
Carol tries to scream for her daughter and crawl out, but Lori holds her back to protect her. Sophia slides out from underneath the car and under the guard rail. An embankment next to the road leads into the woods, and she slides down it while the walkers chase after her. Rick then pushes himself out from underneath and jumps down after her, almost tripping in the process. Carol is able to crawl out now, and is joined by most of the others who rush over to the site as Carol sobs to Lori.
Everyone converges at the side of the road looking over into the woods where Rick and Sophia disappeared. Sasha runs to Tyreese as Bruno embraces his family, relieved that they’re okay. Shane asks what the hell happened while Carol continues to let out panicked cries. Carl shakily tries to explain what went down, and Lori assures Carol that Rick will find Sophia and bring her back. Suddenly, they hear Jacqui shouting for help, and then she comes into view, hobbling over with T-Dog slumped around her shoulder, his body limp from losing so much blood.
Deep in the woods, Sophia runs as fast as she can from the two walkers chasing after her. Not too far behind, Rick is slowly catching up, his eyes darting from Sophia to the walkers. Eventually, he loses Sophia in the greenery, and so do the walkers. Sophia darts around a large tree, when suddenly a third walker growls and grabs her, tackling her to the ground. She cries out for help and kicks at it desperately. A few seconds later, Rick smashes the end of his rifle into the walker’s head. When it falls off of her, he stands over it and smashes its head repeatedly.
He turns to Sophia once it’s dead and asks if she’s okay. She nods and begs him to kill the walkers, as they both hear them coming. She sees his colt python and tells him to shoot, but Rick says that gunshots will draw the herd back to them, so they can’t. Instead, Rick grabs her hand and the two run deeper into the woods together, with the walkers back on their trail.
They continue running until reaching a creek. Rick is beginning to wheeze and cough. When they stop in the ankle deep water, Sophia asks if he’s okay. Rick tells her that she needs to hide in the small opening in the embankment beside the creek. She starts to cry and begs him not to leave her, but he assures her that he’s not, and that he just needs to lead the walkers away because he’s getting winded. Sophia finally agrees to hide, and once she’s hidden, Rick instructs her not to leave the hiding spot until he comes back.
The two walkers emerge from around the creek. Rick attracts their attention and begins to lead them away from Sophia’s hiding place. He makes it away from the creek and walks backwards so he can keep an eye on them. However, this makes him fail to see two extra walkers behind him. One of them grabs his shoulder, startling him, but he pushes it away and does the same to the other one. Rick grabs a rock off the ground and smashes one of the walkers’ heads in with it.
Back by the creek, Sophia begins to panic when Rick doesn’t return just yet. Believing it to be safe, she slowly leaves her hiding spot, then after looking at her surroundings, hurries off in the direction they both had previously been running. Rick is being pinned against a tree by two of the walkers, while the third is coming up from the side. He keeps trying to push free, but the walkers are stronger. Suddenly, one of the walkers is struck from behind with a hammer. Tyreese stands there with the hammer in hand, and proceeds to beat the other walker pinning him, which splatters some blood onto Rick’s white shirt. He kicks the last walker down, and uses his rock to smash its head in.
Once they’ve all been killed, Rick asks Tyreese what he’s doing out here. He responds that he wanted to help rescue the girl, and earn his keep in the group. Rick explains how he left her hidden at the creek. The two men jog back, only to find the hiding place empty. Rick mutters “no” under his breath repeatedly and paces around. Tyreese looks around the area but doesn’t see her. Rick solemnly tells him that they have to head back to the highway.
Evening dusk has set on the highway. Dale and Jacqui tend to T-Dog’s arm, having stopped its bleeding and wrapped it in a gauze pad. Carol stands by the guard rail right where Sophia and Rick went into the woods. Lori stands behind her, and Carl assures her that he will come back. Shane listens from off to the side, a neutral expression on his face. When the trees rustle, everyone stands at attention, and then Rick and Tyreese emerge. As soon as Carol sees that Sophia is not with them, she sinks to the ground and begins to cry softly.
Rick is left even more dismayed, and asks in disbelief if Sophia returned or not. Glenn confirms that the two of them are the only ones who have come back. Rick tells the group how he left Sophia hidden while he dealt with the walkers, and he came back and found her missing. Carol weeps, telling him that she can’t survive out there on her own, as she’s just a 12 year old girl. In a fit of grief, she accuses Rick of leaving her behind. Lori shuts her down, commending her husband for his bravery in immediately going after Sophia.
Still determined, Rick storms off to the RV and says that they’re going back out to look for her first thing in the morning. In the night, Rick sits awake and listens as Carol sleeps in the back of the RV, crying quietly to herself. He puts his head in his hands and exits out onto the highway. He stares into the endless expanse of jammed vehicles and the pitch black woods.
In the morning, Rick arms everybody, saying that they’re headed out immediately. Jacqui fires back and says that T-Dog is in no shape to go out at all. He weakly tries to tell them that he’s fine, but is unable to finish his sentence. Dale agrees to stay behind and watch over him and the vehicles. Jacqui immediately agrees as well, swearing not to leave T-Dog’s side. Bruno and Miranda also decide to stay at the highway, not wanting their kids out in the woods.
Lori asks them to watch Carl for her, but is interrupted by Carl insisting he come along. Lori and Rick both attempt to shut him down, but he demands it. He tells them that Sophia will want to see one of her friends when they find her. This argument appears to convince Rick, and he looks to Lori with a small smile on his face. Bruno says that he seems pretty serious about this, which exasperates Lori even more. At last, she relents, and kneels in front of her son. She makes him swear to do exactly as she and Rick tell him to. Carl promises to do so, with a dead serious expression.
Andrea exits the RV and storms over to Dale, who is examining the radiator hose again. “Where is my gun?” she asks him, straight to the point. Dale freezes, but fesses up and admits that he wants to hold onto it. She scoffs and accuses him of taking away her choice again. Dale merely suggests that he’s keeping it safe for her, but she says it was a gift from her father and wants it back. She adds that she’s not going to use it to end her life. Dale is upset that he’s being given so much flack for caring about her, only for Andrea to retort that her decision to stay in the CDC was hers, and how he forced her hand to leave by staying there with her.
When she turns to walk away, Dale sees Jacqui tending to T-Dog’s arm. She makes eye contact with him and shakes her head slightly. At this, Dale caves and tells Andrea to wait. When she turns around, he takes her gun out from the bag of weapons and holds it out for her. She appears surprised, but takes it anyway. After she does, Dale quietly apologizes. Just as quiet, Andrea thanks him and walks away to join the search team.
Everyone who is venturing into the woods gathers by the guard rail. Tyreese and Sasha approach and offer their services as well. Shane tries to tell them to go away, but Rick interrupts and graciously thanks them. Annoyed, Shane has them set off into the woods. Dale and Bruno watch them go, then look back at the injured T-Dog.
Most of the group ventures through the woods for several minutes, scanning their surroundings. Sasha and Tyreese bring up the rear of the group, and she whispers to him if he really thinks that they’ll find this girl. He is sure they will, but Sasha isn’t as hopeful, since an entire night has gone by. Her brother tells her to stop thinking like that, and he feels like he owes Carol, since he went out after Rick to help. Sasha sighs, and says fair enough.
Carl tries to talk to Shane about what he’ll do when they find Sophia. When Shane tries to respond, Lori calls quietly to Carl and pulls him back with her. She tells him that everybody needs to focus, and they can’t talk right now. When Shane looks at her, she gives him a death glare. He turns back around, and sees Lambert giving him a similar look. At the front of the group, Rick shushes everyone and has them stop in their tracks.
Up ahead is a small campsite, where a green and white tent can be seen, as well as a faintly smoking campfire and a blue cooler. Milling around the campfire area is a figure with a blue shirt on, and shorter blonde hair. Carol starts to panic, thinking it may be Sophia, since the figure’s back is to the group. Rick calls softly to Shane, Glenn, and Lambert and has them advance closer. Getting closer, he then also brings Carol, and instructs her to call out to Sophia in a calm tone.
Carol calls out to the figure. “Sophia, honey, it’s mommy. Everybody’s here, you’re safe,” she says. The figure turns around, and everyone’s hearts sink as they realize it’s just a walker. Luckily, it’s not Sophia, but it’s still an undead young girl. Glenn steps forward and gently puts down the girl. When he lowers her corpse to the ground, another walker lunges from the trees at him, but is quickly put down by Shane. The bodies fall side by side. Glenn spots a piece of paper discarded near the tent, and picks it up. He turns to the group and shows Rick and Carol the photo. The girl and older man walker are father and daughter.
Lambert removes his police hat that he has continued to wear out of respect, and Carol can’t take her eyes off of the deceased family. Shane tells everyone that it's time to move on, but Carol suddenly tells everyone to stop loudly. When everyone looks at her, she tells them that they were a family, surviving together, and that the least they deserve is a funeral. “We don’t have to bury them. But we should do one last service for them.” Shane rubs his head, agitated, but Rick, Lori, and Glenn all support her idea.
A few minutes later, the bodies are laid side by side in front of a tree that Glenn carved a cross shape into. Carol sets down a small bouquet of flowers from the woods that she found on short notice. Lori rubs her back, understanding what this means to her. When she asks if she’s ready to keep going, Carol nods. As they’re about to set out, the sound of church bells echo through the trees. Rick argues that Sophia could hear them too, and Carol adds that maybe she’s the one ringing them, so everyone runs as fast as they can in the direction of the sound.
On the highway, Dale feels T-Dog’s forehead, worrying. Jacqui walks over from examining nearby cars. She reveals that her search for antibiotics or painkiller bottles came up empty. When she checks T-Dog’s arm, she gasps, as his veins have become severely discolored from the beginnings of an infection. T-Dog laughs woozily, about how with a world full of undead monsters, “Theodore Douglas is gonna die from a cut on his arm.” His laughs grow louder, and Dale shushes him as to not bring any unwanted company down on them.
Jacqui begins to stress over what happens if they can’t treat the wound. Just then, Dale has a moment of realization. When she questions him on it, all he says is “Merle.” which only makes her more confused. Dale goes inside the RV, with her following, as he begins to say how Merle was never rude to him. “Because you’re old and white?” Jacqui asks, bitter, but directed at Merle rather than Dale. He chuckles and jokes that that was only half of it. She watches as he flips up the seats on the side, revealing storage underneath. Her eyes widen when he pulls out a bag filled with drugs. “The other half is that I let him hide his stash in my RV.”
Her mind connects the dots instantly; that they can use some of Merle’s drugs as painkillers for T-Dog’s injury. Jacqui cracks a smile, hope flowing back into her. “At least that racist asshole was worth something in the end,” she says. Dale agrees with her, and they step outside to sift through the bag for what they need.
Rick and the group run out into a clearing, where they see a church ahead of them. The sound of bells has stopped, but Rick is sure that this is it. Shane is hesitant, because it has no steeple. Carol doesn’t care, and says that it must be it. Despite the doubts, Rick leads everybody in a full speed run towards its doors. They burst inside and see a few walkers among the pews. Rick, Shane, and Glenn make quick work of them. Since the church is only that single room, it becomes clear to everyone that Sophia isn’t there. All of a sudden, the ringing starts again. Everybody runs back outside, where Glenn finds the speaker and a fuse box on the side. He flips it off, and announces that the bells are merely on a timer, defeated and out of breath.
Rick tells everyone to take a moment and regroup. Carol and Lori go back inside the church while the rest of the group takes a moment to sit outside. Shane tries to go into the church, but is stopped by Lambert. He tells him that he needs to stay away from her, and should only be going after her to apologize for what he did to her. After he walks away, Shane sees that Andrea had been listening from around the side of the church. “What the hell did you do to Lori?” she asks. Shane just ignores her and walks away.
Inside the church, Carol kneels before the statue of Jesus, while Lori sits in the first row. Carol quietly prays for her daughter’s safety and that they will find her alive and well. She also prays that Ed is suffering for everything he put both of them through. The entire time she holds back tears, and once she finishes, lets a few of them slip. Lori leaves the church with her, and regroups with everyone else. Rick says that everybody else should head back to the highway, and he plans to stay and do more searching in the area. Shane says that he’s not letting him go alone, so the two go together. Lambert asks if it’s a good idea to split up like this, but Rick is certain.
Suddenly, Tyreese and Sasha also speak up and say that they would like to keep going with them. Rick asks if they’re sure, but both of them promise that they are. Rick agrees, but says that the two of them should go one way while he and Shane go another, to cover more ground. They agree, and Tyreese says they’ll head out right now. The two men shake hands, and Rick wishes Sasha good luck, before the two walk off in one direction. Lambert promises to lead everyone else back to the highway safely. Lori tells Carl to go with her, but is shocked when he refuses and says that he wants to go with Rick and Shane.
This angers Lori, who tells him that he’s really pushing it now. Shane tries to defend Carl’s choice but she coldly snaps at him. Rick notices the tension but doesn’t say anything. He instead gives Lori a look of his own. He argues that Carl has been well behaved on this mission, and Carl buts in that he wants to be the one to bring Sophia home. She gets visibly upset, but very reluctantly caves and lets him stay. Carl promises he will be extra safe, and she turns and joins the trek back to the highway.
Rick, Shane, and Carl set out into the woods, opposite the way Tyreese and Sasha went. Carl asks Rick what happened with Sophia. Rick is slow to answer, and says that she must’ve gotten scared off by something after he hid her. He regrets leaving her alone and says that he could’ve kept going. Shane interjects and encourages him not to feel guilty about it, as he had gotten winded and both of them could’ve died there.
A rustle from the nearby brush makes the three of them stop and the men to raise their weapons. All of a sudden, Carl turns around and sees a deer run past them. “Dad, look!” he whispers loudly, and he runs over to where the deer’s path was. Rick and Shane watch the deer run off, leaving their vision. Carl, from his position further away, smiles at it. A second later, as he’s turning to face his dad, a gunshot goes off, and Carl is sent to the ground, blood beginning to pool in his abdomen area.
“No no no. NO!” Rick screams as he and Shane run to Carl’s side, him having been knocked unconscious. As Rick checks his son’s body, Shane aims his shotgun at an approaching figure. He yells for them to show themselves, and a chubby bearded man runs into view. He sees the sight before him and drops his rifle in shock. “Holy shit,” the man gasps, “did… did I do that?”
Shane angrily confirms it, and the man places his hands on his head. He shakily explains that he was tracking the deer they had just seen to bring back to his group for food. Rick looks to him and begs for help. The man introduces himself as Otis, and says that he lives with a doctor named Hershel, who can help his son. Shane grabs Otis by the collar of his shirt and demands that he lead them there right now. Otis agrees, and Rick scoops Carl into his arms, the four of them running off.
Elsewhere in the woods, Lori turns around, hearing the gunshot. She questions the others why there was just one. Andrea insists that she shouldn’t worry, as Rick is a capable man. Lambert validates the statement, and convinces her to keep going.
Rick runs faster and faster through the trees with Carl limp in his arms. Finally, the four survivors come out of the trees and into a massive empty field. Going over a small hill, Rick asks how much farther. Otis, nearly out of breath, tells him that the farmhouse ahead is where he needs to go. Rick spots the house, and picks up his pace, while Shane stays even with Otis.
As he gets closer, a skinny young woman with dark black hair is visible on the porch. She pulls out a pair of binoculars upon noticing the running figure. She sees a man carrying a boy in his arms. Overcome with surprise, she turns towards the door and yells, “Dad!”
An older man and a slightly younger woman with brown hair come outside. The man addresses the woman on the porch as Lacey, asking her what’s wrong. He and the other girl notice Rick run up, Shane and Otis close behind. Rick shouts for help, pleading and crying. He asks if the older man is Hershel, which he confirms that he is. Hershel asks if the boy was bit, but Rick tells him he was shot by Otis and begs him for help. He ushers the father and son inside, leaving the two women to address Shane and Otis.
When they run up, Lacey asks Otis what happened, and he replies solemnly that it was a hunting accident. Shane looks at them and tells them that they have a larger group back on the nearby highway. The younger woman asks if they’re near the traffic jam, and Shane agrees, but adds that they’re on their way back, somewhere in the woods. He tells them that the boy’s mom, Lori, needs to know what happened. The younger woman introduces herself as Maggie Greene, as well as her older sister, Lacey Greene, two of Hershel’s daughters. Maggie tells Shane that she and Lacey will ride out on their horse, Nelly, and find their group.
Hershel instructs Rick to lie Carl down on the bed he leads him to, after pulling all of the sheets off. Rick does so, and Hershel hurries out to grab his medical kit, while Rick stands over his son’s body, hands trembling. Outside, Lacey arrives with the horse, and Maggie climbs on. Lacey tells Otis that they’ll be back soon and to tell their father where they went. Shane watches them ride off, then forces Otis inside so they can see the state of Carl.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The rest of the group is still trekking through the woods back to the highway. After a minute, Lambert decides that they’ll take a moment to rest before continuing. Carol sits down on a fallen tree log and sighs to herself. Lori sits down beside her.
She rubs Carol’s arm, and sympathizes with her. But then she adds that she is wrong to blame Rick for any of this, and defends him to all the others, mentioning how he didn’t even hesitate to follow after her. Lori tells her that Rick is doing everything in his power to find Sophia and bring her back.
On Hershel’s farm, Hershel listens to Carl’s heart while Rick anxiously watches. He relaxes slightly once it’s confirmed that he still has a heartbeat. Hershel motions to Patricia, who brings over his medical kit and begins to put pressure on Carl’s wound. He asks for Rick to give them some space, and he slowly exits the room. When he does, he almost runs into a young blonde girl.
The girl apologizes softly, and asks what’s going on. Otis tells her not to look, addressing her as Beth. Rick shakily introduces himself, and tells her that Hershel’s helping his son. Beth nods and introduces herself to Rick and offers her assistance if he should want anything. When she walks away, Rick slides down against the wall. Shane sits beside him and confidently assures him that Carl is going to be okay, and that Lori will be there soon.
Lambert looks over at Lori as they walk through the woods. He quietly mentions to her that he had a talk with Shane on the highway the day before, and that he shouldn’t be giving her any more trouble. Lori looks surprised, but exhales and thanks him. Andrea slightly eavesdrops from behind, but doesn’t speak up. Carol’s foot gets caught in some loose roots, and nobody notices as she stops briefly to free herself.
Glenn looks around and asks if they should double back and find Tyreese and Sasha before they get back to the highway. Andrea shrugs and says that they know where they are, and will be back soon enough. Carol pulls herself free and sees the group much farther ahead of her. She sees movement out of the corner of her eye, and at first assumes it’s one of the group who waited for her, but when she hears a growl, she jerks her head up and sees a walker coming for her.
The rest of the group hears Carol scream, and they look back to see the walker pouncing on her. Before any of them are able to reach her themselves, they watch as a horse gallops into view with two women on the back. The woman not in front wields a baseball bat, and slams it into the walker’s head, killing it. Glenn rushes over and helps Carol up as the same woman calls out Lori’s name.
Lori runs up with everyone else and confirms it’s her. Maggie and Lacey introduce themselves to the others, and Lacey tells her that Carl was shot in an accident and she needs to go with them. Her heart drops into her stomach, and she removes her backpack and shoves it into Lambert’s hands. Lacey climbs down off of the horse, letting Maggie take control, and helps Lori climb on. Maggie asks her if she’ll be okay staying here with them, and Lacey just nods and tells her to stop worrying so much.
Before Maggie rides off, she tells the group that Lacey will bring them to their family’s farm, then she rides back in the other direction with Lori. Lacey turns back to the others and says hello. Glenn greets her with a polite smile, and her eyes sparkle at him. She giggles a little, and says that she’d be happy to bring them all back to the farm after they go back to the highway, and lets Lambert lead the way.
On the highway, Dale sees movement in the treeline, but relaxes when he sees the familiar faces of the group emerging. Jacqui, Bruno, and Miranda rush over as well, their faces falling when they see the level of urgency on their faces. Andrea informs them of Carl’s accident, and introduces them to Lacey. Jacqui is upset that they just trusted them and let Lori go with them, but Lacey retorts that her dad is currently saving her son’s life. Miranda asks where Tyreese and Sasha are. Glenn worriedly looks around, saying that he’d hoped that they would’ve already been back by now.
Carol asks Dale how T-Dog’s condition is, and her question is answered when T-Dog himself steps out of the RV, wincing a little but saying that the pain is less. Lacey eyes the bandage on his arm worriedly, and he quickly clarifies that he wasn’t bitten, just suffered a cut. Lacey says that he should get checked out at the farm. Andrea and Bruno begin to move cars out of the way, so that the RV can turn around and get to the farm. Louis and Eliza ask their mother if they found Sophia yet, and she sadly answers no. They then ask what happened to Carl, and Miranda tells them that he was hurt and is being fixed right now. They want to see him, and she assures them that first thing tomorrow, they’ll be able to.
Inside the living room of Hershel’s house, Rick paces around the floor while Shane and Otis sit idly in the chairs. Suddenly, Patricia walks out and calls Rick inside. She tells him that they need blood for Carl, and all of a sudden Carl starts to cry out in pain. Hershel has a tool in his wound, digging inside for the bullet that didn’t go through. Shane and Otis enter, with Shane kneeling down to console the sobbing Carl. Rick confirms that his blood type is the same as Carl’s and Patricia begins the transfusion.
Amidst the screaming, Rick’s heart beats faster and faster, he doesn’t even react to the blood being drawn from him. Finally, Carl passes out from shock and exhaustion right as Hershel pulls something out of the wound; a fragment of the bullet. He turns to Rick and explains that the bullet broke into five fragments. “One down, four to go,” he states with a level of concern in his tone. Patricia hooks the blood transfusion to Carl, then embraces Otis, who murmurs to her that he didn’t mean for this to happen, and he feels awful.
Shane looks out the window and sees a horse approaching, with Lori on its back. He tells Rick, and he immediately rushes outside. As soon as she sees her husband approaching her, Lori slides off of the horse and begins to sob. Rick pulls her in for a hug. He brings her to see Carl’s unconscious form, and she kneels beside him. Hershel pulls Rick aside and tells him that the other fragments are deeper inside of the wound, and to get them, he needs to perform surgery, but that means Carl will go under and won’t breathe on his own. Rick sits down weakly in a chair to process this.
A few hours later, the group on the highway have already moved several cars, giving the RV and other vehicles a wide range to be able to slip out and turn around. Bruno sees Carol looking out into the woods. He comments that Tyreese and Sasha still aren’t back. Carol wonders if maybe they’ve found Sophia out there. Bruno gives her hope, agreeing and suggesting that the three of them are taking shelter for the night somewhere.
Lacey walks up to Glenn, who finishes steering a car out of the way as Andrea gently nudges it with Carol’s car. She smiles at him and says that T-Dog’s injury needs to be looked at right away, and that the two of them should drive him to the farm right now. “It’ll give us a chance to get to know each other,” she says with a look in her eyes. Glenn awkwardly agrees to this, exciting her. They go over to where T-Dog is resting and tell him what they’re going to do. Jacqui interjects and says that if T-Dog is going, so is she.
This appears to upset Lacey a little, but she doesn’t complain. Lambert asks her who else is on the farm. She responds that another man named Shane came with Rick. This response immediately prompts Lambert to join in on this as well. Carol approaches them and says they’re free to take her car. Lacey thanks them, and proceeds to give Dale the directions to finding the farm so they can arrive the following morning first thing. Glenn gets the keys and climbs into the driver’s seat, and Lacey hops in the passenger seat while Jacqui and Lambert help T-Dog climb in. Glenn looks at her, and she innocently says that she has to show him the way there.
Dale, Andrea, Carol, Bruno, Miranda, Louis, and Eliza watch them drive away. Andrea heads to go into the RV, and Dale asks if she’s okay. She gives him a small smile and says that she is. During the drive to the farm, Lacey asks Glenn what he used to do before the apocalypse. He tells her about his pizza delivery job, and she comments that she would’ve ordered from his job just to see him more, and laughs. He smiles at the compliment, but still feels a little awkward.
Rick and Lori are discussing what to do with Hershel and Patricia. Lori asks them if there’s any way they can perform the surgery without the equipment. Patricia says that they could, but Carl would most certainly not survive. As Rick drinks orange juice to replenish his blood, Lori asks Hershel if he’s performed this surgery before. He says he has, only on animals. This stuns her, and Hershel adds on that he is actually a veterinarian.
As the sun begins to go down, Glenn drives into the farm’s property and parks in front of the house. He can see multiple people out on the front porch, but Lacey blocks his view as she leads everyone up the stoop. Maggie is on the porch, with Beth and her boyfriend, Jimmy. Upon seeing the others, she tells Beth and Jimmy to go inside. She relaxes when she sees Lacey and gives her a hug. Glenn says hello to her and introduces himself. Jacqui speaks up and says that T-Dog needs his arm looked at. Maggie obliges and brings him inside, everyone else following.
Lambert finds Rick sitting with Shane in the dining room. He asks how Carl is doing, and Rick explains that he’s stable, but needs surgery to remove the rest of the fragments, but Hershel doesn’t have all of the equipment. Hershel, Otis, and Patricia walk back in. Otis says that they need a respirator, and he knows where to get one, and will take them. Patricia says no, and Hershel agrees, saying they need him here. Shane instantly volunteers himself for the mission, not letting Rick tell him that he shouldn’t go.
Lambert and Shane make eye contact, and seconds later, he volunteers as well. Otis tells them about the high school a few miles away with FEMA trailers set up in the parking lot, and gets to work drawing them a map. Meanwhile, Patricia sees T-Dog and Jacqui walk in and begins to tend to his arm wound. Jacqui explains that they had to use the supply of a drug dealer to subdue the pain. She remarks that this “Merle” may have saved his life with it.
Glenn walks back out onto the porch and leans against the wall. He’s startled by Maggie’s voice from behind him, asking if he’s okay. He says he is, and is just reflecting about the group’s rough past couple of weeks. She sits him down and tells him to explain. Glenn goes over everything; the loss of their first camp, the CDC, the Vatos group, the disappearance of Sophia, and T-Dog and Carl’s accidents. He also mentions that two others they recently met are still out there as well and he’s worried for them, too. Maggie puts a hand on his shoulder and assures him that everything is going to be okay in the end. Lacey sees them from the doorway and frowns.
The two of them are interrupted when Hershel leads Rick, Shane, Lori, Lambert, and Otis out of the house. Otis hands Shane the keys to his blue pickup truck for their usage, and gives Lambert the map he drew. “I have a lot to make up for, I just hope that this is a good start,” he says, turning to Rick and Lori. Lambert promises that they’ll bring the truck back in one piece. Rick shakes his hand, and proceeds to hand him his colt python to use.
Lambert and Shane drive off together as the sun is about to fully set. Once they've left the farm’s property, Lambert looks at Shane with disgust. He asks him if they’re going to have a problem on this run. He breathes in through his teeth and doesn’t look at him, focusing on the road. “Nah man, we won’t,” he answers simply, his voice low. They drive in silence for the longest time, until Lambert speaks again, asking him why he so much as looked at Lori that way after Rick was thought to be dead. Shane grips the steering wheel and says that Rick told him himself how their relationship had been struggling. He remarks that Lori needed someone there for her so he filled that role, better than Rick ever could. Lambert is sickened by his answer, and tells him that he fully took advantage of her, not to mention what he did to her at the CDC.
Lambert threatens to tell Rick about it, and only says he won’t if Shane continues to stay away from Lori. He keeps going, saying how he came with him now because he doesn’t trust him alone, and right now they need to focus on one thing; saving Carl’s life. Shane doesn’t say anything, and doesn’t even react when Lambert finishes by saying that the group would be better off if he weren’t in it. Instead, all Shane says is “we’re here.”
They park the truck just outside the school zone, and take their weapons and bags out and get them ready. They slowly walk up the parking lot entrance, but suddenly Lambert pulls Shane down to duck behind a parked car. Confused, Shane gets agitated and is about to yell at him, but Lambert shushes him, and silently points for him to peek over. Shane does so, and his eyes go wide, he turns back to his ex-partner, now understanding. The parking lot is completely swarmed by walkers, blocking direct access to the trailers with the supplies they need.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Rick and Lori watch over the sleeping Carl from the side of the bed. As Lori strokes his hair, she asks Rick how this happened. He recounts the previous day’s events, and tells her about how they saw a deer go past, and he walked over to watch it go, only for Otis’ stray shot to hit him. “It was just an accident. A stupid accident,” Rick finishes. He asks her if she blames Otis, and Lori admits that she isn’t sure. Suddenly, Carl stirs awake, and she beams with relief. “Mom…?” he mutters weakly. She assures him that she’s right there by his side while cupping his face. He smiles a little, and weakly tells her about the beautiful deer he saw, right before he passes out yet again. This makes Rick smile, a glimmer of hope returning for him.
Shane and Lambert quietly assess what to do about the swarm of walkers. Shane digs through his bag and finds a flare gun, one he took from the King County station when he left. Lambert admittedly commends him for the idea, and waits while Shane fires a flare in the opposite direction. The walkers all flock to it after a few seconds, giving them the perfect opportunity to make a run for the trailers. They’re able to slip inside without being noticed.
Quickly, the two of them ransack the place, collecting all sorts of medication and IV bags. Finally, Lambert spots the respirator machine and grabs it. Once they’ve packed their bags, they wait by the door. Shane says he’s going to go first and shoot as many as he can. Lambert admits that he respects what he’s doing for Carl, and tells Shane that when they get back, he’s willing to put their disagreements behind him as long as he doesn’t pursue Lori further. Shane appears to agree, then bursts open the door.
As soon as the two men step outside, they freeze. All of the walkers are back to filling the parking lot, as the flare went out. “Shit,” Shane mutters, and fires two shotgun blasts into the heads of walkers. He pushes Lambert down the steps, however their path back to the truck is cut off. Lambert uses Otis’ rifle to kill a few walkers and open a path towards the main entrance to the school building. When they reach the glass doors, Shane shoots them out and the two men run inside, the walkers close on their tail.
Patricia finishes stitching up T-Dog’s cut when Jacqui walks in. She asks how he’s doing, and Patricia confirms that he’s going to be just fine. She gives him a pill for the pain and tells him to take it easy the next few days. After T-Dog walks out, Jacqui stops Patricia and asks her if it’s possible for her to learn some nursing tactics, like caring for others and being able to treat wounds. This makes Patricia smile and she agrees to show her some tips.
Hershel checks on Carl’s heartbeat while Rick and Lori watch. He remarks that it’s becoming more faint than it was a few hours ago, and that soon they’re going to have to make a decision. This makes Lori tear up, and she briskly leaves the house. Rick follows after her and catches her on the porch. In tears, she wonders if maybe Jenner was right to keep them there at first. Rick looks at her with astonishment on his face, and she breaks down further, wondering if it would be better if Carl got to pass away peacefully rather than live on and struggle in this world, witnessing death and decay everywhere they go.
Rick tells her that she shouldn’t think like that, and reminds her of how much Jenner had lost it after being alone for so long. He continues, saying that kids like Carl and Sophia are their future, and they’re going to survive. Lori expresses her worry that maybe they won’t ever find Sophia, but Rick is determined, and says tomorrow morning, when the rest of the group arrives, he’s going to form groups to go back out and search the area surrounding the farm. But until then, they’re going to stay by Carl’s side, and when the time comes, agree to the surgery. This is enough to placate Lori, who wipes her tears and nods in agreement.
The dark, abandoned halls of the high school are illuminated by occasional flashes of gunfire from Shane and Lambert while they run. They come across a pair of side exit doors, but notice chains on the handles, so they quickly bolt around the corner, where they find the gym, filled with a few more walkers, some wearing military uniforms. Shane blasts multiple heads off, and Lambert shoots a walker with a name tag that reads “Callaway” in the head. Together they climb to the top of the indoor bleachers where the walkers can’t reach them.
Lambert pants, out of breath, and asks what they’re going to do now. Shane scans the surroundings, and grips his shoulder. He tells Lambert to make a run for the way they came, and he’ll draw the walkers his way and jump out of the window on the opposite side of the gym. Lambert tells him that that would be suicide, but Shane says that only saving Carl matters. Both men nod, and Lambert readies himself to jump down. But when he goes to make the jump, his foot catches underneath the bleachers, and he falls down, twisting his ankle. He’s able to scoot away from the walkers as Shane shoots at least a half dozen of them.
Finally, Lambert stands up as Shane shoots even more and begins yelling. Most of the walkers turn in his direction, save for a few that still want the other policeman. Shane sprints off the bleachers and up a set of stairs to the window. He smashes the glass out, and is almost grabbed by a walker before it’s shot dead from across the gym by Lambert. He quickly hobbles out of the door and Shane makes quick work of dropping his supplies from the window. Seeing the walkers approach, he screws his eyes shut and rips the metaphorical bandaid off. He pushes himself out of the window and jumps down, feet first.
Shane lets out a pained cry as he lands on his right leg funny, collapsing. He grabs his gun and the bag of medical supplies and quickly hobbles in the direction of the gunfire coming from the other end of the school. Behind him, at least three walkers tumble out of the window behind him, but all smash their heads on impact. He shoots a few stray walkers in his path and stops to rest against a fence. He checks his shotgun ammo level and sees that he only has a few shells left. Suddenly, several walkers attack from behind the fence, sending him hurrying on his way before they can find a way to get him.
Glenn is sitting on the back porch of the farmhouse. He turns his head upon hearing footsteps approaching and sees that it’s Lacey. She attempts to make small talk, referencing how crazy the last day has been. He agrees with her, and continues sulking. She apologizes for everything that his group is going through, and offers him a way to relax. Curious, he wonders what she means, and his eyes widen a bit when she pulls out some weed from her pocket. She lights up a joint and takes two big puffs, and offers it to him. Stammering, Glenn says he doesn’t do drugs, and walks inside the house. Lacey takes another puff and looks disappointed.
On the highway, Carol softly cries while trying to get some sleep. Andrea and Dale stand on top of the RV, keeping watch. Bruno and Miranda sit in the back of a truck bed, while Louis and Eliza are asleep in their family’s jeep right next to them. Dale tries to use his binoculars, and complains how horrible visibility is at night. Andrea scans down the highway in both directions, and decides that she’s going to do a sweep up the road, saying that maybe Sophia could be hiding somewhere for the night. Dale warns her to be careful, but she reminds him that she has her gun to protect her. He smiles and agrees, but still tells her to holler if she needs help, which she also promises to do.
She climbs down the ladder, and is asked by Bruno where she’s going. When she explains, he tells her that Sophia is likely with Tyreese and Sasha, so it’s dangerous to go out in the dark blind like this. Andrea ignores him, and replies that they’d be doing the same if it were either of their kids, and they still have to find Tyreese and Sasha anyway. While walking away, she does stop and go inside the RV. She quietly rummages around until she finds what she needs; a flashlight. When she stands back up, Carol is awake and standing there, Andrea gasps, prompting the other woman to quietly apologize for startling her.
Carol softly thanks Andrea for her efforts, and says she’s grateful that the Lord blessed her with a group of people who care so much. Andrea smiles and says that she’s only doing what she’d want others to do for her. Before she leaves, Carol takes her hand and says that Amy would be so proud of her. The comment resonates with Andrea, and while she doesn’t reply, she offers Carol an emotional smile before quickly leaving. Dale watches her from the roof as she briskly walks out into the night with her flashlight, not able to tell that she had just wiped away a few tears.
Beth is in Carl’s room, gently pressing a cool rag to his forehead when Jacqui enters. Beth greets her, and Jacqui introduces herself in return. She mentions that Patricia is giving her some tips on how to treat people, and she volunteered to watch over Carl for a bit. Beth thinks that’s sweet, and says that she wants to be a doctor like her father, too. She comments that Hershel never really had high expectations for her, after Maggie and Lacey. Jacqui is confused, and Beth says that Lacey always argued with their parents, Arnold left home at 18 and only recently came back, and Maggie and Shawn were their golden children, and she often felt forgotten about. Jacqui asks who Shawn is, and Beth tells him that he got sick early on from the infection.
In the kitchen, Glenn fixes himself a glass of water. Otis, Patricia, and Maggie all enter, talking amongst themselves. Both Patricia and Maggie express relief that Otis didn’t go on the run to the school, as they can’t lose anyone else. They notice Glenn and give him a warm greeting. He returns it and goes to leave, apologizing for intruding, but Maggie insists that he stay. Otis agrees, and says that he wants to get to know all the folks from his group. Maggie asks what Glenn did before all this, and he talks about his pizza delivery job. Otis explains how he and Patricia were live-in farmhands, commenting how they watched all five Greene children grow up.
Glenn talks about his parents and three sisters, who live in Michigan. He had moved away young, wanting to chase his dreams that didn’t work out. He doesn’t know if they’re alive, which saddens him. Otis and Patricia comfort him by saying that they’re likely surviving out there. Glenn is appreciative, and asks if they’ve lost anyone here. Maggie sighs and shows him the fridge, where several family photos are stuck into with magnets. She points to two different ones, referring to her older brothers, Shawn and Arnold, and her mother, Annette. Glenn expresses his condolences.
Andrea shines her flashlight inside every car she walks past further along the highway. She softly calls out Sophia, Tyreese, and Sasha’s names. She pauses when she hears a soft growling coming from the woods. Almost entranced by the sound, Andrea decides to follow it. At the school, Shane limps to another fence. Several walkers are on his tail, so as soon as he reaches the fence, he turns around and begins to shoot them with his shotgun. The last walker, however, is killed from behind. Lambert stands there and Shane hurries over to him. He blasts one last walker in front of them, and informs him that it was his last shotgun shell. Lambert has similar news; that was his last rifle round. The two men pull out their handguns to use and count their rounds; five in Rick’s gun, and six in Shane’s.
Andrea treks into the woods as the growling gets louder and louder. Suddenly, she hears a loud snapping noise, and finally finds the source. A walker is hanging from a tree by its neck; a survivor having hanged himself. Seconds later, though, the branch snaps and the walker falls to the ground. Andrea gasps at the sight of it. She sees the noose so tight against its neck. As it stands up, she almost panics. She questions if this is how Dale saw her, and if she were to kill herself now, this is what she’d become. She snaps out of it and stabs the walker in the head. “I want to live,” she murmurs to herself, and starts heading back to the RV.
Shane and Lambert are nearly away from the school. Every few seconds, they turn around and fire into the crowd of walkers following them. Lambert fires his last shot from Rick’s gun, and Shane informs him that he has one round left. Suddenly, Shane stops him. “I’m sorry, but I don’t trust you,” he says. Before Lambert can properly react, Shane fires his last round into his kneecap. Lambert screams in searing pain as he falls down, dropping Rick’s gun. Shane yanks the bag off of his shoulders, but Lambert grabs onto him, trying to fight him. He is able to grab Shane by the hair and rip out a small piece, but Shane kicks him in the face repeatedly until he lets go.
“You son of a bitch!” Lambert yells as Shane hurries away with the guns and supplies. “You’ll rot in hell for this!” are the last words Lambert can muster before the walkers overcome him and begin devouring him. He screams as they tear into his body, arms, and legs. Shane ignores him and gets in the truck.
Rick and Lori pace around the bedroom while Carl lies there, still unconscious. Hershel enters and tells them that they’re out of time, they need to do the surgery now or never. Rick looks over at Lori for their verdict, and while she looks helpless and distraught, she shakily gives Hershel the green light to begin the procedure. The group gathers in the living room as Hershel calls for Patricia. He orders Maggie to keep Beth and Jimmy away, and she nods, ushering both teens upstairs. As Patricia wheels in a flat cart, Jacqui offers her help, which they agree to. Together, the five of them lift Carl’s bed sheet underneath him and transfer him to the surface. Hershel picks up a scalpel, ready to make the first incision as Patricia readies the light source, when the sound of a truck engine can be heard outside.
Lori is the first to sprint outside, followed by Rick, Hershel, Glenn, Otis, Jacqui, and T-Dog, while Patricia stays with Carl. Shane gets out and hobbles over to the group. He hands Rick and Otis their guns back, and T-Dog offers to take the supplies from Shane. Rick asks him where Lambert is, and Shane breathes heavily, replying that he covered him so he could make it back, and was overcome. Lori covers her mouth in shock, but Hershel says that his sacrifice won’t be in vain, as now they can properly save Carl’s life. As they head inside, Hershel insists that Rick and Lori wait in the living room. Maggie offers to sit with them, and tells Shane that he can change out of his bloody clothes if he wants to upstairs in the bathroom.
Hershel closes the bedroom door, allowing him, Patricia, and Jacqui to work on Carl. T-Dog, Otis, and Glenn join the Grimes parents in silent support as Shane goes upstairs. He finds a pair of folded clothes lying out and brings them with him. He steps into the bathroom and locks the door. Examining himself in the mirror, he sees the spot of hair that was ripped out. Sneering to himself, he finds a razor in the vanity, and turns on the shower to clean himself off. Shane begins shaving off his hair as the water runs down his body, until his head is shaved completely. He stares at himself in the fogged mirror, a deeper, deranged glint in his eye as he flashes back to sacrificing Lambert to the walkers.
The next morning, Rick and Lori are sitting out on the front porch of the farmhouse, when they hear faint engines in the distance. The RV and the Morales family jeep drive onto the farm’s property, and come to a stop. Dale, Andrea, Carol, and the Morales family disembark and approach the house as the rest of the group comes out to greet them. Dale looks to Rick and asks if Carl is okay. He shares a glance with Lori, and as Hershel exits, Rick happily announces that Carl is going to live. He thanks Hershel and Patricia, then turns to Jacqui and thanks her for her help as well.
Andrea is relieved to see that T-Dog is alright, and gives him a hug. She notices, however, that Beth, Otis, and Jimmy are setting up rocks like a grave. She turns to the group and asks what happened. Rick solemnly informs the others that Lambert died to get Carl the things he needed. Shane looks down at the ground, avoiding eye contact with anyone. Carol asks if they saw any sign of Sophia, and Rick declines, saddening her. He promises in a few hours, they plan to make a search party. For now, they want to hold a brief service for Lambert.
A few minutes later, the entire group, minus Carl, gathers around the stone grave built for Lambert in place of his body being buried. Hershel reads a passage from the bible, and when he finishes, Rick speaks for him. He honors Lambert as a longtime friend of his family, someone that he trusted and cared for, he’s eternally grateful for the sacrifice he made for his son. He also turns to Shane and adds that he’s grateful that he made it back alive. Shane doesn’t say anything, but manages to nod in return. Lori looks at Shane from afar. Her mind replays her previous conversation with Lambert, where he’d told her that he confronted him. A seed of suspicion begins to bud in her mind, but she stays quiet.
As everyone begins to disperse, Louis and Eliza ask their mother if they can go see Carl and play with him. She tells them that he’s recovering from his surgery, so they’ll have to play by themselves. The two kids whine, but Miranda silences them and shoos them away to go play by the barn. The two of them easily get lost in their own world, playing and chasing each other near the barn. They stop near the doors, which are chained shut. Louis wonders if animals are in there, since it’s locked, but Eliza says they wouldn’t lock it otherwise. They’re surprised when they listen closer and hear faint moans and groans from inside. “Whoa, the barn’s haunted,” Louis giggles, and Eliza playfully shoves him for saying that. The two kids continue teasing each other and playing around, leaving the barn. Inside, what they were truly hearing were a couple dozen walkers being kept inside, including familiar faces from the photos on their fridge, Shawn, Arnold, and Annette Greene.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
A few days have passed. The group has their vehicles parked by a small area of trees about 100 yards away from the farmhouse. Carl is on his feet now, and sits with Lori, Patricia, and Jacqui as they feed the chickens walking around in front of them. Carl is happy to be up and doing activity, and thinks that being on a farm is fun. Patricia appreciates the comment, and says that most of the Greene kids didn’t like helping out on the farm when they were young, except for Beth. Jacqui warns him not to strain himself, and Carl jokes that he’s not old like his mom yet. The women laugh and Lori playfully tosses seeds at him. Rick watches from afar with a relieved smile on his face. He approaches the door to the house as Hershel exits.
Rick pulls him aside and thanks him for his generous hospitality. Hershel asks him where his group is planning on heading, and Rick explains how they initially were set on Fort Benning. Hershel reveals that once Carl is fit enough to travel, and they find Sophia, he expects that they’ll be moving on somewhere else. As he walks away, Rick doesn’t have the heart to tell him that they were hoping to stay.
He walks down to the group, where a map is laid out over Carol’s car. Shane, Andrea, Dale, T-Dog, and Glenn are gathered around it. Rick asks if they’ve come up with the day’s grid split for the search teams, and Shane begrudgingly says they have. T-Dog volunteers to go with Andrea, but Rick tells him he should be getting his rest, and instead Bruno volunteers. Before they can get ready to head out, Lacey and Jimmy approach the group, Jimmy explaining that they want to offer their help. Rick is thankful, but says that they should make sure it's okay with Hershel. Lacey quickly interjects and claims he gave permission. She turns to Glenn and says that the two of them can search together. Rick hesitantly allows it, but says that the two of them should stick together, and says that they’ll get ready to head out in half an hour.
In the farmhouse, Beth is washing breakfast dishes when Hershel walks into the kitchen. He greets her and asks where Lacey is, as she should be helping. Beth remarks that she went to see “Mr. Grimes” to help look for the lost little girl, same with Jimmy. Hershel goes to leave the house, and as he does, sees Rick approaching again, followed by Lacey. Hershel expresses that he did not give permission for any of his people to help, which angers Lacey. She insists that she should be allowed to help and wants to go with Glenn. Just then, Maggie walks out and tells her dad that she’s going on a run to a nearby pharmacy. Lacey, still angered, storms off now that she’s been shut down. Rick suggests taking Glenn with her, as he walks nearby.
Glenn, confused, begs that he’s not going out with Lacey. “No offense,” he adds directed at Hershel, explaining how she’s been very weird with him all the time. Rick further says that Glenn is their most experienced supply runner. Hershel reluctantly agrees, so Maggie leads Glenn to the stables to set him up with a horse to ride. Glenn asks about the search before he goes, and Rick just says Shane will fill in. Glenn grimaces and wishes him good luck.
Out in the woods, Rick and Shane carry their guns and search the area for Sophia. Rick asks Shane if he saw any kind of sign of her when he was out on the run with Lambert. Shane repeats that he didn’t, and goes on to say that there’s been almost no signs of her at all since the day she went missing. Rick is sure that they’ll find something soon, but Shane isn’t. In fact, Shane starts accusing Rick of wasting the group’s resources in order to look for a missing little girl. This makes him angry, and he reminds him that he made a promise to Carol. Shane begins to wonder if maybe Tyreese and Sasha kidnapped Sophia and ran off with her, as they still haven’t turned up.
Rick is offended that Shane would suggest that, while Shane says he never trusted them. Rick feels bad that the two of them were left behind and wants to find them, too. This enrages Shane further, and sarcastically tells Rick that why don’t they just go looking for every single lost survivor out there. Their argument is only stopped when they see a marker on one of the trees. Shane realizes they’re walking into Andrea and Bruno’s grid, and Rick sourly says it's time that they head back anyway. They walk back towards the farm in silence.
Out on the road, Glenn and Maggie slowly make their way into town, each riding on horseback. He asks her if the town has any walkers in it. This question seems to anger Maggie, and she looks over at him. “You seem like a sweet guy, Glenn, but I wish you’d stop calling them that.” Confused, Glenn asks what she would call them, and she replies “Mom, Shawn, Arnold.” and Glenn realizes that the Greene family sees the walkers completely differently.
When Rick and Shane return to the farm, Carol runs up to them, and Rick informs her of their lack of findings, deflating her spirits. Carl and Lori walk over, and Rick is happy to see him walking about. Carl looks to Carol and says that Sophia is going to love the farm when they find her. Carol holds back the tears coming and smiles, agreeing with him.
In the farmhouse, Jacqui checks on a resting T-Dog, who requests a glass of water. She volunteers to get it while Patricia stays behind and continues taking his vitals. In the kitchen, she runs into Hershel praying quietly. She politely says hello as he turns to her. She makes a comment about the prayer, saying that she’s glad that she isn’t the only one who’s held onto their faith even after everything that’s happened. Jacqui adds that she respects any and all beliefs, including those who don’t believe at all. “Everyone has their own path to follow, their own journey to complete. I respect everyone just the same,” she says.
Hershel likes her mindset as she gets a glass of water. He tells her how God got him through the sickness of his wife and two sons back when things first began. Jacqui expresses her condolences, but Hershel corrects her, saying they’re not dead, only sick. She appears confused at this clarification, but drops it, and instead asks if she may join him in finishing the prayer he was doing. Hershel accepts, and the two interlock hands and bow their heads.
Inside the pharmacy, Glenn hands Maggie a list of supplies they’re meant to look for, while holding another slip of paper. She asks what that is, and he stammers out an awkward answer; a special request from Lori. Maggie walks away and searches the shelves for certain items. Glenn slips into a specific section of the store, the feminine hygiene section, and looks around. Finally, he spots what was asked for and quickly grabs it. Behind him, Maggie asks what he grabbed, and in a panic, he picks up another box. She laughs when she sees what he’s holding; condoms.
Glenn awkwardly tries to explain himself, but she just laughs and says he should keep them for his girlfriend. While he stews in embarrassment, Maggie goes behind the counter to search for medication. Reading the labels closely, she begins adding many bottles to her bag. She pauses to examine a few more, when suddenly a walker rises up from the other side of the shelf. She screams as it grabs hold of her wrist and snaps its teeth. Panicking, she cries out for Glenn, who instantly runs for her.
Pulling out his weapon, he is able to wrench Maggie away from the walker just in time and slam the sharp end into its forehead. He asks if she was bitten and she shakily says no. The walker stands back up, weapon lodged in its head, so Glenn rips it out and pushes it to the ground, repeatedly hacking into its head. Maggie looks on, breathing heavily. She now realizes that she’s wrong.
Soon after they return to the farm, Lori calls Glenn away and asks about the item. He swiftly hands it to her and walks away, not asking questions. Lori tucks it into the back of her pants, and suddenly jumps when she hears Carl behind her. She exhales when he doesn’t say anything about it, but her reaction changes when he speaks. “I wanna learn how to shoot.”
She walks him over to the group’s area by the trees where most of the others are present. Carl repeats the same thing to his father, who doesn’t seem opposed to the idea. Lori is stunned, and Carl brings up how he saved her back at the camp that night. This prompts Rick to say that he should know how to properly handle a weapon, and reminds her that Shane is a licensed instructor. Lori finally relents, and says that while she won’t entirely be happy with it, she will allow it.
Shane looks over where the Morales family are sitting, and asks if they’ll bring their kids to the gun training later. Bruno says that he doesn’t think they’re ready. Miranda expresses interest in the lesson and wants to go. Dale asks Andrea if she’s going, in order to become more proficient with her gun. She agrees to go as well. While the group makes plans, they are met with Otis, Patricia, Jimmy, and Beth approaching.
Otis offers his help in gun lessons, since he’s an experienced hunter. Patricia says that the rest of them would like to learn. Rick initially shuts them down, saying that Hershel wants them to keep things separate. Otis presses the matter, approaching Rick fully. He says he still hasn’t fully made up for what he did, and he wants to help in any way possible to continue doing so. The group exchange several glances, and Rick agrees to their inclusion.
