༻❁༺

Nadia Grimes let out a small shiver as she sat with her family around the fire. Sitting on an old log as she chewed on her small portion of ham from the pig, the Greene family so graciously allowed them the slaughter.

It was rather gross to watch, and to hear, but needed to be done. If the group was planning on potentially making the Greene Farm a place to live she needed to get over this fear of killing. Killing animals that is. It was food, as Daryl had scoffed when she watched him remove the swine's heart and intestines.

Butchers were a thing of the past, Nadia had to remind herself as she ate. If she wanted to enjoy things like food or surviving, she would need to learn how to become the butcher.

Closing her eyes, Nadia allowed herself to take in the quiet moment. Enjoying the sounds of cracking fire and sharpening of knives. It was rather strange how peaceful it felt.

When she opened her eyes she watched the trees in the distance. Dancing with the wind, taking some of their leaves during their natural waltz. The sixteen-year-old felt herself relax. With the thick forest and fencing surrounding the property it gave the group something they had never had before. Safety.

She really was starting to enjoy the Greene Farm.

"Um, guys," one of the members of her group, a boy in his early twenties, Glenn Rhee, stood up. "So... The barn is full of walkers."

Or maybe the Greene Farm wasn't the best place.

Within moments the entire group stood before the large barn. It was rather old. A dark colour that looked off. As if it was once red, fifty or so years ago before never being bothered to be painted again. The wood seemed to be just holding together with nothing but a hope and a prayer. Many cracks and holes forced together by other planks of wood nailed down. It looked like it could fall down just by the cough of a passerby.

With only a singular plank of wood and a few chains keeping the bloodthirsty monsters from them.

As she stayed near the back with her mother, the teen watched as Shane Walsh went to the small crack between the doors. Looking into the barn as the sounds of walkers started. They must've smelt him.

Eventually he moved away in a huff. Stomping passed Rick, "You cannot tell me you're all right with this."

Rick stayed planted in the ground, glaring at the barn, "No I'm not, but we're guests here. This isn't our land."

"Oh God," Shane scoffed. "This is our lives!"

"Lower your voice," Glenn begged the two leaders.

"We can't just sweep this under the rug," Andrea then told them.

Shane shook his head, the rage growing like a zit ready to pop, "Okay, we've either got to go in there, we've got to make things right or we've just got to go. Now we have been talking about Fort Benning for a long time-"

"We can't go."

Shane huffed, "Why, Rick? Why?"

"Because my daughter is still out there," Carol stepped forward.

"Okay," Shane had to physically stop himself from continuing. Pressing his hands over his lips as he let out a long sigh, "Okay, I think it's time that we all start to just consider the other possibility..."

"Shane!" Rick scolded him, "We're not leaving Sophia behind."

"I'm close to finding this girl. I just found her damn doll two days ago," Daryl tried to defend the missing child.

But that only made Shane sarcastically chuckle, "You found her doll, Daryl. That's what you did. You found a doll."

The redneck's eye twitched, "You don't know what the hell you're talking about!" Rick put his hand out to keep Daryl from attacking as Shane continued on with his rant, "I'm just saying what needs to be said. You get a good lead, it's in the first forty-eight hours."

Rick did his best to try and stop his partner, but he just kept on rambling, "Let me tell you something else, man. If she was alive out there and saw you coming all methed out with your buck knife and geek ears around your neck, she would run in the other direction!"

The two men started to squabble. Rick had to keep them apart as Nadia went to Carol, pulling her away from the fight about her missing daughter. While Lori ran between Shane and the others. Trying to scream at him to stop.

"Now just let me talk to Hershel!" Rick declared. "Let me figure it out."

"What are you gonna figure out?!"

"Enough!" Lori pushed Shane away from her husband.

Rick put his hands out, doing his best to defuse the situation, "If we're gonna stay, if we're gonna clear this barn, I have to talk him into it. This is his land."

"Hershel sees those things in there as people..." Dale then spoke up, "Sick people... His wife, his stepson."

Nadia's eyes widened at the words of her friend, "You talked to him already? You knew about this?" She couldn't help but ask.

He sighed, "Yesterday I talked to Hershel."

"And you waited the night?"

