Chapter Text
The blizzard began to thin, the swirling snow settling into softer flurries. The once-hidden surroundings of the street became clearer, revealing the skeletal remains of abandoned cars, storefronts buried under layers of frost, and the frozen walkers scattered along the road. The split teams advanced carefully, staying within sight of one another as they crept through the snow. Weapons were drawn, their breaths visible in the frigid air.
The walkers, encased in ice, twitched faintly as the group passed. Cracks and faint groans sounded from the frozen shells as they attempted to move, their brittle limbs straining against the frost. But the ice held, keeping them trapped and immobile.
As the group neared the mall, the tall windows and barricaded doors loomed ahead, their surfaces coated in snow and grime. Glenn’s attention was torn away as a faint, muffled sound reached his ears—a woman’s voice. “Come on Dale, You have to keep moving!” the voice echoed, distant but urgent, carried by the last gusts of the blizzard.
Glenn froze mid-step, his heart skipping a beat. The voice was familiar. He furrowed his brow, questioning himself. "Amy?" he murmured under his breath, the name catching in his throat. Without thinking, he branched off from the group, his feet crunching through the snow as he moved toward the sound, his mind racing.
“Glenn!” Tyreese’s deep voice called after him. “Where are you going?”
Glenn turned slightly, his face pale with uncertainty. “Didn’t you hear that?” he asked, his voice trembling. “A voice—someone yelling. It sounded like-“
The others exchanged uneasy glances. Julie clutched her knife tightly, her gaze darting to the exposed street around them. “I didn’t hear anything,” she said nervously.
“Neither did I,” Tyreese added, his tone cautious. “Glenn, we’re too exposed out here. Get back with the group.”
Glenn hesitated, his mind swirling with doubt. The voice had felt so real, but as he scanned the abandoned street, there was nothing but the faint whistle of the dying storm. He sighed, running a hand down his face as he turned back toward the group.
But before he could take another step, the ground beneath them rumbled violently. A deafening boom shattered the fragile quiet, sending shockwaves through the street. The air exploded with sound as windows all around them shattered, glass raining down in deadly shards.
“What the-“ Tyreese bellowed, his voice nearly drowned out by the roar.
Frozen walkers splintered apart as the shockwave reached them, their brittle forms breaking into jagged pieces. The massive glass windows of the mall exploded outward, sending shards flying into the group. Julie screamed as Chris threw himself over her, shielding her from the sharp rain of debris. Blood smeared across his arm as a shard sliced him, but he held firm.
A colossal fireball erupted further down the street, casting an orange glow through the fading blizzard. Tyreese and Glenn stumbled; their faces etched with shock as they turned toward the source of the explosion.
“What the hell was that?” Tyreese shouted, his voice raw and panicked.
Glenn didn’t answer, his wide eyes fixed on the growing plume of smoke and fire rising into the sky, the sheer force of the blast leaving the group stunned and vulnerable.
Glenn’s mind raced as the fiery plume loomed in the distance, the remnants of the shockwave still ringing in his ears. His voice was frantic, barely coherent as he started spit-balling landmarks he thought might be in that direction. “It could be… maybe the museum, or… or clinic maybe.”
Chris, clutching his bleeding arm but still alert, interjected with a strained voice. “The CDC. The CDC is in that direction isn’t it.”
The words hit Glenn like a brick wall, and he froze mid-thought. “Shit,” he muttered, his face draining of colour as his mind pieced together the possibilities.
Before he could explain, Julie’s voice cut through the tense air. “Dad!” she yelled, her tone sharp with alarm.
Glenn and Tyreese whipped around just in time to see the glassless storefront of the mall stirring with movement. Inside, dark figures began to emerge, drawn from the depths of the mall by the noise of the explosion. Their shambling forms grew more distinct as they stumbled closer, their groans rising above the fading wind.
“Fuck,” Tyreese hissed under his breath. “We gotta move, Glenn. Now.”
Glenn turned back to the fireball in the distance, his jaw tightening. “We have to go toward the explosion.”