Not long after, most of the group is down at a far end of the property, all lined up facing a fence with tin cans sat on top. Andrea, Jacqui, Jimmy, Beth, Patricia, Miranda, and Carl are all armed with handguns, being guided by Shane and Otis. Most of them perform average, missing some shots and hitting a few. Andrea and Jacqui repeatedly land all of their shots. T-Dog commends Jacqui on her success, and she tells him to take it easy. When she turns and hits another tin can with bullseye accuracy, he chuckles. “I should be telling you that,” he jokes.
At the end of the row, Rick and Lori watch as Carl fires off a few shots, hitting most of them. The adults clap for his success, leading him to be quite proud of himself. Just then, they hear a noise behind them, and they’re met with several walkers emerging from the brush. Louis, Eliza, and Beth scream in fear, and Lori pushes Carl behind her at first. Everyone backs up, and Shane calls out to them to utilize their training. Patricia and Jimmy look uncomfortable, but they each aim and shoot one walker each. Miranda uses three shots to take down a walker, while Bruno steps in to smack down another one with a baseball bat.
Beth is frozen in fear as a walker sets its sights on her, she doesn’t even lift her gun. Dale rushes over and grabs it from behind. The walker turns and starts attacking him. He groans and tries to get it off him, failing. However, he doesn’t struggle much longer when it’s shot in the head. Andrea lowers her gun while Jacqui swiftly takes out two more walkers. With one left, Shane tells Lori to let Carl go free. She yells at him, calling him crazy, but Carl pushes himself away from Lori and aims the gun. He squeezes the trigger and shoots the walker right in the head.
The area goes quiet, and Rick checks on everyone around them, making sure no one got hurt. Beth stares down at the walker corpses, visibly shaken and uneasy. Shane half-jokes that this is enough training for the day. Rick agrees, saying they need to conserve ammo and not make such noise, so everyone makes the trip back to the farmhouse.
On the walk back, Lori and Jacqui catch up with Patricia. They ask her who does the cooking usually, and she responds that it’s a group effort, but mainly her, Maggie, and Beth. Lori wonders if they’d be willing for some extra help to prepare a dinner for everyone that evening as a show of thanks. Patricia likes the idea and says she’d be happy to.
Lacey bangs on the door to the bathroom, yelling for Maggie to come out. Hershel enters and asks what’s going on. Lacey complains that she’s been in there almost the entire time she got back from the pharmacy. Right as she says this, Maggie exits and briskly walks past both of them with tear-stained eyes. She pulls her arm out of Hershel’s gentle grip when he tries to stop her, and she runs upstairs still without talking. Lacey rolls her eyes and goes into the bathroom, while Hershel remains there, confused, as he watches the group driving back in from the gun training.
Bruno and Miranda walk away from the others. Louis and Eliza are confused, but Bruno tells them to go play by the barn some more. Louis is excited, and tells his sister that they can talk to the “ghosts” some more. Miranda watches them run away smiling, thinking they have such wonderful imaginations. Bruno darkens the conversation, and says that they should have left back at the camp. Miranda is surprised, as she believes the farm to be a safe haven. He disagrees, bringing up the small pack of walkers from just now, as well as the fact that only one person from the farm seems to know how to kill walkers.
Miranda validates his points, and he goes on to mention their family from Birmingham. He lastly brings up Dr. Jenner. “The last time we trusted a place that seemed safe, we were all almost incinerated by the same lunatic who let us in.” He thinks Hershel is a good man, but is clearly inexperienced and their family won’t be safe here if something happens. He tells her to just think about what he’s saying, and gives her a kiss. “All I want is for you and our children to be safe, that’s all that matters to me,” he says to her. Miranda responds by telling him how much she loves him.
Hershel walks into the kitchen upon hearing commotion, where he finds Patricia, Beth, Jimmy, Lori, Carol, and Jacqui prepping various foods and cooking over the stove. He asks what’s going on, when Maggie brushes past him, curtly answering that they’re all making a big dinner for everyone tonight. He goes on to say that he doesn’t know if he’s okay with this, but she cuts him off, defensively, telling him that it’s just one meal and needs to relax. He’s taken aback by her tone, and doesn’t push the matter further.
By nightfall, dinner is ready and being served. All members of the group sit down around the extended table, talking happily with each other. Carl, Louis, and Eliza are sitting at a separate kids table. As Glenn walks into the dining area, he’s pulled aside by Hershel in the hallway. He asks him what happened on the run to the pharmacy with Maggie, as she’s been acting differently since they came back. Glenn sighs, and explains how she was attacked by a walker that almost bit her. He mentions how Maggie told her how he and his family see the undead, but he politely says that that way of thinking almost got her killed, and then he walks into the dining room to eat. Hershel is left to ponder quietly, and enters in as well.
As food is served, Eliza leans over to Carl and asks him if he’s seen the “haunted” barn yet, making Louis laugh. Carl is confused and says there’s no such thing. They say it’s true and they’ve heard it. Their comments go ignored by most of the group, but Otis and Patricia exchange a glance as they sit directly next to the kids table. Maggie also eyes the kids in response, something Glenn picks up on but doesn’t mention. At the dinner table, Shane commends Andrea and Jacqui for their work at training that day. Dale is proud of Andrea and jokes that she could be ready for an advanced class. Shane continues and says that he’d be willing to teach her. Andrea appears conflicted, giving Dale a silent look before slowly agreeing to Shane’s idea.
At the other end of the table, Maggie looks to Glenn and thanks him softly for saving her at the pharmacy. He says it was nothing and just looking out for her, but she says that it’s more than that, and she can see his kindness. She puts her hand on top of his and looks at him in a specific way. He becomes quite flustered and doesn’t move her hand away.
Once everyone finishes eating, they begin to take their plates to the kitchen to be cleaned. T-Dog goes to take his own and also reaches for Dale’s, but instead, the other man takes his plate instead. Dale says he needs to take it easy on his injury. This comment makes T-Dog upset, but he doesn’t say anything. Carol is quiet as the group cleans up, and excuses herself to the bathroom shakily. Patricia also excuses herself, leaving the house entirely. She walks out to the chicken coop and takes one of the chickens to another shed. Reluctantly, she snaps the bird’s legs and stuffs it into a sack. She wheels it to the barn and climbs to the upper level. She drops the chicken down to the hay covered floor and watches as the walkers in the barn feast on it, before she quickly leaves.
Hershel asks Lacey if she could find Maggie, so she heads upstairs to Maggie’s room. She notices the door is shut, but doesn’t think much of it. She knocks and opens the door, beginning to speak, but stops with a disgusted yell at the sight. Glenn and Maggie are naked in the bed, under the sheets, having sex. Maggie yells at her and quickly begins putting her clothes on and tries to tell Lacey that it wasn’t anything as she hurries off in disgust. This comment offends Glenn, who also starts getting dressed again. Maggie realizes what she said and desperately takes it back and says it’s not what she meant, but he refuses to listen and briskly leaves.
Early the next morning, Jacqui is awoken to the sounds of the group talking outside the RV. When she exits, she says good morning to everyone. Bruno and Dale are busy cooking some meat for breakfast, something that Lori appears to be very uncomfortable with, as she holds a hand over her nose. Jacqui asks where Carol is, noticing she’s not among the group. Rick mentions that she said she had to freshen up and wanted to check on T-Dog, who has been allowed to stay in the farmhouse.
Jacqui heads towards the farmhouse, intending to go inside, when she hears soft crying from around the back. She follows the sound until she sees Carol crying to herself. Carol is surprised to see her and tries to stop herself, but Jacqui asks what’s the matter. Carol claims that everyone is acting like things are okay, and thinks they’ve just forgotten about Sophia and that she’s out there somewhere. Jacqui reassures her that no one has forgotten, and Carol bitterly retorts that some people most likely just think she’s dead. “I saw Shane’s face yesterday. He thinks she’s dead and gone, and who’s to say more people don’t feel the same?”
Unknown to both women, T-Dog is listening from the porch, having walked out a moment earlier. Hearing Carol’s anguish makes something inside him snap. He’s sick of being made to sit around. With no one noticing, he storms off towards the stables. He approaches Nelly the horse, grunting as he saddles her up. He remarks to himself that he hasn’t ridden a horse since high school days as he quickly rides off of the farm, still going unnoticed by the rest of the group.
Glenn is walking the fence of the property when Maggie runs up to him. He turns to walk away, but she begs him not to. He relents and turns to face her. She apologizes for her reaction last night, and says that being with him felt amazing, and she felt more alive then than she has in months. This makes Glenn’s face soften, but he asks her why he should believe her. Maggie contemplates something, then tells him to come with her. He’s confused, but allows her to lead him towards the barn. Maggie makes sure no one is looking in their direction, and she climbs to the upper level of the barn, leading Glenn.
Once they reach the top, she tells him that he cannot share this with his group. He’s about to ask what she means, when he hears the moans. The two of them look down at the walkers inside the barn, and Maggie points, now feeling more unnerved about it. “That’s them, those are my brothers, and my mother.”
Rick finds Hershel mending a portion of the farm’s fence and offers to help him. Hershel declines, but tells Rick he can say what’s on his mind. Rick gets straight to the point, and says he came to see if he could convince Hershel to let them stay on the farm longer. Hershel stops what he’s doing and turns to Rick. He tells Rick that when the world goes back to normal, they will all have lives to go back to. Rick is dumbfounded, and tries to bring up the CDC, how they met a doctor who said there was no cure for this. Despite this, Hershel isn’t convinced. He says that they’ve faced many plagues before modern medicine that have all passed eventually, and soon everyone will be cured and back to normal.
Rick says that the people he claims are sick are not sick, they are completely dead and he’s seen with his own eyes, people die and come back like this. Hershel goes quiet, but remains firm. He remarks that Maggie now thinks of the sick people in a different light because of them, and is hardly speaking to him. “I’ve done right by your boy, I’ve been hospitable, I’ve done more than enough for you and your group,” Hershel declares, and repeats his earlier statement; he wants them gone as soon as Sophia is found.
Rick sees Lacey approaching and bitterly decides to leave him to his work. Hershel goes back to fixing the fence as Lacey comes up to him. When he asks what she needs, she doesn’t reply at first, but then she does. “Maggie and that guy, Glenn, are having sex,” she tells him. Hershel stops what he’s doing once again.
Entering the camp, Rick asks the others about Lori's whereabouts, as he doesn’t see her. Dale says she went inside the house and has been in there for a while. Satisfied with the answer, Rick sits down to conversate with the others. In the bathroom of the farmhouse, Lori is sitting on the floor with a hand over her mouth to silence herself, tears welling in her eyes as she stares at the object in her hand; a pregnancy test. And the test is positive.
Out in the woods, T-Dog slowly guides the horse through the area, surveying the wilderness and keeping his eyes peeled for any sign of Sophia. He pauses when he hears a faint sound in the distance. He tells the horse to stop and gets down. He finds himself overlooking a stream at the base of a small waterfall. While looking over the edge, he spots something unusual just off the edge of the waterline. He squints to get a better look at it.
Before he can though, the sound of a walker spooks both him and the horse, who runs off back towards the farm. T-Dog wrestles with the walker, crying out in pain from straining his injured arm. He manages to shove it over the side of the cliffside, but he stumbles, and before he realizes it, trips and falls down the steep embankment himself. His body rolls down the hill again and again, until he finally ends up collapsed in the shallow stream on his back, bloody and bruised, where he then quickly falls unconscious.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
In a flashback to the early onset of the apocalypse, Shane, Lori, and Carl are stuck on a jammed road. Shane and Lori stand near the police cruiser they’re driving, while Carl is sitting in the back of the car in front of them, revealed to be Carol and Ed’s car, as Sophia is sitting next to him. Carol hands the kids some crackers to snack on, which Lori thanks her for. Carol says it's no trouble, and she wanted to wait until Ed left to use the bathroom to do so. Lori asks if Shane thinks Lambert is having any luck scouting ahead up the road, but he isn’t sure.
A fight breaks out between people nearby on the road, so Shane and Lori quickly run to intervene. As they leave, Sophia says to Carl that she thinks his dad is nice. Carl quickly explains that Shane isn’t his dad, and that his dad died in the hospital. Sophia looks at her mom, who is nervously wringing her hands and watching the spot where Ed had walked away to pee. “I wish mine was too…” she murmurs.
After separating the hostile individuals, Lori walks off to the side of the road and hugs her body tightly. Shane comes up behind her and wraps his arms around her. She quietly mutters that she’s scared, and doesn’t know what’s going to happen to them. Shane faces her and swears that he will protect her and Carl, no matter what it takes. This seems to comfort her, and she thanks him, the two embracing once again.
In the present, Lori paces around inside the RV. The positive pregnancy test is wedged deep in her pocket. Finally, she exits and puts on a polite smile to say hello to the others. When she finds Rick, he pulls her in for a hug and a kiss. He notices that something is on her mind and asks if she’s okay. She assures him that she’s fine, but says that there’s something she has to tell him. Rick is receptive and wants to know what it is. Lori surveys the group members all milling about nearby, then says that she wants to tell him in private, and will do it later. She apologizes for making a big deal about it, then turns and goes over to where Carl is chatting with Louis and Eliza. Rick watches her leave, but his attention shifts to Dale calling to him from atop the RV. He asks if he’s seen T-Dog lately, and Rick says he hasn’t. Dale looks worried, saying that Jacqui said the same thing, as he’s not in the farmhouse. This prompts Rick to walk away in search of Hershel.
Lacey is sitting on the railing of the back porch of the house, a joint between her fingers that she’s smoking. Beth walks outside and sees her, frowning. She tells her sister that their father wouldn’t like her doing that. Lacey doesn’t care, instead complaining that the guy she liked instead likes her own sister. She takes another puff of her joint and grumbles that romance is just not worth it, telling Beth bitterly to cherish Jimmy, because she’s lucky to have somebody.
As Lori walks towards the farmhouse, she is followed by Shane who calls out to her. He repeats her name a few times until she finally stops and turns to face him. She angrily asks what he wants, and he says that he needs to talk to her. Lori reminds him that she made it crystal clear to stay away from her after the lies and actions he pulled. Shane is offended by this, but Lori tells him that Lambert told him to keep his distance. “Yeah? Well Lam’s not here anymore, is he?”
This stuns Lori, and her eyes go wide as Shane continues to stare her down. The silence is tense between them, until he scoffs and storms off. Lori covers her mouth, his words replaying in her head. She turns away and starts to think that Lambert’s death may have been under different circumstances.
Down in the woods by the stream, T-Dog’s body finally stirs and he opens his eyes. He cries out in pain, bruises on his chin and cheek. His sides are full of cuts from sticks and branches, and his legs ache badly, but as he begins to move around, he can tell that nothing is broken, thankfully. Before he can bring himself to sit up, in the distance he hears the growl of a walker. He grunts and tries his hardest to sit up, finally managing it, just in time to see a walker stumbling his way, roughly 30 yards away down the stream.
Andrea is chatting with Dale and Bruno, when Shane walks up quickly, surprising them all. Bruno is annoyed that he just inserted himself into the conversation, but Shane hostilely tells him to shut up. He ignores Dale and looks to Andrea, saying that if she wants extra gun practice, he’s willing to take her out on a search run for Sophia. Dale starts to voice his concerns about it, only for Shane to echo his words to Bruno, saying he’s not talking to him. Andrea glances awkwardly at the other men, and reluctantly agrees. Shane nods and walks away just as quickly to bring a car around for them.
Maggie and Glenn rest together in the bed of Maggie’s room, having spent the night together again, this time without sex. She turns to him and once again apologizes for her actions earlier softly. Glenn shushes her and tells her that it’s fine, and he should be the one apologizing for moving in on her like he did. Maggie doesn’t care, though, and insists she likes him a lot. They smile and share a quick kiss. Maggie then asks for a glass of water, and Glenn happily obliges, getting up and quietly heading downstairs.
When he reaches the lower level, he runs into Hershel in the living room, freezing. He stammers, arms frozen in place, but Hershel stops him. He invites Glenn closer to talk with him. He asks Glenn about himself and his family. Glenn tells him that he was born in South Korea, then lived in Troy, Michigan for the rest of his life growing up, then moved out to Atlanta a couple years ago in search of a successful life, instead ending up delivering pizzas. He mentions his parents and his two sisters back home, wishing he could see them again.
His explanation makes Hershel smile. He puts a hand on Glenn’s shoulder and says that he knows he and Maggie are together and intimate with each other. “I’ve given a lot of thought to the matter, and you seem like a good man. You look out for her and respect her,” he tells him, and concludes by saying that he’s giving him his blessing to pursue a relationship with her. This makes Glenn happy, but he’s taken aback when Hershel adds the revelation that he will be asking Rick and their group to leave the farm once the girl is found, but says that if Glenn wishes, he can stay on the farm with them. This information leaves Glenn silent, until he quietly excuses himself to the kitchen to get Maggie some water.
T-Dog scoots backwards on the watery ground as the walker gets closer. He emits a loud cry of pain as he forces himself to push up on his knees. He looks around weakly for his knife, seeing its shimmering reflection too far away for him to grab. Instead, T-Dog hobbles to his feet and finds a large stick. He picks it up with all his strength, and in perfect timing, turns and swings it into the walker’s head, bashing down on it several times, too. Right behind it, though, is another walker. T-Dog springs into action and uses the stick to hold it back. He shoves it, then with one thrust, jams the stick through its eye socket, putting it down.
The walker slumps down, dead. T-Dog pants and clutches his side, feeling blood dripping and leaking from his open wounds. His previously injured arm also begins to throb with pain again, and he softly curses to himself. He’s about to venture downstream to find a way up the embankment, when something sticking out of the water catches his eye. He picks up his knife, then approaches the object. When he lifts it up, his eyes widen a little. “Holy shit,” he murmurs while staring at the object in his hands; Sophia’s doll.
Shane drives quickly down the road, Andrea in the passenger seat fiddling with her gun. She asks him why they’re going so far out, breaking the silence. Shane tells her that Sophia might’ve gotten turned around, and they should expand their radius of where they look. She also asks what’s got him so worked up, and he doesn’t say much, other than he just wanted to come out here to take his mind off of things back there. “Off of Lori?” Andrea questions, making him tense up.
Their interaction is cut off when suddenly the trees fall away, and they drive past the entrance to a gated neighborhood. Andrea shouts for him to stop, and they quickly turn inside and drive up the abandoned road. Andrea marvels at how the place seems almost untouched, but then they see a couple bodies in the lawns. Shane remarks that it’s not so untouched after all. They park the car in front of a house and say they’ll search the first few, as Sophia likely wouldn’t run all the way inside.
They get their guns out, with Shane reminding Andrea of their proper handling. He kicks open the door and Andrea calls out for Sophia, telling her to say something if she’s there, but there’s no reply. They venture into the main room, seeing blood on the furniture and walls. Andrea asks if they should check upstairs, but Shane says it’s not worth it, she would’ve come out by now.
They stop in the kitchen, and Andrea confronts him, asking if he even wants to find her. Shane doesn’t reply right away, so she continues, saying that the whole time, he acts like she’s dead, when she could still very much be out there. Shane laughs dryly and says that Sophia is a little girl, and there’s no way she’s still out there. This pisses Andrea off further, shouting that he should say that to Carol’s face, then.
Shane starts to walk away, when Andrea calls him a loose cannon, and hotheaded. Then she brings up Lori again. Shane stops and turns back to look at her. Andrea continues egging him on, saying how she saw how angry she was with him back at the church, and how he was so eager to get close to her and be in a relationship with her. “You didn’t want Rick back at all, did you?” She brings up how he’d told the group that Lori’s husband died in the hospital, saying how he put up such a lie for them all.
Then she starts talking about Lambert. “I think he knew something you didn’t like,” she says in a taunting voice. She brings up the convenience of how hostile they’d been acting to each other, then all of a sudden Lambert doesn’t make it back from the run, but Shane does. She gets up in his face and asks if he can truly be trusted. Shane’s teeth clench, and his hand is around his gun, but they’re rudely interrupted by walkers banging on the door from the other side of the kitchen, and breaking it down seconds later, revealing a garage full of walkers.
Shane pushes ahead and the two of them flee the house as walkers chase them. He tells Andrea to shoot as many as she can, seeing many more now in the street around the car. Shane shoots multiple walkers around the car as he runs to it. Andrea stops as a walker gets in her way. She has trouble loading in the bullet to the chamber, and calls Shane for help. She watches as he stands by the car, not helping. Luckily, her gun fires and strikes the walker in the head. More begin to swarm her, however, and she fires rapidly, each shot taking down another walker.
Shane loses sight of Andrea, and is about to get in the car and drive off, when more gunfire erupts, and she shoves past the falling corpses as the rest turn and chase her. She runs to the car and hops in the passenger seat, telling Shane to head back to the farm right now. He quickly peels out of the neighborhood. Andrea is silent the entire drive back, staring out the window, ignoring Shane’s half-hearted apology.
Rick finds Hershel tending to the other horses in the stables. Rick greets him and asks if he’s seen T-Dog around the farm at all today, as he hasn’t been seen since the previous night. Hershel denies seeing him, and brings up his own concern; one of the horses, Nelly, has also been missing all day. He suspects that T-Dog had something to do with it, which Rick quickly begins to agree with. He wonders if T-Dog went out on his own to look for Sophia. He assures Hershel that T-Dog will return, but Hershel is still upset, reminding Rick of his wishes for things to be kept separate.
Rick apologizes, swearing he knew nothing of this, and ensures that he will speak to T-Dog when he returns. Hershel accepts his answer, but adds that he already doesn’t approve of the group using guns and killing the sick people on his property, and warns them that stealing things of his better not become a habit. Rick adamantly promises that it won’t happen again.
Dale watches from atop the RV as Shane swerves quickly back into the farm, parking the car. Andrea gets out quicker than he does and storms over to the RV, Shane just watching from afar. Lori asks her if she’s alright, and follows her inside the RV.
Dale climbs down and joins them as well. Inside, Andrea sits down in one of the seats and tells both of them how Shane almost let her get killed while out there.
Lori and Dale exchange a shocked glance, and Andrea continues to explain how she started confronting him about his behavior about Sophia, Lambert’s death, and Lori herself. Andrea pauses, then looks up at Lori. “What did Shane do to you?” The question makes Lori recoil, and she swallows hard while avoiding eye contact. She sucks in air, but as she exhales, she closes her eyes and says what Shane tried to do to her in the CDC rec room. Dale covers his mouth and Andrea lowers her head. Dale apologizes profusely for Lori having to go through that.
Andrea stands up and nods. She says that she was right when she began to think Shane is dangerous. Lori adds that she thinks he had something to do with Lambert’s death based on how he acted that morning. Dale says that they should keep an eye on him more closely, which they all agree to, then he asks if Andrea would mind taking over for him on watch, and she agrees, taking his rifle with her. Once alone, Dale quietly asks Lori if she’s told Rick, and she admits she hasn’t, and is scared of what could happen if she does. Dale insists that she tell him, and Lori says that she plans to talk to him later on to clear things up.
Andrea settles in on top of the RV, using the binoculars to survey the property further away. She squints upon seeing something. A horse gallops out from the treeline towards the farm. She puts down the binoculars and turns to look at a different part of the property, and suddenly her face drops. “Walkers!” she cries. She looks through the binoculars again, getting a slight sun glare, so she can’t quite make out a few of the figures, namely the one in front of the others.
Rick, Shane, Bruno, and Glenn run over with weapons. Andrea readies the rifle in her hands to shoot the walkers approaching. Rick tries to stop her, saying that Hershel doesn’t approve of killing on his property, but Shane doesn’t care, leading the others out to deal with the walkers coming closer. Rick curses and chases after them. Dale asks if Andrea can even hit those shots, but she’s sure she can. She takes the first shot, successfully killing one of the walkers in the back.
The sound of the gunfire draws Hershel from the house, seeing what’s going on. As Andrea fires again, he storms over to the RV, demanding that she stop this and for the others to come back. Dale agrees and begs Andrea to quit before she accidentally shoots one of the men out there.
The men run up to the rest of the oncoming walkers, but stop when they recognize the figure in front. “T-Dog?” Glenn calls out. T-Dog, still alive, weakly nods and collapses forwards. Rick and Shane quickly deal with the last few walkers behind him as Glenn and Bruno help him to his feet. Rick asks what happened, and all T-Dog says is that he was sick and tired of sitting around being useless.
As the men return back to the farm, the additional gunfire attracts Jacqui, Carol, Maggie, Beth, and Otis to come running out to see what’s going on. Jacqui exclaims in shock at the sight of the bruised and injured T-Dog, hurriedly ushering him inside to be looked at. Hershel glares daggers at Rick for what just transpired. He insists that he told them not to fire. Hershel is still upset, and tells him that they have a system here for dealing with them. “If your group is going to stay here any longer, you need to abide by my rules. My farm, my say.”
As T-Dog is brought inside, Rick walks away, down the property to be alone. Lori watches him go, then after contemplating the day’s events, follows after him. She finds him a minute later, staring off at the farmland against the sun that’s beginning to set. He greets her warmly as she approaches, and comments on how stressful the day has been.
Lori asks him if now is a good time to have the talk she mentioned that morning. Rick is receptive and says that of course he has time for her. She starts to tear up, and before she can convince herself to stop, she admits that when Rick was gone, believed to be dead, she and Shane were together. Rick is astonished as Lori starts to cry. She apologizes, saying that if she knew he was alive she never would have done anything, and that Shane had told her that he witnessed him dying.
The information is news to Rick, and he takes a moment to take it in. Lori tells him that she ended things with him the moment he returned, and she had never been happier to see him that day. Finally, he looks at Lori, who wipes away tears, and then pulls her in and embraces her. Rick says he doesn’t blame her, and that both her and Shane had plenty of reason to believe he died.
Lori pulls away suddenly and corrects him, saying that it wasn’t just they thought he was dead, it was that Shane had told Lori that he had seen his dead body with his own eyes. He had lied to her completely. Rick tilts his head, confused, insisting that Shane must’ve seen something else or not remembered right, but Lori adamantly refuses it. “He tried to—“ she goes to say, but cuts herself off. Instead of saying the truth, she says that he tried to declare his love for her at the CDC, but she rejected him, and he’s been angry and reckless ever since.
She tells Rick that she thinks he’s becoming dangerous, and that he almost got Andrea killed earlier today as well. She says they need to keep an eye on him, and Rick reluctantly agrees, still in disbelief over the information he learned about his best friend. He kisses Lori and tells her that he will always love her as they walk back to the group.
Once the sun sets lower, they come back to their tent, where they find Carl tucked into his sleeping bag. He’s happy to see his parents and asks them what happened to T-Dog today. Rick explains that he got hurt while out looking for Sophia. Carl looks saddened, then says that he wants to be the one to bring her back to safety, because he misses her. He doesn’t say much else as they all settle in to sleep.
The following morning, Hershel and Jacqui are examining T-Dog’s injuries, with Jacqui scolding him excessively for doing something so reckless and stupid like that. Carol, Andrea, and Dale are there as well, talking with them. Rick, Lori, and Shane enter the room as well, asking T-Dog how he feels. T-Dog winces as Hershel finishes stitching one of the deeper cuts, and Jacqui bandages him on his other side.
He looks at the group and says that he was sick of being treated like a liability, then turns to Carol and says that he wanted to find her little girl and bring her home. Carol is touched, and thanks him immensely for his efforts. She says that he’s infinitely a better man than her father ever was, which makes T-Dog smile. Carol apologizes, however, saying she feels bad that his efforts were for nothing.
This makes T-Dog chuckle a little. “Not for nothing,” he says with a knowing smile. He fishes into his pocket and pulls out the doll. Carol gasps, and the group looks in surprise. It’s then that Otis enters, his eyes falling on the doll. His surprise matches the group, and he asks where he found it. T-Dog confirms the location where it had been, and Otis dumbfoundedly stares at it.
“I recognize that doll. I saw it lying in that same stream, the same day you all ended up here,” he reveals. Everybody in the room looks at him with equally shocked expressions. Carol gasps with worry, while behind Otis, Shane’s expression darkens.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Shane gets up in Otis’ face, scowling. He starts to poke him in the chest and ask what he meant by that comment. Otis stammers, confused. Carol murmurs that it’s Sophia’s doll. Shane presses further when Otis doesn’t answer right away. He says that he found it near a walker, but the walker wasn’t a girl. He starts to talk about bringing the walker back, but stops himself when Patricia gives him a certain look. Shane catches this and shoves Otis a little, getting closer in his face. He begins to grill him for answers. The group, standing around in the living room watching this happen, begins trying to pull Shane away as he raises his voice.
Rick grabs Shane by the arm to pull him away while he repeatedly screams “What did you do to her?! What did you do, huh?!” at Otis. More of the group gets involved as Shane proceeds to get more violent, but the chaos comes to an abrupt stop when Hershel yells for everyone to stop. He then proceeds to say that Otis brings “people” to the farm and puts them in the barn so they can be cured when the time comes. Maggie is left in shock that Hershel was so willing to give up this information. Shane goes still, but everyone in Rick’s group exchanges a horrified glance. They are able to put together what Hershel’s statement really means; the barn is full of walkers. Before anyone can say anything, Shane bursts out of the house, pulling out his gun. Rick curses under his breath and runs after him, followed by most of the others.
Lori and Maggie shout for Shane to stop as they follow everyone out of the house. The Morales family is by the RV and sees Shane storming by, and Bruno asks what’s happening. All Shane says is that the farm isn’t safe, which makes Bruno feel a wave of concern. Right as Shane reaches the gate, Rick pulls him back by the shoulder. Shane tries to throw a punch, to everyone’s horror, but Rick ducks and backs up. Glenn and Otis quickly separate the two men as everyone shouts incoherently. Bruno ushers Miranda and his kids away from the area, ticked off by the fighting and the reveal thrust upon them.
Finally, Shane settles down. Instead of backing off, he demands that someone watch over the barn. When Rick tries to dissuade the idea, Shane yells over him, then volunteers Andrea for it. She turns to Hershel, standing near her, and says she won’t touch the barn, but will keep watch to keep Shane satisfied, and walks past him. Hershel shakes his head, and to Rick’s dismay, he declares that he wants them off of his land by the end of the day. Carol panics over this, telling Lori they can’t leave because of Sophia.
Inside the farmhouse, Hershel goes to the kitchen and begins washing his hands. Seconds later, Rick hurries inside and immediately begins begging him to reconsider. Hershel refuses and says he’s been more than kind, and they’ve overstayed their welcome. Rick continues and says they’re all willing to abide by his rules, and will do anything to help out. Hershel brings up Shane, and Rick hesitantly says he can convince him. Hershel, however, remains unconvinced. Rick pleads further, causing the older man to raise his voice.
Rick doesn’t give up, pleading the case that he needs to protect his family. He talks about how he’s already let them down before, and is trying his hardest to make things right for everyone. He begs for just one more chance to do so here. Hershel remains quiet for several seconds. When he finally speaks again, he asks if Rick is truly and completely willing to follow his rules. Rick adamantly agrees. Hershel then nods, and tells him that he will allow them to stay, if he is willing to help him with something. Rick stares, a little confused.
By the RV, with the rest of the group having dispersed from the earlier argument, Lori hangs up some laundry to dry when she sees Glenn shuffle over to her. He asks her how her talk with Rick went the previous day, which she says went fine. He then asks how he reacted to her pregnancy. When she doesn’t look him in the eye and stays silent, Glenn realizes that she didn’t tell him, something he echoes in a whisper. Lori shushes him and says that it wasn’t the right moment. “I’d just told him that I was sleeping with his best friend, I don’t think adding a pregnancy announcement to that bombshell would’ve sweetened the situation.” Glenn preemptively apologizes for possibly overstepping, then asks if she wonders if the baby is Shane’s. Lori almost chuckles, and says that there’s zero chance, as Shane never did anything to warrant a baby, as Lori explains as vaguely as possible, until Glenn stops her, quickly saying he understands.
The two of them look over when they suddenly see Dale hurrying towards his RV and speeding inside. Concerned, they follow him inside, where Lori asks what the matter is. Dale is frantically packing the guns into the bag at a fast pace. He says that he could tell by Shane’s demeanor that he was planning something, despite Rick making the call. Glenn is confused as to where he could possibly hide the guns, and Dale just says “anywhere but here.” As he slings the bag over his shoulder, Lori warns him that Shane will most definitely try to find him, and she adds that he needs to be careful, because he’s growing more dangerous. Dale simply replies that he knows, and hurries out of the RV and in a direction away from the farm. Unfortunately for him, he doesn’t notice Shane lurking near the shed, who sees him walk off.
Rick, Hershel, Otis, and Jimmy walk through the woods until they come up to a muddy creek. Up ahead, Otis spots two walkers stuck in the mud and points them out. Hershel realizes that one of them is his nearby neighbor, Louise Bush. The other walker is a man in a worker’s uniform with the name Doug stitched into it. Rick is a little stunned when Otis begins to put a snap pole around Doug’s neck as best he can. Hershel explains that this is how it works with them; they find stray “people” out in the world, and bring them back to be put inside the barn for when a cure can be made. When Rick doesn’t reply, Hershel asks if this is something he could get used to doing, as well as no longer killing walkers. Rick slowly agrees to try, which satisfies Hershel at the moment. He then instructs Jimmy to get ready to lead the walkers back to the farm.
Otis secures the snap pole around Louise’s neck and takes hold of it. Hershel passes Doug’s over to Rick, who takes it, struggling as Doug claws at him. Once the walkers are pulled free from the mud around their feet, Jimmy begins to clap and call out to them, getting their attention and telling them to follow him along. Hershel coaches Rick to lead Doug along, and Rick grunts as he finally gets Doug in front of him. Slowly, Hershel and Jimmy walk in front as Rick and Otis lead Louise and Doug back in the direction of the farm. Rick turns to Otis and asks how he manages this. Otis, with a conflicted expression, says that he tries not to think about it.
Jacqui descends the stairs of the farmhouse, hearing a small commotion from the bedroom where T-Dog should be resting. She enters, seeing him standing up, wobbling back and forth a little bit and wincing. She asks him what he’s doing in a gentle, yet scolding tone. He just laughs a little, saying he’s ready to be back on his feet again. She refuses, entering and making him sit down on the bed. She reminds him that he’s been badly injured not once, but twice in the last week. He tries to brush it off, but Jacqui sharply cuts him off. She takes a deep breath and sits down next to him. “I want to live now, I do, it’s just in the moments where I didn’t, you were one of the reasons that kept me alive. I’m not tryin’ to put a burden on you by saying this, all I mean is, I’m not gonna sit here and let the reason I’m still here get himself killed.”
This stuns T-Dog, and Jacqui adds on that she sees him as her best friend and won’t stand for him putting his life on the line again and again. T-Dog smiles in response, and half-jokingly asks if she’s sure it’s not something more. A look T-Dog can’t place flashes in Jacqui’s eyes before disappearing, and she smiles jokingly back and says that she’s sure it isn’t. Before he can quiz her on anything further, Patricia walks in with T-Dog’s daily medication. She asks how he’s feeling, and he tells her about standing up moments ago. She reacts with mild surprise, and says that’s a good thing. Jacqui tries to protest otherwise, but Patricia reminds her that it’s always good to get up and about for a little while if on bed rest, referring to muscle fatigue from disuse. Feeling much more confident, T-Dog decides to stand up, slowly doing so with Jacqui’s support.
Glenn sits on top of the RV, enjoying the sun. He continues to steal glances over at Andrea, who paces around by the barn, visibly bored. He’s snapped from his thoughts at the ladder being climbed. He relaxes when he sees it’s only Maggie. She softly greets him and asks why he’s so jumpy. Glenn responds that he thought she was Shane, and she grimaces. He further explains that Shane might come looking for Dale because he took the guns and hid them. Maggie doesn’t even need to ask why, correctly inferring it's related to the barn. Glenn leans closer to her, saying that he didn’t expect Hershel to just give up the secret. Maggie says she was shocked by it as well, he was always so protective over secrets. Glenn is optimistic and thinks it could mean he trusts the group more. Maggie isn’t so sure and reminds him that he had literally just told them to leave by tonight. Glenn wants to convince him otherwise, kissing Maggie after he says so. Maggie manages a smile and says that when he gets back, she’ll talk to him. Glenn looks around and asks where he’s gone. Maggie looks away, a look of semi-guilt on her face.
Dale is hurriedly walking through the woods, the guns still over his shoulder. His eyes dart back and forth at various forest sounds, and the distant sound of walkers growling. He stops next to a large tree to catch his breath, when he suddenly hears Shane’s voice behind him. He turns around, dropping the bag and raising his rifle. Shane has his gun out, but not raised. Shane remarks that the woods are a decent hiding spot, and that he should’ve kept better watch on his surroundings. Dale readies his rifle and says that he won’t let him get anybody else hurt. Shane scowls and approaches him. He interrogates the older man, wondering if he’s been spreading things about him, how he’s seen him watching him. Dale isn’t intimidated, and instead just outright tells Shane that he’s dangerous. Shane grins, a malicious type of grin, and steps closer. He asks why Dale thinks it, and Dale simply brings up Lambert. This makes Shane’s attitude fumble, and Dale takes notice.
“You’ve been talkin’ to Andrea, huh?” he asks bitterly. Dale nods, and taunts Shane, asking if he’s going to try and kill him now, too, like he tried with Andrea. Shane scoffs and shakes his head. He proceeds to ask for the guns. Dale refuses and cocks the rifle, threatening to shoot. Shane just gets closer, until the muzzle of the rifle is pressed against his shirt. Shane says he doesn’t have the balls to shoot, and proceeds to push the gun out of the way. Dale grits his teeth, and with much reluctance, hands over the bag. Truthfully, he doesn’t want to get hurt by Shane. Dale looks at him with hate in his eyes and says that if he gets them kicked off the farm, he’ll tell Rick everything. As Shane walks away, all he says is “fair enough”.
On the porch of the farmhouse, Carl is playing a board game with Beth, Louis, and Eliza while Miranda and Carol watch over them. The door opens, and T-Dog walks outside followed by Jacqui and Patricia. Patricia commends him for healing quickly, and he jokes that he’s tough like that. Lacey stalks outside and is met by Glenn and Maggie walking over from the RV. Lacey asks where their father is, and Maggie mentions that he must still be out with Rick and the others. Carl worries that they could’ve gotten into trouble, but Beth assures him that Otis is strong and capable. Carl agrees, but says that his dad is, too, and he’s not worried for him. Just then, Andrea walks over from the barn and asks for Dale, as she hasn’t seen him all day. It’s then that Shane walks back onto the farm, getting the attention of everyone. Lori exits the house and steps to the front, asking what he’s doing with the guns. Andrea asks where Dale is, leading Shane to casually reply that he’s fine.
Shane takes a gun and hands it to Bruno, who takes it, confused. He hands another to T-Dog, then a shotgun to Glenn. Lori demands that he stop this, as it's not his decision. Lacey gets up in his face and tells him if he goes down by the barn, he’ll be sorry. Shane tries not to laugh, brushing off her threat with a shoulder bump. Maggie blocks Lacey protectively, telling him to stay away from her sister. Carol runs down the steps and approaches Shane, begging for him not to do anything, as if they leave the farm they’ll have no landmark to look for Sophia with. Shane rubs his head and says that he doesn’t believe she’s out there anymore, and she probably has been dead for a while. Carol places a hand on her chest, visibly hurt by the remark, silently comforted by Jacqui who glares in Shane’s direction. Lori shoves Shane back and tells him that none of this is his decision. Even Carl looks at Shane with shock and almost disgust. He reminds him that Sophia is his friend and he won’t stop until they find her.
The group then hears faint sounds from by the barn. Andrea sees Hershel emerge with Jimmy and announces that they’re back. Everyone is shocked when they see Rick and Otis emerge with the zombified Louise and Doug. This makes Shane snap, and he takes off running down towards the barn. Lori and the others yell for him to stop, and everyone gives chase, T-Dog and Carl lagging behind due to their injuries. Rick sees Shane armed with his gun, so does Hershel, who demands to know what is going on. Shane begins yelling obscenities at Hershel, saying he’s crazy for this. Shane shouts that the walkers aren’t sick or alive, they’re dead. “You’re wrong!” Hershel shouts. Shane cocks his gun and aims it at Louise, shooting her in the chest twice. “Why is she still coming?!” he shouts. Everyone screams and ducks out of fear as Shane unloads three more bullets into Louise. Rick screams for Shane to stop. Shane approaches Louise, saying “yeah, I made my point,” before he shoots her directly in the head.
Her body falls to the ground, leaving Hershel in stunned horror. Beth shrieks and is embraced by Jimmy. Shane continues yelling, he’s sick of traipsing through the woods looking for a dead little girl, and sick of pretending like the walkers aren’t a threat. Finally, he says he’s going to make the group remember how dangerous they are, and he suddenly runs towards the barn. Rick yells for Hershel to take the snap pole attached to Doug. Hershel ignores Rick, watching Shane bang on the barn doors and break open the lock. Suddenly, Hershel stands up and storms at Shane to everyone’s surprise. He grabs Shane by the shoulders and pulls him back, yelling for him to get off his property. Shane fights back, wrestling with Hershel. All of a sudden, a pair of zombified arms reach out from the barn, grabbing Hershel.
“DAD!” Lacey screams and runs over to him. She shoves Shane out of the way and pulls Hershel free from the walker grabbing him. He stumbles backwards, but is quickly caught by Maggie, who had run over to catch him. However, the walker now has a grip on Lacey, and as it stumbles out of the barn, it turns out to be Shawn. The zombified Shawn lunges and takes a huge bite out of Lacey’s shoulder. She screams bloody murder as Shawn continues biting her, and a wave of other walkers join him, pulling her to the ground just outside the barn doors, tearing her apart. Beth screams out for her sister, beginning to sob. Shane backs up quickly and readies his gun. Andrea and Otis rush up to the front line as well, knowing what needs to be done. Shane fires, killing the first walker. Otis aims his rifle and puts down two right away, Andrea following suit with her newfound aim.
Miranda warns her children to stay behind her, and Lori holds onto Carl tightly, although he stares intently at the barn with a determined look. Glenn looks to Maggie, who just nods while in tears, still trying to block out Lacey screaming in agony. T-Dog tries to go up and shoot with the others as so many walkers pour out of the barn. When he tries to raise the gun, he winces in pain. Jacqui gently takes the gun from him. “I’ve got this,” she says. Jacqui joins the others on the shooting line. Hershel is despondent, watching Shawn rip into Lacey along with many of the other barn walkers. He watches as Arnold emerges from the barn, taking a callous bullet from Shane.
Shane proceeds to turn around as Rick shouts for this all to stop, seeing the zombified Doug still alive, he shoots him dead with ease. Maggie pulls Hershel away from the barn massacre to a safe distance, still embracing him. His soul is crushed when he sees Annette stumble out next, walking right past him like nothing. She has no memory of him. Jacqui sorrowfully aims at her and shoots her down. Glenn and Otis take down several more walkers, and Andrea aims down at Shawn, killing him as he feasts on Lacey, who is long dead, no longer screaming. The other walkers around Lacey are shot to death one by one, and the last few walkers inside the barn are put down. Everything goes quiet.
Lori is clutching Carl close, and Patricia runs to Otis once everything is over. Beth is still heavily crying over Lacey and her other family members. Rick and Shane lock eyes, both looking extremely furious with the other. It’s then that Dale finally re-enters the farm, looking at the carnage. He walks up next to Carol and asks what happened. She doesn’t get the chance to reply, when the group at the front notices that there’s still a walker moving. It’s knelt down, still eating Lacey. Shane is about to shoot it, when everyone freezes as the walker looks up, flesh in its mouth. Jacqui and Andrea cover their mouths in pure horror. Carol sees it from near the back and runs up front. “S… Sophia?!” she cries out.
The walker is indeed Sophia, with a massive bite wound on her arm. Otis blocks Carol from running all the way over to Sophia so she doesn’t get killed. Carol falls to the ground, screaming and crying. Carl, Louis, and Eliza all begin to cry, being consoled by their parents who wear expressions of equal despair and disbelief. The zombified form of Sophia stands up and starts walking towards the group. No one raises their weapon to shoot her, not even Shane. Finally, Rick walks past everyone and lifts his python. With a remorseful, guilt ridden expression, looking into her eyes, he pulls the trigger, putting her down. Finally, all the walkers are dead. Glenn helps Carol stand up, her legs weak from her breakdown. She breaks down sobbing at the sight of Sophia’s body and runs away towards the house.
Beth cries for Lacey and her family, and breaks out of Jimmy’s grip and rushes to Lacey’s body. She kneels down beside her. Lacey’s skin is paler from blood loss, but as Beth cries over her, her eyes suddenly open and she growls, grabbing at her. Members of the group run over and pull her away as she screams. Rick and Glenn pull her away and kick away at Lacey. Andrea pushes her down while Jacqui grabs a scythe from next to the barn. As Andrea holds her in place, Jacqui stabs Lacey in the head by swinging the scythe into her, removing it swiftly. Maggie and Otis help Hershel stand up and begin walking him back to the house, Beth and Patricia following behind.
As they walk away, Rick, Shane, and Glenn follow after them. Otis is devastated by what just happened. He murmurs that he didn’t know. He explains that he found the little girl several hours before the incident with Carl, so he didn’t think anything of it. Shane is still heated, and insists that they all knew and kept it hidden on purpose. Hershel weakly says they didn’t know, but Shane doesn’t buy it. Otis tells him to back off, but he persists. Another argument breaks out, and when Shane advances on Hershel, Maggie slaps him across the face, calling him a stupid asshole. She helps Hershel and Beth inside, Glenn following after.
Now alone, Rick looks at Shane, prompting the other man to raise his voice, saying that they’d still be in the woods looking for Sophia if he hadn’t just done what he did. Rick is pissed and says he didn’t even think she was alive out there. Shane gives Rick a dumbfounded look and says, “and it looks like I was right.” He goes on to say that everyone can keep being delusional, but he knows he did the right thing, then storms off on his own. Rick doesn’t get the chance to breathe, when he’s approached by Bruno, with Miranda, Louis, and Eliza behind him. Bruno explains to Rick that they’ve made up their minds and they’re leaving the farm, the incident just now having made up their minds. Rick, defeated, doesn’t debate them on it, and understands their decision. Louis says he will miss Carl and Eliza wishes they didn’t have to go. Miranda assures the children that this is the right choice.
They walk to where their jeep is parked, Rick following. He wishes them well and warns them to be safe out there. Bruno promises they will be, and the two men shake hands. The family enters their vehicle, and Rick watches them drive out of the farm with a falling expression, and he walks back down to where others are still gathered by the barn. Inside the farmhouse, Maggie is encouraging Beth to eat something, as she is trembling and still crying. Beth doesn’t want to, saying she can’t do it. Maggie begs her to, but she just shakes her head. She sobs more, over Lacey being gone and the others. Maggie doesn’t have the heart to tell her how their other family members were already dead as walkers.
She stands up when Glenn enters the kitchen and exits to talk to him. He asks how Beth is doing, to which Maggie replies that she isn’t doing so well, and neither is she. Glenn takes her hand and reminds her that he’s here for her. She manages a small smile, but suddenly turns at a loud sound from the kitchen. Beth is on the floor, having stood up and immediately collapsed, the small dish of food shattering on the floor. Maggie and Glenn run to her side, rolling her onto her back. Otis and Patricia run in and see the situation. Maggie yells for Hershel, but when he doesn’t show up, Glenn goes to find him.
Running upstairs, Glenn checks the bedrooms and the bathroom, finding no one at all. Otis carries Beth into the downstairs bedroom while Patricia quickly begins tending to her vitals. Glenn notices a flask sitting on the dresser in Hershel’s bedroom, but thinks nothing of it. He still can’t find Hershel in any of the rooms, worrying him. He goes to the stairs where he’s met by Otis at the bottom, who asks if Hershel is coming. Glenn nervously reveals that he’s not up there, seemingly not in the house at all. Otis looks at him in surprise, and realizes that after he went inside, he didn’t see where Hershel went. He’s gone missing.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Sophia’s body is covered in a blanket by Andrea, who kneels next to her with a look of sorrow. Jimmy and Dale are moving the bodies of walkers, with T-Dog doing his best to help, too. Shawn, Annette, Arnold, and Lacey’s bodies have all been covered as well. Carl is sitting on the ground next to Lori, the latter sitting in shock. She turns to him and asks how he feels. Carl responds that he feels like he should’ve been the one to put Sophia down, since she was his friend, and he pulls out the gun he has been allowed to keep.
His answer makes Lori’s stomach turn. She looks away, then asks Jacqui to take Carl up to the house, as he shouldn’t be around all these bodies. She agrees to and they leave the area. Lori stands up and reacts coldly when Shane walks back down, Rick following from a distance. He begins bellowing orders, directing Andrea and T-Dog to put the bodies in a pile. Dale criticizes him, calling him monstrous, but Shane counters that they’re not burying every single body. T-Dog agrees, earning a judgmental look from Dale, but he points out that he’s not digging graves for random walkers. Shane suggests burning them, something they did at the Atlanta camp, and Dale halfheartedly agrees. Andrea suggests burning them at a distance from the farm, as the smell would be awful, which everyone agrees upon.
As Andrea and T-Dog get to work putting the rest of the bodies into a pile, Lori asks how they’ll transport them all. Jimmy says he’ll grab the keys to Otis’ truck and they can load the bodies into the back, and he jogs off. Shane catches Dale staring at him and calls him out, but Dale says nothing and walks away towards the house. Shane also walks away, passing Rick with a dark glare as he approaches Lori. Rick tells her that the Morales family has left because of Shane, which upsets her. He proceeds to ask her if she thought opening the barn was right. Lori admits that they would’ve never found Sophia otherwise, but agrees with Rick that going against Hershel’s wishes was completely wrong. Rick is happy that she agrees with him, and notes that he’ll have to explain about the Morales family to the others in a little while. They’re interrupted when Jimmy slowly drives down with Otis’ blue truck.
Not long after, the other bodies had been taken care of, piled up several yards behind the barn. Most of the group now stands around several filled graves. Carol cries while being supported by Andrea. Glenn and Maggie approach the group just as Jacqui points out that Hershel should be here for this. The couple jogs over and, out of breath, explains that Hershel is nowhere to be found and Beth is in a catatonic state of shock. Sadly cutting the memorial short, everyone makes their way over to the house. Inside, Rick, Shane, and Lori gather in the main bedroom with Maggie, Glenn, Otis, and Patricia, discussing where Hershel could’ve possibly gone. Shane points out the flask that Glenn had overlooked earlier.
The object’s presence confuses Maggie, who reveals that while Hershel had previously had problems with beer, something Otis corroborates, he never allowed alcohol in the house after his children came around. Lori wonders if he relapsed into old habits, something Shane bitterly comments on. “We all do things we come to regret in grief,” he says, which earns him unseen glares from both of them. Glenn is still confused, wondering how it correlates to Hershel leaving the farm. Patricia mentions that there’s a local bar in town, near the pharmacy. Maggie wants to go and get him herself, but Rick talks her out of it, reminding her that Beth needs her. He volunteers himself and Glenn for the mission, something that Lori reacts visibly upset to.
