SARAH

"You ok? Are you sure?" Sarah asked urgently.

"It's the fifth time, Sarah," said Nicki as she was sitting on the RV's steps.

"I know, I'm sorry," she said, trying to calm herself. "I'm just sorry you had to see that."

Nicki shrugged her shoulders.

"He deserved it" Sarah frowned.

"Don't you think Shane went a little too far?" she asked, but Nicki just looked up at her.

"He is a douchebag who hits his wife," her sister said simply. "It could have ended worse for me." Sarah kneeled in front of Nicki, looking at her with wide eyes. Ed was a bad person, that was for sure, but Shane wasn't.

"Shane should have just stopped him, but he nearly killed him," Sarah said. "If he had managed, what would have been the difference between him and Ed?"

"Shane would keep protecting us, while Ed would not hurt anyone else."

Sarah felt a chill at her sister's reaction. Nicki was talking about a man losing his life like it was nothing. Ed wasn't a good person, but death wasn't the solution. They could have tried to take Carol and Sophia away from him, so he wouldn't hurt them again.

"Why don't... don't you go see if Lori needs anything?" Sarah said quietly as Nicki nodded her head getting up to go towards the woman. 

"Are you okay, Sarah?" asked Dale as she climbed up to sit next to him on top of the RV. "You seem a bit shaken up."

Sarah sat with her legs hanging over the edge of the RV and let out a frustrated breath.

"Nicolette worries me sometimes." Dale chuckled at her words before continuing to scan the area with his binoculars.

"How so?"

"I feel like she's closing off," she said. "Even from me."

If they had been in a different situation, it would have been easier. The worst argument they would have ended up having would have been about a boy she was dating, or maybe school problems—not about men dying.

"She is a teenager."

"I know," Sarah replied, nodding her head. "And maybe I'm worrying too much, but.... how will she become if the world is truly ended? What will she become?"

How could Sarah be helpful if she was the first one to not know how to live in this world? What kind of role model could she be? 

"You are not alone, Sarah," he said sweetly. "We'll help you figure it out."

Sarah smiled to herself at those words. She was starting to think that they would have never made it back to San Francisco, so knowing that those people really cared about her and Nicolette made her feel much better.

"Thank you, Dale," she said, beginning to look around the camp below. She saw Lori, Carl, and Nicki sitting together, engaged in quiet conversation. Morales was talking to Shane a few meters away while his wife chatted with other women who were hanging clothes to dry. Carol was with Jacqui, putting away the cans from lunch, and Andrea and Amy were out in a boat on the lake, fishing. 

"Sarah," she heard Dale say with a strange tone, "could you stay here to keep watch?"

"Sure, is everything okay?" she asked, taking the binoculars from him.

"I won't be long; don't worry." The way he said it made her worry even more, but she nodded anyway. As he walked into the woods, she tried to keep her gaze on him. Once he disappeared, she lifted the binoculars to her eyes, scanning the area.

It took her some time, but she finally spotted him on a hill not far from the camp, talking with Jim, who was digging with a shovel.

"What is he doing?" Sarah muttered to herself, a knot of unease forming in her stomach.

She felt uneasy since then, even when Amy and Andrea appeared with more than a dozen of fishes in their hands under the amazed gaze of the group.

"Will you look at that? Hey, check it out," exclaimed Morales happily as everyone started to clap their hands. "Ladies, because of you, my children will eat tonight."

"Thank Dale," said Andrea. "It's his canoe and gear." Then she high-fived Jacqui.

But Sarah got distracted by their conversation as she spotted Dale coming back. She put down the binoculars and climbed down the RV ladder.

"Dale," she called, rushing toward him. He looked shaken.

"Hey, Dale. When's the last time you oiled those line reels?" Andrea asked, but Dale ignored her, his gaze drifting back toward where Jim was.

"I don't want to alarm anyone, but we may have a bit of a problem," he said, his words sending a ripple of concern through the group.

"What problem?" Shane stepped closer, his expression shifting to serious.

"It's about Jim," Dale replied, his voice tense.