"I thought we could survive one more night. We did. I was waiting till this morning to say something. But Glenn wanted to be the one," he exclaimed.

"The man is crazy, Rick, if Hershel thinks those things are alive or no," Shane yelled before the growls echoed throughout the farm.

The chains started to rattle as the commotion caused the walkers inside the barn to focus on them. Pushing against the rotted wood. Trying to escape their prison Hershel Greene put them inside.

Nadia couldn't help but lightly scream as her and her little brother stepped back. Terrified of what monsters were carelessly locked away in the old barn.

╚════.✾. ═╝

When Nadia Grimes walked out of the cabin she couldn't help but lightly chuckle at the sight before her. Just a little ways away from the porch Lizzie and Mica seemed to have set up a small picnic for themselves and Judith.

The three sat on a large blanket with an iconic wicker basket by their side. Nadia took notice of their large tea set neatly placed down as they played. Making her slightly proud. It seemed as if even if the world went to shit, kids would always find a way to have fun.

Though Judith's appearance made her laugh, "Judith, when were you going to tell me your hair grew in, huh?" Nadia knelt down, seeing her little sister on her stomach with a large green wig meant for an adult perched on her head.

"Isn't it cute?" Mica giggled.

"We found it in a bag. So now Judy has hair like us," Lizzie proudly said as Nadia messed up both blonde's hair.

"Well you all look very stylish," she proclaimed before the two older girl's pulled her down to join their play.

Drinking fake tea and crumpets with the three until her companion revealed himself from the trees. Carrying a few fruits, "Check it! I found a tomato plant!" Lincoln sauntered over with a large smirk, "It's no big deal or anything..."

Naida raised a brow as he showed off the ripe fruit, "Ah, the true gatherer, I see."

He flashed a smile, "Times are changing, Naddie. The men gather while you women folk handle all that hunting crap."

"Oh because hunting is such a womanly thing to do."

"Exactly, it's where a woman belongs. In the... woods," he suddenly trailed off.

Nadia noticed how his usual joy shifted into a frown. She looked at him confused as he seemed almost a little off, "Lincoln...? You get bit or something?"

"Where..." he slowly pointed to Judith. "Where did you get that?"

The younger kids smiled, Mica mostly, "You said we could go into your room for some toys and found the wig. Doesn't Judy look cute?"

He pressed his lips together. As if he was trying to keep himself calm as his face started to become red like the tomatoes being crushed in his hands, "You went into my bag?"

The younger girl's eyes widened. As if she could see the rage starting to bubble like the imaginary tea, "Um..." she bit her lip and gently removed the wig from Judith. "I didn't know it was your bag. I'm sorry-"

He stomped forward and stole the wig from Mica's hand, "Are you that goddamn naïve to assume there would be toys in an army bag covered in soot? Don't touch my stuff!"

The three girls watched in a mixture of awe and fear as the rather cheerful boy who never talked back scolded Mica. His breathing quickened as the terror made the little girl shiver. Nadia had to stand between them in order to get him to back off.

"Lincoln." She warned him, the two locking eyes as Nadia saw something. Pain. A strange sight of anguish hiding behind his seething rage, like a fawn behind their mother doe.

And as he threw the fruits to the ground and walked towards the tracks, Nadia understood what was going on. It didn't take a Harvard acceptance letter to understand what was so important about a cheap green wig.

"Am... am I in trouble?" Nadia turned, looking back at Mica as her eyes were coated in a glossy layer of tears.

Nadia paused, not the best at comforting still, "Uh... um-"

Lizzie placed a hand on her little sister's shoulder, "It's okay. He's just upset right now."

The teen let out a small sigh in relief at Lizzie's help before kneeling down, "It's okay. You didn't know. Neither did I," Nadia gently wiped away the little girl's tears before turning to Lizzie. "Can you watch your sister and Judith for a moment? I'll go talk to him."

Lizzie took a small moment before nodding, "I can... I can help take the pain away."

"Thank you," Nadia sighed, "Keep both occupied and I'll see what's going on."

╔═.✾. ════╗

Nadia debated her decision the entire walk towards the tent. Telling herself to turn back with every step, but for some reason she found herself still at the lone Dixon tent a little ways away from the rest.