Satisfied with the plan, everyone disperses, with Patricia and Maggie hurrying back to Beth’s side. Lori stops Rick in the hall and tells him that he’s making a mistake. Rick insists he has to bring Hershel back as an act of good faith after what just happened. Instead, Lori demands that he stay here, and recounts her earlier conversation with Carl. She tells Rick how he had talked about shooting Sophia himself. “He can’t grow up to be a cold, ruthless killer. That’s not my boy,” she murmurs, trying not to get upset, adding that he needs his father. Rick pauses, and assures her he understands what she’s saying. To her dismay, he says he still plans to go after Hershel, but promises to be quick.
Lori and Carl watch Rick and Glenn prep Carol’s car to drive into the city from the porch. Dale walks up next to them and asks if they’re worried. Lori’s face indicates yes, but Carl answers first, confidently saying no. Lori pats him on the shoulder and says that she’s glad he feels so confident about Rick. Carl asks her if she feels the same, but Lori doesn’t answer. She has faith in Rick, it’s the unknown that scares her.
Just as Rick goes to climb into the driver’s seat, both men are stopped when Jacqui jogs up to them, inviting herself along on the journey. Rick is highly skeptical, earning a look from her. Jacqui assures them both that she’s more than capable of taking care of herself, bitterly remarking that Shane is at least good for the gun training. She goes on to say that she’ll be able to talk to Hershel, as a fellow religious believer. When Rick still expresses doubts, she retorts that neither of them are religious, and she explains that Hershel is a man of firm beliefs and someone who understands that is crucial. Rick appears convinced, and tells her to get in. Before Glenn gets in, Maggie runs outside and embraces him. The two of them share a kiss, and she murmurs that she loves him. Glenn, taken aback, stutters out an identical statement, making her giggle as she turns and walks away. Rick and Jacqui playfully smile at him as he climbs in the passenger seat, leading Rick to drive away.
Inside the RV, Carol sits in the back while crying her eyes out. The door opens, and T-Dog can be heard calling her name. He comes to the back and finds her in that state. He expresses his deepest condolences for what she’s going through, sitting down across from her. Carol manages to calm her tears, and she looks over at a potted flower Dale has sitting in the window, a cherokee rose. She laments that all this time, Sophia was gone. T-Dog tries to console her by saying nobody could’ve known, but she stops him. Carol remembers how Otis put her in the barn before the accident with Carl, meaning that Sophia was dead before they could even look. She keeps talking about it, bringing up that Sophia died alone, something she was afraid of this entire time. Carol looks up and says that she believes she failed her daughter, putting her through years of abuse at Ed’s hands, and now failing to protect her in this world. T-Dog stops her from talking that way, saying that Ed’s actions against her were not her fault at all. He tells her what a wonderful mother she was, and that at least she isn’t left to suffer in a world like this anymore. Carol is somewhat comforted by this, but she thinks about the bite on her arm, and how it meant that she had been dying for a long period of time, alone and scared. T-Dog rubs her shoulder and says he’ll give her some space, leaving her to her grief filled thoughts.
While Shane walks away from the empty barn towards the parked vehicles, he passes Dale and Andrea, who shoot him disgusted looks. He initially ignores them and is about to get into a car, but stops himself and turns around to storm back to them. He demands to know what they want from him. Dale scolds him for the barn yet again, citing that it was exactly what he was trying to prevent. Andrea chimes in that he was completely in the wrong for doing what he did. This makes Shane laugh and he points out how she was shooting, too, which Andrea argues was to protect anyone else from being overrun like Lacey was. She repeats Lacey’s fate, and blames Shane for her death. “Walkers in the barn may have been dangerous, but now Hershel has one less child because you couldn’t leave well enough alone.”
Shane shakes his head and says that they just don’t get it, he was doing it in the interest of the group. Dale asks if killing Lambert was in the interest of the group. Shane goes quiet, but steps up to both of them. He says that Lambert was one of his closest friends, and that if he killed him, imagine what he’d do to people who he’s not friends with at all. Although they don’t outwardly show it, Dale and Andrea are shaken by this, until Dale shoos him away. They watch him leave in silence.
On the road, Rick drives with Glenn and Jacqui. The car is silent until Rick asks Glenn about Maggie, which Glenn awkwardly indulges in. “You two are really serious, huh?” Jacqui asks. Glenn responds that they are, and that he really does love her. Rick agrees that it’s clear she loves him back. Glenn asks him if this is what it was like for him and Lori. Rick pauses, and says that he and Lori had been friends since high school, actually dating near the end. The two of them even got married only a few years after graduating. This makes Glenn ask if it affected their love at all. Rick admits that later in their marriage they struggled, but the first years of dating and marriage were near perfect. Rick encourages him to fight for Maggie, and says that their relationship might actually be helpful in convincing Hershel to change his mind.
Before the conversation ends, Glenn turns to ask Jacqui if she loved someone before. Jacqui smiles a little and reveals that she had feelings one time. She goes on to say that things didn’t really work out between the both of them years ago. Glenn apologizes for that, but Jacqui says it’s no big deal and she was over it already. Glenn suddenly looks out the front window and points out Hershel’s red and gray car parked next to the bar. They pull up and get out, weapons drawn in case walkers are near. The three approach the bar doors and burst inside ready to attack. All they see is Hershel, sitting at the other end, drinking some liquor. Hershel doesn’t even turn around and knows it’s Rick, and asks if Maggie sent him. He says he came because he was worried, and so did Glenn and Jacqui.
As they approach, Jacqui expresses her condolences over everything that happened, and she has been praying for him and his daughters. Rick also tells him that Beth collapsed back at the farm and is alive but in some kind of shocked, unresponsive state. He thinks that it might be from everything that happened. Hershel says that he did this to her, making her believe that her mother and brothers were still alive, and because of it she lost another sibling. He also turns to Rick and apologizes, saying he was wrong. “As soon as Shane started shooting Lou, and she just kept coming, right then I knew how damn wrong I had been,” he says in anguish. Rick tells him that apologies can be sorted out later, but right now they need to get him back to the farm. Hershel finishes his glass of liquor, and agrees to return. However, as soon as the four go to leave, two men suddenly enter the bar. One of them, wearing a camo cap, says hello.
Maggie holds Beth’s hand while she lies in the bed. She whispers to Beth that she’s all they have left for each other, and she doesn’t want to lose her, too. A soft knock makes her turn, seeing Dale standing in the doorway. He asks how she’s doing, referring to both of them. Maggie says she’s doing alright, and just hopes Hershel returns soon. Dale proceeds to say what an awful thing it was that Shane did. Maggie nods, and she says that she understands why the others joined in. “My daddy might not’ve survived that either if Glenn and the others didn’t step in, that’s why I don’t blame them.” She goes on to say she only blames Shane. Dale comes closer and tells her that he wanted to talk to her about him, as he thinks that he and he alone should be kicked off the farm. Maggie seems interested in this.
In the bar, the two strangers introduce themselves, the man in the cap is Mitch, and his friend with a shotgun strapped over his shoulder is Willie. Rick introduces himself, Hershel, Glenn, and Jacqui. Mitch explains they’re out scavenging for the rest of their group, with Willie saying they haven’t had much luck. Glenn agrees, saying that this area has been mostly picked over already. Mitch wonders if they took all the supplies from the area. Jacqui laughs it off, wishing so. Mitch eyes the bar and notes that it doesn’t seem like the four of them are staying here. Hershel quips that he needed a drink, but just quit. Mitch stops beating around the bush and asks where they’re staying.
Willie jokes that the area is so rural that maybe they’re on a farm. Mitch laughs along with him as the other man moves towards the side bar to find drinks. Rick eyes him, just in case, feeling uneasy. Glances from the others indicate they all feel the same. Mitch doubles down on the farm and asks if they’re staying on a farm. Hershel reluctantly admits that he owns a farm nearby. Rick quickly interjects and says that they lost people earlier today; including Hershel’s wife, and some of his kids. Rick half-lies, saying a cluster of the dead came through and attacked. Mitch and Willie, although bold, show genuine sympathy for Hershel, apologizing for his losses. Mitch pours himself a drink, and asks what their plan is. Rick thinks that they might move on, citing Shane’s insistence of Fort Benning. Hershel says that won’t be necessary, saying them on the farm is just fine. The other three look at him in surprise, realizing he is allowing them to stay on the farm. Mitch then drops the bombshell on them that Fort Benning was completely overrun. Glenn asks how he knows, and Mitch reveals he was one of the lucky few to make it out of there alive, shocking the others.
Mitch continues to talk, saying that he, Willie, and their group have had to do so many heinous acts to survive out in the world. Finally, he asks the next obvious question, asking if their group could come live on the farm. Rick looks between his friends and confidently refuses. He says that the farm is too full as it is and they wouldn’t be able to feed them all. This angers Willie to the point where he starts shouting at them. “How dare you, you don’t know the shit we’ve done, we’ve lost people just like you!” Rick tells him to calm down, but Willie instead threatens him further, saying he’ll just shoot all of them. Mitch stands up to deescalate the situation. He goes behind the bar, saying that some more drinks will do them some good. Rick watches him as he pours some beer into another glass.
He continues to talk to Rick, saying how they won’t last much longer out there and need a place to go. Rick repeats that the farm is not an option. Mitch sarcastically asks what they do then, leading Rick to suggest going back to Fort Benning, saying they could always just rebuild it with the experience he has, clearly meaning it in a sarcastic way. Mitch laughs dryly at this comment, but then scowls. All of a sudden, he reaches for the gun in his belt. Rick reacts even quicker, drawing his own and shooting Mitch in the head. Willie gasps and readies his shotgun, but Rick turns around and fires two bullets into his chest, making him slump to the ground. He gurgles and spasms on the floor, until Rick walks up and shoots him in the head. Hershel, Glenn, and Jacqui stand and stare in bewildered silence.
Andrea walks towards the RV as the sun begins to set over the horizon. Lori is sitting beside Carol, who is most calmer now, and Carl is writing in a workbook in front of them. Lori sees her approach and asks about Beth’s condition, which Andrea reports that there’s been no change. When she walks off, Lori paces around a bit. Carl looks up from his workbook and says that Rick will return soon and she shouldn’t worry. Lori doesn’t answer, instead looking over by the shed, where she sees Shane organizing tools and supplies. She hesitantly weighs her options, and walks quickly over to him.
She calls out to him, and he smiles sarcastically. “What, you want to talk to me now?” he asks her. “Trust me, I wouldn’t be if it wasn’t important,” she retorts. Shane sighs deeply, which Lori ignores and goes on to say that it’s been hours since Rick left to get Hershel. Shane gets short with her and tells her to spit out what she wants. She asks if he’ll go into the town to make sure they’re alright. Shane almost laughs at the request and refuses. This makes Lori angry, and she gets on his case about it. She says that this isn’t about her, or about their relationship, it’s about Beth’s wellbeing, because she could die without Hershel’s care. She also reminds him that Rick was his best friend. Instead, Shane bitterly remarks that Rick found his way back to her and Carl once, and can do it again, before he walks away from her.
Lori is left in stifled rage. She turns and walks back over to Carol and Carl. She asks if Carol is willing to watch over Carl for a bit, which she agrees to with a soft smile. Lori thanks her and tells Carl that she’ll be right back, and to be good. Carl agrees to, but tells her not to be gone for long, as it’s going to be time for dinner soon. Lori walks over to the farmhouse. Inside, she hears the indistinct chatter of Maggie, Otis, and Patricia in Beth’s room. She finds a set of car keys, belonging to Maggie’s car, takes them, and walks out the back door. She climbs into the car parked behind the house and drives away without anyone noticing.
The sun has gone down fully now, and the survivors in the bar are still left in shock over what Rick did. Glenn paces back and forth in worry, with Hershel doing his best to calm him down. Just as they go to leave, a truck pulls up outside. Rick gets everyone down, and voices can be heard, calling out Mitch and Willie’s names. Glenn jumps at gunshots, but it's only one of them shooting a walker. The leader of the men, Nate, tells them to check the bar, since Mitch always loved a drink. One of the men calls out for Willie loudly, only to be shushed by his friend Dave, but Sean is concerned as Willie is his older brother. Just as the door to the bar gets opened, Glenn forces it shut with his body.
The five men murmur that someone is in there. They then call out, saying they want to find their friends. Rick speaks up and says that they drew on them, and he was forced to act. One of the men, Tony, gets upset hearing this. Rick goes on to say that he didn’t want to kill them, but they gave him no choice. He asks if they can just go their separate ways, but instead the door is shot out. Rick slides Glenn the shotgun from Willie, and Hershel grabs Mitch’s gun. Rick fires out the broken glass at them and tells everyone to run. Glenn and Jacqui run for the back of the bar, and Rick asks Hershel if he can use a gun. Hershel says he knows how to shoot, he just hasn’t for a while. Glenn is hyperventilating, and Jacqui calms him down, helping him breathe. Suddenly, they see a silhouette at the back door, which Glenn shoots at, making them run away.
Rick and Hershel run down to them, and say that they can sneak around the back alley to the car and make it back. Glenn opens the door and heads out first. Suddenly, Tony shouts that he sees him, and Sean comes around the corner. Jacqui runs out and pulls Glenn behind a dumpster as they rain gunfire at them. Hershel pops out and shoots Sean in the shoulder, making him and Tony retreat. Suddenly, bullets fly at them from a rooftop, where a younger kid, Randall, is shooting down at them. Rick and Glenn fire back but realize they’re being pinned down. It’s then that walkers begin to emerge from the trees. Nate drives the truck around, with Dave shooting some walkers nearby. Dave shouts for everyone to get in and go. Randall is still shooting at the survivors, while Tony yells at him to get down because Sean was shot. Randall doesn’t want to leave, but suddenly gunfire from a different location, fired at him, makes him run to the edge of the roof. Randall shimmies down a pipe and jumps into the truck, Rick and Dave trading gunfire as they speed off.
Walkers are now surrounding the area. Glenn shoots at several of them, and Hershel hands Jacqui his gun so he can start the car. Jacqui takes down several walkers as Rick runs into the road to try and see where the men drove off. Hershel tells him to forget about them and go. More walkers crowd the town, with Rick shooting a few. Glenn is almost grabbed by a walker that gets too close, but is rescued again by Jacqui. They climb into the car and Hershel calls for Rick. Finally listening, Rick gets in the driver’s seat and speeds out, in the direction of the farm, leaving the walkers far behind.
Inside one of the other shops in town, a rifle is lowered from its aim at the building Randall had been standing on. Tyreese lets it drop down at his side, while Sasha scolds him quietly for possibly bringing attention to their location. Tyreese says that he was just trying to help the survivors, since they’ve been trying to find them again for several days now. Sasha wonders if they found the little girl yet, Tyreese is hopeful that they did. He then points out that they mentioned a farm, and decides that in the morning they’ll follow in that direction looking for farmland.
The rest of the group gathers in the dining room for dinner. Carol notices Lori isn’t in the room and walks to the staircase, calling up to her that dinner is ready. When she gets no response, she goes back and asks if Lori is upstairs. Maggie explains that she isn’t, confusing Carol. Dale asks if anyone has seen her this evening, and no one can. Shane suddenly feels a wave of unease, and he asks Carl when he saw her last. Carl responds that it was earlier in the day, when Carol was watching him. Everyone looks at each other and realizes that something is wrong. It’s finally then that Carl starts panicking and Andrea comforts him. Shane stands up faster than everyone else and says he’s going out after her. Otis says he’ll come, too, since he knows the area best.
Just as Shane bursts outside, followed by the rest of the group, a car’s bright headlights pull back into the farm. Everyone looks on with a sigh of relief when they see Rick, Glenn, Jacqui, and Hershel emerge. Maggie and Carl run for them both, with Carl embracing Rick. Maggie hugs Hershel and tells him about Beth, and he has Patricia and Jacqui come with him to check on her now. Maggie then turns to Glenn, who is still visibly shaken from almost being shot. She asks if he’s okay, and he nods his head yes. Rick sees that Carl is almost crying and says that he’s fine, everyone is. Carl, through budding tears, reveals that Lori is missing. Rick looks up at Shane with a look of pure panic in his eyes. Shane stares back, his hands folded with a look of guilt.
Lori is still on the road. She passes through the dark city, not seeing the now abandoned car belonging to Carol. The walkers are gone now, but as Lori passes through the city, she suddenly sees one in the road only a few hundred feet ahead of her. She swerves to avoid it, when a deafening pop comes from below. One of the tires burst from the sudden violent movement. Lori jerks the car to a stop, and the walker bangs on her door. She grabs her small blade and kicks open the door. When the walker stumbles back, she wrestles it down to the ground with a few kicks, then stabs it in the brain. An unfamiliar male voice compliments her walker kill, causing her to pull out the small revolver she brought with her and aim it at the man. The man is Dave, who walks out with Tony, hands up.
Lori asks who they are, and he puts on a friendly attitude, saying they’re just trying to get back to their group. This makes Lori relax slightly, and she asks if they’ve seen a group of four survivors, as one of them is her husband and he hasn’t returned to where they’re staying. Dave and Tony exchange a look, and Tony asks his name. When Lori tells him it’s Rick, they nod to each other. “Yep, it’s him,” Dave says and motions to someone behind Lori. All of a sudden, she’s grabbed from behind, her gun knocked away. Randall subdues her and Tony pulls out a bag. Lori screams and kicks at Randall, so Dave yells for her to be knocked out already. Tony takes the end of his gun and smacks Lori across the head with it, knocking her unconscious. Now limp in Randall’s hold, Dave instructs Tony to put the bag on her head and get her in the waiting truck back to their camp.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
A new morning has arrived, and Rick is sitting at the entrance gate to the farm. He has been there all night, and his eyes are red and puffy, stained with dried tears. Behind him, Shane approaches, initially not saying anything. Rick doesn’t even turn to face him, still watching the road leading away from the farm. Shane clears his throat, but it doesn’t make Rick move.
Shane begins talking anyway. He speaks in a low, almost shameful voice. He tells Rick that this is his fault, and Lori had asked him to go into town after him and the others, but he had refused. He says that he had had faith in him to be back soon, and thought going out wasn’t necessary. “Brother, if I could go back and do it differently, I would,” he finishes with. After another moment of silence, Shane offers Rick to come with him, so he can get some rest and something to eat. Rick weakly agrees, and begins following after Shane. As he walks, Shane’s face transforms into one of annoyance.
Inside the house, Beth is sitting upright while Hershel takes her temperature. He asks her if anything hurts, and she just shakes her head no. Jacqui brings her a plate of breakfast and tells her to eat to keep her strength up. In the living room, Carl is sitting with his knees pulled up to his face. Andrea is sitting next to him, rubbing his back. Carl has a few tears in his eyes, and he murmurs that he doesn’t know what he’ll do without his mom. Andrea understands what he’s going through, and she stares off briefly, clearly remembering Amy. She tells Carl that Lori is going to be just fine. She also adds that on the slim chance that something happens, he has the group that will be there for him. Carl is appreciative of this sentiment.
Rick enters the house shortly after Shane does. Everyone stops and looks over at him, noting his reddened eyes and very tired expression. Glenn walks over and puts a hand on his shoulder. He comforts Rick and says to come with him to get some food. Dale asks if there’s anything they can do. Rick looks around at everyone who is standing nearby. He says that he’ll regroup with everyone later to discuss what they’ll do. He then goes with Glenn into the kitchen without another word.
Out in the woods, two of the members of Dave and Tony’s group, Nate and Sean, are walking along with their guns out. Sean grimaces and grabs his injured shoulder, and complains that they won’t find any game out in these woods. Nate tells him to lighten up and think positive. He also adds that they might not have to scavenge for food much longer, seeing as they have hostages. Sean thinks that they should just go and kill everyone on that farm. “Those assholes killed my brother, they all deserve to be in the ground.”
Nate scolds him for being so reckless. “In case you forgot, Mitch was
my
brother, too. Don’t act like you’re the only one who lost someone to them,” he says. Sean doesn’t say much else as they continue walking. Unknown to them, two figures trail behind them from a distance, currently kneeling behind two large trees; Tyreese and Sasha.
Shane gets water from the farm’s well when Dale walks up to him. Breathing a sigh of annoyance, he asks what Dale wants now, and if he’s tired of always bothering him. Dale accuses this of being all his fault, and he knows Lori asked him to go out. Shane storms up to Dale, gritting his teeth. “If you want to blame anyone, blame Hershel,” he retorts, bringing up how he just up and left without telling anyone. He further rants, calling Rick naïve and idiotic for going after him in the first place. He says that Rick is always putting himself and the group in danger doing things like this, and that he’s made numerous wrong calls. Dale tries to defend him, but Shane interrupts, not wanting to hear it. He is certain that if Rick continues to lead this group, they’ll all end up dead.
No further words are exchanged after that. Shane goes back to pumping water while Dale walks away. He walks all the way back to the house. When he goes inside, he heads upstairs and enters Maggie’s bedroom. Inside is Maggie herself, alongside Andrea, T-Dog, and Jacqui. Maggie asks what Shane said, and Dale relays the information to her; how he thinks Rick is a bad leader and believes it should be him instead. Andrea expresses worry regarding his anger, she reminds them what happened to Lambert, who had previously stood up to him. T-Dog agrees, thinking he’ll snap at any moment, which would mean he would hurt or kill someone else. Maggie asks why they haven’t told Rick about the way Shane acts behind his back. Everyone suddenly goes quiet when they hear someone come up the stairs. It’s Rick himself, who walks past to use the bathroom upstairs. Once he shuts the door, Jacqui replies that he has enough on his plate right now, and it can be saved for later.
Dale goes to speak on what happens next, when there’s suddenly a loud sound of glass shattering from downstairs. Beth cries out, causing Maggie to race downstairs. Everyone in the room follows her as she runs down to the bedroom. Rushing into the room, Maggie finds Patricia on the floor cleaning up an empty drinking glass. Beth shakily apologizes, as she had dropped it on the floor. Patricia tells her not to worry about it as she sweeps up the shards into a dustpan. Once the glass has been thrown out, she also takes Beth’s empty food tray back to the kitchen. Jimmy is next to Beth and strokes her face, asking if she’s feeling alright. He embraces her and gives her a kiss, and she promises that she’s fine, but wants to be left alone. Jimmy agrees to her request and leaves the room, as does everyone else.
Maggie enters the kitchen, where Patricia is rinsing the dishes. She notices her looking around on the tray and table and asks what she is doing. Patricia says that she can’t find the knife that was on the tray before. Maggie is confused, however she quickly pieces together the answer in her head. She turns and runs back to Beth’s room, pushing open the door. Beth is sitting on the bed, the knife in her hand, her opposite wrist extended, luckily not cut at all yet. Maggie demands she hand over the knife, eyes welling up with tears. Beth doesn’t say anything, but hands it over. Maggie stifles a cry and storms out. Andrea and Jacqui watch this from afar.
Carol walks along the farm grounds by herself. She nears where the graves for those recently lost were dug. Carl is sitting on the ground in front of Sophia’s. She asks him if he’s still worried about Lori. He just nods, which prompts Carol to say that she always thought his mother was a strong woman. Carl doesn’t think she’s as strong as his dad. Carol simply says that they’re both strong in their own ways. Carl stares more at Sophia’s grave, and wonders aloud what would happen if Lori didn’t come back. Carol doesn’t think that’ll happen, as Rick will do anything to bring her back. Carl isn’t so sure, and he says that the same thing happened to Sophia, and now she’s gone. It only takes a second, but he realizes what he just said and frantically apologizes.
Carol gently tells him that it’s okay. Carl starts to cry a little, and he says that Sophia was his best friend after everything. Carol replies that she was always happy that the two of them grew so close easily. She stays silent for a second, then adds that admittedly, she had made peace with Sophia likely being dead before they had found her. “Every time the others came back empty handed, more of me just knew, I guess,” she says. She claims that she would give anything to have her back, and she knows he feels the same about Lori, and again assures him that she will return. Carl says that Sophia deserved to live a long and happy life on this farm with the others. Carol looks up at the sky, imagining Sophia is watching them from somewhere in the puffy white clouds, and she agrees.
Maggie is sitting on the bed next to Beth, while Andrea and Jacqui lean in the doorway. Maggie is crying as Beth stares at the ground. She asks how she could possibly do this to her, to Hershel, or to Jimmy. Beth says that she doesn’t get it, that everything is pointless. She reminds her that their mom, Shawn, and Arnold had really been dead all along, and their father had been keeping it from them, and now Lacey is dead, too. Beth points out that death is always going to happen, and she wants to do it herself, and not get ripped apart by dead monsters. This sentiment resonates with Andrea, as she again is reminded of Amy. Maggie tells her that she’s not thinking straight, but Beth says that she is, and she wants to go, as in take her life.
The conversation becomes too much for Maggie and she stands up to leave. She asks the two other women if they’ll watch over Beth for her, to which they both agree. Maggie runs outside to the back of the house where she cries harder. She’s followed by Glenn who calls out for her and runs up to her. He comforts her and lets her cry into his arms as he reassures her. She sobs to him that she can’t lose anyone else. Glenn makes her a promise that she won’t, and nothing will happen with Beth or Hershel. Maggie tells him through her tears that she means him, too. Before he can respond, she passionately kisses him, and tells him how much she loves him when she pulls away.
Rick is sitting on the bed in the main upstairs bedroom with his hands folded and head down. There’s a knock on the doorframe, and he looks up to see Hershel standing there. He asks if he’s praying, and Rick denies it. He explains that he’s never really been a religious man, and Hershel respects that. He enters and asks what’s on his mind, aside from the obvious. Rick begins talking about his marriage with Lori, how they had been having problems before everything changed. He remembers their fights, how she would say things, and so would he, but he would never yell at her. Hershel asks him if he still loves her, and he doesn’t hesitate to answer yes. There was never a moment he stopped. This makes him smile, and he says it was the same between him and Annette. Even when he drank himself almost to death and they fought, they always loved each other. He says it’s part of the reason it drove him to quit drinking altogether, the other part being his children, of course, he clarifies. He tells Rick that he can sense his love with Lori is strong, and it will guide them back together.
Beth is left in surprise at what Andrea and Jacqui tell her; they both contemplated killing themselves. She asks them both why they didn’t, unable to make full eye contact. Jacqui explains that she had friends to remind her of life’s qualities, and that just because the world was changing, didn’t mean her hope and life spark had to go with it. Andrea then says that she almost went through with it, being seconds away from death, recounting the timer clock in the CDC’s computer room. She says that in the end, Dale convinced her to live, and for a while, she resented him for it. She pushed him away and found any excuse to remind him of what he did. And then she realized that she was putting him through almost exactly what he would’ve felt had she died, something he had been trying to avoid. She didn’t want that for him, and she didn’t want that for herself.
“The pain doesn’t just go away. You make room for it, and those you hold close to your heart,” Andrea says. She also reminds Beth that it is in fact her choice on what she does, but it will also have effects on those close to her. Beth thinks all of it over, and thanks them for talking to her. She asks if it’s okay for her to use the bathroom, which they say is okay, watching her get up and go inside.
Shane is sitting inside Dale’s RV, head in his hands. Images of his and Lori’s relationship before Rick returned, them kissing and having sex. He stands up and paces back and forth, rubbing his hands across his head. He doesn’t want to give her up. In a flash, he bursts outside and gets in his car. He speeds out of the farm in the direction of the town.
Rick is telling Hershel a story about himself and Lori. He mentions the end to it, how the breakfast pancakes she was trying to make were burnt. Hershel chuckles at this, and says that cooking isn’t for everyone. Just then, they hear banging from downstairs, and shouts. The two men hurry downstairs, finding Maggie, Otis, Jimmy, Andrea, and Jacqui at the bathroom door. Maggie jiggles the doorknob, shouting for Beth. Jimmy begs her to come out, telling her how much he loves her. Hershel asks what’s going on, and she explains that the door is locked and Beth hasn’t come out for several minutes. From inside, the sound of glass shattering can be heard.
Maggie pleads with Beth to open the door, her pleas become sobs, and she begs her not to do it, she’s her sister. Rick runs over and tells her to stand back. He grabs a nearby fire poker and uses it to jam it into the doorframe. The door is forced open, and everyone is met with the sight of Beth standing there, a shard of broken mirror glass in her hand, digging slightly into her wrist. There is a little bit of blood, but nothing too major. She drops it to the ground while sobbing, apologizing over and over. As Maggie runs to her and walks her out, Beth claims she wants to live, looking at Andrea and Jacqui as she says so, which makes them smile.
A few walkers wander around the street in the town. Shane’s car speeds in and stops instantly. He gets out, brandishing a knife and stabs one walker. He calls out for Lori loudly, then stabs another walker. He repeats this process, call for Lori, kill walker, call for Lori, kill walker. He ends up entering the bar, stumbling across the lifeless bodies of Mitch and Willie. More memories of his time with Lori surface in his mind. The reminder of everything he lost when Rick returned causes him to let out a scream of pent up rage and jealousy. Shane begins kicking chairs and tables. He picks up several glasses and throws them at the wall, as well as several beer bottles, creating a huge mess.
Once he finishes, he stares at the mess he has made. He rubs his face and head again, trying to calm himself down. Once settled, he turns and storms back to the car, stomping on a still struggling walker on the ground, its brains splattering everywhere. He does a sharp, violent U-turn to drive back to the farm. His hands clench the steering wheel to the point that they white-knuckle the wheel. He notices the sun is beginning to set over the horizon on his way back.
The car swerves back into the farm, where Shane is met by a confused T-Dog near the gate. T-Dog lets him in, and when Shane parks, asks him where he’s been for a while. Shane doesn’t answer him, and T-Dog doesn’t get a chance to press it, when as they walk to the house, Rick addresses everyone outside, saying they should talk about what happened the previous night. Shane goes inside with everyone else, followed by T-Dog who manages to lock eyes with Dale as everyone files into the living room in a circle.
Rick, Hershel, Glenn, and Jacqui address everyone. Rick explains that when they went into town to bring Hershel back, they encountered two men. He explains how they became hostile, and he shot them both. Then their friends showed up, and they were forced to fight back, but it’s very likely that those people are responsible for Lori’s absence and are looking for them all right now. This stuns the rest of the group, Carol looking worried and fearful, while Patricia holds Otis’ arm tightly. Carol asks if there’s a possibility that the two events aren’t related, and they won’t have to deal with those people at all. Rick admits it’s possible, but unlikely. Beth is afraid that these people will try and hurt them, and Jimmy doesn’t think they could fight them.
Dale suddenly suggests the idea of making a trade. Food and supplies in exchange for Lori’s safe return. Otis nods along with the idea, but Shane just laughs in Dale’s face, calling the idea stupid and childish. Dale asks what he would suggest doing, then. Shane answers like it was obvious, suggesting that they hunt them down and kill them. He says that these people are a clear threat and need to be dealt with, practically demanding it.
His idea is met with some reservations, as Hershel reminds him and the others that the group is pretty violent and wouldn’t go down without a fight. Andrea also asks how they would even begin to look for them without any leads to follow to their whereabouts. Shane is adamant still, and looks to Rick for backup on the idea. He tries to get inside his head, reminding him that Lori depends on him. “What would you do to those sons of bitches if they were here right now?”
At that exact second, one of the front facing windows in the room is shot out by a bullet. People begin yelling, and Rick yells for the kids to go upstairs. Carl, Beth, and Jimmy all run for the stairs, guided by Jacqui and Patricia. From outside, a voice can be heard yelling for the group to come out. Rick recognizes it as the man from before, Dave. He, Shane, Glenn, and Hershel emerge on the porch of the house, seeing Dave stand there with a gun in his hand. He sarcastically greets Rick and the others, saying how he recognizes most of them, just not Shane.
It’s then that Tony walks over, forcefully shoving Lori in front of him. Her hands are zip tied together in front of her. She also has a few bruises on her face that she didn’t before. Tony passes her to Dave, despite her struggles. Both Rick and Shane have hate and murder in their eyes. Shane’s hand touches his concealed gun. Rick and Lori lock eyes, and she cries out his name, trying to run to him. However, Dave yanks her back, pressing his gun to her temple, which makes her go quiet. Dave tells Rick and the others that he and his group have some demands, and they’d better be met, or else things will get ugly real quick.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Rick stands face to face with the two men, Dave’s gun still pointed at Lori’s head. He angrily and emotionally demands they return his wife to him. This makes them laugh, and Dave says that they won’t be doing that anytime soon. Tony reminds him of his actions; killing Mitch and Willie, and for it, the group needs to pay. Inside the house, Andrea hands guns to Maggie and T-Dog, while Dale has his rifle ready. Otis tells everyone that he’ll go upstairs for a better vantage point. Dale urges him to stay quiet for the element of surprise.
Dave pushes Lori down to her knees in the dirt, still ready to shoot her. From the doorway, Dale urges Rick to make a deal with them, something Shane disapproves of, and turns around to hiss at him to shut the hell up. Rick, however, blurts out that they can make a deal, much to his annoyance. Dave pauses, and prompts him to continue. Rick says that he can arrange for them to take food, ammo, and other supplies in exchange for Lori back. Shane starts mumbling to Rick what a stupid plan that is. Dave agrees, hearing him, and says that that wouldn’t nearly be enough for five hostages. Glenn is confused by this, asking what they mean by five.
He doesn’t have to wait for an answer long. The truck from the previous night drives in, with the young kid, Randall, behind the wheel. In the bed are Nate and Sean, along with four others with bags over their heads, two of which look very small. The two men force the four captives out of the truck and next to Lori, and then their bags are removed at the same time. It’s the Morales family. Bruno has heavy bruising and dried blood on his face, and Miranda’s face is reddened from being slapped and interrogated. Upstairs, Otis sees this through the window. He hears a noise from behind and turns around to see Carl. The young boy asks what’s happening out there, and Otis answers that the Morales family were caught.
This makes Carl grab his gun, something Otis says he shouldn’t do. Carl retorts that he knows how to use it. Otis still insists that he should be in the other room with Patricia and Jacqui, but Carl refuses. “That’s my mom and dad down there. I deserve to be able to help them,” he says. Otis doesn’t reply, instead turning back to the window to watch the unfolding situation. Louis and Eliza are in tears with guns to their heads. Miranda tries to console them, telling them that it will be okay, but she is hit in the temple with a gun by Nate. Bruno yells at him not to touch her, and tries to stand and fight him, but is knocked back to the ground and pressed flat by him and Randall. Nate tells him to watch it, or he’ll have Sean put a bullet in the kids, who continue crying.
Dave explains to a surprised Rick that they caught the family driving away from this area with a large supply of food and medicine, which meant they had to come from somewhere good. He continues, saying that what Rick did can’t go unpunished, and is about to shoot Lori. Rick yells for him to wait, almost in tears. Lori starts yelling at the same time, and what she says leaves Rick even more shocked. “I’m pregnant!” is what she yells, tears spilling from her eyes. She weakly begs the man not to shoot her because she’s pregnant. Both Rick and Shane have an identical look on their faces. The group is also equally stunned. Upstairs, Carl heard his mother’s words, and his mouth hangs open in surprise. This revelation, as emotional as it made Rick and the group, only makes the five men chuckle. Tony proceeds to mock her for even being pregnant, saying that it was “her mistake”. Dave instead says to Rick that they have 30 other men in their group, and he has a choice: everyone leaves the farm so their group can have it, or be prepared for a fight.
The ultimatum makes the group concerned. Bruno yells for Rick to not do it, and gets kicked in the stomach, with Sean telling him that after one more outburst, he will shoot. Glenn sees Hershel murmuring to Maggie, and asks in a whisper if he’s actually considering it. Hershel confirms that he would never in his life agree to leave, as the farm has been in his family for generations. Before Rick can speak up, Shane starts yelling to the men, refusing their “deal” and telling them that they will not be leaving the farm anytime soon. This answer causes Sean to become angry, and he thinks that they should just shoot the hostages and everyone else and take the farm by force. Dave gets annoyed at his ranting, and tells him to calm down. Sean shoves him and gets in his face, once again talking about the death of his brother. He readies his gun and vehemently claims he is going to shoot the hostages, “starting with the pregnant bitch,” he says, in his words.
Rick yells “NO!” and pulls out his gun in response as Sean aims to shoot Lori. Everyone screams, and a gunshot rings out. But it wasn’t fired from Rick, or Sean, either. Lori flinches and falls on her side. Sean falls to the ground as well, because the bullet fired came from Otis, who has just shot Sean in the forehead. Dave yells for the others to scatter as Rick and Shane start firing at them. The remaining four men run for the nearby trees, firing their guns at the group. Bullets hit the side of the farmhouse, and also the ground and trees. Shane aims down at Dave’s leg and manages to shoot him there right before he finds cover. Nate is moving around the hostages as well, and just as he turns around to find cover, Hershel shoots him in the back, sending him down to the ground.
Bullets fly back and forth. Rick warns Lori and the Morales family to stay down so they don’t get hit. Rick’s gunfire corners Tony near the parked RV, and once things briefly calm down, he then yells for them to run for the house. Lori is up first, and helps the Morales kids get up and run as well. The kids run up the porch steps, where Maggie and Glenn embrace them and protect them behind them. Lori runs to where Rick stands, quickly followed by Bruno. Rick makes quick work of removing the zip ties around her wrists, and she instantly wraps her arms around him. Miranda also runs as well, until she’s suddenly tripped by Randall. She screams as he then grabs her and puts a gun to her head. Randall shouts that he’s going to shoot her, while Bruno tells him to let her go. Dave, still injured, tells him to go through with it. Randall suddenly seems conflicted on what to do as Miranda begs for her life. Suddenly, gunfire from Andrea nearly hitting him distracts him long enough for Miranda to elbow him and make a run for it.
Acting on impulse, Randall recovers and aims his gun at her. He shoots, and his bullet zips straight through Miranda’s head, exiting her forehead. Her body collapses on the ground only a few feet from the steps. Bruno screams in agony, and from the porch, Eliza screams for her mother while Louis just falls back into heavy sobs. A panicked Randall turns and begins running away from the scene, but that isn’t enough to protect him and the others. Shane storms further out, gun raised. On the ground, Nate is still moving, groaning and soaked in his own blood. Shane flips him over, and he weakly begs for his life. Shane doesn’t care and shoots him coldly in the head.
Everyone armed exits the house, weapons at the ready. Carl also runs out, crying out for his mother, who runs to him and gives him a big hug as he sobs into her arms. Lori cries as well, apologizing for leaving him like she did. Dave tries to shoot Rick, but he retaliates by shooting him in the side of his chest, seemingly killing him as he falls to the ground. He walks over to Shane and asks if he got the others, and Shane nods in agreement. They’re interrupted by more sudden gunfire from Tony’s shotgun, as he is still several feet away by the RV. Rick and Shane return fire as the others duck and cover. Tony fires off several shotgun shells, and when he stops to reload, he doesn’t even see it coming as he’s shot in the side of the head, but not by Rick or Shane. Coming up the entrance of the farm is Tyreese and Sasha, the former of whom being the one who killed Tony.
Rick smiles at the sight of them, and goes to approach them, when his leg is suddenly grabbed by still alive Dave, trying to trip him. Rick instead kicks him in the face and stomps his leg wound. Dave croaks out that they just made a big mistake. Rick doesn’t even say anything before executing Dave with a shot to the head. Things finally go quiet. The group looks around at the bloodbath on the farm. Miranda’s body lies in a pool of its own blood as Bruno sobs next to her. Carol kneels down beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder and doing her best to comfort him and reassure him. Maggie shields the crying kids, telling them not to look as she walks them inside.
While looking over the bodies of Dave, Nate, and Sean, Andrea kicks Nate’s arm, remarking how sick they were, threatening to shoot a pregnant woman. Speaking of, Rick and Carl check Lori over as she sits on the steps. Rick cups her face and asks her if what she said is true, is she truly pregnant? Lori nods, holding back more tears, and apologizes for not telling him sooner, saying she didn’t know what to do. Rick promises that they’ll figure it out together. Carl asks if this means he’s going to be a big brother, which is able to make both his parents smile lightly. Shane stares at them from afar, visibly jealous. His attention is caught by something else, when he suddenly spots Randall, running away in the distance. He calls out to the others, saying that he’s getting away.
Andrea takes Dale’s rifle from his hands and confidently claims the target. She aims through the scope, seeing him running desperately. She fires, and he falls to the ground, not getting back up again. Carol helps Bruno stand up, his legs weak from grief. She coaxes him to go with her inside to get him something to eat, and he follows in a dazed, anguished state. Rick instructs Shane and Glenn to drag the bodies together, and to cover Miranda’s out of respect. He sighs, saying that it’s been one long day, and everyone should just get some sleep and they can regroup in the morning.
The next morning finally comes. Rick wakes up, although to him it felt like he didn’t get much sleep. Lori stirs in his arms, and he softly greets her good morning, running a hand through her hair. She greets him back and the two sit up. In the light, Rick is able to more clearly see the bruising on her face and arms. He asks her what they did to her, and she insists that she’s okay. Rick reminds her that he is more than willing to hurt those who do anything to her. Lori’s mind suddenly flashes back to Shane’s attempt in the CDC, making her falter, before she manages a tired smile, saying she knows, and loves him. Rick kisses her, then exits the tent with her following shortly behind.
Down by the barn, T-Dog and Shane drag the bodies of Tony and Dave, respectively, over to where Nate and Sean’s bodies are already lying. T-Dog expresses disgust with the dead men, happy to see them gone from this world. He asks Shane if he thinks Dave’s threat about the 30 men is true as they drop the bodies on top of the other ones. Shane isn’t sure, and doesn’t say much else as he douses the bodies in gasoline. T-Dog steps back as Shane lights a cloth aflame with a lighter and throws it onto the bodies. From the gate leading to the barn, Carol watches the process happen. She also sees Andrea digging yet another grave next to the ones for those they’ve lost already, this one for Miranda, her body lying next to the new hole, wrapped in a sheet.
Dale approaches her, making a comment about the horrible smell of burning bodies. Carol agrees that it smells awful, but is happy that people like them are dead now. Dale in turn agrees with that statement, but also makes a remark about Shane’s eagerness to kill them, and that he doesn’t think it will stop there. Carol looks at him, confused by what he’s saying. Dale sighs, and steals a glance over at Shane. “I don’t mean to thrust this all on you right now, but Shane’s… murderous tendencies aren’t limited to just the bad people,” he explains, proceeding to tell her how Shane most definitely was involved with Lambert’s death when it occurred. This leaves Carol in complete shock, and she further asks him how he can be sure. Dale goes to answer, when he notices Shane staring directly at him. He tells Carol that it would be best if they continued the topic elsewhere. Agreeing, she walks away with him while Shane doesn’t change his gaze.
Rick walks up to the front steps of the house, where Hershel is speaking to Tyreese and Sasha. He greets them, apologizing that they didn’t get the chance to speak the night before. He shakes Tyreese’s hand firmly. Tyreese isn’t upset, and says that they’re both just glad to finally have reconnected with them. Sasha explains that they returned to the highway a day after splitting up from them, only to find them gone. They had survived through the woods until coming to the rural area close to Hershel’s farm, and also heard the gunfire from the small nearby town, going to investigate, which led them to helping in the first fight, following after those men, and finally tracking them back to the farm. Rick tells them both that he and everyone else is glad that they’re alive and safe. Sasha is grateful, but then her expression falls, and she tells Rick that they still didn’t find any trace of the missing girl. Tyreese asks if they found her at all, which makes Rick look to the ground, where he explains that they did. Hershel interjects, finishing for him by saying that the girl had been bitten and turned, and had to be put down. The siblings express their condolences, feeling a wave of sadness.
The conversation shifts back to the original topic, as Tyreese mentions he was thanking Hershel for granting him and Sasha permission to reside on the farm as well. Rick is pleased by this, and goes to explain that they can set up down by the RV, when Hershel speaks up again. He tells Rick that he plans to move everyone inside of the farmhouse now. He believes that them sleeping and residing outside is too dangerous now, as proven by the previous night’s events, he says as he gestures to the still burning pile of bodies. Rick reacts in surprise, but thanks Hershel all the same. He tells him not to mention it, and is just repaying the debt he owes. “I’d be a different man if you hadn’t cleared my head, Rick. A dead man, even. That’s something I don’t think can ever be repaid fully.”
A faraway scream gets everyone’s attention. Rick runs over, followed by Shane, Glenn, T-Dog, and Andrea. He asks who it is, but Glenn isn’t sure, and it's coming from the outer field. They hear the faint growl of walkers as the person continues to beg for help. The five members run out to see what’s going on. In the field, Randall is lying in the grass, being attacked by several walkers surrounding him. He flails his arms and kicks at them with one leg, screaming for help. The walker on top of him is suddenly shot dead by Andrea. Glenn runs up first, taking down a walker with his knife. Rick and T-Dog take out the rest of the walkers and proceed to surround Randall. Glenn doesn’t know how he’s alive, saying he thought Andrea killed him. She looks down, seeing where there’s a bullet lodged in his ankle that has been bleeding all night, which makes her realize that she hadn’t.
Shane raises his gun and says that now he’ll do it, and Randall begs him not to. Right as he pulls the trigger, Rick knocks the gun away, the bullet firing into the grass. Andrea, Glenn, and T-Dog all flinch back, as does Randall. Shane becomes enraged, asking what the hell Rick is doing. All Rick says is that they need him alive for information, and tells Glenn to have Hershel prepare the outdoor shed for an emergency surgery. Randall, still in hysterics, pleads with Rick to not be hurt. Rick tells him to be quiet, but he doesn’t listen, so Rick smacks him in the head with his gun, knocking him out.
Randall lies unconscious in the shed as Hershel works on removing the bullet, with Jacqui at his side providing help. Shane is looking out the window facing the shed, watching them do this, although he really can’t see much. He walks back into the living room, where Rick is standing around with Lori, Glenn, Maggie, T-Dog, Dale, Andrea, Carol, Bruno, and Otis. Lori and Bruno are sitting down, resting their injuries. Rick makes eye contact with Shane when he enters, and after a moment, he tilts his head. “Just say it, Shane,” he prompts. Shane complies, and outright states that keeping Randall alive is a bad idea.
Rick asks if anybody else feels the same. Dale looks around at everybody else, and appears disheartened when T-Dog speaks up, saying he thinks that since he had been shooting at them last night, he should’ve just been dealt with. Maggie also speaks up, and points out that it makes her uncomfortable, knowing he could escape and run back to the rest of his group, and Glenn agrees with her opinion. Bruno hisses from his seat that he wants to see him die slowly and painfully for killing his wife. He clenches his fist tight, being settled by a gentle shoulder touch from Carol. Dale points out that, while he shouldn’t be forgiven for what he did, he showed hesitance, and he argues that he was being influenced by those bad men, and he’s young, probably still a kid.
Andrea piggybacks off of that point, and says that Randall being alive could be beneficial in keeping the other armed men away from the farm, as he can offer information. Dale agrees with Andrea, leading Shane to scoff with a “Of course you do,” thrown in with it. Dale retorts back, saying that at least the others don’t murder anyone who gets in his way.
This comment makes Shane’s eyes darken, and he tells Dale to watch himself. Rick eyes Shane with growing suspicion until Hershel enters the house, wiping blood from his hands on a rag. Jacqui enters behind him. He reports that he got the bullet out of Randall’s ankle, and he’s stable, but gave him a sedative and he won’t wake up for a few hours. Shane accuses him of just leaving him unattended, and Hershel snidely adds that he locked the shed, and isn’t an idiot. Shane throws his hands up and says that most of the group agrees with him, including Lori, and he should just deal with the problem right now.
He tries to leave the house, but Rick roughly shoves him back and makes a point to address everyone when he says that Randall will be kept alive for the time being, to see if he can provide useful information on the rest of his group. He looks at Lori, who appears visibly conflicted by this decision, but she nods, accepting his decision. Shane grits his teeth. “Fine. Guess we’ll see just how long we last ‘till you get us all killed, Rick,” he spits, before leaving the room. Everyone watches, unsure of what to say or do next.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Inside the empty shed on the farm, Randall sits on the floor, hands chained behind his back and bolted to the wall. Glenn sits opposite him on a stool. Randall is pleading with him that he doesn’t know anything, but Glenn asks again; where are his people? Randall yanks at his chains, crying out that he swears he doesn’t know, as they move around a lot. Glenn tries to convince him, saying that maybe he can get some extra food for him if he cooperates.
This bargain does little to sway Randall. He continues insisting he has no idea where they are at right now, and swears he would tell if he did. He also goes on about how he’s nothing like the others. Glenn just shakes his head and exits the shed. As he approaches the house, he meets up with Rick and Shane. The latter scoffs at Glenn’s expression. “Lemme guess, kid was tight lipped?” he remarks, which Glenn confirms. Rick is convinced he’ll talk sooner or later, but Shane walks over to the barn to give it a try himself.
He throws open the shed door and kicks Randall in the side. He shouts the same questions that Glenn had asked him, also hitting Randall in the side of the head. The boy continues to plead for mercy as he’s struck again and again. Shane takes it up a notch, and proceeds to step on his injured ankle, making him howl. He asks exactly how many men are part of his group. Randall, in between screaming, finally relents and gives out a number; 34 men. Shane steps off the wound, but continues asking him about the whereabouts of the group. Randall still pleads ignorance on that question. Shane changes it slightly and asks if they’re nearby, something Randall only responds to with pained screams as he begins to take more punches. Shane is getting rougher and rougher, and after several hits, he pulls out his gun and aims it at Randall, who begs him not to shoot.
His finger almost goes to the trigger, before Rick calls out for him and his footsteps can be heard approaching the shed. Shane holsters the weapon and leaves the shed to meet Rick. He clicks the lock on the door harshly as he leaves Randall in painful silence. As they walk back to the house, Shane tells him about the 34 men, which leaves Rick surprised. Shane tells him that they should dispose of Randall. “It’s been three days, Rick, and that is the
only
piece of information he has given up,” he says. Rick insists that keeping him alive will prove useful if it comes to dealing with the rest of this group, something that Shane simply doesn’t believe, and Rick can see it in his eyes as he just shakes his head.
Their debate is interrupted by Otis’ blue truck driving back onto the farm, Andrea and T-Dog stepping out to greet them and some others approaching. Andrea reports that they saw no sign of a large group on the nearby roads leading to the farm. Carol nervously states that they could be in the surrounding woods, and they’re far too vast to check thoroughly. Rick says that he’ll organize other groups to go out for recon to make sure they’re not being watched from the trees, something that doesn’t do well to quell Carol’s fears, or anyone else’s for that matter.
Down by the now empty barn, Carl, Louis, and Eliza fool around with the hay inside. Carl reads the blank expressions on the kids’ faces and speaks up. He tells them that it’s okay to be sad, and that he was upset when he thought his dad was dead before he came back. Louis asks if their mom will come back like Rick did, but Carl shakes his head and says that it was different. Louis goes quiet again, and the kids don’t say much else the rest of the time.
Bruno sits alone in the family room of the farmhouse. Jacqui walks up to him and insists that he eat, but he silently refuses. She sets down a tray of food on the table beside him and says that it’s not doing him any good to sit there. He still doesn’t say anything, so she kneels down in front of him. She goes on to say that losing Miranda hit him hard, as it did for everyone, but that doesn’t mean he’s lost, too, despite feeling that way. She turns to leave, but leaves him with one last thing, that being that the healing process takes time, and you have to be present for it to have lasting effects.
