"Have you seen Dakota?" Abby asked.

I frowned and looked around. If she was in her tent, then Abby would have seen her. I haven't talked to nor seen Dakota since our conversation about Merle.

"No, when was the last time you saw her?" I asked.

She shrugged and I saw Ryan coming our way. His face was pulled up into a deep frown. My heart skipped a beat as I got up and met him halfway.

"Ryan, have you seen Dakota? Abby and I can't find her." I said.

He looked up in a daze and pulled out a piece of paper. I furrowed my eyebrows as he handed it to me. I quickly read through it.

"Dear Ryan,
I'm going to go look for Merle. He couldn't have just disappeared. I wanted to tell you but I knew you'd try to stop me or join me.
I won't put you, Abby or Josephine in danger. Please don't come looking for me. When I find Merle, I'll come looking for you.
We will see each other again, little brother.
Love, Dakota."

"Is she out of her fucking mind? She can't be out there alone!" I exclaimed.

That got the attention of a few members of the group. Ryan sighed before rubbing his face. We were supposed to stick together at all times.

Family comes first. It's a saying that has kept us alive and together since all of this started.

"What are we supposed to do? You read the letter. She said not to look for her." He said.

"Like hell I won't! I'm not letting her die for a fucker who doesn't give two shits about her." I protested.

"What's going on here?" Rick asked.

I looked up to see him coming towards us. Abby stuck to Ryan's side as more of the group stared at us curiously. Maybe shouting at Ryan in front of everyone wasn't a smart move.

"Dakota left. We need to look for her." I demanded.

I handed him the letter and he quickly read through it. Abby had only read a few lines from when I had the letter. But she knew what happened. She looked less upset than I expected her to be.

"Did she insinuate where she was going?" Rick asked.

"Well she did say she was looking for Merle. That means Atlanta." Ryan commented.

We already searched Atlanta for Merle and we didn't find anything. You could say that we didn't search hard enough, but Daryl was there. If he couldn't find his own brother, then how were we supposed to?

"Yeah but she knows Merle left Atlanta with the truck. So she's not going there." Rick pointed out.

"What about towns around Atlanta?" I suggested.

"There's too many of them to search." Rick protested.

I sighed in exasperation as my fingers went through my hair. For once in our lives, things were going smoothly. The group had a plan, we got rid of stupid assholes and our family was safe. Dakota just put all of that at risk.

"There has to be something we can do." I persisted.

Sympathy flashed in Rick's eyes. He was giving up before we even started. She could die out there. Does he really expect me to stand here and just let it happen?

She's my sister, she protected me and put a stop to our mother's abuse. I was the only child that our mother hated so Dakota could have let it continue. But she didn't.

"There isn't. This was her choice, Josephine." Rick commented.

"If it was your family, you'd go looking, wouldn't you?" I asked.

I didn't even need an answer. I already knew it. I clenched my jaw looking away from him. When his family goes missing, he finds them. When it's my family in danger, suddenly there's no clues to follow.

"I'm sorry." Rick said.

I know he meant it. But that doesn't change the fact that he's not doing anything. I wish I couldn't understand his reasons. Then I could hate him for choosing to do nothing.

"Fuck you, Ranger Rick." I spat.

I walked away from him and my siblings heading to the woods. Rick called out my name yet I didn't look back. A tear slid down my cheek and I wiped it away before anyone could see.

What was she thinking? She's no tracker, she'll get herself killed. And for what? Merle Dixon? Someone who probably sees nothing but a fun time in her.

God, why did she have to go? I hate myself for saying this but Rick's right. We really can't find her. She left us nothing to follow. We have to leave her behind.

------

After much deliberation, the entire group decided to go to the CDC because of Shane's speech about how he trusts Rick. Although most families agreed to go, Morales decided against it.

I wanted to stay too, but Ryan was against it. We weren't safe here and Dakota knew we were leaving. There was no point in staying because she wasn't coming back here.

We packed up and got into a car which I was now driving. Usually it was Dakota who drove us. I guess we'll have to get used to doing things without here.

"I see something up ahead. Gas station if we're lucky." Shane commented.

Dale's RV stopped working. Something about a hose. I didn't understand mechanics as much as the rest of them. It's not like I cared either.

All I could think about was whether Dakota changed her mind and decided to go back to the camp. Every part of me screamed to go look for her. But I couldn't abandon Abby and Ryan the way that she did.

"Y'all, Jim. It's bad, I don't think he can take no more." Jacqui told us.

"Hey, Rick. Wanna hold down the fort? I'll drive ahead, see what I can bring back." Shane suggested.

Rick nodded agreeing with his decision. I rolled my eyes and glanced at Ryan and Abby in the car. Abby was hugging her knees and Ryan was staring blankly through the window. I frowned at the sight.

"Are they okay?" Carol asked.

I turned my head to see her coming to my side. How do I even begin to answer that question? Our oldest sister left us. She knew that she'd be abandoning her family and she did it anyway.

"I don't know. Ryan is still grieving over Amy and Abby is just scared. Dakota leaving us to search for Merle didn't help." I grumbled.

Carol's eyes softened as she observed them. Abby and Carol's daughter, Sophia, were friends. Yet Carol wasn't as close to my siblings as she was to me. And we weren't even that close. She was just a person that I could talk to.

"Don't be angry with her. She's just doing what she thinks is right." She stated.

I clenched my jaw trying not to lash out at Carol. It wasn't her fault that Dakota betrayed her own family by choosing Merle over us. Family comes first.

"What if it isn't? What if she's dying right now? We made a promise. To always stick by each other's side and survive. She broke that promise like it meant nothing." I argued.

It hurt me that she cared for Merle more than her own family. Maybe it's because I've never been in love like the rest of my siblings so I couldn't understand it. Yet family should still matter more.