"What is he doing?" Sarah asked, anxiety creeping into her tone.

Dale hesitated, as if struggling to find the right words. "He is... digging," he said finally. "I went to talk to him, but he didn't stop. Not even for a drink."

A heavy silence fell over the group as they processed his words. Sarah's heart raced. Why would Jim be digging so fervently? Jim was usually a quiet and calm man. What had gotten into him?

They all soon started to walk toward where Jim was digging, and Sarah was shocked to see the numerous holes he had created in the ground.

"What's this?" she heard Nicki whisper, eyes wide as she looked at the chaotic scene.

"Jim, why don't you hold up, all right?" Shane tried, but Jim didn't even glance in his direction. Shane put his hands on his hips, taking a deep breath before trying again.

"Jim, just give me a second here, please."

"What do you want?" Jim spat, halting his actions, dirt covering his hands.

"We're all just a little concerned, man. That's all," Shane explained. "Dale says you've been out here for hours."

"So?" Jim shot back aggressively.

"So why are you digging?" Shane pressed, attempting to keep the discussion as peaceful as possible. "Are you heading to China, Jim?"

"What does it matter? I'm not hurting anyone," Jim replied, casting a glance at them as if they were crazy for worrying. He returned to his digging.

"We just don't want you to pass out," Sarah said cautiously, forcing a small smile.

"It's 100° today. You can't keep this up," Dale chimed in, but Jim remained unfazed.

"Sure I can. Watch me." Jim's defiance only intensified the unease in the air, and Sarah noticed Nicki shaking her head next to her.

"Jim, they're not gonna say it so I will," Lori stepped closer, her voice firm. "You're scaring people. You're scaring my son, Carol's daughter, and Sarah's sister."

Jim paused momentarily, taking a frustrated breath. "They got nothing to be scared of," he insisted. "I mean, what the hell, people? I'm out here by myself. Why don't you all just go and leave me the hell alone?"

Sarah and Lori exchanged worried glances, the tension thickening. Finally, Sarah took a small step forward, her voice gentle yet firm. "A little break could help you, Jim." 

"Some food, maybe," Shane said, nodding his head. "I'll tell you what. Maybe in a little bit, I'll come out here and help you myself." Jim kept ignoring him. Sarah's uneasiness only grew in observing the man. What had gotten to him all of a sudden?

"Jim, just tell me what it's about," Shane kept trying to reason with him. "Why don't you just go ahead and give me that shovel?"

"Or what?" Jim spotted, making Shane frown.

"There is no 'or what'. I'm asking you. I'm coming to you, and I'm asking you, please," Shane said. "I don't want to have to take it from you."

"And if I don't, then what?" Jim asked in a challenging tone. "Then you're gonna beat my face in like Ed Peletier, aren't you?" Sarah heard Nicki scoff next to her as Amy and Andrea looked at each other. 

"Y'all seen his face, huh? What's left of it? See, now that's what happens when someone crosses you," Jim exclaimed.

"That was different, Jim," Amy interjected, stepping up with a determined look. "You weren't there. Ed was out of control. He was hurting his wife."

"That is their marriage. That is not his!" Jim shot back, his voice rising.

"So, let's just let him beat her because it's not our business?" Nicki said, her arms crossed defiantly.

"Nicolette!" Sarah exclaimed, noticing her sister's annoyed expression. She quickly glanced over at Carol, who was now hugging Sophia tightly, worry etched on her face.

"But he is not judge and jury," Jim answered back. "Who voted you king boss, huh?" Nicki shook her head again, looking away as Sarah passed a hand through her own brown hair.

"Jim, I'm not here to argue with you, all right?" said Shane, getting closer to Jim. "Just give me the shovel, okay?" 

When Jim yanked back the shovel, Shane tried once again to get closer, but Jim tried to hit him with it, making them all gasp. Luckily Shane had been able to avoid the impact and launch himself over Jim, immobilizing him on the ground. He had been able to cuffed Jim's hands behind his back.

"Jim, nobody's gonna hurt you. Okey?" said Shane as Jim started to cry.

