Everyone was stood near the cars ready to leave the quarry. Cassie along with everyone else had packed up her belongings and her tent getting ready to leave. There weren't a lot of options for Cassie when it can to her seat in one of the vehicles. The rest of the Grimes family where with Carol and Sophia.
The Rv was full to the brim with T-dog and Andrea taking up the two seats of the blue pick up truck. That left her with two options.
Shane or Daryl.
Normally someone would assume Cassie's first choice would be Shane seeing how close they use to be. But ever since what Dale had told her the day before she couldn't shake it from her mind that Shane could be dangerous. Would he kill her in order to have Lori? She wasn't sure.However she wasn't sure if Daryl would want her riding with him.
"Listen up everyone." Shane called out getting everyone's attention "Those of you with CBS we're gonna be on channel 40,but let's keep the chatter down ok? Now you got a problem, don't have a CB, can't get a signal anything at all, you gotta hit you your horn one time. That'll stop the rv. Any questions?"
Cassie looked over at Daryl from where she was on the hood of a car next to Carl picking at one of the patches on her jeans when she saw him swiping at his eyes.
"We're uh- We're not going" morales told them all looking over to his family.
"We have family in Birmingham" his wife said "we want to be with our people"
"You on your own you won't have anybody to watch your back"
"We'll take the chance. I got to do what's best for my family." Morales assured them.
"You sure?" Rick asked the man.
"We've talked about it. We're sure"
"All right. Shane?" Rick said as he crouched down with Shane going into the bag of guns and taking out a gun with half a box of ammo for Morales to protect his family. Cassie noticed Daryl scoff at the fact rick was giving out more of their ammo. Everyone started embracing each other in hugs and handshakes saying goodbye to the Morales family. Cassie never really talked to them but went over and shook Morales hand anyway wishing him and his family luck on their journey.
She turned away from where everyone was still saying their goodbyes and started to walk over to Shane. Daryl saw out of the corner of his eye the women as he bit down on his fingernail.
"Cass" he called out grabbing her attention before she could reach the two men in front of her. She turned around to face him before he motioned for her to come over. She walked over to him with a smile only he could see curious as to what he could want.
"Yeah what's up?"
"Need a ride?" He asked not meeting her gaze as he continued to gnaw on his thumb.
"Yeah sure"she replied giving him a smile that made sparks in his stomach. She then continued on asking a question even he didn't know the answer to"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why are you offering me a ride"
"I don't know." He admitted going back to gnawing on his thumb "Just figured you might want to ride with me instead of Shane."
"Yeah I would. Let me just go grab my stuff" before she walked past him to grab her stuff their shoulders
brushing gently.
He turned around to watch her walk away before shaking his head and heading over to Merles truck to wait for Cassie. He had already loaded up Merles bike into the back not wanting to leave a piece of his brother behind.
Once Cassie reached him she threw her stuff in the back choosing to only take her messenger bag in the front with her that held a few small items. The group then set out to the cdc.
As Daryl drove them they were again surrounded by the comfortable silence they both had when they were in each other's presence. Daryl was happy for the silence thankful that they didn't feel the need to have meaningless small talk.
Cassie then remembered the mall bag of sour green apple candies she had.She reached into her bag let out a small "aha" as she pulled the bag of candy out victoriously. Daryl watched the women and began to gnaw down on his thumb again so she couldn't see the smile he had.
She took a candy out the bat popping it in her mouth before turning to the redneck and offering him be. No words were shared as he cautiously took a sweet from bag nodding his head as a 'thanks' of some sort. Cassie payed the bag down on the seat in between them before she started staring out the window placing her forehead against the cool glass and beginning to daydream.
The peaceful environment was broken when they saw the rv break down ahead of them causing everyone else to stop.
"What the hells happened now" Cassie grumbled as they hopped out the truck,Cassie putting ricks hat in her head,walking towards where the rest of the group were standing Dale shaking his head slightly at the sight of the smoking engine.
"I told you we'd never get far on that hose. Listen I needed the one from the cube van"
"Can you Jerry rig- it?" Rick suggested before Dale shut the idea down saying
"That's all it's been so far it's more duct tape than hose. And I'm out of duct tape"
Shane was looking out at the road in front of them announcing that he saw something up ahead to the group. T- dog and him went to check it out after jaqui announced to the group that Jim was in a bad state. He wasn't going to make it.
Rick then came out the rv after talking with Jim announcing he wanted to be left behind.
"Is he lucid?" Cassie asked him. Jim had been talking a lot of crazy and the infection slowly killer him so maybe this was just the sickness playing mind games with him again.
