Hi everyone, i'm currently pushing through a writers block, some chapters might not be as good as other.
__________________________
Andrew looked around, his eyes scanning tents, tarps. The people frozen in place.
Well, looks like they are all alive. Not that i know all of them. Though, i don't remember there being so many people. Andrew thought while giving the camp another look.
As he was about to opened his mouth to speak—
Merle walked straight past him and toward Rick.
"Well ain't this a reunion," Merle drawled, voice sharp and loud enough for everyone to hear. "You got any idea how close I was to hackin' my own damn hand off because you left me chained to a pipe on a rooftop?"
Rick stiffened.
"Merle—"
"You cuffed me," Merle snapped. "On a roof. Surrounded by biters. If these Scout Boy lookin' assholes hadn't shown up, I'd be a one-handed man right now."
Rick took a step forward, jaw tight. "We were coming back for you."
Merle barked a humorless laugh. "Yeah? When? After happy hour?"
Before Rick could answer, a familiar voice cut in.
"Hey. Hey—enough."
Daryl pushed through the small crowd, crossbow slung, eyes locked on Merle like he was afraid to blink.
For a second, neither of them spoke.
Then Daryl grabbed Merle by the shoulders.
"You're alive," he said, rough. "Son of a bitch… you're alive."
Merle blinked, thrown for half a second, then masked it with his usual scowl.
"Miss me?"
Daryl huffed a shaky breath. "We tried to go back this mornin'. Streets were wall-to-wall with biters. No way through."
From somewhere behind Andrew, barely audible.
"And whose fault is that?"
A few Rangers exchanged glances.
Shane's head snapped toward them.
His eyes then landed on Andrew.
He studied him for a long second.
Then Shane's expression shifted.
He snapped his fingers once.
"Wait. I know you."
Andrew raised an eyebrow slightly.
"You were there," Shane said. "At the safe zone in Atlanta. When we got cornered while trying to escape."
Rick turned his attention toward Andrew, then glanced at Shane. "You never mentioned any of that."
Shane shrugged. "With everything that is happened, i needed to focus on the prezent."
Rick turned back toward Andrew.
Merle scoffed. "Hey, I ain't done with you yet, Sheriff."
Rick ignored him and stepped forward, extending his hand.
"Thank you," Rick said. "For saving my family. And my friend."
Andrew took the hand, gripping it firmly.
"I did what I could in a situation that was going from bad to worse," Andrew said. "I'm glad your family and everyone else made it out."
As he said that, they released the handshake.
Glenn suddenly stepped forward, unable to hold it in any longer.
"So… uh—" he looked between Andrew and the Rangers, then at the vehicles, "you guys are really out there? Like… organized? Bases, patrols, all that?"
Andrew nodded once. "Yeah."
Glenn's eyes lit just a little.
"So that means… cities can come back, right?" he said quickly. "Power, water, stores, schools— I mean, eventually. Not tomorrow, but… someday?"
A few people nearby leaned in without realizing it. Lori. Carol. Even Rick glanced toward Andrew, quiet but listening.
Andrew chose his words carefully.
"We're working on stabilizing what we can," he said. "Securing key locations. Restoring limited infrastructure. It's slow. It's messy. But it's happening."
Glenn swallowed, nodding fast. "That's… that's good. That's really good."
Merle snorted. "Kid's already pickin' out curtains."
Glenn shot him a look. "I'm just saying—it'd be nice if the world didn't stay a total dumpster fire forever."
A couple of people almost smiled at that.
Andrew glanced around the camp, taking in the tents, the tired faces, the weapons that didn't quite fit the hands holding them.
"It won't go back to the way it was," Andrew said honestly. "But it doesn't mean it can't become something livable again."
Hearing him say that, the hope in their eyes didn't vanish, but was tempered.
A woman near the tents spoke up, voice hesitant. "What about the other states?"
The question lingered in the air.
Andrew exhaled softly. "We don't have information about the rest of the country, even about the rest of Georgia we have little to no information," he said. "Communications are limited. But it's unlikely anyone else is doing much better."
That dulled the small spark of hope, just a bit.
Andrew didn't let it sit.
