4

ACT ONE — CHAPTER FOUR

The truck rolled up to where they had been headed this whole time.

Both Rick and Valentina were both hesitant to walk out, Rick wanted to find his family and Valentinas were out there on the roof and here but she wanted to help Rick find his, just like he helped her.

"Hey, helicopter boy! Kid! Come say hello" Morales yelled and both of them stepped put of the truck.

Valentina noticed a man looking at Rick, shocked and when she looked up at Rick he was looking back at him, they knew each other?

"Oh, my god." Rick said as he began walking, Valentina stood where she was, Daryl wasn't there. He wasn't there with the group, she was more alone now than she had ever been, before she had Duane amd his dad to keep er company, then she had Rick and the rest of the group and her uncle, now she didn't have her uncle, the others from the group had reunited with their families and now Rick had found someone he knew.

Valentina was just alone.

So when no one was looking she left the reunion and went back over to the truck, she got into the front seats and just laid there across them, even though it was uncomfortable, she just wanted sleep now, so she closed her eyes and wished that when she woke up her farther would be there, maybe even her uncle.

"Hey, wake up." A hand was on her leg shaking her awake, the voice belonged to a woman, the voice was soft.

Valentina sat up from her uncomfotable place on the two seats and was met with the face of a woman.

"Hi?" Valentina said but it came out more as a question.

"Why don't you come eat with us so you just get something to eat and you can sleep again after" The woman said, Valentina nodded and walked after the woman, Valentina walked over to a second fire place a little away from the others, the woman found her a place to sit beside a younger blonde, and handed her something to eat which she thanked her for.

Ed, Carol husband as she had learned but some more wood in the fire which caught Shanes attention and not in a good way.

"Hey, Ed, you want to rethink that log?" Shane asked from the other fire.

"It's cold, man." Ed answered.

"The cold don't change the rules, does it? Keep out fires low, just embers so we can't be seen from a distance, right?" Shane kept pushing, Valentina had picked up on the kind of guy Ed was, she had learned to do that from a very early age, growing up with her abusive grandfarther. She knew how Ed was, she could tell so she also knew the way Shane was trying to push Ed was not a good idea.

"I said it's cold. You should mind your own business for once." Ed said and Shane got up.

"Maybe you should shut up for once." Valentina said under breath, Ed head snapped her direction, her eyes widened when he began to get up, Shane pushed him down, back into his chair and Valentina ran to the others fire and sat down beside Rick who put an arm around her, she leaned into his side and smiled down at the boy in his parents arms since he was smiling at her.

"Have you given any thought to Daryl Dixon? He won't be happy to hear his brother was left behind." Dale said, Valentina had learned all their names as they had done a round of saying their names.

"I'll tell him. I dropped the key. It's on me." T-dog said.

"I cuffed him. That makes it mine." Rick argued.

"Guys, it's not a competition." Glenn said followed by Valentina saying something.

"Hey, it's fine i'll tell him, he's my dad anyways." Rick gave the girl a light pat on her arm.

"Also i don't mean to bring race into this, but it might sound better coming from a white guy.# Glenn said.

"Hey! Even though Merle is a piece of shit and a racist and whatever the hell he is dosen't mean we all are, now i know you never said anything about me so it has nothing to do with me but, my dad is not racist he might be a little mean and stuff at times but he's not racist he's not like that." Valentina said, she didn't like it when people assumed Daryl was a bad person just because Merle was, people had done that before, even assumed she was like that.

"Okay." Rick said, he understood that she was getting mad at them for assuming it, and no one wanted to argue with her about it.

"I did what i did. Hell if i'm gonna hide from him." T-sog said, Valentina still hadn't forgiven him for dropping the key, it's not that she didn't want to she just hadn't said the words yet.

"We could lie." Amy, Andreas little sister said, Valentina glared at her for that, there was no reason to lie, what happened, happened and there's no going back from that now.

