In which Rick Grimes comes back
from the dead, only to find that he's
living amongst them too.
OR
In which Emerson Scott falls for the
widowed cop in the midst of their
world crashing down around them.
BOOK ONE
part i. - when the dead come knocking
...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
06 | the center for disease control
EMERSON SAT BY THE FIRE, WITH SILAS ON HER RIGHT SIDE. Carl was on her left, his head in her lap as she ran her fingers through his hair. It brought her back to when they were children. When they would watch their mother get torn down, the only thing that would bring Silas comfort was having his hair played with. It was the only way she'd get him to go to sleep, too.
She was exhausted. Most of them had been up for over 24 hours at this point. Too afraid to sleep and too worried about what came next. They needed a plan. Jim was running out of time. Earlier, they spoke of heading to Fort Benning. Or the Center for Disease Control. Their leaders were divided and needed to be on the same page.
Silas and Shane thought it best to head to Fort Benning, while Rick and Emerson knew the CDC to be the better option. A while ago, Shane and Rick had went off to do a sweep. Emerson only hoped that as Shane knelt in front of them all, Rick had been able to talk some sense into him.
Which it seemed she was right.
"I've, uh, I've been thinkin' about Rick's plan. There are no guarantees either way, I'll be the first to admit that. I've known this man a long time and I trust his instincts. The most important thing we need to do, is stick together. So..." Shane let out a sigh, meeting Emerson's gaze, "Those of you that agree, we leave first thing in the morning. Okay?"
Hours later, after Carl had been put to bed by Rick, did Emerson feel another body sitting next to her. She hoped it wasn't Shane. She didn't have the energy to reject him again and could feel herself getting snippy. Though it seemed luck was on her side. It was Rick who sat in the lawn chair next to her. They were set up in front of the low embers, trying to keep them warm as they nights were getting colder.
"You need sleep." He told her.
Emerson laughed, "I'll sleep when I'm dead."
"Mind if I join you?" He offered her a tin cup to which she knew to be filled with water. She muttered a thanks as he let out an exhausted sigh. "So, we're headin' to the CDC."
"That we are. Happy you got your wish, Lucky?" She arched her brow at him teasingly.
Rick let out a laugh, "Our wish, really. Shane was tough to convince. Thinks he's got a chance with you if he agrees with what you want to do."