Hershel checks Lori’s stomach and other vitals as Rick stands beside her. Patricia takes her blood pressure and gives her more bandages for her bruises. Hershel stands up and reports that Lori still appears healthy, her injuries only being on the surface and nothing severe or damaging to her pregnancy. Rick, still a little anxious, asks how he can be sure. Lori tells him not to worry, and that it’s been three days and no signs of a miscarriage have shown up. Hershel agrees with this and also tells Rick there’s no cause to be worried. Rick sighs and disagrees, and mentions that there is, because of Randall’s situation. He begins worrying that maybe keeping him alive wasn’t the right call. Lori immediately shuts that thought down, and reminds him that the first instinct to kill is not a good thing and shouldn’t be what this group turns to in the future. She also flat out tells him that Shane should not be the person he listens to, and if he does it will lead this group down a road that shouldn’t be taken. Hershel smiles and tells Rick that his wife is one of the smartest people he’s met, and should listen to her more often.
Inside the shed, Randall is able to stand, although his wrists are still chained behind his back as he paces around back and forth, mumbling to himself. A creaking sound makes him startle, and he looks up to see someone sitting up in the rafters of the shed, having crawled inside from a decent sized hole in the roof. It’s Carl, who stares down at him silently. Randall smiles and quietly introduces himself. Shyly, Carl reciprocates the greeting. Randall asks him if his dad is Rick, and Carl just nods. Randall says that he likes Rick, because he’s been letting him live. Carl climbs down from the rafters and stands on the opposite side of the shed, still not talking. Randall compliments the sheriff hat that Carl is wearing, but instead Carl asks him why he won’t tell the group anything.
Randall is taken aback, so Carl repeats himself, saying that he’s heard his dad and the others talking about how he’s barely given up any information. “If you like my dad so much, then why don’t you just cooperate and tell him what he wants him to know?” he asks. Randall starts to get irritated and claims that he has hardly any information and that he’s trying to cooperate, but getting beaten all the time makes it harder for him to talk. Carl accuses him of lying about how much he knows, and tells him how his dad was a cop and knows exactly how to weed out people who don’t tell the truth. Randall insists, louder, that he’s telling the truth and begs Carl to put in a good word with Rick. He yanks forward at Carl, pleading loudly for help from him. Carl backs up as Randall keeps going until suddenly the shed door is flung open and Shane storms in. He grabs Carl by the arm and pulls him out, the young boy tries to protest but Shane doesn’t until he’s out of the shed.
Carl gets angry and calls to his mom, who comes running out with Rick and the rest of the group. Lori yells for Shane not to touch Carl as he lets go. Carl runs over and hugs her while Rick asks what’s going on. Shane goes back into the barn and starts violently unlocking Randall’s chains. Once he’s freed, Shane drags him out to the middle of the area for everyone to see and starts forcefully punching him in his face and body. Rick begins telling him to stop, and others shout for him to knock it off, namely Dale and Andrea. Dale actually rushes out into the commotion, and between punches, pulls Randall away from Shane’s grip and stands between them. Shane, panting, demands that he move out of his way. Dale blatantly refuses, and instead begins to explain everything he’s been planning. He addresses everyone, mentioning how much of a danger Shane is to the group, and that he’s going to be forced to leave soon.
This makes Shane scoff, and he states that there’s no way he’d leave the farm. Dale asks if he’d be willing to kill any of them in order to stay. “Only the ones I don’t like. And I think you know exactly who I’m talking about,” he retorts. Dale says Lambert’s name, cementing the fact that Shane killed him in cold blood, and he knows why. Shane gets further agitated and eggs Dale on to tell him why. Dale doesn’t back down, speaking loud enough for the others to hear as he says it’s because he knows what he tried to do to Lori in the CDC. Lori’s eyes go wide, and Rick pauses in massive confusion.
Shane’s face practically steams red, and all of a sudden, his fist connects with Dale’s jaw. The older man stumbles back in surprise. Andrea yells for him and runs towards him and quickly blocks Shane’s path. He reaches for him, but using her gun, whacks Shane across his own jaw and makes him almost fall. He calls her a bitch and lunges to grab her, only to be intercepted by Rick, who lands a few hard punches to Shane’s face. Once he’s on the ground, Rick yells that that is enough from him. Shane winces in pain and admits defeat, rolling onto his back. Randall is also on the ground moaning in pain. Andrea helps Dale steady himself and asks if he’s okay, to which he says that he is as he holds his face. Rick orders T-Dog to put Randall away in the shed again, and then for everyone, including Shane, to go inside the house. “We’re gonna hold a meeting,” he states for everyone to hear. T-Dog helps Randall stand and walks him back to the shed as Rick and everyone else heads to the house, while Shane lies on the ground for another moment, staring up at the cloudless blue sky.
Everyone is quickly gathered in the main sitting room of the house, sitting or standing in a large circle. Lori tells Carl and the Morales children to go with Beth and Jimmy upstairs so the adults can talk. Beth leads the siblings after her, beginning to tell them about her book collection. Rick turns around and sees that Carl is still standing there, and he pleads to stay and join the conversation. Rick doesn’t allow it and reaffirms the command for him to go, and he reluctantly does so with Jimmy. Once the kids are gone, Rick asks where everybody stands on the matter, and that anyone can speak freely. Shane talks first and says that they all know where he stands, and is quickly cut off by Rick who says that they’re all well aware, and it’s time to let others have the floor.
Maggie starts speaking first. She says that in no way does she agree with the methods of Shane, however she also doesn’t like the idea of Randall being here on the farm and the looming threat of his group. Glenn awkwardly raises a hand to say that he agrees with her. This shocks Dale, who points out that he could’ve just let those walkers kill him if that’s the case. Glenn reminds him of the encounter in the town, how Randall had been shooting at the four of them, and he personally doesn’t feel comfortable allying with somebody who tried to kill him. Carol says that Randall is the type to hurt others, and he shouldn’t be allowed to live and hurt anyone else.
Everyone looks at her, shocked by that response, and she continues by reminding the group that she knows what it’s like to be around someone who seeks enjoyment out of hurting others and gets a similar vibe from Randall. She looks to Bruno who stands in silence at the edge of the room and reminds them what he did to Miranda. Dale comes to his defense and says that he hesitated and was pressured to do it, but Lori counters his point by adding that he could’ve let her run, but he chose to shoot. Hershel proposes letting him work on the farm and earn his place in the group, which Jacqui supports, believing he deserves a chance to prove himself. T-Dog asks who would even volunteer to supervise him like a prisoner all day, which Jacqui responds that she would. Maggie just shakes her head at the idea, disapproving of it. Herschel implores her to consider it. “It could work, you know it could,” he says.
Otis suggests the idea of driving Randall out somewhere else and leaving him. He says that he and Patricia wouldn’t feel comfortable with him living on the farm, but doesn't believe that he should be executed. Rick thinks that idea is a fair one. Andrea asks that, if they go through with that, would he be given a fair shot? Rick asks her what she means, and she explains; food, supplies, a weapon to defend himself. “Or a weapon to use on you,” Shane counters. Andrea argues that leaving him somewhere miles away, all alone, with absolutely nothing, is no different than killing him themselves.
Shane laughs at her, how she thinks that they should waste gas and food just to coddle Randall by letting him leave. Glenn makes the point that he could just find his way back to his group and come right back to the farm. Rick proposes taking him out a farther distance, about 20 miles. Maggie argues that it’s even more gas wasted, 20 miles out and back. T-Dog brings up the idea of letting Randall work on the farm under guard to earn their trust, asking what stops him from just running off when they all let their guards down. Dale counters with the idea of mutual trust, and that if they show him trust, he will most certainly reciprocate. Shane bitterly calls him delusional, and Dale claps back with the sentiment that this is a human being’s life, and who are they to be deciding if he lives or dies. Their argument is interrupted by Rick, who calls for everyone to share their base opinion; execution vs sparing him. He asks for those who wish for Randall to be executed to raise their hands. Shane, Maggie, Glenn, Bruno, and Carol raise their hands. Rick then asks the opposite, for those that would like to see him spared. Dale, Andrea, Hershel, Jacqui, Patricia, and Otis raise their hands.
Not everyone raised their hands, specifically T-Dog, Lori, Tyreese, and Sasha. Rick turns to the pair of siblings, asking their thoughts, as they’ve been quiet the whole time. Sasha speaks up first and says that they both admittedly don’t feel they have a say in this discussion. “You’re obviously uncomfortable with strangers, but that’s also what we are to you right now,” she explains. Rick disagrees and reminds her of how they helped them that night, and that they’ve more than earned a place with them. Tyreese thinks back to Sasha’s ex, Chris, and talks about how he had fallen in with the wrong people for a time, but in the end was a decent young man. He believes that Randall may be the same way and should be given time to prove himself. Sasha nods in agreement, siding with what he said.
Once they’ve said what they said, T-Dog just shakes his head. He understands their point of view, but he simply doesn’t think that Randall is that kind of person. “I’m not trying to act like I know people best, but I volunteered at a church, I worked soup kitchens. I know a good person when I see one. Randall’s not one.” Jacqui looks defeated that T-Dog didn’t agree with her, and he apologizes to her, but he wouldn’t feel right if agreeing to spare him caused anyone else to die in the future. Dale is adamant that it won’t, and that Shane is just fear mongering the others into voting for execution.
Lori interjects, saying that what she went through, her and Bruno both, was more than just Shane’s word of mouth. She says that that group of men holding her captive were positively some of the most cruel and heartless men she’s met. She talks about how they would threaten the kids just to get reactions out of Bruno and Miranda, how they threatened to do unspeakable things to her. Rick looks at her with pure sympathy and protectiveness in his eyes. She meets his gaze, and simply says “Randall needs to die.” Rick then realizes that the two sides are evenly split with the remaining group opinions cast. He decides that they’ll have to reconvene at a later point to see if anyone else has changed their mind to sway the vote. Shane slams his fist on the wall, calling Rick a coward before storming out of the house. Rick dismisses the group meeting and everybody slowly disperses to go back to their daily routines. However, Rick seeks out Dale and pulls him aside in the kitchen alone, wanting a word with him.
In the kitchen, Dale isn’t sure what Rick wants, so he asks. Rick hesitates, rocking back and forth on his feet and rubbing his hand down his face. He mentions what Dale said outside to Shane, about Lori at the CDC. He asks what he meant by that. Dale’s face becomes uneasy, and Rick can tell by his eyes it’s something serious. He awkwardly says that it shouldn’t be his place to say. Rick grows more worried and presses him further. Dale looks up at the sky, seeming like he’s praying, almost. When he stops, he gives Rick a hard stare and agrees to tell him.
Glenn enters the shed again, seeing how Randall is hunched over on the floor in pain, bloodied and bruised. He asks if they’re going to kill him, and Glenn answers that it’s still being decided. Randall weakly tries to plead his case again, and says that he wouldn’t do anything to hurt the people here. He even reveals that he went to high school with Maggie. Glenn is taken aback by this information, and Randall confirms it. He talks about how she was a couple grades ahead of him, so she never knew him, but he always saw her and thought she was really cute. He remembers an instance with his group where they found a young woman surviving on her own, and he doesn’t want to finish saying what his group did. Randall insists that he’s not like those men, and says that if they got their hands on a “pretty girl like Maggie” as Randall puts it, it wouldn’t be pretty. Glenn balls his fists and even steps forwards, almost moving to punch him. Instead, he calms himself and leaves the shed quickly, making sure to lock the door.
Rick is walking out of the farmhouse with pure murderous rage in his eyes. Dale walks out, watching him from the porch. Andrea approaches him and asks what’s going on. “I told Rick about the CDC,” he replies. Rick’s vision is tunneled directly at Shane, who is down by the entrance to the barn. He passes Lori and Carl, who are at the group’s campsite outside the house. She calls out to him, but he doesn’t reply. She catches a glimpse of his face and realizes something isn’t right. Carl calls out for him, too, but Rick doesn’t stop. He walks up to Shane, who starts bitterly addressing Rick, probably about to start ranting on the Randall situation again. However he doesn’t get the chance to continue before Rick punches him so hard, his back slams into the barn and he falls to the ground.
Lori shouts for Rick as he climbs on top of Shane and ruthlessly beats on him, not letting him fight back. The others of the group come running as Lori fruitlessly begs him to stop. Shane’s face is getting bloodier as Rick shouts at him in a fit of rage, calling him a disgusting son of a bitch for touching his wife. Tyreese and Otis run over and pull Rick off of him as he continues to shout, both men urging him to calm down and stop swinging his fists. Shane weakly sits up, thoroughly beaten and defeated. Rick stops fighting the other men, but stands over Shane once they let go. He declares that Shane is going to live in the barn permanently now, being banned from moving into the house with all the others. Rick is completely disgusted by Shane, who hasn’t said a single word this whole time. He says that he’s not the same partner he had on the force anymore. “Lori is my wife, Carl is my son, and that unborn child is mine, too. If I catch you alone with my family for any reason at all, I will fucking kill you.”
Rick walks away, moving his hand away from his holstered gun where it had been resting. Carl is crying and clinging to Lori’s waist as she consoles him. She knows exactly why Rick did what he did now, and her eyes follow him as he walks past the group. Andrea runs down from the porch of the house, stopping next to her. Lori hurriedly asks if she can watch Carl for a moment, which she agrees to. Carl cries as Andrea begins to comfort him and calm him down, while Lori turns and jogs after Rick. She finds him walking around the side of the house, leaning against the wall with weak legs. She softly calls to him, and he turns around. He has tears running down his face.
Rick apologizes through his tears, for not doing something sooner. Lori rushes to him and assures him that he has nothing to apologize for. Rick disagrees, as he claims he let her suffer in silence over this. He says he would’ve never forced her to tell him about what happened, but she can if she feels comfortable. After a moment of silence, Lori slowly explains how Shane was drunk and tried to convince her that he was better for her than him. Her explanation devolves into tears and cries, prompting Rick to pull her in for an embrace. As the two cry together, he promises to her that he’ll always keep her, Carl, and the baby safe, no matter what, telling her “we’ll be a family together, forever.” He holds her close and promises that she is safe now. Lori can hear Rick’s heartbeat thumping in his chest as her head rests against it. She believes him.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
A week of non-eventful days pass by on the farm. By now, most of the group has moved into the farmhouse, save for Dale, who opted to remain with his RV. Randall remains in captivity while preparations are made to deal with him by the group, who still talk amongst themselves on which verdict to decide upon. Shane also remains solitary down by the barn. Rick had forbidden Carl from going near there and from talking to him in general, without mentioning the atrocity he had committed.
On the morning of exactly one week since the group’s tie vote on Randall’s fate, Dale awakens inside his own RV. He puts on his signature hat and gets himself a cup of water, when he hears sounds from the roof. Curious, he goes outside to see Andrea sitting atop it. He greets her good morning, which she returns. Dale asks her how long she’s been up there, and she tells him that it’s only been a few hours. He wants her to come down and get something to eat, but she isn’t sure, as no one else is ready to take on watch duty. He asks her if that’s really necessary, and reminds her that it’s been almost two full weeks with zero sign of this large group. Andrea sees his point, but doesn’t want to take the risk. Either way, Dale still coaxes her to head back to the house with him for breakfast.
The two of them walk up to the door, almost bumping into Carol carrying a plate of breakfast food. She apologizes hastily but greets them warmly. Andrea glances over at the barn and asks if that’s for him, meaning Shane. Carol just nods in response. “Even he has to eat, too, right?” she says, and they honestly can’t tell if she’s being genuine about it. She moves past them with the food as they head inside. Down by the barn, Shane is sitting in the open door frame. He doesn’t look up as Carol approaches and sets the plate on a crate a few feet away from him. He mutters a quick thank you before she walks away without replying to him.
Indoors, the group chatters indistinctly while serving breakfast. Patricia wants Otis to sit down with everyone, but he insists on working on the bullet holes and broken windows that are yet to be fixed. Begrudgingly, she lets him go. Lori makes a lighthearted remark to her about how their husbands are always so determined to have a task in front of them. While everybody eats, Rick stands at the top of the table and addresses the group. Once their attention is on him, he speaks about Randall, asking if anyone feels any different about him by now. Dale quickly interrupts, wanting to add on what he had said to Andrea earlier about the lack of any activity from strangers the entire time.
Rick looks around to the table. Glenn and Maggie are the first to say that they feel differently, and with Dale’s point in mind, it would feel like the more humane option to release him. T-Dog follows in their footsteps, earning him a smile from Jacqui. Carol is still unsure of Randall’s intentions, saying how Ed would be nice for as long as he needed to be in order to get her guard down, but concedes that if it’s what most of the group wants. Bruno angrily tells Rick that he knows his stance, and it won’t be changing. Lastly, Rick turns to Lori. She grasps his hand and looks into his eyes. “You’ve always stood by me, through everything, so I should be standing by you. I trust you to make the right call.” Rick seems pleasantly surprised by this. He asks if anyone else has a changed opinion, but no one else speaks up. Nodding, Rick officially declares the vote over, and that Randall will be released, driven out far away where he can never return, he adds while addressing Bruno. The group appears satisfied with that, except for Shane, who has been spying from the back door that peeks through the kitchen into the dining area.
Feeling a wave of rage, Shane storms away from the house and over to the shed. He enters and kicks the still chained Randall in the stomach. He’s wearing a blindfold and is gagged in the mouth. Shane rubs his head and stares at the young kid’s body. He aims his gun and almost pulls the trigger. However, he pauses to look at the chains, seeing that the cuffs could be slipped with a little bit of work. He lowers the gun and crouches in front of Randall, who is moaning in pain. Inside the house, Carl asks his mother if he can have more juice, and Dale kindly offers to get him some. Lori says she can do it, but he tells her to take it easy, and that he needs more, too, winking at Carl. Dale walks into the kitchen, chuckling, but before he can get the juice, he notices movement out the window facing the shed.
Shane is walking into the woods with Randall at his side. Before he disappears into the treeline, he looks all around to make sure he isn’t spotted, not noticing Dale at all. Dale feels a wave of dread, and for a moment he turns to go back and tell the others, but he stops. He can’t let Shane get away with this. So instead of telling anybody, Dale turns and hurries out the back door for the same direction of the woods that he saw Shane lead Randall into.
A few minutes later, Rick is out by the RV with Hershel and Glenn, looking over a map. Rick asks Hershel where an ideal place to leave Randall would be, somewhere far but also giving him a fair shot. Hershel observes the map and points out an area in the next county over, where there’s a high school, a little over 20 miles away. Rick is admittedly wary of the amount of gas that’ll be used, but believes it’s a good cause. Glenn also offers to go along with him for the ride, so as not to make it so lonely the entire time. Rick jokingly asks him if Maggie approves of this, and Hershel smiles as well. Glenn plays along, and says that while she does worry about him, she trusts him to come back safe. Hershel tells them both that she’s always been a strong girl, and has become a wonderful young woman.
Over by the graves, Bruno stands over the one for his wife silently. He looks over when Tyreese appears to stand next to him. The latter begins speaking, and recalls their initial interactions on the highway, and how Miranda didn’t trust him much, but he could tell that she was a good woman who just wanted to protect her family. Bruno says that after the herd, she had told him about how he had saved her and the kids and protected them. He thanks him for it, apologizing for not getting the chance sooner. Tyreese tells him not to mention it, and reciprocates by apologizing for his loss, saying that he had wanted to say something sooner, he’d just been working up to it. Bruno says that she would’ve been glad to see both of them again. This makes Tyreese happy, and he then tells him that he has to watch out for his kids. “It’s okay to be hurt. But you gotta remember, whatever you’re feeling, they are too. They need you, man.” He gives Bruno the space to process this and walks away, although he already appears to be taking the advice in and realizing that he has a good point.
Rick loads gas into the group’s main vehicle. Lori and Maggie are beside him and Glenn, wishing them good luck. Rick promises that they’ll be fine, and Maggie says that he better bring Glenn back in one piece. Jacqui walks by, and Rick flags her down and lets her know that they’re ready for Randall and asks her to fetch him. She nods and heads in the direction of the shed. Upon approaching it, however, she notices very quickly that the lock is on the ground in front of the door. She runs up to the door and sees it swing freely open, and that the inside is empty. She looks around in horror.
In the woods, Randall’s blindfold is finally yanked off. He sees Shane and starts to panic, asking him what this is all about and begs him not to hurt him. Shane knocks him to the ground as he tries to squirm away and once he’s calm, assures him that he’s not going to hurt him. He then explains that he’s been outcast by the group for things he did, and he just wants to be done with them. He tells Randall that he wants to join him and his men, and asks for their location. Randall is initially unsure, but Shane says he would’ve just shot him back in the shed if he’d wanted to kill him, which Randall sees as a fair point. He proceeds to explain where he believes their camp to be; a few miles off the highway in the direction they had just been moving. Shane is pleased by this and helps him stand.
While they walk, Randall says that he’ll be glad to be back with the others again, as rough as they are, they treat him like family. Shane doesn’t say much else, just scanning the woods for something. Randall limps towards a large tree, and right before he passes it, Shane lunges at his back. He slams Randall’s face into the tree. The kid screams, but it’s quickly cut off when Shane slams his neck roughly against the surface as well, making a sick crack. Randall falls down, twitching a little. Just for good measure, Shane proceeds to stomp on his neck, fully breaking and crushing it. Randall instantly stops moving. Shane breathes heavily over him, not moving at first. A rustle of leaves behind him makes him slowly turn around.
There stands Dale. He had just witnessed the entire thing. The two men stand at odds for several long, drawn out seconds. Shane then rushes at him. Dale gets his rifle off of his shoulder and does his best to aim it quickly, but he’s not fast enough. Shane grabs Dale and rams his back into a tree. Dale tries to shove him off, but Shane is far stronger. He proceeds to smash Dale’s head into another tree, which knocks him unconscious on the ground. Shane is further driven to madness at the sight of the two bodies around him. Thinking fast, he forms a plan in his mind. First he takes Dale’s rifle and tosses it as far away as possible. Then, he rams his face into the same tree he did to Randall. Blood runs down his face a proper amount. Satisfied, he storms back in the direction of the farm.
Rick, Glenn, T-Dog, and Tyreese are gathered around the shed with Jacqui. Rick asks her again if she’s sure that she found it like this, and she affirms that it was. The others hurry over as Rick tries to take control of the situation. Andrea, among the group, asks if anyone has seen Dale since the morning. From the woods, Shane watches Rick address the group. He takes a second, then emerges, screaming for the group. Carl asks him if he’s okay, and Rick asks him what happened. Shane begins to spin his story, saying that Randall escaped and took Dale hostage, and that he tried to follow them but got knocked out. The group begins to panic, and Andrea immediately readies her gun to go after Dale. Rick instructs T-Dog, Tyreese, and Hershel to take care of everyone and keep the house secure.
The rest of the group runs back to the house, while Rick waves along Andrea as well as Glenn to hurry out into the woods alongside him and Shane. Further into the woods, Rick asks Shane what happened, but he just repeats what he said before about being knocked out by Randall. Andrea asks how Randall managed to keep Dale hostage and knock Shane out, but he insists that’s what happened. Andrea further mentions that she doesn’t remember him ever being by the shed to be taken. “Well, you’re not his momma, so you ain’t gotta know his every move, just stay quiet and let’s find this bastard.” Rick tells everyone to not get at each other’s throats, and Dale’s life may be at stake.
Inside the house, Hershel and Tyreese guard the front and back of the house. Otis sits with Patricia to make her feel safer. Beth is breathing rapidly. Maggie sits by her side and rubs her back while Jimmy tells her that everything will be alright. Hershel sees Lori pacing and tells her she should sit, because stress is no good for the baby. Lori finds it hard to sit, knowing that Randall is somewhere out there with Dale, and now Rick is out there as well. Carl overhears her talking from the top of the stairs. Upstairs, Bruno is with Louis and Eliza. He asks them how they feel, and at first they don’t answer. He kneels down in front of them and explains that he hasn’t been thoughtful of how they feel, and tells them it’s okay to talk to him, he’s still here. Finally, Eliza quietly says that they miss her so much. Bruno just nods, and then pulls them into his arms so they can share a hug. All three of them start to cry with each other.
In the woods, Shane stops walking and proclaims that they’re slow and weak like this, and should split up to cover more ground. Glenn tries to refute the idea but Shane blows up at him. Rick, to calm him down, agrees. Shane tells Glenn and Andrea to head off in one direction, and he and Rick will go another. They part off from the two and begin trudging through trees together. Once alone, Andrea makes a snide remark about the look on Shane’s face. “I thought he was scary before. Now? Jeez…” Glenn scoffs. Andrea says that he seems off, and is oddly cagey about this whole situation. Glenn agrees, and points out that Shane hated Dale, and would never rush after him to save him. Both of them suspect that something bigger is going on, and Andrea urges him to watch their backs while out here.
Now by themselves, Rick and Shane are mostly silent, save for the sounds of the leaves they push aside and step on. Rick wonders how Randall got free, but Shane says that he probably slipped out of the cuffs, since a lot of their past criminals did the same. Rick agrees that that’s a possibility, but then brings up the lock, saying how Jacqui found it perfectly unlocked and intact, not broken, and Randall couldn’t have picked it from the inside. Shane argues that he could have found something to use in the shed. Despite Rick not buying it, he drops it. By now, Shane is walking behind him. Rick then asks one final question; why didn’t he say anything when he first saw Randall with Dale? He could have alerted the group, but didn’t. Shane is silent now. Rick wants an answer, so he stops walking and turns around. His face is smacked with the end of Shane’s gun, and Rick falls to the ground.
Moments later, Rick comes to. He’s sitting on the ground now, and when his vision clears, he can see Shane standing over him, gun pointed directly at him now. Rick demands to know what this is, but all Shane does is make him stand and painfully presses the gun to his back. Rick pleads with him to lower the weapon, but he forces him to continue walking. Rick reveals that he figured out Shane’s game earlier, but he doesn’t even care, and quite confidently says that he’s already made it this far, nothing’s stopping him now. All he needs is the perfect spot. Rick doesn’t think he will get away with this, but Shane is sure that he already has. “Lori and Carl will get over you. They did before,” he spits. Rick doesn’t back down, going on to say how Lori would never want him, not after what he did to her. Rick says he’s glad that he didn’t find out till now, because if he’d known in the moment, he would’ve killed Shane on the spot. Shane admits that he made a drunken mistake, but believes Lori will get over it.
Rick asks him what he’s going to do when he goes back alone, as everyone will be suspicious of him, but Shane doesn’t care, he can just make up another story that Randall killed him. Shane continues on, and says that he’s just a better man than Rick is, a better husband and father. He also says that no matter what happens, Lori, Carl, and the unborn baby are all his. A branch snap in the distance suddenly makes Shane stop, and he pulls Rick down behind a pair of trees that had grown into each other, making a big obstruction. He shushes Rick, and peeks over. It’s Glenn and Andrea, accidentally wandering in their direction again. Rick hears their voices chattering, and Shane whispers to him that if they get too close, he’ll shoot them.
His heartbeat increases, mind racing on what he could possibly do to avoid anyone getting hurt. From his low angle, he can see Glenn and Andrea’s feet walking closer. He considers calling out to them, but it would likely result in all of them dying. Rick doesn’t get left to his thoughts for long, when a bloodcurdling scream erupts through the trees. Rick tries to stand out of reflex, but Shane holds him down. Glenn and Andrea look at each other and race in the direction of the scream. Rick looks back at Shane, who is smiling a little. “What have you done?” he asks, horrified.
Andrea and Glenn run to where the scream is the loudest, and through the trees they find its source. Unfortunately for them, the thought that it sounded familiar comes true, as Andrea’s face falls. “DALE!” she screams, watching him scream some more as a walker rips open his abdomen. Glenn runs in front of her and sacks the walker off his body. The walker, who Glenn quickly identifies as Randall, snaps and snarls at him, Dale’s blood all around its mouth. Glenn pulls out his knife and after a brief scuffle, jams it into Randall’s head. He drops the body and crawls over next to Andrea, who’s clutching Dale’s hand. Dale is breathing heavily, his abdomen completely ripped open. Andrea begs him to stay awake and hold on.
Dale weakly takes her hand and also tries to speak. “Sh.. Shane…” is all he can say. Andrea, through her tears, tells Glenn that they have to get him back to the farm so Hershel can operate on him. All Glenn does is shake his head at her, and she knows he’s right. She looks down at the extent of the carnage, then at Dale’s face. He scrunches his entire face and lets out a strangled intense cry, and she realizes that he’s suffering. Andrea reaches for her gun. Glenn stops her and asks if she wants him to do it, but she cuts him off, saying it has to be her. He relents, and she readies her gun. Dale looks at her, and he understands. She takes his hand again and tells him how much she loves him. He manages a shaky nod, with a weak, tight lipped smile. Andrea slowly presses the gun to his forehead, and Dale closes his eyes to accept the peace soon coming to him. Andrea pulls the trigger.
The remaining group at the house is a wreck processing the gunshot they heard echo in the woods. Lori is beside herself, worrying that Randall may have just killed one of them. Maggie tries to calm her by saying that they have to put faith in Rick and Glenn. Carl agrees with her, and Hershel adds that anyone else going out there would be needlessly reckless. Carol does her best to persuade Lori to stay put, reminding her that anything could happen out there. Lori arms herself with her small revolver, and apologizes to the others, but she just can’t wait around anymore. She brushes past Tyreese at the door and storms out. Carl chases after her, leading the rest of the group to follow as well. They all round the corner of the house to where the others had gone into the woods, but they find Lori having stopped in place. Everyone looks on, and their demeanor now matches hers. Andrea and Glenn walk back into the farm’s property together. Both of them are carrying the deceased body of Dale. Nobody can find the words, and Andrea still has tears rolling down her face.
Now closer to evening time, Rick is still being led farther out by Shane. He asks what he did to Dale. “Nothing that old bastard didn’t have coming,” Shane responds. Rick calls him a piece of shit for it. His insults don’t bother Shane, who just says that he won’t have to worry, since he’s next on his list. Right after he says that, Rick surprises him by turning and kneeing Shane in the gut. He gets the upper hand briefly and shoves him back. While Shane is disoriented, Rick tosses his colt python into a pile of leaves near him. When Shane recovers, Rick punches him in the face, however Shane grabs him and punches him twice, then hits him over the head hard with his gun again. Rick falls down unconscious again, his head now bleeding a small amount. Shane aims the gun down at Rick, but he suddenly hears the faint, incoming growl of walkers. He sees a few in the distance as part of a larger group. In a heat of the moment choice, Shane doesn’t shoot Rick, and decides that the walkers can deal with him. He briefly searches Rick’s body for his gun, but realizes it isn’t there, not considering that Rick had hidden it. Once finished, he stands up and stumbles off through the woods on his own, leaving Rick to lie there unmoving amongst the trees.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Shane trudges through the wide expanse of the woods. His eyes dart left and right at the noises of the world all around him. His steps get more skewed and sloppy, and he almost trips a couple of times. His face is still bloody and his breathing grows ragged. Insanity is in his eyes. For a moment, he stares back at the way he just came, back where he left Rick for dead, but he shows no emotion, and continues walking, wanting to finally get out from all of these trees surrounding him.
The survivors on the farm stand around the freshly filled grave for Dale. The sun is beginning to set as Hershel finishes a prayer. Andrea doesn’t want to leave, but Glenn carefully leads her away. Lori looks out into the treeline near the house, worrying over the fact that Rick hasn’t come back yet. She is sure that if everything had gone right, they’d be back by now. Sasha comes up beside her and gives her comfort, mentioning that they can rest easy knowing Randall is dead, as Glenn and Andrea told them of his reanimation. Lori still isn’t sure, because she also doesn’t trust Shane. Carl watches his mother walk towards the house for a second before following after her.
Once inside, Jimmy notices Beth looking deep in thought, and asks her if she’s alright. Beth is confused on how Randall became a walker, because neither Glenn nor Andrea said he was bitten, just had a broken neck. Jimmy isn’t sure either, however he simply says that she shouldn’t think too much of it, as he was probably bitten somewhere unseen. He then takes her hand and tells her how glad he is that she chose to stay. Beth just replies that Andrea and Jacqui both made good points about overcoming the problems faced, and she didn’t want to let the world win. Jimmy kisses her for several seconds and tells her he loves her, to which she responds equally. Downstairs, Lori is making the case to Maggie, Glenn, T-Dog, Tyreese, and Otis that she should be going after Rick. Tyreese adamantly dissuades her from doing so due to the quickly approaching night, but she doesn’t care. Maggie recites from experience as a younger girl that going into those woods at night would certainly mean getting lost.
Unknown to the adults, Carl is peeking in on the conversation from the kitchen. He has his gun on him, and taking in his mother’s words, he heads out the back door of the house and goes off in search of his father. Nobody in the house is aware of this. Bruno takes his kids upstairs, also followed by Otis, who wants to watch out the upstairs window in case he spots Rick and can alert the group. T-Dog asks Lori what happens if Rick comes back without Shane. She doesn’t answer right away, then Jacqui asks her what happens if Shane comes back without Rick. Lori quite confidently declares that she would kill him.
The farm and the surrounding area is shrouded in darkness, the sun fully set and the moon rising into the sky. Shane walks into a large clearing on the other side of the farm’s property, the house a long ways in front of him. He can almost see his breaths in the sky. He stares at the house in the distance, imagining walking back to Lori and Carl, who would embrace him lovingly. His mouth hangs open while his gaze lingers. All of a sudden, there’s a click of a gun behind him. Shane turns around to see Rick standing several feet behind him with his colt python raised. The men stare into each other’s eyes. “You’ll never be me, Rick,” Shane says in a low voice. “I know,” Rick replies.
And then he fires. The bullet hits Shane right in the heart. After staring at the wound, he looks back up at Rick in confusion, slumping down to his knees. Rick walks up to him with tears in his eyes. Shane finally falls backwards, dead. His body lies there on the ground while Rick starts to cry and sob, realizing the magnitude of his actions; he just killed his former best friend. Rick kneels down over Shane’s lifeless body and examines the gunshot wound. Shane’s skin already looks pale from all the blood that has gushed out of the wound. Rick is so focused on the body, he almost doesn’t hear a pair of footsteps. “Dad?!” Rick looks up at the sound of his son’s voice, seeing Carl standing there.
Carl shakily asks what happened, and Rick stands and starts walking towards him. Rick pleads with him that he didn’t want it to come to this, and that he had no choice. Carl’s eyes widen when he sees Shane stand up behind Rick and start stumbling towards him. He tries to warn Rick, but he isn’t listening. Thinking quickly, Carl pulls out his gun and aims it just over Rick’s shoulder. Rick freezes, thinking that he’s aiming at him. He holds out his hand right as Carl fires. The bullet strikes the zombified Shane in the head. Rick puts the events together, and rushes to Carl, the boy now in tears. Rick thanks him for doing it, and apologizes that he had to do that. Carl asks if Shane tried to hurt him, and after a moment, Rick answers with a simple “yes”.
Back in the woods, the cluster of walkers that Shane had seen earlier in the day has grown, and migrated closer to the farm. At Carl’s gunshot, they all turn in the direction of the farm, curious as to the source of the noise. Rick and Carl begin to walk back to the house. While they walk, Rick asks if Carl is okay. He nods, and says that Shane became mean ever since Rick came back, he had noticed, but he never wanted to see him dead. Rick stops him, and reminds him to never feel bad for killing walkers, and even if it’s someone you know, it’s part of survival now. He explains to Carl that sooner or later, people will die, including himself and Lori, and that he needs to be ready for it, asking him if he will be. Carl nods confidently, promising not to let his father down. Their conversation is interrupted by the increasing sounds of growls coming from the treeline. Walkers are coming towards Rick and Carl, an entire herd of them. Rick’s heart drops, and he pulls Carl along while running back in the direction of the farmhouse.
The rest of the survivors in the farmhouse look outside, with Glenn spotting the herd first. He, T-Dog, Andrea, and Tyreese walk out onto the porch to examine further. Hershel, Otis, and Patricia join the others on the porch, and Hershel quickly tells Patricia to turn off all the lights in the house so as to draw less attention. Glenn suggests hunkering down inside, but Hershel fears that it’s already too late, as the walkers are already coming up the property. Tyreese asks if they have enough ammo to deal with them. Andrea says that they’ll just have to find out, and rushes away to get the gun bag. Inside the house, she runs past the others. Lori suddenly runs downstairs, exclaiming that Carl is not in the bedroom. Bruno is shocked, and asks his kids if they know where Carl is, to which both shake their heads no. Lori begins to panic, and both Carol and Jacqui calm her down by pulling her away to help search for him.
Rick and Carl run towards the house as fast as possible. Walkers are beginning to cut them off, and their path is quickly cut off. Carl cries out in fear, so Rick pulls him back and they run for the barn instead. They both make it inside and slam the doors shut. They move a shovel into the door handles so that the walkers can’t get in. Carl is beginning to panic further, and Rick assures him that they’ll be alright. On the porch of the house, Andrea returns with the bag of guns and everyone quickly takes them. Jimmy grabs a pistol, and Beth asks him if he’s sure he can go out. He wants to, but he’s shut down by Hershel, who wants him to be protected in the house. Glenn stops them and says they need a concrete plan. “We kill them all. Sounds pretty self explanatory to me,” Sasha says. Andrea replies that it’s easier said than done.
T-Dog suggests the vehicles, and that they could drive back and forth, dividing up the walkers, while someone sits in the passenger side and shoots from the windows. Hershel approves of the idea while he picks up a shotgun, ready to use it. Tyreese asks who’s going out to do this. Maggie, who passes on a shotgun to Glenn, immediately volunteers. Glenn follows behind her, saying if she’s going then he is, too. Andrea sarcastically jokes that she won’t let them have all the fun, so she’ll do it as well. T-Dog volunteers to drive with her. Andrea turns to Tyreese and Sasha, who tells them that they’re pretty good shots. She pulls something from her pocket; the keys to Dale’s RV, and tells them to use it. Jimmy protests being left behind, but Hershel insists that it’s for his own good. He also says that he and Otis will be defending the house and everyone else in it. Jimmy understands, and with his gun in hand, promises he will also protect Beth.
Inside the barn, the walkers that chased after Rick and Carl are beginning to pry the wood off the walls. Rick douses the walls and the hay on the ground in gasoline. He hands Carl a lighter and instructs him to climb up and drop it when he gives the signal. Carl doesn’t want to leave him behind, but Rick promises to be right behind him. He gives him a quick hug and tells him how much he loves him. Carl hurries to the upper level of the barn, and Rick runs to the doors, opening them and allowing a large chunk of the herd inside. He rushes to the ladder, and is almost up, when one of the walkers grabs his ankle. Carl cries out in horror, and on reflex, opens the lighter and throws it down onto the floor of the barn. The walkers immediately light ablaze alongside the hay and the wood. Rick kicks the walker off of him right as the flames spread to it. He leads Carl out to the upper platform of the barn, and contemplates how to get down, when he hears the sounds of several engines revving, seeing the group driving down towards the herd in vehicles.
T-Dog and Maggie are driving Otis’ blue truck and the green Hyundai while Glenn and Andrea lean out the windows with guns. One by one, walkers begin to take bullets to their heads. Otis begins firing rounds as well from the porch. Tyreese stands beside him, firing as well. Otis instructs him only to shoot when the walkers near the fence line. Hershel kneels by the bag, loading several rounds into a shotgun. Sasha has the keys to the RV, and wants to join the others further down, but Tyreese reminds her of their plan. Glenn switches his position as Maggie swerves the car around. Glenn suddenly spots a walker in her path and shouts for her to be careful, however she slams directly into it, smashing it to pieces and splattering blood and body parts everywhere.
Inside the house, Lori is frantically running through every room. She meets up with Carol in the living room, who also reports that she didn’t find him. Jacqui suggests that he’s outside, but Lori is panicking further and not listening. Bruno holds his kids close and proposes going outside to look for him. Patricia advises against it as she peeks through the window, pointing out the growing number of walkers. Beth and Jimmy look out other windows, causing Beth to gasp and see the barn in flames. The others take notice, and Carol suggests that perhaps Carl set it to signal Rick. Lori, overwhelmed with fear, bolts for the door, saying that she’s going to look outside. When she runs outside, she finds Tyreese and Sasha, the former still sniping. They see the barn on fire, too, and Lori tells them that Rick might’ve set it. Sasha says they’ll drive down to look, and pulls Tyreese along. He initially doesn’t want to go, but Otis tells him to do it.
The pair of siblings run to the RV. Sasha climbs in, and Tyreese is about to follow her, but instead she stops him, saying she has an idea. A minute later, Sasha is driving the RV towards the barn. Tyreese is standing on the roof, firing rounds at walkers that attempt to approach them. Upon getting closer, they see someone waving them down and yelling, that being Rick with Carl at his side. Sasha parks the RV right next to the platform they’re standing on. They quickly jump onto the RV next to Tyreese. Without hesitating, they scale down the ladder, with Rick shooting as many walkers as he can. They’re about to run for the house, but more walkers cut them off. Tyreese climbs into the RV and Sasha drives past them, while he shoots several. Rick diverts himself and Carl towards the woods, saying they can go around and make it back.
T-Dog slams the truck into a walker. He stops driving and Andrea shoots at a cluster of undead nearing the fence. She kills most of them, but they begin to crowd more and more, so she signals T-Dog to move. Right as they speed off, the walkers push down that area of the fence, advancing further in. T-Dog is getting annoyed, because no matter how many they kill, more keep coming. Andrea is worried about their ammo supply, but says they need to keep trying. Another walker is in their truck path, but before they strike it, its head explodes from a loud shotgun blast. Hershel is standing in front of the house, firing his shotgun rapidly at every walker that’s made it past the vehicles. Lori runs back around and inside the house, reporting that she couldn’t find Carl hiding outside anywhere. Carol reports that she checked the basement as well, still nothing. Beth panics from beside the window at how close the walkers are getting. Jacqui thinks that they all need to go, because the house will soon be overrun. Lori won’t do it because Carl is still lost and she needs to find him, but Carol reminds her that if she dies, she won’t be able to have him at all, but getting somewhere safe she at least has the chance to find him again. This seems to convince her, as she tells everyone gathered around to get ready to run.
She runs outside, screaming for Carl. Walkers are beginning to filter into the area close to the house, being shot by Otis and Hershel. Lori takes out her gun and begins shooting several walkers as well. Otis questions what’s going on, and Lori informs them that they have to go. Otis’ confusion is interrupted when Carol brings everyone out onto the porch, consisting of herself, Jacqui, Bruno, Louis, Eliza, Beth, Jimmy, and Patricia. The latter of the group runs to her husband and encourages him to follow, but after a pause, he refuses. She tells him to stop being crazy and to come with them, but he remains firm and says he’ll buy them time. Patricia has tears in her eyes, and Otis kisses her deeply. “I love you, darlin’. I’ll see you when this is done,” he says. Jacqui leads Patricia away as the group of survivors hurries off the porch.
The RV swerves to a stop several yards ahead of their path. Sasha opens the door and tells them to hurry and get to them. She honks the horn to attract their attention. Lori shoots at walkers trying to attack them as she runs with everyone. Carol breezes ahead of the others, and reaches the RV first. Patricia is close behind her, and once she’s inside, turns to usher the others in. Suddenly, Beth stops, hearing her father’s shouts. In a panic, she diverts and tries to run to him, shouting for Hershel to join them. Jimmy grabs onto her and tells her that she can’t go after him since it’s too dangerous. Beth struggles in his grip, losing her focus on what’s going on. As he tries to keep her calm, a walker lunges from behind a tree and sinks its teeth into Jimmy’s arm. Beth whirls around just in time to see another one rip at his throat. Beth freezes in place, screaming while she watches blood gush out of her boyfriend. More and more walkers pile onto him, and one almost goes for her, until Jacqui whisks her out of Jimmy’s grip and away in another direction.
Walkers almost corner them, but are quickly shot by both Bruno and Lori, the latter telling them to get somewhere safe as walkers separate the two from the rest. Louis and Eliza run ahead of their father, and are about to reach the RV when a couple walkers sneak around the side and attack them. The kids scream, and run away in fear, towards the shed. Bruno’s heart drops and tries to follow his kids, but Lori has to pull him the rest of the distance to the RV. While she does so, she’s almost accosted by a sneaky walker, when it’s slammed into by T-Dog, who drives up with Andrea. Bruno continues to shout about his kids, causing Andrea to get out. He points in the direction they went and she bolts off. At the same time, T-Dog spots Jacqui and Beth on their own and waves them to climb inside the truck.
Louis and Eliza run until they find themselves cornered by two more walkers. The kids cry and hold onto each other, until the walkers all fall to the ground from consecutive headshots. Andrea lowers her gun and runs up to them. She asks if they’re okay, to which both kids nod silently, and she begins to run back with them. They’re halfway back to the RV, when a walker from behind manages to grab Andrea’s wrist. The sudden jerk causes her to trip. Lori cries out for her, but Andrea urges the kids to keep going. Luckily, both kids run straight into their father’s arms and he takes them straight inside the RV. Meanwhile, Andrea shoots the walker that tripped her, but more start crowding her on all sides. She shouts for the others to go, despite T-Dog’s insistence on helping her. Andrea’s shouts turn to gunshots, but they quickly lose sight of her as more walkers swarm. The survivors look on in horror, believing they’ve lost her. Jacqui, crestfallen, insists that they have to just get off the farm. Sasha asks where she should drive, and T-Dog says to just go, before he speeds away with Jacqui and Beth. Not wanting to wait around much longer, Sasha puts the RV in drive and speeds away as well, although she and the others have lost sight of the blue truck. Lori looks back worriedly, but Carol promises they’ll find everyone again.
The swarm of walkers begins to disperse, and once they’re far enough away, Andrea pushes the lifeless walker corpse off of her. More walkers take notice of her again. Thinking on her feet, she runs for the horse stables. In a last minute attempt to get away, she runs to Nelly the horse, quickly untying her reins and attempting to climb on. As she is about to hop on, walkers enter the stable after her. She tries to kill as many as she can, but her efforts prove useless as she just barely gets out of the way before Nelly is taken down by several of them and ripped apart. Andrea closes herself off in an empty stable, not daring to make a sound, as she racks her brain for more ideas on how to escape while listening to the walkers tear into the poor horse.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
On the farm’s property, the battle against the herd rages on. Glenn and Maggie have parked the car and are now both shooting at the sea of oncoming walkers. Both of them don’t miss a single shot. Glenn runs out of shotgun ammo and warns Maggie of this. Maggie lowers her gun in surprise when she sees Otis’ truck speeding away from the farm. A moment later, the RV follows its path. She points it out to Glenn and asks what they’re doing. Glenn surmises that they must’ve gotten overwhelmed. Maggie shoots more of the walkers and realizes that a lot of them are coming towards them. Finally, Glenn tells her that they need to go. Maggie refuses, saying that others are still fighting, but Glenn reminds her that they’re smart enough to leave as well if they get overrun. They’re forced into the car as walkers begin surrounding them. Maggie worries about her father and Beth, but when walkers start banging on her window, she puts the car in gear and speeds off, running down several walkers in the process.
Meanwhile, Rick and Carl run through the woods, being tailed by a few walkers. Rick shoots one that gets too close, and they briefly stop. Carl asks what they’re going to do, and doesn’t want to leave the farm yet. Rick looks around, eyeing the oncoming walkers, then he hears the blast of a shotgun from back at the farm. He takes Carl’s hand in his and the two start running back towards the farm’s property. Still out front of the house, Hershel unloads another group of shotgun shells, while Otis continues taking out walkers with his rifle. Hershel begins to back up when the walkers grow closer, but stops when his gun runs out of shells. Otis turns to watch him reload, and spots a walker behind him. He shouts for Hershel, but right as the older man turns, the walker is shot from behind. Rick and Carl run up, with Rick asking where everyone else is. Hershel doesn’t know, but Otis says that most of the group ran for the RV, but heard screams and is unsure that everyone made it.
Carl begins to worry about Lori’s safety, and Rick proclaims to both men that they need to go and find everyone else. Hershel doesn’t want to leave the farm, but Rick reminds him to think of his daughters, so Hershel reluctantly agrees. They turn to leave but notice that Otis hasn’t moved. Rick urges him on, but all he does is adjust his cap and tells them to go. Hershel implores Otis to join them, saying that it won’t be long before the walkers reach the house. “Dammit, Hershel, go! I can buy you all time to make it to a vehicle, and if it’s the last thing I do in this life, then so be it. Now, go!” And then he turns and starts shooting more walkers. Hershel stares forlorn at Otis while Rick pulls him along towards the last remaining vehicle on the farm. Walkers begin to crowd them on all sides, but Carl manages to shoot a few in their path, much to Rick’s pride.
The three of them just barely make it to Hershel’s car, having to shoot and beat down walkers to climb inside. Rick starts the engine and peels out of the parked spot before something happens. However, they fail to notice Andrea running up behind the vehicle, tripping and falling as it speeds off. She shouts for Rick to wait, but it’s far too late. She picks up herself and her gun, able to shoot a few walkers that begin surrounding her again. She curses when she uses her last bullet, but doesn’t have to worry for long before a shot from afar creates an opening. Otis stands on the porch, shouting for her to run to him. Andrea wastes no time pushing past the walkers and making it onto the porch. She wearily thanks Otis, but all he does is usher her inside the farmhouse as all of the remaining walkers begin to converge on that point.
Inside, the final two survivors push two chairs up against the door. Andrea asks where the others are, and Otis reports that they’ve all gone and it’s only them left. He picks up the bag of guns he brought inside and tells her to take it with her. They walk into the living room and Andrea asks what the plan is. Otis responds slightly cryptically, saying that he has one in mind. As soon as he says that, the chairs blocking the door are pushed aside, and the banging and snarling outside gets louder as the door is pushed open. Otis shoots at a few and yells for them to move, rushing to the kitchen. Andrea, with her freshly reloaded gun, shoots some of the walkers as well. They reach the kitchen, and Andrea is relieved to see the back door untouched and clear. She runs to it, but sees Otis not following her. She tells him that he isn’t going, which leaves her stunned.
“What about Patricia? Hershel?” she asks him. Otis somberly tells her that he wasn’t made for a world like this. “I’m soft, hon. Always have been. A cruel world like this one? It ruins people like me. I’ve given all my life, but this world doesn’t need people like that anymore. And I’ll be damned if my last act is dragging somebody else down with me. Just like I told Rick, go. Save yourself,” Otis says, demanding it but not in a rude way. He hesitates, but says one final thing. “Please, tell Patricia how much I loved her.” Andrea adjusts the bag of guns on her shoulder, and with one last look, bolts out of the door.
Otis focuses back on the oncoming walkers. He shoots again and again, taking down several of them. Sadly, his rifle runs out of ammo again right as the walkers are inches from him. He initially blocks the first one with the rifle, but it slips from his hands when another walker chomps on his hand. Otis screams and is dragged to the floor while dozens of walkers crowd him. Every area of his body is bitten and gets flesh ripped off. Andrea runs away from the farmhouse while trying to block out his screaming. She quickly disappears into the woods. Walkers that aren’t inside the farmhouse either roam the property or flock to the still burning barn, which is acting like a beacon in the darkness. The bodies of the walkers that had been on fire lie on the ground, completely burned to death. At last, the weak frame of the barn collapses in on itself. The farm has fallen.