"Or tell the truth." Andrea said when she noticed the look Valentina was giving Amy.
"Merle was out of control. Something had to be done or he'd have gotten us killed." Andrea said then looked over at Lori.
"Your husband did what was necessary. And if Merle got left behind-" But Andrea did not get to finish her sentance before getting interrupted.

"Merle got left behind, and it is nobodys fault but his own, he's a grown man he should know what's wrong and what's right, i'm still a kid and i even know it's nobody faults only his." Valentina spoke as she got up and walked toward the truck.

"Where are you going?" The voice of Carl Grimes was heard behind her, she spun around to face him.

"to sleep." Valentina answered him.

"Where? In the woods?" Carl asked.

"No? In the truck" She said sarcasticlly.
"Why would i sleep in the woods and die, that's just dumb." Carl then looked down at his hand in realization of what he said really did sound dumb, Valentina noticed that a feeling of slight guilt settling in her stomach.

"I didn't mean it like that Carl, you're not dumb." She said, both Lori and Rick looked at the girl with smiles on their faces as the girl sat down infront of Carl crossing her legs.

He looked up at the girl with a small smile, her giving one back.

"Hey kid, you don't have to sleep in the truck, you can sleep in our tent, you helped my husband come back to us, that's the least we could do." Lori told the girl, Valentina silently accepted this offer.

"I was scared and i ran. I'm not ashamed of it." T-dog spoke, they had continued to talk after the moment before, they were still figuring out how to tell Daryl that Merle was left behing, but Valentina had already decided that she was just gonna tell him how it was.

"We were all scared. We all ran. What's your point?" Andrea as

"I stopped long enough to chain that door. 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. My point... Dixon's alive and he's still up there, handcuffed on that roof. That's on us." T-dog said as he got up.

"T!" Valentina yelled, he stopped and looked back at the girl.
"Assuming you're right and he's alive, when he comes back alive, i forgive you, deal?" The girl said putting her hand out, T-dog smiled at the girl, walked over to her and shook her hand.

"Deal."

"I found you, didn't i?" Rick was speaking to his son, Valentina had a place with some blankets at the other side of Carl, against the tents 'wall'.

"I love you, Dad." Carl said to his dad.

"I love you, Carl." A tear slipped down Valentinas face at this, she missed her farther so it hurt her hearing them talk like that.

"Good night you two" Rick spoke as he walked over to Lori, Carl turned to his side facing Valentina but she was facing away.

"Good night, Val"

A smile crept it's way onto  Valentinas face and she let sleep overcome her.

Screaming.

Screaming was the only thing the kids knew how to do when there were walkers in the area, Carl was hiding behind Valentina who was standing infront of him, she had her knife ready in hand incase the eating walker wanted to attack them.

Valentina ran after the men who ran to where the walkers was.

It was only now Valentina noticed the arrows stuck in the deer, it was Daryls arrows.

It turned around and got up when it noticed they were there, the men began attacking it, hitting it with all the stuff they had picked up as weapons on the way.

Then Dale cut it's head of.

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

"Well, they're running out of food in the city, that's what." Valentina said, all of the men turning to look at her.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Glenn asked the girl.

"Why not?" She fired back.

"Because you're a kid." Glen fired back at her, matching her attitude.

"I do not give two flying fucks." She snapped.

"Language young lady." Dale told and she sighed.

"Sorry, old habit." SHe said putting both her hands up in the air.

Then there were branches snapping, Valentina moved forward first but was pushed back by Glenn, she glarred daggers into the ack of his head, all she wanted right now was to crush, not literally but he was being a tad bit annoying.

Out of the bushes came Daryl finally, Valentina didn't know how to react, she was hesitant to speak to him, she was afraid that he'd be mad at her for not being with them so she kept herself in the background.

"Oh, Jesus."

"Son of a bitch. That's ,y deer! Look at it. All gnawed on by this..." Daryl began as he then began kicking the walkers body in between every insult that came after.
"Filthy, disease-bearing, motherless poxy bastard!"

"Calm down, son. That's not helping." Dale said, the Daryl stepped up to him.

