SARAH

"She said that?" Glenn asked as he was helping Sarah pack up her things the next morning. After some discussion, Shane said to them that what was important right now was for the group to stay together. Whatever happened. They couldn't remain at the quarry; they needed a safer place. In the end, they decided to head toward the CDC first thing in the morning.

Sarah was glad that they had chosen to go in that direction. She really hoped that they could find someone who could help Jim. She had watched over him for some time, switching places with Carol and Jacqui. The poor man was burning with fever, and it was making him delirious. She hoped that he still had time.

As much as her mind tried to focus on something else, the conversation she had with Nicki always came back, especially when they had to bury their dead. Andrea had pulled Amy into her grave by herself, sobbing and assuring that she could manage.

If it was me, I would rather be shot than become one of them.

Her sister's voice repeated in her head. It was driving her crazy. Thinking about her little sister wishing her own death. What kind of world was that? Nicolette was just fourteen.

Glenn had offered to help her pack their things, so she decided that she really needed her friend's advice and support.

"She was dead serious, Glenn," she said, frustration leaking into her tone as she threw some shirts into the bag, "I really think she wanted Jim dead."

"She's probably just in shock," he replied gently. "We all are."

"But what if it's not like that?" Sarah asked.

"But what if it's not just shock?" Sarah pressed, fear gnawing at her insides.

"Then you'll help her," Glenn said firmly, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, rubbing it lightly. "Don't worry, okay?"

Sarah nodded, her heart still heavy but grateful for his support. "Okay," she whispered, trying to find solace in his words.

Once they had packed everything, Shane asked for all of them to gather together because he and Rick had to announce the last adjustments. As she arrived, Sarah noticed Nicki standing next to Andrea, silently observing the woman every once in a while. For the first time, Sarah really would have liked to read her sister's mind to understand her. It scared her that she was talking about death.

"Everybody listen up," Shane said, making her turn her gaze towards him. "Those of you with CBs, we're gonna be on channel 40. Let's keep the chatter down, okay?" Sarah nodded her head even if she then realized she didn't have a car. "Now you got a problem, don't have a CB, can't get a signal or anything at all, you're gonna hit your horn one time. That'll stop the caravan," Shane kept saying. "Any questions?"

Sarah quickly counted the people around her and the vehicles they had. She was suddenly curious about the arrangements. But before she could ask anything, Morales spoke up.

"We're not going," he announced, turning them all to him. Sarah glanced at Glenn, who shook his head with wide eyes.

"We have family in Birmingham," said Morales' wife. "We want to be with our people."

Sarah understood what they were feeling. She would have liked to find her parents again. But she really didn't want to risk traveling alone with Nicki. Being just two was highly risky.

"You go on your own; you won't have anyone to watch your back," said Shane, surely trying to make them change their mind.

"We'll take the chance," Morales said confidently but with sadness in his voice. "I got to do what's best for my family."

"You sure?" asked Rick with worry in his voice.

"We are sure."

Rick and Shane looked at each other before they opened the bag full of weapons that Rick and the others had taken back from Atlanta. Rick took out a gun to hand it to Morales, and after a moment, Shane gave him a box of ammo.

"The box is half full." As Morales took the box from the cop, Sarah heard Daryl scoff from a few feet from her. She observed him, for once agreeing with the man. She really wasn't sure about their choice.

Soon, she saw Lori stepping towards Morales' wife to embrace her as the children hugged Sophia, who was crying. Sarah even spotted Carl getting emotional when he said goodbye to his friends. Sarah got closer, too, hugging the children and the woman and thanking Morales for everything he had done for them. She even saw Nicki walking closer, nodding her head to the family and whispering a law goodbye. Her sister was observing them with sadness, she probably didn't want for them to go away alone too.

"Channel 40, if you change your minds," said Shane, making Morales nod his head.

As they walked toward their bags, Sarah heard Rick call out to her.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" he asked, making Sarah and Nicki turn to him.

"Sure," Sarah replied. "What is it?"

"We were... arranging the cars," Rick said, his tone uncertain. "In my car, there's no more room, and in the RV..."

"Yeah, I noticed," Sarah interjected, glancing at the RV, it was going to be full of people.Then realization hit her as she spotted the other two vehicles available. "Are you really going to ask me what I think?"

Rick nodded. "Could you and Nicki maybe... ride with Shane and Daryl?"

Sarah took a breath. She knew she would have heard those words.

"I'll take Shane," Nicki piped up, slinging her bag over her shoulder, making Sarah's eyes widen.

"Oh wait!" she exclaimed. "Why you?"

"I don't want to ride with Daryl," Nicki replied simply, not bothering to look back.

"Why me?" Sarah asked, her confusion deepening.

"He only grunts at me," Nicki said, continuing to walk. "At least he answers to you."

Yeah, once... when they had argued.

Sarah couldn't believe her little sister's audacity as she watched Nicki talk to Shane, settling into his jeep, ready to leave.

"Why me?" she asked again, turning to Rick.

