Survival in Numbers (Daryl Dixon/The Walking Dead)

Chapter Seventy Seven - The Church

The group left the tracks that next morning, Daryl had told Emma and Merle that they suspected people from Terminus were following them. Using the woods instead of the tracks might mean that they would lose their trackers, without having to fight. Despite everyone having a weapon, they needed to save their ammunition and they weren't entirely sure how many people, if any, they had on their tail.

The red head was still suffering from bouts of sickness, but not like she was before. But she still haven't received her 'red rag', as Merle called it.

They camped for another night before moving on again, Emma now carrying baby Judith in her arms, feeding her as the group walked.

"Help, please!"

Carl ran on ahead, towards the call, despite Rick's warning for him to wait. It could be a trap set by the Termites!

The group took off after the young man, Merle and a few others keeping back with the red head and the baby.

They caught up with the rest of the group to find a priest, speaking with Rick.

"I called for help, God sent you."

The group, although guarded and untrusting, followed the priest (who had introduced himself as Gabriel), to a church which was heavily graffitied with bloodied handprints covering the main doors.

A couple of people paused to read the words scrawled on the side of the building, whereas Emma followed Rick and Daryl inside. The group filed inside, guns pointed down each pew to see if the priest had been lying about being on his own. Rick, Tyreese and Sasha checked the side rooms as Maggie checked behind the curtains of the Organ and the confessional booth.

Emma handed Judith over to Beth, so that she could disappear outside for a moment as a bout of nausea washed over her once more. After losing her breakfast, Emma wiped her mouth with the back of her hand before the words 'you'll burn for this' greeted her.

"Here." Carl handed her a bottle of water, his eyes on the scrawled words that Emma had just spotted.

"Thank you."

Carl stood awkwardly beside Emma as she caught her breath and sipped at the water.

"Thank you for looking after my sister." He said, once they walked back to the church.

"You don't need to thank me." She replied with a smile, flicking the brim of his (once Rick's) hat.

"She likes you now." Carl stated, with a teasing smile. "She doesn't cry anymore."

"Well, that's because I'm her favourite aunt." Emma replied, as the two stepped back inside the church.

They were greeted with the sounds of shouting, and the two glanced at each other before making their way over towards Beth, Carol, Sophia and Judith.

Daryl and Merle were no where to be seen, Emma noted, and she decided that they must be out hunting.

"Gabriel said there's a food bank over run with walkers," Carol said, "Rick's telling him he has to go with them to get the supplies, to earn our trust." Emma nodded her head, then noticing Maggie and Glenn were missing too.

"Where's Gleggie and the Dixon's?"

"Daryl and Merle are going to try and get a car working. Maggie and Glenn have gone to hit some houses for you."

"I think the rule of two needs to be increased." Emma said then, "We don't know how many people there are potentially following us, and we have enough people to go in groups of at least four."

Carol nodded, "Rick said this too."

"So why have they-"

"-They've gone to the same area." She said, "All left together."

Emma nodded in understanding, "Who's going to the food bank?"

"Everyone except us, Abraham, Rosita and Tyreese." The red head nodded at Carol's words.

"I might go and lie down for a minute over there."

"Still feeling sick?"

"Yeah." She ran a hand through her hair, "Before we got to Terminus, I thought I was going to need to go on another IV. I'm feeling better now though."

"I'm sure we can find something, if you need it." She said, "Go and lie down, I'll wake you if anything happens."

"Thank you." Emma made her way over to a pew near the side room, resting her head against Judith's changing bag that had her spare clothes inside.

She had only closed her eyes for what felt like a second, before the main doors opened and the first group returned. Rick and the others with a couple of trolleys full of supplies.

There were a few cheers from the group, Carl and Sophia especially excited to see the amount of food they had brought back with them.

Emma watched with bleary eyes as Carl then took his dad by the arm and led him out the front, moving out of the way so that the Dixon's and Gleggie could enter the church.

"We'll be feasting tonight!" Her dad cheered, already rummaging through the trolleys.

The red head glanced up as Daryl came over to her, kneeling down by her head.

"Hey," He murmured, brushing copper stands out of her face. "We got a test for ya."

She sat up, moving her legs off of the bench so that he could sit down beside her. "When shall I...?"

"Whenever ya wanna."

Emma felt nerves building in the pit of her stomach, and she realised then that she was scared. Of course, after the group had been told about Lori's pregnancy, they fully supported and cared for her but Emma...she knew she would receive the same treatment but...she wasn't one to be shielded. She was an active member of the group, she needed to feel useful. She was worried that, if the test came back positive, she wouldn't be able to go on runs and contribute to the group as she had been doing before.

She knew it was selfish to think that way, but it was true. It was hard enough with one baby, on the road, but two? She knew the group would come together in support, but she would be putting everyone's lives at risk.

"Hey," Emma looked up at him, "We gotta know, so's we can prepare. Ya dad wants t'go Washington. Mullet Brains knows 'bout a cure. We gotta know if ya are or ya ain't."