The night passes with the group still split. In the early hours, at the break of dawn, Maggie speeds down the road. Glenn suggests that they drive to the highway, but Maggie doesn’t respond. He looks over and sees that she’s frozen staring at the road ahead, her breathing rapid and shaky. Urgently, he tells her to stop driving. Maggie awkwardly pulls over on the side of the road, and the two get out of the car. When Glenn walks around to her side, she breaks down into tears and he embraces her. She expresses extreme anxiety over her father and Beth, and if they made it out alive. “All the others, Patricia, Otis, Jimmy, what if they’re all gone? I can’t be alone, I can’t…” she cries. Glenn comforts her and quiets her down, and reminds her that she won’t be alone ever again, because she has him now, too. He also believes that they made it, since the RV can hold a lot of people. This seems to calm Maggie down enough, and Glenn then offers to drive the rest of the way to the highway. They switch seats and get back on the road together.
T-Dog, Jacqui, and Beth ride in the truck together. Beth is sobbing into Jacqui’s shoulder, crying for Jimmy and her father. She murmurs that it’s her fault that he died, but Jacqui quickly shuts that idea down, telling her that nobody could’ve predicted that happening. T-Dog drives past an intersection that would lead towards the highway, causing Jacqui to question his decision. T-Dog proclaims that they need to get as far away from the farm and general area as possible, find a landmark and continue surviving. Jacqui ridicules his choice, saying that Rick would return to a familiar place, such as the highway. T-Dog doesn’t think so, and says that even if that’s true, they should just keep going. Beth bravely rejects his idea, and reminds him that her father and sister are still out there and he has no right to separate them. She quietly adds that she doesn’t know if she could do it in the world alone. Jacqui understands what she means, and agrees with her. She reminds T-Dog that the reason she overcame her feelings of suicide and hopelessness were because she had the group to support her, and they need them to survive. Finally convinced, T-Dog slows down and agrees to make the turn at the next intersection. Jacqui smiles at this.
The RV speeds down the road with Tyreese behind the wheel. Bruno is still looking over his children, asking them if they were bitten anywhere. Both of them repeat that they weren’t and are fine. He says that he just wants to be sure. Eliza asks when they’ll be able to go back to the farm, and he reluctantly tells her that they can’t. This upsets both of them, and Louis reminds him of Miranda’s resting place. Bruno is visibly saddened by this, but he tells them that they will always keep her with them through memory. This seems to make sense to them, as they nod in agreement with what he says. Carol listens to him as well and takes in what he said, feeling a similar way about Sophia. Beside her, Patricia has her head in her hands. Carol asks if she’s worried about Otis. Patricia, almost in tears, recounts how walkers were everywhere, and she thinks that she should’ve tried harder to convince him to go with them. On her other side, Lori comforts her, reminding her how noble her husband is, and just how prideful men can be. She relates to her by talking about how Rick always tried to be the hero at times, especially since he was a cop.
“He always wanted to be the good cop, even when there were times where… a good cop just wasn’t what was needed,” she says. She tells her that Otis is just like Rick; brave, selfless, and strong, and that alone means he can survive. Up front, she hears Tyreese and Sasha discussing where to go next. She walks up to them and asks what their plan is. Tyreese has no clue, and is just looking for a safe place to stop and figure things out, since they’ve been driving for hours. Lori suggests heading to the highway, but Sasha points out that it’s where the herd came from so it could be dangerous. Lori counter argues that because the herd came from there, the amount of potential walkers will be even less. Sasha continues to express worry over this, but Lori insists that Rick would have the same idea, and she refuses to be separated from him and Carl any longer than she has to be. Tyreese sees her point, and agrees. He pauses in a four way intersection, then slowly maneuvers the RV in a U-turn to head back in the opposite direction to get back to the highway.
The highway sits empty and untouched, the congregation of abandoned vehicles still there. There’s no sound at all, until the steady hum of an engine rolls through the maze of cars. The engine stops near the same location the group had initially stopped at. Rick, Carl, and Hershel emerge from the vehicle, looking around warily. Hershel asks if this is a good idea, since they’re extremely exposed like this, but Rick insists that this would be one of the first places that survivors would think to come. Carl is angry because no one else is there, and believes that the others won’t show up. Rick tries to explain, but Carl blows up at him, calling him a coward for not wanting to go out and look for Lori. His yells attract a walker from the mass of cars. Rick directs them all to hide along the side of their vehicle as it walks by. They sneak around the other side and Rick stabs it with his knife.
Rick scolds Carl for yelling at him. Carl apologizes, but pleads with Rick that they can’t just sit and do nothing. Hershel says that he’s willing to wait here alone if anyone else shows up, but Rick refuses to split up. All of a sudden, they hear multiple undead growls. About a dozen more walkers emerge from the highway wreckage. The three men raise their weapons, ready to fight, but they don’t get the chance when a flurry of gunshots from behind the walkers sends them all down. Rick looks on and sees several vehicles all in a line driving up to them, including the familiar RV. He, Carl, and Hershel all smile to each other.
The vehicles park safely, with survivors disembarking. Lori is the first one off the RV as she runs straight to Carl, crying happily and hugging him. Carl apologizes for sneaking off but she isn’t even angry, just relieved to see him. Maggie and Beth both run to Hershel, happily sinking into his arms. Beth also reaches out and hugs Patricia, who gets a warm look from Hershel. T-Dog and Bruno share a reunion hug, and Jacqui gives Carol a hug as well. Glenn asks if this is everyone who made it, surveying the group. Rick announces that Shane didn’t make it, surprising everyone, including Lori, but not much sadness is held. Glenn asks about Andrea, and Bruno relays her being swarmed. Beth begins to cry again, holding Maggie’s hand as she mentions Jimmy being eaten. Patricia quickly realizes that Otis isn’t there and feels her stomach drop. When she asks, Hershel recounts how he bought them time, but didn’t see what happened to him.
Carol asks if they’re sure that Andrea was killed, as they didn’t hear any screams. T-Dog isn’t too hopeful, since walkers were everywhere. Jacqui tries to stay optimistic by saying her and Otis could be making their way here right now, trying to give Patricia some form of comfort. Glenn suggests waiting here for them to possibly show up, but Rick denies the idea. He tries to fight it, but Rick says it would only leave them vulnerable to more walker herds. He says that they all need to move out to somewhere safer. Patricia begs him to reconsider, wanting to wait for her husband. Rick is apologetic, but doesn’t change his mind. Maggie questions where they’ll even go now. “Anywhere but here,” Rick replies. Moments later, the group split themselves among the vehicles. Otis’ truck is left among the other abandoned cars on the highway. The group drives away in the remaining three vehicles, having split the truck’s remaining gas among them to further their distance.
The group remains on the road for hours, stopping at various times to scavenge supplies. While on the road, Rick is driving at the back of the caravan with Lori, Carl, T-Dog, and Carol in the car with him. Lori sitting in the passenger seat suddenly speaks. She asks Rick if he knows about what happened to Dale, and that he wasn’t killed during the herd attack. Rick licks his lips and admits he knows, saying he could hear his screams in the woods where he was with Shane. The car falls silent again until the engine makes an uneasy noise. T-Dog asks how they’re doing on gas, and Rick looks to the meter, realizing they’re getting low by now. He scans the area and sees a gas station about to be passed by. He honks once and pulls in. The rest of the group stops and does so as well, congregating around their vehicles and the gas pumps. Rick tells them to search for any other supplies they can find as well as gather some more gas for them all.
While the group gets to work, T-Dog and Glenn begin to siphon whatever gas is left from the pump, Tyreese and Hershel survey the convenience store inside the main building. Rick walks away from the others, his head filled with thoughts from the previous night, specifically about Shane. He looks to the sky, trying to clear his head. He is interrupted by Lori approaching behind him. When she asks him what the matter is, Rick comes clean. “I killed Shane,” he says, matter of factly. Lori reacts shocked, clearly not expecting to hear this. Rick begins to explain, talking about how it was him who broke Randall out, and used it to get him alone, then he held him at gunpoint and was leading him to his death. Rick talks about how he managed to escape, and then shot Shane dead with no remorse. Lori is silent at first, and then she slowly says that she understands, and that Shane was out of control and she predicted that he’d get himself killed sooner or later.
Her surprise is further prolonged when Rick isn’t finished. He explains how Shane proceeded to turn, and that Carl was there and was the one to put him down. Lori covers her mouth with her hand, and after a moment, asks how he handled it. Rick isn’t sure, but he believes that he knows it was necessary. Lori hopes that it doesn’t change him. Rick goes on to say that Shane turning is how he knew something, but cuts himself off before he can say what. Lori tries to press it, and after some light prying, he walks back over to the group. All of the others are standing around, Tyreese reporting that nothing was inside. Beth comes to Rick and asks where they’re going to go, worried that more herds will come through or Randall’s group. Glenn tells Rick that he and Andrea found Randall the previous day. “He was the walker that… that killed Dale, you know. But what was odd is that he wasn’t bitten, he had no marks on his body.” Maggie asks how something like that can be possible, and T-Dog replies that it can’t be.
“We’re all infected.” Rick’s words stun the entire group, everyone looking at him in pure shock. He repeats it, explaining that it was the secret that Dr. Jenner had whispered to him as they fled the CDC; whatever it was that caused the walker outbreak, everyone carried it in their bodies. The bite wasn’t what turned people, they would all turn no matter how they died. Sasha gets upset, accusing Rick of lying to them about this, but Tyreese calms her down. Carol believes that he should’ve told them, and Glenn argues that keeping secrets from others only leads to hurt. Rick defends himself by saying that it would’ve only caused more panic among them, and thought it best to wait until the appropriate time. Hershel agrees that Rick had his reasons, and that they don’t have a right to question his decisions when he’s done so much for them. An unspoken aura of slight tension hangs over the group, broken by Lori suggesting that they get moving again to find a place to rest for the night, as it’s going to be dark soon. Rick says the same thing, leading everyone to boarding the vehicles and starting off, not many words shared between them.
The sky is growing darker with night fast approaching. Through the woods, Andrea runs as fast as she can. Walkers are spread out all around her, and she repeatedly has to change directions to avoid running into a small pack of them. She stops and hides near a group of trees. From behind, a walker grabs her hair and pins her to the tree. She yells and fights back, breaking the walker’s arm as another comes at her. She kicks it away, then stabs the walker grabbing her. She also stabs the walker she kicked away before she runs off again. She checks her gun and sees only a few bullets left in it. Cursing, she runs past several walkers that take notice of her. She shoots one ahead of her, then another one coming from the side. Her path is blocked by a couple walkers, which she shoots, only for her gun to run out of bullets. A walker behind her tries to grab her, but she reacts quickly and stabs it.
Andrea is growing exhausted as she just barely recovers in time to stab the walker behind the first one. When she pulls away, though, she trips and one more walker falls onto her, trying to claw and bite her. She screams at the top of her lungs, desperately trying to push it off of her, crying out for help futilely. As she tries to scoot away, the walker is decapitated by the swing of a katana. A hooded survivor stands in front of her, with two walkers with chains around their necks and no arms or jaws. The survivor stabs the severed head and walks closer to Andrea, standing above her. Nervously, she scoots backwards a little, unable to see the survivor’s face yet because of the sky growing darker and the shadows in the woods. She looks up at them uneasily, but pauses when they reach down and offer her their hand.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Rick runs down an empty road through a small suburban downtown area. Walkers are on his tail not far behind. A duffel bag filled quite tightly is in his hands. Sweat runs down his face, which has a notably more scruffy beard. He looks back at the walkers, and then looks to his left and right. He isn’t alone, because running beside him are Glenn, Tyreese, and T-Dog. The four of them head for a T-shaped intersection where their road ends. Rick stares intently ahead at the intersection as if he is waiting for something to happen.
As if on cue, the RV and the group’s other vehicles pull up. Jacqui is behind the wheel, and honks shortly. The four men run the rest of the distance to the RV as Bruno swings open the door. Each of them hands off their supplies, and Glenn and Tyreese board the RV. Rick and T-Dog run to the truck driven by Lori. Both of them hurry inside, and before the walkers can reach them, they speed away. In the different vehicles, all of the group members breathe a sigh of relief while looking at each other. Lori smiles at Rick, and he puts a hand on her shoulder lovingly as she drives.
A short while later, the group is scouting a large house at the corner of a cul-de-sac. Glenn, Hershel, Maggie, and Beth scale along the side of the house towards the backyard area. Suddenly, a couple of walkers surprise them from around the corner. Maggie at the front stumbles back, caught off guard. A walker pins her to the side of the house, while Beth, who is wielding an axe, kills one of the walkers, being cornered by a couple others. She manages to kick one in the leg and jab it in the head with her axe, then fights off the other one, almost falling down. Maggie pushes the walker off of her and Glenn grabs it, stomping its head. Beth shimmies away from the walker attacking her, then brings the axe down on its head. Hershel goes to Maggie’s side and checks on her, while Beth stands up, out of breath, looking on with a melancholy expression.
Rick comes to the scene of the commotion, but sees that everything is fine now. He gestures to Glenn to go with the others around back. He then kicks open the doors of the house with T-Dog. Inside are a couple of walkers, easily taken out by both men. Bruno also gets to kill one with a baseball bat, swinging it repeatedly to make sure it dies. Carl also enters the house, his hair is much longer, and he’s holding his gun with much more experience. The four of them slowly search the house room by room, staying stealthy and silent. Carl ventures upstairs and hears banging from behind a closed door. He readies his gun which has a silencer on the end to reduce noise, and opens the door. Out stumbles a walker, and within a second, Carl puts it down with a headshot.
The cupboards in the kitchen prove to hold nothing of value, as Rick finds out while combing through them. T-Dog enters and looks at him hopefully, but Rick shakes his head, indicating no food. The other man’s shoulders slump, defeated. They regroup with Carl and Bruno near the door, and Rick leans outside, whistling. There’s also a noise from the back door, and a loud creak as it opens. Hershel, Glenn, Maggie, and Beth enter from the back. At the front, Tyreese, Sasha, Louis, Eliza, Carol, Jacqui, Patricia, and Lori enter the house. Lori’s stomach is much larger now, her pregnancy now much farther along. Time has definitely passed. She and Rick exchange warm looks, and he gently guides her to the main room where the rest of the group is.
Everybody takes a moment to catch their breath, sitting in a large circle on the floor. Rick finds a chair for Lori to sit in as he remains standing. He surveys everyone in the group, nodding to himself. Suddenly, Carl runs in from the kitchen with a can in his hand. At first, the group thinks he’s found food. Technically, he has, just not human. Carl begins to use a can opener on the can, which is for dog food. Sasha and Tyreese exchange a look. Maggie almost gags in disgust. Beth breaks the long silence among the group. “I’m not eating that.”
This breaks the slight tension, and everybody laughs a little. Rick picks up the can from Carl, telling him that they may be low on food but they aren’t that desperate, but commends him for his resourceful behavior. He then addresses everyone by acknowledging the hardships they’ve faced in the 7 months it has been since they left the farm. He then says how proud he is of all of them, and that they’re full survivors. The group does a silent toast of sorts to themselves, then continue resting. Hershel inquires with Lori on how the pregnancy is coming along. She reports that nothing seems wrong, although she worries that the baby hasn’t been getting enough food. He assures her that despite the scarcity of food, she’s been eating an acceptable amount. Carol offers to let her have some more of her rations during meal time, but Lori doesn’t want to have her give up her food. Carol just smiles and says that it’s her offer. “Besides, you look like crap,” she jokes, both women laughing to each other.
The group is just settling in, when T-Dog suddenly motions to them. Rick peeks outside and sees walkers advancing from the road. He instructs everyone to get back to the vehicles before the walkers cut them off in the cul-de-sac. Everyone gets up and Glenn leads them out the back to sneak around the side of the house and avoid detection. Some walkers are close to the group as they get in, but they don’t even bother killing them, beginning to feel the fatigue of not eating as much food. Quickly, they all once again drive away safely, leaving behind another safe location.
An hour or so later, Rick is communicating with Glenn over radios from different vehicles, discussing possible routes to take to avoid the growing number of walkers in the area. He suggests trying to leave the area, but Rick is worried a herd might cut them off. Suddenly, from the passenger seat, Lori groans loudly, hunching over and clutching her stomach. Carl worriedly cries out for her, and Carol urges them to stop. Not thinking twice, Rick swerves to the side of the road, prompting the others to do so as well. Rick helps Lori exit the car while Hershel urgently runs up. Lori explains that she’s experiencing some cramps that hurt a bit, and he instructs Rick to find a comfortable spot for her to sit down. A tree near the road provides this as he leads her there and helps her prop herself up on the grass.
Glenn brings Hershel his medical kit that they were able to salvage from the farm, and he begins taking Lori’s vitals. Carl asks if the baby is coming after seeing Lori catch her breath. Rick believes it’s too early for it, and Hershel agrees. A few walkers emerge from the trees on either side. One is extremely close to where Lori sits. Everyone readies to kill it, but Beth walks up to it and drives her axe right into its head. She hacks at it multiple times until Hershel snaps her out of it. She kicks the body to make sure it's down, then walks away to the back of the caravan. Rick watches her, taking note of her attitude. With the threat level down after Tyreese and Bruno handle the other walkers, Hershel informs Rick that the cramps were just Braxton-Hicks contractions, something felt normally in the second and third trimester of pregnancies, and that Lori’s due date isn’t for another 30 to 40 days.
This makes the entire group relax, feeling relief. Hershel advises waiting a little while before continuing, which Rick agrees to. In the meantime, Rick proposes that the group try and hunt for some food in the surrounding area. Sasha suggests that she and Tyreese scout ahead, and he agrees as well. Sasha jokes that they better not leave without them again, before they both head out. Glenn offers to go out with Rick, but Rick’s gaze focuses on Beth, who is leaning against the car. He announces that he’s going to take Beth, as he wants to help her improve her shooting skills. Hershel permits this. Beth is surprised by this, clearly not expecting it, but agrees to go along with it. Rick tells Carl to hold down the fort while he’s away, and to check in on Lori.
The rest of the group idles around the road as the other members are out. Lori rubs her stomach while she sits alone underneath the tree. She has her gun out at her side, just in case. She looks up seeing Bruno walk up next to her. She invites him to sit next to her, the two sharing a meaningful glance. He does so, and for a moment they’re quiet. Lori looks at Louis and Eliza, who sit with Patricia near the RV. Lori tells him that even though it’s been 7 months, the day that they both spent captive still lingers in her head. Bruno admits that it does for him, too. He reveals that sometimes he has dreams about Miranda, Randall, and the other members of the group who killed her. He has nightmares where his kids die, too, or others where he’s the one who killed her.
Bruno laments that he feels responsible for them being taken captive, he wishes that he’d listened to Miranda when she believed in the farm’s safety. Lori assures him that he isn’t at fault for any of it, and says that if anybody understands how he feels, it’s her. “When I saw that they had you as well, a part of me wanted to fight back so badly, but I saw the bruises, not just on you two, but the kids. I knew that it wasn’t something we’d win.” Bruno doesn’t blame her either, pointing out how she still had Rick and Carl. He believes that the group feels like he betrayed them all by abandoning them. Lori immediately shuts that down and tells him that everyone respected and supported his decisions. She says it isn’t easy to look after a family in a world like this, but they at least have each other as a group to help. She lets him know that if he ever needs to talk about their past situation, she will listen. Bruno smiles and thanks her, appreciative.
T-Dog is scanning the road where the group had come from. Walkers mill about in the very far distance, nothing to worry about. He hears shuffling from behind him, turning around to see Jacqui slide down and sit on the rear bumper of the RV. At first he thinks she’s passing out, but when he rushes to her, asking if she’s okay, she reveals she’s fine, just feeling exhausted from the hunger lingering in her stomach. He sits down next to her and hopes that Rick and Beth come back with heaps of food. Jacqui chuckles at his joke, which makes T-Dog smile, and he then attempts to act flirtatiously with her.
He makes a half-joke that since most everyone else in the group is paired up, they should hook up as well. Jacqui chuckles again, but looks visibly uncomfortable at the remark. She feels flattered by his offer, but awkwardly says that he wouldn’t be the ideal partner she would be looking for. Confused, T-Dog asks what she means, but she’s hesitant to respond. He backs off, apologizing for possibly overstepping a boundary. She quickly assures him it’s okay, and adds that she trusts him and sees him as a best friend. “Being a black woman in the deep south hasn’t always given me the best opportunities,” Jacqui mentions, then goes on to talk about her former partner, and how through their entire relationship, she felt like the most important person in the world.
T-Dog looks at her fondly as she reminisces on her previous romance. “He sounds like he was amazing,” he says. Jacqui wipes a forming tear away, takes a deep breath, then faces him. “She,” she replies. It takes him a moment, but T-Dog has his moment of realization at what she means. He nods, and tells her that he understands, and makes it known that he supports her. She leans in and gives him a hug, and also a small kiss on the cheek. She thanks him quietly, while he also promises not to say anything about it to the rest of the group until she feels ready, if at all. Jacqui becomes distracted by something behind T-Dog, and asks “what is he doing?” out loud. He turns around, both of them watching Carl walk into the woods aimlessly.
Jacqui worries that he’ll get hurt, so T-Dog stands and hurries after him. Carl isn’t very far into the woods when he hears the man’s voice calling his name. He stops and impatiently asks him what he wants. T-Dog is taken aback by his hostile attitude, and reminds him that he’s still a young kid and can’t wander off by himself. Carl apologizes and kicks the dirt out of frustration. He sits down on a large rock and T-Dog notices that he must have things on his mind, so he asks him what’s wrong. Carl looks at the gun in his hands, then up again. “I had to shoot Shane as a walker. I know that I had to do it, but it’s been bugging me all these months. I don’t know if I have it in me to do it again, not for somebody I know.”
The words resonate with T-Dog, who sympathizes with his point. Carl also mentions that he knows Shane was a bad person, and that’s why Rick killed him, but it still felt so strange, seeing a person who he’d known all his life as almost an uncle-figure, turn into a monster like that. Although Carl doesn’t see it, T-Dog finds double meaning in his words. He reassures the kid that despite it being hard, people will die, and there’s no way to be ready for it, but the group will be there for it all, and he won’t ever have to go through something alone, just like he said to Jacqui. Carl tilts his head and asks innocently what Jacqui was talking about. T-Dog quickly backtracks and dismisses the subject, rubbing his head. He redirects Carl back to the road with the others.
Deeper into the woods, Rick and Beth walk together, with Rick having Beth wield a rifle, while he holds the axe she’s been using. They’ve been mostly silent up to this point, until Beth says quietly that he could’ve brought somebody else like Carol, who has gotten better at using a gun. Rick replies that he wanted her specifically to come along, and not just for the gun training. Beth is confused, so they stop walking. He asks her what that was all about back there, regarding the aggressive killing of the walker. Beth hunches in on herself slightly, and apologizes, saying she just got a little too emotional.
Wanting to know what the matter is, Rick asks if something is going on. Beth initially tries to downplay it, saying it’s been happening for a while. Rick persists, saying that he’s here for her. She sighs, and leans idly against a tree. “My daddy loves me very much. But he… doesn’t see me like he sees Maggie.” Rick tilts his head, so she continues. She talks about how she was born so much later than the other kids. Arnold, Shawn, Lacey, and Maggie were all born within a couple years of each other, but she’s barely 17 now. Beth tells Rick about how Hershel and Arnold frequently fought, and when she was young he left the farm. Shawn also left, but on positive terms to pursue education. Lacey became a problem child, turning to marijuana which led to many arguments with her and the parents. Maggie had gone to college for a little while too, leaving only her and Lacey on the farm.
Beth feels sadder as she explains it out loud. She continues after sniffling, saying how she always helped around the farm, she did Lacey’s chores when she slacked off to smoke or deliberately be defiant. Hershel would always say to both of them, “why can’t you be more like your older brother?”, despite Beth always trying her hardest. She reiterates that the two have always had a positive relationship, it’s just that he never sees her accomplishments, and only focuses on her when she’s in a negative aspect of her life, such as her suicide attempt back on the farm. When she’s done, Rick notices a couple tears down her face and invites her in for a hug. She takes it graciously and enjoys the warm, fatherly embrace.
When they separate, Rick offers to talk to Hershel for her, because she’s family to him and everyone else now, and he’d do anything for her. She refuses the offer, and Rick accepts it, but leaves it on the table for whenever. Beth wipes away a leftover tear and manages a smile. She picks up the rifle where she’d leaned it against a tree and suggests they keep moving. They make it slightly farther when all of a sudden, they see a deer munching on some grass about 20 yards away. Rick makes sure Beth is silent and has her aim at it. He whispers to her to squeeze the trigger firmly. She takes a breath and shoots. The bullet hits the deer, critically injuring it, but it runs off. Rick urges her to quickly follow it in case they lose it or walkers get it first.
Rick leads her through the woods towards where a railroad track is laid out. They see the deer ahead, now lying dead from the bullet wound. Rick pats her shoulder and commends her for finding the group a nice meal. They approach the deer, which lies just beyond a break in the opposite end of the woods. Rick kneels down beside the deer to examine it, not looking the other way. Beth does, and she pauses. She taps his shoulder and urges him to look, too. Rick does, and in a second his expression matches hers. It’s a prison. Walkers mill about the courtyard, but the fences and guard towers are completely intact. Rick and Beth exchange a look, and then Rick smiles as he looks back at the compound. “It’s perfect,” he says.
Elsewhere, a helicopter flies over the rural landscape. The pilot, Sergeant Welles, adjusts his controls and their flight speed. Two other passengers ride in the back, a fellow soldier and a woman. Welles asks his partner, Franklin, how everything is, and he responds that things look good. The woman asks how much farther it’ll be to the safe compound. “Don’t worry, Ms. Haben, we’ll be there soon, in under an hour, most likely,” Welles assures her. She smiles and tells him it’s okay to call her Christina. Franklin asks her what happened at the studio that they rescued her from. She talks about her survival there, but earlier in the day someone hid a bite and chaos broke out. She mentions that her best friend, the pilot, Michael, was killed in the chaos. Welles chuckles and jokes that they’re lucky he and Franklin had been driving past and could operate the helicopter.
All of a sudden, alarms blare in the cockpit, and a loud crack comes from the blades, which are now billowing thick black smoke. Franklin holds onto Christina so they don’t fall, while Welles desperately tries to get the helicopter under control. Franklin calls to him urgently, and Welles sees that they’re losing altitude and are headed for an area of trees. He warns them all to brace for impact. The three of them screw their eyes shut and put their heads down. The smoking, swinging blades make contact with the trees. The helicopter violently turns and crashes down into the ground.
In the distance, Andrea and her companion, Michonne, with her two walker pets, are stopped, having seen the helicopter go down from afar. They look at each other in silence, wondering what they should do. After a moment, Michonne changes their course, yanking the chains of her walkers now in the direction of the pillar of smoke. She stops when she notices Andrea still standing there, unmoving. She asks her if she’s coming, and after breaking free from her trancelike state, she does a small nod, and follows behind Michonne in the direction of the crashed helicopter.
Unknown to them, a truck drives towards the scene of the crash site as well.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
A small gathering of walkers is spread out around the group. Glenn cuts into the chain link fence of the prison while T-Dog, Bruno, Tyreese, and Rick slash and kill the walkers coming at them. Glenn lets them know that the hole is open and safe to pass through, and one by one everyone makes it through. Rick helps Lori through with her visibly pregnant stomach and Carl quickly follows in behind her. Rick goes through last, and holds the fence shut as Glenn wires the gap closed. The group looks around and realizes that they’re in the walkway for prison guards, with two fences on either side of them as walkers bang on them from the outside as well as inmate walkers in the prison courtyard.Rick leads the group on a small jog up to the main gate entrance, where he turns to face everyone. He says that they’ll be able to take the courtyard, although Carol expresses worry, pointing out the dozens of inmate walkers roaming the space. Rick instructs her to go with Tyreese back to the tower they had entered by, complimenting her on her improvement with a gun in the last seven months. He then instructs Hershel and Carl to go into the tower right next to them. Sasha is skeptical of the plan because of the lack of ammo and the fact that the gate inside the courtyard is open which allows the walkers up closer to the prison to wander out, but Rick promises her it will work. Glenn offers to make the run to the gate to close it, but Maggie says it would be a suicide run. Rick also denies Glenn’s offer and says he’ll be doing the run himself and take the tower next to the gate. He tells Glenn to go with Maggie, Beth, and T-Dog to stab as many walkers through the fence as possible while he runs.Rick readies himself at the gate, with Lori ready to open it for him. She asks him if he’s truly up for this, and he replies that he promised them they’d take the courtyard. Lori reminds him that she’ll cover him, and he says that he knows she will with a smile. She then pulls the gate open, allowing Rick to sneak out into the courtyard. Bruno, with his kids protectively behind him, approaches next to Lori and remarks just how much Rick puts himself at risk. Lori backs him and says he does it for all of them. Rick begins running up the courtyard’s gravel path, with many of the walkers dressed in inmate jumpsuits. Gunshots from afar begin to go off. Rick looks up to see Carl shooting a walker near him, accompanied by Hershel. In the further tower, Carol and Tyreese use the group’s automatic guns to fire as well. Rick, armed with his own silenced colt python, shoots a couple of the walkers in his path. A walker in front of him gets shot in the gut and then the shoulder.Carol, having fired those shots, curses and reloads. Tyreese calms her and tells her to take a breath and focus, and that she’s doing great. This makes her smile a little. Rick kills the walker while Carol takes out a different one on her first shot, which she triumphantly laughs over. Rick runs up the open gate where more walkers are near. He kicks them all back and shuts the chain link gate, keeping it closed with a large carabiner. He turns around, only to find more walkers coming at him. Suddenly, most of them get shot in the head by Lori from afar with her small revolver. Rick chuckles happily, making it inside the tower. Glenn, Maggie, Beth, T-Dog, Jacqui, and Patricia, who have been stabbing walkers through the fence, see that Rick made it and celebrate amongst themselves.In no time, Rick makes it to the top of his own tower. Armed with his gun, he looks down at the way the group is effortlessly taking out the walkers in the courtyard. He shouts for everyone to go all out, and the others begin to fire more frequently. So much so, that before Rick can even take a shot himself, the last walker falls dead, courtesy of a skilled shot from Carl. This makes him chuckle, muttering a small “we did it.” to himself as he descends the tower.Lori opens up the gate for the rest of the group to walk inside the courtyard. Carol and Tyreese catch up with the group and she complains about the way the rifle hit her shoulder. Tyreese says she’ll get used to it, but she disagrees and playfully rolls her eyes. Maggie marvels at the open expanse of green grass, and says that there’s so much open space. Louis and Eliza take off with wide, excited eyes, running around and laughing to each other. Lori comes up beside Carl and suggests that he join in with his friends. He shakes his head and doesn’t want to. A few walkers nearby lift their heads, having not been fully put down yet. Lori flinches back a little as Carl shoots one. Glenn stabs another one with his knife right as Rick emerges from the tower.Hershel commends Rick on his efforts, then looks over at the walkers clawing at the chain link fence. Rick says that they’ll work on taking the inner courtyard in the morning, but for now, they’ll be spending the night out in the courtyard. Lori sits down in the grass with Patricia kneeling down beside her. Rick approaches and asks if everything’s fine, which Patricia reports is the case, she just wanted to make sure after a stressful situation. Lori swears she’s fine, she was just worried. Rick teases her a little, asking if she was worried about him. He chuckles, and she jabs at him that he was just like this during her pregnancy with Carl. Over in the grass further, Jacqui finds Hershel inspecting the dirt and curiously asks what he’s looking for. He explains that he’s testing the soil to see if it’s viable for farmland. She worries that the prison may not turn out to be a safe place, but Hershel has faith in it, and says that if Rick found it and believes in it, then he does, too. Nearby, Beth overhears him while having a friendly conversation with Carl and pretends not to be annoyed.Later that night, the group is sitting around a small fire, passing around some food rations. Tyreese sits next to Sasha and passes her some food. He looks past everyone at Carol, who is guarding the main gate near an overturned prison bus. He quietly says to Sasha that he’s going to bring some food over to her. Sasha pokes him in the ribs and makes a joke that he must like her. His annoyed reaction, one classic to that of a sibling, makes her laugh as she encourages him to go over to her. Their bickering catches the attention of some of the group. Glenn makes a comment that his sisters back in Michigan would always tease him about girls he liked. Sasha gives him a reassuring reply that his sisters are probably alive and surviving well.Rick, who had been pacing by the fence with walkers, rejoins the fireside chat, where he’s handed the food rations by T-Dog. He doesn’t take any and passes them straight to Lori. She takes some, but Rick insists she have more for the baby’s sake. Lori refuses, saying that others have to eat, too, and she shouldn’t get special treatment. Her response is met with Bruno saying that she can have more instead of him. T-Dog joins in, offering up more of his rations for her, as does Maggie and Beth. This makes Lori look down at her pregnant stomach with a smile, and she reluctantly takes the extra food. Carl also offers his food when she passes it to him next, but she adamantly refuses and makes him take his own, rubbing his back when he does so.Over by the gate, Tyreese approaches Carol with food in hand, and offers some company as well. Carol tries to politely decline, saying she’s fine on her own, but Tyreese doesn’t want her to miss out on eating, or the “campfire gossip” as he jokingly puts it. This makes her laugh, and she starts to think about the prison. She asks him what he thinks they’ll find inside. He shrugs, and says that it looks intact, and that it might actually make a decent living space, he just hopes that it isn’t packed with walkers. Carol stares up at the sky and talks about Sophia, saying how she had dreamed of finding a safe place to watch her grow up. Tyreese remembers those months ago, and he wishes he could’ve done more to find her.Carol smiles, her eyes saddened. “My Sophia died long before we could’ve saved her. I’ve come to terms with it,” she says. “I only wish she hadn’t gone in pain, alone…” Tyreese thinks she’s going to cry, and offers comfort, but Carol says she’s okay. She’s learned to be strong in the past year. She just wishes that the apocalypse didn’t have to take her daughter for it to happen. Tyreese looks back at the campfire and offers to swap places with her for the rest of the night, but Carol politely refuses, insisting she enjoys the quiet air, mentioning how she would always spend nights awake, looking up at the stars. So Tyreese makes himself comfortable by her side, handing her the food, and saying “then I guess it’s the two of us on watch tonight.” Carol smiles at this.Over by the fire, Hershel asks Beth if she’d sing the song “Parting Glass”. Beth refuses softly, but Maggie chimes in, offering to sing it with her. Beth gets a little agitated, repeating her refusal right before she gets up and storms off. Rick watches her go with a knowing look in her eye. Hershel looks a little dejected, and Patricia makes a lighthearted remark about teenagers these days. Maggie goes to stand and follow her, wanting to talk to her about her attitude, but Glenn stops her and says she might just need some time alone. T-Dog says they shouldn’t let anybody walk alone in this area, even if they’ve checked it, since there could be unseen breaches in the fence. Rick offers to take another look around the perimeter, so he stands and heads over after giving Lori a gentle pat on her shoulder.Lori turns to Carl and asks him how he feels about living in a prison. Carl answers rather short and uninterested, saying “it’s fine, I guess.” She notices the lack of enthusiasm, but tries again by mentioning how he and the other kids will have so much room to play now. Once again, Carl just shrugs her comments off. Lori sighs, and after a moment, she stands up to follow after Rick, a hand on her stomach for balance. Rick is walking the fence line leading into the main prison courtyard, where walkers continue to snarl and bang on it at him. He hears her footsteps and turns to see her. He doesn’t get a chance to ask what she needs before she speaks first, asking if they’re raising Carl right in this world.This confuses Rick, and she clarifies that he’s becoming more detached, cold even in the past few months. Rick freezes when she brings up Shane, and wonders if seeing him die and having to put him down may have changed something in him for the worse. Rick gets slightly defensive and asks if she’s blaming him for killing him. Lori quickly clarifies and denies this, reminding Rick that she always believed him to be in the right, and that Shane was sick and too far gone. She begins to tear up, saying that Rick has always been a good person and she has never questioned his motives. “I don’t want us to lose our boy, we can’t,” she says. Rick softens and embraces her. He says he thinks about Shane every day, and that what he did will stick with him for a long, long time. Lori suggests that he take a break, to come back and get some rest and wait for the morning. Rick agrees.Morning comes, and the group is gathered around Rick as he speaks to them. He explains that he, Glenn, Maggie, Tyreese, and T-Dog are going to be pushing in, while the others stay behind to kill walkers through the fence. Tyreese looks over at Carol and says that he’s going to sit this one out, despite Sasha egging him on to do it. Bruno volunteers to take his place, despite his children protesting, but he promises to be safe. Rick agrees to the swap, and Tyreese and Carol share a sweet glance. The five of them get ready as Rick opens the gate. Standing in a circular formation, Glenn and T-Dog shove back the walkers as Maggie hacks at their heads with a machete. She passes it to Glenn once they’re down and pulls out a knife. Rick has a similar machete and joins in the slaughter as they move through the courtyard.At the fence, Lori, Carol, Hershel, and Jacqui bang on and stab walkers through the holes. Lori watches the others anxiously. The group inside manages to make it to the building, where they press themselves to the wall upon seeing a large group of walkers inside a fenced area, however the gate to it is open so they can walk out. Right as they go to move on it, a walker in riot gear armor comes out of the door next to them and tackles Glenn. More show up in front of them, and Rick tries to shoot them, but the bullet deflects from their armor. T-Dog and Bruno try to pull the walker off of Glenn, but it’s devoted to trying to bite him. Rick tackles another one to the ground as Maggie suddenly runs up to the one on Glenn. She kicks it off him, and forces its head upwards and proceeds to stab it in the neck in an upwards direction to get the brain.The others take note of this, and T-Dog runs to where Rick calls for help and quickly jabs his weapon up into the walker’s neck. Glenn reorients himself and runs to where the bigger group of walkers are about to attack. He shuts the gate quickly and places the carabiner previously on the other fence onto this one, keeping them all in. Everyone stands around to catch their breath, and Rick signals to the rest of the group that it’s safe to enter. They walk through the gate, careful not to step on any of the bodies with pools of darkened blood around them. Tyreese asks what the next step is, and Rick looks to an entrance up a small set of stairs. He says that since there are walkers coming out of the building, they have to keep going inside to make sure it’s not overrun. Moving carefully, Rick opens the door that leads directly into a cellblock. There are a few tables for prisoners to eat at.The survivors file inside and take in their surroundings, noticing how dirty and abandoned the place is. Rick and Tyreese point out where the cells are and head that way. Carol remarks how bad it smells inside, but Sasha is just grateful to have a roof over her head. Rick and Tyreese find some walkers in the cells and make quick work of them, with Tyreese throwing a body down from the upper level. The group comes in and begins to look over the cells. Lori finds one and turns to Carl, asking if he wants to bunk with her. He shakes his head and says he’s going to take the one with Rick. Lori nods, but feels dejected. Patricia steps in and offers to bunk with her in order to keep a better eye on the pregnancy, which Lori agrees to. Glenn and Maggie settle into a cell, and Glenn begins to massage Maggie’s sore back, kissing her neck and cheek softly as they both smile.Beth enters a cell followed by Hershel, who makes a joking comment about how he hopes that he won’t cramp her style if they share a cell. Beth gives him a half hearted smile and agrees to share in a monotone voice. Hershel stops her when she tries to leave and worriedly asks her if something is wrong. She shrugs him off, before pushing past him, almost bumping into Jacqui. She looks over at Hershel and sees the sadness on his face, then she continues following T-Dog where he leads her to a cell, dramatically spreading his arms and welcoming her to it. She chuckles and tells him that he’d make a great advertiser before setting down her things on the top bunk. Eliza and Louis run into a cell and climb into the bottom bed, both of them being grossed out by some blood on the opposite wall. Bruno tells them not to worry about it since this can be their home now.Lori finds Carol checking out a cell and the two make small talk until Tyreese and Sasha walk past. Tyreese stops and enters the cell to ask if she needs a cellmate. Carol is surprised, and Lori and Sasha exchange amused looks. Carol is touched by the offer and accepts. Sasha sighs, pretending to be upset, but then she just smirks and says that it looks like she’ll be getting her own cell. “It’s like getting my own room back when we were kids,” she jokes before walking away. Lori leaves the two to get settled, and Carol tells Tyreese he doesn’t have to do this if he feels obligated to. Tyreese raises an eyebrow at her and says there’s no obligation, he just wanted to.Shortly after the group settled in, Rick is standing around one of the tables with Tyreese, Glenn, Hershel, Maggie, T-Dog, Bruno, Sasha, and Carl. Glenn surveys the riot gear the group had found in the cell block, including armor and shields. Rick discusses going deeper into the prison, which causes Maggie to worry about the lack of visibility since the prison halls look extremely dark. Hershel points out the flashlights among the supplies, but it still leaves her nervous. Carl asks his father if he can go with them, but he denies it. Carl tries to protest this, but Rick reminds him that if things go bad, he has to take care of Lori for him. He stiffens, but nods in understanding. Tyreese volunteers to watch over the group while they go out there. Rick picks up on how he’s been holding back recently and asks if he’s alright. He nods, and simply explains that if things go wrong like he’s preparing for, the group will need support and someone to look to. Rick understands this and passes him his rifle.Everyone but Rick puts on some riot gear chestplates, since only five were found. T-Dog and Bruno also have shields with them as they begin to venture into the depths of the prison. Tyreese shuts the cell door behind them and watches them go in. Carl stands behind him, looking on with a conflicted expression. In the halls, Hershel aims his flashlight ahead as Rick takes down another walker in a prison jumpsuit. Maggie whispers to him and asks if he talked to Beth at all. Hershel replies back that she seems upset and isn’t really saying much to him. Maggie is confused by this, because she’d never known Beth to be consistently upset like this. Glenn chimes in and says that it’s best to let her come to them first, citing his experience with teenage sisters. Hershel just wants to see her happy again. Rick exhales deeply, overhearing their words but not adding anything to the conversation.The six of them turn a corner and pause as Glenn spray paints an arrow on the wall pointing back in the direction they just came from.t came from to find their way back. Walker snarls echo through the halls, and Rick calls for everyone to stay alert. A few walkers make themselves known and are easily taken out by Rick and T-Dog, who uses his shield to beat one of them to the ground first. The hallway goes quiet, and Rick’s flashlight fizzles for a second. They reach the end of the hall, and it splits off in opposite directions. Rick shines his flashlight left, seeing nothing there. Suddenly, a walker jumps out of a hidden cell door, attacking Glenn and slamming him into the wall. Maggie throws the walker off of him, leading to Hershel stabbing it with a fire poker type of weapon. With the commotion settled, Rick goes to shine his flashlight down the other tunnel. Bruno points out that there’s more growls nearby, and Rick tells him not to worry about it right as his flashlight fizzles again.He bangs on it and it comes back to life, just in time to shine to the right and shed light on a large herd of prisoner walkers, who are quickly coming towards them. Rick yells for them to go down the opposite hallway. They make it ahead of the walkers, but now they’re being chased. They navigate their way through the dark, shadowed tunnel-like halls, turning a corner to a long stretch with a set of double doors at the end. Rick shouts for them to make it there. Glenn and Maggie take up the back of the group, falling a little behind. As they turn the corner behind everyone else, they are suddenly cut off by a second cluster of walkers. Glenn pushes Maggie down the hall that goes a different way, escaping from the herds. Hershel turns around at their yells, and when he doesn’t see them he calls out for Maggie. T-Dog and Bruno reach the doors and pull them open with some force, as they’re somewhat rusty. Hershel doesn’t want to leave the two of them out there, but Rick says that they’ll go look for them when it’s safe, so he pulls Hershel along, just in time for the four of them to get inside the doors and shut them.The walkers bang on the doors as the four survivors stare in shock at what just happened. Before any of them can say anything, they’re surprised by a voice behind them. “Hey, what gives, we’re trying to eat here.” They all spin around to be met with five prisoners sitting around a table, eating some food. The one who spoke to them has his blue jumpsuit tied around his waist and wears a white sleeveless shirt underneath. The prisoners all look at them, and then another one, with light skin and a well trimmed mustache, stands up from the table. “You guys want any meatloaf?”
