Ever the Survivor

It's been a long time since an update guys, I know! Painting is taking over my life. Been crazy busy lately. I finished that Rick painting I was talking about in the last chapter. It turned out pretty killer if I do say so myself. It's on my Etsy page which I have a link for on here on my profile, so go check it out! I recently quit my salon job and am looking for a different part time job. So I have a bit of free time while I'm looking, so I got back to writing. A lot of time is still filled with painting and filling orders, so I have some new pieces on my Etsy. I have two new Walking Dead pieces up and I am starting to work on two new Daryl ones. One is going to be the picture we've seen (I'm just assuming everyone's seen it by now XD) of Norman as Daryl the 'Masked Man' where he has a bandanna over his face. It should be some sort of crime to cover the face of The Reedus, but I really like the picture and idea, so that's next! The second is going to be the same as my Rick Grimes one. It's the black and white season 3 cast photos they did. Also want to do a Merle one from that same shoot.

Anyway;;

Who is FUCKNG READY FOR TONIGHT?! I'm not sure if I'm ready to handle the level of arm porn and general Daryl-goodness on my TV every Sunday yet but I'll have to endure it, I suppose...oh, who am I kidding ;) #Normgasm

Also, has anyone seen Hello Herman? I had it preordered months ago so I received it a few days before it was released. AMAZING movie. Norman's performance was great and it was an all around good movie. I strongly suggest you check it out.

I got some comments on Mibba and PM's on FanFiction wanting an update and new chapter. Ask and you shall receive my minions. Enjoy xo

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


It was early the next day, the sun just starting to come up over the horizon on the property. Kat was sitting at the edge of the water in her little safe haven she and Sam had found a couple days before. She'd come here to enjoy the quiet for a little bit. But it was turning out to be a bad idea as it gave her time to think. The strew of events that had transpired just over the last couple weeks was making her head spin. The places they've went, things they did, people they'd lost. That, she'd lost; Or their whereabouts, unknown. She tried to push Leon and Scotty out of her mind and focus on what was around her. She still had three of her brothers to look after and a group of people she barely knew. Save for Daryl. She was glad to have at least one person from before around. But it also made it more real.

"Enough of that." She whispered as she pulled herself up from the ground. She grabbed one of her Ulaks from the sheaths behind her and started walking to the edge of the area to climb back over the "wall" surrounding the place.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The sun was a little higher now, peeking up over the trees as everyone gathered around the fire at the smell of breakfast. Carol was finishing up another pan of scrambled eggs while Andrea sat on a log sharpening her knife. Shane was standing towards the back of the camp with his plate of eggs as he scooped another forkful into his mouth. Carol stood up from the fire to fill Sam and Kaleb's empty plates as much as she could.

Kat was walking back into camp as Daryl started scanning the faces around him. He was sitting in one of the camp chairs with an empty plate on his lap, waiting for Carol to serve the last few people.

"Where were you at?" He asked as she walked towards him, running a hand over Sam, further messing up his bed head as she passed him. She glanced at Daryl's lap before she walked by and towards the fire, grabbing an empty plate and two forks. She didn't see one in Daryl's hand.

"Went for a walk before the sun came up." She replied when she turned around and walked back towards him. She put the plate on the ground for a second as she pulled the chair that was leaned against the tent behind him, right up to his side and unfolded it.

Daryl's pulse picked up for a minute, and he was judging by the look Kat gave him, it showed on his face. It was a cross between angry and..frightened? She shouldn't be goin out alone that long. He could've happened and no one would've known.

Kat smirked a little as she raised her eyebrows and titled her head. "This isn't my first rodeo." She whispered as she sat down in the chair.

Carol walked over to the two and put eggs on Kat's plate before Daryl held his out to Carol.

Glenn was twirling his fork around in his hands as he sat off to the side of everyone, staring at the grass in front of him. He knew what he had to do but wasn't sure he was happy with what the consequences could be.

As if she heard his thoughts, he looked to his left towards the Greene's house. Maggie was standing on the porch with her arms crossed over her chest. She shook her head at him. No.

He looked away from her and to his right. To all the people in camp with him. The people he depended on, and depended on him. The lot of them had been with each other for weeks. Watching, helping, protecting each other. Kat and her brother's were a new addition, but they already proved they could hold their own.