"That said," he continued, "we didn't come out here just to reunite Merle with his brother."
The shift in his tone was subtle, but everyone felt it.
Rick straightened. Shane's jaw tightened. Glenn's hopeful expression faded into concern.
Andrew went on."Yesterday, a large group of walkers inside Atlanta was stirred up by several gunshots. The noise pulled walkers into an area with infrastructure we need operational."
A few murmurs rippled through the camp.
"When one of our squads moved in to investigate, they spotted several vehicles leaving the area. The descriptions match the vehicles you're using."
Silence.
Shane frowned. Rick's eyes flicked toward Merle. Glenn's doing the same. A few others did too.
Merle shrugged, unapologetic. "City was already screwed."
Before anyone could say anything, Andrew raised a hand slightly.
"Everyone, calm down. You're not in trouble," he said evenly. "This isn't an arrest, and no one's being punished."
Some of the tension eased—but not all of it.
Andrew continued. "But. What it does mean, is that we can't have groups moving freely through critical zones anymore, as we risk undoing a lot of work."
Rick nodded once, slow and controlled.
"So what exactly are you proposing?" Shane asked.
"We intend to escort everyone here to a secured safe zone."
Shane scoffed. "Safe zone? Like the one in the city?"
Andrew met his stare. "No. Not the same as the one's from Atlanta."
"This one was built with the mistakes of the first one's in mind," Andrew said.
No one spoke for few moments.
Rick looked around at the faces in front of him, scared, confused, but still listening.
Finally, he spoke.
"Alright," he said. "You heard him. Pack everything you can carry. We're getting ready to move."
For a moment, no one moved.
Then Glenn nodded and turned toward the RV.
Shane exhaled and started toward the tents. A few others followed, the camp breaking into motion like a held breath finally released.
Gear was grabbed. Bags were dragged out. People began sorting through what little they owned, deciding what was worth keeping and what had to be left behind.
Carol stood near the edge of the camp with Sophia, one hand resting on her daughter's shoulder. Both of them were watching the Rangers, the vehicles, the disciplined way they moved.
Then Ed walked up to her.
"What are you standin' around for?" he snapped.
Carol flinched slightly. "I was just—"
Ed stepped in close and shoved her shoulder. Not hard enough to knock her down. Hard enough to make a point.
"I said start packin'," he growled. "You deaf now too?"
Sophia grabbed Carol's arm, eyes wide.
"I'm going," Carol said quickly, lowering her gaze. She steered Sophia toward their tent, shoulders tight, movements small.
Nearby, two Rangers saw and heard everything.
One of them muttered, "You see that?"
The other didn't answer. He was already stepping forward.
"Hey," the Ranger called out, voice calm but edged with steel. "That's enough."
Ed turned, irritation flashing across his face. "Mind your own damn business."
The Ranger stopped a few feet away, posture relaxed, hands loose at his sides—but his eyes were hard.
"I am," he said. "You put hands on her again, and we're gonna have a different conversation."
Ed scoffed. "You some kinda marriage counselor now?"
The second Ranger moved up beside his teammate, presence quiet but unmistakable.
"No," he said. "We're Rangers. And we don't tolerate that."
For a moment, it looked like Ed might mouth off again.
Then Ed looked at them. His jaw worked. He spat to the side.
"Tch. Whatever," he muttered.
He turned away, shouldering past a stack of crates, stalking off toward the tents.
Carol stood frozen for a second.
The first Ranger softened his voice slightly. "You're good, ma'am. Go pack."
Carol swallowed and nodded, pulling Sophia a little closer as she moved.
The Rangers stepped back into position like nothing had happened.
Around them, the camp continued to break down—tents collapsing, bags filling, people moving fast.
···
The quarry camp had begun to shrink.
Tents sagged as poles were pulled free. Tarps folded into uneven squares. Half-empty packs lay open on the ground while their owners stood over them, staring inside as if trying to decide what parts of their former lives were still worth carrying.
Engines idled, low and constant.
The sound threaded through everything like a heartbeat.
Rangers moved between vehicles in steady patterns, checking straps, tightening tie-downs, counting heads, in controlled motion.
