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Elodie sat cross-legged by the crackling bonfire, the warmth seeping into her bones as she watched the flames dance and flicker against the night sky. The rest of the group gathered around the fire, their faces bathed in its golden glow. Carl, his father—Rick, and Lori were nestled together, Lori gently playing with Carl's hair as he lay in his father's lap. They hadn't let go of each other ever since Rick reunited with them. Elodie found it heartwarming, yet it also stirred a knot in her stomach whenever she glanced at the Grimes family, and then her own.

Jamie and her mom sat close beside Elodie, though there was a noticeable gap between them. Her mother still wasn't speaking to her. Elodie had attempted to tell her about Jamie tossing away the roses and her plans to go frog catching with Shane and Carl the next morning, but all she received was a brief glance.

"Disoriented. I guess that comes closest," Rick spoke softly.

The distant rumble of thunder echoed in the sky as the group listened closely to Rick, who was explaining his story. "Fear, confusion—all those things, but... disoriented comes closest," he continued, his eyes drifting down to his son.

"Words can be meager things," Dale remarked, setting his mug aside. "Sometimes they fall short."

"I felt like I'd been ripped out of my life and placed somewhere else. For a while, I thought I was trapped in some coma dream, somethin' I might not wake up from ever," Rick explained, his hand tracing over his chin.

Elodie stared into the crackling fire, pulling her legs up and wrapping her arms around them. Comas sounded terrifying to her. She couldn't imagine being stuck in—nothing. She had never known anyone who had been in a coma and recovered. Her neighbor's wife had been in one, but she never got out of it; she passed away. So Elodie never had the chance to ask what it was like. Rick was here now, though.

"What's bein' in a coma like?" Elodie asked, her curiosity shining in her eyes as she looked up at Rick.

"Elodie," Jamie hissed, reaching out his leg to kick his sister's foot. She shot him a sharp glare.

Rick glanced over at Elodie, his expression thoughtful as he considered her question. He shifted slightly, adjusting his position by the fire before speaking.

"It's... hard to explain," Rick began. "It's like being asleep, but you can't wake up. You're not aware of anything around you, you can't move or talk—it's like being trapped in a dream you can't escape."

Elodie turned her gaze back to Rick, nodding slowly, her brow furrowed in thought as she tried to comprehend his words. "So... it's like bein' trapped in your own body?"

"Yeah, somethin' like that," Rick affirmed.

Elodie chewed on her bottom lip, feeling a pang of sadness for Rick and anyone else who had experienced a coma. She sensed someone's gaze on her and turned, meeting Jamie's eyes once more. He raised an eyebrow, silently urging her to stop bothering people with questions. Elodie frowned, realizing that was probably why he had come to get her down from Dale's RV. She glanced at her mother, her jaw clenched in annoyance as she stared into the distance. Clearly, Elodie had to keep her mouth shut.

Carl tilted his head up in Rick's lap, looking at his father. "Mom said you died."

Lori's face tensed in guilt as she glanced at Rick. She placed a hand on Carl's forehead, gently stroking his face. Rick didn't look mad or annoyed. Instead, he smiled at his son.

"She had every reason to believe that. Don't you ever doubt it," he reassured Carl.

Lori sucked in a breath, quietly releasing it after a second. "When things started to get really bad, they told me at the hospital that they were gonna medevac you and the other patients to Atlanta. And it never happened."

"Well, I'm not surprised after Atlanta fell," Rick said, Lori nodding in response. "And from the look of that hospital, it got overrun."

"Yeah, looks don't deceive," Shane chimed in. "I barely got them out."

"I can't tell you how grateful I am to you, Shane. I can't begin to express it," Rick told Shane, a smile tugging at his lips. Shane's expression remained blank, a mere nod his response to Rick's gratitude. Weird, Elodie thought.

"There go those words falling short again," Dale said with a small laugh. "Paltry things."

Elodie was about to ask what 'paltry' meant, but remembered the annoyed look on her mother's face and the subtle but not-so-subtle hint Jamie had given her. So, she bit her tongue and cast her gaze at the ground, drawing circles in the dirt with her finger to distract herself from asking annoying questions.

