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After catching fish and berries for dinner, the group sat in a circle around the camp fire as they ate dinner and told stories.
From James' perspective, everyone was having a good time. Even Shane, who seemed to have had a look of annoyance on his face since his father returned.
The young adult knew it was because of the affair he was having with his mom.
As he looked across the fire from his spot next to Carl, he could see Remington speaking quietly to Rudeth, the girls actions suggesting that she was teaching the younger girl how to eat her fish properly.
James remembered from their walks how Remington mentioned that she didn't like fish all that much. He found the faces she made when taking a bite a bit amusing to say the least.
He couldn't help but notice the way the fire illuminated against her skin, giving her pale skin and more golden tone. He watched her smile at a -no doubt horrible- joke that Rudy made, the corners of her eyes crinkling before they soothed away when her smile fell. He could have flinch from how quickly her attention darted towards him, her eyes now shining as the fire danced in her irises.
"Pass the fish, please."
"Here you go."
"Man o man, that's good. I miss this."
"I've got to ask you, man. It's been driving me crazy." Morales spoke up, his words bringing everyone's attention to Dale, who he was speaking to.
"What?"
"That watch."
"What's wrong with my watch?" Remi and Any giggled at how offended he sounded.
"I see you every day, the same time, winding that thing like a village priest saying mass."
Jacqui agreed, "I've wondered this myself."
Dale shook his head, "I'm missing the point."
"Unless I've misread the signs, the world seems to have come to an end. At least hit a speed bump for a good long while." Jacqui said.
Morales gestured to Dale, "But there's you every day winding that stupid watch."
"Time... it's important to keep track, isn't it? The days at least. Don't you think, Andrea? Back me up here. I like... I like what, um, a father said to son when he gave him a watch that had been handed down through generations."He said,
"I give you the mausoleum of all hope and desire, which will fit your individual needs no better than it did mine or my father's before me; I give it to you not that you may remember time, but that you may forget it for a moment now and then and not spend all of your breath trying to conquer it."
By the end of his rant, the smile of Rudy's face had slowly faded away. She had absolutely no clue what any of that meant. It seemed Carl thought the same as the preteen in front of her sent a small smirk in her direction, leaving the two to bury their faces in the arms of their siblings to cover up their smiles.
Amy chuckled, her and Remi's shoulders bumping as the two girls leant against each other, "You are so weird."
The group laughed, Dale shaking his head with a small smile at their behavior,
"It's not me. It's Faulkner. William Faulkner. Maybe my bad paraphrasing."
Amy tapped Remi's shoulder, using it as leverage as she gets up from the campfire, instantly grabbing Andrea's attention,
"Where are you going?"
"I have to pee." Amy looked shocked at the immediate worry, "Jeez, you try to be discreet around here..."
"I'm getting tired, Rem." Rudy admitted to the girl, who ran her fingers through her hair. Before the older of the two could respond, Amy's voice echoed from the RV,
"We're out of toilet paper?"
The moment that Amy stepped out, a Walker's snarls filled her ears, giving her less than a millisecond to react before it took a bite out of her arm. The blonde screeched in pain, Andrea's own screams fill the air as she watched it all happen.
"Go! Get up!" Remington yelled at her sister, forcing the girl to stand from her comfortable position.
Everyone began to scatter,
"Mom!" Carl shouted, immediately catching the attention of the woman and his brother,
"Carl!"
"Lori, get him down!" Shane told her, grabbing his gun and shooting as many walkers as he could.
From a few feet away, James could be seen rummaging through his belongings, pulling out a loaded pistol and a few extra bullets.
He stood a couple inches away from Shane, shooting away at the dead while the others attempted to stay alive.
Remington stood protectively in front of Rudy, using a nearby knife that, no doubt, belonged to Daryl, to stab whatever wasn't human that came towards them.
"Remi!" Rudeth's screams startled her, forcing the girl to turn in fear that her little sister was in danger. Unfortunately, Rudy was only warning her about the walker that was charging at her from the side.
The distraction led to Remi collapsing to the ground, a withered woman on top of her, teeth chomping at her in hopes of getting a small bite.
Remington fought and fought, grunting in frustration as she struggled to get the walker off of her, her left hand yearning to touch the knife that had fallen a mere few inches away from her.
From the corner of her eye, she could see Carol reach to snatch Rudy away from the scene and into her arms, along with Sophia, the two girls having tears streaming down their faces.
Her struggle didn't last long as the walker's body fell limp against her. Remington breathed heavily, checking to make sure she was okay before she noticed the arrow sticking out of the walkers head.
Daryl.
She's never been so happy to see him.
"Are you bit?"
"No, no. I'm okay." She spluttered out as he lifted her up, doing a once over before handing her a machete, urging her to go stand protectively in front of Carol, Sophia and Rudeth.
"Go."
"Baby! James?! Carl!" Rick's voice filled the air, panic clear in his tone.
"Dad!"
Carl ran to Rick, pulling the man into a hug once the area was clear of walkers.
"Are you okay?" He doesn't give Carl a second to answer before he continued, "Where's your brother? Where's your brother?"
"Right here."
The two turn to see James walking towards them, pistol in hand and walker blood covering his face.
Rick pulls him in, kissing both his son's heads, breathing out a sigh of relief.
Slow footsteps walking towards them scare the three men before they come to realize it was the Pickett sisters, Carol and Sophia behind them.
James unknowingly let out a breath at the sight of Remi and Rudy, nodding softly, almost to confirm to himself that they were okay.
Andrea's cries fill the quiet camp, her body against Amy's as she moved the girls hair out of her face,
"Amy. I don't know what to do, Amy. Oh, Amy. Oh no no."
Amy lifted a hand to Andrea's cheek, letting out a gentle, 'i love you' before her breathing stopped. Andrea sobbed, voice cracking as she pleaded for her sister to wake up.
Carl also began to cry when he noticed that Amy was dead, Rudy turning her face into Remi's shirt. The older girl fought back tears as she watched the scene.
"Amy!"
As everyone else gets rounded back up, Jim turned away to take one last look at Amy,
"I remember my dream now, why I dug the holes."