We start walking with the whole group and I hang in the back. We take a rest and I keep rolling my eyes at Maggie and Glenn. Maggie hasn't said a word to me and the new people don't know what to think of me.
Tara talks with Rick for a quick moment but then comes back over to me.
"How you doing?" He asks as I sit on a branch in a tree.
"Great. Just loving all the 'home on the prairie' vibes." I scoff and he chuckles.
"They're happy to have each other back." He says and I nod.
Tyreese comes up to me and I just look at him.
"Can I help you?" I ask and he gulps.
"I know it wasn't your fault. Karen and David. You didn't know what you were-." He starts saying and I huff and jump down from the tree and land right in front of him.
"No, I knew exactly what I was doing. I just don't remember it. There's a difference." I say and walk away.
———
We keep walking and Rick has me up in the front by him. I'm in charge of killing walkers if they come across our path. I've killed about 10 already. He also doesn't want me disappearing on him again.
We set up camp and start a fire. I can feel eyes on me and they're not friendly.
"If you have something to say to me then just-." I start saying and then get punched in the face by Maggie.
My lip is bleeding now and I lick it off. Rick comes over to see what's going on.
"What the problem?" Rick asks.
"The problem? She killed my father!" Maggie growls and the camp becomes silent as she storms off.
"I'll talk to her-." Rick says but I shake my head.
"Don't bother. It's fine." I shrug and wipe the blood off on my sleeve.
"You sure?" He asks.
"Yeah. It's all good." I assure him and he nods his head.
Rick goes over and apologizes to Carol for kicking her out and asks if it's alright if we join her. She agrees and then he comes back over to me.
"You should get some sleep." He tells me and I nod my head and climb back up into the tree.
"Up there?" He scoffs.
"Why not?" I shrug and he chuckles.
I hear a twig snap and look in the direction it came.
I put one finger up to signal that there was one person and Rick nods his head. He sends Daryl to track who it was and makes me get some rest.
———
The next morning we start walking again and Daryl comes back with food. He comes over to Rick and I and tells us there were no tracks.
"So whatever you heard last night." Daryl say and I shake my head.
"Trust me, there was someone there." I tell him and Rick nods his head.
Rick tells the others to keep close. And motions for me to take lead from the back to make sure everyone stays together. Sasha and Bob annoy me with their happiness.
Suddenly someone starts shouting for help and Rick tells the group to hold up. Carl tells his dad that we should help whoever it is and I go up in a tree to see what's going on.
"He's not from the sanctuary." I tell Rick after I hop down.
"You sure?" He asks and I nod my head.
"Alright, kill the walkers and see what we got." Rick tells me and I take off.
There are about 10 walkers surrounding the man who is trying to stay on a rock away from them. He looks like a preacher.
"Shut up or you'll attract more." I growl and stab the walkers in the head.
I give a light whistle to let the group know it's clear. They come over and Rick tells the man to come down from the rock and he does.
"You okay?" Rick asks and the man pukes.
"Sorry. Yes. Thank you. I'm Gabriel." He says and introduces himself.
"Do you have any weapons on you?"
"Do I look like I would have any weapons?" He asks.
"We don't give two short and curlies what it looks like." Ginger bread man says.
"I have no weapons of any kind. The word of God is the only protection I need." Gabriel says and I scoff.
"Yeah, that's doing you wonders." I mutter.
"I called for help. Help came. Do you have any food? Whatever I had left it's just hit the ground." Gabriel asks.
Carl gives him some pecans and he thanks him. He sees Judith and compliments her and I quirk a brow.
"Do you have a camp?"
"No. Do you?" Rick asks and I can tell he does.
"Probably his church." I say and he looks over at me.
"Hands up." I say and he looks at me confused but does as he's told.
Rick frisks him and asks him the questions. He's killed 0 walkers and 0 people. He claims to be a sinner but won't tell us the sin.
We start walking and Rick asks if he was watching us earlier. He says he keeps to himself.
"People are just as dangerous as the dead, don't you think?" Gabriel says.
"Nope, I'm way worse than the dead." I scoff and keep walking ahead to keep an eye out.
He tries to make a joke but it doesn't go over too well. I find the church, pick the lock and search it, making sure it's not a trap. I get back to the group and nod to Rick that it's legit.
Carl thanks Gabriel and Giant red riding hood says that they have a bus out back that they can fix. He had told us about Washington and how they need to get Nerd boy there to save the world.
We all head inside the church and I lay down on one of the pews. Gabriel tells us about a place nearby that's overrun what maybe more than a dozen walkers.
"On it." I say but Rick stops me.
"You're not going." Rick says and tells me to stay in the church with Tyreese and Judith.
Rick tells Gabriel that he's coming along. He goes and talks to Carl and then they head out.
———
They come back with a lot of food and Carl goes outside to look for signs of what Gabriel is hiding. I already found the scratches and the warning of burning in Hell carved on the side of the building.
Once everyone comes back we get the food ready and eat. I don't take a whole lot and just sit in a pew. Camouflage boy makes a toast and calls us survivors. Then he asks us if that's all we want to be and goes on a rant about getting to Washington.
Eugene says that there are things in DC that are made to withstand pandemics like this. Rick chuckles and says he's in. And everyone claps and gives Rick gives Judith to Sasha.
Rick motions for me to come with him and we go sit by Gabriel. Rick tells him that if what he's hiding hurts us in any way, that he'll kill Gabriel.
I notice Bob leave. I could smell the bite on him the moment he walked in the church. Shasha leaves the building and I know she's going after Bob.
I nudge Rick and we get up and follow her outside. A walker attacks her and I kill it.
