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Julia stays in the car as they pull over surely running low on gas, they didn't even have much food. The group had no where to go.... They just had to avoid the giant herd.
Slowly Julia gets out to join everyone but Hershel stares at her in concern. "You shouldn't be walking around." He tries to scold but she just walks past him and leans on the car.
Hershel finally leaves her be when he realizes she wasn't going to sit.
"Everyone stop panicking and listen to Rick." Hershel demands making Julia look to him for the first time. Rick looked pale he looked almost sickly, he looked to be grieving. That's when Julia asked what happened to the others getting brief rundown on how they got attacked. Rick looked away when Shane was mentioned.
"All right, we'll set up a perimeter. In the morning, we'll find gas and some supplies. We'll keep pushing on." Rick explains making Julia nod slowly she needed to be kept busy right now. Stuck in her own head wasn't helping.
"Glenn and I can go make a run now, try and scrounge up some gas." Maggie offers but Rick turns it down instantly. "No we stay together. God forbid something happens and people get stranded without a car." Rick snaps aggressively making Julia eye him funny.
He really seemed off.
"Rick- we're stranded now." Glenn says with desperation as Rick waves it off. "I know it looks bad, we've all been through hell and worse, but at least we found each other. I wasn't sure I really wasn't- but we did. We're together. We keep it that way." Rick informs making Julia sigh but nod.
"We'll find shelter somewhere. There's gotta be a place." Rick tries to give them hope but- the group could see it was false promises.
"No offense Ricky- dicky doo dah grimes but uh..... we're basically up shits creek right now. Look around. Nothing here for miles." Julia slurs pinching at her eyebrows as Hershel moves towards her in case she fell.
"She's right Rick- there's walkers everywhere. They're migrating or something." Glenn says but a Rick had to keep some hope alive. "There's gotta be a place not just where we hole up, but that we fortify, hunker down, pull ourselves together, build a life for each other. I know it's out there we just have to find it." Rick exclaims making Julia eye him funny again.
"Even if we do find a place and we think it's safe, we can never be sure. For how long? Look what happened with the farm. We fooled ourselves into thinking that that was safe." Maggie says with Julia's usual doom and gloom. Julia was just unnaturally quiet as she kept rubbing at her aching head.
"We won't make that mistake again." Hershel says gravely making Julia snort as all eyes go to her ready for the usual comment but she just stayed mute.
"We'll make camp tonight over there, get on the road at the break of day." Rick informs pointing to some brick structure. Someone had moved next to Julia but she never saw who until Carol came on her other side. She was sandwiched and she didn't even feel threatened by their proximity....
Something was definitely wrong with Julia. She didn't even notice how earlier everyone was grabbing her on the interstate checking on her. She didn't cuss them out or anything.
"Does this feel right to you guys?" Carol asks Julia and Daryl who was the person that leaned on the car next to her.
"What if walkers come through, or another group like Randall's?" Beth asks in a panic. "You know I found Randall, and Julia right?" Daryl asks all eyes go to Julia as she looks away, she didn't even remember being found.
"What happened out there Julia?" Rick asks gravely like he already knew and he did.... Shane told him.
"I saw Shane..... he let Randall loose so I followed them into the woods. I watched him.... Snap Randall's neck. He found me. We fought, I busted his face..... and then he hit me with a gun on the head. Everything after that's black." Julia states with a cold detached voice as everyone stares at her in disbelief.
"Randall turned. But he wasn't bit." Daryl informs as Julia cooperates that Randall died from the snapped neck. "How's that possible?" Beth asks and Rick sighs.
"Rick- what the hell happened after you all went looking?" Lori asks her husband who she could see was off.
"Shane killed Randall..... tried to kill Julia." Daryl rephrases the events waiting for Ricks interjection but he stays silent.
"Just like he always wanted too." Daryl finishes, everyone knew Shane and Julia had problems they just never knew how deep rooted it was.
"And then the herd got him?" Lori asks confused as Julia looks up.... It seemed odd for Shane to die to walkers. Rick stays silent and looks amongst the group as if he were debating telling them all something.
"We're all infected." Rick states with certainty making Julia perk up for the first time since leaving the interstate.
"What?" Daryl asks in disbelief as everyone stares at Rick.
"At the CDC... Jenner told me. Whatever it is, we all carry it." Rick explains while everyone looks disturbed even Daryl walked away to take a moment to control his usual anger. He was getting better at controlling it.
"And you never said anything?" Carol asks incredulously as Rick looks unbothered by the hostility.
"Would it have made a difference?" Rick asks and everyone even Glenn looked upset by this revolution. "You knew this whole time?" Glenn asks with pain in his voice and betrayal.
"How could I known for sure? You saw how crazy that mo-" Rick begins to defend himself but Glenn doesn't let up.
"That isn't your call. Okay when I found out about the walkers in the barn, I told for the good of everyone." Glenn insists as Julia raises a pale shaky hand.
"I'd like to take this one- Glenn you only told after spilling to Dale, Dale was going to tell us but you told him you would first. You didn't spill right away okay? And you had evidence you saw it. How was Rick to know? It was his call he leads this group okay- and I don't know about any of you guys but..... I'll follow him blindly because he does what's good for us all not just himself. Shane- Shane was evil...... there's a lot you guys don't even know that he did. It's better Rick here then him. He's gonna keep us all safe." Julia rants as everyone stares at her, Rick giving a nod in thanks since everyone but she was attacking him.
