Chapter 5: Vatos

~Clary~

"Shane, go!" I yell, taking down a walker near him. "Run!"

"Together!" the former officer yells back, taking my arm and pulling me with him. We duck around the walkers, running for the RV. I try to pull away, to run back to Daryl, but he tightens his hold on my arm. "Shane!" I cry.

"You'll never make it!" he replies as the RV door swings open, Glenn leaning out of it. He yells out to us, "C'mon! Get in! Get in!"

Shane lets go of my arm, pushing past Glenn into the RV. I back up as a walker separates me from the RV, stumbling towards me. "Clary!" Glenn yells.

At the sound of his voice, I snap back, pulling out my knife and putting the walker down. I dodge a walker just as I run into the RV, nearly tripping in my haste to get in. Glenn catches me, falling back on the ground beside Shane. Carl leans around us, closing the door as Shane yells up to Rick, "We've gotta go!"

"Hold on!" Rick barks, twisting and turning to avoid walkers. I take a minute to catch my breathe, resting my head on Glenn's shoulder. "You hurt?" he asks me.

I shake my head, looking up when I feel a hand on my shoulder. Carl kneels on the ground beside us, one hand on my shoulder, the other on Shane's arm. "You guys okay?" he asks.

"I'm fine," Shane tells him.

I push myself up off of Glenn, leaning back against Lori's seat as I nod my answer. "Jesus, man," I sigh, looking over at Shane. "I'm sorry, man. I didn't even see 'em."

"I didn't either," he replies. "They may be slow, but they just don't tire. They just keep coming." He looks up at Rick. "Thank you."

"Don't thank us," Lori tells him. "Thank Daryl. He's the one who noticed."

"He started honking and yelling his head off," Dale tells us, grinning down at me. The others laugh, while I sigh, closing my eyes. Even from that distance, Daryl still had my back, was still keeping me safe. I reach up between Rick and Lori, grabbing the CB before leaning back beside Carl. "Hey, kemosabe," I say into it.

"Yeah?" comes his reply, and I grin at the sound of his voice.

"Thanks for havin' my back."

"Not a problem. You good?"

"We're good," I tell him. "But I don't know what our next move is. But I'll see you then." I put the CB back, looking up at Rick. "Got anythin', Officer?"

"I got one," he says.

"Is it good?"

"It occurs to me we have friends in this town." He glances back at the Korean. "Glenn, what do you think?"

"Yeah!" he says, realizing whoever it is Rick's talking about.

"It'll buy us some time. A night or two till we figure out what we're doing."

"The nursing home," Glenn explains. "Guillermo and his people."

"You mean the fuckers that kidnapped you?" I question.

"We parted on good enough terms," Rick says.

"Good enough don't mean jack shit."

"You weren't there, Clary," Glenn says. "You didn't see the way that Rick handled things. They're our friends. They'll take us in."

I sigh at that. Damn, I trust Glenn, and if he trusts these people, then it should be good enough for me. But these same people took him hostage, threatened to kill him. But still, I sigh. "Damn, Short Round. I hope you're right. But don't think he's gettin' away with anythin' less than a right cross to the face."

Beside me, Carl chuckles, but the group's silent the rest of the way to the nursing home. As we all climb out, Andrea looks around, remarking, "They look like they're barely hanging on. What makes you think they'll take in strangers?"

"With all those guns we gave 'em, they'll probably throw us a party," Daryl replies.

"No problem there," I say. "I'm always up for a fiesta."

Daryl snorts, looking up at Rick. "Good call. For once."

Rick looks over at me, and I shake my head, silently telling him that it'll be better not to reply. Glenn leads the way through a broken window into a courtyard, and we all follow suit, weapons raised. He turns back to look at us about halfway in, asking, "Where are the lookouts?"

"Changing of the guard?" I suggest, but that worries me. We continue on, around a corner, then stop. "Son of a bitch."

Walkers found this place before we did, and a few graze on the bodies of Guillermo's people. I draw my gun as the group of walkers gets to their feet, and I ask, "Rick?"

He draws his gun, but he doesn't issue orders. The walkers stumble closer, and he still isn't telling us what to do. The one in the lead will be on us in a matter of seconds, and I fire, taking it down. "To hell with the noise," I say, glaring over at Rick. "Do your damn job, Officer, or give up the crown!"