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Late at night, Michonne and Andrea sit around a fire, both wrapped in blankets. Michonne’s two walker pets are chained to the tree next to them. They rustle around a bit, making docile walker growls, not aggressive like walkers usually are. Andrea looks back at them quizzically and after a beat of silence, asks who they are. Michonne doesn’t answer her, but she asks again, this time asking if she knew them. Michonne pauses and gives Andrea a harsh look. Andrea backs off and apologizes if she overstepped. She then coughs a bit, leading to Michonne softening her gaze and asking how she’s feeling and if her sickness has worn off. Andrea believes she’s mostly recovered as she takes a sip from the soup in her hands.Michonne sighs and looks up at the night sky. “I did know them,” she says suddenly. Andrea looks surprised at this. Michonne says that they were stupid and it got them killed, before taking a sip of her own soup. There’s no more discussion about the two walkers for the rest of the night. In the morning, the two of them are on the move fairly early. Michonne leads the way, still seeing the smoke from the helicopter crash in the distance.Standing at the edge of the crash site, Michonne looks around cautiously. “Sit tight,” she tells Andrea, who stifles a cough in her throat. “Don’t follow me.” Andrea nods, sitting tight as Michonne carefully makes her way towards the wreckage. Taking a few steps forward, she is stopped by the severed body of the pilot, a clean slice through the middle of his body. A sight that would have been horrifying if not for what Michonne has seen over the past year. She fears that none of the passengers survived the crash, peering inside to see two unresponsive bodies slouched in their seats. Reaching out, Michonne considers looting the helicopter for supplies when the incoming sounds of a vehicle makes her pull back, rushing back to Andrea under the cover of the trees.Andrea tries to ask what’s going on, but is shushed, and follows the sound of a car engine, noticing the truck pulling up next to the helicopter. A man steps out, cleanly shaven and well trimmed. He is accompanied by several other men, at least five as Michonne does a head count in case things get ugly. The leader instructs the men to fan out and survey the area. A walker walks up past the walker pets, and Andrea almost moves to kill it, but Michonne stops her, both noticing how it moves past them, headed for the men by the helicopter. One of the men, a shorter Latino who seems vaguely familiar, raises his gun and shoots it in the head. Another man with a buzzed haircut who wields a metal bat walks up to where Franklin’s severed corpse lies. He shouts to the leader to come and see. The leader walks over and stares down at the man. After a second, he bends down and stabs the man in the head, shocking the two women.They exchange an uneasy glance, when suddenly there’s a twig snap and rustling behind them both. Michonne stands up and points her katana at the man behind them, who has his gun on them both. “Easy now, mine’s a whole lot bigger, so don’t even try it.” Andrea spins around, quickly recognizing the thick southern hick accent in the man’s voice. Standing there opposite them both is Merle Dixon. Merle begins to laugh when he locks eyes with Andrea, expressing joyful surprise in their reunion, although she can’t tell if it’s sarcastic or genuine. She looks down and sees that his right hand has been replaced with a metal attachment. Merle raises that arm and sourly states that this is what he had to do to himself after “the sheriff” cuffed him to the roof. Andrea tries to deescalate the situation by saying they were just coming to investigate the crash and don’t want trouble. Merle doesn’t budge, though, and says that he can’t be sure if he can trust them, so he makes them both emerge from the bushes, still at gunpoint.At the prison inside the cafeteria, the prisoners stand up and look at the doors being banged on, confused. The leader asks what’s going on, but Rick and the others hardly acknowledge them as Hershel prepares to go back out to find Glenn and Maggie. T-Dog is willing to open the doors while Rick and Bruno take care of any walkers out there. “Hey! We asked you people what the hell you’re doing in our prison!” the leader of the five shouts, pulling out a small revolver. Everyone starts to shout as Rick aims his gun at the man. The man with the trimmed mustache quickly steps in between them. “Whoa, Tomas, take it easy, man!” he shouts.“We don’t want any trouble,” one of the other prisoners says, a tall man with a dark beard, “name’s Lee Everett.” The prisoners go around introducing themselves, Tomas the one with the gun, Axel with the mustache, and two more, a large buff man called “Big Tiny”, and a short man standing behind Tomas named Andrew, who introduces himself quite shortly with an attitude. Tomas then asks again what’s going on. Bruno explains that two of their group are trapped out there. Lee is confused as to what they mean by “group”, and Andrew rudely asks how they even got inside. Rick pauses, and realizes that these prisoners may not have a clue as to what’s going on. He asks them how long they’ve been locked inside here, and Tomas surmises that it’s been roughly nine months, maybe ten. This tells Rick everything he needs to know, and he tells the prisoners to stay there for their own good.The four group members huddle at the door, noticing less walker snarls from the other side. Bruno takes hold of the handles, and on the count of three, he swings them open. Only a few walkers are on the other side now, which are dealt with swiftly. The prisoners watch in shock as this happens, and watch the men run off into the halls. Rick, Hershel, Bruno, and T-Dog move back the way they came, whispering Glenn and Maggie’s names. Corpses litter the halls, clearly having been taken out by the missing two, but no sign of them. They pass a door that’s slightly ajar, but they don’t notice. When everyone rounds a corner, Hershel freezes when he hears something. “Dad?” a voice whispers from somewhere behind them. He knows it’s Maggie’s voice, and he calls out to her, turning around. Hershel steps over a slumped down walker, seemingly dead. Right as he steps past it, it growls and jumps to life. Hershel yells as he falls to the floor, but the walker is silenced by several gunshots being unloaded into its face. Glenn and Maggie round the corner, staring down at Hershel, then up at who fired, revealing Tomas and the other prisoners, who had followed them out. Rick, Bruno, and T-Dog race back over and check on Hershel, confirming he hasn’t been bitten. They also check in with Glenn and Maggie, with Glenn reporting that they’re both okay, too. Maggie hugs Hershel as Rick stares at the prisoners with suspicion.“What in God’s name is going on here?!” Axel exclaims, looking around with confusion. The desolate surroundings of the prison sending an eerie chill through his body. “Where is everyone?” Rick looks at him with almost a mix of jealousy and sympathy. He tells Axel to calm down and they will explain everything to him. Axel believes them to be some sort of Anarchist group that have come to free them from their sentence in prison, to which Big Tiny just tells him to stop the crazy talk. Rick interrupts them to begin his explanation about the infection and how suddenly across the country people started coming back as blood hungry cannibals after death. Andrew tries to prove him wrong, it’s not possible. There’s no such thing. Bruno tells him to look around, why else would the prison be completely wiped out? The dead bodies littering the prison shuts down Andrew’s rebuttals as quickly as he started.“I know it’s hard for you to hear. Trust me, I was in the same situation as you once.” Rick sympathizes with them in this aspect. The conversation dies down on the rest of the walk back to cell block C. When Rick’s group emerges, Tyreese welcomes them back, Carl still by his side. He asks Rick how things went, right before he notices the five prisoners emerging behind them. Rick orders Carl to go back in the cell block, although he hesitates, he listens to his father and goes back. Tyreese is suspicious of them, and Tomas gives him a snide remark. He then watches as Hershel goes into the cell block with Glenn and Maggie and asks the group where they’re headed after they leave.Rick states that they’re not going anywhere, as they decided to make the prison their home. Tomas seems to ignore this and says that they could stay out in the courtyard. Rick chuckles dryly and says that they’ll be planting crops there, and that they’re residing in this cell block. This angers both Tomas and Andrew, the former pulling out his gun and yelling that it’s his cell block, causing T-Dog and Bruno to retaliate by raising their weapons. Rick aims his gun directly at Tomas, who asks how many people are with him in the cells. Rick scoffs and says that enough that he’d be on the ground in under a second if he tried anything.From the cells, everyone hears Tomas and Andrew yelling. Beth grabs Maggie’s wrist and asks who that is. Glenn explains how they found prisoners alive deeper within the prison. Lori is worried that they’re dangerous, but Hershel ensures all of them that Rick will sort it out. Lee raises his voice at Tomas, telling him to lower his weapon and stop being stupid. He defends Rick and his group, saying that if the world really is how they say, then they need to work together and not fight. He turns to Rick and says that they’re willing to work with him, despite how they’ve reacted. This makes Rick stand down, appreciative of Lee’s stance. Tomas begrudgingly lowers his gun, too.Rick then proposes a deal to the prisoners. He will agree to let them stay in the cell block with their group, if they equally share the food stash they have in the cafeteria. Andrew tries to say it’s almost gone, but Rick points out that they still had meatloaf, so they clearly still have a good selection. Tomas admittedly isn’t opposed to the idea. “You’ll show us how to take out these… monsters, too, right, hoss?” he asks. Rick looks at him funny, but also agrees to this.Meanwhile in the middle of the woods at the helicopter crash site, Merle presents Michonne, Andrea, and the two chained walkers into the clearing. The leader approaches, exasperated. “Merle, what the hell are you–?” He stops when he sees him with the two women and orders him to stand down as the other men surround him. Andrea asks what’s going on and why they’re being held like this. The man apologizes, putting on a friendly face and saying that he and his people are just being cautious. Andrea wobbles in place, causing Michonne to reach out and steady her. Two of the men behind the leader draw their guns and tell her to stay still.The leader tells both of them to relax, addressing them as Guillermo and Shumpert. He then turns back to the duo and introduces himself as Brian Blake, and mentions that he is the leader of a small town nearby. One of the men, Caesar Martinez, asks what they should do about them, addressing Brian as “Governor”. The Governor suggests that the two of them come back to the community with them. Michonne coldly says that they don’t have any interest in going to this town, which makes Merle darkly say that they don’t like outsiders knowing their location. Before tensions can get any higher, the other two men, Tim and Crowley, suddenly call out to their group. “We’ve got a live body!” Crowley shouts.This diverts the men’s attention to the helicopter. The Governor, Guillermo, and Shumpert run to the door and see Christina moving. She’s still badly injured, but alive. She mutters quietly, pleading for help and to check on her friend. Guillermo looks down at Welles and notices him shifting and breathing, too. He calls out that there’s someone else alive, too, and Shumpert helps him with the unconscious body. The Governor urgently orders them to be loaded into the truck. In the commotion, Michonne’s pet walkers become restless and shuffle in their chains. Merle scoffs at her and rudely asks if she could just kill them already. Andrea tries to interject in defense of Michonne, but the other woman takes her katana and slices both of their heads off, not putting them down but effectively making them useless now. Andrea goes to say something, but finds her vision suddenly blurred. Before she realizes, she collapses into the grass, the last thing she hears being Michonne’s muffled voice calling her name.In the prison, the prisoners are in the cell block now, slowly walking around while the members of Rick’s group watch them closely. Tomas snidely smirks at Carl, who glares in retaliation. Louis and Eliza hide by Bruno’s side, and they whisper to him to ask if they’re bad people and if they’re going to hurt them. Bruno suggests that they might not be, because sometimes people are locked up for the wrong reasons. But as Tomas passes them and glares, he mutters that he’s not so sure. Tomas and Andrew bunk in the far cell. Lee and Big Tiny ask T-Dog if the cell next to his and Jacqui’s is open, which he admits is. As they get settled, T-Dog gives Lee his respect for talking things down earlier, and he says that he hopes he can end up trusting him. Big Tiny assures him that they’re more than willing to work together.On the upper level, Axel timidly approaches Sasha in her cell as she organizes her clothes. He tries to make friendly small talk by mentioning how she’s the only one with no cellmate. She gives him an indifferent stare, and when he begins to ask if he could share with her, she immediately shuts him down. Tyreese walks up behind him and sternly asks if there’s any problems. Axel, intimidated by his size, quickly leaves with a small apology for disturbing them. Sasha rolls her eyes at Tyreese and says he didn’t have to do all of that, but Tyreese defends himself, replying how he wouldn’t be comfortable with a prisoner sleeping in the same cell as her, even if he does turn out to be trustworthy.Hershel is inside his cell with Beth and Maggie, the latter explaining how she and Glenn hid in some old storage closet to avoid walkers that separated them from the others. Hershel commends her for her bravery and affectionately brushes her hair out of her face. Beth just stares at this interaction, then calmly states that she’s happy they both made it back without putting much emotion into her voice, then leaves the cell. Maggie seems taken aback by her demeanor, and she sees the sadness in Hershel’s eyes. He gets up and solemnly says he’s going to check on the pregnancy.Almost in tears, Maggie storms out of the cell after Beth, who ventured slightly into the prison halls to try and be alone. Maggie confronts her and demands to know why she’s treating their father that way, and mentions that it’s making him cry. Beth retorts that he’ll finally understand how she feels. This makes Maggie pause, and she softens. Beth starts to rant about all the same things she told Rick right before they found the prison. By the time she’s done, Maggie’s anger is gone and replaced with sympathy and regret. She rushes forward and hugs her sister, apologizing for how her and their other siblings accidentally deteriorated Hershel’s expectations. She insists that he loves her no matter what, and that she should talk to him about this. Beth curls in on herself, saying that she’s unsure how to bring it up, but agrees to try eventually.Rick hovers next to Lori as Hershel does his daily assessment of Lori’s pregnancy. He reports that the baby sounds healthy, which pleases Rick. However, Lori wears an expression of clear anxiety. When questioned what’s bothering her, she voices her fear over losing the baby before it can be born. She brings up the hypothetical that she could miscarry, and the fetus might turn and rip her open from the inside, or that she, the baby, or both of them could die in childbirth. Rick swears up and down that that won’t happen, but Lori is already driven to tears, and quietly makes both Rick and Hershel swear that if she dies and turns, they put her down and don’t hesitate. Neither of them say anything, but they do nod in response. Hershel goes back to checking other aspects of Lori’s pregnancy. None of them realize that Carl had been eavesdropping on their conversation. He turns and walks away without a word, almost running into Tomas in the process.“Watch it, kid,” he sneers. Carl glares up at him, and Glenn comes to his rescue, shooing the prisoner away and leading Carl onwards. Tomas just shakes his head and continues. He stops, however, when he sees Patricia sitting in an unoccupied cell all by herself with some rosary beads. Curious, he enters behind her and makes a dry joke that praying in a prison was usually followed by an execution. Patricia flinches, but relaxes as she puts down her rosary. She begins to explain about her husband. “His name is Otis,” she says, “and he’s been missing for months.” Tomas sits down to listen as Patricia gives him a recap; their group was living on Hershel’s farm, but it got overrun and her husband, Otis, got separated from everyone when they all fled, and Rick refused to go back and search for him, and so it’s been months that he’s been out there alone. When she finishes, Tomas seems upset at the idea that Rick would not even consider looking for him, and validates Patricia’s feelings, which makes her feel a little better.Together, Glenn and T-Dog stand within the yard of the prison. They are silent, taking in the day they have just lived through. “Hershel was saying he wanted to plant crops along here,” T-Dog gestures, taking in the amount of green land for a moment. “Do you think it’ll work?” He continues, turning to Glenn for something positive. Glenn nods, believing that once the prison is secured that it can be a place meant for the future of the world. T-Dog breathes a sigh of relief, but can’t help but think about the rising black smoke they had spotted in the distance. They theorize what it could have been, with Glenn suggesting another group of survivors. As they talk, Tyreese shuffles by, hauling two dead prisoner walker corpses. Further down by the entrance gate, Bruno, Sasha, and Jacqui have gathered a lot of the bodies into a pile, ready to be burned.He stops, having overheard their conversation and offers his own input, saying that they should just stay put. T-Dog feels like they should go out and investigate because as Glenn said, it could be another group. Glenn, despite suggesting that, disagrees, because he says that they have problems of their own to worry about with these new prisoners. “Tomas and Andrew seem like loose cannons, and Axel might be a little unstable…” he says. Tyreese agrees with Glenn, because he wants to protect Sasha, and he’s always felt that way as an older brother. T-Dog suggests bringing them into the fold so that they don’t have to be so wary of them, earn their trust and they earn ours. Glenn laments that it would take a long time and be a tedious process. T-Dog opens his arms and looks around. “C’mon, man, look around. We’ve got nothin’ but time.”The prison courtyard and field are filled with activity. Tyreese adds more bodies to the pile, which has just begun to be set ablaze by Bruno. Hershel is down on the other side of the field with Glenn and Jacqui, likely discussing crops and planting strategies. Maggie and Beth walk out of the cell block to where Louis and Eliza are playing, stopping to join them and chaperone them. Nearby, Carl sits alone, staring down at Rick’s cowboy hat that he’s holding in his lap. From the prison catwalk, Lori observes all of this, but her gaze primarily lingers on Carl. She hears footsteps coming up beside her and turns to see Rick walk up next to her, mirroring her position overlooking the prison.The two of them are silent for a while, until Rick asks her what her opinion is on the prisoners. She responds that she’s not sure yet, but she wants to believe that they don’t have bad intentions. Her words come out a little strained, almost as if she’s talking about someone else, someone that Rick picks up on but doesn’t call it out. Instead, he agrees with her, and says that if things go wrong, he knows what to do. Lori trusts that he’ll make the right decision, just like he always has. They lock eyes when she says this, and she gives a supportive smile. “But please, don’t do it in front of Carl. I don’t know how much of that… that childlike innocence he has left.” Rick nods in understanding. From the courtyard, Carl sneaks a glance up at his parents on the catwalk, as if he can sense their conversation is about him. He watches the two exchange more words, then Rick softly touches her pregnant stomach and then cups her face. They share a kiss before Rick walks away, and Carl’s gaze falls back on his hat.By evening time, Andrea groggily opens her eyes to the sound of a truck motor. It’s almost dark outside, and she can hear the Governor speaking on the radio. She mumbles out for Michonne, her vision blurry, but she instead makes out the image of Merle sitting next to her. He tells her to stay quiet, and that they’re “almost home”, right before she slumps back down, falling against a different body, this time hearing a low hum; Michonne’s voice. This gives Andrea enough satisfaction to let herself slip back into unconsciousness as she just barely makes out a walled off gate through the windshield of the truck.
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A little bit after the sun rises over the prison, Tyreese is awoken by the sounds of stirring somewhere in the cell block. He climbs out of the bed, doing his best to not disturb Carol, who is asleep in the other bunk. He exits the cell and heads out of the cell area into the common room. Tomas and Andrew are ruffling through the supplies, setting aside a couple cans of food. Tyreese asks them what the hell they’re doing, startling Andrew and making Tomas scowl.Tomas replies with a little scoff and a smirk, arguing that it shouldn’t matter since they’re all one collective group. “What’s ours is yours, and vice versa, right?” he says smugly. Tyreese admittedly agrees with his claim, but tells him not to take too much, because it’s a group supply. Andrew shrugs him off, the two of them going back to muttering a conversation with one another. Tyreese glares at them and walks back into the cells.A little while later, once dawn has passed and it’s well into the morning, Rick jolts awake with a sharp inhale and instinctively reaches for his hip, where his gun holster is when he’s not asleep. When he takes in his surroundings, he relaxes, remembering where he is, and that his dream wasn’t real. He sits up in bed and is met with Carl on the top bunk leaning over to ask what’s wrong. Rick tries to brush it off, but Carl keeps asking, and tells him that he was grumbling in his sleep but couldn’t make out what was being said. Rick gets out of bed and ruffles Carl’s hair, again telling him that he’s fine and shouldn’t worry about it. Carl doesn’t say anything else once Rick puts on his belt and exits the cell.When he walks out, he sees Lori carefully making her way down the stairs from the upper level with a hand on her pregnant stomach. He takes her hand and helps her down the last few steps while he asks her how she slept. She chuckles and says that the little one kept kicking in the night. When she returns the question, Rick goes quiet. “I had that dream again,” he says. Lori stiffens. “Shane?” she asks. Rick confirms it. She becomes worried and asks him if he’s going to be okay. Rick is confident that he will be, and reasons that those actions don’t ever really go away. Lori suddenly looks past him, and Rick turns around to see Carl in the cell doorway watching them. The emotion on his face is unreadable as he turns and walks away. Lori suggests talking to him, but Rick tells her that he’s meeting with the prisoners first to speak with them.Roughly an hour later, Rick stands with Glenn, Hershel, Tyreese, and Maggie. Bruno opens the cell door and lets Andrew in. He gives him a dirty look before turning to the other group members now looking at him. “The hell is this, some kind of job interview?” he snarks. Hershel calmly replies that he wants to make sure that his family and the whole group will be safe around the prisoners. Rick then asks him what he did to get locked up. Andrew clicks his tongue, annoyed. Finally, he tells them his story; how he was involved with a gang that ended up clashing with a rival one. A fight broke out and cops arrived and he was arrested on the charges of murder for a few members of the rival gang. Rick dismisses him and he leaves without a word. Maggie is already uncomfortable and still doesn’t trust them, but Hershel reminds her that they at least need to hear them out, and it’s unfair to judge people without hearing their own account of things.Next brought to them is Axel, who looks quite nervous. Rick asks him the same questions. Axel shakily explains how he used to be reliant on drugs and bit off more than he could chew by buying too much too fast, and fell for an undercover cop. He swears he’s clean now, as being in prison kept him from having any drugs. Next in is Tomas, who hardly even answers the question. “Tax fraud. Those pussies in the oval office don’t need my own money more than me,” he says swiftly and exits without being dismissed. Big Tiny is next, and when asked, his eyes fall to the floor. He reveals to them that he was falsely accused of a kidnapping and murder charge, and despite evidence proving his innocence, he was still given a sentence. The group is visibly sympathetic to his story, and Hershel offers his, saying how unfair the justice system is and how he had to be away from his family as the world collapsed around them. Big Tiny agrees, and thinks about his two mothers. Maggie’s attitude towards him lightens a lot, as does Glenn’s, the couple sharing a glance at each other.Last to be brought in front of them is Lee. He greets them respectfully, and Hershel smiles, clearly taking a liking to Lee. He asks him what he did before all of this. Lee explains how he had been a history teacher at UGA for six years. Rick asks him the big question, but Lee protests, to everyone’s surprise. He argues that it’s only fair that they talk about themselves in return, since both groups are dealing with new people. While not initially open to the idea, Rick looks at Hershel, who says that he owned his family’s generational farm. Maggie chimes in that she was at college and also helped on the farm. Glenn says he delivered pizzas in Atlanta, and Tyreese says he played football for the NFL. Lee is surprised and asks if he ever got recognized in public. Tyreese admits that it happened a couple times.Rick tries to bring them back to the topic, but Lee asks about him. “I’m a cop,” Rick coldly states, and repeats his question. Lee pauses, and proceeds to instead ask why it even matters. Tyreese explains that it’s about trust between the groups. Lee instead counters that the old world is gone, so what they did should hardly be important. Maggie questions why he’s being so defensive, and Lee gets angry, but his face falls, and he admits that he killed someone. The group members all share a look of shock, clearly not expecting Lee, the most respectful of the five, to be one incarcerated for murder. Rick, now wary of him, asks how many people he killed and why. Lee says it was just one person, and he didn’t even mean to do it.The group all listen as Lee explains himself. He begins to explain that he was on his way to work one morning, but began to feel sick to his stomach from some bad food he had eaten the previous night, and turned around to go home and called in sick. When he got home, though, he saw a car in the driveway belonging to a Georgia State Senator named Sam. He went inside and found them together in bed. It made him so angry that he began to fight him, seeing red. When he finally snapped out of it, he had his hands around Sam’s neck, and he wasn’t moving anymore. The cops were called and he was quickly arrested and charged. Lee tells the group in front of him that he regrets his decision every single day and wishes he could do things differently. He apologizes for getting defensive, and leaves the group without another word. Everyone is completely silent, processing the story they were just told.A little while later, Rick is standing with several members of the group, relaying all the information that the prisoners had told them. He wants to know where people stand on the matter. Carol begins by saying that the prisoners overall make her feel uncomfortable. Maggie agrees that a few of them seem dangerous, but a couple of them seem like they could be trustworthy. Tyreese agrees with her and suggests keeping them in a separate area of the prison. T-Dog feels like that wouldn’t be fair, but Carol likes the idea. T-Dog says that just because they don’t trust them, doesn’t mean that they should be outcast. Glenn points out that they could’ve been lying about their crimes. Carol worries what the women were thinking and fears that they might be rapists. Jacqui finally tells everyone to stop talking that way. She agrees that a few of the prisoners are rough and should be kept under watch, but says Lee and Big Tiny seem plenty trustworthy.All the same, everyone in the group is still wary. Hershel suggests that they talk to the more agreeable prisoners first as they’ll likely have better luck. Maggie still feels reluctant, saying it’s weird to suddenly have others around. Jacqui argues to bring them into the fold little by little, something T-Dog agrees with. She reminds Hershel that he almost kicked them off the farm since they were strangers, it’s the same situation with them. Beth, who has been quiet the whole time, says that they’re right and could be given chances. Hershel turns to her and tells her that she can’t always trust people blindly. Beth deflates visibly and just walks away. Maggie tries to reach out to her, but Beth is already gone. Rick sees this as well, and agrees that the prisoners should be monitored, telling everyone to keep an eye on them, but to also treat them fairly. As the others disperse, Maggie stops Hershel to have a word with him. “Daddy, Bethy’s always been a great judge of character. You shouldn’t just throw away her opinion like that.” Hershel takes in her words and thinks for a moment.In another cell block, the five prisoners are having a similar discussion about the group. Tomas is angered that they all just came into the prison and decided that it was theirs now. Andrew echoes his statement and thinks that they should take a stand. When Tomas brings up raiding the armory now that they’re free from the cafeteria, Lee quickly butts in. “Are you out of your goddamn minds?” he shouts at them. Axel begins to grow anxious and tries to settle Tomas down as he steps up to Lee, but he shoves him back. Big Tiny catches him and demands that he relax. Tomas accuses him of not having their best interests in mind. Lee is disgusted with the way he and Andrew are acting, and insults them by saying if they don’t like it, they can go ahead and walk out of the doors. Andrew barks that it was their prison first, but Big Tiny shuts him down with a cold stare and states that this isn’t a prison anymore, because if the world is really over, then it’s just a building like any other, and it belongs to nobody. Lee finishes by saying that Rick’s group is staying, and he won’t stand for any attempts on them, and tells Tomas and Andrew to get used to it before walking away, shortly followed by Big Tiny, and then timidly Axel. The remaining two give each other angry stares.A short while later, Beth is traversing the inner halls of the prison near the group’s cell block. She finds a small pebble and kicks it along. It bounces off the wall at the corner, and when she turns it, she finds Carl sitting down against the wall by himself. She asks what he’s doing, and he doesn’t respond at first. She sits down next to him and asks him what’s wrong. Carl doesn’t believe she wants to hear, but she promises that she does, citing her own experience of not being listened to. She offers to walk with him while they talk, and he silently agrees. As they slowly walk, Carl says that he feels like his parents are treating him like he can’t take care of himself like a child. Beth reminds him that he is a child. Carl protests that he shouldn’t be treated like he’s incapable. “I can handle myself, I can kill walkers! I shot Shane! It’s like ever since then, my parents treat me like I’m… going to turn into him.”Beth stops them in the hall and she puts a hand on his shoulder. She urges him to talk to them about it, but also urges him to still enjoy his youth. “Just because you have to grow up in a world like this, doesn’t mean you have to rush growing up. You can kill walkers and protect yourself while still being a kid.” Carl worries that this world isn’t made for kids anymore, and Beth can tell he isn’t just talking about himself. The two walk in silence for a little longer until they hear faint chatter from down the hall. They come to a doorway at the end of a branched off hallway, and peek into the room.Inside is a barber shop, where Glenn is sitting in the chair getting a trim from Maggie, who is chuckling at his apprehension of her hair cutting skills. She looks up and sees the two kids standing there, inviting them in. Carl is amazed to see a barber shop inside a prison, Glenn explaining that it’s pretty common since prisoners need haircuts, too. Beth asks Carl if he wants her to cut his hair a little bit, saying that she and Maggie were taught how to cut hair by their mother. Carl agrees and climbs into a chair. As the sisters keep trimming hair, Hershel suddenly appears at the door. He says hello to his daughters, although Beth only half-heartedly greets him. Maggie exchanges a glance with Glenn, then announces that she’s probably trimmed him enough and they get up to leave. As they do, Glenn tells Carl that Lori has been looking for him. He looks up at Beth, then at Maggie, who winks. He understands and starts to leave with them, giving Beth a small smile and a wave. Once they’re gone, Hershel admires the barber shop, saying how he misses the hair trims Jo would give him. Beth appears to grow more nervous, and Hershel notices. “Daddy, I need to talk to you about somethin’,” she says quietly.Glenn, Maggie, and Carl all walk back into the main cell block. Louis and Eliza walk up to him, announcing his presence by talking to him loudly. A second later, Lori walks up and scolds him for being away without her permission. Carl says that it doesn’t matter, because he was with Glenn and the Greenes. She is about to rebut his statement when she notices his hair is neater at its ends. When she questions it, Carl explains that Glenn and Maggie found a barber shop. Louis and Eliza think that sounds super cool and begs their dad to let them go to it. Bruno is hesitant, but Maggie assures him that her father and Beth are there, and it only takes a couple minutes to find down the hall. So Bruno allows his kids to go, both of them hugging him and running off into the halls.In the main area of the cell block, Rick is handing out weapons to Tyreese and T-Dog. A few minutes later, Axel cheerfully greets them and asks what they’re doing. They see that Lee and Big Tiny are also there with him. Tyreese explains that there are still walkers lurking in the halls throughout the prison. “They’re like a bunch of damn tombs,” T-Dog quips. Jacqui laughs at his remark, finding it quite fitting. Lee offers his assistance, saying that it’s the only way they’ll really learn how to take the walkers on. Tyreese appears skeptical, but T-Dog is welcoming to the idea. Big Tiny grabs a bat from the table, holding it awkwardly. Being falsely imprisoned, he’s never once used a weapon for a malicious reason. Rick hands Axel a crowbar, and the man nervously holds out his hands, asking if it’s really necessary. Lee laughs at his companion, and rhetorically asks him if he’s been listening. Axel takes the weapon.Right before the six men set out, Carl runs up, asking where his weapon is. Rick informs him that he’s not going, something that flips the switch in Carl’s mind. Now angry, he demands to know why, because he can handle himself. Rick explains how dangerous it would be, and that Hershel was almost bitten the first time. Carl snaps and insists that they stop treating him like he can’t do anything. Lori cuts in and tells him that they are his parents and he will listen to them, reminding him that he’s just a kid. Carl screams at her to get off his back. Lori is stunned, and it’s Carol who speaks up, scolding him for shouting at his mother that way. Everyone in the room is left silent in surprise. Carl storms back into the cells, leaving Lori to start quietly crying as Carol embraces her. Rick motions for the men to follow him into the tombs.The walk through the deeper tombs is dark, quiet, and tense. Rick is quietly explaining the rules of dealing with walkers to the three prisoners. Big Tiny asks if stabbing them in the heart works, since humans can die that way. Rick reiterates that it has to be the head. He reminds them that they’re drawn by sound, sight, and even smell. Most importantly, he stresses to them to not get bit. Lee asks what’ll happen then, but they’re interrupted by the growl of a walker. Axel shouts in fear, being shushed by T-Dog. Lee bravely steps forward with a large kitchen cleaver and slams it into the walker’s head. The group continues on, Tyreese complimenting his kill. Rick warns them to always be alert, since sometimes the walkers will sneak up. Right after he says this, a couple pop out from around the corner. Rick and Tyreese quickly deal with them, Axel flinching back. T-Dog tries to encourage him and make him feel less afraid as he clutches his decently sized knife. He notices how the nervous prisoner’s entire body is shaking.Rick suddenly shushes everyone and stops their movements. He listens closely, and soon multiple growls can be heard. He warns everyone to be ready. Sure enough, they turn the corner and see a small cluster of walkers ahead. As they get closer, the six of them begin to take them out, all hitting or stabbing the walkers in the head. T-Dog uses the riot shield to pin walkers to the walls before killing them. Tyreese uses his hammer to brutally bash in several skulls. Big Tiny looks upset at having to kill walkers, noticing how most of them are dressed in prison jumpsuits identical to him and his fellow surviving prisoners, but he knows it must be done, so he goes through with killing the walkers anyway. While Rick is slicing walkers with his hatchet, he notices Axel cowering in front of a walker. He then stabs it, but in a panic, aims for the chest as if it’s a living person.Rick shouts for him to aim for the head. Axel swings at the walker repeatedly, his knife finally swinging into its temple. As soon as the body drops, another one pins him to the wall. Axel cries for help desperately. Rick deals with a few walkers and turns to help. At the same time, Axel pushes back against the walker and manages to shove it away from him. The only problem is that his shove sent it slamming into Rick, knocking both down with the walker now trying to bite him. Tyreese tries to get to Rick, however too many walkers are coming at the rest of the group. Rick shoves it upwards and reaches for his weapon, only for its head to explode. When he shoves the body away, it’s Carl standing behind him, having doubled back through the tombs and come up in front of the group. Once the last walker is dead on the ground seconds later, Rick stands and looks at Carl, but then turns to the still frightened, but calming down now, Axel.Tensions rise as Rick shoves him against the wall again, accusing him of pushing the walker at him on purpose. Big Tiny intervenes and tells Rick to let go of him. Axel pleads with him that he was just afraid and didn’t mean to do anything like that. Lee argues that this is still new to them all, so being afraid at first would be a normal reaction. Rick is angry, but remembers how he reacted when seeing a walker claw at him for the first time, and lets Axel go. Axel promises that he’ll get used to it and get better, he just needs time to do so. Rick is about to respond, when a scream floods the tombs. Immediately, all six of them take off running in its direction.The scream continues as they weave through the maze of shadowed hallways. The scream is a mixture of horror and sobs. Finally, they all run down the hallway leading to the barber shop. Bruno is on his knees in front of the entrance, staring inside with tears running down his face. Rick tries to help him stand, but he can’t, so he asks what’s wrong. Bruno, through heavy tears, points inside and screams “My babies! My babies!” Everyone follows his gaze and looks inside.“Oh, shit,” T-Dog says in pure horror while everyone else’s eyes go wide with identical feelings of nausea and disbelief rising in their stomachs. Blood pools on the floor around the bodies of Louis and Eliza Morales. Both of their heads have been completely decapitated from their bodies and lie there, reanimated and softly growling over the agonizing screams of their father, their teeth clacking together every time they bite and snap at the air. Rick can’t bring himself to look away, the gruesome sight practically hypnotizing him. Carl pushes up next to him and gets a glimpse inside, and tears well up in his eyes. Rick quickly shields Carl from the horrific sight, letting him quietly cry into his shirt. Then, his entire face darkens once the gravity of the situation sets in. There’s a murderer in the prison.The sound of a beeping machine stirs Andrea out of unconsciousness. Her eyes flutter open, and for a few seconds her vision is blurry. A voice softly tells her to lie still, and her eyes shoot all the way open when she feels a needle enter her arm. Once it’s removed a second later, she sits up quick, making eye contact with a woman dressed in doctor scrubs. She wearily demands to know what she was just injected with, and the doctor woman insists it was just some antibiotics for her sickness. Just then, Merle walks in from the other room, remarking that his favorite patient is finally awake. Andrea then remembers what transpired, referring to her recent reunion with the bigoted man. She swats at the doctor’s hands when she tries to calm her, saying she doesn’t know who she is. The woman introduces herself as Dr. Alice Stevens.Andrea manages to stand up, albeit weakly. She stares at Merle and Alice and demands to know where she is, and more importantly where Michonne is, since she’s not in the room. Merle tries to calm her down by promising to have her questions answered, but she doesn’t accept this answer. She walks past Merle, and when he tries to stop her, she shoves him back. The momentum makes Andrea lose her balance and stumble toward the door. At that moment, a man enters, the same one who had been calling the shots before, and catches her before she can fall. He chuckles and asks if she’s alright, to which Andrea weakly replies that she is. Alice helps Andrea to regain her balance, taking her from his hold. The man understands how confused she must be and promises that all of her questions will be answered. He also reintroduces himself, since he isn’t sure she remembers from passing out. His name is Brian Blake, and he calls himself the Governor, and tells her that she’s safe now, welcoming her to the town of Woodbury.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Andrea is bewildered, but otherwise unfazed by the Governor’s words as he continues to stand in front of her. She steps towards him, wobbling from fatigue, and demands to see Michonne. Alice isn’t sure she should be up and walking yet, but the Governor silences her and agrees with Andrea. He informs her that she’s actually right outside, waiting for her to wake up. Andrea’s face lights up, and Merle opens the door to the infirmary.On the front stoop, Michonne is sitting on the bench. She is surrounded by three guards; Caesar, Guillermo, and Shumpert. She stands up and demands to be let inside to see Andrea, but Caesar sternly tells her to sit back down. Just then, the door is opened, and the Governor walks out, Andrea behind him. Michonne pushes past the men and runs to Andrea. She gently gives her a hug, and it is quickly returned. Michonne worriedly asks if they hurt her, but Andrea promises she’s okay, and they were actually helping her. The Governor smiles at both of them, then points to the sky; it’s almost sunset. He says that they don’t allow people outside the walls after dark, so they’ll have to stay the night. The two women look along the street, seeing a few people walking around.Guillermo walks up behind Michonne and tries to tell her to move along with him and Shumpert, but right when she’s about to challenge him, the Governor steps in. He scolds Guillermo for being rude, and explains that now that the two are no longer deemed threats, they are guests and should be treated with respect. He orders Caesar to set up an apartment for them for the night, and the man agrees and walks off. He dismisses Merle and the rest of the guards, but not before Merle asks him if he’s sure, eyeing Michonne. She glares back, and the Governor says he is sure, so he leaves. “Welcome home,” he says to them. Andrea looks out and sees Merle begin to light some torches lined up along the roads as the sun begins to set.Inside the dark halls of the prison, Bruno is still screaming and sobbing at the sight of his decapitated children. Jacqui is holding onto him, whispering to him how sorry she is. Everyone is still in complete shock. Maggie has a hand over her mouth, no words able to come out. Jacqui helps Bruno stand up. His legs are like jelly. He looks back at his kids’ bodies, and their heads move and snap their teeth at him, barely able to make noises. “Oh, God!” he cries out and shoves Jacqui away before running off back toward the cells. Jacqui calls out after him and follows behind. Tyreese kneels beside their headless bodies. He asks who could do such a thing in a low voice, because if he spoke any louder, he would be screaming with rage. Glenn steps in beside him, and all he can say is that he doesn’t know. The two heads snap at him, too, so he pulls out his knife. With tears brimming already in his eyes, he gently stabs the knife into Louis’ reanimated head, then Eliza’s a few seconds later.Rick continues to look inside at the bodies. He tells Carl to go back to the cells. Carl tries to protest, but Rick raises his voice, repeating his demand. Carl reluctantly runs away to the cells. Glenn looks to Rick and asks what they should do. Rick tells Tyreese to get some blankets and cover the bodies. He says they’ll bury them tomorrow in the morning, since it’s going to be dark soon, and that they should all sleep on the matter. Tyreese doesn’t think anyone is going to be able to sleep after what happened. Rick amends his statement; everyone should try their best to sleep.Upon returning to the cells, there is silence in the entire room. Jacqui stands outside of Bruno’s cell, where he lies sobbing into the bed, murmuring things under his breath. Lori approaches Rick and securely hugs around him. She starts to speak about how awful this whole thing is and wonders what he’ll do about it. Rick wants to try and figure out how this happened, and Lori mentions that Carl said Hershel and Beth were the last ones in there. Rick thanks her and walks to their cell, where he can hear soft crying. Inside, Beth is in tears being comforted by Hershel. Rick sits down on the bed next to them, and asks Hershel what happened.Beth is too in shock to say anything, so she continues softly crying while Hershel sadly tells Rick that they had left the barber before ever seeing the kids get there. Beth had wanted to talk to him about something, so they’d gone out to a more private area, and then a few minutes later heard Bruno scream. He apologizes that they can’t be of more help, but Rick thanks them for the information. He leaves the two alone and returns to his own cell, where Carl is sitting on the bed.He looks up at his father and asks if they’re still going to be safe here. Rick doesn’t answer right away, but finally he says that nowhere is truly safe to begin with, and has to be made safe. Carl then asks if that’s what he’s going to do by finding whoever killed the kids. As Rick climbs into the top bunk, he confirms that it’s exactly what he’ll do. He tells Carl to try his best to get some rest, and they’ll figure things out first thing in the morning. Both of them roll over to fall asleep, but for hours both lie awake, not saying anything, and not aware that the other is awake, too.In the morning, Rick wakes up to the sun shining through the barred window of the prison. Carl is fast asleep still as he gets down from the bunk. The prison is quiet inside, but he can hear faint chatter from outside. He steps into the morning sun and shields his eyes. Once his vision is tolerable in the bright courtyard, he notices Lori, Jacqui, Hershel, and T-Dog watching further down. Tyreese and Glenn are digging two graves, with the covered bodies of Louis and Eliza lying beside each of them. Rick approaches the small group, and they all look at him. Lori mentions how Bruno should be here for this, to say final goodbyes. Jacqui tells everyone that he refuses to leave the cell, as she tried to wake him up earlier.They understand the grief he is experiencing, and T-Dog wants to find him justice for it. Rick explains how he’s going to be investigating further what happened. Lori is worried that it’ll be difficult. “It’s not like we can dust for prints or section off a crime scene like before,” she remarks. T-Dog asks if he has any suspicions on who did it. At that moment, all five prisoners emerge out into the courtyard, seeing the bodies being buried. Axel and Lee look horrified, while Rick scowls. “Oh, I already know,” he says darkly. He goes and walks over to the prisoners with purpose. Lee asks what happened the day before, but is cut off by Rick’s gun in his and all of the prisoners' faces. Axel immediately becomes anxious and holds his hands up, pleading innocence. Rick demands to know which one of them killed the kids. Big Tiny’s eyes go wide, and his entire body deflates as he learns that kids were killed. Tomas is indignant and asks why he’s accusing them. Rick almost laughs at this, retorting that who in their existing group would murder two innocent children.More members of the group surround the prisoners with their guns drawn just in case; Maggie, Sasha, T-Dog, even Lori in spite of her pregnant stomach. Tomas chuckles and says none of them had anything to do with it. Rick then states quite matter of factly that they’re all going to be locked up until they figure out who committed the act. Lee tries to reason with him, even turning to Lori to hope she’ll talk sense into Rick, but she says nothing, but does seem to have some reservations. Tomas gets even more agitated and steps toward Rick after the latter points his gun, ordering the five prisoners back inside. A gun click behind him makes Tomas turn. Carl stands there with his gun pointed.