"What do you know about it, old man? Why don't you take that supid hat anf go back to On Golden pond? I've ben tracking this deer for miles. Gonna drag it back to camp, cook us up some venison. What do you think? Do you think we can cut around this chewed up part right here?" Daryl was standing over at the deer now.

"I would not risk that." Shane said.

"That's a damn shame. I got some squirrel... About a dozen or so. That'll have to do." Daryl said, then the walkers head started moving.

"Come on, people. What the hell?" Daryl said as he shot the walker in the head with one of his arrows.
"It's gotta be the brain. Don't y'all know nothing?" Daryl said as he began walking away, but stopped when he heard the all too familiar voice.

"All this time and i forgot what a bitch you can be." Valentina spoke up, making herself known to her dad.

Daryl turned around to face the group again, she was still standing off to the side so he didn't notice her at first, until he did.

"Valentina?" Daryls body relaxed when he saw his daugthers face, right now he didn't care about his tough act, he dropped his stuff and let his daugther run into his arms as he lowered himself to his kneews, to meet her height better.

"You're alive?" Daryl asked as he pulled out of the hug, holding both sides of her head.

"No, i'm a ghost. Of course i'm alive da, i'm right freakinng here." Valentina answered.

"Gosh, i almost forgot that you have that sarcastic attitude." Daryl told, she smiled at him.

"I love you, Dad." Valentina said planting a soft kiss on one of his cheeks.

"I love you too, JellyBean." Daryl said, kissing one of her cheeks.

"Stop calling me that." Valentina laughed punching his arm as a single tear rolled down from her eye at the realisation that she was finally home where she belonged.

"Merle!" Daryl yelled as everyone walked back to camp, Daryl in the front, Val right behind him and the others behind her.
"Merle! Get your ugly ass out here! I got us some squirrel! Let's stew 'em up."

"Daryl, just slow up a bit. I need to talk to you." Shane said.

"About what?" Daryl asked.

"About Merle." Shane simply answered.
"There was a... There was a problem in Atlanta."

"He dead?" Daryl asked after looking around and noticing the way everyone was looking and how his daugther was doing everything not to look at him.

"We're not sure." Shane answered the man who was now getting angry about the fact that Merle wasn't there.

"He either is or he ain't!" Daryl yelled, Valentina stepped away over to Lori not wanting to get in the middle of it all. She used to try and stop her grandfather from hurting her dad or her uncle but when she did that, he'd get mad at her and that never ended well, so it got to the point that if she had to be able to not try and stop her, whenever he started yelling or even hitting one of the brothers, she'd look herself in her room, her door lock was made to only be able to be locked from the outside, so Daryl would always take her to her room and lock it and then she would have to wait in there until Daryl got away from the yelling or beating to unlock the door, he never liked the idea, but it kept her from getting hurt, even though her childhood in that home is gonna leave her some emotional and mental issues.

"No easy way to say this, so i'll just say it." Rick said as he walked forward getting closer to Daryl.

"Who are you?" Daryl asked the man he had yet to meet.

"Rick Grimes." Rick answered the man.

"Rick Grimes" Daryl said mocking the man.
"You got something you want to tell me?"

"Your brother was a danger to us all-" Rick started but was cut off by Val.

"Not us all."

"So i handcuffed him on a roof, hooked him to a piece of metal. He's still there." Rick said ignoring Val.

"Hold on. Let me process this." Daryl said as he wiped his eyes with his hand.
"You're saying you handcuffed my brother to a roof and you left him ther?!" You could hear th pain in his voice, Val sighed deeply and exhaled again a second later.

"Look dad, Uncle M, was doing bad things, he was making noice, he was doing drugs again, i know it's wrong he kind of derseves to be locked up for a little while." When Valentina said that she immediately shut up and regreted it when she was met by a harsh glare from her farther even though he didn't mean it, he was just getting emotional and he hated getting emotional becuase sometimes they took over.

Daryl threw the squerrils at Rick, who ducked just in time.

"Watch the knife!" Someone said which caused Vals attention as she looked at her dad who came up from the ground with his knife in hand.

