The sun was climbing high, even though it was still early. Maggie was still in her room, undisturbed, fortunately. Beth was in the kitchen with Shawn, helping with breakfast.
"When is she gonna wake up?" Beth muttered, stirring a pot of soup, her back still sore from all the work she had done yesterday, keeping that boy alive.
Shawn didn't turn as he continued cleaning dishes from last night. "Let her sleep, Beth, she's tired from yesterday."
Beth frowned slightly, annoyed. Yeah, like I did nothing yesterday. She exhaled through her exhaustion, continuing with what she was doing.
In the living room, Andrea—who never got a wink of sleep after our talk early morning—sat beside Amy, her eyes dull and tired. Carol was there too, still holding onto Sophia, while Lori stayed by Carl's side inside the room.
Hershel was outside, checking the crops for shoots or pests, while Glenn and Daryl looked after the animals. Dale sat on top of the RV, keeping watch.
Rick, Shane, and I stood near the truck.
"Where were you headed before getting stuck on the highway?" I asked, though I already knew.
"Fort Benning," Shane answered quickly. "Best place to be in a time like this. They've got guns, shelter, and soldiers," he tapped a marker against the map laid across the trunk.
"Shane, " Rick said suddenly, "Can we talk?"
Shane looked over, confused. "I'm standing right here, man."
"In private," Rick added, his brows drawn together.
I glanced at both of them. Rick's voice was tense, probably thinking of not revealing that they have a place. Before they could move away. "I'll let you two chat. I'm heading inside."
I didn't wait for them to reply, as my mind had already shifted to Maggie. I needed to check up on her before someone else did.
Inside, the living room was quiet except for the clatter of a ladle against a pot in the kitchen.
Carol looked up from the couch, nodding slightly at me, and Sophia curled close to her side. Andrea's eyes darted to the floor the instant they saw me, her shoulders stiffening in awkwardness, while Amy glanced between the two of us, puzzled by her sister's reaction.
I moved past them, glancing into the kitchen. Shawn was at the stove now, stirring a pot Beth had left.
"Where's Beth?" I asked. Don't be upstairs.
Shawn turned, a little startled by my voice. "Oh—hey, Wesker. She's upstairs, trying to wake Maggie."
I nodded and started toward the stairs.
At the top, Beth stood outside Maggie's room, knocking gently.
"Maggie, wake up, we have work to do."
That's when she noticed me. My shadow fell across the hallway, and she froze, turning slowly.
"W-Wesker," she stammered, taking a step back. "I-i was just leaving."
She brushed past me quickly, but as she reached the first step down, I stopped her with a word.
"Beth."
She halted, tense, her shoulders tightening as she glanced back at me.
Jeez, she looks like a cat standing in front of a shower.
"Thanks," I said evenly. "For yesterday. If it weren't for you helping your dad and me, the boy would've been in a lot more trouble."
Maybe this will keep her from the edge around me.
Her breath caught, just for a moment. Confusion flickered across her face, but she nodded unconsciously, "You're welcome." She mumbled before hurrying downstairs, a small crease in her brow.
Back in the kitchen, light footsteps caught Shawn's attention as he turned to find Beth, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "What are you smiling at?" he asked, confused.
Beth blinked, caught off guard. "Huh? I'm not."
Shawn gave her a look that said, Yeah, right. His eyes were still holding suspicion.
"Do you guys need any help?" Both of their attention drifted to the source of the voice, and they found Andrea standing behind them.
—Outside
Shane and Rick stood apart from the others beneath the shade of an old oak, the wisp of the breeze low against the leaves. Rick's skin was still ghostly pale from the transfusion, dark hollows carved beneath his eyes.
"What is it?" Shane asked, his voice low, guarded, and confused.
"Are you still set on Fort Benning?" Rick's brow creased, the question more a plea than a challenge.
Shane shifted, his hand brushing the butt of his holster like it was second nature. "And?"
Rick folded his arms, steadying himself, his gaze drifting over the fields and fences. "We could stay here. Food, shelter, water… safety. Everything we need, everything you wanted, is right here."
Shane followed his gaze, lips pressed into a thin line. "And you think the old man's gonna let a caravan of strangers camp on his land? He's only putting up with us because of what happened to Carl."