“Do what my dad says, or else,” he threatens. Axel, while still pleading that he’d never hurt anybody, suggests just going along with it so no one gets hurt. Lori tells Carl to put his gun down, but Carl yells at her that the prisoners are murderers. Tomas taunts Carl by encouraging him to shoot him, and claims he’s never shot anyone before. Carl tells him that he’s wrong, but of course leaves out that it was only the walker form of someone. Rick shuts Tomas up and presses his colt python to his forehead. “Walk. All of you, now.” His command is stern. Tomas falters slightly, and without another word, turns and walks away, followed slowly by the other prisoners.All of the prisoners are led down into the tombs, where lonesome large death row cells reside. The entire time, Axel is loudly pleading with them to reconsider, but is met with Sasha telling him to be quiet or else she’ll hit him with her gun. The five of them are led into a cell together, Maggie shoving Andrew inside last. He scoffs at her and tells the group looking back at them that they know this isn’t right. Rick just says that until whoever did it confesses, they can’t trust any of them. As everyone walks away, Lee bangs on the cell bars and yells to Rick that he thought they were free now, like he said. Rick doesn’t answer.Inside the walls of Woodbury, adults are smiling, talking, and laughing. A man grills burgers and hot dogs, while a little girl runs around with a dog, and she throws a dog toy for him to fetch. Michonne eyes up everybody she walks past. Some people stare back, uneasy at her stern demeanor. Andrea walks next to her, feeling slightly more relaxed at the sight of so many calm, happy people. Guillermo is in front of them, talking about how today marks nine months since the community was forged, which is enough cause for celebration. Andrea asks if he was around for the beginning. Guillermo seems reluctant to answer, but he says no. He showed up with his friend Shumpert a few months after the community formed. Andrea tries to ask him where they were before, but all he answers is that some people they trusted attacked them and slaughtered people he cared about. Andrea apologizes for his loss, and says that she got separated from her old group seven months ago, and Michonne saved her. Michonne isn’t paying attention, as she spots Shumpert across the street, walking the same direction as them with his eyes constantly flicking between her and Andrea, and the rest of the townspeople.Suddenly, her concentration is cut off when the dog runs right in front of Michonne, making her cry out in surprise. The little girl runs up, grabbing the toy from where it landed at Michonne’s feet. She apologizes with a small, shy smile. Michonne softens and tells her it’s okay, and it’s been a while since she saw a dog. The girl asks if the two women are the new people who showed up. Two women suddenly run up, the first one scolding the girl, addressing her as Meghan, telling her she shouldn’t bother strangers. Andrea assures them it’s no trouble. The woman introduces herself as Lilly Chambler, Meghan’s mom. The other young woman awkwardly introduces herself as Tara, Lilly’s sister. She tries to give Michonne a fist bump, but when she doesn’t receive it, she backs off sheepishly. Andrea talks sweetly to Meghan, introducing herself and Michonne. Lilly asks them how they came across the community, but Guillermo stops her from asking more questions. Sensing tense air, Tara taps Meghan on the shoulder and asks her to play tag, telling her that she’s it before running away. Meghan giggles and runs after her aunt, causing Lilly to groan and follow after them.Watching them run away, Andrea can’t help but smile. She looks to Michonne and believes that maybe Woodbury is a good thing. Michonne watches Shumpet look at them, then walk between two buildings. She replies that she isn’t so sure. Guillermo encourages both of them to come along with him to see the rest of the town, so both of them follow behind.The Governor is inside the infirmary with Christina, who lies in a bed with several patched up scratches on her face. Alice is also there, changing the IV fluids for her. Christina asks about the men she was flying with. The Governor appears saddened, he informs her that one of them was dead on the scene, and the other one survived, however is in more severe condition than her. He smiles at her and tells her that they’re doing everything they can to get both of them back into good condition. Alice tells the Governor she’ll be back soon so she can change Welles’ fluids in the other room, so she walks out.Now alone, the Governor starts talking about the community and reminds her that she’ll be safe here. Christina, who had been polite and calm beforehand, suddenly scowls. She snaps at him to save his bullshit, because she sees right through him. The Governor is taken aback as she continues. She accuses him of manipulating her and everyone, because she knew guys exactly like him, including ones who attacked her and her group of survivors in the past. She calls him a bully, a liar, and a dangerous man whom nobody should trust, and she wants him away from her. The Governor, still completely in shock, stands up and agrees to leave, but says he will be back to check on her in a few hours. She glares at him the entire distance he walks from her bedside to the doorway when he leaves the room. Once he does, his half smile falls to become a frown.Out in the street, Andrea and Michonne are now walking alone after enjoying the festivities for a while. Michonne spies on Guillermo talking to Tim and Crowley near the gates, but is interrupted when Andrea hands her a drink. She encourages Michonne to loosen up for a bit and enjoy herself, because they finally have a good meal and good people to be surrounded by. Michonne counters that they can’t just let their guard down immediately. Andrea reasons that it’s just one little party, and they can have a good time.She takes a big swig of her drink right as Merle loudly and obnoxiously runs up to them both. Andrea greets him with indifference, despite Merle appearing much more friendly and upbeat. Michonne glares silently. Merle wraps his arm around Andrea, something she recoils from, but walks with him anyway, Michonne following. Merle says he has someone he wants them to meet. The three of them approach a man who looks similar to Merle with short hair like his, only black instead of lighter brown. Merle introduces him as his brother, Daryl. Daryl grunts out an indifferent greeting, and Andrea awkwardly shakes his hand, saying that Merle used to talk about him back when he was at the Atlanta camp.The Dixon brother scoffs and snidely remarks about how that camp was the group who left Merle to die on the roof. Merle tries to calm things down, but Daryl catches how Michonne looks at him, and he snaps at her. “I bet you cuffed him, didn’t you, bitch?” he accuses. Michonne steps toward him, but both Merle and Andrea separate them. Merle tells Daryl to go back guarding the wall. After he walks away, Merle apologizes, saying that his baby brother was never good with words. He explains that Daryl was already with the Governor’s group when Merle was found. Andrea realizes that the Governor must’ve found him in Atlanta. Merle confirms this and adds that he wasn’t alone, and points to Guillermo and Shumpert who are walking up the street in front of them, saying that they found him first, and then the Governor found the three of them a couple of weeks later.Lieutenant Welles slowly wakes up in another infirmary room. Alice warns him not to strain himself as the pain from his injuries registers in his brain. Alice calls over another person in the room, Bob, to help administer a shot of drugs to ease the pain. The man leans over and calmly introduces himself as Bob Stookey, and he explains that he used to be an army medic, so he has experience from being in the field. After the shot is administered, Welles asks Bob how long he served. Bob seems to shift at the question, and his answer is a little evasive, and instead talks about how he was discharged for personal reasons. Welles thanks him for his service, but Bob tries to insist he not be thanked for it.Their conversation is cut short when the Governor enters, wiping his hands on a rag. When he sets it down, there’s blood on it. Welles notices, then sees his somber expression. Alice and Bob are confused, then just as upset. The Governor explains that Christina had just succumbed to her injuries, having ruptured an artery. Welles is distraught, feeling extremely guilty for having lost control of the helicopter. The Governor consoles him and tells him that it was quick, and Merle put her down before she could turn. Welles begins to cry a little, saying how he was trying to get her back to his group of soldiers, since he and his partner had gotten separated and rescued her, but he failed.Alice gives him some water to drink, and Bob props Welles up slightly so he can look better at the Governor, who offers to go out and find the rest of his fellow soldiers and bring them to him. Welles isn’t sure where they could be by now, but the Governor is adamant. He says that he’ll take any lead he may have and he’ll go out looking. Welles thinks, and remembers the coordinates of the rendezvous point that his group said to meet at. The Governor thanks him, then promises to head out right away with his men to find his friends.Carl sits alone inside his cell. It’s been hours since the prisoners were locked away. A pair of footsteps approach, but he doesn’t look up. It turns out to be Lori, who stands in the doorway watching him with admiration. The fondness in her eyes will never fade. She enters and sits down next to him. She asks him if he’s okay, given everything that has happened. When Carl looks up, Lori sees that he’s been crying. Through tears, he cries about how Louis and Eliza were his friends, pretty much his only real friends left, and now they’re gone. Lori wraps her arms around him and kisses him on his forehead. She reminds him that he can always talk to her and Rick about anything because he’s their sweet boy.This makes Carl reject that statement, and tells his mother how he doesn’t want to be treated like a kid anymore. Lori cups his face in her hands. “You are a kid, sweetheart,” she says to him, matter of factly. She is beginning to cry, too, and she apologizes profusely to him for all the things he’s been forced to do at such a young age, and how he deserves to be happy and carefree like a kid should be. Carl says that you can’t be carefree anymore, and Lori counters that you also can’t let the world spoil your sense of self. “Like it did to Shane?” Carl asks. Lori pauses, then nods. “Exactly like that,” she replies. Both of them begin to calm down, and Carl asks to be included in more things, like group discussion. Lori can’t help but smile, and promises to let him be part of more important matters as time goes on. “Promise me one thing, baby. Don’t let this world spoil you,” she tells him. Carl nods, and solemnly promises her this.Up on the second story of the apartment building, Andrea is lying sideways on the bed while looking at a map. Michonne is standing next to the bed while Andrea surveys the land. Michonne suggests heading to the coast, thinking it’ll be safer. Andrea, however, seems to have reservations. When questioned about them by her, she’s hesitant to answer. Michonne sees through her, accusing her of wanting to stay in Woodbury longer. Andrea defends the choice by saying that there’s walls and protection, but out there is dangerous and unknown. Michonne thinks it’s dangerous within the walls, and reminds her that they still don’t have their weapons.They’re interrupted by a knock on the front door. Andrea gets up and heads to it. At the door is the Governor, who greets them with a smile. He lets them know that he’s going to be heading out on a supply run with some of his men and will return soon. Michonne asks why he’s telling them, and he explains that since they’re new, he figured he would clue them in on how things work. Andrea understands, and even offers to help. The Governor is appreciative of their offer, and Michonne cuts in by snidely adding that they’d need their weapons back to help out. The Governor manages a small laugh and promises that they will have their weapons returned to them when they leave the community, whenever that may be. This answer seems to satisfy Andrea for the most part, but does nothing for Michonne. Behind him, Lilly suddenly walks past, carrying an oxygen tank. The Governor stops her and asks her to check in with Michonne and Andrea in case they need help. Lilly agrees, waving to the two women, although she looks preoccupied at the moment as she walks away.After leaving the apartment complex, the Governor heads to the armory down and across the street. Once inside, he finds Merle there, reporting that everyone is almost ready. Also inside the armory readying weapons are Daryl, Guillermo, Caesar, Shumpert, Tim, and Crowley. The Governor warns them that this may be a dangerous mission, and to let him lead in first. Caesar proudly claims they’ve handled more than this, earning a chuckle from Crowley. A younger man, probably only in his early twenties, hands Daryl his crossbow, who thanks him and calls him “Neil”. The young man says that isn’t his name. The Governor calls him forward, and he introduces himself as Gargulio, and he’s been being trained by Caesar to be part of the Governor’s inner circle army.Despite encouragement from Caesar to let the kid tag along and get some in-field experience, the Governor denies this, but admires Gargulio’s bravery. Instead, he asks him to remain on watch duty on the wall until they return. Gargulio happily accepts, taking his gun and leaving. The Governor then addresses the rest of his men that they have no room to be sloppy, and must be on alert at all times. He turns to Guillermo. “We all know what happens when our guard is down,” he says, making Guillermo nod in silent agreement. The Governor then motions for them all to roll out.Rick is standing around one of the prison main room tables with Glenn, Hershel, Tyreese, Sasha, and T-Dog. Glenn is asking how long the prisoners are going to stay locked up. Rick answers him curtly; for now there’s no plan to let them out. Tyreese even suggests that there could be a new person having snuck in that murdered the kids. Sasha thinks that’s a stupid theory, and Rick agrees. But Tyreese argues that they don’t even know the state of the rest of the prison’s security, and that the fences and walls in the back could be damaged enough to sneak in. Rick doubles down on the prisoners’ imprisonment and declares that he’ll be questioning them the next morning. T-Dog begins to reason that they should be allowed out for now. Sasha is adamantly against it, reminding him that kids were murdered. T-Dog gets defensive and says he isn’t trying to side with them, he just thinks it feels inhumane to keep them all locked up with no concrete proof. Glenn is still confused on how proof can even be gathered. T-Dog suggests splitting them up, especially Tomas and Andrew, to maybe catch one of them in a lie.Just then, Jacqui walks out, looking worried. Hershel asks if everything is okay, and Rick suddenly worries it’s about Lori and the baby. She reassures Rick that Lori is fine, being kept company by Carol and Patricia. She tells Hershel that it’s Bruno, who is refusing to eat and hasn’t since the previous day. Hershel leaves the discussion to take a look at him, following Jacqui. Rick repeats to everyone that the prisoners are staying locked up for the time being, no exceptions, then he walks away, ending the discussion.In the middle of a clearing, a group of at least ten U.S. soldiers and their army vehicles are parked. The site’s leader, Lieutenant James Moyers, smokes a cigar with his right hand, Corporal Brady. Moyers asks if there’s been any sign of the chopper, to which Brady denies it, but he’s hopeful that Welles and Franklin made it out alive. Moyers agrees, and remarks them both as strong soldiers, Welles being an old friend of his. Suddenly, there’s the sound of an engine in the distance. A man from atop an army truck looks through binoculars. Moyers addresses him as Private Snyder, asking what he sees. Snyder reports that a vehicle is approaching. Brady orders another private, Wilson, to scan the area. The rest of the soldiers all aim their assault weapons at the car that pulls into their clearing.Out the window, a makeshift white flag hangs to signify surrender. Moyers shouts for the driver to exit the vehicle. He does so, and it’s the Governor who steps out, pleading innocence. Brady demands he identify himself. The Governor avoids the command, and instead says he is the leader of a town some miles away. The soldiers aren’t impressed, but he mentions that a helicopter went down a few days ago. He tells them that there were two survivors of the wreckage, but one soldier dead. He refers to Welles by name, which gets Moyers’ attention. The Governor reveals Welles is the survivor and he’s at the town, and that he told him where he could find them and bring them back to the town.Moyers is skeptical, but the Governor swears he’s telling the truth. Finally, he lowers his weapon, which prompts the others to do so as well. The soldiers begin to smile and celebrate that Welles is alive and well. Moyers orders Wilson and Snyder to go to the Governor and check him for weapons. The men agree and begin to approach him. The Governor holds out his hands. “I sure am glad we were able to find you,” he says. Right before Wilson and Snyder reach him, both men are shot in the head instantly. The Governor quickly draws a pistol and shoots Moyers in the shoulder. Brady shouts out for him, but is met with a gunshot to his neck, making him collapse as more gunfire erupts, taking out every last soldier without them even knowing where it’s coming from. The shots are being fired by the soldiers of Woodbury. On one side of the clearing is Merle, Daryl, Caesar, and Tim, and on the other is Guillermo, Shumpert, and Crowley.The Governor walks past all the fallen soldiers up to Moyers, who is writhing in pain on the ground and reaching for his rifle. The Governor stomps on his hand and picks up the rifle. As the soldiers of Woodbury emerge and run to meet up with the Governor, he proceeds to smash the rifle into Moyers’ head several times until his face is unrecognizable. Caesar looks down at Brady, who has succumbed to the neck wound. He stabs him in the head to keep him from turning. Suddenly, a soldier who didn’t get gunned down emerges from behind a vehicle, running away. Crowley points him out, so Tim volunteers to step up and take the shot. He shoots, but misses. Caesar calls his work sloppy and steps in front of him. He easily manages to hit the last soldier through the back of his head. The Governor commends all of his men for their good work, and instructs them to load up the supplies to bring back to Woodbury.Bob exits the Woodbury infirmary just in time to see the gates open, and several military vehicles drive in. Many townspeople gather round as the Governor and his men exit the trucks. He addresses his people, saying that they found these vehicles at a site where soldiers had been overrun by walkers. He thanks them for their post-mortem aid in protecting their community. When he finishes speaking to the people, he climbs down and finds Bob. Bob seems shocked that the soldiers were all dead. The Governor feigns sadness over it as well, and mentions breaking the news to Welles. Bob stops him, and offers to do it himself, “soldier to soldier,” he says. The Governor nods and the two part ways, Bob going back into the infirmary, and him heading to his apartment.The Governor enters his apartment in silence. He takes off his belt and sighs. He picks up a notebook, and as he flips through it, reads through all the names in it; female names. He picks up a framed photo, one that features himself, a woman, and a little girl, all looking happy together. He faintly smiles again, before it fades and he sets it down. He pours himself a glass of whiskey and walks into the other room to sit down. The room is dark, but there is a glow coming from one of the walls. The Governor turns in his recliner to a caged door, where suddenly there’s loud growling and the shifting of metal chains. A walker lunges from inside; a little girl, but the chain around her neck holds her back. She claws at him, and he just shakes his head. “Not now, Penny. You just ate a little while ago. Daddy’ll feed you again soon, baby girl.”He turns back to facing the wall where the glowing light is coming from, and he takes a big sip of his whiskey. The wall is decorated by several fish tanks that span almost the entire wall length, stacked on top of each other. Inside the fish tanks are the heads of walkers, including Michonne’s two pets, all still reanimated and slightly snapping their teeth. His eyes gravitate to the tank at the top. Inside is Christina’s reanimated head. The Governor stares at it, emotionless.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
It’s been one week since the prisoners were locked up at the prison, and since the Governor launched the massacre on those soldiers. One long, painful week for the prison group. Rick sits awake in his cell, having just woken up from another nightmare about Shane. He stands up to get ready to face the day. At the same time, Andrea gets out of bed in her and Michonne’s apartment at Woodbury. She fixes her hair, brushes her teeth, and then she and Michonne exit out onto the street, where many of the townspeople are gathered.Andrea looks around, and sees everyone sharing food and drinks, even some of the Governor’s soldiers appear to be lightened up and having a good time. While they walk into the crowd, Michonne almost bumps into a woman carrying a few drinks. Michonne hastily apologizes, as does the woman, who introduces herself as Donna Samuels. She hands each of them one of the drinks. Michonne suspiciously asks what all this is for, and Donna replies that the Governor regularly hosts town-wide picnics. Nearby, Donna points out her husband, Allen, who sits at a picnic table. Two young girls are running around, shouting and giggling and chasing each other. He scolds the two of them when they almost run into Guillermo and Shumpert. “Lizzie, Mika, that’s enough!” his voice bellows. The two girls apologize, before scampering off to play elsewhere. Donna jokes that even now, their kids are still a handful. Michonne shifts in place and says nothing as Donna leaves them alone.Andrea, sensing her friend’s unease, asks her if everything is okay. For a moment, she thinks Michonne is about to cry. But she doesn’t, and instead insists that they discuss leaving Woodbury for good within the next day or two. Andrea complains that she’s been talking about that for weeks, and she tells her to look around at the festivities. She sees Donna share a kiss with Allen, and Tara in the distance chatting up one of the female wall guards, Alisha. Even Merle seems laid back, sharing a drink with Caesar and laughing. She sees the Governor walk through the picnic, waving and smiling to people. He shares a nod with Merle as he walks by, and even waves to Andrea. Michonne glares at him when he turns his back, then tells Andrea that she just doesn’t believe any of it.Within the courtyard of the prison, Lori waddles outside slowly with her pregnant stomach, accompanied by Carol and Jacqui. Carol eases her down the stairs and asks her how she thinks the birth will go. Lori admits that she’s a bit worried, since she had Carl by C-section and thinks that’s how she’ll have to have this baby, too. Jacqui reassures her that Hershel will be there every step of the way for it if it comes to that. Lori spots Glenn sitting with Maggie and Carl outside and wonders where Hershel is. Jacqui explains that he’s working on getting Bruno to eat. Carol is surprised that he still isn’t eating after a week. “Grief can do things to a person…” Lori says, knowingly.The women reach the gate that separates the courtyard and field. Lori looks up and admires the sun. Carol comments about how it’s still strange that things like planes and jets are never flying overhead anymore, since they were all so used to the noise. Lori agrees, and adds that she can’t wait to introduce her baby to the world, because in spite of everything wrong, there’s still so much right. Jacqui is about to ask if she has any names in mind, when suddenly Lori clutches her stomach and cries out loud. She almost collapses, but Carol and Jacqui hold her up. Glenn and Maggie run over, asking what’s wrong. Tyreese and Sasha run outside at the commotion. Jacqui, alarmed, exclaims that something might be wrong. Carl runs inside in a hurry.Inside, Rick is sitting at a table, hands folded, when Carl runs in shouting for him. Rick is alert in an instant and wants to know what’s happening. “It’s Mom!” Carl says. A few seconds later, everyone rushes inside the prison. Rick sees Lori and hears her screaming in pain, and yells for Hershel. They all lead her inside the cell block, where Hershel and Patricia rush out and see the situation. Hershel guides Lori into her cell, and Patricia instructs her to lie down. Rick, worried, asks if she’s alright. Hershel gets out his medical kit and advises everyone to give him some space.Everybody vacates the cell except for Hershel, Patricia, and Rick. Hershel rummages through his medical bag, then asks Patricia if she has the antibiotics and other medicine. She says she does as she goes through a bag of her own, but she pulls out one bottle of painkillers and that’s all. Rick is shocked, and tries to be sure that that’s actually the last of the medicine the group has. Lori cries out in more pain, begging for the painkillers, so Patricia gives one of the pills to her. Hershel expresses worry over their lack of medicine, especially with Lori’s pregnancy due date getting closer. The cell block door opens from the entrance to the inner halls, and Carl comes walking out. Tyreese asks him what he has, referring to the duffel bag in his hand.Carl enters the cell where Lori is lying, and drops the bag. Inside is tons of medical equipment and supplies. Rick wants to know where he got all of this, and Carl says he found the prison’s infirmary and took as much as he could. Patricia looks through his findings, and reports that there weren’t any antibiotics. Rick wishes he hadn’t gone alone because the prison is still dangerous, but he is proud of him for what he found. Hershel promises both Rick and Carl that he’ll do everything he can to make sure Lori stays healthy. Just then, Carol interrupts and informs Rick that it’s time to give the prisoners their daily rations. Rick scowls and leaves to deal with it.Rick stands with Maggie and Glenn as guards while he slides food rations through the bars of the five prisoners’ shared cell. He tells them to make it last. Axel is begging for him to open the cell and let them out, the captivity almost breaking him. Rick, of course, doesn’t let up. As he goes to leave, Lee expresses concern about Lori, asking if everything is alright. Big Tiny correctly assumes that she’s having pregnancy pains. Rick ignores them and tells Glenn and Maggie to get ready to go on the medicine supply run. Lee speaks again as they walk away, explaining to them that he knows about a pharmacy where they can find plenty of pills and medicine. This revelation interests Rick, so he walks back to the cell.Instead of telling him more, Lee pleads with him to join them on the supply run, since he’ll know what to look for. Tomas sneers at him that he’s just sucking up to the group. Rick considers his options carefully; he doesn’t trust the prisoners entirely, but he wants what’s best for Lori more. So he pulls the cell key out and unlocks it. When he opens the door, Axel runs out first, thanking him profusely. Rick darkly warns all of them that if they try one single thing, they’ll be put right back in the cell no hesitation.One by one they all walk out. Andrew gives Rick a dirty look. Tomas rubs his wrists as if he’d been handcuffed, making a dramatic spectacle of being freed. He snidely comments that Rick finally came to his senses. Rick tells him to watch his mouth, leading Tomas to question him. “Or what?” he remarks with a sneer. “Or you’ll be picking your teeth up off the floor,” Rick replies. Tomas suddenly throws a punch, but Rick sees it coming and ducks, hitting him in the face.Glenn and Maggie yell for him to stop, and are about to draw their guns. Tomas is also about to lunge, when suddenly he’s grabbed by his waist. Big Tiny takes hold of him and fully throws Tomas to the ground back inside the cell. He turns and tells Rick to give him the keys. Surprised, Rick hands them over, and Big Tiny slams the cell shut, locking Tomas alone back inside. He slams on the bars, screaming to be let out.The keys are handed back to Rick, who is admittedly thankful for the action. Andrew approaches and demands that Tomas be let out, since it’s not fair. Lee speaks against him, saying he attacked Rick. Tomas curses out the other prisoners, except Andrew, and Andrew stomps away angrily. Rick ignores Tomas’ venomous insults and calls Maggie and Glenn to follow him to get ready for their run. Lee watches them leave, at first believing that he’s being left behind. Then Rick stops and looks back at him. “Are you coming or what?” he asks. Lee smiles.The Governor enters the infirmary, and is immediately met with an unexpected sight. Bob is hurrying around the room speaking to Lilly, who is reading off supply charts. Welles is lying in the bed, asleep, but seeming to be in better condition now. He asks what they’re doing, and where Alice is, since she should be there. Bob explains that she’s searching through the medical supplies right now in storage. Lilly adds additional context, reporting to the Governor that they’re on their last strain of medicine. She begins to panic further by mentioning that she’s also down to her last couple oxygen tanks for her and Tara’s father, who is also sick with lung cancer.Calming her nerves, the Governor promises to send out his men on a supply run for plenty more medical supplies. Bob says that all the nearby pharmacies have been cleared, either by them or other groups. The Governor asks him if he might know of any other locations for medical supplies. Bob, being a combat medic, thinks he may know of some areas where the military were occupying in other cities outside of Atlanta, and begins to write down notes for the Governor.Rick walks outside with Maggie, Glenn, and Lee in tow. Glenn asks Lee where this pharmacy is again, and Lee replies that it’s in downtown Macon. Carl follows them all outside as Glenn prepares the car. Rick gets down in front of his son and tells him not to worry and that he’ll be safe while he’s gone. Carl shakes his head at him. “I’m not worried, Dad. Neither is Mom. Just be back soon,” he says. Tyreese and Sasha walk up behind him. Tyreese promises to hold down the fort while he’s gone. Rick thanks them both for it.He gives Carl one last hug and a pat on the shoulder before getting in the car, which quickly pulls away as Glenn drives out of the gate. Sasha turns to Tyreese and says that he should take watch up on the guard tower near the main gate. Tyreese appears to be taken aback that she’s giving out orders. He asks her when is it that she isn’t bossing him around. She grins, and replies “only those few years before I was born.”Many townspeople stand in the street outside the Governor’s office building, with him standing on the stoop of it facing the crowd. Andrea walks up near the back end, and verbally voices her confusion as to what’s going on there. A woman with curly black hair in front of her turns around and explains that the Governor called an emergency announcement. She pauses, then recognizes Andrea as the newcomer from the week before. She greets her and introduces herself as Karen, and Andrea reciprocates. They shake hands and finish pleasantries right as the Governor walks up closer to the crowd gathered.He addresses everyone with a serious expression, and leads in by laying it down straight for everyone; he admits that the town is running low on medical supplies, such as antibiotics and other medicine. The crowd reacts with worry, but the Governor is quick to calm them. He follows up by telling everyone that he has already sent a team of his men out to scavenge, and he trusts that they will return plentiful. The Governor continues by saying that they’ve faced hardships in the past, then he motions for Guillermo, who had been standing off to the side behind him, to come up beside him.Guillermo does so, and the Governor begins talking about how Guillermo lost almost his entire group before finding the people of Woodbury. He turns to Guillermo, who takes it as a cue to continue the story. He talks about how he and Shumpert returned from an overnight supply run to find the group dead and gone. For weeks they survived with hardly any food, water, or medicine. But he says his luck changed when he ran into the Governor and what was the beginning of Woodbury. They had given them a home and shown them that there was always a way back from hard times. Guillermo finishes by saying that one day he hopes to be able to track down the group that betrayed his old group and murdered them, and bring them to justice for what went down at the nursing home.The Governor finishes off Guillermo's story by saying that just like him, Woodbury will bounce back from this stronger than ever. The crowd cheers, but Andrea doesn’t. Something about Guillermo mentioning a nursing home seems to have struck a vague memory, but she can’t picture it fully. The Governor dismisses the crowd and tells them to enjoy the rest of the day. Everyone disperses except for Andrea, who is approached by the Governor. He flashes her a smile. “Not used to big speeches, huh?” he asks. She admits that Woodbury is the first fully functional town she’s seen in this world at all. The Governor looks her up and down. “Bet it’s been a while since you’ve had a warm bed, too. And someone to share it with.”Andrea is stunned by the man’s boldness, seeing the way he smiles at her and stares into her eyes. She smiles back a little bit, only for their moment to be interrupted by Michonne, who calls out her name in between them. She doesn’t even acknowledge the Governor’s presence, instead telling Andrea that she wants to talk to her about something in private. The man leaves them to it, citing having some business to attend to, then walks off. Andrea is confused as to why she shooed him away, but Michonne cuts her off. She tells her friend that she has something important to show her. Andrea feels skeptical about whatever it is, but she sees the seriousness in Michonne’s eyes and goes along with her when no one is watching them.The prison supply group enters a downtown area that seems devoid of any life, human or walker. Lee points Glenn around a corner, pulling up to a drugstore called “Everett’s Prescriptions”. The building has a military plane crashed into the roof, and concrete has fallen around the sidewalk, but luckily the doorway is clear and still intact. The car rolls to a stop and everyone emerges. Lee tries to lighten things by saying how sore his back feels from the ride that lasted a couple hours. Rick doesn’t acknowledge the comment, instead warning everyone to stay alert. The four of them carefully make their way to the door. Glenn knocks on it three times to draw out any walkers. None come out thankfully, so they work their way inside.The inside of the drugstore is in disarray, things strewn about the floor, bits of the roof beginning to cave in from the crashed plane, but the structure is overall secure. Rick notices the pharmacy section, but it's locked behind a closed grate. He is about to try breaking it open, when Lee stops him and points to a door across the room, saying they can enter through the office. Glenn questions how he knows that the room is an office. Lee pauses and simply says he was guessing. Maggie volunteers to go to the back with him, while Rick says he and Glenn will scavenge up front. The four of them are interrupted by a banging from inside the bathroom door.Raising their weapons, Rick edges close to the door. He nods to Glenn, and opens it. Out stumbles a walker, who appears to be a young man dressed in pharmaceutical scrubs. His outfit has dried blood on it, and as soon as Lee sees him, he freezes, face falling. Glenn quickly stabs the walker in the head, the body falling down. Upon inspecting it, he reads the name “Bud Everett” on his tag. Rick realizes he was an employee who worked there, likely a member of the family. He searches the shirt pocket and finds a pair of keys. He tosses them to Maggie, saying to use them on the door in the back if needed. She notices Lee’s expression and worries something is wrong, but Lee answers her shortly and turns to head to the back room. Glenn stops Maggie and urges her to be careful, but she says she thinks she trusts him the most out of the prisoners.Maggie follows Lee into the back room, calling out for him. She finds him standing still, looking down at something. She approaches to see what, and her expression darkens. It’s two more walkers, tangled in two sleeping bags on the floor, only these ones are older, elderly even. Lee is almost crying, and he’s holding something in his hand. Maggie wants to see it, and after some hesitation, he hands it over. It’s a photo, from a broken frame on the ground. In it are four people; the two elderly walkers when alive, the walker young man from the bathroom, and Lee himself.“This place… it’s my family’s,” Lee reveals. He talks about how he and his family had a falling out ever since he was put on trial and sentenced in prison. The day everything happened and every day after, Lee could only think about them and if any of them made it, as he now learned they hadn’t. Maggie stares at the walker forms of Lee’s parents trying to wriggle free, then she walks up to both and puts them down, his father first, followed by his mother. She turns to him and expresses her sympathy. She talks to him about her home, that being the farm, and how she helped with it for many years, but left for school which upset her father, and lost her mother as well.“I know how it feels to lose family, my mom, my brothers, my sister. I’m lucky to still have my daddy and Beth, I’d do anything for them, and this group. What I want to say is the more you show us trust, the more you can be part of our family, too,” she tells him. Lee feels comforted in her support. She hands him the keys and says that after they collect the supplies they need, they’ll bury the bodies. Lee is grateful for her kindness, so he agrees and unlocks the pharmacy entrance.Out in the main area of the store, Glenn pokes through the shelves. He pockets several energy bars he finds still sitting on a shelf. Rick thinks they should be focusing on finding more important things, but Glenn counters that anything can be useful in desperate times. He also finds a case of batteries and puts them into his bag. Rick looks at more photos of the family on the wall, though none of these ones include Lee in them. It reminds him of Lori and Carl, the way they seem so happy and without worry. Glenn recognizes the boy in the photo, and wonders what could’ve gone wrong. Rick solemnly says it’s what always happens; walkers won. Glenn wants to be able to protect Maggie, because he loves her and doesn’t want that fate for her. He says to Rick that he loves her the way he loves Lori, and he would love to spend his life with her. Rick asks him if he’s told her that. Glenn is about to reply, when they’re cut off by a bloodcurdling scream.Rick and Glenn run outside in time to see a disheveled woman run outside of one of the shops along the street, followed by a walker. She screams for help as more walkers emerge from buildings and surround her. Glenn immediately goes to rush to help, but Rick makes him pause. The woman gets grabbed by one of the walkers, but she just narrowly escapes it. Rick warns him that walkers are about to flood the street, so they can’t be seen or else they’ll be swarmed, too. Glenn doesn’t care, because he wants to be able to save people. So he jumps out from behind the car and starts running toward the woman. Rick follows shortly after as to not let him be outnumbered.Glenn shouts and stabs a walker, calling for the woman. Rick runs up next to him just in time for the woman to stop and smile. However, her smile suddenly fades and is replaced with a look of horror instead. She blurts out a plea, right before a bullet soars through her head. All of the walkers turn to the corpse, ignoring Rick and Glenn. The two men turn around to see Merle and Caesar standing there, guns now aimed at both of them. Caesar warns them not to move or try anything stupid. Merle leads them back inside the drugstore, where Maggie and Lee stand held at gunpoint by Tim and Crowley. Glenn is in shock at seeing Merle again, who reacts with delighted, twisted glee upon seeing both of them again. “Well, well, if it isn’t Officer Friendly. How wonderful it is to cross your path again.” He instructs the men to tie them up and bring them to the truck. He tells the four of them, now prisoners, that he’s taking them on a little drive to where he calls home. Rick has a scowl on his face as he’s forced out of the drugstore by the four men. His eyes watch the woman’s body being ripped apart as he’s led away.Up in the main guard tower of the prison, Tyreese has his rifle perched on the ledge. He stares out at the road leading up to the prison, hoping that the car will drive up with the group inside. His focus is broken, however, when a voice calls his name from somewhere below. He peeks over the side and sees Carol looking up at him from the ground. He greets her warmly, and she responds with a flirty sounding “Sasha told me I’d find you up there.”Curious, Tyreese asks her what she needs. Carol goes more serious, and asks for his help with something. He quickly descends the staircase inside the guard tower and emerges in front of her. Carol is holding a metal rebar that she plans to use as a weapon. She beckons for him to follow her. Carol leads him along the path between the fences where a few walkers claw at them from beyond the fence. Here she explains that Lori’s pregnancy might have some complications. Tyreese misunderstands and says that Rick and the others will bring back medication soon. Carol clarifies, revealing that Lori told her she had Carl via a C-section, so the new baby might need to be born that way as well. She says that Hershel had been showing her steps, but she wants to practice, and points to a female walker wearing a dress.Tyreese is a little bewildered by Carol’s methods, but he understands it. Carol holds the rebar steady and stabs the female walker in the head. With a nod to Tyreese, he starts banging on the fence and calling the other walkers away, allowing her enough time to slip out of the fence, drag the body inside, and close up the hole again. Carol stands over the motionless corpse. She pulls out her small knife and gingerly lifts the dress. As she makes her first incision above the area of the uterus, Andrew watches her from in the courtyard.A couple of hours later, the Governor is sitting in his apartment with a hairbrush in his hands. Behind him is the wall of undead heads, where Christina’s is still perched at the very top. On the floor in front of him is Penny, still in a straitjacket and quietly snarling. He brushes through her hair softly while music plays. He quietly sings along while Penny remains mostly calm. Suddenly, though, a knock on his door makes her growl loud and grab his arm. He tries to steady her and calm her down, but instead she just continues to groan as a walker. With a defeated look in his eyes, he places a bag over her head once more and attaches the chain to her neck. He closes the cage door and walks away, listening to her echoing muffled growls.The Governor comes to his door, and after smoothing down his shirt and putting on a smile, he opens it to find Merle standing there. At first, he’s annoyed by being bothered. Merle reports that they found plenty of medicine and supplies. The Governor is pleased by this, only Merle adds that they found something else, too. The group that abandoned him and left him for dead, and he believes that the rest of them are located nearby. The Governor, without a word, walks away with him.Rick is sitting in a dark room with only a table and two chairs inside, along with a single lightbulb lighting it. Echoed footsteps approach from outside, alongside hushed whispers. A moment later, the metal door opens with a loud squeak. It closes loudly, and before him stands the Governor. Rick glares at him, and he simply smiles in return. “So, where should we start?” he asks.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Sneaking around near the back of Woodbury, Michonne leads Andrea to where the military vehicles are being stored. Andrea is hesitant to be doing something like this, worried that they could be kicked out for being where they shouldn’t. Michonne doesn’t care one bit. She finds the vehicles parked behind a series of dilapidated buildings at the very back of the town. The biggest truck is riddled with bullet holes, which Michonne shows to her. Andrea isn’t sure, and says that the soldiers could have encountered bandits, like she did with her previous group. Michonne doubles down and argues that no bandits could have that level of fire power.Every truck has dozens of bullet holes in them, which does make her begin to doubt her own words. Michonne also claims that the Governor’s story about them dying is bullshit, since they were trained soldiers and wouldn’t be taken out by mere walkers or random bandits. She instead surmises that someone would have had to sneak up on them, likely what the Governor did. Andrea is left in thought, and suggests waiting a little while longer, observing him to see if he does anything suspicious. Michonne agrees to this idea, and they sneak away from the trucks before possibly being seen.Inside the dimly lit room, the Governor removes his weapons belt, then sits down in front of Rick. He starts by putting on fake pleasantness and apologizes for the rough handling. Rick’s expression is dark, and he asks where his group is, referring to Glenn, Maggie, and Lee. The Governor’s smile drops. “I’m afraid I can’t let you see them right now,” he says. The Governor goes on to say that Merle told him that he was the one who handcuffed him to a rooftop and left him for dead. Rick argues that Merle was a danger to their group and would’ve killed them if he hadn’t stepped in. The Governor admits that he may not have the full story, but he sees how Rick clearly still has hostile intentions toward Merle.Rick is stunned when the man accuses him and his group of drawing their guns on Merle and his other men. He says that Merle told him that you and another man gunned down an “innocent woman” begging for help. Rick vehemently rebukes this accusation and says it was his men that killed that woman. Either way, the Governor doesn’t believe that his group is to be trusted by him. Before he leaves, he asks for his name, mocking pleasantry. Rick coldly gives him his name and the man leaves without returning the favor.He walks down the equally dim hall, where he finds Guillermo near the door. The man asks what happened. The Governor waits a moment before telling him the story, specifically the skewed version he and Merle crafted; that Rick’s group of four attacked his men while they scavenged at a pharmacy. He mentions that the leader is a man named Rick, and Guillermo’s face becomes one of recognition. He wants to talk to Rick all of a sudden, and the Governor has to block him, and he asks why the sudden interest. “Because I think his group is the one who attacked mine those months ago,” he replies, cold and stern.A sleepless night goes by for many. In the morning, Michonne and Andrea are standing in their Woodbury apartment. Andrea is pacing with anxiety over their discovery. She proposes asking the Governor straightforward about it, something Michonne vehemently swears against. Andrea even begins to fear that someone saw them and that they’ll soon be locked away somewhere for trespassing. Michonne holds firm in her belief that the Governor is a liar, and that they need to get their weapons back from him and leave when no one is looking. Andrea doesn’t know how they can sneak into his apartment.Neither of them get the chance to discuss it further when there’s a hard knock on their door. The knocking continues even as Andrea jogs to the door. When she opens it, she’s met with Tara in a frazzled panic. Her cheeks are rosy and eyes are puffy. When Andrea asks what’s wrong, she replies that her dad collapsed and they need to get him down to see Dr. Stevens. Andrea immediately jumps to action and runs back with Tara to her apartment.Minutes later, Andrea and Tara burst inside the infirmary with Lilly and Tara’s father, David, in their arms. Michonne follows behind them, but as she reaches the infirmary doorway, she turns around and walks out without anyone seeing her. Dr. Stevens hears the commotion and springs into action. She instructs them to get him into a bed, freeing up one beside Welles’. They set him down right as Lilly and Meghan rush in. Lilly is distraught seeing her father laid out like that. Meghan calls out for him and asks if he’s going to be okay. Lilly hopes so, trying to give her reassurance, but isn’t that sure herself. Alice hooks David up to oxygen and puts an IV in his arm. Tara goes over to her sister and starts to cry, fearing the worst.While Alice tends to David, he calls over his two daughters. He takes their hands and tells them to be strong for each other, and for Meghan, who he smiles at softly as she stands huddled closely next to Lilly. Andrea stands off to the side, letting them have their moment. Welles, who is looking progressively better, still with several bruises and slowly healing gashes, says to her that he hopes he can pull through. Andrea shares the sentiment, and then expresses her sympathy over Christina’s death, having heard about it. Welles is grateful for her care, and says that he didn’t know her long, but he feels responsible for it. In his grief stricken recount of events, he expresses confusion as to how she died. He says that Alice had said she was in better condition than him and had been showing improvement, then suddenly crashed and succumbed to her injuries. Andrea stays silent as he speaks, but her eyes begin to flash with recognition of a lie. Something about it doesn’t sound right.Sunlight shines into the prison cell block, where Hershel listens to Lori’s pregnant stomach. After a moment, he sits back up and nods to her, telling her that everything sounds normal and healthy. Lori smiles, relieved, and adds that the pain in her stomach is significantly less. Hershel is pleased to hear that, and chalks it up to being some more intense pregnancy cramps. He stands up to go meet with Jacqui and T-Dog out in the fields. She asks what for, and he explains that soon they’re going to find some crops to plant out there. Lori is excited and believes as soon as they do that, the prison can feel like a real home. Hershel agrees with her before he walks off. Lori sits up in the bed and rubs her stomach. She talks to the bump, and jokingly says to the baby that she hopes they aren’t this troublesome once they’re born.Her time alone with her baby bump ends when a figure enters the cell. It’s Bruno, who looks completely disheveled and broken, but is finally up and moving. Lori is stunned to see him, greeting him softly. He weakly returns her pleasantries and rummages through Hershel’s medical bag. When she questions it, he says it’s just aspirin for a headache he has. Lori reminds him that eating a proper meal might make it go away. When he can’t find what he’s looking for, he goes to leave, but she beckons for him to sit down next to her, scooting slightly to make a spot for him on the bottom bunk.After he sits down, she takes his hand in hers and expresses how sorry she is for what he’s going through. She begs him not to shut the group out, because they’re all there for each other. Lori especially wants to be able to support him, now that he’s lost the rest of his family. Bruno can only wonder what would’ve happened if they’d been able to leave properly. Lori isn’t sure how to answer, but she says that if they had still all died, he wouldn’t have a group to make sure that he’d be able to stand on his own again. She knows the situations aren’t very comparable, but she says when she believed Rick was dead in those first several weeks, being with that group in Atlanta helped her remain stable, and now it’s their turn to support him.Bruno seems touched by her words, and squeezes her hand. He asks if it’ll get any easier as time passes. Lori gives him the hard truth; she doesn’t know for sure. She rubs a thumb across the back of his hand. “But we can make now alright, together.” Bruno manages a weak smile in response. Footsteps make both of them look up, and Big Tiny pokes his head in the door. He apologizes softly, saying he was looking for “the doc” for some bandaging on a cut on his arm. Bruno instantly switches moods and becomes viscerally angry. Lori tries to calm him down, but he hurriedly announces his exit and storms out.Big Tiny sheepishly stands there, then asks if there’s any gauze. Lori nods and goes to reach for it, but he quickly stops her and grabs it himself. “Hey, you’re pregnant, don’t strain yourself,” he eases her. As he wraps his arm, he voices his sympathy for Bruno’s situation, and understands the lack of trust. Lori agrees that the whole group is still very wary of them, including her. Big Tiny nods, then reacts as Lori clutches her stomach. She assures herself that she’s fine when the cramp goes away. Big Tiny offers to show her some yoga poses that help with pregnancy pain. Lori is skeptical, but he explains that he has three younger sisters, all who have had kids of their own before, so he knows a lot about pregnancy.Feeling a little more secure, she trusts him. Big Tiny puts a pillow under her back and helps her lie back on the bed. He then instructs her to pull her legs up and touch her feet together. She does so, and after a few seconds, she admits that it feels nice on her body. He smiles, jokingly pretending to be smug about knowing. Lori laughs, and then she quietly wishes Rick would be back soon. Big Tiny is confident he will be, because he’s a tough man and will go through anything to get back. Little do both know that Carl is in the next cell over, hearing their talk as he walks away.After being down in the field, Hershel makes his way back into the main courtyard, where he finds Beth tending to a small garden of flowers in pots. He walks up behind her and remarks how beautiful it looks. “I learned from you, daddy,” Beth replies, standing up to face him. When it goes silent, she begins to tell him about last week, and how they never really had the chance to talk about what she wanted to tell him ever since the incident. Hershel is open to hearing what it is now that things seem to have calmed down.Beth suddenly fidgets nervously, and can’t look him in the eyes. She rips the bandage off and asks if he loves her. The question stuns Hershel, and he can only stutter and wonder why that would be on her mind. Beth’s eyes well up, and she talks about all the instances where she felt overlooked in favor of Maggie or Shawn, and how his relationship with Lacey also seemed to make him have no expectations of her. She mentions how she always did her best and always helped, but he never gave her as much appreciation as her older siblings, and she just wants to know why.When she’s done, Hershel is silent. She assumes that he’s just thinking of a response, but when Beth looks up, he’s crying. He cups her face and looks at her with love in his eyes. “Oh, Bethy, I’m so sorry. You were always such a sweet, loving, independent girl, I just didn’t think you needed my approval. I realize now how wrong I was. I never thought that I was breaking your heart the whole time. I’m so sorry, sweetheart,” he says. Beth can’t find the words, but finds herself breaking down into tears of relief and hugs her father, the two holding each other close.Carl has his hat on the floor of the prison hall while he sits against the wall. A pair of shoes almost kicks it as the person walks up. He looks up and sees it’s Carol. She picks the hat up and hands it to him, telling him that it’ll get dirty on the ground like that. Carl takes the hat, but puts it in his lap rather than putting it on. He mutters that he doesn’t deserve to wear it. Carol, sensing trouble, sits down across from him to ask him what the matter is. Carl feels like he isn’t good enough to own the hat, even though Rick gave it to him, he doesn’t believe he deserves it. Carol wonders why he thinks that. Carl reveals that he’s been having nightmares about his mom and the new baby dying, and he can’t do anything to stop it. In the dreams, it’s never Rick who dies, but he’s always there with a look of hatred on his face directed at him.Carol questions the nightmares, and Carl says it’s because he feels like he needs to protect his family, but is afraid that he won’t be able to when the time comes. Carol mentions how he did it before, in reference to Shane. Carl shakes his head. “I made a big deal about being taken seriously to my mom… but now I don’t know if I could do it. What if it had to be her?” Carol takes in his words, then she leans her head back against the wall. She tells him about how before the world ended, she would often have nightmares about Ed doing unspeakable things to Sophia, most of the time it was killing her, but it was other things sometimes, and the entire time she was unable to stop it. Carol says that the dreams are because he’s putting so much unnecessary pressure on himself to grow up. She reminds him that he’s still so young, and hasn’t yet truly lived. “It’s fine to be able to protect yourself and others. Just don’t forget that you’re still just a little boy. You have so much life left to discover, and you can’t do that when you let anxiety drag you down.” Carl stares at the sheriff hat, then puts it back on his head.Alice is doing chest compressions on David, who is flatlining on the heart monitor. After several more seconds, she stops, declaring him dead. Lilly silently cries while Tara kneels at his bedside, clasping her father’s motionless hand, beginning to cry. Andrea is still there, too, wanting to stay in support for the family. Welles gives his condolences from his bedside, and especially apologizes to Meghan, who can only stare blankly with a mix of anguish and numbness on her face. Alice begins to ask Lilly how she wants to handle the body, and everyone’s attention is no longer on the body. Except for Welles. He notices the dead man’s fingers twitch, then a hand moves. He starts talking, and tries to raise his voice to warn them.It’s too late to stop it, though. David, now reanimated as a walker, grabs Tara by the hair. She screams, making everyone look in horror. Lilly pulls Meghan away and shields her as Alice wrestles with David. Andrea gets in between and pulls him off of her. Alice shouts to grab a weapon while Tara struggles to get free. David pulls himself out of the hospital bed and on top of Tara. Alice grabs him by the back and yanks him off, which makes him turn and lunge for her. Andrea stabs David with a scalpel, but it doesn’t go deep enough. Suddenly, the door opens and Michonne appears to toss Andrea her knife. She catches it and drives it right into David’s head, finally putting him down. Everyone is silent, and Tara sits by the bed, hands over her ears as she cries.Michonne enters the infirmary, and Andrea finally realizes that she had her knife. She asks her friend where she was. Michonne responds by handing Andrea her own gun. Her katana is also strapped to her back. She urges Andrea to leave right now, they have what they need and can get out without being stopped. Andrea gestures to the chaos that just unfolded, seeing Alice tend to David’s body while Lilly consoles Meghan. Michonne admittedly hesitates, but says they have to look out for themselves first, because now they’ll be in danger. Andrea knows she has a point, and staying around a dangerous man like the Governor for too long could have consequences. So, while no one watches, both women exit the infirmary and start sneaking toward the main gate of the town.The two hide around the side of the first building next to the wall, with all their belongings gathered to take with them. On it stands four guards, one of them being Shumpert, and another being Alisha, the woman Tara had been talking to at the barbecue picnic. Andrea wonders how they can get past them. On the wall, Shumpert turns to the other man on guard, Pete, and asks him to go grab some extra ammo. Pete agrees and climbs down. As he walks past the alleyway where they hide, Michonne grabs him. He lets out a quick “hey!” right before she knocks him out with the handle of her katana. The others hear the noise. Shumpert calls out for Pete, who doesn’t answer.He turns to the young woman on guard. “Haley, go see what Pete’s doing,” he orders. The other woman stops him, and says Haley only just started guarding the wall. Shumpert grumbles and goes down himself. When he reaches the alley, Andrea hits him with her gun. The first hit stuns him, but he grabs her, and Michonne struggles with him but knocks him out, too. The women on guard see this and shout at them. Haley runs down first and disappears in the alley. When her companion follows, she sees Andrea aiming at her, and Michonne has her katana to Haley’s neck. “Alisha, please, h-help–!” Haley cries out, only to be told to shut up by Michonne. Alisha surrenders and asks what they want. Andrea says they’re leaving and won’t be stopped. Alisha says they can’t let anyone leave right now, so Michonne tightens the katana.Haley cries out in pain, so Alisha gives in. She promises not to say anything. Michonne takes Haley with her as both women move around Alisha. Once they get around, she throws Haley to the ground and both of them dash to the wall. They scale up the ladder and hop over, before they both take off running away from Woodbury. Haley stands with Alisha’s help. “We’re telling the Governor, right?” Alisha looks at Pete and Shumpert’s unconscious bodies. “Hell yeah we are,” she replies.Andrea and Michonne run through the woods, a couple miles away from Woodbury. When they feel they’ve reached a safe distance, they stop running. Michonne suggests heading east to escape. They turn when they hear distant shouts in the woods, calling for whoever is with them to come this way, picking up on their trail. Andrea apologizes for not listening sooner, but Michonne just takes her hand and pulls her along to escape. A few gunshots go off as they run, and a gruff voice says that he’s spotted them. A crossbow bolt hits a tree right next to Michonne’s head.They dash behind a large tree and down a small hill before stopping again. Andrea takes out her gun and wonders how they’ll outrun them. Michonne wants to stand their ground and fight them all off. Suddenly, the trees rustle behind Andrea, and out storms Tim. Michonne pushes Andrea out of the way as he aims his gun and fires. The bullet hits Michonne in her thigh, not fully entering, but enough of a graze to give her a limp. She collapses as Andrea cries out her name. At lightning speed, Andrea raises her weapon and shoots Tim in the head before he can even register what happened. She wraps her arm around Michonne and is fully prepared to carry her away, when Daryl bursts out, crossbow aimed and threatening them if they move. Crowley and Gargulio emerge, guns drawn. Crowley exclaims in horror seeing his friend dead on the floor. Neither woman has time to react before they’re both hit over the head and knocked unconscious.Some time later, Andrea wakes up on a cold, dingy floor. She sees a pair of shoes standing over her, and when she sits up she sees it’s the Governor. He smiles oddly at her, and scolds her for how she and Michonne acted. He rants about how he took them in, trusted them, gave them food and shelter, and in turn they attacked his people and killed someone. “I thought you were different, Andrea, I really did,” the Governor says darkly. He allows her to stand up, and she realizes she’s in some sort of interrogation room, with a single chair in the center, and a desk with tools in a bin near the door, which is shut.“I’m willing to give you another chance. With your friend gone, maybe now she’ll stop filling your head with paranoia, and you’ll get another chance at a life here.” His words don’t register with Andrea, because she fixates on the first part. She asks what he means by “gone”, and shouts that she wants to see Michonne. The Governor chuckles casually. “You can’t. I killed her,” he says with a dead serious tone. This makes Andrea punch him across the face and run for the door. She grabs the bin of tools and throws it at his face. She picks up a pair of pliers while he’s disoriented and tries to stab him. Unfortunately, he recovers and blocks her. The Governor easily overpowers her strength, and throws her into the chair in the room. He holds her down and pulls handcuffs from his pocket, cuffing both of her wrists to the chair. Andrea drops the pliers behind the chair before he can take them from her. He doesn’t notice.The Governor picks up the mess on the floor, and tells her he will return the following day to see if she’s learned her lesson. Before he leaves, he puts a gag in Andrea’s mouth so she can’t call for help. He exits and slams the door without a word, leaving her in silence. Andrea struggles and shouts through her gag. But then she stops, and starts to cry. Michonne is dead, and she has no way to escape.Also in the same building, Guillermo is walking toward Rick’s room. Caesar guards the door, and when he sees him coming, stands aside and allows him inside without a word. Rick is still seated in the chair. When the two meet eyes, Rick realizes exactly who it is. He looks surprised, while Guillermo seems disgusted. “So it really is you? At first, I thought maybe it was another guy, but no,” he sneers. Rick doesn’t understand why he’s angry, or why he’s with the Governor. Guillermo laughs dryly, and explains that he had saved him, Shumpert, and Merle when they were close to the end. “Better than you ever did, seeing as you came back with your group and killed all my people.”Rick is taken aback by this accusation. He stands up from his seat and rebukes the claim. He tries to tell Guillermo about what happened to them, but he interrupts him, not buying his story at all, despite it being the truth. Guillermo walks up to the table between them and declares that he and his people are going to be dealt with, starting with him giving up the location of where the rest are. When Rick refuses, Guillermo punches him three times across the face. He chuckles at the way Rick’s nose bleeds a little bit. “I can do this all night,” he says, right before punching Rick even more.