Glenn and Daryl immediately follow my orders, Rick and Shane joining a moment later. We take the ones closest to us down, a few still a ways away. "C'mon!" I bark, starting towards the door. "Get inside!"

Rick pushes past me, taking the lead as we hurry in. The women behind us stop short when they see the bodies of the elderly on the ground, Sophia beginning to cry. Daryl turns around, snapping at both her and Carol, "Put a sock in it!"

"Leave her alone!" Carol snaps, and I blink in surprise. Damn, nearly everyone from the Atlanta camp is terrified of Daryl and I, but Carol practically tells him to shut the hell up. I'm liking this woman more and more.

"Shut her up or I will!" Daryl replies.

"Daryl!" I snap, turning to face him. "Shut the fuck up! Leave 'em alone, you ass!" I glance over my shoulder at the leader. "Rick, we stayin' or goin'?"

"We don't have the fuel," Rick answers.

"We'll hunker down for the night," Shane says. "Rick, you, me, and Dixon are gonna sweep the building, make sure we're alone. Rest of you, barricade those doors."

He turns and continues on, Rick directly behind him. Daryl and I follow suit, and I glance over my shoulder to find Carol shushing her daughter. We come into a dining room of sorts, tables turned, bodies strewn around. I find myself looking down at them, studying them. I look up as I feel Daryl's hand on my back, and he whispers, "C'mon. We still got more to clear."

I follow him to the next floor, following closely behind him as we clear the hall. He pushes open a door, and I follow his gaze to the old man laying dead. I look down at the door, snorting as I read the door. Prayer changes things. Daryl follows my gaze, then scoffs, looking back at the body. "Guess that didn't work so well for you, did it, hoss?"

I tap his arm as he starts away, still staring at the body. "C'mon, Clars," he says, taking my hand. "Starin' ain't gonna do nothin'."

"That's not what I mean, Daryl," I say, tugging him back towards the room. "Look and tell me what you see."

Daryl looks for a second, then says, "He was shot in the head."

"And the ones downstairs?"

He looks down at me. "Same thing." Daryl takes my arm, pulling me with him to check and clear the rest of the floor. "C'mon."

We gather back in the dining hall, the group that was supposed to barricade meeting us there. "Upstairs is our best bet," Rick says as Daryl looks around again. "We've cleared a few rooms. We can barricade those if we have to. We'll be alright."

"You mean it this time?" Carol questions. "Or are you lying to us like all the times before?"

I raise my eyebrows at that. Damn, I really like this woman. Lori tells her, "That's unfair. And no help at all."

"Life's unfair," I say, looking up at her. "I'd suggest you'd best get used to it. This ain't the world it was 'fore. Just look 'round if you don't believe me."

"What the hell happened?" Glenn questions, cutting Lori off.

"What do you think?" Andrea asks. "They got overrun." Daryl scoffs at her statement, and she turns to look at him. "Something to say?"

"Yeah," he replies. "How about 'observant?'"

"'Observant?'" she repeats. "Wow, big word from a guy like you. Three whole syllables."

"You'd best watch your mouth," I snap.

"Walkers didn't do this," Daryl says. "They didn't show up till all this went down. Somebody attacked this place. Killed all these people, took whatever they wanted."

"What do you mean?" Rick questions.

"They were all shot in the head," I explain.

"Execution style," Daryl adds. "Y'all worried 'bout walkers? I'd be much more worried 'bout the people that came and did all this." He looks over towards Andrea. "Get a dictionary. Look it up. Observant."

"We may be hicks," I snap, staring Andrea down as Daryl turns and walks away. "But don't think for one second that we're a bunch of dumb fucks." I scoff. "And weren't you a lawyer 'fore all this?"

"A civil lawyer!" she replies. "It's not my job to observe."

"Oh, sunshine," I say. "You always gotta observe. I wonder how many guilty assholes walked 'cause you didn't observe. You see, Andrea, but you do not observe."

I sit next to Daryl, leaning my head against his shoulder, as Rick and Shane search the kitchen for any food. I look up at the sound of Shane's voice as he says, "Ransacked the kitchen. All we found was the one can."

"They hit the dispensary, too," Rick tells us, walking in behind Shane. "Tore the door off its hinges. Took everything except this."

He hands a bag down to Lori while Glenn grabs a set of plates from a shelf. Daryl looks up at them, saying, "So you came back with cough drops and…" he tilts his head, reading the can in Shane's hand. "Garbanzo beans?"