Rick's jaw worked. "He might. If we show respect, pull our weight." His voice dropped thoughtfully. "Maybe Wekser can smooth it over."
Shane let out a short, disbelieving laugh. "Wesker. Yeah, sure. That's your play? That guy doesn't even talk like a human. You think he cares about us? It's a miracle he pulled through for Carl, but I think that's where it ends for him and us."
Rick's eyes hardened, "You say that like you got another plan?"
Shane didn't answer right away. For a moment, he just stared at Rick, caught off guard by the question. Then he smirked, a humorless twist. "Yeah. Fort Benning."
Rick exhaled through his nose, weary. "Shane, listen to me. Out there is nothing but wreck and walking corpses. How many more would we have lost if we had kept pushing down the highway? What if Lori and Carl…" Rick stopped himself.
Shane's glare cut into him as he mentioned Lori and Carl, the air thin between them. He clicked his tongue, dismissive, and stepped out from the shade into the sunlight. "Do what you want, man."
Rick stood alone under the tree, watching him go.
In the distance, atop the RV, Dale sat, Binoculars resting on the bridge of his nose as he sighed, seeing Shane and Rick.
—Farmhouse
"Maggie," I called softly through the door standing in front of Maggie's room. Soon, it cracked open, and there she stood, hair frizzled into a wild mess, bare legs, nothing on but a t-shirt that hung barely below her hips.
I pushed her back inside and shut the door behind me.
"What?" she asked, voice still heavy with sleep.
"Get dressed. Now." My tone cut sharper than I intended, but it jolted her awake.
She blinked before hurrying to the dresser and fishing out a pair of panties and jeans.
"What's going on?" She asked, stepping into the panties and sitting down at the edge of the bed.
"Andrea saw your little performance last night." I turned toward her as she pulled the jeans over her leg.
She frowned, "Who?" She asked, already forgetting yesterday's events.
"One of the blonde sisters."
Her hands stopped halfway through tugging her jeans, her brows twitched, remembering the two women who were helping her in the kitchen last night, she sank slightly, waistband tangled around her knees.
"I already told your dad about us." I leaned against the windowsill, watching her reaction.
Her head snapped up, eyes wide. "What! Why would you—"
"Did you want him to hear it from someone else?" I asked flatly.
She stopped, her head turning down toward the floor, jaw tight, fingers picking at the belt loops on her half-pulled jeans.
"What did he say?"
"That I'd better not leave you."
Her gaze lifted, disbelief flashing across her face. "He… what?"
"He approved," I said, kind of.
Slowly, Maggie rose, dragging her jeans the rest of the way up but leaving them unbuttoned, the denim clinging low on her hips. She stepped toward me with a cautious grace, head tilted, eyes roaming mine like she was still searching for proof.
"Are you serious?" she whispered, voice hushed, almost trembling.
"When am I not?"
That earned a small, shaky laugh from her, more breath than sound. Her arms slipped around me, warm and tentative, then she rose to her toes, pressing her lips to mine. The kiss was soft, wet—too brief, gone before I could take hold of it.
She drew back just enough to rest her head against my chest, her breath tickling through the fabric of my shirt. "I can't believe it…" Her arms tightened, clinging, squeezing me like she could sink into me.
"Now that that's out of the way," I muttered, wrapping my arms around her waist, pulling her in closer, "What about Lilly and Carley? I doubt your dad would like the prospect of you being in a harem."
Her head tilted up, eyes glinting, the hint of a smile tugging at her lips. "Don't worry," she murmured, playful and defiant, "I'll take care of that."
I smirked, lowering my head, and her mouth again, this one was longer, harder, but just as brief, as the muffled stir of voices outside prickled my focus.
I tore my lips from hers, Maggie's soft gasp still lingering between us as I slipped out of her embrace. She blinked at me, confused, her lips parted as if to protest, but her eyes followed mine to the window.
Outside, gathered near the gates, Glenn, Shane, Rick, Dale, and Hershel circled a girl perched on a horse, Maggie's horse, the very one she'd left behind at my base.
Brown hair straked in gold, catching the sunlight. An off-white long-sleeved shirt tucked into black jeans.
"Alicia."
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****
Read +3 or +7 chapters ahead on my Pat*eon
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