Taking a deep breath in, Nadia Grimes gently tapped on the material, as if it were somehow a door. She could hear a loud groan as the outsider of the group, Daryl Dixon, unzipped his home, "What?"

She hesitantly took a step back. Slightly, (very,) afraid of the man, "Um..."

Daryl huffed, "Your dad want me?"

"N-No. No he's... he's still trying to talk to Hershel about the barn."

"So Shane wants me?" He said, rather annoyed at the mention of her father's second in command.

She shook her head, struggling to speak, "No... not- not him either."

He looked at her strangely, not that she could properly blame him however. She was shaking like a leaf. Playing with her fingers as she looked as if she was moments away from fainting.

"So what do you want then?"

Nadia had to pinch herself in order to force the words out, "Teach me to hunt," both of their eyes widened as she corrected herself. "Please."

The redneck looked at her strangely. As if she had been shot like him or her brother, "What?"

She started to play with her letterman jacket. Playing with the zipper of her white and orange fall coat to keep herself calm, "You're really good at it," the teenager awkwardly complimented him. "You can do that thing where you can tell what directions animals go by the ground..."

Daryl watched as Nadia started to gesture to the ground. Slowly glancing up at her, "Tracking?"

She smiled, snapping her fingers and pointed to him, "Yes! Yes, that. Tracking!"

"And you want me to teach you?"

"Please," she nodded.

And then a word she never usually heard was spoken, "No."

"No?" She turned her nose up, something she did often. Mostly to the man she was talking to, "What do you mean no?"

The group's Hunter huffed, going back into his tent to grab his crossbow and satchel, "Because that's what I said? No."

He began to walk away, making her gasp, "Hey! Wait!" She tried to block him, but being much larger and stronger, he was able to easily push past her. "Kid, I know you're probably used to gettin' your way but I've got stuff to do."

"And my dad's going to look for Sophia in a little bit, while you aren't even supposed to be moving so much. You were shot," she crossed her arms.

"Who hasn't been shot?" He said sarcastically.

"I haven't," Nadia Grimes matched the Hunter's sarcastic response with a raise of a hand. "I'm not asking you for a kidney-"

He rolled his eyes, "No, you're asking me to get involved in your little family affair. Does Rick know you want me to teach you this stuff?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes. It does," he was the one to turn his nose up that time. "I've seen your parents scuffle first hand. I'm not gonna get my ass handed to me by Rick and that asshole Shane, again, 'cause you wanted to kill Bambi."

"I'm not asking to just simply kill Bambi."

"Oh, 'cause you think hunting will be all sunshine and rainbows?" He turned his back towards the leader's eldest and began to walk towards the stables, "You wanna be useful? Go do some laundry or something."

Naida stood there slightly dumbfounded by the statement. Unable to move as she watched her chances of being helpful literally walked away. Her unhinged jaw slowly moved up until her teeth started to grind against one another. Her knuckles turned white, with her eye twitching as her calm demeanour crumbled like society.

"I don't want to do laundry, I want to be fucking helpful!" She actually shouted, taking off her left shoe and spiked it at the hunter.

The once white shoe that was now a mucky brown from the never ending splatters of blood and mud flew through the air. Hitting Daryl Dixon in the back of the head.

He stayed still for a moment, taking his time to look back at the girl. Nadia felt her breath quickly disappear as she watched him look down at the shoe before back up to her, making eye contact. Feeling herself shake as he slowly spoke, "You seriously own Nike shoes?"

"What's... what's wrong with that?" She slowly asked.

"You fucking rich girl."

"Rich girl?" She was surprisingly offended by that, "Those were free."

"You expect me to believe you got white Nike Air's for free?" He deadpanned.

She turned her nose up, "They were given to me at nationals. We were sponsored."

"Fuck off."

"No thanks, my schedule is currently full."

The two continued to glare at one another before he looked back at the shoe. Picking it up and proceeding to throw it in the air and catch it, "Why do you want to hunt?"

The girl gave a small frown, trying to convince the man, "With everything going on... with Carl and Sophia, I'm sick of being useless," her words made the hunter raise his brow, "I'm not good with a gun... I mean I tried, but no matter what I did I could never quite hit the target," Nadia started to play with her hands again.