Tyreese shot him a glare, his eyes wide with disbelief. “Are you out of your goddamn mind?” he barked, gesturing at the smoke. “In what world do you run toward an explosion?”
Glenn grabbed Tyreese’s arm; his voice urgent but pleading. “Just trust me! Please. I’m asking you to trust me, it’s not like we have many other options.”
Tyreese hesitated, his instincts screaming against the idea. But then he glanced around—the walkers emerging from the mall, the isolated figures creeping out of nearby storefronts. They were quickly being surrounded. With a reluctant nod, he gritted his teeth. “Alright, fine.”
Without wasting another second, the group bolted through the snow-blanketed road, their boots crunching against the icy ground as they ran. Glenn led the way, his eyes fixed on the towering plume of smoke that now acted as their beacon. Tyreese stayed close behind, his hammer clutched tightly in his hand, while Chris and Julie trailed just behind, their uneven breaths visible in the cold air.
The moans of the walkers grew fainter as they pressed forward, the firelight ahead cutting through the fading blizzard. Every step toward the unknown was a gamble, but Glenn’s determination kept them moving.
The gentle snowfall drifted softly around Rick’s group as they huddled near the vehicles, their breaths visible in the cold. Rick’s voice carried over the stillness, steady and resolute. “We have to keep moving,” he said firmly, his eyes scanning the group. “Staying here isn’t an option. We—”
“Hey! Dumbasses, MOVE!”
The shout cut through the quiet like a gunshot. The entire group whipped their heads toward the sound, their eyes widening as Glenn’s group came charging toward them from the swirling snow. Glenn was at the front, waving his arms frantically, his voice raw with urgency.
Andrea’s mouth fell open in disbelief, her voice trembling as she said, “Glenn?”
Before anyone could process what was happening, Carol’s voice rang out, sharp with alarm. “Look!” she yelled, pointing past Glenn’s group toward a dark mass looming in the distance.
The blood drained from Rick’s face as he saw it—a horde of walkers, hundreds of them, shambling forward in an endless wave, their groans growing louder as they closed the gap. Glenn’s urgency made sense now, his frantic shout sparking chaos and panic.
“Go! Get inside the vehicles!” Rick barked, his commanding voice snapping the group into motion. He grabbed Lori and Carl, ushering them toward the SUV. “Carol, Sophia, with us—move!”
Shane took the lead, throwing open the doors to the SUV and waving them inside. Rick, Lori, Carl, Carol, and Sophia all piled into the vehicle; the tension palpable as they slammed the doors shut. Shane jumped in the driver’s seat; his jaw tight as he started the engine.
Meanwhile, Dale was already throwing open the RV’s door, shouting for the others to get inside. Andrea and Amy sprinted toward it, their breaths coming in frantic puffs of air. Allen scooped up Mika and Lizzie, running as fast as he could with the girls clinging to him. Tyreese and Julie brought up the rear, Chris close behind. Glenn was the last to climb in, slamming the RV door shut behind him.
Inside the SUV, Shane revved the engine, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. “Hold on!” he growled. The tires spun in the snow for a moment before catching traction, the vehicle lurching forward.
In the RV, Dale gripped the steering wheel, his hands trembling slightly as Andrea stood beside him, scanning the encroaching horde through the windshield. “Come on old man, you got this!” she encouraged.”
The two vehicles roared to life, pulling away from the snowy clearing as the horde closed in behind them. The walkers’ groans grew fainter as they drove away, the dark mass disappearing into the falling snow, but the tension inside both vehicles was suffocating. The narrow escape left everyone shaken, their thoughts racing as Glenn set the route from inside the RV.
Andrea sat down next to Tyreese, her gaze shifting between him and his group, who were huddled close together in the RV. She noticed how he kept a protective watch over Julie and Chris, his eyes scanning the unfamiliar faces around him with subtle caution. She leaned back in her seat and smirked slightly, trying to ease the tension. “So,” she said lightly, “Did Glenn save your life too?”