"I thought it best that people didn't know. Not until- we were sure." Rick says looking at everyone who stares at him with slight distrust even Lori.
It made Julia scoff and mutter of idiots before sitting down on Daryl's bike. He didn't say anything or try to stop her as he went hunting trying to find some animal to cook up.
When night fell the group got jumpier, Julia didn't.... She just felt... empty. Her thoughts continually starting to Raya.
"We're not safe with him- keeping something like that from us. Why do you need him? He's just gonna pull the two of you down." Carol whispers as Julia and them were curled up close for some body heat.
She didn't physically touch either of them but she wasn't repulsed by them being close either. It was progress. She kind of wanted to joke and say Shane beat the crazy out of her..... but she didn't think Carol would appreciate such humor.
"No ricks done all right by me." Daryl says agreeing with Julia that Rick was in a right state of mind. He kept them safe and gave them liberty at times. "Your both just his henchmen. And- I'm a burden. You deserve better." She says to the pair but Julia just avoids answering and eye contact.
"What do you want?" Daryl asks incredulously unsure why the woman was telling them this. Daryl didn't want to lead and Julia- she knew she'd just be bad at it.
"A leader of honor." Carol says like it's common sense making Daryl scoff shaking his head. "Rick has honor." Daryl says with disbelief as Julia nods in agreement. She finally felt a little better but standing up or walking made her feel tired.
People just kept whispering the whole night and Julia knew they were doubting Rick. But she'd stay by his side no matter what.
The sound of leaves rustling makes everyone on edge and look in that direction fearfully. "What was that?" Beth asks as Daryl stands with his crossbow ready. "Could be anything. Could be a raccoon, could be a possum." Daryl tries to keep them calm but of course Glenn stands too saying a Walker.
"We need to leave. I mean what are we waiting for?" Carol asks in a panic making Julia roll her eyes and look at an annoyed Rick.
"Which way?" Glenn asks as Maggie points. "It came from over there." Maggie specifies as Beth mentions its the direction they came from.
"The last thing we need is for everyone to be running off in the dark. We don't have the vehicles. No one's traveling on foot." Rick says with finality as a twig snaps.
"Don't panic." Hershel voices but everyone looks worried anyway.
"I'm not- I'm not sitting here, waiting for another herd to blow through. We need to move now." Maggie demands but Rick was having enough.
"No one is going anywhere." Rick says through clenched teeth as everyone stares at him. "Do something." Carol hisses and that was the final straw for Rick.
"I AM DOING SOMETHING IM KEEPING THIS GROUP TOGETHER, ALIVE." Rick loudly whispers at Carol making her flinch as Julia sighs rubbing the back of her neck.
"I've been doing that all along no matter what. I DIDN'T ASK FOR THIS. I KILLED MY BEST FRIEND FOR YOU PEOPLE FOR CHRISTS SAKE!" Rick snaps as everyone's mouths drop open.
"Lucky" Julia mutters picking at her shoe lace making Daryl give her a look as if to say 'not now.'
"You saw what he was like, how he pushed me. How he treated Julia.... How he compromised us, how he threatened us. He staged that whole Randall and Julia thing, led me out to put a bullet in my back. He gave me no choice. He was my friend. But he came after me." Carl started to cry and Lori pulled him to her as Julia looks around.
How could they not see what he'd done for them all?
"My hands are clean. Maybe you people are better off without me. Go ahead. I say there's a place for us, but maybe- maybe it's just another pipe dream. Maybe- maybe I'm fooling myself again. Why don't you- why don't you go and find out for yourself? Send me a post card. Go on there's the door. You can do better? Let's see how far you get. No takers? Fine. But get one thing straight- you're staying, this isn't a democracy anymore." Rick rants looking a bit unhinged but Julia just looked at everyone to see them staring in horror.
At one point Rick sat by himself keeping his distance from everyone else. Julia slowly stood from Daryl's side and made her way over to Rick, his own family giving him the cold shoulder.
"Hey...." Julia says softly moving close for heat but not touching him. Rick sighs rubbing his calm face before side eyeing her and forcing a smile.
"Thank you for what you said earlier Julia..... I appreciate it." He says in a low whisper as Julia nods. "I'm always going to take your side. Their just- their just scared right now. Also- what you did about Shane.... It was the right call. I wasn't lying when I said there's a lot people don't know..... Dale told me he was going to shoot you at the quarry but Dale caught him..... I saw him...... at the CDC trying to force Lori to have sex with him..... he threatened Dale and me.... You.....you did what was right." Julia whispers and Rick hold back tears nodding slowly.
That's all he wanted anyone to say.
Even his own wife didn't support him, she pushed him away the second she discovered Carl had put down Shane's Walker form.
And everyone in the group stared at him like he was crazy, Rick could be sure that Julia felt like that from time to time with them. He didn't know how she could put up with it.
And he wouldn't be nice to anyone really that winter..... only Julia.
Until they found their next camp and tried to survive once again,
END OF SEASON TWO