The civilians moved differently, faster and less certain.
Rick would have called it nerves. Shane called it the moment before a storm.
He stood near the RV, shotgun hanging loose in his hands, eyes drifting across the camp. Every face he passed looked drawn tight. Some tried not to cry. Some didn't bother hiding it.
They were leaving the quarry.
Leaving the only place that had felt even remotely safe since the world broke.
Rick walked past him carrying a crate of canned food.
"You good?" Shane asked.
Rick nodded.
"Yeah."
A few yards away, Glenn argued quietly with Morales about whether they had room for one more gas can.
Dale hovered near the RV, checking straps for the third time.
Lori knelt in front of Carl, tightening the boy's backpack.
"Don't take it off," she said softly. "Even if it feels heavy."
Carl nodded, serious.
Across the camp, Carol stood with Sophia, both of them watching the Rangers with wide eyes.
One of the Rangers noticed Sophia staring and offered a small, awkward wave.
Sophia hesitated… then waved back.
The Ranger smiled.
It felt unusual.
Moments like that were very rare nowadays.
Andrew stood near the JLTV, his MP5 hanging across his chest. He wasn't directing anyone, he watched,the camp and the tree line.
Not far from the trees, Ed Peletier paced.
He hadn't helped pack much.
Hadn't spoken to anyone either.
Just paced, kicking at dirt.
Muttered under his breath.
Carol tried not to look at him.She failed.
Their eyes met and Ed sneered.
"Why you just standin' there?" he snapped. "Get your ass movin'. Ain't got all day."
Carol stiffened.
Sophia shrank closer to her.
Ed glanced from Carol to a Ranger patrolling a few yards away.
The ranger wasn't even looking at him.
Ed scoffed.
"I gotta piss," he muttered to Carol, already turning away.
Carol didn't answer.
Sophia stayed close to her side, fingers twisted in the hem of her shirt.
Ed shoved past a low branch and headed toward the tree line.
As soon as he was out of earshot, his mouth started moving.
"Bunch'a damn soldiers think they run everything," he grumbled.
"Tellin' me how to talk in my own camp… to my own wife…"
He kicked a loose rock, sending it skittering into the brush.
"Shoulda stayed in the damn city and get eaten."
Branches scratched at his arms as he pushed deeper between the trees, not caring where he stepped, not caring how much noise he made.
Too busy stewing. Too busy being angry
He didn't hear the wet shuffle behind him, haven't even notices the smell of rot.
Ed reached for his belt, fumbling with his zipper—
A gray hand slammed onto his shoulder.
Ed sucked in a sharp breath.
Spun.
The walker was already on him.
Its face was slack, eyes clouded white, jaw working uselessly as it surged forward.
Ed screamed.
The sound ripped out of him raw and high as the walker drove him backward into a tree.
Yellowed teeth snapped inches from his face.
Ed clawed at its arms, fingers slipping on slick, dead skin.
"No—no—no!"
The walker's mouth found his neck.
Blood sprayed.
His scream cut off into a wet gargle.
···
Andrew was halfway through answering a question from Merle when it happened.
Merle stood a few feet away, arms crossed, Daryl just behind his right shoulder, crossbow hanging loose but ready.
"So what," Merle said, jerking a thumb toward the convoy, "we get in line with everybody else and hope there's room?"
Andrew met his gaze. "You'll be processed like the rest of the civilians. Medical check. Intake. Then housing."
Merle snorted. "This morning didn't seem to be more space in your 'safe zone,'. You tellin' me you suddenly found a bunch of empty space?"
Andrew shook his head. "No. I'm telling you we're expanding."
Merle's eyes narrowed. "Expanding, you say?"
"We're standing up another site outside the city perimeter," Andrew said. "Smaller. Easier to secure. Less density."
Daryl finally spoke. "You sayin' we won't be penned up behind concrete?"
"I'm saying we're trying to avoid repeating mistakes," Andrew replied.
Merle scoffed. "That'll be a first."
Andrew opened his mouth to respond—
A scream tore through the camp.
High and panicked.
Every head snapped toward the treeline.
Andrew's hand went straight to his rifle.