Tyreese glanced at her, his lips twitching into a small smile at the attempt to make him feel less like an outsider. “Actually,” he said, his voice low but steady, “it was the other way around. Pulled him out of the river myself.”
From across the RV, Glenn overheard and turned in his seat, shaking his head with an amused expression. “That’s a slight exaggeration,” he said, raising an eyebrow. “But yeah, Tyreese did save us. No denying that.”
Allen, sitting near the back with his daughters, frowned slightly and leaned forward. “Us?” he repeated, catching the odd phrasing. “You said ‘us.’ Who else made it?”
Glenn glanced at Allen, his smile growing faint but not answering. Instead, he turned his gaze out the window, watching the snow-covered road ahead as the RV followed the SUV’s tracks.
The silence lingered for a moment before Andrea shifted her focus back to Tyreese. She gave him a knowing smile, sensing the layers of untold stories behind his calm demeanour. Outside, the snow continued to fall gently, the vehicles moving at a steady pace through the white-blanketed world.
After about an hour’s drive, Allen’s question was finally answered. The vehicles pulled to a stop outside the snow-covered cabin, its windows glowing faintly with firelight. Three figures stood waiting in front of the cabin; their weapons drawn as a precaution. Relief swept through the group as they realized these were familiar faces, still alive and holding their ground.
One by one, the group exited the vehicles, visibly relieved to reunite with more of their own. Allen immediately rushed forward, pulling T-Dog into a tight hug despite his bandaged arm. “Man, it’s good to see you,” Allen said, his voice thick with emotion. Amy followed, wrapping her arms around T-Dog with a smile, her relief evident.
Tyreese stepped out next, his breath visible in the cold air as he approached the cabin. His sister, Sasha, lowered her weapon in surprise, her eyes darting over the new faces he’d brought with him. Tyreese enveloped her in a hug, his powerful arms squeezing tightly. “This is a lot of people TY,” she muttered, her voice tinged with alarm as she scanned the group.
Amid the warmth of reunions, Ed stood by awkwardly, his bruised and battered face grim as he stepped out of the cabin. Nobody rushed to greet him, and the atmosphere around him remained cold. Carol sat frozen in the SUV, her hands gripping the seatbelt as if it were the only thing keeping her grounded. But then, Sophia bolted from the car, running to her father with her arms wide.
“Daddy!” she cried, wrapping her arms around him.
Ed winced at the contact, his injuries flaring. “Get off,” he muttered harshly, prying her arms away.
Sophia stepped back, her face falling as Carol hesitated in the car. Lori noticed her trembling hands and the distant look in her eyes. With quiet understanding, Lori leaned in and whispered, “come on honey,” before stepping out to approach Ed together. Carol placed a soft kiss on his cheek and murmured, “We missed you.”
“Sure, you did,” he replied coldly, his tone cutting. Lori stiffened but said nothing, glancing back at Carol, who remained rooted in place beside her husband. The others, caught up in introducing themselves and exchanging names, didn’t notice the tension in the Peletier family reunion.
The joy of the moment was abruptly disrupted by T-Dog’s voice cutting through the chatter. “Where’s Jacqui? And Jim?” he asked, his tone tense as his eyes scanned the group.
Allen, standing near the door of the cabin, was the first to respond. “They… they stayed behind,” he said carefully, avoiding the gruesome truth. “They were inside the CDC.”
T-Dog’s face fell, and the group around him grew quiet. Allen swallowed hard before continuing. “Donna didn’t make it, either,” he added softly.
Glenn stepped forward, placing a hand on Allen’s shoulder. “We know,” he said gently. “And we’re sorry for your loss.”
The sombre mood hung heavily in the air as the group began to file into the cabin. Shane and Rick worked together, lugging what remained of the supplies from the RV inside. The others followed, their faces a mixture of relief and sadness, the brief joy of reunion overshadowed by the ever-present reality of their losses. Inside, the group settled around the fire, ready to plan their next move in the warmth of the small but crowded cabin.