A Change of Guide

"Absolutely not."

Hershel rejected Maggie's proposal before she finished explaining it. He stood beside Carl's bed, tired enough to sway but still every inch the father who expected to be obeyed.

"Why?" Maggie asked. "Have you forgotten how Carl ended up here?"

Hershel's jaw tightened.

"Philip fired the shot," she continued. "It was an accident, but he's the reason that boy is lying there. And I know the school better than he does. I went there."

The argument landed. Hershel's face passed through embarrassment, reluctance, and resignation.

At last he sighed. "All right. But you protect yourself. Do you understand me?"

"I do."

He held her by the shoulders and kissed her cheek. "Come home safe."

In another room, Rick struggled to sit up.

Lori pressed him back against the pillow. "Stay here and rest. You can barely stand. And if Carl needs more blood, Hershel can't afford to have you miles away."

Rick hated the logic because he could not argue with it. He let himself sink back.

"Have they left?" he asked.

Lori glanced through the window. Shane was outside, and for a moment their eyes met. She broke the look first.

"They're about to."

Near the vehicles, Miana stood squarely in front of Isaac. "Promise me something. Next time, I go with you."

"You know my answer," Isaac said. "Unless you're stronger than the men I can send, I'm not putting you in that danger."

"So it is sexism." Her glare sharpened. "You think being a woman makes me automatically less useful."

Isaac stepped closer and braced an arm against the vehicle beside her, crowding her space with a smugness he knew would irritate her. "Beat me in a fight and I'll admit you're ready."

Miana stared at him, then gave a disbelieving laugh. "You bastard."

Everyone in camp knew what Isaac could do. Making himself the standard was not a fair test; it was a way to avoid the real argument.

"That doesn't sound very confident," he teased.

Miana pinched the skin at his waist hard enough to make the message clear.

Someone coughed behind them.

Maggie stood a few steps away with Philip. She looked uncomfortable at having interrupted, while Philip watched with poorly concealed envy.

Miana turned first. "What is it?"

"I'm going to the school with you," Maggie said.

Isaac looked at Philip. "I thought you were our guide."

"Maggie graduated from that school," Philip explained. "She knows it better than I do. With her guiding you, you'll have a better chance."

Isaac studied Maggie. "It could be dangerous. Are you sure?"

"We won't know how dangerous until we get there," she said. "And the worse it is, the more you need someone who knows the buildings."

Before Isaac could answer, Miana said, "She's right. If the place is bad, her knowledge matters more."

Isaac rubbed the top of Miana's head. "Fine. Maggie comes with us."

"Be careful." Miana put her arms around his neck and kissed him in full view of Maggie.

Amy was helping Andrea elsewhere in camp. She had already said goodbye before the vehicles were loaded.

When Miana released him, Isaac turned to Maggie. "Front passenger seat."

Maggie nodded and climbed into the front passenger seat. Miana remained at the farm.

Isaac looked back at Philip. "What about you?"

"I was only going so you wouldn't get lost." Philip patted his stomach with a self-conscious smile. "If Maggie's going, I'd just be extra weight."

At least he understood his limits.

Before getting into the Humvee, Isaac put an arm around Maggie's neck, bent down, and kissed her forehead.

"We're leaving," Isaac called.

Horns sounded. Engines turned over, and the vehicles pulled away from the farm in sequence.

Philip remained beside Miana as dust rose behind them. "They'll be fine. Maggie knows that school."

Miana watched until the convoy vanished down the road. "Maybe."