[center]The group was far too big for its own good and why did no one seem to care? Back when she first came across the doctor and the bartender the group was considerably smaller. There weren't so many children. There weren't so many animals. There weren't so many liabilities. In more positive terms, there were fewer expendables than there were now. Because of the size, it made it unfeasible to stay in one place for too long - supplies had to now be shared between more people and when she first brought up the idea of carving up one of the animals she was treated like she was suggesting they cut up and eat one of the children or something. That treatment lasted up until they needed her to secure a campsite. Funny, that. 

There were few things anymore that brought a smile to Daisy Becker's face, but now more than ever she was constantly nursing a disapproving scowl. 

Daisy, or 'KT' as everyone seemed to call her for reasons she didn't know nor have the care to ask, was decidedly near the front of the group, checking over her shoulder periodically just to make sure that there weren't any major stragglers. She had a system in place and really it was quite a simple one: if you couldn't keep up, you paid the consequences. Half of these people she wasn't sure how they had managed this long. The other half she was just wondering how she hadn't offed them herself - though the fact that doing so would be a great waste of time for her and her sword was likely what kept her from indulging in her annoyances. She was probably being too harsh, but a large part of what had kept this group alive prior to the Grand Expansion was KT's strict guidelines for security within and without. 

But KT wasn't the one who determined who was brought into the fold. Not exclusively. She had a voice and on the instances where she used it most came away from the exchange understanding why KT was better at keeping people alive than keeping them motivated. 

In front of her, KT could see Fred and the doctor discussing something while the nurse was bringing Fred's kid along. Above her she could see the birds circling, no doubt they could see what KT had: sooner or later a group of this size would suffer a lose, be it from exhaustion or ambush. The animals in the proceession would no doubt make a valued prize for the vultures - another reason why KT made her opinion on that matter known but once. Better it go to them than the birds. After another glance behind her she returned her gaze forward, noticing both that those at the head of the pack had stopped by a car and the moving shadow in the distance. Whatever this stop was it had best be a quick one. Out in the open with no good defensible positions made them easy pickings for a horde. If there was going to be a moment's pause, KT would take the chance. Slowing to a stop, KT ran her hand over the metal side-railing that once served as the barrier between cars and the offroad; now it would serve as a makeshift leaning post as she waited for the group to catch up. 

Maybe one of them would even try and talk to her again. 


In the days before the storm, Jimmy Sandoval was assigned to the pediatrics ward. This wasn't that unusual, the hospital was short staffed and it was easier to shuffle the nurses around before reaching out for help elsewhere; of course knowing well the way things were now she was sure that half the reason for the short staffing was...well...limping along in dark alleys and empty streets. Her brief stint in pediatrics and her job as a nurse came with two unseen benefits in the wake of this tragedy. The first was her recognizing Dr. Crowe; even if he didn't remember her, Jimmy remembered every doctor she'd ever worked with. Her familiarity with the man was what helped her decide to travel with them even before the group ballooned somewhat considerably. The second benefit was that it made her good with children. So many doctors had terrible bedside manner even in pediatrics which made her much more suited for the task of distracting them from needles and such. 

Her way with children was why Freddie saw fit to trust her with walking with Alex Jones. Jimmy was a firm believer that a child needed two parents and now more than ever that was proving to be the case. Granted, it was more technically accurate to say that the children travelling with them had multiple parents now but some of the parents seemed rather militant about their charges and Jimmy could understand that. A parent's love for their child was an incredible thing. Jimmy would've liked to experience that. It seemed unlikely now. 

Jimmy had Alex Jones by the hand, walking with her and asking her if she felt tired or anything of the sort. Her greater goal within this ragtag band was always to be something like the Star of Bethlehem, the guiding light to happiness, the glue that kept things from falling apart. Even though they were walking past fetid water and had seen many corpses arranged in a way that made it rather clear they had taken their own life before being torn apart, Jimmy still had to smile. Because children took after their adult influences - and if Jimmy could smile then so, too, could Alex Jones or any of the other kids, and so too, hopefully, could the group as a whole. It wasn't always an easy task, but it was no less important than KT being good at killing things or Doctor Crowe being good at doctoring or the farmer family being good at rearing horses. 

Jimmy passed the resting KT with a nod which wasn't returned and rather than get hung up on it - seriously, KT seemed not to like anyone but that was okay - she instead approached the car where Alex's father let loose some profanity just in time for Alex to overhear. Jimmy couldn't keep herself from giggling along with the reaction; it was one of the more normal interactions she'd seen and those were almost as treasured as water. [color=#a350f9][b]"You know, when I was a kid that would have you putting a dollar in the swear jar."[/b][/color] Jimmy unscrewed the top of her canteen only to find that she was down to barely a few droplets. [color=#a350f9][b]"Anyway, are you sure about going to a Costco? Those were probably the first kind of place raided plus..."[/b][/color] Jimmy turned and gestured towards the group. [color=#a350f9][b]"That's a lot of people in one place."[/b][/color]

[color=#345286][b]"Whatever the decision, it needs to be decided sooner than later."[/b][/color] KT spoke up from behind Jimmy, giving the nurse a startled jump. When she wanted to be, KT was even quieter than normal, like some kind of American ninja warrior. [color=#345286][b]"This place is way too open and I give us about fifteen minutes before that shambler is close enough to be a problem. And it's never just one shambler."[/b][/color] 

[color=#a350f9][b]"How far are we from Minneapolis? One of the cars mentioned an Owatonna dealership. KT has a point, though, Freddie. We can't stay on this highway forever. Plus...I think some of us could do with a rest."[/b][/color] Jimmy now turned to look at the rest of the group. It would likely be hard to come to a consensus in the short window of time they had...but these were the challenges presented to a group where numbers were the key factor.[/center]