Merle's smirk vanished.
Daryl's crossbow came up.
The evening air seemed to tighten around them.
Shane's eyes caught it first. "Walkers!" he shouted, swinging his shotgun up.
Gray shapes staggered out of the treeline, twisting and groaning, teeth bared. One, two, then dozens more emerging, shuffling toward the camp.
"Everyone, get to the vehicles! Now!" Andrew barked, voice slicing through the panic.
Children clutched parents' hands. Adults scrambled, grabbing what they could—bags, weapons, anything to defend themselves. Rick grabbed Lori and Carl, guiding them toward one of the sedans. Carol pulled Sophia close, moving toward Dale's RV, her face pale.
Shane stepped forward, firing at the first walkers stepping into the clearing. Rick brought his revolver up alongside him, blasting through the nearest threat.
"Amy! Morales! Cover the left side!" Rick yelled to the adults who had some experience with weapons. "Protect the trucks!"
The walkers closed in faster now. A gray, rotting hand lunged for Carol's ankle. She screamed. Rick pivoted, firing another shot, bringing it down before it could reach her. Shane took the next one, pumping lead through a staggering figure moving toward the sedans.
Andrew moved to the front of the group, positioning the Rangers between the walkers and the civilians. "Line on me! Controlled fire! Push them back!"
Rifles cracked in precise bursts. Pistols barked. A walker lunged at a pickup truck's side, teeth snapping at someone who was trying to climb in. A Ranger fired from from few feet away, head exploding in a red splash.
Rick pivoted again, covering Shane's flank. "Move! Get the kids in the back of the trucks!"
A small child tripped, bag spilling. Shane dropped another walker, then grabbed the child, tossing him into the back of a pickup. Rick lifted Carl over the hood of a sedan, shoving him toward safety.
More walkers spilled from the tree line. Andrew's voice cut through again. "Rear and flanks! Keep civilians moving! Don't stop!"
Rick's attention flicked to the adults near the RV and pickups. "Dale! Cover the side doors! Don't let them out!" Dale slammed the RV doors, firing a rifle at the encroaching walkers.
Carol and Sophia climbed into the RV just as a walker lunged for the door. Shane swung his shotgun, dropping it before it could bite. Rick followed, bringing down the next one creeping up behind them.
"Clear left!" Rick called to the camp, voice strong. "Everyone inside the vehicles! Keep moving!"
One of the Rangers ran ahead, checking the path to ensure no walkers could cut off the escape. Another yanked a panicked adult behind a sedan, firing over their shoulder.
The forest seemed endless, walkers still emerging, but the combination of Andrew , the Rangers, Rick, Shane, and armed adults began to thin the advancing dead. Shotguns roared. Rifle fire cracked. The smell of cordite and blood hung heavy in the air.
Rick grabbed a backpack from the ground, tossing it into a pickup. "Lori! Carl! In!"
Shane pivoted, firing at a walker staggering toward a fallen tent. "Move it!" he shouted.
Andrew glanced over his shoulder, eyes sharp. "Hold the line! Civilians first!"
One walker lunged for a sedan. Rick fired twice, dropping it mid-lunge. Another lurched toward the RV. But was put down with two shots from Andrew's weapon.
The first wave of walkers began to thin, and the camp slowly cleared toward the vehicles. Daryl crouched at the edge of the convoy, crossbow raised, silently picking off any stragglers that tried to flank them.
"Everyone inside!" Andrew barked again, ushering the last few civilians into sedans and trucks.
The RV doors slammed. Engines roared. Tires crunched gravel and dirt as the vehicles rumbled into motion. Rick and Shane along the rangers continued firing behind them, covering the rear until the last walker collapsed.
Andrew scanned the treeline one last time. "Sweep done. Civilians secure?"
Rick nodded, breathing hard. "All accounted for. Let's move."
After making sure to take the supplies they dropped while running from the walkers, the convoy pulled onto the main road, headlights cutting through the shadows.
Rick leaned back in his seat, revolver resting across his lap. Shane exhaled sharply, lowering his weapon.
As they drove further from the camp, the JLTV took the lead of the convoy while the humvee secured the rear.