The End of Days

[26]

"Paige, no!" He almost shouted at the sight of Sam's gun in her hands. Liam yanked from her grip, heart seizing in his chest. She stepped back a bit at the yelling and he corrected himself quickly, "This is dangerous. Why do you have this?"

Liam had been going over the plan Mac had set out for the day, agonizing over his impending undeadness. The couple was still knocked out in their bedroom and he was smart enough to know the kids were already up. Fred had nightmares and Paige always got up to talk him out of the dark, she was the only one he ever allowed to.

"It was in your bag." She said, shrugging a little. Liam shook his head, "No. Why did you take it?" He tried not to consider the fact that that very same gun had been in her father's pants. Liam meant it when he said he would wash that gun and he had, thank god.

"I wanted to learn. I want to help."

His eyes watched the child carefully, glancing down the hallway where he knew her caretakers would no doubt disapprove. It was only the last thing she said and the look of strength in the little girls eyes that had him agreeing.

The truck remained tucked away in the garage, the keys dangling on the hook off the wall. The pantry was filled with canned foods, lots of water stored away. The kids trusted him, they could be packed in 5 minutes tops. Liam stood there quietly as he waited for Mac, considering those facts and pitting them against the moral obligations that weighed on him all the damn time.

He had everything, they could just go. Whether Mac or Abby accepted it or not. Tomorrow morning the kids could be waking up in warm beds surrounded by walls and guns and a community of people to care for them. Ones who weren't trapped by circumstance, but people who actually wanted to be there. All he needed to do was grab the keys and say the word and he didn't doubt they would listen.

The sound of talking and pattering from the kitchen caught his attention. The breath left him, hand scratching at his head before he got up and physically shut the door on the idea. They had a deal, Liam planned on seeing it through. Even if it did seem virtually pointless. Even if they pissed him off in ways not Sam or even Adam could manage.

An hour later, Mac and him went for the car maintenance place which was right around where they'd been just the day before. They would drive out with the truck, gather up as much gas as they could since she had the extra hands around.

It should've been easy enough, Liam figured. As long as he stayed by her side, she shouldn't catch onto his..condition. Tomorrow was when the real work began anyway. Mac had been saving him the details but the way they avoided it, they tried not to consider it too heavily. It wasn't gonna be easy, he knew that much.

The gas run was a breeze alright. They drove out with the truck, only freezing their asses off just a bit. Everything on the car looked good despite sitting around for the last couple years. Mac was a very hands on lesbian to no one's surprise. She knew her cars and her mechanics, the fluids and battery were triple checked and they were off.

"You're good with them." Mac said, popping up the back of the truck bed. The gas cans they'd scavenged were put to use, each filled with the toxic liquid and stored for the ride home. Liam watched her, rubbing at his numbed nose with a gloved hand. "I think it's good you take them."

"Did you ever care about them?" The question was stupid, he knew that. She wasn't a monster and it showed. But he found himself wanting to hear it anyway.

"Don't ask me that kid, please. I tried to do right by them, I really did." She sighed, rubbing at the face that dimmed in guilt.

A walker stumbled over and she drove the knife between its ears quickly, dragging the body so it didn't block the way of the tires. She brushed back some of her brown bangs, giving him her full attention.