Love in the Aftermath

I

Another 2.5 years had passed and here they all were, trekking through the woods. Both the Harts and the Dixons were just trying to make it through the woods and to the quarry. Trying to survive. See about a week ago the dead were no longer dead and they were trying to eat any warm blooded being in reach. No one knew how or why but here it was, trying to kill them all. Octavia and Daryl made the plan to go to the quarry in hopes whatever was trying to kill them couldn't make it there. How could they be sure though. Every one of their siblings trusted their instincts though. Neither of their fathers made it nor would they be invited, both were too drunk to realize that wasn't a person coming towards them.

Lydia was having the hardest time. She was at the Harts place when this all started and never even glanced towards home. That wasn't the problem though. She wasn't made for a world like this one was turning into. Everyone else was still in shock from what they had already seen to have much thought about it yet. Daryl had gone into "just get my family safe" mode and couldn't think about anything else while Octavia trusted him with her life and was focused on helping him.

"Hey O, you hear that?" Danny asked while looking out from the tree line. They still walked through the woods in hopes that nothing would find them and if they had it would be heard.

"Danny get back!" Octavia yelled as a man jumped at him from behind a tree.

"NO!" She yelled again, eyes wide and jumping on the man.

She managed to roll the man off of Danny and fling him off of her as well. She immediately stood back up but Daryl was by her side ready to protect her in an instant along with her other brothers behind them ready for whatever might happen. Octavia locks eyes with the man and finally realizes that he's not dead.

"You aren't dead?" She asked and in return Daryl gave her a side look.

"No I ain't dead!" He said getting up and stalking over to them.

"I wouldn't come any closer!" Damon said from the other side of the Octavia where he had moved. Will was helping Daniel up and making sure he was alright. The man stopped moving and starred at the group that clearly outnumbered him and probably his group.

"Shane!" A woman yelled. They all looked around to find where that voice came from. They saw some movement on the tree line. Octavia looked back to the man and raised an eyebrow to which the man pinched the bridge of his nose. The woman made her way past the tree line and came face to face with the group.

"Oh god." She said looking around.

"I told you to stay back on the road Lori!" Shane immediately yelled at her.

"Yea you were just taking a while and dale told me to go find you." The girl, Lori, said back to him still frozen. Shane ran over to her while she was talking and blocked her from the group, not that they were planning on doing anything.

"Look we just want to get to the quarry. We are not looking for any trouble we just want to be safe." Delilah piped in from behind everyone.

"There's safety in numbers, we may need each other and that's where we are headed." Shane says to everyone.

"You're just going to let them come with us?" Lori says under to breath to where only Shane was supposed to hear but Octavia at least hear and she could tell Daryl did too.

"Yea we ain't lookin' for more people ta take care of." Daryl said.

"Neither are we, just some good like minded people. Look around you everything's trying to kill you and soon people will be killing people, now let's not start that and just work as a group, what do you say?" Shane's trying really hard and he didn't seems like the type to do that. Maybe it's because they are in the woods and know where they're going so that will help their group, or maybe it's just because there's so many of them and there really is safety in numbers now a days.

Daryl looked to Octavia along with just about everyone, she didn't know why but she did always read people very well. While Shane wasn't the best judge of character he clearly had an underlying reasoning or something of the sort for wanting them to join them, he wasn't to bad just yet. But if she got a whiff that he was she would be telling her group immediately and they would leave, for now though what other option did they really have.

She looked back up at Daryl and gave a slight nod, one where really no one would be able to see. Daryl knew though, he knew that meant they would be going with these strangers and he didn't like it one bit. He trusted her with his life though and if she thought they would be okay to go with for now they he would follow her.

"We will join you. We travel through the woods though." Daryl told Shane.

"We have women and children, we can't follow through here." Lori said before Shane could even speak.

"We have cars, and a RV. It'll be safer if you all join us."Shane told her.

"Okay fine." Octavia said before anyone had a chance. Shane turned and started walking away with Lori and the stayed a few feet ahead. While Octavia and everyone stayed behind to talk for a minute.

"What are we doing?" Damon asked once they left.

"We have no choice. They are going to the same place, we'll have to see them regardless of if we travel with them or not." Octavia told him.

"Ughh, I didn't sign up to be social." Damon groaned.

"Oh get a grip!" Delilah laughed at him.

"Whatever!" Damon rolled his eyes with a slight smile appearing.