"You're the only one who doesn't seem scared of him," he said. "Or at least, you don't look at him like you want to kill him."

"I'm not sure about that," she replied in a whisper.

It was true. It wasn't like she was scared of Daryl Dixon; she still remembered when he had saved her life just a few nights before. But he was unpredictable, and he had recently developed a special talent for getting under her skin.

"Does he know?" Sarah asked Rick before turning her attention to Daryl, who was tying his bike to the back of his truck.

"Well..." Rick's hesitant tone made her close her eyes. Everything was going from bad to worse. "I'll go if you—"

"Don't worry, Rick," Sarah said, offering him a small smile. "Go help, Lori. I'll be fine."

Daryl won't leave me here, will he? Sarah thought, taking a deep breath as she walked toward him.

"Hey, Daryl," she said, placing her hands on her hips as she stopped next to his pick-up. Daryl looked up, frowning at her approach.

"Whatcha wan'?" he asked, his tone wary.

"Dale doesn't have any more room in the RV," she explained, watching him carefully as he climbed down from the truck.

"Ain't my problem," he said, brushing past her to grab his crossbow.

"And that's true," she replied, nodding her head and following his every move. "But we're a team, right?" She tried to sound encouraging, offering him a smile. He frowned even more.

"Ar' ya crazy, girl?"

"Desperate is more like it," she admitted, stepping closer. She noticed him flinch slightly. "Please, Daryl. Don't make me beg. I just need a ride. You won't even notice me there."

"Doubt that," he muttered, taking a step back.

"I swear," Sarah promised, "I'll be quiet. Totally. I won't say a word." 

Daryl studied her with a suspicious look before letting out a long breath. "Righ' but shut up," he said, grabbing her bag and making her smile in surprise.

"Really?" she asked, her eyes lighting up. "Thank you! You won't regret this, I promise."

Daryl was about to put her bag in the back of the pick-up when he turned around with an annoyed glare, making her nod her head.

"I'll shut my mouth, promise," she assured, raising her hands. He glared at her once more before throwing her bag in the pick-up. As he moved to open the driver's side, she couldn't help but say, "Thank you."

She heard him growl under his breath as she ran to take her seat in the passenger side.

The caravan had been traveling for an hour now, and Sarah had kept her promise of staying quiet, even if the silence wasn't exactly a comfortable one. She looked out of her window for most of the time, observing the landscape as they kept traveling. Sometimes, she would look at Nicki through the rear-view mirror; she seemed relaxed as the wind hit her face as she sat next to Shane. Sarah was glad her sister was travelling with the man; he had kept them safe for all that time, she was sure that if anything bad would happen, Shane would have looked after Nicki.

Then Sarah looked ahead of her, observing the RV. She wondered how Jim was doing, if his fever had gone worse or if he was going even more delirious.

"Would you really have done it?" she asked before she could stop herself.

"Thought I said quiet," Daryl grunted, one hand was gripping the steering wheel while the other was touching with his fingers his lips.

"Would you really have killed him?" Sarah insisted, ignoring his grumpiness. "Jim?" "Jim?" Daryl glanced at her for a moment before turning his gaze back to the road.

"I need to know," she pressed, her eyes fixed on him. 

"Why?" he almost whispered, his voice low.

"Because I think my sister would have done it too," Sarah admitted, unable to hide the fear in her voice. Daryl regarded her for a beat.

"She got a chance of survivin' then," he said, his tone serious. "Makin' hard choices." Sarah frowned at his response.

"You think deciding not to kill him is not a hard choice?" she asked.

"Yeah".

The girl turned her head towards the window.

Turning her head toward the window, she sighed heavily. "I'm afraid Jim will turn soon," she confessed after a moment of silence. "I'm scared to think of him inside the RV with Glenn and the others. I hate it myself for this." Daryl remained silent, not even making a sound. "In this world, as it is now, killing will become easier and easier," she continued, her voice trembling. "It's inevitable, I know it. It will become inevitable."

"Why wait then?" he asked, surprising her with his quiet intensity. Sarah turned to look at him, feeling the weight of his question.

"Jim is a person, but most of all, he is a friend," she answered softly. "Isn't that enough to feel a little bit of compassion?"

Daryl glanced at her for a few seconds, studying her before refocusing on the road ahead.

They didn't talk anymore. The ride was quiet, but Sarah felt a little more relaxed; she couldn't quite explain why. Then, suddenly, the caravan came to a stop. 

They weren't at the CDC yet. They both knew, yet, in fact, their eyes met, and they shared the same feeling of confusion before deciding to get out of the car.

"I told you we'd never get far on that hose," Dale remarked, his voice filled with frustration. Sarah and Daryl were making their way towards the group when they noticed Dale inspecting the RV's engine. A plume of white smoke billowed around him, and what she saw wasn't exactly promising.

"It didn't hold out?" Sarah asked, stepping closer to get a better look at the motor.

"I said I needed the one from the cube van," Dale explained, his brow furrowed in concentration as he examined the mess of wires and hoses.

"Can you jury-rig it?" Rick asked, joining them, urgency in his voice.