"Is there any water?" Sophia inquires.

Shane kneels, digging in his pack, while he passes the beans off to Daryl to open. "Just one bottle I brought," he tells Sophia, handing it to her. "Just a few sips, okay? We've gotta make it last. It's gotta go for everybody."

Sophia nods, thanking Shane with a smile. He takes a seat beside us, reaching into his bag as Andrea asks, "What else you got in there?"

Shane pulls out a snack bag with a grin. "Salty snacks," Glenn guesses.

"Courtesy of the CDC," Shane tells him, tossing one of the bags towards the Korean. "Thought I'd be having midnight snacks in my air conditioned room. Didn't know it'd be dinner."

Daryl looks up as Shane pulls out a bottle of wine, asking, "Is that to share?"

"Seeing as how I owe you my life," Shane replies, passing it over to him. "I'm gonna go ahead and be nice to you from now on."

"I do believe I've earned the first swallow," Daryl says. "But you're only 'live 'cause Clary was with you." The others turn to look at him as he says that, and he ignores their stares, focused on opening the wine. "My main concern was gettin' her out."

"Let's go easy on that stuff," Lori suggests. "Let's not forget where we are."

Daryl shoots me a look, but he says, "Yes, ma'am."

He takes a drink, then passes it over to me. I take a drink out of it as Glenn dishes out garbanzo beans and Shane passes out bags filled with different chips and snacks. Daryl and I share a look as Dale approaches Andrea, knowing that this won't end well after her suicide attempt back at the CDC. "You okay?" Dale asks her, handing her a plate.

"Why wouldn't I be?" she replies. "We're spending a night in a building that smells so badly of rotting bodies I want to vomit up my guts. I'm dining on condiments and hoping I don't get eaten by dead cannibal freaks before dawn. What's not to like?"

At that, Dale gets up and walks out, joining T-Dog on watch. I sit back against the wall, my crossbow on one side and Daryl on the other, and I look up at Rick as Lori gets up to stand beside her husband. "So, what's next?" she questions. "We need to decide."

"Fort Benning, Rick," Shane says. "Still an option."

Rick nods once. "I shoulda listened to you Shane. Would've saved us a lot of grief if I had. Jacqui would still be alive."

"It was her choice, man," Shane replies, looking up at his best friend. "Do not take that on."

"It was her choice," Lori says. "It was her decision to make, not yours. No more than it was with Jim."

"All these people," Glenn says softly. "Who would've done something like this? Just come in here and murder everybody. Even all the old people. How sick is that?"

"Is this something we need to be discussing right now?" Lori scolds.

"He's right," I say, speaking for the first time since I snapped at Andrea earlier. "Who the hell did this?" I glance over at Glenn. "You're damn right it's sick. But hell, that's what the world is, ain't it? Unfair and sick as all hell."

"Clary," Lori snaps. "That's enough."

"Lay off of her, Mom," Carl says, looking up at her. "We're all strung out."

"I'd say get some sleep, then," Shane says. "I'd suggest we all turn in for the night."

He gets to his feet, Rick following him out into the hall. Glenn follows them out, Daryl pulls me to my feet and we follow them out, my brother closing the door behind us. "They're terrified in there," Shane scolds, looking down at Glenn and I.

"Guys, I'm really sorry," Glenn says.

"I'm not," I say. "Grow the fuck up. World ain't sugarcoatin' shit."

"Look, we're all rattled and exhausted," Rick sighs as Daryl takes another drink from the bottle. "No one's thinking clearly. But we have to start. Our lives depend on it."

"You're damn right," Shane agrees. "We can't ever let our guard down again." He sighs, starting for the stairwell where T-Dog and Dale are on watch. "Back at camp, having a fish fry with no one on watch. People died that didn't need to."

Daryl passes the bottle over to T-Dog, a sign of truce, as we gather in a circle. "Fort Benning," Rick says. "That's the consensus."

"Anywhere but here," T-Dog says.

"We're wasting fuel driving so many vehicles," Rick says. "We need to lose a few. We'll siphon the gas out of whatever cars we don't take. It should get us free of the city."

"I'll take Merle's bike," Daryl proposes. "I can get around roadblocks in that the cars can't."

