Beth broke free from Austin, sobbing as she looked at the walkers. Rick tried to stop her, but it was no use, she got away as she fell before one of the walkers, pulling her over on her back. The walker wasn't dead, growling and latching onto her. Austin panicked. "Beth!"

He ran forward, grabbing hold of her as she tried to fight against him. Everyone joined in to help, prying the walker off as she sobbed into the air. T-Dog hurried forward, slamming his foot into the walkers face over and over. Austin's eyes widened at the sight, Beth cried out. Andrea grabbed one of the pick mattocks from the barrel, colliding it with the walkers head. Beth sobbed, Austin hugged her tightly.

"Let's get her back." Hershel encouraged, wrapping his arms around Beth while Austin helped lead the distressed and hysterical girl back to her farm.

"We've been search these woods and she was in there all along?" Shane asked in disbelief as he followed the group. "You knew."

"Leave us alone." Maggie glared at him.

"Shane, just stop, man." Glenn tried.

"Get your hands off me!" he shoved his hands off his shoulder. "You knew and you kept it from us."

"I didn't know." Hershel defended himself.

"That's bullshit." Shane mocked. "I think y'all knew."

"We didn't know!" Maggie yelled at him.

"Why was she there?!" Shane yelled back to her as they went up the steps

"Otis put those people in the barn." Hershel spoke, letting Austin lead Beth the rest of the way. "Maybe he found her and put her in there before he was killed."

"You expect me to believe that?"
Shane looked in disbelief.

"How would they have known that was Sophia, dumbass?" Austin let Beth go to look back at him. "We don't exactly have missing poster flyers to hand out."

"I don't care what you believe!" Hershel shouted at Shane.

"Everybody just clam down." Rick got between the two again.

"Get him off my land!" Hershel shook his head.

"Let me tell you something, man." Shane grabbed Hershel by the shirt.

"Hey. Don't touch him!" Maggie slapped Shane in the face. He backed off. "Haven't you done enough?"

Austin looked back as Patricia and Maggie lead Beth into the house. Hershel looked serious. "I mean it. Off my land."

He turned back, meeting Austin's eye as the older Grimes som dropped his voice. "I'm sorry."

Hershel patted his arm. "Come in."

Austin did, Glenn close after.

They buried the Greenes Step mom and brother, Sophia too. Beth had stuck to Austin a lot after that, having her moment of wanting to be alone, but usually we was still close by. That was until they'd been in the kitchen, cutting peas when Beth collapsed. Austin and Maggie took her up to his room, he stayed next to her. "Beth?"

"What's wrong with her?" Maggie asked worried as they got her into her bed.

"She might be in shock. Where's Hershel?" Lori came into the room.

"We can't find him anywhere." Glenn said in return, looking to Beth in worry.

Austin felt her forehead. "She has a high fever."

Maggie looked toward Austin. "Could you stay with her?"

"Of course." he nodded, holding her hand as Maggie gave him a grateful kiss on the cheek, her and Glenn following Lori out of the room. Austin looked down at Beth, squeezing her hand. "Okay. You just hang in there, Beth. We're gonna take good care of you."

After Glenn and Rick took off to find Hershel, they all crowded in Beth's room. Austin kept feeling her head, checking her heart. "Her hearts racing, this fever isn't breaking either."

"We need Hershel." Andrea confirmed with a nod. "He'll know what to do."

Lori paced, going to the window. She hesitated. "Would you look in on Carl for me?"

"Mom." Austin looked at her oddly. "Where are you going?"

"I love you." she kissed his forehead, leaving.

Maggie and Austin shared an odd look. "Trust her. She's your mom."

Austin stopped himself from making a snarky comment. "I'm really sorry about your step mom and brother, Maggie. That's so unfair."

"That friend of yours is an asshole." Maggie rolled her eyes, Austin holding Beth's hand still as he used his other hand to rub her arm.

"He's not my friend." Austin said back defensively. "Believe me, he's the last person here I wanna be around."

"Something happen? Before y'all got here?" she asked him.

Austin nodded. "Let's just say he isn't the ideal guy my dad should have made his best man."

"They should have been back by now." Andrea walked down stairs for dinner.

"Why can't I just eat upstairs?" Austin gave a pleading look to Patricia. "Beth needs to be watched."

"You eat at the table like a human being." she encouraged him to sit down, he did so next to Carl.

"They just got holed up somewhere." Shane sat down at the end of the table. "We'll head out first thing in the morning."

"Thanks, Carol." Austin took the bread basket from her.

"Carl, I want you to keep your head up, okay?" Shane spoke to the boy as he filled his plate. "Your old man, he's the toughest son of a-"

"No cussing in the house." Patrica warned him, Austin held back a grin as he put a bite of mashed potatoes into his mouth.

"Sorry." Shane said back, almost laughing.

"Lori, dinner." Carol looked around the corner.

"She's not in there." Maggie shook her head.

"Where is she?" Dale looked oddly.

"Fantastic question." Austin hummed in response.

The table was quiet, Shane looked to the boys. "When was the last time y'all saw her?"

"When she left and didn't say where she was going. About two hours ago, I guess." Austin shrugged his shoulders.

"This afternoon." Carl agreee.

"She was worried about Rick, asked ne to look in on Carl." Andrea looked toward Shane in answering.

"She went after them?" Dale questioned.

"She didn't say that." Andrea shook her head.

"She didn't say anything." Austin agreed.

"Nobody panic. Gotta be around here somewhere." Shane got to his feet, as did everyone else.

Minutes passed, thirty at the most, T-Dog walked over. "She's not at the barn. I checked the yards."

"Well, where is she?" Carl called out.

"She asked Daryl to go into town." Carol ran over. "Must've gone herself."

Carl gave a whimper. Austin leaned down on his level. "It's gonna be okay."

He hugged him tightly as Austin rubbed his back tenderly. "Let's go in the house."

"I'll coms with you." Andrea nodded, Austin lifted his brother off the ground as the trio walked back to the farm house. "I'm sure she's okay, Carl."

"Just went to help Dad out." Austin reassured him. "You know he has car troubles all the time."

•

kylie speaks

when shane was talking and
carol passed austin the bread
and he said "thanks carol"
when i was editing this chapter
it looked like he was saying
"thanks, carol" to shane's bad
pep talk and i laughed for way
too long.