"So you think a crossbow is easier?"

"A bow," she corrected him. "Beth said her's was collecting dust, so I wanted to learn."

"It's harder than it looks."

"So teach me how to make it easier," she demanded before rubbing her temple. "I know the only reason no one has complained about my lack of work is because my dad's in charge. I haven't done anything."

"You're still a kid."

She shook her head, "You have no connection to any of us, but are more important than anyone. No one would ever complain about your presence here because you feed us. You're the provider. I'm the dead weight."

Daryl Dixon looked the girl over. Still holding Nadia's shoe as he saw her trying to stare him down, "You're not dead weight kid."

"Then help me prove it to myself."

╚════.✾. ═╝

Going through the woods, Nadia kept her head down. Focusing on the small details on the ground in order to find her companion. When Daryl started to teach her the arts of tracking, it didn't come easy. A few teenage girls here and there and a lot of bad calls; yet Daryl never gave up on her. Usually tugging on her braid and demanding she'd try again until she got it right. Which she eventually did.

Though months of work could only go so far, as after the violent birth of Judith, she decided she could care less about the art. Too focused on making everyone inside the prison as miserable as she was.

Still, Nadia was better than she was at the farm. Having to use her prior knowledge, the teen had to fill in the gaps herself. Daryl was gone and nothing could change that. She was now the teacher.

Luckily, Lincoln was frantic when he ran, leaving his tracks large and quite easy to follow. Going through the bushes, passed the trees and as she made it to the tracks, Nadia could see the boy sitting down on the metal. Clutching the green wig as if his life depended on it.

Slowly walking over, the girl quietly sat next to him. Allowing the Smith boy the chance of comfort without being too forwarded. Something he must've liked as he softly spoke, "I was too hard on her. I know that."

She nodded, "They're still kids. We seem to forget that sometimes."

Lincoln slightly nodded as Nadia watched a few drops of watch trickle down. Able to see the marks carved into his dirty face from former tears. Making her reach up and whip the new ones away.

The usually happy boy leaned into her touch. Closing his eyes as he let himself go, "Do you want to talk about it?" She asked him.

Though after he shook his head, Nadia knew pressing him was not the right course of action. Instead pulling him close, allowing him to rest his head on her shoulder as she comforted him.

Allowing the silence of the woods to fill the void. Calming him down with simple and small breaths.

Eventually the girl looked down at the item he was holding. Properly seeing just how tightly he was clutching the synthetic green material as if it were gold.

He must've noticed her confusion on why he cared so much about the cheaply made product as he quietly mumbled, "We couldn't afford a nice wig. Her treatment was very expensive."

It didn't take long for her to figure out what he meant. Nadia mentally slapped herself for forgetting about Lucille Smith's pancreatic cancer, "I understand," she continued to rub his back.

Though Lincoln continued to speak, "It's kinda weird, you know? Paying for treatment?" He slightly chuckled as he ran his hands through the messy green locks, "Paying for your hair and eyebrows to just fall off and maybe just maybe not die."

"Did you have insurance?"

He laughed, "A former teacher on parole getting insurance for the family? No, we paid out of pocket. Had to put a second mortgage on the house."

"Well at least you'll never have to pay it now," she tried to lighten the mood. Not very well but she was trying. Lincoln was supposed to be the light, not her.

Though he did chuckle, just a tad, "Yeah. True..."

Thinking quickly, as he was the one who taught Nadia to speak their sorrows out to heal, she then asked, "So how did you get that wig? Did she just pick it up on her way home one day?"

"No," he shook his head. "No, um... dad sold some stuff and the four of us went to Party City. We went to the wig section and bought the collection."

"Seriously?" Nadia chuckled.

He nodded, "Yeah. We all took turns wearing them. All the time. Games, movies, meals... Lou had his lucky long pink one. He was convinced he could only win darts if he wore it."

"Did it work?"

"Only because we let him." The pair started to chuckle, "But no one was ever allowed to touch this green one. Ever."

"Why not?"

"Because it was her's," he said as if it were obvious. "You don't ever touch her green wig." He paused, sitting up straight and holding the item in his hand. "Ever."