The glow of a growing fire caught Elodie's attention, and she saw Ed tossing more wood into his fire pit. She furrowed her brow, remembering Shane's instructions to keep the fires low. Ed seemed to be disregarding everyone's safety.

"Hey, Ed, you want to rethink that log?" Shane called out to him. Ed responded, but Elodie couldn't hear exactly what he said. "Cold don't change the rules, does it? Keep our fires low, just embers so we can't be seen from a distance, right?"

Elodie missed Ed's response, but it must have been snarky because Shane stood up and walked over to him. He loomed over Ed, raising an eyebrow. Sophia and Carol subtly scooted further away, guilt evident on their faces. Elodie felt bad for them. She'd seen bruises on Sophia's arms despite her attempts to cover them up. Elodie had asked Sophia about it once, but she went quiet and walked off, so Elodie never brought it up again. She could only imagine what went on in their family.

Carol then stood up and bent down by their fire, quickly pulling the burning hot log out. She threw it to the side, wiping her hands on her clothes as she sat back down next to Sophia. Shane crouched down next to Sophia and Carol, muttering something to them.

"God, Elodie," Jamie muttered, nudging her foot again. "Stop starin'. You keep doin' that. Always gotta be so nosy."

Elodie looked down at her foot, then at Jamie, pulling her foot under her legs so Jamie would stop kicking it. "Stop," she muttered, scooting further away from her brother and closer to Amy and Andrea.

"Leave it, Jamie," Elodie's mother said quietly, placing a hand on her son's arm.

As Shane rejoined them, Dale wasted no time in addressing the elephant in the room. "Have you given any thought to Daryl Dixon? He won't be happy to hear his brother was left behind."

"I'll tell him," Shane replied.

Elodie bit down on the inside of her cheek. She knew Daryl was going to be really mad when he came back because he and his brother were really close.

"No," T-Dog interjected. "I dropped the key. It's on me."

"I cuffed him. That makes it mine," Rick added.

"Ya cuffed Merle?" Elodie exclaimed with an impressed smile. She felt a bit guilty about it, but that made her like Rick more.

She knew Jamie had shot her an angry look, so she purposely shifted her body so her back was turned to him.

"Guys, it's not a competition," Glenn interjected. "I don't want to bring race into this, but it might sound better coming from a white guy."

"I did what I did," T-Dog asserted, examining his hands. "Hell, if I'm gonna hide from him."

"Are y'all just goin' to fight about who's goin' to tell Dixon about Dixon number two? If you are, I volunteer to tell him to get y'all to shut up," Elodie's mom sighed, rubbing the corner of her eye.

"We could lie," Amy suggested.

"Or tell the truth," Andrea corrected, shooting her sister a stern glance before addressing Lori. "Merle was out of control. Something had to be done, or he'd have gotten us killed. Your husband did what was necessary. And if Merle got left behind, it is nobody's fault but Merle's."

"And that's what we tell Daryl?" Dale remarked. "I don't see a rational discussion to be had from that, do you?"

Andrea sighed and bowed her head, accepting defeat. Dale was right; Daryl was not going to like the story Andrea wanted to tell. Everyone knew that. Elodie wasn't sure why she cared though, because it wasn't her business.

"Word to the wise, we're gonna have our hands full when he gets back from his hunt," Dale finished, casting a shadow of silence over the group.

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

"We were all scared," Andrea told him, shaking her head. "We all ran. What's your point?"

"I stopped long enough to chain that door," T-Dog continued, his tone growing heavy. Elodie felt a knot form in her stomach. "Staircase is narrow. Maybe half a dozen Geeks can squeeze against it at any one time. It's not enough to break through that. Not that chain—not that padlock."

Elodie dug her nails into the dirt, a sense of dread creeping over her.

"My point... Dixon's alive. And he's still up there, handcuffed to that roof. That's on us," T-Dog concluded before getting up and retreating to his tent.

