Georgian Redneck

Chapter 19- Closure

The woodland we pass is calming, knowing that wildlife still is still here even after all this bad shit. Knowing that no more trees will be cut down and that the world will overgrow with weeds and bushes and greens. The colours green and red are peaceful. I like them.

The silver car driving in front of me starts to slow down and pulls over to the side of the road, everyone piling out and looking annoyed as hell. Also worry can be read on their faces. What's going on? Did something happen?

I slowly pull over to the green patch of grass that's surrounded by tall trees. The base of a stone house is visible in the high grass. Decades or even centuries old. It's just your basic stones in a square and also the half of a crumbling wall.

I turn my Impala off and and step out of it, leaving my door slightly open incase we needed to escape. Quick and fast. A precaution. But we don't know if there are any walkers around. This might not be a safe place to stop. But then again, where is. I'm pretty sure that's what everyone's thinking about right now.

We all gather around Rick, waiting for him to explain why we stopped in the middle of nowhere. I wonder what's on his mind. But he doesn't say anything. Nothing at all. Strange. Why would he stop us for no reason? There has to be a reason. Why isn't he talking?

The tension radiating off Lori gets stronger and more noticeable. Her eyes are frantically bouncing from person to person and her forehead is glistening in sweat. She takes in deep breaths until she hastily exclaims "I'm pregnant." The people around me gasp and even take a step back in shock.

Lori's... She's pregnant? I can't believe it. I feel my curiosity reach its peak. Is it Ricks? Of course it is. There's no doubt in that.

A look of confusion and then realisation passes over mines and Rick's face. Daryl just scoffs in disbelief and sits down on one of the grey stones, taking out his arrows and examining them. Typical Daryl. Not wanting to take part in any drama. Same.

Beth's eyes flare with anger and hatred. If looks could kill, Lori would be... Well, dead. But Glenn, Dale and Maggie don't look surprised at all. Pissed off is the word I'd use to describe their expression. Did they know already? They... They did.

Rick looks at Lori in utter shock and disbelief, with a hint of curiosity. "We need to talk." He says sternly, walking away and out of hearing range. Lori follows suit. As soon as they're gone, Beth immediately comes to stand next to me, hatred still evident on her pale face. I feel a rant coming on.

"How could she? Bringing a baby into this world? It's going to have a hard life. If it's even going to live that long! Why didn't she-" Beth's angry words get interrupted by Hershel's cold, hard gaze which seems to quieten the hormonal teen down. But that doesn't really effect the negative energy comming off her. She's sort of right, now that I think about it. Bringing  a baby into this new world...

I look in the direction the the married couple went and see Lori pushing Rick away from her, glaring daggers at him. She storms away from the pained looking Rick and comes to stand by Carl, putting a protective hand around his slim shoulders. What was that for? What happened there? My curiosity kicks in and I find it hard resisting asking Rick about what happened.

Beth is right. How could she? Bringing a new baby into this deadly world is just... I can't even find a word to explain what she did... Irresponsible. Stupid. Crazy. But a part of me thinks the baby is a blessing. A form of hope. But then there's the fact that we don't have hospitals anymore. He could die during childbirth.

Rick comes back over with a stoic expression and starts explaining how Shane died. Got killed. Rick was protecting himself. His family. You'd have to be blind not to see the way Shane treated his family and the group. You could say he was a psycho. Or a highly functioning sociopath. Either way, it's good he's gone.

"Also Randall. When me and Daryl found him, he was a walker. He hasn't been bitten and didn't have any scratches. We checked him twice. His neck was snapped." Glenn says uneasily, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion and hugging Maggie closer to him. So they did find Randall after all. Why didn't they tell us?

No. This can't be. She was wrong. She lied. Oh my god. She didn't. She was saying the truth. I was so... Oh my fuckin god. "Ya alright?" Daryl's voice sounds from beside me. But I'm not. I'm not. My head snaps up and I mouth a no to him. I have to tell the group now. They need to know.

"Oh god. You know how I said I drove by the CDC and it was burned to a crisp? Nothing left of it? Not far away from there, just before I ran out of fuel, I met a woman. She wore a bloodied lab coat with the name Dr Penny Jenner stitched on it. She was dehydrated and her arm was severely bleeding due to a bite. She told me she was the daughter of Edwin Jenner, a scientist. He was trying to figure out a cure for this. Whatever this is. And the reason it all began in the first place. That is, before the CDC fucked up. He told her something before she died."

I pause and take a look at everyone. Curious and horrified faces willing me to continue. They don't know what they're about to find out. They won't like it. I take a deep breath and look directly into Ricks eyes.

"We're all infected. What ever it is, we all carry it. You don't have to be scratched or bit. You die, you turn." I whisper in dread. The realistion of this sweeps me off my feet. Silence falls through out the group. I watch as they all try to comprehend what I just said.

I feel Daryl's comforting hand slowly slip out mine. I didn't even relize he was holding it, and that gives me a pained feeling in the chest. Maybe he thinks I should have told everyone earlier. And he's right. I should have. But until literaly a minute ago, I was sure that Penny lied or that what she was saying was a side effect of the bite. That she was delusional.

Has what I said influenced mines and Daryls 'relationship' in some way? Please no. I need him with me. I need him. But then again, maybe it's for the better. We'll be able to protect the group more if we don't give a flying fuck about eachother. I try not to dwell on the latter one too much.

His strong arms wrap around my waist and he pulls me close, setting his chin on the top of my head. This simple action sends a tingle through my body. It's a small action, but it's still enough to make me feel happy. I slowly wrap my arms around his neck and burry my head into his chest, inhaling his strange scent. Leather, nature and sweat. The combination strangely works. Maybe it hasn't changed anything. Maybe...

The rest of my group takes in what I just said, some people starting to sob and fall to the ground, others just standing, emotionless. This is definitely not my best or favourite day.

(A/N)
I'm aware of changing some things about this story that weren't in the TV show...
I have 1k views! I legit screamed! I really enjoyed writing this chapter. Hope you enjoy reading it!