As he focused on the wig Nadia gave him a moment. Allowing him to process his emotions a little more clearly before taking his free hand. Giving it a small squeeze, simply saying she'd be here for him, just like he had once for her.

Letting out a sigh Lincoln stood up. Wiping his nose and putting on an obviously forced smile, "We should head back. I gotta... I gotta talk with Mica."

Nadia took Lincoln's hand and tried to ease his worry, "When we get back to the house just pull her aside, okay? Maybe just... explain why you were upset."

"Yeah... yeah, I will."

She continued to caress his cheek, as a form of comfort. Not fighting back as he lightly kissed her, leaned his forehead against hers afterwards.

╔═.✾. ════╗

"Come on! Do it!" Carl happily yelled from the safety of the Greene family porch, while his mother looked much more frightened next to him.

"Okay baby, please be careful," Lori cringed as she watched the scene unfold.

Nadia rolled her eyes, embarrassed as hell by her entourage, as she tried to continue her archery lessons in peace, "Guys..." she blushed as her teacher scoffed from the few bales of hay a couple feet away.

Daryl ignored the Grimes family, as he stabbed a poster of Taylor Lautner, courtesy of Beth from a TeenBeat magazine, and dragged himself back over to the girl. Nadia allowed him to manhandle her. Fixing her stance and kicking her feet apart.

"Pull back," he demanded.

She nodded and did her best to draw back the bow, getting a bit of a resistance as she did so. The action caused her teacher to force the teen to pull back further, slapping Nadia's arm as well in order to keep it raised.

"I bet you tonight's portion of cake she gets him in the eye," Glenn whispered to his situationship, Maggie Greene, causing her to chuckle. "I'll take that bet. I think she won't even hit the target. Archery is hard at first."

Carl blew a raspberry, wanting to get involved, "She'll get it right in the head! Nadia can do anything, right mom?" He smiled up at the woman.

Though Lori Grimes was more focused on the safety of her eldest, "I'm more concerned about that old sting... How safe is that bow, Beth? Could it possibly snap and poke her eye out?"

Beth shook her head, "She'll be fine, Mrs. Grimes."

"Are you sure?" Lori started to bite her nails, "I don't want one of my kids to lose an eye."

As the group of spectators continued to ramble, Daryl nudged Nadia, "Don't focus on them. That's part of the job. Ignoring the noise."

"That's gonna be hard. They're pretty loud," Naida muttered.

"Then learn to ignore them. Now shoot."

She gave a small nod and closed her eyes for a moment. Fixing her grip on the wooden weapon before allowing the light to return to her vision. Pointing her arrow at the target and pulling back once more. Letting out a breath as she let go; the arrow landing on Taylor Lautner's shoulder.

Even if it wasn't a headshot, Nadia gasped in excitement. Her entourage clapped behind her as Lori let out a sigh in relief, practically leaning on her son for support.

Nadia turned back to Daryl with a proud grin as the others continued to cheer for her, noticing his rather bland attitude, "Not a kill. Try again."

Though, as the Grimes girl was used to this criticism thanks to her cheerleading days, she nodded, "Yes, sir."

"Don't call me that ever again," he demanded before she went back to work.

Or she would have if not for Andrea, T-Dog and Carol coming over to the house in a huff, "Do you know what's going on?"

"Where is everyone?" Andrea then asked.

"You haven't seen Rick?" Glenn raised a brow, stepping off the porch.

The blonde shook her head, "He went off with Hershel. We were supposed to leave a couple hours ago."

Daryl stopped helping Nadia as he heard how they were slacking off, "You didn't go? What the hell? Isn't anybody taking this seriously? We got us a damn trail," the redneck stopped mid-scof as he saw another person walking towards the group. "What's all this?"

Nadia watched in confusion as she saw Shane stomping towards them with her father's weapons bag slung over his shoulder, "You with me, man?" Shane handed a weapon to Daryl before addressing the others, "Time to grow up. You already got yours?"

Andrea nodded at the question, though rather confused, "Yeah. W-Where's Dale?"

"He's on his way."

"Thought we couldn't carry?" T-Dog asked the cop as he was handed a weapon.

"We can and we have to," Shane huffed. "Look, it was one thing sitting around here picking daisies when we thought this place was supposed to be safe. But now we know it ain't."