Elodie felt a sickening feeling bubble up in her throat, mingled with guilt. Not long ago, she hadn't been too upset that Merle hadn't returned with the others from Atlanta. She had almost felt relieved. But now, hearing that he was still stuck on that roof, all alone—except for the Geeks lurking by the door—she couldn't help but feel sympathy for the man. No one deserved to be left behind like that, not even Merle Dixon.

Scooping up some dirt into her hands, she lifted them slightly above the ground before opening her palms, watching the specks tumble back to the earth. She hadn't even noticed that more people, including her own family, had retired to their tents. Only Shane and Elodie remained by the fire.

Glancing up, she bit her cheek when she realized everyone had gone to sleep. She narrowed her eyes at Shane, who was studying her with an expression she couldn't quite decipher.

"You okay, Elodie?" his voice broke the silence, sounding more like an accusation than a question.

She hesitated before answering, wiping her dirt-covered palms on her jeans. "Yes."

Shane nodded slowly, tilting his head. "If you ever need to talk, come to me, yeah?"

"Okay..." Elodie replied slowly, puzzled by the sudden question. Rising to her feet, the tiredness suddenly washing over her, she bid Shane goodnight and turned toward her tent.

"Have a good night, Elodie," he called after her, prompting her to furrow her eyebrows.

"Why're ya so formal all the time?" she muttered to herself, figuring Shane couldn't hear her now that she was a bit further away with her back turned.

As Elodie made her way back to her tent, she couldn't shake off the weird feeling that lingered in the pit of her stomach. Shane's words had confused her. She wondered why he had singled her out like that, offering to talk when she hadn't even shown any signs of needing it.

Slipping inside her tent, Elodie zipped it shut behind her and turned to see that Jamie and her mother were both asleep, or trying to sleep. Elodie decided not to bother them—her mother most of all—and settled into her sleeping bag. She reached over and grabbed her doll from the side, placing it on her lap and looking at its face. Shane had really confused her by asking such a simple question. 

Elodie shook her head, turning over to lay on her side. She laid her doll right beside her, wrapping an arm around it as she pulled it closer to her chest. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to force herself to fall asleep. Soon enough it started to work as she felt herself drifting off into slumber.

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Elodie pressed herself against the rough bark of a tree, watching as Carl counted to twenty. She peeked around the trunk, spotting Sophia hiding behind thick bushes, a few leaves tangled in her hair.

"Ready or not, here I come!" Carl's voice echoed through the woods, his excitement palpable as he began to search.

Her heart raced with anticipation. It was silly, really, getting so worked up over a game of hide-and-seek. Yet there she was, feeling the thrill of the chase as she watched Carl's figure come closer and closer.

"Tag! I found you!" Carl's triumphant shout rang out from behind a bush, and Elodie couldn't help but stifle a giggle. Sophia had been found, but Elodie remained hidden.

She stayed in her spot for another while, her fingers absentmindly playing with the dirt underneath her. She wanted to peek around the trunk, but she was afraid Carl would be standing right around the corner. 

After another while of waiting, she decided to go for it anyway. With a surge of courage, she peeked around the trunk of the tree, scanning the area for any sign of movement. But Carl was nowhere to be seen, and Elodie felt a twinge of uncertainty creeping in. Had he already passed by without her noticing? 

Just as she began to consider running to get behind a different cover, she felt a presence that wasn't there before right behind her. She turned to find Carl standing behind her, a wide grin on his face. She let out a yelp of surprise before ducking away from his hand that he reached out to tag her. 

"Hey!" Carl exclaimed, reaching out to tag her again.

Elodie let out a giggle as she rolled over, dodging his finger again. She scrambled up from the dirt, pushing her body up with her fingers. She then dashed out of her now blown cover, creating as much distance between her and Carl as possible. 

"Elodie!" He yelled after her, his breathy voice indicating he was running after her. "That's cheating!" 

 "La-la-la!" Elodie yelled back, clamping two hands over her ears as she shook her head, her feet darting over the dead leaves on the ground. "Can't hear ya!"

She let out a yelp as Sophia suddenly swooped in, grabbing her mid-air and swinging her around. Elodie laughed, trying to wriggle free from Sophia's grasp.