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Early the following morning, Tyreese and Sasha are atop the guard tower by the main gate. The air is quiet and chilly. Sasha scopes the prison with her rifle, while Tyreese scans the outer world. After a moment, he drops the gun and turns to his sister, voicing his concern that Rick’s supply group hasn’t returned in over two days. Sasha isn’t as worried, and reminds him how long it would take them to scavenge things and get back to their camp in the early days. She says how Rick has always been cautious and careful and they’re likely just taking their time to get back. Tyreese still feels something wrong in his gut, but she believes he’s only worrying too much.Along the streets of Woodbury, Meghan is standing with a group of other kids, including Lizzie and Mika, who are all playing together. Nearby, Allen and Donna stand with Karen and a couple other adults. Donna expresses sympathy for the young girl. Karen does the same, and tells them that she’s watching her along with Luke and Molly for the day to give Lilly and Tara some time to prepare a funeral service for David. In the group of kids, Lizzie obliviously urges Meghan to join in, as she, Luke, and Molly play a game with sticks they found. Mika walks up to Meghan and softly apologizes for what happened, and offers support, saying that she would also feel really sad if she lost a parent. Meghan stays silent, and instead watches the last girl among the group, Clementine, wander off away from everyone else.In her isolated curiosity, Clementine ends up walking along the side of a very run down building in the town. Moss and vines are growing on the side. She stares at a side door that would enter it. Right as she gets too scared to continue on, a firm voice behind her makes her jump. Her father, Ed Crawford, walks up to her and kneels down, asking what she’s doing. Clementine stammers, and says she thought she heard a noise. Ed scolds her lightly for running off, and says that the Governor wouldn’t be pleased with her going to off-limits buildings; a rule he had put in place for this edge of town. Clementine apologizes, and Ed smiles. He pats her on the head, where she’s wearing a baseball cap, then leads her back to the other kids to continue playing.The same noise Clementine heard happens again. And then again, and again. It’s Merle, delivering punch after punch to Glenn’s face. He’s tied to a chair in another room. In the same room is Lee. He’s tied to another chair, back to back with Glenn. Both of them are tied with the same restraints, so neither can move without the weight of the other holding them back. Glenn has a black eye and a busted lip, but refuses to crack. Lee, with more minor injuries, pleads with Merle to stop. Merle refuses, not unless one of them gives up the location of the rest of their group. Both men are resilient and don’t say a thing.Getting annoyed with their lack of compliance, Merle stares Glenn down and threatens to cut a body part off of his “lady friend”. Glenn struggles in his bindings, but even with the threat to her life, he doesn’t give into Merle’s demands. Merle swivels to the other end and tries his luck with Lee. Lee is silent, and when Merle finishes talking, he spits in the man’s face. Extremely angered by this, Merle socks him in the face, giving Lee a big cut across his cheek that begins to bleed. He storms over to the door and pounds on it. He apologizes for not trying hard enough to get them to cooperate, then opens the door. Caesar stands there with a walker on a lead. He hands it to Merle, who leads it into the room. He tells the tied up men that since they’re of no use. As he backs out of the room, he releases the walker at both Glenn and Lee, slamming the door shut.In a mostly dark room doubling as a holding cell, Michonne startles awake and looks around frantically. She’s not restrained to the ground or the walls, but her wrists and feet are bound. She struggles, but can’t get free. She calls out to anyone who might be able to hear her, hoping to hear Andrea’s voice. A voice does answer her, and as her eyes adjust to the level of darkness in the room, she sees a woman with dark hair tied up the same way on the other side of the room; Maggie. Maggie dryly remarks that her group aren’t the only prisoners of the Governor, it seems.Glenn and Lee frantically tug at their restraints as the walker rushes for them. Right as it’s about to bite Glenn, he uses his legs to kick it back. Lee panics on how they can get out of this. Glenn gets an idea and tells Lee to try and stand on the count of three. Glenn counts them down, and using their upper body strength, the men are able to stand up while tied together. Their arms are duct taped to each chair they’re in, so they lift with them. Also in their favor, since the rope around their bodies was fit to the tightness of them being seated, it’s loose enough that it falls off of them, meaning they aren’t stuck back to back anymore. Both of them start to dodge the walker that tries to attack and bite them.The walker pins Glenn to one of the walls and bites the duct tape around his arm. Lee runs up and sideswipes the walker away. He trips back, so Glenn gets in the way and pins the walker behind a metal fencing left in the room, among a lot of other junk. While Glenn fights it off, Lee gets an idea. He picks up momentum going backwards and rams into the wall. Little by little, the chair underneath him breaks and splinters. The walker gets free and pins Glenn down, but Lee is there. He wrestles it off of Glenn, then grabs a sharp wooden piece of the broken chair and stabs it in the eye. The stab doesn’t quite kill it, but it's enough to stun the walker, so Glenn finishes it by crushing its head. Lee starts methodically removing the duct tape off his arms, as well as begins to help Glenn get his own chair off of him.Lori stands up on the prison catwalk, staring out at the distant world past the prison gates. Patricia comes out next to her to make sure she’s feeling better. Lori smiles and nods, and says that she was able to get out of bed and walk around on her own. She remarks that she hopes the baby won’t be as difficult once it’s born. The women laugh together before Patricia replies that she and Otis had thought about having kids together, but it never really panned out for them. Lori goes quiet, and breaks her silence by expressing her sympathy about Otis and how she never got to properly mourn. Patricia snaps back that he could still be out there, since they never went back to the farm to check. Lori is stunned by her sudden outburst. Patricia says that the group should’ve looked, before walking away quickly before she says something she regrets. Lori can only watch, puzzled.Many walkers have begun to line up at the outer fence now that a group has moved into the prison. Carol and T-Dog stand before the mass of undead, stabbing them through the holes in the fence. Carol pauses when Tyreese exits the guard tower near them. The two lock eyes, and he waves at her. She waves back, making T-Dog take notice as well. He teases her by asking if there’s something going on between them. Carol gets flustered and denies it awkwardly. T-Dog laughs and says that he’s noticed how they look at each other, and he believes that she should take the chance with him. They go back to killing walkers, but Carol then asks if he really thinks they’d work out. T-Dog definitely thinks so.Hours have passed. The door to Maggie’s cell opens harshly. She watches, afraid, as the Governor coldly throws Michonne inside to the floor in front of her after previously taking her out. She shouts at him, but he ignores her, and instead tells Michonne that he hopes their next interrogation session is more “productive”, then walks away. The door is left open for a few seconds as Maggie watches Caesar change out his guard shift with Gargulio. Caesar asks the young man if he’s up for it, and he confidently agrees, so Caesar leaves. Gargulio quickly slams the door shut. Maggie scoots over to Michonne, who had had her bindings removed, however she was given a rough beating in exchange. She asks if she’s okay, and Michonne doesn’t answer right away. Then, she chuckles, and pulls a small blade from her pocket. “Oh, I’m wonderful,” she says, and Maggie’s expression changes to one of hope.Patricia carries a tray of food down the dark hall until she reaches the cell where Tomas is still locked up. He snarks a comment about her as she hands him the food through the slot, but she barely reacts and is visibly bitter. Tomas lightens up and questions what the matter is. Patricia is hesitant, but opens up about the fact that she’s been thinking about her husband more often. Tomas gets a glint in his eye, and he plays up his sympathy for her. He pretends to remember how she’d mentioned that before, and that he believes she is owed an answer for her husband. Patricia agrees with him, which leads to Tomas saying that if she lets him out, he can talk to Rick about looking for Otis.This makes Patricia stop and think, and she grabs the door, but pauses. Tomas repeats himself, swearing to get her justice for her husband. Just then, Andrew brushes past Patricia really quickly. He rushes into the cellblock carrying something and concealing it as much as he can. He enters a cell near where Axel is sitting. Axel tries to talk to him, but gets no reply. He notices something in Andrew’s hands and follows him into the cell, just in time to see him stuff it under the bunk. He asks him what he’s doing, but Andrew suddenly stands up and shoves him hard, threatening him with a beatdown if he snoops on his stuff. Not wanting to mess with the more violent prisoner, Axel backs off and cautiously leaves the tense Andrew.Lori finds herself wobbling back into the common area of the cell block. Big Tiny suddenly rushes to her side to help her down the stairs. He’s with Hershel, who is pleased to see her up and about. Lori smiles, saying that it felt good to get up on her feet again, and she thanks Big Tiny for his pointers. Hershel also agrees that he knows some valuable information, and may prove useful when it comes time to deliver the baby. Lori asks when she’s due, to which Hershel surmises that it could be any day, but he and Patricia will monitor her until the time comes.The mention of Patricia makes Lori remember her earlier encounter. She asks both men if they’ve seen her recently, and both deny so. She explains what she had said earlier, which makes Hershel nod in understanding. He had always felt bad that they left Otis behind, and the guilt has been in the back of his mind for the past seven months. Big Tiny suggests talking it over with Patricia so that they can set any hidden animosity straight. Lori thinks it should wait until Rick is back, but does think they should extend courtesy to her in the meantime. Hershel suggests finding her, although Lori worries she may be off sulking somewhere in the prison.Guillermo sits across from Rick with a gun pointed at him. He demands to know the reason he slaughtered the nursing home. Rick, of course, continues to deny this. Angered, Guillermo fires at the ceiling as a warning. He starts shouting at Rick, cursing him out for killing his friends, people he considered family. Rick calls him stupid for believing that he and his group were responsible for it. This makes Guillermo snap, and he grabs Rick’s arm, pulls out a machete, and holds it to Rick’s right hand which he suddenly pins to the table. “One more word, and I’ll cut it off.”They stay like that for several seconds, until Rick slowly speaks again. He mentions the bag of guns and how they traded weapons. Guillermo angrily asks why that matters. “How could we have the firepower to kill your people, if we were looking for guns in the first place?” he asks. This thought genuinely stuns him, and he lowers the machete from Rick’s wrist. Guillermo shakes his head and assumes that the group must’ve been lying and had other guns stashed. Rick mentions that he saw the aftermath of what happened, and that the bodies that had been shot were done so with rather heavy artillery. He then points out the Governor, and suggests that he should suspect him and the group he had at first. Guillermo denies this, and accuses Rick’s group of gaining his trust and then killing everyone. “But how do you know that he didn’t kill everyone, and then gain your trust?” Rick counters.All of these new suspicions are too much for Guillermo to handle. Without saying anything else, he suddenly turns and leaves the room quickly. In the hallway, when nearing the corner, he runs into the side of Shumpert. His friend seems surprised at his distracted behavior and asks what’s wrong. Guillermo is hesitant to say what’s on his mind, but Shumpert reminds him of their closeness and that he shouldn’t have to hide anything. With that in mind, Guillermo confesses his thoughts. He asks his friend if he ever wonders if it was the Governor who attacked the nursing home, mentioning how they had a lot of medical supplies to be able to help Merle when they found the three of them, and they had a lot of guns with them, too. Shumpert actually seems surprised by this and can’t believe he’d think that. He demands to know what made him think of something like that, and Guillermo admits that he had just been talking to Rick. Shumpert scoffs and easely brushes it off as Rick trying to get in his head and manipulate him. He reiterates that the Governor saved them and they should always be thankful for that, then he walks away. Guillermo agrees, but it sounds very insincere and lost in thought. He isn’t sure if he believes that anymore.Michonne has her ear up against the door, hearing Gargulio talking to someone outside. The gruff and callous voice indicates to her that it’s Daryl, Merle’s brother. Maggie, who is now free from her bindings, whispers to know what the plan is. Michonne informs her that they’re about to open the door, and to follow her lead. She has the blade concealed in her hand. Maggie nods, a little nervous, but ready. Michonne stands back as the door clanks as it’s unlocked. The very second it gets pushed open, she rushes forward. She grabs Daryl and slams him into the wall. Gargulio shouts and starts to grab her, but Maggie knocks him to the ground.In the scuffle, Daryl tries to grab for his knife on his belt. Michonne knocks it from his hands and without giving him another chance, stabs him straight through the jugular with the smaller knife. Daryl’s eyes go wide as blood gushes out of his neck. He goes limp and falls to the floor. Gargulio reacts in horror, before he lunges at Maggie. She easily fights him off and wrestles his pistol out from his holster, getting off a shot that hits him in the gut. Gargulio once more falls to the floor, only now he’s bleeding profusely. He holds one hand up while the other clutches his stomach. Maggie aims down at him as he pleads for his life, whole body shaking. Just when it seems like Maggie is backing down, she pulls the trigger, shooting him in the head.At that moment, Merle runs in with Caesar and Crowley, shouting about all the commotion. They all aim at Michonne and Maggie, and Merle reacts with horror upon seeing Daryl’s lifeless body lying there. Tears well up in his eyes and he smacks Michonne across the face. He picks up Daryl’s knife, believing he was stabbed with it. While Caesar demands the two women get down on their knees, Merle hovers over Daryl’s body to put him down, but he can’t bring himself to, throwing the knife on the floor. He aims at Michonne while Caesar does the same to Maggie. Crowley picks up the knife, and Caesar reminds him that they never let their own turn. He nods and silently takes care of Daryl.Merle readies his gun against Michonne’s forehead, and is happy to watch her die. Right before he can shoot, she moves like lightning. Since she’s been holding the small knife the whole time, she slashes his arm enough to make his concentration break. When she stands up, she pushes Caesar out of the way and creates an opening for Maggie to follow. The two of them run out of the room and away before the men can recover. Merle clutches his bleeding arm and shouts for them to catch up to them as quickly as possible, and to alert the Governor that they’re on the loose.The evening sun greets Lori once again with its warmth. She sighs and remarks that she’ll never get tired of seeing the bright sky. Axel thinks back to how little sun they got while stuck in the cafeteria. “We almost forgot how bright the world was, but at least we had the whole room.” Big Tiny also says that if they’d been locked in the back alone, he might have lost his mind. Hershel says that they would’ve likely enjoyed his farmlands. Axel expresses hope in being able to see a farm again someday.Entering the courtyard further, they find Tyreese walking up to them. Lori asks him if he’s seen Patricia lately, and he says that he hasn’t seen her outside at all. He does recount that he had tasked her with bringing Tomas his meals today. Axel and Big Tiny look worried, which Hershel picks up on. Axel brings up the obvious observation that Tomas is bad news, but also that he can be manipulative. Lori realizes what he’s trying to say, and quickly says that someone needs to check his cell right away. The urgency is interrupted when all of a sudden there’s shouting, coming all the way from Sasha, who is still up in the guard tower down by the gate. She’s pointing at them, but then they hear the growls, and realize she’s pointing behind them. They all turn around, and see the large gathering of walkers that had been locked behind the gate in the back now coming straight for them.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The group immediately jumps into action. Lori pulls out her gun and starts to shoot as many walkers as she can. Tyreese and Big Tiny pull out their weapons and begin fighting off the walkers. The commotion brings Jacqui and Bruno running out, followed by Carl and Beth. Beth sees the walkers and wonders what’s going on. Hershel warns her to stay back, but she quickly comes out with her axe and swings it at a few of them. Carl runs to his mother’s side, pulling out his own gun to help. Sasha snipes at a few walkers from the guard tower. Below, Carol and T-Dog hear the shots and ask what’s happening. Sasha fills them in, which makes both of them run up toward the main courtyard as fast as they can.Lori realizes the gate is busted open, which is how the walkers got out. Jacqui runs to close it as Carl and Tyreese do their best to cover her. Axel has a knife to defend himself as walkers come toward him, but after he kills a few, he starts to grow overwhelmed and backs up against a wall. A walker is almost on him when Bruno charges it and tackles it to the ground. He stabs it in the head as more walkers swarm him. Carl splits away from Lori to shoot multiple walkers around him to save his life. Bruno kicks one away from his legs, and it gets shot by Sasha’s sniper. Jacqui dodges walkers and assesses the gate, but is horrified to discover that the gate is damaged beyond use. They’ll have to deal with all of the walkers.Hershel is headed up the steps to one of the entrances to the prison covered by a gate. A walker grabs him from behind, but Beth is quick to jam her axe into its head. Another one grabs her by the hair and she screams. Hershel pulls her away, when the walker is quickly shot by T-Dog. He and Carol run to them and he asks what the hell is going on. Hershel tells him that they need to check on Tomas. The four of them climb the steps and run inside the prison, shutting the gate so walkers can’t follow them. Jacqui regroups with Tyreese and is worried about the amount of walkers. Lori shoots some more, but realizes they’re being outmatched, and shouts for Carl to come with her to escape inside.Her shouts are interrupted when she doubles over, groaning loudly. Carl sees this and tries to get to her, only for walkers to cut off his path. A few go right toward her while she’s still incapacitated. At the last second, Big Tiny blocks them, slamming one to the ground, but another one grabs his arm and bites it. Axel cries out for him in horror. Big Tiny doesn’t even register the bite wound, and instead slams two walkers’ heads together. He wraps his other arm around Lori and starts moving her toward the entrance to the cell block. Walkers chase after them, and another one pounces on his back and bites him on the shoulder. He shoves it off, while another one crawls into his path and bites him on the leg, and another in the middle of his back. The entire time, his only focus is shielding Lori. The two of them make it inside, but don’t have time to slide the door closed, meaning walkers follow them in.Carl tries to run after them, but Tyreese stops him, warning that it’s far too dangerous. Jacqui tosses a gun to Bruno, who is still sprawled out on the floor, telling him that they need him. He grabs the gun and stands up. When he does, he cries out in pain and falls back to the ground. Jacqui rushes to his side to see what the matter is. She notices some fresh blood on the ground next to Bruno. Human blood. Her eyes trail down to Bruno’s legs, where the blood droplets lead back to. His gaze follows hers, and he pulls back his pant leg. There’s a bite on his ankle. “Son of a bitch,” Bruno darkly mutters.The Governor urgently strides through town until he’s in front of the hall, where many townsfolk are gathered. He addresses them as calmly as possible as they shout questions at him. He explains that they’re having a small situation that requires a town wide lockdown for all residents. From the crowd, Donna asks if they’re safe, holding Allen’s hand and standing next to Karen, who nods in solidarity with her question. The Governor says they are, but Allen says that he heard gunshots, something that other townsfolk agree on. Bob asks if anyone was hurt. The Governor sighs, and then lies, saying that some dead got inside the walls and a couple people were lost. More people start asking questions; Tara asks how walkers got inside, and Lilly asks if a herd is coming. The Governor manages to ignore their questions as the crowd becomes scared enough for them to listen as he instructs them all to go home and lock their doors.Once they all disperse, he rushes inside, where many of his soldiers are waiting for orders; Merle, Caesar, Shumpert, Alisha, Haley, and Eisenberg Adams. The Governor instructs them that while his other men are busy guarding any exits, the rest of them are to search the town for the escaped prisoners and shoot on sight. They all comply with these orders and prepare to head out onto the streets. Haley asks if they should wound them, but the Governor coldly clarifies that they should shoot to kill. He then tells Merle to first check on the other prisoners and make sure they haven’t escaped either. When he leaves, Alisha asks what he will do. The Governor says he has other matters to attend to.Out behind the buildings, Michonne and Maggie quietly sneak along. Maggie asks if they’re near the exit, but Michonne says they aren’t headed for the exit. Maggie is confused, thinking that’s what they were doing. They quiet down upon hearing some of the soldiers run by. Maggie realizes that they have to go back for the others; Rick, Glenn, and Lee. Michonne says she has something to take care of, so the two women part ways.Machinery whirrs to a stop as the Governor disconnects Welles from the heart monitor in the infirmary. The man is unconscious as he also begins wheeling his bed to the back exit. Alice storms in, irritated at his actions. She demands to know what he’s doing, as Welles still needs treatment. The Governor tells her to “mind her damn business”, before he continues to push Welles out the back door, leaving her angered and suspicious.Inside one of the holding rooms, Andrea remains cuffed to the chair. Her boots are off, and she’s reaching her feet around the back of the chair to grab the pliers still left hidden there from her earlier scuffle. All of a sudden the door bursts open, and she moves her feet back to their original position. The Governor enters with Welles on the infirmary bed. Andrea weakly asks what he’s doing. It’s then that Welles wakes up. He sees the Governor standing above him, and as he starts sitting up, he sees Andrea struggling against the handcuffs. His eyes widen, and he looks to the Governor to ask what’s going on. But he never gets the chance, as the Governor swiftly pulls out his large knife and proceeds to brutally stab Welles in the gut nearly a dozen times. Andrea screams in horror at the gruesome sight. Welles chokes out blood.The Governor watches Welles slowly die, then he looks to Andrea. “I have to tie up some loose ends, and now he’s going to help me. He’s gonna turn, and tear the flesh from your bones.” With that, he turns and leaves the room, locking the door. Andrea immediately gets back to trying to grab the pliers with her feet. She’s unable to take her eyes off of the crimson puddle of blood forming on the floor below the bed that contains Welles’ now motionless body.Inside a room in the next building, Lee and Glenn check over any injuries they have and search for weapons. Lee is worried that they won’t make it out of the room, but Glenn assures him that they will. He counters that they’re defenseless. Glenn crouches and examines the walker on the ground. Lee asks what he’s thinking about, and gets his answer when Glenn suddenly snaps the walker’s arm, and with all his strength, begins to rip out the exposed bone from the snap. He gets a big enough piece to use it as a sharp weapon. Lee is impressed by his perceptiveness.Their moment is interrupted when the door opens. Glenn tries to rush it, but is met with machine guns in his face courtesy of Merle, Caesar, Eisenberg, and Shumpert, who all are ready to shoot. Merle makes him drop the weapon. Glenn grits his teeth, but complies. He’s grabbed, and so is Lee by Caesar, as they’re led into the hallway right outside the room. Both men are forced to their knees, and Merle tells Shumpert to put bags over their heads. Lee tries to beg them to reconsider, but it’s too late as his vision is covered by a burlap sack, and guns are positioned against the back of their heads.Further down the hall, Rick can hear commotion and shouting from that very situation. He paces around inside his holding room, when suddenly he hears the door begin to open. He raises his hands, ready to fight his way out. Instead, his guard drops when he sees Maggie before him. She tosses him a gun– his own colt python– so that they both have one, and ushers him out. Rick asks where Glenn and Lee are, to which Maggie replies saying that she’s headed there now. They sneak up to right around the corner from where Glenn and Lee are positioned on their knees. Rick whispers to her if she thinks they can take out all four guards. Maggie just smirks and reaches into her pocket. “We don’t have to,” she says. She pulls out a smoke grenade, having stopped at the armory on her way back.Merle eggs on Eisenberg to take the shot at Lee. “Come on, Bob, you can do this!” he urges in a taunting manner. Eisenberg angrily snaps and reminds him that Bob isn’t his name, and to stop calling him that. Merle waves him off and decides to do it himself. Before he can, the smoke grenade is thrown out and explodes. The area is shrouded in smoke as Rick and Maggie rush out. Maggie pulls the bag off of Glenn’s head and they embrace. Rick grabs Lee and frees him, too. Merle curses and everyone opens fire. Rick and Maggie fire back. One shot strikes Eisenberg right between the eyes, and he falls down dead.The four escaped prisoners run out of the building and sneak into a shop, barricading the doors behind them. Maggie runs into Glenn’s arms, now properly able to reunite. Rick reloads his gun while Lee looks for a way out. Rick says they should hide behind the buildings and keep going, since it’ll likely get dark soon and they should wait it out. Maggie suddenly says they can’t go yet. When asked why, she tells them about Michonne who helped her escape. Michonne herself, meanwhile, sits quietly inside the Governor’s apartment. She stares at the door, as if waiting for him to enter.Axel, Tyreese, and Sasha take care of the remaining walkers in the courtyard. Carl realizes that a good chunk of the herd followed Lori and Big Tiny into the prison and wants to go after them. Jacqui props up Bruno’s leg as he panics and yells that he’s going to die. Sasha, having only just run up to help, notices the bite and doesn’t know what they can do to save him. Jacqui spots Beth’s dropped axe a few feet away. “There’s only one way,” she says. Bruno is confused until he watches her pick up the axe. She instructs Tyreese and Axel to hold him down. He begs her to wait, but his pleas go unanswered. In one swift motion, Jacqui raises the axe and slams it down on Bruno’s lower leg. His screams echo around the prison.The sound reaches the inner halls of the prison, where Big Tiny is still helping Lori walk. She thinks they should go back to check on the others, but Big Tiny refuses in her condition. Walkers are not too far behind them, so they couldn’t even if they wanted to. They round a corner, only for Lori to stop as something wet drips at her feet. Her water has just broken. “Oh, God… the baby’s coming!” she groans. Big Tiny notices the door to the boiler room ahead and quickly gets her inside before the walkers show up. He walks her down the steps to the flat ground and lies her down. She notices all the bite wounds bleeding on his body and realizes he’s going to die. Big Tiny says he doesn’t care, all he does care about is safely delivering the baby. Lori starts to grunt and cry out as her labor begins.Hershel, Beth, Carol, and T-Dog enter their cell block to find multiple walkers inside. T-Dog questions how they got in here, too, and Hershel surmises that Tomas is leading them there. The four of them quickly start shooting and stabbing them dead. They hear a scream from the upper level, where Patricia stumbles out of a cell being attacked by a walker. Hershel is able to shoot it to save her, and she comes running down, in tears. When Carol asks her where she was, all she says is “he lied to me.” T-Dog realizes it first, and he points at her. “You let that psycho out…” he accuses.Patricia’s eyes widen and she shakes her head and pleads with them that she’s innocent, but the others begin to doubt her words. Suddenly, Tomas emerges in the cell block right behind her. She screams and runs as T-Dog fires off a shot at him. He screams that he’ll cut all of their heads off “just like those snot-nosed kids” and begins running at them. The five begin to run out of the cell block, however in the chaos, Patricia stumbles and falls. Tomas stalks toward her as she begs for her life. At the last second, she’s able to push herself up and keep running as he chases after her.The sound of pained cries echo all over the boiler room as Big Tiny encourages Lori to keep pushing. She starts to cry, worrying that the baby won’t come out normally and that she might have to get cut open. Big Tiny says that won’t happen, as she seems to be fully dilated, and urges her to keep pushing. Lori panics that she won’t survive, but he promises her she will. After another big push, he asks her if she has a knife. She reaches down to her beltline and pulls it out. She notices that he’s starting to sweat, and his skin color is becoming a little paler. Big Tiny tells her as soon as the baby is born, to stab him in the head to protect both of them, and to not hesitate for even a second. Lori nods in agreement, right before she leads into another big push.The others inside the prison rush to where Tomas’ holding cell is, finding the door of course wide open. Hershel examines the lock and sees that keys didn’t open it, it was shot, thus broken. Beth points out that Patricia doesn’t usually carry a gun around the prison, which makes everyone start to realize she may have been telling the truth. A gunshot suddenly echoes, and Beth screams. A bullet rips through her shoulder, making her collapse to the ground. “NO!” Hershel yells. Andrew stands there, gun in hand. T-Dog immediately rushes him and slams him into the wall. Andrew boldly screams that they won’t take the prison from them, and that he and Tomas are going to take it back. He tries to break free and shoot T-Dog, but Carol helps by pinning the hand with the gun to the wall.Blood continues to leak from Beth’s shoulder as Hershel hurriedly tends to her wound, propping her upright as she cries into his arms from the pain. T-Dog punches Andrew in the face to make him drop the gun. Carol kicks it back, where it slides right next to Hershel. T-Dog releases Andrew and he and Carol stand in front of him. She realizes that Andrew was the one who let Tomas out, which Andrew proudly confirms. He says that they don’t know what they’re capable of. And then Andrew’s head jerks back as he’s shot in the head. T-Dog and Carol turn around to see Hershel having been the one to shoot him. His eyes are a mix of anger and desperation, then he urgently begs them to help him get Beth back to the cell block to treat her. Both of them disregard Andrew’s body and help get Beth to her feet as she begins to grow woozy from the wound.By now, Lori is full on screaming as Big Tiny begins to see the baby emerge. His strength grows weaker with every second, but he keeps his strength going for her. He chants for her to keep pushing as the head begins to pop out. Lori squeezes his hand and looks at him as she pushes one final time. At last, the baby comes out fully, and Big Tiny quickly cradles it in his arms. He’s able to sever the umbilical cord as the baby begins crying. Lori begins to pant, finally allowing her body to rest. She begins to laugh and cry out of relief. Big Tiny informs Lori that it’s a girl, and he passes her into Lori’s arms. Lori stares at her new baby with admiration and pride. Big Tiny slumps back against the wall, and says how beautiful she is. Lori is able to calm her baby from crying, and thanks him for his help. But he doesn’t answer. She looks up, and sees that his eyes are closed, and he’s not breathing. A few tears fall from her eyes, and she looks down at her knife. She knows what she has to do.Nightfall has finally set. Woodbury is quiet. Tara sits on the curb outside the apartments looking at the flaming torches lining the road. A figure approaches her, and when she looks up she sees it’s Alisha. She looks down at her and asks if she’s okay. Tara wipes away some lingering tears and claims she is. She stands up to walk away, but Alisha stops her. Tara tries to pull away at first, but Alisha reminds her that if she wants to talk about losing her dad, she is always around. She gently rubs Tara’s hand with her thumb, and smiles at her. Tara thanks her, and before they realize it, the two women are kissing each other. When they pull apart, they both have big smiles on their faces. “I’m really glad that worked,” Tara says, causing Alisha to chuckle at her awkwardness.Their intimacy is so rudely interrupted when several soldiers led by Merle run up the street, Haley among them. Merle suddenly cries out and points at where Rick, Glenn, Maggie, and Lee have emerged from hiding. Gunshots begin to be fired on both sides. Alisha shouts for Tara to get inside and starts returning fire as well. A few other townsfolk on the street begin to scream and run away. Rick and Maggie trade gunfire with the other soldiers, each of them managing to shoot one dead. Alisha protects Haley from the gunfire, warning her not to rush into danger. She looks to the Governor for their orders, but a look crosses his face when he realizes that a certain someone isn’t among the escaped prisoners, and he runs away. She watches him with confusion yet again.He runs all the way to his apartment, passing a few people running away to their homes. He bursts through the door and enters his apartment with frantic alarm. The sight before him makes his heart drop. Michonne is standing there, with the zombified Penny in her grasp. Her katana is raised threateningly as Penny squirms and growls mindlessly. The Governor has his gun up; they’re in a stalemate. He urges her to try something as they stare each other down.
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The Governor and Michonne remain at odds. To her surprise, he actually puts his hands up and begins to lower his gun. He begs her not to hurt Penny, not to hurt his little girl. She stares at him with disgust. Not caring in the slightest, she jams her katana through Penny’s head and drops her body to the ground. The Governor screams and rushes her. Michonne blocks him with her katana as they spill into the room with the fish tanks. He begins punching her in the face and holding her down on the floor. He wraps his hands around her neck to try and choke her out.His attempt is thwarted when Michonne knees him in the groin. She rolls out from under him and kicks him. Both stand up and she manages to slam him face first into a wall. She’s about to do it again, when he grabs her head and starts banging it against the wall. In response, she elbows him in the mouth, which gives her the chance to break free and run for her katana. However, the Governor is faster, and he grabs her by the hair, then smashes her head into one of the tanks, where two walkers snap at her. These walkers just so happen to be the same walker pets she kept on the road. She stomps on the Governor’s foot and is able to push him away long enough to grab the sides of the tanks.When he pulls her away, she pulls two tanks down with her. They shatter on the ground and the heads roll onto the ground. Shards of glass lie all over the floor. Both of them are stunned from the glass breaking, but the Governor recovers first and begins using the sheath of Michonne’s katana to strangle her neck. Michonne swings her arms at him from behind, but she can’t reach him. Looking ahead of her, she sees a big shard lying there. She strains her arm to be able to reach it, and squeezes it, making her hand bleed a little. With immense force, she drives it up into the Governor’s face. The glass stabs him directly in his right eye, and she leaves the shard there. He screams in agony and releases her.Thoroughly beaten, Michonne stands up over the Governor. Instead of attacking him with her katana, she grabs his knife. She pulls on one of his ears and proceeds to slice it off in one quick motion. She takes the same knife and stabs him in both feet with it. When he tries to kick her in response, she then stomps on one of his ankles until there’s a loud cracking sound. Lastly, she grabs hold of one of his arms, and yanks it out of its socket. The Governor collapses, still crying out in sheer pain from everything. Michonne picks up her katana and walks right past him, instead kneeling in front of the heads of her two walker pets. “Mike, Terry… I’m sorry,” she says to them, right before she stabs them both in the head, putting them down. Before she leaves, she notices Christina’s head is also among the ones in the tanks. She kicks the Governor in the face one last time before walking out in silence.The streets of Woodbury are covered in smoke as Rick leads Maggie, Glenn, and Lee toward an exit. Gunfire follows them. Glenn and Lee, now armed with stolen guns, return fire when a bullet nearly hits them. Rick shoots a guard atop the gate post, but they’re diverted away when the other guards fire back. The four of them duck in an alleyway while Rick provides cover fire. They’re about to run deeper into the alley, when they turn and are startled by Michonne now standing before them. She’s covered in blood and still silent. Maggie walks up to her and asks where she went. “I visited the Governor,” she tells them. When Rick asks if she killed him, she responds, “he’ll wish I did.” Feeling satisfied with that response, Rick invites her to escape with them. Michonne stops him, roughly pushing him back. He gets defensive, but Michonne says that they still have one more person to save. Rick tilts his head. “Who?”Andrea stares intently at Welles’ dead body as she grips the pliers firmly between her toes. She strains and stretches her body to be able to reach them up to her hand. At that moment, she hears faint breathing, then sees his fingers twitch and wiggle. She curses quietly to herself and pushes one final time. She just barely manages to get the pliers into one of her hands. Welles, now a walker, sits up and turns his head at the sound of Andrea clipping away at the cuffs around her wrists. He growls at the sight of her, only fueling her rage and motivation.Welles begins to shuffle around to get himself off of the bed. To Andrea’s luck, she hears a loud clunk, and her left hand is free. Now with more mobility, she starts feverishly hacking away at the other cuff. Welles is now on his feet and slowly coming toward her. Andrea screams as she digs hard at the handcuff chain. Welles suddenly gets close enough to reach her, but she kicks at him with her feet. Just as she kicks him back, her second cuff is snapped off. With a loud yell, Andrea stands up as the zombified Welles lunges at her. From behind the door, there’s a scuffle, and a shout from Andrea, then a body drops to the floor. Silence follows.Blood soaks the concrete outside at the prison as Bruno lies there, his lower leg near him a few feet away, cut clean off his body. Jacqui is using the leg of his pants as gauze to stop the bleeding. Carl, Sasha, Tyreese, and Axel watch around her. Jacqui wants to go inside and get Hershel’s medical supplies, but Sasha reminds her that walkers are still inside the prison right now so it isn’t safe. Tyreese volunteers to rush in and grab it, but Sasha is sure it would be suicide. Carl wants to go with Tyreese. “My mom is in there!” he shouts. Sasha doubles down on it being too dangerous.All of them turn and look when they hear screaming. Patricia runs outside screaming for help, and right behind her is Tomas brandishing the knife. “Get back here, you bitch!” he yells. Patricia runs to the others, and Tomas gets side tackled by Tyreese. He easily wrestles the knife out of the man’s hands and starts beating him. After a few punches, he’s quickly knocked out and goes limp. Tyreese keeps going for a few extra seconds, only snapped out of his focused anger when Jacqui calls for him to come back to the others. Patricia notices Bruno’s hasty amputation and urges them to get him inside. Sasha is certain that walkers are still there, but Patricia confirms it’s clear. Carl wants to go in deeper, but Tyreese promises that will only happen after they’ve helped Bruno.All of them help lift Bruno off the ground, who cries out in pain. Tyreese, meanwhile, carries the unconscious Tomas by himself. Bruno looks to Jacqui and proclaims that he doesn’t want to die. She knows this, and swears they’ll help him. Hurrying inside, they all rush into the cell block, where they hear more pained cries. Looking into Hershel’s cell, they see him, Carol, and T-Dog all standing over Beth. Hershel has forceps in Beth’s gunshot wound. She begs for him to stop, as the pain is too much, but he can’t. Finally, he’s able to pull the whole bullet right out, and T-Dog quickly places some gauze over the bleeding wound.Tyreese questions what happened, and Carol explains that Andrew let Tomas out and shot Beth. He asks if he was locked back up, but Hershel interjects to inform them that he’s dead by his own hand. Stunned, Tyreese walks away to put Tomas back inside the cell. Carl looks around and asks where Lori is, but none of them know. T-Dog spots Bruno’s missing leg and is shocked. Jacqui explains his situation and Hershel has them put him in the cell over. Beth grabs his hand as he goes to treat Bruno, begging him not to leave. He promises he will be right back, and kisses her forehead.Immediately, Hershel and Jacqui begin padding as much gauze over Bruno’s stump to keep him from bleeding out. He starts to lament that he’s going to be useless now that he won’t be able to walk. Jacqui assures him that he won’t be useless, and tells him to think about something else and not focus on the wound. Bruno says he doesn’t have anything good to think about, before he passes out. Hershel reports that the bleeding should stop soon.Rick wants to know why Michonne is taking them back to the building where they had been held, and threatens her life if she’s tricking them. Michonne leads them into the building beside the one they escaped from. Down at the end of the hallway, they see blood leaking from under the door. Michonne rushes to it and listens on the other side. She hears nothing. Using her katana, she breaks the lock right off and the door creaks open. Pushing it fully open, she is met with the corpse of Welles on the floor, with a stab wound to his zombified head. Andrea is standing over his body, and looks up in shock upon seeing Michonne.Tears fall from Andrea’s eyes as the two of them rush to each other and hug tightly. Andrea speaks through her tears, saying the Governor had killed her. Michonne just smiles and says that he tried, but couldn’t. Then, Andrea looks past her and sees three familiar faces. Rick, Glenn, and Maggie stare at her in shock. Andrea is equally as surprised, and then all of a sudden Rick is hugging her. He apologizes profusely for leaving her behind on the farm. She doesn’t blame them, saying it was chaos. She gets a hug from Glenn and Maggie each, the latter saying she’s happy that she survived.Andrea asks how they ended up here. Glenn explains about the prison that they found and have been living in, and how they were captured on a supply run. Rick declares that she and Michonne are more than welcome to return with them. Michonne also says that they can sneak into the infirmary to steal back all of the supplies that the Governor’s men robbed from them. Satisfied with this plan, Rick arms Andrea with a gun, the two sharing a confident glance, before they all sneak back out of the building. The streets are dark, the fire torches usually lit at nights no longer burning. Smoke lingers in the air still from the smoke bombs. Andrea ushers them toward the infirmary.On their way there, Merle’s voice cries out that they’ve been spotted. He, Crowley, and Shumpert open fire. Guillermo has his gun up, and Merle yells at him to fire, but he can’t bring himself to. He takes a few shots, but intentionally shoots wildly off. The six of them shoot back, with Andrea striking a soldier in the head, before they all get inside the infirmary. Inside is Alice, who freezes in her tracks. Rick aims at her, and she begins to plead for her life. Andrea quickly rushes between them. Alice is surprised to see her and Michonne, having thought they left. Michonne responds that the Governor didn’t allow it. Alice scoffs and shakes her head, and says she always knew the Governor was bad news.Andrea then explains that they’re here for all the medical supplies that Rick’s group had scavenged a few days ago. Upon learning this, Alice is more than happy to help them. As she loads up two duffel bags worth of the medicine and pills, she also reveals she can show them a secret way out. Rick warns her that they’re going to be getting shot at, but Alice doesn’t care. She opens the front doors and they all run out. “There they are!” Crowley yells, and the gunfire resumes. Some townspeople watch from nearby in the buildings, and Merle yells for them to get inside. He and Caesar throw more smoke grenades to try and disorient them. Alice directs them to the emptier side of town, through a small alleyway.Everyone runs through it to escape the gunfire. Lee is last through, and just as he ducks behind the building, he hears footsteps rapidly approaching nearby. Worrying it’s someone about to attack, he jumps out and fires into the smoke. His shot hits someone in the head, and their body falls to the ground. At first, Lee is relieved, until he hears a scream. The figure of a little girl becomes visible through the smoke, and she kneels over the body, crying and calling him her father; it’s Clementine, kneeling over the now deceased body of Ed. She begs him to get up, but the shot was right in his head, leaving him dead instantly. Lee covers his mouth, horrified at what he just did. He’s snapped out of it when Maggie returns to grab his arm. He follows her without so much as a word.They catch up with the others, who are gathered around Alice pulling back a metal sheet to reveal a gap in the wall. She tells them that there’s an auto shop nearby where they can find a working car. Andrea stops and realizes she’s not going with them. Alice says she can’t, despite not wanting to be on the side of the Governor, knowing how corrupt he is, there are people in the town who are innocent and need someone to watch out for them. Andrea understands, and Glenn thanks her for the help. A voice from behind interrupts them and sarcastically thanks them, too.It’s Crowley, aiming his gun at the crowd. He looks to Alice and smugly comments that he’ll have to inform the Governor of her betrayal. His triumph is cut short, though, when Michonne’s katana plunges out of his mouth from the back, killing him instantly. Michonne yanks her katana out and lets his body fall like a sack of potatoes. She shows no emotion toward her kill, and is first out of the walls. Rick follows behind her, then Glenn, Maggie, and Lee. Andrea goes last, and thanks Alice one last time before she also escapes. Alice makes sure no one has followed Crowley, then hurries back to the infirmary.The Governor’s apartment door swings open, and Bob is led inside ushered by Caesar and Merle. Bob demands he be let go, but Caesar refuses because they need him. Bob asks what for, and that’s when he’s shown the unconscious, beaten form of the Governor, the shard of glass still in his eye. Merle demands that he fix him, as he wouldn’t make it to the infirmary in time. Bob isn’t confident in his abilities, but Merle holds up his gun to persuade him, which makes Bob regrettably begin working.Rick leads the group of six down the road away from Woodbury in the middle of the night. Once they’re far enough away, everyone stops to catch their breath. Rick takes one of the duffel bags from Michonne to confirm that they got as much medicine as possible. Glenn takes a moment to ask Maggie if the Governor hurt her or did anything to her. She shakes her head no, which makes him relieved. Andrea asks Michonne the same question, wiping some of the blood off of her face. “Nothing I couldn’t handle,” she replies.Up ahead, Glenn spots a minivan in the road. The group jogs over to it, and after confirming it’s clear, they open it. Glenn opens up the wiring and starts working on hot wiring it. He chuckles and tells Rick it’s like Atlanta all over again. Andrea jokes that at least this time she won’t think that they’re leaving them behind. Michonne asks where this prison is, and Rick says it’s likely only a few miles away. Maggie asks Lee if he’d be able to navigate back to the prison from here. Lee is spaced out. Him shooting that girl’s father is still playing in his mind. Maggie snaps him out of it, and she asks if he’s alright. He shakily says he is, so she repeats her question. Lee says he might be able to, which is good enough for everyone. Right after, the sound of the engine revs up, much to their delight. Everyone piles in, and Rick speeds off on the way back to the prison at long last.Alice sneaks back in through the back door of the infirmary. It’s silent inside, so she breathes a sigh of relief. When she comes out into the main area, she gasps at Guillermo standing there waiting for her. He says he knows that she helped the prisoners escape. Things are tense and silent between them, and she asks if he’s going to tell. He says he won’t, and asks her if she trusts the Governor. “Not anymore,” she says. Guillermo smiles a little. “Good, me neither,” he replies.After a couple hours of driving, Rick finally sees the gate of the prison up ahead. He honks the horn as he drives up to it. A minute later, Carl comes running down and opens the main gates. After Rick pulls the van all the way up to the courtyard. Upon getting out, Carl runs straight into his father’s arms, hugging him tightly. Rick is beyond overjoyed to see him again and hugs him super tight. Lee sees all the bodies of walkers laying around and asks what happened.Carl leads them into the cell block, where members of the group are waiting to welcome them back. Tyreese and Rick firmly shake hands, Rick thanking him for watching the prison in his absence. Carol, Sasha, and T-Dog are relieved to see them back safe. Then, their attention turns to Andrea. Everyone else is stunned, and Carol is first to stand and embrace her, almost in tears. T-Dog joins in, saying how great it is to see her again. Michonne watches the reunion between her friend and her group with a tiny smile growing. Rick announces that they got medicine for the group. He brings it into the cells, where Hershel, Patricia, and Jacqui are working on Beth and Bruno while Axel watches over them. Maggie, upon seeing her injured sister, rushes to her side in a panic, cupping her sleeping face in her hand.Seeing Bruno’s missing leg and Beth’s gunshot wound, he turns to Hershel and asks what happened. Maggie also demands to know who hurt Beth. Carl says the prisoners tried to take the prison back. Rick glares at Axel and almost lunges, but Tyreese vouches for him, saying it was only Tomas and Andrew. He informs Rick that Andrew is dead, and Tomas is back in the cell, having also admitted to murdering Louis and Eliza. Tyreese also explains how Andrew let out walkers which caused everyone to get split up. Him saying this suddenly triggers realization in Rick, he’d been so focused on getting back to the prison, he didn’t realize one important thing. “Where the hell is Lori?” he asks.After learning she had been last seen running into the prison, Rick storms down the halls with a machete. Carl runs behind him with his silenced pistol. Father and son move together and take down any walker they come across, the last remnants of the earlier herd that had attacked. Rick shouts for Lori down the halls, his voice echoing. Carl does it, too, calling for his mother. Carl begins to panic that she might not be alive, when Rick suddenly hears something. He quiets Carl, and they both listen for it. A baby crying. They look at each other then slowly follow the sound. It leads them to the entrance to the boiler room, and Carl raises his gun in response.Rick and Carl share a silent nod, and Rick opens the door. Carl peeks in and aims around. At first they don’t see anything, and they both slowly work their way inside. The entrance is tight, and weaves around to the set of steps leading down into the boiler room. Rick and Carl make it to the stoop and look down into the boiler room. They see the corpse of Big Tiny lying there motionless. There’s a knife lodged deeply in his temple. Across from him sits Lori, holding the crying baby in her arms. At the sound of someone coming down the steps, she looks up, and weakly smiles upon seeing that it’s her family. Rick looks down at the baby girl in her arms, and his heart overflows with relief and pure joy. The prison is safe. His family is safe.
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Tyreese stands outside of Tomas’ cell. He watches the imprisoned man pace back and forth. Tomas asks him what he wants, and Tyreese wants to know why he did what he did; why he tried to get the group killed and why he killed the kids. Tomas is almost amused by the question. “I already told you, this was our prison. Just because Axel and Lee trusted you didn’t mean the rest of us had to.” Tyreese brings up Big Tiny. “Look where that got him,” Tomas replies. “Yeah, the same place it got Andrew,” Tyreese insults back. Tomas just laughs and tells him that sooner or later, he will get out again, and the next time, he won’t make the mistake of letting walkers do his dirty work for him. Disgusted by his lack of humanity, Tyreese just walks away from him.He makes his way back to the cell block, where Rick and Carl have just helped the very weak Lori in a bed. Hershel and Jacqui rush to her side, the latter taking the baby as Lori lies flat. She weakly reaches out for the baby, wanting to hold it, but Rick urges her to rest. Lori murmurs, asking if the baby is okay. Jacqui says she seems healthy. The baby is fussy, but no longer crying. Hershel takes a look at her, and expresses a bit of worry since she was born prematurely. But he believes that with proper feeding and care, she will be okay. Lori wants to hold her baby again, so Jacqui hands her back. Rick and Carl can’t stop smiling, and Rick marvels at his newborn daughter. He gushes over how beautiful she is. Carl asks what they’ll name her, and Rick realizes that that is something they’ll have to think about.Suddenly, Glenn pops over to alert Hershel that Beth is waking up. Hershel looks conflicted over leaving Lori’s side, especially after she had just given birth, but Lori nods and tells him to go, it’s his daughter, after all. He instructs Jacqui to get Lori some water, and rushes over to the other cell as Beth stirs. Maggie keeps her from sitting up to avoid her causing any more bleeding. Beth is disoriented, and cries out in pain as she doesn’t realize her shoulder is injured at first. When she sees Hershel kneel in front of her and check her bandaging, she asks him what happened. He explains her being shot, and she remembers. She asks who it was, something Maggie wants to know as well. Hershel tells her the man that did it is dead now. Maggie asks her father if Tomas helped orchestrate it. When Hershel gives her confirmation, she stands up and promptly leaves the cell.Worried about where she’s going, Glenn calls after her. Maggie storms right out of the cell block and down the hall. He rushes after her. Maggie stomps all the way to Tomas’ cell. He sees her approach and smirks. As she unlocks the door, he starts sauntering closer. “Damn, you people really can’t get enough of me, can you? Why not save us both the trouble and–” Tomas’ head whips back and blood splatters against the wall. Maggie’s gun remains raised, having just put a bullet in his head. Glenn runs up to the cell, seeing what Maggie has done. She turns around to face him, and then puts away her gun. “I feel a bit better now,” she says, “now help me burn his body.”Carol and Tyreese hear scrubbing from one of the other cells and go to investigate. Peeking in, they find Patricia cleaning the cuts and scratches she suffered on her arms and legs. Carol enters first and asks how she feels. Patricia is slow to respond, but says she deserves these at least, since she almost bought into Tomas’ manipulation. Carol denies that, and apologizes for accusing her of being responsible. Patricia claims that it was only fair, especially since she’s been so hostile lately. Carol understands why, though, and reminds her that everyone in the group is her family, too, and cares about her. Tyreese backs up that sentiment and is glad she’s mostly okay. Feeling a little better, Patricia thanks them, and compliments Carol’s bedside manner.Jacqui meanwhile tends to Bruno’s leg stump. She changes the bandaging around his amputation and makes sure his bleeding is under control. Bruno asks how they know that it even worked. Jacqui says that if it didn’t, he’d be sporting a fever already and showing signs of infection. Bruno doesn’t think he’ll survive and believes that she should just put him down now to save the group trouble. Jacqui wants him to stop thinking that, because she sees through him. “You don’t think you’re infected, you think you’re a burden now.” She reminds him that not having a leg doesn't make him worthless. He tries to suggest that he’ll slow the group down if they have to run, but Jacqui just retorts that they would carry him, because they all see him as part of their group family.A short while later, most of the group is gathered outside, sitting on a set of bleachers in the courtyard next to a basketball court for prisoners to play on, back when the prison was in use. Carl walks out with Rick and Lori, who is holding her baby in her arms still. She’s still tired, but feels much more rested now, and thankfully the baby is calm. Everyone else is already outside, except for Bruno and Beth as they’re still recovering from their injuries. Lori and Carl join the group on the bleachers while Rick stands out in front of them all to address them.He starts by bringing both Michonne and Andrea up beside him. The two women face the group, and Michonne begins telling them about their encounter with the Governor, how he and his men captured them in the woods when they investigated a helicopter crash. T-Dog mentions that they noticed that crash from afar. Andrea tells the group that they’re lucky they didn’t go out and investigate it. Rick then goes on to mention how he, Glenn, Maggie, and Lee were captured by his men, led by Merle. Others from the original Atlanta group react in shock that he’s still alive after learning he’d disappeared from the rooftop. Rick explains that the Governor has likely told his people about them, and made them seem like they’re the enemy. Sasha suggests going back to attack them a second time, when they aren’t expecting it. Rick denies this, saying that most of the people in the town are innocent, and there’s even a lot of children that live there.The group looks amongst themselves, and Tyreese asks what they should do if those same people try to attack them. Michonne says that the Governor has ways of manipulating people, and had tried to do it on both her and Andrea. She thinks that if they can simply take out the Governor, then the people will realize what a terrible and shady leader he is. She says she injured him just enough to hopefully buy them enough time to plan out defenses or even another mission to kill him. Rick finishes the announcement by saying that everyone needs to be extra careful, and that he’ll be assigning extra guard tower lookout posts. Andrea immediately volunteers to join the rotation, saying she’s pretty decent with a rifle now. Michonne looks over at her, but doesn’t say anything. Rick is thankful for her contribution, and says that Sasha, Tyreese, Carol, and Maggie will be others who do so.Once the group disperses and everyone goes to resume doing what they were doing, Glenn turns to tell Maggie something, only to see her leaving quite quickly. Curious, he begins to go after her. Rick walks up to Lori and Carl, who are both smiling at the baby, who wiggles her legs and grabs Lori’s pinky. She looks up at Rick and reveals that she and Carl were thinking of baby names. Rick looks to Carl, who asks him if he remembers his third grade teacher; Mrs. Moore. When Rick does, Lori reminds him that her first name was Judith. Carl thinks this would be a nice name for the baby. Rick smiles, and he puts his arms around Lori to look down at his daughter. “I think that’s a great name. Judith it is,” he says.Andrea follows after Patricia as she walks away, calling out to her. When she stops, she asks to speak in private. Patricia agrees and so the two move off to the side. At first, Patricia worries that Andrea is hurt and needs medical attention, but she denies it. She sighs deeply, then tells her that back on the farm months ago, she was with Otis. Patricia’s eyes go wide, and she suddenly begins to talk a mile a minute. She asks Andrea if Otis is still at Woodbury, and if they need to rescue him. Andrea gets her to stop and reveals to her that Otis never made it off the farm. Patricia’s face pales and she begins to shake her head. Andrea recalls the events; how Otis bought her time to escape but walkers devoured him. Patricia begins to sob loudly and nearly collapses. Andrea holds her up, and tells her that Otis gave her some final words to give her. “He said he loved you so much, more than anyone he ever did,” she tells her.Others look over at them as Patricia cries. She manages to compose herself but still sobs heavily. She does thank Andrea for giving her closure, though. Andrea nods, but appears visibly shaken by the interaction overall. She awkwardly walks away to the interior of the prison, her breathing increasing more. She walks by Glenn in the cell block, who is looking through all of the cells until he finds his and Maggie’s. Inside, Maggie is curled up on the bed and quivering. As he enters, he can hear small sobs and realizes she’s crying. Immediately he rushes to her side. When she uncurls and looks at him, he wipes away the tears on her cheeks and asks what’s wrong.Maggie wipes her eyes and sits up straight. “When I said I felt better, I lied,” she admits. She tells Glenn that when busting out of Woodbury, she shot one of the soldiers dead, and he was younger than her, practically still a kid. Then she went and murdered Tomas. She adds that of course Tomas deserved it, but she now almost feels afraid of herself at how easily she brought herself to kill, and she fears that if she keeps going like this, she’s going to lose who she is as a person. Glenn pulls her close and reminds her that the simple act of feeling bad over it means that she’s still a good person. He goes on to say that killing is going to be necessary no matter how much they want to deny it. Maggie doesn’t ever want to become used to the concept of killing people. Glenn believes that not allowing yourself to get used to it is how to stay human, and that’s why not being alone is important. Maggie smiles and cups Glenn’s cheek. “I guess I’m pretty lucky that I’ll always have you,” she says. Glenn can only grin back and he kisses her, her tears now turning to a smile and returning the kiss.Michonne enters the cell block and eyes up the several different cells. A part of her doesn’t like the idea of living in a prison, but anywhere is better than Woodbury. Behind her, Jacqui enters with the intention of walking through. Their shoulders brush and Jacqui turns and apologizes. Michonne dismisses it civilly, then Jacqui realizes she has yet to introduce herself and does so. Michonne returns the introduction, and Jacqui talks about how they had thought they lost Andrea months ago on the farm. She thanks Michonne for saving her and looking out for her, and welcomes her to the group with a smile before walking away. Michonne catches a look in Jacqui’s eye that suggests her intentions were more than friendly. This makes her smile a bit, feeling put almost at ease that a group like this has the time to flirt amongst themselves comfortably.She ventures further into the cells and finds Andrea in one of the cells going through what little supplies she had taken from Woodbury. Michonne leans in the doorway and asks if she would like a cellmate. When Andrea doesn’t reply to her attempt at banter, Michonne becomes serious again and touches Andrea’s shoulder. She reacts with surprise, making Michonne recoil. Andrea had been tuning out everything around her and hadn’t even heard her approach. She apologies quickly, then turns away again. Michonne gets alarm bells in her mind and gently interrogates her for what’s wrong. Andrea tries to deny it, but Michonne calls bullshit and insists on knowing.Finally, Andrea stops what she’s doing but doesn’t turn to face Michonne. She tells her that after they got caught, the Governor had told her that he had killed her himself, and that alone almost broke her. So that when he later killed Welles and let him turn and attack her, she had a few seconds where she almost contemplated letting him bite her, because she didn’t know if she could go on after losing another person close to her. Michonne is left taken aback by this confession. Andrea thinks back to months ago, and further talks about how she was in a darker place mentally in the past when she lost her sister, Amy. She finally looks up at Michonne and says that thinking she was dead nearly put her back in that situation.Her entire confession leaves Michonne at a loss for words. She slowly takes a seat on the prison bed and clutches the railing. She also avoids eye contact with her friend, but begins to speak. “Do you want to know why I kept those two walkers on chains?” she asks. Andrea is now the surprised one, and she says that she doesn’t have to share if she isn’t comfortable. Michonne shuts her down and retorts that if Andrea can be vulnerable with her, so can she. Not able to argue with that logic, Andrea allows her to continue. Michonne tells her that the walkers were her former boyfriend, Mike, and their mutual friend, Terry. The three of them had been surviving together early on at their apartment. But, the two of them turned to drugs in times of stress, and at one point walkers got inside and bit the both of them while they were high. So Michonne, instead of putting them down, let them turn and subdued them to make them into walker “pets” of sorts. “I felt like they deserved it, for being so damn stupid. And then I realized they hid me, from walkers and people. I got to live without being alive for a while. Until I met you,” Michonne explains. This sentiment touches Andrea, and the two share a tender smile and hold each other’s gazes for a while, perfectly content to stay like that.Rick oversees the prison from the catwalk above the courtyard. It’s nearly dusk now, which casts a glow on the prison structures. He sees T-Dog and Sasha clearing walkers by the fences, Tyreese in the guard tower, and Carol working with Jacqui, Axel, and Lee down in the field. The door to the bridge opens and Lori walks out next to Rick, carrying Judith. Rick smiles at the sight of her, but reminds her that Hershel told her to be resting. “She missed you,” Lori jokes, “I missed you.” she adds, now meaning it for real. She asks if he wants to hold her, and Rick agrees without hesitation. Lori gently passes Judith over into his arms, and Rick cradles her softly. She coos and stares at him with her little eyes.When Rick notices Lori just staring, he asks her what she’s looking at. Lori replies that the baby is a surefire sign of hope. She believes that Judith will be the first of many born into this world that will be able to survive and rebuild for generations to come. Rick looks worried and voices his concern over the possible impending retaliation from the Governor and the possible destruction of the prison. Lori remains firm in her belief that Rick will be able to lead them and protect the people. She encourages him by saying that he’s been the best leader the group could ever wish to have. She adds that someone like Shane would’ve gotten them killed months ago. Rick appreciates the words of affirmation, then asks if she believes the prison can become a home for the group. She nods, and admits that it could use some work and fortification, but in the end it has potential, like any place does. Rick likes the way Lori sees the world. “That’s why you need me, huh?” she replies with a smile. Rick lightly urges her to go back and rest, same for the baby as well.Night comes to the prison, and the group is ready to sleep after a hard day. Rick and Lori are both fast asleep in their respective cells, as is Judith. Carol, though, quietly climbs down from the bunk above Lori so as to not wake her or the baby. She passes by the cells of others, Glenn and Maggie, Andrea and Michonne, Hershel and Beth. She walks all the way outside, through the courtyard, up to the guard tower. She quietly calls up to Tyreese, and after a moment, he peeks over. She asks if he wants any company up there for the night. When he asks why, Carol awkwardly lies and says the baby was crying. He agrees and opens the hatch to allow her to climb up into the tower. Once inside, she admires his setup; a sleeping bag with a lantern to see, and a few books to pass the time when he’s taking short breaks.She asks him if he ever feels lonely. He responds that watch duty isn’t so bad, especially since you can see a lot of the area. She smiles, but admits that wasn’t what she meant. He realizes this, and agrees that he sometimes does. Carol becomes fidgety, and tugs at the sleeve of her shirt. She then asks him if he wants to not be alone anymore. Taken aback by her forwardness, he nods his head. Slowly, Carol moves closer and before they know it, the two of them are kissing softly. The kiss transitions from hesitant to passionate, then one by one they begin taking each other’s clothes off and laying down on the guard tower floor, still kissing hard.Glenn strokes Maggie’s hair as she remains asleep. Their conversation still hasn’t left his mind. Getting an idea, he quietly leaves the bed so he doesn’t rustle it and wake her up. He makes quiet footsteps until he reaches Hershel’s cell. Beth is fast asleep with a bandage over her gunshot wound. Hershel is awake watching over her, but looks up at Glenn’s presence. He asks about her condition, and Hershel reports that she’s stable and recovering well. Hershel is perceptive enough to correctly assume that he didn’t just stop by to ask about Beth. Nodding, Glenn asks if he can talk privately to him.Both men step out of the cell off to the side. At first, Hershel is worried, but Glenn assures him it’s nothing bad. Hershel lets Glenn talk, and Glenn appears quite nervous to say what he has to say. “I… want to marry Maggie,” he tells him. He explains that he wasn’t sure how to go about it, but he wanted to get permission from the father, keeping up a tradition so that it didn’t feel like the old world was completely gone. This makes Hershel smile once he’s taken in what he said. He reminds Glenn that he already sees him like a son, and then gives him his blessing. Glenn is overjoyed and thanks him while also promising to make Maggie the happiest girl in the world. “You already are,” Hershel replies.Much later into the night, once everyone has fallen asleep, Carl wakes up to the sound of faint baby cries coming from another cell. He gets out of bed quietly and ventures to his mother’s cell, where she’s fast asleep. He calls out for Carol, but notices she’s gone, too. Lori is out like a light with no sign of waking up, finally getting some deeper rest. Carl walks over to the makeshift crib that Judith is sleeping in; a large box. She’s fussing and almost crying. Carl marvels at how small she looks, still being only roughly a day old. He speaks to her softly, saying hi to her, and his voice almost seems to quiet her down, as she instead looks up at him. He turns to walk away, but she starts to whine again. Carl relents and tells her he won’t leave yet. He sits down on a stool next to the little table that they’d put the box on.Carl jokes that they’ll find her a real crib soon. He then extends his hand, and gasps softly when Judith uses her newborn hands to grab his pinky finger. She puts it in her mouth and he smiles, content to just let her do it. As she idly holds his finger, he still can’t believe that he has a baby sister now. Even though she can’t understand him, Carl tells her that he promises to protect her no matter what and that he loves her.Outside the walls of Woodbury, the town is quiet in the middle of the night. Near the part of the wall where the group had escaped from, a decayed hand peels back the metal siding that can be moved away to reveal the hole. The walker the hand belongs to growls upon realizing it can now get inside, and a few others join it in forcing the gap open wider.