Shane then took out another large gun and walked up to a very frightened Glenn, "How about you, man? You gonna protect yours?" Glenn looked between his group and the girl he was casually seeing, before slowly taking the gun.

"That's it," Shane proudly smirked and turned to Glenn's girl. "Can you shoot?"

She scoffed, "Can you stop? You do this, you hand out these guns, my dad will make you leave tonight."

Carl gasped from the porch and shook his head, "We have to stay, Shane!"

Shane shook his head and continued to ramble on, "We ain't going anywhere, okay? Now look, Hershel, he's just gotta understand. Okay? He... Well, he's gonna have to," Nadia felt her stomach as he approached her younger brother and held out a small rifle for the twelve-year old boy. "Now we need to find Sophia. Am I right?"

Carl gave a small nod, wanting to find his friend, as Shane knelt down in front of him and presented him with the weapon, "Now I want you to take this. You take it, Carl, and you keep your mother and sister safe. You do whatever it takes. You know how. Go on, take the gun and do it."

Both Nadia and Lori stepped between them, keeping distance from the boy and the man trying to give him a weapon, "Rick said no guns. This is not your call," Lori quietly sneered at her ex. "This is not your decision to make."

Shane gave the woman a matching sneer, but another situation caused the oncoming fight to be put on hold, "Oh shit," T-Dog blurted out, making the rest look over.

The bow slipped from Nadia Grimes' hand as she looked over, wishing she hadn't. Seeing not only the two men part of the Greene's group luring a walker towards the barn, but her father being the one to carry it there.

"What the absolute fuck?"

╚════.✾. ═╝

Lincoln stayed close to Nadia as they continued to walk the path back home. His hand at one point slipped his hand around her own. Quietly returning to their home as the sounds of crunching sticks appeared behind them.

The two stopped and pointed their weapons at the noise, seeing a pair of familiar faces instead of what they expected. Carol and Tyreese who must've been returning from another hunt.

The two put on their faux smiles as they saw both Carol and Tyreese approach them, "What are you two doing out here?" Tyreese asked.

"We were... um-"

"Checking the snares," Nadia covered for him, allowing the teen time to hide the wig in his pocket. "I forgot to ask you both to do so and we couldn't leave them. Can't let the walkers get the food before us, right?" She easily lied.

A lie they bought, "Nothing there?" Carol asked, noting their empty hands.

Nadia shook her head, "It's still early spring at this point. No game for a little while."

The pair both gave a nod as she quickly turned the subject onto them, "How was your chance at hunting?" Nadia asked. "Any deer?"

The two sighed as they had been trying to bag a deer ever since Nadia and Lincoln had told them the reason they had even found their oasis in the first place. Knowing it could feed them for at least a week if they stretched it.

"We'll get one yet. Probably not even deer season," Tyreese tried to lighten the mood as the four started to walk back to the house.

Carol hummed as she carried her hunting rifle she borrowed from Nadia, "My husband used to hunt. He'd tell the same stupid joke every year."

"Really?" Lincoln tilted his head.

"He had jokes?" Nadia turned her nose up at the thought of the sack of shit excuse of a man Carol married being funny in any way possible.

Besides being funny looking that is.

She shrugged, "It wasn't good, but it was still a joke."

Lincoln started to properly smile as he glanced at Tyreese before back to her, "What was it?"

"You gonna tell it?" The boys begged the woman.

"Well, I guess I have to now, right?" She chuckled, "Okay. What's the difference between beer nuts and deer nuts?"

"What's that?" Lincoln asked.

She smiled, "Beer nuts are around 1.79, deer nuts are just under a buck."

"Oh my god," Nadia rolled her eyes as Lincoln laughed. "Boo!"

Tyreese chuckled at the teen's responses, "That's good stupid, but in no way is it stupid good."

"Yeah, I told you. There's more where that came..." the group noticed as Carol started to trail off. "...from."

Both Nadia and Lincoln started to cringe, thinking Mica was still upset over the small spat he got in with her. Not expecting to see what was going on instead.

"Oh my god!" Nadia and the others dropped everything as they hopped the fence and ran to the reminisce of the once happy picnic.