"Let go!" she protested, though her laughter betrayed her amusement. "No fair!" 

 "What's not fair is you cheatin'," Sophia joked, not letting go of her.

Carl emerged from the bushes, grinning as he closed in on them. Elodie squirmed in Sophia's hold, but before she could escape, she felt Carl's finger tap her shoulder.

"No!" Elodie protested, pouting playfully as she accepted defeat.

Elodie slumped in Sophia's arms, defeated by Carl's successful tag, when they suddenly heard a rustling noise behind them. Sophia loosened her grip on Elodie, and they both turned to see a geek emerging from the shadows of the forest.

Its decomposed flesh hung loosely from its skeletal frame as it staggered towards them. Its milky eyes locked onto its prey, and the girls watched in horror as it pounced upon a dead deer on the ground, tearing into its flesh with its sharp teeth, paying no mind to the three children standing just a few feet away from it.

Their screams pierced the air as they stumbled backward, their hearts pounding with fear. Without a second thought, they turned and bolted, their feet pounding against the forest ground as they raced to safety. Their shouts echoed through the trees as they sprinted away from the walker.

They didn't stop until they burst into a clearing, their chests heaving as they frantically looked around for any sign of their mothers. Relief flooded through Elodie's body as she saw Shane bolting through the trees to get to them, the rest of the camp right on his heels. Carl and Sophia ran to their parents, Lori enveloping Carl in a loving hug.

Elodie frantically searched for her own mother, but she was the last to arrive. So, she ran to Jamie instead, letting out a small sob as she positioned herself behind him.

"What happened?" he asked her, furrowing his brows at the men who bolted towards the trees, right where the kids had come running from.

"There's a Geek," Elodie said, voice trembling. "There." She pointed towards the bushes, watching as Jim's back disappeared through the foliage.

The camp inched closer when they heard slamming sounds from behind the bushes, Elodie staying right behind Jamie as they walked. She grimaced, feeling sickened when she saw the men slamming whatever they had in their hands against the geek. Rick got the first blow, then Shane, then Glenn, then Morales—and they just kept going. The geek wasn't dying, though. It just let out pained grunts—if they could even feel pain, that is— until Dale brought down his axe on its neck, chopping its head off.

Elodie clasped her hand over her mouth in shock, feeling someone tugging at her arm and pulling her back, turning her little body away from the gruesome sight. She felt bile rising in her throat, and she started to panic. She shook her head, pressing her hand harder against her mouth. She didn't want to throw up.

A hand wrapped around her shoulder, pulling her against someone's chest. It made her feel a bit better, but the smell of blood lingered, contrasting with whatever relief she was feeling.

"It's the first one we've had up here," Elodie heard Dale say. "They never come this far up the mountain."

Elodie froze. She hadn't even registered that there was a Geek this close to camp. Normally, Carl, Sophia, and she could play without having to worry about them because they were all in the city.

"What's makin' 'em come up here? The city's huge, how'd they get out?" Elodie's mom spoke up, peering through the trees behind Jim.

"Well, they're running out of food in the city, that's what," Jim breathed, his chest heaving with adrenaline. "Our scent's leading them here."

Elodie slowly peeked up, noticing Carol holding an arm around her, while her other arm was wrapped around Sophia, who clung to her mother tightly. Elodie gently removed herself from Carol's grasp, flinching as everyone snapped their heads toward the trees. Was another Geek coming?

She bounced on her heels anxiously, scanning the treeline, and spotted branches and bushes rustling. A few people raised their weapons, preparing to confront whatever emerged.

Everyone relaxed when a crossbow appeared, followed by Daryl Dixon. They lowered their weapons with relieved sighs. Daryl looked around, eyebrows raised in confusion at everyone pointing weapons at him. Then, when he laid eyes on the dead deer, his face dropped in annoyance.

"Son of a bitch!" Daryl exclaimed, gritting his teeth and stomping past Shane. "That's my deer!"

"Son of a—" Elodie began.

"No, Elodie," Jamie interjected, quickly covering her mouth.