"That's a lie. That's the biggest lie there is," Jim said, sobbing. "I told that to my wife and my two boys. I said it a hundred times. It didn't matter. They came out of nowhere. There were dozens of 'em. Just pulled 'em right out of my hands."

Sarah felt tears welling in her eyes.

"You know, the only reason I got away was 'cause the dead were too busy eating my family."

"I can't," Sarah said, turning away and walking from the scene.

It was all too much. This—everything—could not be real. It felt like a nightmare; it must have been. There was no other explanation.

As she made her way toward their tent, she looked around at the camp in the open field. How long could they keep living like this? It felt unsustainable. Where would they go? How?

They had been lucky to avoid any walkers so far, but what if they did leave the city? What then?

Would she really have to watch someone die just to survive? Could that someone be Nicki? The thought sent chills down her spine.

"Sarah," she heard Lori's distant voice calling her. "Honey, you alright?"

Only then did Sarah realize she was crying.

"How will we manage?" she sobbed, her heart heavy. "How am I supposed to protect her? I... Lori, I don't want to watch her die."

Lori wrapped her arms around Sarah, holding her close and caressing her hair.

"You won't watch anyone die. You hear me?" Lori said firmly. "It's going to be alright. We are together. It's going to be fine."

Sarah could feel Lori's fear too, but in that moment, the comfort of the embrace helped to ease her worry, if only for a little while.

Sarah had followed Lori's advice and went in her tent for the rest of the afternoon, trying to calm down and get some sleep. From between a nap and the other, she heard Nicki getting inside the tent and lying next to her, hugging her from the back. Sarah felt other tears form in her eyes, for the first time she had realized how precarious was all of that, even in that camp of theirs, as much as their lives.

She woke up again a few hours later, and when she noticed that Nicki was not next to her, she got up in a second.

"Nicki," Sarah called once she stepped outside. Taking a breath, she spotted Shane and her sister arranging the fire for the night.

"You up?" Nicki asked, glancing over. Shane followed her gaze.

"You must have been hungry," Shane said with a grin. "It's almost dinner time."

"And this time we are eating for real!" Morales added, walking by with a giant smile.

"You feeling better, sweetie?" Lori asked, placing a comforting hand on Sarah's shoulder.

"Yeah..." Sarah replied, nodding. "Thank you." Then she turned to Nicki. "How's Jim?"

"He's fine too," Lori assured her. "It must have just been the heat."

Sarah glanced back at Jim's spot, still feeling a twinge of concern. She forced a smile, wanting to shake off the weight of the earlier conversation.

"Probably," Sarah said with a small smile as she started helping with dinner. She moved over to where Amy, Jacqui, and Carol were cooking the fish. She was happy to see Carol with them, she had even noticed Sophia sitting next to Nicki and Carl looking at Shane lighting up the fire.

"Glenn and the others aren't back yet?" Sarah asked, glancing around for any sign of them. Suddenly, she heard Amy snort and share a knowing look with Jacqui and Carol.

"What is it?" Sarah asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It was strange that you hadn't asked yet," Amy said, a teasing smirk on her face.

"I'm not following," Sarah replied, confused.

"Oh, come on, sweetie," Jacqui said, her grin widening. "We've all seen you two."

"You and Glenn. Always together, worrying about each other," Amy chimed in.

Sarah blinked, realization dawning on her as she looked at each of them. "Me and Glenn?" she asked, her eyes widening before she burst into laughter, leaving them all confused.

"Oh no," Sarah continued, shaking her head. "He's great, and I like him, but I don't like, like him. And that goes for him too."

"You're messing with us," Amy said, frowning slightly.

"No, I swear!" Sarah insisted, still chuckling. "He's cute, but there's nothing going on between us—just a beautiful friendship."

"But you're always together," Jacqui pointed out.

"That doesn't mean anything," Sarah replied, flipping one of the fish over. "A boy and a girl can be best friends without anything more."

Jacqui chuckled, leaning in closer. "We're at the end of the world. Who knows?"

