The Woman at The End of The World. (Daryl Dixon)

eightyeight.

"Eugene, are you in there?" Aaron's shout bounces off the walls inside the barn, though it's lost in the chaos of the storm.

We spent the last several hours canvassing the area, searching for the barn Rosita had described to Jesus and Aaron. Now inside the barn, I peer out the window, keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary, while the three in my company search for Eugene, feeling a knot grow inside my stomach. Something big is about to happen. I tap my fingers on the wood, trying to fight the anxiety from eating me alive. I haven't slept in over twenty four hours; I'm exhausted. But something tells me that my night is far from over.

"Affirmative." I let out a sigh of relief at the faint sound of Eugene's voice. Thank fucking god.

I raise my hand, gesturing for everyone to shut up. After I replay the tone over and over in my mind, I point to the hay. I race over, clearing with the hay with Jesus and Aaron at my side; after several long minutes, a hatch is revealed. Aaron and I grip the wood, pulling it up; a shivering, trembling Eugene glances in our direction; a small spark of hope in his eyes.

"Give me your hand, mullet man," I demand albeit lighthearted, trying to soothe the fear that's very obviously eating away at him. What the hell happened to him and Rosita?

Eugene sputters, eyes searching my masked face, "Vanessa?" It's very rare to render our real life Sheldon Cooper speechless, but I think I've done just that. "But, you've been pronounced deceased..." Okay, that moment didn't last very long.

"Yes, it's me, I had to come save my favorite genius when I heard he was in danger." I tease, feeling his fingers wrap around my arm after passing off his weapons to Jesus. Aaron grabs his clothes, helping him return to ground level. "Let's get you out of here, and take you home."

"Yes, ma'am," Eugene offers, eyes wide with fear.

He comes to sit beside me, taking a moment to rest. I quickly scrutinize him, growing worried the more I take in every small fear induced tick. This isn't the cowardly Eugene I knew; this is telling me that he is clearly fucking traumatized. I have a thousand questions racing through my mind; but the biggest one is what the hell fucking happened? It's not hard to throw our genius off his game, but Rosita? Something fucking big happened.

"No. We have to get out of here." Eugene panics, dragging me out of my inner monologue. "The herd that followed us here is on its way back."

"I saw their tracks. They're gone." Daryl shakes his head; but I snap my neck in Eugene's direction, feeling the unease dance across my flesh.

"No, it's not. It's already been through here twice. It's looking for me. We have to get away before it comes back. This wasn't a normal herd." Eugene growing in alarm, trembling in terror.

"What do you mean?" I question carefully.

Eugene faces me, swallowing hard, "when... When they passed us by, we could hear them. They were... They were whispering to each other."

"You mean they were talking?" Aaron inquires.

"Shit." I swear under my breath, interrupting Eugene from answering Aaron's loaded question. I send an apologetic look in his direction. "When Rosita called me on the radio she said something about hearing them talk and that I needed to get to Hilltop to warn you guys. But, she didn't sound like herself. That's why we came running." I glance up, locking my gaze with Aaron, Jesus, and Daryl. "She was more terrified than I ever heard her." Dog barks in warning, startling the man next to me. I stand up, glancing out the window, staying out of sight of whoever or whatever is concerning the canine, feeling the pit in my stomach grow wider. Eugene's quiet wails dance on the air around me. I pull my swords out of its sheath, returning my concerned gaze to Daryl at the sight of the walkers advancing on the barn.