Didn't See That Coming | The Walking Dead(1)

Part 36 (Little Ass-Kicker)

"Rick, you with me?" Daryl asked gently as he knelt down to meet the grief-stricken man's eye level. "Rick?"

Rick's face had gone blank, clearly in shock. His crying had seized and his tears were drying on his cheeks. He had an almost confused expression, like he didn't know where he was. He didn't speak and he avoided eye contact, not just with Daryl, but with everyone.

Daryl moved away from him and looked around for CJ. He was a lot more worried about her than he realised when they were searching the prison for her and the others. When he had first seen the walkers, she was his first concern.

CJ was till stood off to the side. She had barely managed to stop her tears when she felt a hand on her right shoulder, startling her slightly. She turned around quickly and wiped her eyes when she saw Daryl standing in front of her. "I'm okay," she whispered with a small nod.

Daryl sighed and kept his hand on her shoulder. "Are you?"

"Yeah... yeah I'm fine." She felt herself welling up again so walked away from Daryl to join the others. She appreciated Daryl checking on her, but she wasn't the priority right now.

"Let me see the baby," Hershel called out as Maggie and Glenn went over to him.

"What are we gonna feed it?" Daryl asked. "We got anythin' a baby can eat?"

"Well, the good thing is, she looks healthy," Hershel replied. "But she needs formula and soon, or she won't survive."

"Nope, no way. Not her," Daryl said, shaking his head. "We ain't losing nobody else. I'm goin' for a run."

"I'll back you up," Maggie announced.

"And me," CJ said.

"I'll go too," Glenn added.

"Okay," Daryl nodded. "Figure out where we're goin'," he instructed before pulling Beth aside to talk to her.

Maggie and Glenn went to give the baby to Carl and CJ went over to the car to check the maps. It hadn't gone unnoticed by her that Carol and T-Dog weren't around. She didn't even need to ask where they were.

"Glenn, Maggie, vamanos!" Daryl called over to the couple. "Get the gate. Come on, we're gonna lose the light." He came over to stand beside CJ and looked at the map, closely followed by Maggie and Glenn.

"There's a Piggly Wiggly on eighty-five," Glenn stated.

"No, the baby section's been cleared," Maggie told them. "Lori asked me to keep an eye out. I haven't had much luck."

"Is there anywhere that's not completely empty?" CJ asked.

"I saw signed for a shopping centre just north of here," Glenn replied.

"Yeah, but there's too much debris on the road," Maggie countered. "A car won't get through it."

Daryl nodded to his bike. "I can only take one a' you."

"I'll go," CJ instantly replied.

"Are you sure?" Glenn asked, catching her arm.

"Yeah. I have to. I know what to get," CJ answered. "You two hold down the fort."

"We will. Be careful," Maggie said.

"We will," CJ smiled sadly. She walked over to Daryl's bike and climbed on, wrapping her arms around him before he took off down the road and out the gate.

As they drove, CJ let her mind wonder. She thought about all the times over the winter she had assured Lori that everything would be okay. Empty promises that turned out to be lies. She thought of Carl and how he had made the choice to put Lori down. She knew how she felt when she did the same thing for Tony and new Carl would be feeling the exact same way right now.