"That'd be a start," Shane agrees. "Let's just try to get some shut eye tonight. T, I'll switch you out in an hour."

T-Dog nods once, and we get up, heading back into the room we chose. Daryl takes a seat in the corner, and I settle down beside him. "Get some sleep, Clars," he tells me. "You haven't slept since the CDC."

I throw my arm across his stomach, resting my head on his chest. "Well, damn, Clary," he remarks. "I hope you're comfy."

I smirk, closing my eyes as I settle down against him. Daryl sighs, but wraps an arm around me. I fall asleep almost right away, hoping, just as Andrea said, that a dead cannibal freak won't kill me before dawn.

~Daryl~

"SHIT FUCKING DAMMIT!"

Those of us awake all jump at the sound of Shane's shout, the light sleepers waking with a start. Clary scrambles for her crossbow, barking, "What the hell's going on?"

Shane runs for the room, his shouts reaching us before he does. "WE GOT WALKERS!"

He skids into the room, nearly running into us as we rush to the door. We slam it closed behind him just as the walkers arrive. Dale and Lori wake the others up while Rick, Clary, and I hold the door back. To Shane, Clary barks, "How the hell'd this happen?"

"They all came at once!" he pants, getting to his feet.

"We gotta barricade the door!" Rick barks. "Glenn, Shane, T! Give us a hand!"

The three push what they can against the door, but the walkers still push back. "C'mon, Clary, think," my sister mutters to herself. "Think, you dumbass!"

"The window!" I cry, seeing it across the room. It's big enough for all of us to get out. "Break the window!"

T-Dog grabs a rifle, using the butt of it to smash the glass. He grabs one of the blankets, covering the frame with it to lessen the chance of one of us getting cut on it. "Clary," Carl says, and I notice that he's made his way over to her. "What do you need me to do?"

She turns to him, ordering, "Listen to me. When they break down this door, and they will, you run for it. You hear me? You're not a fighter. You get out."

"C'mon!" Shane yells. "T, you and me, we'll go down first. We'll catch the rest of you."

The group nods, and Shane and T-Dog quickly jump out. "How far down is it?" Rick calls to them.

"About eight feet!" I hear T-Dog reply, and the group quickly starts jumping out. Clary assures me that she's got the door, and I go to help the others get out. "Move your asses!" Clary suddenly yells. "Door's gonna buckle!"

The others climb out much quicker now, and Clary barks to Rick, "Go! Get out!"

Rick nods once, jumping out after Carl. They others all get out, Carol, Sophia, Clary, and I being the only ones left. Clary orders, "Go. I'll hold it as long as I can."

"Clary," I start, but she shakes her head.

"No. Go, Daryl. Get them out."

I look over at the Peletiers, how Sophia clings to her mother, terrified of the idea of jumping out the window. I look back to Clary, knowing that Carol won't be able to jump with Sophia clinging to her like that. One of us will have to go with her. "Soph," Clary says. "Daryl's gonna go with you, okay? He'll take care of you."

I look over at Carol, seeing in her eyes that she trusts me with her daughter. I kneel in front of the little girl, taking her hand in mine. I nod once to Carol, and she turns, jumping out, as I tell Sophia, "It's gonna be okay." I stand, stepping towards the window with her. "It's our turn."

I turn back to look at Clary, just as the walkers break down the door. "Daryl, go!" Clary yells.

She turns, trying her hardest to keep them at bay. I pick up Sophia, jumping out the window in a rush. She lets out a yelp as we fall, and I hit the ground, Sophia on top of me. I struggle to get enough air in my lungs, the wind knocked out of me, and Sophia rolls off, Rick helping her up. "Daryl!" I hear Glenn say, and I blink, looking up at him as he leans over me. "Daryl, hey, you okay?"

"I'm fine," I growl, pushing myself up. Glenn and I stand, looking up at the window, waiting for Clary. Then, we hear it. A single gunshot. "No," I breathe. "No, no no no no. Please, God, no!"

I drop to my knees, staring up, the sound of the walkers nearly deafening. "All you had to do was jump, you fucking idiot," I manage. "You stupid, fucking idiot. You just had to make it to the window. We woulda caught you."

"She was cornered," Glenn guesses, and I don't miss the break in his voice. "It's the only way. But she would've fought her way out."

