The Life After: Volume One

Episode Seven, Chapter One. "Moderation"

The woman stands in the distance, hiding in the snow covered bushes.

She stares at Dean and Beth as they argue out back by the car while Dean scrapes the snow off of it.

Beth turns around and slams the door shut.  The woman readies her crossbow, prepared to shoot at Dean if she is noticed.

He looks off in her direction for a minutes and she holds her breath, getting the steadiest aim possible.

She moves her finger to the trigger and he turns around, dusting more snow off of the vehicle.

She releases the breath and lowers the crossbow, then slowly emerges from the bush.

Dean sets the duster by the door and heads inside the old food mart.

Memories from the old world, before everything went to hell, flash through the woman's mind.  She shakes her head and brushes her hands together to warm them up.

The snowstorm blows strongly on her, sending her hair to the right and freezing her more than she already was.

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"I never did tell you." Daryl says.

"About what?"

"That I knew how you felt. After Ryan. I lost my son in the beginning. My wife too. I'm not sure, but they could be alive. Never saw em' die."

"You had a kid?"

"I had."

"I'm sorry, I'm sure they're out there somewhere, Daryl."

"I'd like to hope so. But lately I've been thinking... Maybe it's better off if they died way back when. This is no world for a kid to grow up in. Hell, I don't even see how you and Beth are having that baby of yours."

"Neither do I. She's all about it and I just don't understand. She knows how this world is. What it can do to people... I don't see our kid lasting past five. That's if they're lucky."

"My son, Oliver. He was eleven. Without me and his mom I think he might've died. Scares me to think about it. Scares me just as much knowing that he could be living out there in this."

I nod in agreement. He looks off at the wall for a split second.

"It was Shane, you know. The one who got me stuck in The Colony in the first place... Garrett threw me in a cell. Raped my wife. Made me and Oliver watch. He had his men take Oliver away from me and I haven't seen him since."

"What happened to your wife?"

"He raped her. Every other day. Made me watch. Every, fucking, time. Then he killed her. I chose not to watch, got sick of his shit. So he threw her against the cell. Acted like he was the God of this world, and shot her right then and there. Ended it all for her."

I keep my mouth shut as I have nothing to say in response.

"I swore to myself I would kill him for what he did.  But you beat me to it.  Ended him that day.  And I'm grateful for that, Jacob.  Thank you."

"He deserved it...  He was an asshole. All he did was antagonize and kill."

"That's why I brought you out on that trip. I was gonna tell you but, never got the chance. I'm gonna be leaving soon. To go look for them. I was gonna ask you to come with me, maybe Glenn, but you've got the baby and what not. You need to be here if something happens."

"I'll go. I'm not gonna let you leave and go off on your own, Daryl. It's just too risky these days. Especially with all the snow on the ground, walkers could be under it and you'd never know until it was too late."

"I'll be fine on my own Jacob.  Besides, even if I were to die out there it ain't no big deal.  Mo family or anything like that.  Just one less mouth to feed."

"Daryl, you're part of our group.  You're one of us.  We don't care if it's an extra mouth to feed, we need you."

"That's bullshit Jacob and you know it."

"You've stayed with us this long, there's obviously something keeping you around."

"We could be the last people on earth for all we know..."

"But we aren't.  Theres more people out there.  I'm sure of it."

"How can you know?"

"I don't.  I just believe."

"Alright, well I'm heading back out.  You, Chad, Glenn and I?"

"Sounds fine.  We need that baby food.  Blankets, bottles, maybe a crib."

"Okay, you get your shit and head out to the car.  I'll go get everyone else."

I nod and head across the store to the exit.  The door nearly smacks me in the face when I open it because of the wind.

I run over to the car and climb in, turning it on to get the heat going.

Moments later Daryl, Chad and Glenn walk out of the food mart.  I pull the car up to the door and they climb in.

"Let's go."  Daryl says, thumping my seat.

I slam my foot on the gas pedal and snow flies up behind the car, soaking the food mart.

The truck zooms down the almost clear road. I take a left to head off to a nearby daycare.

"Daycare is out here right?" Chad says.

"Yeah, Shane used to take Ryan here a long time ago."

"You sure there's gonna be anything there?" Asks Glenn.

"I don't know. Doesn't matter, we aren't coming back until we get that stuff."

"Sounds like a plan." Daryl agrees.

After ten minutes pass, we pull up to the parking lot of the building. I stop the car and hand the keys to Chad.

"Can you pull the car up front? We'll go scout the place for anything we can get."

"Sure can." He answers.

"Thank you." I say. I climb out if the car along with Glenn and Daryl.

"Alright, Daryl, you head around back. Glenn and I will take the front."

He nods and we split up as Chad pulls the car away from us. We jog across the snow covered parking lot until we reach the door.

I gesture for Glenn to stay back as I approach the door.  I aim my rifle inside as I push the door open with my nub.

The building is dark and clean.  Almost as if someone had been living in it.

"It looks well taken care of."  Glenn says, walking through the door.

"It does, keep your eyes open."  I say.  I slowly walk down the hallway and hear a child laugh.  I peer around the corner to see a group of four kids talking.

The oldest one notices me and raises a revolver in my direction.

"Put your hands where I can see them!"  The teenager says.  I lower my gun and set it on the floor, then raising my hands to head level.  Glenn appears from the wall and copies.

"Maybe we'll get along.  You listen.  But maybe not, might have to shoot ya or something."

"Oliver stop it.  You so this every time someone new stops by, then you send them out on their own.  I've had enough of it."  One of the girls says, stomping her foot in front of the boy.

"Shut up Nix.  I don't see you doing anything to take care of us."

"Because you don't let us.  You're so focused on everything else."

"Ahem.  Hello?" Glenn says.

"Look, you guys can go ahead and get out of here.  I don't wanna have to shoot you."  Oliver says.

Daryl walks around the wall behind us and Oliver's eyes widen.  The both freeze in places and stare at each other for a moment.

Glenn and I exchange confused looks with each other before anything else happens.

Oliver's eyes begin to tear up and he smiles.  "Dad?"