"Bob is out there somewhere." She says as she catches her breath.
"Daryl and Carol are gone too." I say and huff.
We head back inside the church and go up to Gabriel.
"What are you doing?" Sasha growls at Gabriel who looks utterly confused.
"What?" He asks confused.
"This is all connected. You show up, we're being watched, and now three of us our gone." Sasha says.
"I don't have anything to do with this." Gabriel says and Sasha grabs her knife out of her belt.
"Sasha, put it away." Her brother tries to get through to her and I just cross my arms and watch the scene unfold.
"Who's out there?" Sasha asks and Gabriel stutters and says he doesn't know.
She keeps yelling at him until Rick steps in front of her and eyes Gabriel. He asks Gabriel why he brought us here and who he's working with. Gabriel looks completely confused and petrified.
Rick continues questioning Gabriel and when he doesn't get an answer he grabs him by his shirt and holds him against the railing.
"What did you do?!" Rick shouts in his face and then let's go.
Gabriel starts breaking down and tells us that he turned his church people away when this all started. He buried their bodies after they were all killed. He says that the Lord sent us here to punish him and I quirk a brow.
He falls to the ground and starts balling his eyes out and Rick looks back at me. I nod my head and he sighs.
Glenn comes in sayings that there's someone outside lying in the grass. Sasha runs outside and runs to Bob. He has a leg missing. Walkers are coming around and I start killing them one by one while the others get Bob inside.
We get back inside and Bob tells us that he was in a graveyard. He was knocked out and woke up outside a place that looked like a school. He tells us that it was Gareth and my blood runs cold.
I remember what I saw in that building, the horrors of it all. Rick looks over at me and puts his hand on my shoulder and I notice that I am clenching my fist so tight that blood is being drawn from my palm.
He continues saying there were five other ones and they were eating his leg right in front of him.
Rick asks if Daryl and Carol were there.
"Gareth said that they drove off." Bob replies.
"Well...it's a good thing it was you." I scoff and Sasha looks at me and starts coming my way.
"He's been bitten, meaning their dead either way." I say as I hold my hands up to show her I'm not gonna fight her.
She freezes and looks down at Bob.
"How do you know that?" Bob asks shocked.
"Doesn't matter." I shrug and he shows Sasha the bite.
"It happened at the food bank." He says and Sasha has tears in her eyes.
They bring Bob into Gabriel's office to lay on the sofa and Rick pulls me aside.
"I think they're going after Beth." I say and he nods his head in agreement.
Gabriel tells us the place Bob was was probably the elementary school. Glenn reminds us that Jim lasted almost two days before I shot him.
Annie's unglier sister decides to speak up. He tells us that we all have to leave for DC right now. I scoff at his stupidity, and how much he doesn't understand this group at all.
"Daryl and Carol are gonna be back. We're not going anywhere without them." Rick says.
"I respect that. But there's a clear threat here to Eugene. I need to extract his ass before things get any uglier. So if y'all won't come, good luck to you. We'll go our separate ways." Abraham says.
Rick tells him that he's leaving on foot and Abe says that he fixed the bus himself.
"There's a lot more of us." Rick says as he walks forward.
"You wanna keep it that way? You should come." Abe scoffs.
"Carol saved your life, we saved your life." Rick growls.
They start arguing and it gets physical for a hot second. I just stand there watching it unfold kind of wanting to see who would win. Sure Abe got the muscle and training, but Rick...there's no telling what Rick will do.
Before I get an answer to that question Glenn stops it before it starts. Glenn tries to bargain with Abe but Abe is as stuck in his ways as a door nail. Tara comes in and says that if Abe stays one more day to help that she'll go with them to DC. Abe says that Glenn and Maggie too. When Maggie refuses Abe tells Rosita to grab her gear.
But in a surprising twist, Eugene says he's gonna stay. Abe tells him again and he gives in and I roll my eyes.
"You're not taking the bus." Rick repeats and I smirk knowing this is gonna be good.
"Try and stop me." Abe retorts and now it's dangerous to be around Rick.
Rick starts walking forward and I sit there wishing I had a bag of popcorn to watch the entertainment. But before anyone even hits flesh, Glenn ruins it yet again.
They agree to stay half a day and I roll my eyes wishing it was going to be harder than this to convince them.
Sasha goes and sits with Bob in the office. Rick starts pacing back and forth coming up with a plan and starts talking about how we're in control, not Gareth and them.
"Plan's got stones, I'll give you that." Abe states
"Make our move before they do." Glenn states.
"That's right. They're not counting on us thinking straight." Rick says.
Rosita asks if we are thinking straight and I scoff.
"Cadet Kelly, we never think straight, thinking straight to us is not thinking straight at all. Get what I'm saying?" I ask and she nods but then pauses as she has to think about what I just said.
Rick rolls his eyes at me and I smirk.
"Remember what these people are capable of." Rick tells her and the room goes silent.
"You know...I wonder if tattoos really do taste bad like Jeffrey Dahmer said." I state out loud and everyone looks over at me.
"Maybe I'll ask them before I rip their spine out of their throats..." I state casually as if I was talking about a to do list.
"Tyreese, you up for this?" Rick asks and Sasha comes out of the room and says she coming with.
"You two love birds done saying your goodbyes finally?" I ask as I get my knife out.
"You're not going anywhere near him." She growls and I quirk a brow.
"Kinda need to do my job." I say with a smirk and she pushes me back.
"Hey, Keres, not yet." Rick says as he comes over.
Tyreese tells Sasha that she should stay with Bob but she says she wants to be a part of this. Tyreese and Sasha head into the office and I roll my eyes.
"Ready?" I ask and look at Rick and he nods his head.