"I know," Sarah said firmly. "I like what I have with Glenn as it is."

Glenn was truly a special guy—smart, funny, and pretty—but they didn't share that kind of bond. The thought of everyone smirking at their friendship made her laugh even more. She couldn't wait to see him and tell him about this. Now, it all made sense why their campmates teased them when they hugged or sat together.

At dinner, Sarah was glad to see Jim with them. They all sat next to the fire, enjoying the taste of the fish. Sarah swore she had never eaten something more delicious. Even if she had similar thoughts when they were eating canned beans for days, and then Daryl turned up with squirrels. 

Surviving was difficult.

"Amy will teach me to fish," Sarah heard Carl say with excitement.

"Yeah, be careful not to fall out from the boat," Nicki teased, taking another bite of her food.

"Hey!" he exclaimed; Nicki and Sophia burst into laughter.

"I've missed this," Shane said, looking around at the gathering.

Food could really do miracles, turning an awful day into a peaceful evening. As Sarah watched everyone enjoy themselves, a warmth spread through her. She smiled, taking a deep breath, grateful for the small joys that flickered through the darkness surrounding them.

"I've got to ask you, man. It's been driving me crazy,," said Morales, earning the attention of the group.

"What?" asked Dale, surprised.

"That watch," Morales's explanation only made him get more confused.

"What's wrong with my watch?" the man asked, looking at his wrist.

"I see you every day, at the same time, winding that thing like a village priest saying mass," everyone started to nod their heads. In fact, now that he was pointing this out, Dale always did that, always.

"I've wondered this myself," said Jacqui with a big smile.

"I'm missing the point," Dale said, even more confused.

"Unless I've misread the signs, the world seems to have come to an end," said Jacqui. "At least hit a speed bump for a good long while," everyone chuckled.

"But there's you every day winding that stupid watch," Morales said again, making Dale's smile go wider.

"Time... it's important to keep track, isn't it?" Dale said, looking at each one of them, but Sarah heard Nicki huff.

"When you got something to do, sure."

"The days, at least," said Dale. Then, "Don't you think, Andrea? Back me up here?" They all looked at Andrea, and when Sarah met her gaze, mouthing a 'Why,' Andrea just shook her head, making Sarah chuckle.

"I like... I like what a father said to his son when he gave him a watch that had been handed down through generations." Dale explained after a moment of silence, "He said, 'I give you the mausoleum of all hope and desire, which will fit your individual needs no better than it did mine or my father's before me; I give it to you not that you may remember time, but that you may forget it for a moment now and then and not spend all of your breath trying to conquer it." 

Hearing Dale talk was good and relaxing, and Sarah was sure that was a shared feeling among them, even if, when times became too serious, there was Amy to lighten the mood.

"You are so weird," she said, making all of them laugh, even Dale.

"It's not me. It's Faulkner. William Faulkner," explained Dale, looking at each one of them. "Maybe my bad paraphrasing."

"Nonsense," said Sarah, smiling at Dale. "You're our poet; no one could paraphrase better than you."

"Now, I know you are messing with me," Dale said, making her laugh.

"Where are you going?" asked Andrea as she noticed Amy standing up.

"I have to pee," Amy said with wide eyes. "Jeez, you try to be discreet around here," they all laughed as she started to walk towards the RV.

"I'm so full," Sarah said. She had forgotten the sensation. Then she looked down at the fish who was still to be eaten. 

"Maybe we should save them for Glenn and the others," Sarah suggested.

"Or..." said Morales, "Andrea and Amy could go fishing again tomorrow."

Andrea was chuckling when a piercing scream made them turn.

Sarah felt herself freeze when she saw a walker biting Amy's arms. As she turned, she noticed more walkers walking out of the woods. They were all around, growling as they got closer.

"Nicolette!" she exclaimed, yanking her sister by the arm to pull her closer. 

Everyone was screaming and running away from the fire. Sarah saw two walkers biting a woman who was on the ground screaming in pain as they tore the flash from her neck, letting the blood spill, exactly like what had happened that day in the alley at that poor man.