He started lunging forward at Rick trying to hit him with the knife but Rick didn't get hit and Shane came up behind Daryl and put an arm around the mans neck.

"You'd best let me go!" Daryl yelled.

"Please stop!" Val yelled, she was anxious now, this fighting it all reminded her too much of the past, it hit too close to for comfort.

"Nah, i think it's better if i don't." Shane told him.

"Choke hold's illegal." Daryl complained.

"You can file a complaint." Shane said sarcasticly.

Valentina didn't wanna watch her dad in that position so she put her hands on her ears and squeezed her eyes shut, turned around and Lori put her arms around the girl noticing that she didn't like the figthing.

Daryl had left with Rick and some others, he didn't allow Val to go with so she was stuck back at the quarry with the others, at the moment she was Shane and Carl.

"I'm not getting anything." Carl said.

"Me neither." Val said with a shrugh on her shoulders.

"Yeah. Being al wily, staying submerged. Little suckers, they know something's up. That's what's going on." Shane said, after he said that he walked down into the water.
"Just gonna have to do this the old-fashioned way." He then looked around a little.
"Alright guys, look. You are the... You are the key in all this, okay? All i'm gonna do is i'm gonna go after one of them, all right, scare the rest of them off. They're all gonna scatter. I'm gonna drive 'em your way." Shane explained, Val and Carl listening carefully to he instructions.

"All right." Carl answered.

"You need to round up every bad boy you see, all right? Are you guys with me?"

"yeah." Both Val and Carl said.

"Hellls yeah. Give me your mean faces." Shane said making a growling sound with his 'mean face' Val and Carl did the same.
This was one of those rare moments when Val would ever feel, act or look like an actual child, in this moment she was a child.

"Yes, sir. ma'am. Are you guys ready?" Shane asked hyping them up.

"Yeah!"

"Are you ready? Here we go guys. Here we go." Shane said, Carl and Val got ready.

Shane then did what he said, falling all the way into the water, Val and Carl having the time of their lives laughing and doing what they were suppossed to.

"They're coming your way. Go on, get 'em, get 'em. They're coming your way, come on." Shane said pushing the water.
"Catch them frogs. Catch them frogs. They're coiming guys! get 'em! Get that net in there and get 'em!" Shane kept yelling over and over while Val and Carl tried to get while still laughing.

"What have you got guys? What have yu got? what have you got?" Shane asked as both Carl and Val pulled the nets out of the water.

"Dirt" They said at the same time, dissapointed.

"Oh boy." Shane said.
"Alright, we've got to start over. Come on, let's find this bucket." Shane said, all three of them laughing.

"Hey, Carl." Lori said as she approched the trio by the water
"What did i tell you about not leaving Dale's sight?"

"But Shane said we could catch frogs, remember?" Carl said trying to defend himself.

"It doesn't matter what Shane says. It matters what i say. Go on back to camp." Lori said as she stretching a hand out gesturing for Carl to get up.

Carl sighed but got up, he took a hold of Valentinas arm before 'dragging' her back to camp with him.

"I'll be right behind you." Lori told them as they walked away.

"Hey, cheack it out." At that Valentina looked up as Amy and Andrea came back to camp with a bunch of fish.
"Ladies... because of you, my children will eat tonight. Thank you."

"Thank Dale. It's his canoe and gear." Andrea answered at the thanks she was given.

"Mom, Valentina, look. Look at all the fish." Carl spoke as the fish were practically showed in Loris face.

"thank you." She spoke with a chuckle at the action. "Whoa." Carl and Valentina said as they looked at all the fish.

"Yeah, whoa. Where did you two learn to do that?" Lori asked as Carl stepped forward and poked the fish, Valentina pulled a disgusted face at him.

"Our dad." Amy answered. "Can you teach me how to do that?" Carl asked as he turned to them. "Sure. I'll teach you all about nail knots and stuff." Amy spoke and chuckled when Andrea gave her a look. "If that's okay." Amy added looking at Lori.