Elodie pouted, prompting Jamie to remove his hand. She hadn't even noticed the orange-and-yellow arrows piercing the deer. It was clear Daryl had been hunting it, explaining why it was here in the first place.

"Look at it. All gnawed on by this—" Daryl spat, stopping in front of the Geek. "filthy—" he kicked the limp body. "—disease-bearing," another kick. "motherless," kick. "poxy bastard!"

Jamie gestured toward Elodie. "There are kids around, ya know?"

"I don't give a damn about these damn kids," Daryl retorted, making Jamie avert his gaze.

"Calm down, son. That's not helping," Dale sighed.

"What d'you know 'bout it, old man?" Daryl snapped, marching toward Dale. "Why don't ya take that stupid hat and go back to On Golden Pond?"

He turned back with a loud sigh, walking over to the deer. "I've been trackin' this deer for miles," he began, pulling out his arrows and wiping them clean on his jeans before returning them to his holder. "Gonna drag it back to camp, cook us up some venison. What d'ya think? Do ya think we can cut 'round this chewed up part right here?"

"I wouldn't risk it," Shane cautioned.

Another sigh escaped Daryl's lips. "That's a damn shame. I got some squirrel, 'bout a dozen or so. That'll have to do." He adjusted a piece of rope over his shoulder, and Elodie grimaced at the sight of the dead squirrels hanging from it.

Suddenly, the Geek's head started moving its jaw by Daryl's feet, snapping hungrily. The blood around its mouth was already drying, and the flesh was peeling off the bones. Elodie stared at it, confused as to why it was still moving if Dale literally chopped its head off.

"Oh, God," Amy exclaimed, her face twisted in disgust. Andrea guided her sister away, a hand over her mouth.

"C'mon, people, what the hell?" Daryl said, carefully aiming his crossbow at the Geek and shooting an arrow into its skull. Well—into its eye. He stepped forward, placing the tip of his shoe on the head and pulling the arrow out. "It's gotta be the brain. Don't y'all know nothin'?"

Elodie's mouth formed an O-shape as she realized why the head was still moving despite being decapitated. If the brain didn't die, the Geek didn't die. Easy peasy.

Daryl marched off toward camp, and that's when Elodie remembered that someone had to tell him about Merle. Instantly, a knot formed in her stomach, her unease growing.

The group followed Daryl back to camp, Elodie trailing just behind her mother. She thought about tapping her arm or something to try and talk to her. Maybe she should. Her mother hadn't uttered a word to her in a day already.

No. She'd just be ignored. Elodie had to wait until her mother was ready to talk to her again. When that time came, she would apologize. Her mother would forgive her, and everything would be okay.

"Merle!" Daryl called out for his brother, making Elodie bite down on her inner cheek. She knew it wasn't her fault Merle got left behind on that roof, but she still felt guilty about it. "Merle! Get your ugly ass out here! I got us some squirrel! Let's stew 'em up."

Shane quickened his pace to catch up with Daryl. "Daryl, just slow up a bit. I need to talk to you."

Daryl turned around, arching an eyebrow at Shane. The squirrels hung over his shoulder danced around his hip, catching Elodie's attention once again. Her eyes followed their tails with a grimace twitching her face. Those squirrels had once enjoyed a happy, carefree life until Daryl decided to shoot and cook them.

"'Bout what?" Daryl asked.

"About Merle," Shane replied, scratching the back of his neck as he positioned himself in front of Daryl. "There was a, uh—there was a problem in Atlanta."

Probably a lot more than just a problem, Shane.

The entire camp paused their activities, eyes fixed on the duo, particularly on Daryl, waiting for his reaction. Daryl's eyebrows twitched as he glanced around before focusing on Shane. "He dead?" he asked bluntly.

"We're not sure," Shane admitted. Elodie furrowed her brow. What kind of answer was that?

"He either is or he ain't!" Daryl snapped, growing more annoyed by the second.

"No easy way to say this, so I'll just say it," Rick intervened, stepping forward toward Daryl.

"Who are you?" Daryl questioned.

"Rick Grimes," Rick answered plainly.