I sit on my knees in silence, staring up at the window, Glenn by my side. I hear quiet sobs behind me, and turn to see Sophia burying her face in her mother's side, shaking. Carl leans against his mother, completely silent, shocked. I look up at T-Dog as he wipes his eyes on the back of his hand, the others silent in shock. "I thought she'd outlast us all," Glenn says.

There's a collective agreement, and Shane barks, "Dammit, we gotta go!"

Everyone gets up to leave, but I stay on my knees, not ready to go. Dale takes my arm, saying, "C'mon, son. It's time to go."

I follow them silently through the walkers that have arrived, and we all climb into either Carol's Cherokee or the RV. I follow Dale, Glenn, Andrea, and the Grimes' inside the RV, leaving my bike on the opposite side of the RV. I sit in silence throughout the night as we wait for the walkers to pass. I don't know how long it's been, and eventually, I hear Glenn's voice, quiet and soft, speaking, but I don't process what he's saying. I jump as I feel a hand on my arm, and I look up to see Glenn beside me. "Daryl?" he asks. "Daryl, you with me?"

"What?" I ask.

"Dale wants to know if you want to ride in the RV. The walkers are gone. We're gonna leave soon."

"I'm not gonna leave Merle's bike," I say, pushing past him towards the door.

~Clary~

I lean against Daryl's bike, waiting for him. He walks around the RV, and I grin at him being the first one out of the vehicle. He looks up, freezing when I say, "Took you long enough. Thought I'd be waiting out here all damn day."

"Clary?" he asks, then cries, "Clary!"

He practically sprints over, wrapping me in his arms as soon as he reaches me. "Oh, Clary," Daryl mutters. "I thought you were gone."

"I'm alright." I pull back slightly, looking up at him. "I'm alright, Daryl."

"How?" Glenn asks, and I turn to see the others there, having come out at the sound of my brother's voice. Daryl steps back as Glenn makes his way over, hugging me tightly. His voice breaks as he tells me, "We heard the shot."

"You thought I'd kill myself?" I ask as he pulls back. "Not unless I was bit. I shot a walker that got too close 'fore I could reload."

"What's all the blood?" Rick inquires.

"That?" I look down at myself, realizing exactly how much blood is on me. "Walker fell on top of me. Sliced it open when I was trying to kill it. Got its guts all over me, but it got me out of there in one piece."

Daryl wraps his arms around me again, obviously still in shock that I'm alive. Glenn gives me a small smile, then turns and follows the others away from us. "Daryl," I whisper after a moment. "Hate to break it to you, but I gotta breathe, buddy."

He releases me, looking down at me. "Here," he tells me, pulling one of his shirts from the saddlebags. "You're covered."

I look down at my shirt in disgust, giving a nod. I pull off my shirt, discarding it on the side of the road, then pull Daryl's on over me. He hugs me again before I can finish buttoning it up, saying, "You're such a fucking idiot. I thought you were dead. Both of you within three days."

"Hey," I say, pulling back. "I ain't goin' nowhere."

"Clary, Daryl?" Carl asks, and we turn. "Oh, uh, Clary, your shirt's unbuttoned."

I look down at myself, cursing, and quickly finish buttoning the shirt. Daryl steps slightly in front of me, and I chuckle as he does so. "Shut it," he mutters.

"My dad said we're hitting the road soon," Carl explains. Daryl nods once, and Carl's gaze shifts to me. "Glad you're still kicking, Dixon."

"You and me both, Grimes," I reply, taking a few steps closer. Carl steps forward, closing the gap, and wrapping his arms tightly around me. I stiffen for a second, then wrap my arms around him. "Sorry," Carl mutters, but he doesn't let go of me. "Guess I needed to make sure you were real. That I wasn't dreaming."

"I'm here," I reply. "It's real." I close my eyes, resting my head on his shoulder. "It's all real, Carl. That's the worst part."

"We'll be safe soon," he tells me as we pull apart. "We're gonna make it to Fort Benning."

"Well, then what are we waiting for?" I ask.

Carl grins, wraps me in a quick hug, then runs back to his parents. I start back towards Daryl as he says, "You've got that boy wrapped around your finger."

"Shut the hell up," I say, even though I know that he's right. If I say jump, Carl'll want to know how high. I climb on the motorcycle behind him, wrapping my arms around his waist. He revs the engine, looking at me over his shoulder, at the blood still on my face. He says, "Let's get out of this place."