The teacups were shattered, broken down into bits and pieces with blood and dirt splattered on the porcelain. The basket was torn, as if it was used as a sort of shield. While pools of blood seeped into the dirt, spilling out from the body of a once alive Mica.

All while Lizzie smiled up at them. Her little sister's blood painted her face as she held the small blade delicately in her right hand, "Don't worry. She'll come back. I didn't hurt her brain!"

The four adults all watched the child happily smile as she showed off what she had done. As if the action was an art project of sorts.

Nadia felt herself start to wobble at the sight. She had seen children die before. But this... this caused bile to come up her throat, forcing her to cover her mouth and choke. Struggling but still swallowing her breakfast back down as she stared at the pale body of a child alive hours ago.

She then turned her attention to the baby next to Lizzie. Seeing Judith unaware of the danger before her. Too busy with tummy time to care about the specks of Mica's blood on her body she must've gotten from watching the violent crime.

As Nadia tried to think of a way to remove her little sister from the situation, Lincoln stayed quiet. Not taking his eyes off of the dead body as he slowly reached behind, unstrapping the gun from his holster.

Next to them Carol tried to move forward, wanting to get the knife out of the smiling child's hand, "No, no, no!" All froze when Lizzie dropped the blade and pulled out a small gun. "We have to wait. I need to show you. You'll see. You'll finally get it. We have to wait!" She pointed it at the crying Carol.

"Lizzie, put the gun down."

"I just want us to wait," Lizzie tried to tell the four terrified adults.

Nadia and Lincoln made eye contact as they knew they had to get to Judith. Trying to think of something as Carol struggled to breathe, "We can wait. We can wait. You just give me the gun. We can wait, I swear," Carol held out her hand. "You, Nadia, Tyreese and Lincoln should take Judith back. It's not safe for her."

Nadia went to take a step forward, but that resulted in Lizzie pointing the gun at her instead, "Wait! But Judith can change, too," the child practically beamed with joy. "I was just about to-"

"She can't even walk yet," Carol quickly told her, as a way to stop Lizzie.

Lizzie lowered the gun and allowed Carol to take it, giving a small nod, "Yeah, you're right."

Nadia didn't waste time scooping up her sister and moving away from the child. Though the movements were so quick it startled the baby, making her cry.

"It's okay. It's okay, I got you," Nadia whispered the words out between deep breaths.

"So you all take Judith back to the house and we'll have lunch," Carol told the girl. "And I'll just tie Mica up. You know, just so she won't go anywhere."

"Promise that's what you'll do?"

Carol, on the verge of tears, nodded, "Mm-hmm. I promise. I'll use her shoelaces," Carol turned to the others, seeing the fear in Tyreese's eyes.

Still he walked forward and led the girl inside the house, but Lizzie quickly stopped and turned to Lincoln, "Link? You promised to read with me after lunch. Are you coming?"

The boy just stood still next to Carol. Gripping his gun as Carol pinched him, forcing him to speak, "I- I should be here when Mica wakes up," he smiled through his tears. "I do need to apologize to her after all..."

Lizzie gave a small nod, "Yeah... you do," she muttered before taking Tyreese's hand.

"Let's... let's get you cleaned up," Nadia felt herself struggling to speak as they led the child inside the supposed safe space.

Only once Lizzie was out of sight Lincoln pulled out his gun and shot Mica in the head. Not caring if the little girl heard.

╔═.✾. ════╗

This was never supposed to happen. None of this was ever supposed to happen. She was supposed to be in college. Nadia should have been studying pre-law as she sipped away with an oat shaken espresso in a Starbucks right now. Not cowering for her life... as her father held a flesh eating monster on a leash.

"What the hell are you doing?" Shane screamed at her father.

"Shane, just back off."

The leader of the other group, Hershel Greene, held another walker with a similar leash, gawking at the sight of the group carrying weapons, "Why do your people have guns?!"

"Are you kidding me? You see?" Shane screamed and pointed at the men as he tried to make the group change their loyalties. "You see what they're holding onto?"

"I see who I'm holding onto," Hershel tried to correct the hot headed man.

"No, man, you don't."