"Dakota cares for him, Josephine. You'll realize one day, that there are things even stronger than family." Carol stated.

-------

This is it, the CDC. We left Jim miles ago at his request. Something about not being able to go further. The group said goodbye to him before we moved on to here. We stepped out of our cars only to see dead bodies everywhere.

"Stay close to Ryan." I ordered Abby.

I took out a gun and loaded it. Judging by the look of this place, a lot of people died here. A lot of death equals a lot of walkers. Rick glanced at the gun in my hands.

"Is that my gun?" He asked.

His voice was quiet as to not attract the dead. I raised my eyebrows at him not seeing the importance in it. He threw it at me back when the camp was being attacked. It's not like I don't deserve to have one.

"Does that really matter right now?" I questioned.

"Stay quiet and keep moving." Shane whispered.

I rolled my eyes but followed their lead. The stench was awful and I had to cover my mouth. I coughed into my hand and glanced at my siblings. They seemed okay considering the situation that we were in.

"Come on, stay together. Keep moving." Rick ordered.

We stepped over corpses which made me uncomfortable. I saw military tanks and frowned. Well, the military was definitely down.

Rick and Shane reached the garage doors and checked them. Shane pounded at them but nothing. No sign of anyone being home.

"There's nobody here." T-Dog commented.

"Then why are the shutters down?" Rick asked.

He had a point. If there was no one inside, there would be no point in having them down. The CDC labs should be secured for things like the end of the world. Though this infection probably came from one of these labs.

"Walkers." Daryl exclaimed.

I turned around and saw one limping towards the group. Daryl shot it with an arrow and I put Abby between me and Ryan. It was the safest place she could be at.

Daryl accused Rick of leading us into a graveyard. Although Dale tried to calm him down, it didn't work. Daryl went to Shane who held him back from reaching Rick. Their arguing was pointless. It wasn't going to fix anything.

"Rick, this is a dead end." Shane said.

Abby's hand found its way to mine. I gripped it right while I held the gun in the other. The others were wasting time arguing about where to go since this was a bust. We've lost too much food and fuel to go to Fort Benning and everything else was unknown territory.

"We'll think of something." Rick retorted.

Ryan and I shared a look knowing this wasn't going to end well. We had a plan for when things went bad. It's simple enough.

If we're ever in too much danger, we'll leave the group and find safety elsewhere. So far the only thing they're doing is panicking.

"We need to leave, come on." Shane said.

"The camera. It moved." Rick commented.

I furrowed my eyebrows and looked at it. It looked normal, no movement whatsoever. Yet I still felt compelled not to leave just yet. Ryan motioned at the car and I shook my head in disagreement. Not yet.

"You imagined it." Dale said.

"It moved, it moved." Rick repeated.

He stared at it as Shane came to him trying to convince him otherwise. I clenched my jaw and looked around noticing more dead. I swallowed a lump in my throat as Rick slammed his fists in the shutters.

"Rick, there's nobody here." Lori exclaimed.

"I know you're in there. I know you can hear me. Please, we're desperate." Rick explained.

He continued talking but I ignored him. Although I find myself wanting to trust Rick, this place wasn't safe. A walker got too close and I raised my gun to shoot it.

Daryl was quicker and he took it out quietly. I nodded at him and he simply looked away. If he continues saving us from walkers, I might just have to thank him.

"If we get surrounded by too many walkers, we leave with or without them." I told Ryan.

He nodded in agreement as I looked around. There was strength in numbers so I didn't want to leave just yet. Not unless I have no other choice.

Rick yelled at the camera trying to get its attention. Shane dragged him away as his shouts attracted more walkers.

"You're killing us." Rick screamed.

Just then, the shutters opened blinding me momentarily. I blinked but it didn't go away. My hand instinctively found Ryan's while Abby was in between us.

The light diminished and I raised my gun. My sight has slowly returned and it only made me more wary.

"Hello? Hello?" Rick called.

"Watch the walkers." Dale demanded.

This place was huge and filled with windows. Not something you'd expect. We heard a gun being loaded and I pushed Abby behind me. A man stood there with a gun pointed right at us.

"Anybody infected?" He asked.

"One of our group was. He didn't make it." Rick replied.

He turned into a walker to be with his family. His decision was stupid and shouldn't have been listened to. They could've just agreed to it and then kill him when he turns.

"Why are you here? What do you want?" The man questioned.

"A chance." Rick said.

The man hesitated upon hearing Rick's answer. I'm assuming that's not what he thought Rick was going to say. At least not in the way that he did.

"That's asking an awful lot these days." The man retorted.

"I know." Rick said.

There was a moment of silence as the man sized all of us up. We were an odd bunch, I'll give him that. People who have nothing in common except for the will to survive the undead.

"You all submit to a blood test. That's the price of admission." The man stated.

I narrowed my eyes. Blood test? That doesn't sound suspicious at all. I don't like him. Maybe it's the aura of arrogance around him or simply because I don't like scientists. They're the ones who started this mess.

"We can do that." Rick agreed.

"You got stuff to bring in? Do it now. Once this door closes, it stays closed." The man explained.

He lowered his gun but I didn't. Rick noticed and sighed in annoyance. He grabbed it from me before I could react.

"What? My gun." I whined.

He went outside for a few bags then returned. He gave me an amused look because I hadn't moved from the spot. He can't just take away my gun. It's not like I shot anyone.

"My gun." He corrected.

I glared at him as he turned to the man. All I asked for was a small gun to defend myself with. I don't see why he needs it, he already has another gun. Whether it's technically his or not doesn't matter.

"Rick Grimes." He introduced himself.

"Doctor Edwin Jenner." The man replied.