closest. Disoriented," The man, Rick, told everyone at the campfire later on in the evening, "Fear, confusion, all those things but disoriented comes closest."

"Words can me meagre things." Dale suddenly said. Adelaide frowned from her spot next to Glenn, this man's vocabulary was confusing, but impressive.

"Sometimes they fall short."

"I felt like I'd been ripped out of my life and put somewhere else. For a while I thought I was trapped in some coma-dream, something I might not wake up from, ever."

"Mom said you died." Carl spoke up, looking up at his dad from his place in between his legs.

"She had every reason to believe that. Don't you ever doubt it." Shane and Lori made eye contact again.

"When things started to get really bad, they told me at the hospital that they were going to medevac you and the other patients to Atlanta, and it never happened." Lori said, looking at her husband.

"I'm not surprised after Atlanta fell," Lori nodded at her husband's words, "And from the look of that hospital, it got overrun."

"Yeah, looks don't deceive," Shane spoke up, his voice almost hoarse, "I barley got them out, you know."

"I can't tell you how grateful I am to you, Shane. Can't begin to express it."

Little did he know, Addy thought.

"There go those words falling short again. Paltry things." Said Dale, looking around the small campfire.

There was a crack then a spark, and everyone looked over to Ed Peletier who had added another log to his family's campfire.

"Hey Ed, you want to rethink that log?" Shane asked him.

"It's cold, man." Was all Ed replied with.

What a douche.

"Cold don't change the rules, does it? Keep out fires low, just embers, so we can't be seen from a distance, right?"

"I said it's cold. Why don't you mind your own business for once?" Ed fired back. Shane stood up and walked over to there campfire, crouching next to Ed.

"Ed, you sure you want to have this conversation, man?" Shane said calmly but firmly.

"Go on, pull the dam thing out. Go on." Ed gave in and nodded his head towards his wife, Carol.

The woman stood and pulled the log out, then sitting back down next to her daughter, Sophia when she had done so.

Shane muttered something under his breath and stamped the log out, crouching back down near the peletier family.

"Hey Carol, Sophia, how y'all this evening?" Everyone knew Ed wasn't a good person, and that he was hurting his wife and daughter one way or another.

"Fine, we're just fine." Carol responded nicely, nodding her head as if to confirm her words.

"Sorry about the fire."

"No, no. No apology needed," Shane reassured. Y'all have a good night, okay? I appreciate the cooperation." He said as he stood back up and walked over to the main campfire.

"Have you given any thought to Daryl Dixon?" Dale said, and Addy's blue eyes flicked up to him at the mention of her fathers name. She felt a lot of eyes on her again as Dale continued.

"He won't be happy to hear his brother was left behind."

"I'll tell him." Shane said.

"I dropped the key, it's on me." T-Dog spoke up. She had always liked T-Dog, he was a good guy.

"I cuffed him, that makes him mine." Rick said.

What it this? A competition to see who can make him the most mad?

"Guys, it's not a competition," Thank you, Glenn , "I don't mean to bring race into this but it might sound better coming from a white guy."

"I did what I did, hell if I'm going to hide from it."

"We could lie?" Amy suggested.

"Or tell the truth? Merle was out of control. Something had to be done or he'd have gotten us killed. Your husband did what was necessary, and if Merle got left behind, it is nobody's fault but Merle's." Andrea shot a few sympathetic glances at Addy, but she tried her best to ignore them.

"And that's what we tell Daryl? I don't see a rational discussion to be had from that, do you?" Dale looked at Andrea, who shook her head and sighed.

"Word to the wise, we're going to have our hands full when he gets back from his hunt."

"I was scared, and I ran. I'm not ashamed of it."

"You shouldn't be." Addy decided to speak up. Everyone's eyes shifted to her but she only looked at T-Dog. "He can be an asshole."

Everyone chuckled at her words and T-Dog sent a grateful smile her way. Surprisingly, no one scolded her for her language. If her dad was here he would cuff the back of her head and send her to bed instantly.

"We were all scared, we all ran. What's your point?" Andrea asked T-Dog.

"I stopped long enough to chain that door. the staircase is narrow. Maybe half a dozen geeks can squeeze against it at any one time. It's not enough to break through that. Not that chain, not that padlock. My point, Dixons alive. He's still up there handcuffed on that roof. That's on us." T-Dog finished as he got up and walked away, presumably to go to bed after a long day.

After that, everyone began to disperse and go to bed, Addy included.