"You won't catch me arguing." Lori spoke and gave her a smile. "Hey, Dale. When's the last time you oiled those line reels? They are a disgrace." Andrea asked as she saw Dale walk past.

"I uh... I don't want to alarm anyone, but we may have a bit of a problem." Dale spoke as he turned around and pointed toward the hill where they could see Jim digging.

Everybody at camp made their way to where Jim was, still digging, they stood for a couple seconds before anyone said anything.

"Hey Jim." Shane spoke but Jim didn't stop what he was doing. "Jim, why don't you hold up, all right? Just give me a second here, please." Shane spoke and Jim stopped.

"What do you want?" He asked after he practically stopped the ground with the shovel. "We're all just a little concerned, man, that's all." Shane spoke as Valentina and Carl walked to the side to see around the adults.

"Dale days you've been out for hours." Morales said. "So?" Jim shot back looking at him. "So why are you digging?" Shane asked him. "Are you heading to China, Jim?" Shane asked with a chuckle.

"What does it matter? I'm not hurting anyone." Jim spoke as he started digging again. "Yeah, except maybe yourself. It's 100 degrees today. You can't keep this up." Dale spoke out of concern.

"Sure I can. Watch me." Jim said and just kept going. "Jim, they're not gonna say it, so I will." Lori spoke as she stepped forward. "You're scaring people. You're scaring my son, Carol's daughter and Daryl's daughter."

"I'm not scared, are you scared?" Valentina whispered to Carl trying to seem tough, Carl just shrugged hi shoulder and then nodded. "okay, okay.. I lied, I am a bit scared." Valentina admitted and Carl took her hand in his and held it.

"I'm out here by myself. Why don't you all just go and leave me the hell alone?" Valentina heard Jim say as she turned back to the conversation and saw him digging again.

"We think that you need to take a break, okay? Why don't you go and get yourself in the shade?" Shane spoke as he walked a little toward Jim. "Some food maybe. I'll tell you what... maybe in a little bit I'll come out here. I'll help you myself."

"Jim, just tell me what it's about. Why don't you just go ahead and give me that shovel?" Shane spoke and this made Jm stop digging again. "Or what?" Jim challenged. "There is no 'or what.' I'm asking you. I'm coming to you and I'm asking you, please. I don't want to have to take it from you." Shane said and Jim shook his head.

"And if I don't, then what? Then you're gonna beat my face in like Ed Peletier, aren't you?" Jim asked Shane before he raised his voice talking to everybody. "Y'all seen his face, huh? What's left of it. See, now that's what happens when someone crosses you." Jim spoke then continued on tryin to dig whatever whole he was digging.

"That was different, Jim." Shane spoke. "You weren't there. Ed was out of control. He was hurting his wife." Amy spoke up this time.

"That is their marriage. That is not his. He is not judge and jury. Who voted you kind boss, huh?" Jim argued, Carol had pulled Sophia closer to her as had Lori with Carl and Valentina.

"Jim, I'm not here to argue with you, all right? Just give me the shovel, okay?" Shane spoke as he walked forward and tried to grab it but Jim pulled away. "no, no, no." Jim spoke and when Shane got close he pushed him away, then he swung the shovel trying to hit him, Valentina and Carl both gasped as they turned away, Lori walked away with the two and let Shane deal with Jim.

"What are you drawing?" Carl asked as he tried to look at Valentina's paper but she quickly covered it up. "It's not done you can't see it yet. You have to wait, Carl." Valentina said as she gave him a 'duh' look which Carl laughed at.

"Sorry if I scared your boy and the girls." Jim spoke from his spot against the tree. "You had sunstroke. Nobody's blaming you." Lori told him as Valentina looked at him. "You're not scared now, are you?" Jim asked them, Valentina shook her head with a smile. "No sir." Sophia said.

"Your mama's right. Sun just cooked my head is all." Jim spoke and they returned to what they were doing letting Shane and Dale talk to him.