"That's all it's been so far," Dale replied, waving a hand dismissively. "It's more duct tape than hose."

"Do you still have it?" Sarah asked, hopeful.

Dale shook his head, his expression grim. "I'm out of duct tape."

Sarah tried to give another look as Shane and T-Dog suggested that the two of them go a little ahead since they had seen a gas station, but they didn't have time to do anything because Jacqui burst out of the RV.

"Jim!" she exclaimed, her voice laced with panic. "It's bad; I don't think he can take any more."

Sarah closed her eyes, taking a breath. She really hoped Jim could have held on for a little longer. He had taught her some things about mechanics. He wasn't someone who spoke a lot, but he was part of their group, and she genuinely cared about him.

Rick decided to be the one to talk to Jim as they all waited outside. Sarah stood next to Glenn, her mind racing with worry. She glanced over at Daryl, who was looking over the RV. His expression was markedly different from the hard gaze he had aimed at Jim the day before; it was softer. For some reason, that surprised Sarah.

"What's happening?" Nicki's voice pulled Sarah from her thoughts.

"It's about Jim," Sarah replied, glancing back at the RV.

"He can't hold on anymore?" she asked making Sarah nod her head.

"It's up to him now, then," Nicki said, her words surprising Sarah. She watched as her sister turned and walked back toward the jeep. She was calm. Sarah didn't know if feeling glad about that or concerned...

"It's what he says he wants," Rick said once he finished explaining to them the conversation he had just had with Jim.

"Really?" Sarah asked, her brow furrowing.

"And is he lucid?" Carol chimed in, her voice tinged with concern.

"He seems to be," Rick replied. "I would say yes."

Apparently, Jim wanted them to leave him there, sitting alone as he waited for the end. Sarah bit her lip, the thought gnawing at her. She didn't want to leave him in that vulnerable state; it felt cruel and terrifying. But what could she do? What could any of them do?

"Back in the camp, when I said Daryl might be right and you shut me down, you misunderstood," Dale said, his voice heavy with sadness. "I would never go along with callously killing a man."

Sarah glanced at Daryl, noticing him watching her for a brief moment before he redirected his attention to Dale.

"I was just gonna suggest we ask Jim what he wants. And I think we have an answer," Dale continued.

Turning her gaze to Nicki, Sarah wondered if her sister shared similar thoughts during their earlier discussions.

"We just leave him here? We take off?" Shane questioned, his voice laced with disbelief. "Man, I'm not sure I could live with that."

He had a point. The idea of abandoning Jim to turn alone felt unbearable. How could they move on, knowing they had left him behind?

"It's not your call," Lori interjected her tone firm, commanding everyone's attention. "Either one of you."

At that point, they all understood there was no use in arguing or trying to change Jim's mind. The man was dying, and this was his life. While they might not fully comprehend his decision, it was ultimately his choice about how he wanted to face the end.

They gathered around as Rick and Shane helped Jim out of the RV, guiding him to sit under a nearby tree. He was in pain, groaning even with the slightest movement.

"Hey, another damn tree," Jim chuckled, his breath coming in heavy gasps.

"Hey, Jim..." Shane said softly, his voice laced with concern. "You know it doesn't have to be this way." But Jim shook his head weakly.

"No. It's good," he replied. "The breeze feels nice."

As Shane stepped back, Jacqui knelt in front of Jim and kissed his cheek gently.

"Just close your eyes, sweetie," she said, her voice breaking. "Don't fight." She stood up and walked away, tears streaming down her face.

Sarah took a deep breath, fighting to keep her own tears at bay as she approached Jim.

"Hey," she said, kneeling beside him.

"Now you're the only one who can help Dale with the RV," Jim said, attempting a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Sarah managed a sad smile in return, overwhelmed by the weight of the moment. Without a word, she leaned in and enveloped him in a hug.

"It's fine," he reassured her, feeling her sob against him.

"Thank you, Jim," she said softly. "For everything." He nodded, his gaze distant yet warm. Then she got up to walk away with Glenn next to her. Her friend's eyes were full of sadness as he rubbed her shoulders, trying to be strong.

Sarah desperately hoped Jim would find peace before the end. She watched as Rick spoke to him, then Dale stepped in, and finally, she caught Daryl nodding towards Jim before walking down the hill.

As she and Dale worked to get the RV's engine running again, she glanced at Jim, wishing for things to be different for him and everybody.

"We have to go," Dale said, his voice thick with emotion as he tried to mask his sadness.

"Hey," she turned when she heard Daryl's voice gesturing towards the pick-up. Sarah observed him for a moment, surprised that he wanted her to ride with him, but she really didn't focus on that as she followed the man to the car.

As they started to move, Sarah's gaze remained fixed on Jim until he became just a tiny figure in the distance. It was then that tears spilled from her eyes, and sobs escaped her lips. The reality settled in: they had left him to face the end alone. He was their friend, and now there was nothing they could do to help him.

That was a hard world, and they all couldn't help but have to make hard choices.