"Rick Grimes," Daryl echoed mockingly. "You got somethin' ya wanna tell me?"

"Your brother was a danger to us all, so I handcuffed him to a roof, hooked him to a piece of metal. He's still there."

Daryl's face scrunched up, and he raised a hand, gesturing as he turned away. "Hold on. Let me process this." He turned back around to face Rick. "You're sayin' ya handcuffed my brother to a roof, and left him there?" he shouted at Rick, tears glistening in the corners of his eyes.

"Yeah," Rick confirmed, keeping his voice steady.

Daryl's mouth twisted into an angry frown as he took a step back, locking eyes with Rick. Then, in what Elodie figured was a poor attempt of distracting Rick, he hurled the squirrels from his shoulder at Rick. Rick quickly dodged them, just as Shane lunged in and tackled Daryl to the ground. Elodie watched with wide eyes as Daryl drew his knife.

"Watch the knife!" T-dog warned.

Daryl rose slowly, slashing his knife toward Rick's face, but Rick easily dodged it. As Daryl prepared for another swing, Rick seized his arms, and with Shane's help, wrestled him to the ground. Shane then wrapped an arm around Daryl's neck, putting him in a chokehold.

"You best let me go!" Daryl threatened, but his words failed to intimidate the former cops.

"Nah, I think it's better if I don't," Shane replied, almost nonchalant.

"Chokehold's illegal," Daryl attempted, suppressing a whimper as Shane's grip tightened around his neck.

"Yeah, you can file a complaint," Shane dismissed, applying more pressure. "Come on, man. We can keep this up all day."

Rick lowered himself to Daryl's eye level, maintaining a calm demeanor that impressed Elodie. Whenever she was around Daryl, she felt like a ball of anxiety. She never knew if he and Merle were going to make snarky remarks at her or not.

"I'd like to have a calm discussion about this," Rick began. "Do you think we can manage that?"

Daryl remained silent, struggling against Shane's hold, but to no avail. Elodie watched with narrowed eyes, fidgeting with a loose thread on her shirt. She didn't like how violent Shane was sometimes. Especially when he didn't need to be violent.

"Do you think we can manage that?" Rick repeated.

Daryl managed a slight nod, Shane and Rick nodding at each other before Shane released his hold on Daryl, throwing the red-neck onto the grassy ground.

Daryl scrambled back, pointing an accusing finger at Shane.

"What I did was not on a whim," Rick began again, crouching down next to Daryl. "Your brother does not work and play well with others."

"It's not Rick's fault. I had the key," T-dog chimed in. "I dropped it."

Daryl scoffed, whipping his head around to T-Dog. "You couldn't pick it up?"

"Well, I dropped it down a drain," T-dog clarified.

Daryl exhaled shakily, bowing his head. Elodie shifted on her feet, feeling sympathy for the man. If she ever found out Jamie got left behind like that, she'd feel terrible. She couldn't even imagine what Merle was going through.

Daryl stood up, glaring at T-dog. "If it's supposed to make me feel better, it don't."

"Well, maybe this will," T-dog continued. "Look, I chained the door to the roof, so the Geeks couldn't get at him... with a padlock."

"It's gotta count for somethin'," Rick added from behind Daryl.

Daryl's face twisted into a silent sob as he wiped a tear from his cheek, aware of the people staring at him. He undoubtedly felt ashamed in that moment. "Hell with all y'all!" he yelled, throwing out his arm. "Just tell me where he is so's I can go get him."

"He'll show you," Lori interjected, her voice tinged with disappointment. Everyone turned to look at her. "Isn't that right?"

There was a brief silence as Rick and Lori exchanged a look. Rick bowed his head momentarily with a sigh before meeting Daryl's gaze again. "I'm goin' back."

Lori huffed as she turned away, heading back inside the RV. Rick watched her with a somber expression, leaving Elodie wondering what had happened between them during their time back together. Daryl stormed off with a sigh, pinching his nose as he avoided making eye contact with anyone.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE

Oh my god I'm so sorry this chapter is so boring help NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE BETTER!! I had to cut it off here because it was already at 4.5k words so...