"Your dad was in it. You were too." Jim spoke up again, he was looking at Carl. "you were worried about him. Can't remember the rest. You worried about your dad?" Jim asked him. "They're not back yet." Carl said, obviously worried, Valentina would be lying if she said she wasn't worried about her dad.

"We don't need to talk about that." Lori said as she rubbed Carl's back. "Your dad's a police officer, son. He helps people. Probably just came across some folks needing help, that's all. That man, he is tough as nails. I don't know him well, but... I could see it in him." Jim spoke then looked at Shane. "Am I right?"

"Oh yeah." Shane said with a bit of a sigh. "There ain't nothing gonna stop him from getting back here to you and your mom, I promise you that." Jim spoke as he looked back at Carl, Valentina returned to her drawing.

A second later, Valentina showed her drawing to Lori who smiled. "Oh Valentina that is so good! Is it a horse?" Lori asked as she smiled at the girl who then frowned.

"It's supposed to be a dog."

It was later that night and everybody was sat around the fire enjoying their fish, Valentina was peacefully eating when Carl suddenly stabbed his fish with his fork and waved It in Valentina face making her giggle. "Stop!" She giggled and Carl laughed at her reaction. "Hey you two, stop playing with your foot." Lori spoke with a smile, they immediately stopped but they still laughed and found another way to play, everyone else watched them in awe.

"I've got to ask you, man, it's been driving me crazy." Morales spoke up as he looked at Dale across from him. "What?" Dale asked with a slight laugh. "That watch."

"What's wrong with my watch?" Dale asked him with a bright smile. "I see you every day, the same time, winding that thing like a village priest saying mass." Morales said and everyone smiled. "I've wondered this myself." Jacqui said.

"I'm missing the point." Dale said as he looked at them. "Unless I've misread the signs, the world seems to have come to an end. At least hit a speed bump for a good long while." Jacqui spoke and the others laughed. "But there's you, every day winding that stupid watch." Morales said with a laugh.

"Time... It's important to keep track, isn't it? The days at least. Don't you think, Andrea? Back me up here." Dale spoke and turned to Andrea who chuckled and took a sip of her drink.

"I like... I like what, um, a father said to son when he gave him a watch that had been handed down through generations. He said, 'I give you the mausoleum of all hope and desire, which will fit your individual needs no better that 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.'" Dale spoke, every body just sat and listened to him speak, Valentina laid her head on Carl's shoulder as she had finished eating.

"You are so weird." Amy said and everybody laughed. "It's not me. Its Faulkner. William Faulkner. Maybe my bad paraphrasing." Dale said and everyone still had smiles on their faces.

"Where are you going?" Andrea asked as Amy got up. "I have to pee. Jeez, you tru to be discreet around here..." Amy joked and everyone laughed again.

"We're out of toilet paper?" Amy said from the RV a couple minutes later, only a second later they heard her scream, they turned around to see one of those things bitting into her arm. Everybody got up and started screaming and panicking, Carl yelled for his mom as Valentina grabbed his hand and held it tight.

Multiple gunshot rang out and people were screaming, yelling, crying. Carl accidentally let go of Valentina's hand as they were behind Shane trying to get away, she went to follow after but something grabbed her and she fell back, she looked up and saw a walker, it was trying to take a bite out of her when an arrow went straight through its head.

Valentina screamed as she felt something grab her and pull her up, she calmed when she saw her father and quickly hugged him tight. Everything was quiet now, no more yelling or gunshots.

Everyone turned to see Andrea crying over Amy's body, Valentine turned back around and buried her face in Daryl's stomach and he held the back of her head.

"Oh, no. No" Andrea wailed, tears fell from Valentina's eyes at the sound as she hugged herself tighter into Daryl. "Amy!"

"I remember my dream now, why I dug the holes."

AUTHOR'S NOTE!

This is one longggg chapter! You're most likely not getting another one as long at this but I hope you enjoyed it.

Any opinions?

Also I already love Carl and Valentina so much they are the cutest kids ever!

I hate Amy's death. She was literally the sweetest omg I love her.