"Sarah!" Nicki exclaimed, pushing her suddenly and making her move from her spot.

"Nicki!" she yelled as some walkers got between them. She felt her eyes water when she didn't see her sister anymore, but a walker started to walk towards her. Sarah took a breath, trying not to panic. She had to make it. Only then would she have found Nicki.

"Follow me! To the RV," Sarah heard Shane say, but she was too focused on trying to get away from walkers and not get bit. As she was running, she saw a few people getting eaten alive and trying to stay focused and not stop. She could hear screams and noises of shooting, and she turned to see two walkers getting closer and closer.

"Oh, god!" she exclaimed when turning; another had appeared in front of her. With all her strength, she pushed in with a scream, making it fall to the ground.

I'm not going to die here!

She needed to find something to defend herself. Something. Anything.

Sarah felt a rotten hand grab her when she found a glass bottle, trying to be as fast as she could she broke it and turned to hit the walker on its head when he was about to bit her arm. She screamed and screamed as she kept hitting it in the head, feeling its blood on her face. The walker got limp, falling to the ground, and she couldn't help but feel her legs give in, making her fall to her knees. As she looked up, she saw another walker just a few feet from her. She was scared and tired; she didn't want to die, but she couldn't feel her body anymore. It was about to reach it when an arrow got straight to its head, making it go limp.

An arrow...

After a moment, she felt someone pulling her up on her feet. An arm around her waist preventing her from falling on the ground.

"Daryl..." she muttered, clinging to him, feeling the sturdy fabric of his shirt against her skin. 

"Can ya stand?" he asked. She nodded, still dazed, her breath hitching as she tried to focus on him. Daryl looked at her intently, his eyes sharp and alert, before raising his crossbow to shoot another walker behind her.

"Stay behind me," he said, pushing her behind him. She gripped his green shirt with one hand as tears fell down her eyes. She had to stay focused; she could not be a burden to Daryl. She was shaking and crying, but she warned him every time she noticed a walker get too close. Sarah followed his every move until she heard someone call her.

"Sarah!"

"Glenn?" she gasped as he enveloped her in a tight embrace, feeling the warmth of his body against her still-shaking form.

"You okay?" he asked, concern etched on his face. "You bit?" She shook her head.

"I don't know where Nicolette is." She said, sobbing.

"She's there," Daryl said, pointing towards the RV. Sarah turned to see Rick hugging Carl and Lori. Next to her was Carol, who was hugging her daughter, and behind her was Dale, keeping her sister close.

"Nicolette!" she called out, her heart racing. 

"Sarah!" Nicki exclaimed, sprinting toward her. As they collided in a hug, they both fell to the ground, tears streaming down their faces."Oh, god, I thought... Oh, god!" Sarah said, squeezing her sister tighter.

"I'm fine," she said before breaking the hug. Nicki looked down at Sarah's hand, widening her eyes.

"What's this blood?" Only at her question, Sarah noticed that her palm was slashed open. It wasn't a scratch and it wasn't a bite, it must have been from the bottle she had used to kill that one walker.

"I'm fine," Sarah said, trying to reassure her sister. "It's nothing. I just cut myself." Suddenly, she felt something lightly gazing at her shoulder; she wasn't even sure that it was real, but after a moment, a red rag throwing landed next to her. Sarah looked up to see Daryl move his eyes from her to the surroundings.

"Thank you," said Nicki, taking her sister's hand and starting to wrap the rag around her bloody hand.

"Are you hurt?" Sarah asked as she turned to her sister, whose eyes were focusing on what she was doing.

"No," she answered. "Shane yanked me back. I've been with him, Lori, and Carl all the time." Some more tears left Sarah's eyes, and she finally realized that her sister was really safe.

Suddenly, Andrea's scream shattered the moment. "Amy!" she cried, desperately trying to wake her sister. Sarah's heart dropped, and more tears spilled down her cheeks.

They were dead. So many of them. It had all happened in an instant. Sweet, funny Amy. She didn't deserve this, and neither did any of them. Panic surged within her. What were they supposed to do now?