"He seems to be. I would say yes"
"Back at the camp when I said Daryl might be right you shut me down" Dale began "you misunderstood. I would never go along with callously killing a man. But I was just gonna suggest that we ask Jim what he wants. I think we have an answer"
There was a short break of silence before Shane broke it. "We just leave him here, we take off? Man I'm not sure I could live with that." He said whilst looking at Rick for some type of support.
"This isn't your choice to make Shane. Or yours Rick. It's up to Jim it's his life" Cassie said the two men sharing a look after her words. After sharing a few more words the pair went back into the rv and each o them grabbed Jim from under the arm. They lifted him out and up a hill at the side of the road sitting him under a tree.
Everyone stared down at him whilst Shane went over to Jim. "You know it dosent have to be this"
"No it's good the breeze. It's nice" Jim spoke showing he was okay now. Shane have him a pat on the leg before he walked away making his way back down to the parked vehicles.
In their own time and ways everyone wished Jim a goodbye before heading back down the hill. It wasn't long before Cassie and Daryl where the last ones stood there. Daryl stood back as Cassie went over to the man crouching down with her hat off as a sign of respect placing one hand on top of his. She couldn't help but feel guilty after saying they should kill Jim at the camp.
Jim put his other hand on top of her before whispering "He looks at you the way I looked at my wife before we were together. He's scared and is pushing the feeling away just like I did.Don't let him go Cassie. Don't let go."
Cassie hadn't expected to cry but could feel her eyes beginning to water at Jim's words. "I won't" she said with a small smile before getting up and quickly making her way down the hill her eyes not meeting Daryl's. Daryl gave Jim a nod of the head before heading down the hill after Cassie.
The group then got back on the road Cassie swiping at her eyes furiously trying to get the tears that were threatening to spill away but it wasn't working. She sighed in defeat placing a hand on her forehead taking deep breaths to calm herself.
When Daryl looked over he couldn't help but wonder what Jim had told her. He didn't say anything though noticing the way she was constantly twisting the ring on her finger in an attempt of calming down.
Just as he had the night of the attack Daryl placed his hand on top of Cassie's in an attempt to calm her down. She stopped the movement of the ring on her finger and he felt her hand soften under his.
They sat like that in silence for the rest of the ride to the cdc Daryl looking over to the women every few seconds to make sure she was alright.
Once they had arrived both grabbed their bows before heading out the truck that was parked behind all the other vehicles going over to meet the others. The smell of rotting walker corpses filled the air as Cassie scrunched her nose up and the horrible smell.
They made their way weapons at the ready incase any walkers came at them. The group made their way toward what Cassie assumed was the front of the building where there was shutters down covering the doors.
"There's nobody here"
"Then why are these shutters down?" Rick questioned.
"Walkers!" Daryl yelled as everyone with a weapon turned to face where they were coming from. He took his crossbow out and aimed before shooting a walker close to them down.
"You lead us into a graveyard" Daryl shouted at Rick furious.
"He made a call" Cassie yelled trying to reason with the angry redneck with no luck and back her brother up as he had many time for her.
"It was the wrong damn call" Daryl shouted back
"Shut up. You hear me Shut Up!" Shane yelled in Daryl's face pushing him back.
"Your not helping Shane" Cassie yelled at him.
"Rick this is a dead end"
"Where are we gonna go"
"We can't be this close to the city not at night" Cassie yelled trying to convince her brother they had to start moving for their own safety.
"Fort Benning Rick still an option"
"Oh my god Shane shut up about fort benning" Cassie yelled getting fed up of Shane's constant talk about the place.
"On what? No food, no fuel that's a 100 miles"
"125 I checked the map"
"Not the time Glenn" Cassie shouted to her best friend who gave her a sorry look.
"Forget Fort Benning we need answers tonight.Now"
"Loris right Rick we need to leave this isn't safe" Cassie pleaded with her brother trying to get through to her twin.
"We'll think of something" Rick said trying to calm the group.
Daryl and Shane made the decision that they'd start to leave and before she knew what was happening Cassie felt Daryl's hand gently grab around her wrist pulling her along with them as the began to move away from the shutters. Cassie noticed her brother had stopped and managed to get out of Daryl's grasp running towards him.
"The camera it moved" Rick said pointing up to a camera that sat above the shutters.
"Your seeing things Rick it never moved"
"It moved" Rick kept repeating himself trying to convince his sister and Shane.
"Rick even if it did man it's an automated device. It's curious ok?"
Shane tried pushing Rick away from the shutter and when he had no success Cassie tried stepping in infront of her brother looking him in the eyes as she tried to push him away from the shutters.
Cassie backed up slowly as she watched her twin brother start pounding his fists against the shutters willing them to open as he screamed they they were being killed if not let in. Just as the group began to walk away a bright light shine on them.
Holy shit