Rick tried to find a way to explain the insane situation he got himself into as he held back the walker from the rest of the group, "Shane, just let us do this and then we can talk-"

"What you want to talk about, Rick? These things ain't sick. They're not people. They're dead. Ain't gonna feel nothing for them, 'cause all they do, they kill!" Shane continued to scream, "These things right here, they're the things that killed Amy. They killed Otis. They're gonna kill all of us."

"Shane, shut up!"

"Hey, Hershel man, let me ask you something... Could a living breathing person, could they walk away from this?" Carl and Nadia slightly screamed as Shane started to shoot the walker in the chest, yet it didn't bat the remaining eyelid it still had. "That's three rounds in the chest. Could someone who's alive, could they just take that?! Why is it still coming?"

The group tensed as Shane continued to shoot the walker Hershel was holding back, "That's its heart, its lungs. Why is it still coming?"

"Shane, enough!" Rick demanded as Shane walked forward.

"Yeah, you're right, man... That is enough," Shane finally put the walker down before addressing the others. Lori kept both of her kids behind her as the man they once considered family went on a tangent. "Enough risking our lives for a little girl who's gone! Enough living next to a barn full of things that are trying to kill us. Enough. Rick, it ain't like it was before! Now if y'all want to live, if you want to survive, you got to fight for it! I'm talking about fighting right here, right now."

And as Shane went to unlock the doors to the barn Nadia couldn't help but tear up at what her life had sadly become.

"I was supposed to be in school."

╚════.✾. ═╝

The small group of adults sat in sorrowful silence as they tried to process what had just occurred. Carol and Nadia sat together. Their hands clenched together as neither could stop shaking. The only reason Nadia wasn't crying her eyes out was knowing that in doing so, Judith would start as well.

Not that it mattered as Tyreese was holding her because he feared Nadia would drop her from how badly she shook, "I brought her some food," he admitted, breaking the silence. "Cleared out her room. Made sure she didn't have any knives, anything like that. She has a shoe box full of mice."

Nadia looked over at the man, wondering where Lizzie could have even obtained such a specific animal, "I asked her if she was the one feeding the walkers at the prison. That was her."

Both women's eyes widened at the realization. Back at the prison, near the end, Rick started to notice how certain sections of the fences meant to protect them were always crowded. Eerily crowded compared to the large areas where no walkers ever seemed to venture.

They did once find a few bloody mice carcasses around the heavy zones of the border; but it being so close to the end of the prison, it never crossed Nadia's mind again.

"And at the tombs, we found this rabbit pulled apart and nailed to a board. That was her, too. Said she was just having fun," Tyreese's words made Lincoln sniffle.

Nadia glanced back at her companion who was leaning against the fridge. Watching him keep his head down and arms crossed, "So what do we do?" He asked.

"I could leave with her," Carol suggested.

"What?" Tyreese tilted his head, while Nadia shook hers, "Carol, no."

"We can't sleep with her and Judith under the same roof," she sadly admitted.

As much as Nadia wanted to deny it, it was true. Judith was all the teen had left, she couldn't risk her safety for a girl who could attack at any moment.

"You wouldn't make it," Tyreese told the woman. "Not on your own."

"She can't be around other people," Lincoln told them. "She will kill you or be the reason you die."

"Maybe we could try to help her. Talk her back somehow," Tyreese suggested.

Carol shook her head, "This is how she is. It was already there... I didn't see it."

"None of us did," Nadia sniffled, rubbing her eyes.

She was hitting herself for not reading the signs. The way she cried for walkers. How she never seemed to understand how they were dangerous. Hell, Carl once complained to Nadia at the prison that Lizzie was naming them!

How could she have been so blind?

"I should have seen it," Carol huffed as Tyreese frowned. "So maybe we go. Me and Link and Nadia and Judith."

Carol shook her head, "You won't make it either," she paused. "...She can't be around other people."

And with that the jury was in an unanimous agreement, yet none were happy about the outcome.

And sad to say, when Carol executed Lizzie in the garden an hour later, Nadia couldn't help but find similarities to the one she heard at the barn.

How the gunshot Carol used on Lizzie sounded oh so similar to when Rick shot the walker corpse of Carol's daughter Sophia when she exited the Greene family barn years ago.

•••