Glenn looked toward the back of the camp, where Dale was standing, looking out over everyone. He caught Glenn's eyes and nodded his head at the young man. Yes.

Glenn briefly nodded as he looked back at the ground. For the good of the group. He knew any one of them would tell if it meant their safety. It was what was best, no matter how things would turn out with Maggie. He stood up from his place at the edge of the camp and slowly walked towards the middle, hoping by the time he got there he would find his voice.

Kat sat and watched Daryl pick up pieces of eggs with his fingers and pop them in his mouth a couple times. She laughed while she chewed her own food. "Would you please use a fork?" She shook her head as she took the other fork she grabbed and held it out to him.

He gave her that smirk and grabbed the utensil from her as he nonchalantly readjusted himself in his chair. He needed to touch her somehow. He crossed his leg at the ankle over his other knee and leaned towards her more, as he rested his forearm on the arm of the chair. He had his arm brushing hers as they sat there and ate their food.

Shane and Dale looked at Glenn who stopped a few feet next to Rick in the middle of the camp. The boy looked like he was going to break out in torrent of sweat from the way he was looking over all their faces and fidgeting with his hands. "S-so.." He started to say, making most of the group look over at him. He took a breath and glanced at Dale again before he turned back to face everyone. "The barn's full of Walkers."

Everyone in the group that wasn't looking at him already, had their eyes glued to him. Hoping it was his idea of a joke and he was about to say "Just kidding". But the look on his face told them otherwise.

"Show us." Shane said and put his plate down as everyone started to get up.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They all made the walk to the barn and finally understood why Hershel never wanted them over that way. You could hear the moans from inside even though you couldn't see anything.

Rick had peered inside and came to stand back in the middle of the group, not saying anything, but having a look of slight anger and disbelief on his face.

Shane walked up to the front of the barn and looked inside from the gap between the doors. It was mostly dark inside but he could no doubt see the shambling corpses making their way around the barn. The obvious source of the noise. He couldn't tell exactly how many there were, and didn't stick around for long when one of the Walkers stepped right in front of the gap in the door and growled at the sight of him. Shane stepped back. He furrowed his brow as he sighed and shook his head while walking back towards Rick.

"You cannot tell me you're all right with this." Shane said as he passed him. He came to a stop a few feet behind Rick and turned around, facing the barn and the group again.

"No, I'm not, but we're guests here. This isn't our land." Rick said.

"Oh, God, this is our lives, man!" Shane shouted as he swung his arm around and turned towards Rick.

"Lower your voice." Glenn put his hands up and said in an urgent tone.

"We can't just sweep this under the rug." Andrea shook her head as she looked between Shane, Rick and the old wooden structure in front of them.

T-Dog nodded his head as he looked at the barn. "It ain't right. Not remotely."

The Walkers inside had begun to gather by the door, hearing and seeing the commotion outside of their prison.

Shane was pacing back and forth behind Rick with the rest of the group fanned out on either side of him. "We either gotta go in there, we gotta make things right or we just gotta go." Shane said as he came to a stop a few feet to Rick's side. He put his Police cap back on his head. "Now we have been talkin about Fort Benning for a long time, now."

Rick held his hand up towards Shane. "We can't go." Rick said in a stern voice as he looked at him.

"Why, Rick? Why?" Shane asked, frustrated.

"Because my daughter is still out there." Carol said in a soft voice from the other side of Rick as she stepped forward in front of Kat and Daryl.

"Okay." Shane scoffed with a laugh. He looked away for a second and brought his hands up to his face to cover the smile on his lips. It wasn't a smile of happiness. It was a smile of astonishment. He couldn't wrap his head around the idea that she still thought Sophia was actually alive. "Car—Okay," He brought his hands down, "I think it's time that we all start to just consider the other possibility. Now we-"

"Shane," Rick spoke up, "We're not leavin Sophia behind."

Carol looked at Daryl, who stepped away from Kat's side and walked closer. "I'm close to findin this girl. I just found her damn doll two days ago." Daryl said as he walked in front of Carol and closer to Rick and Shane.

Shane laughed with a scoff again. My God, these people. "You-You found her doll, Daryl. That's what you did. You found a doll."

"You don't know what the hell you're talkin about." Daryl moved his arm in a sweeping motion as he stepped closer to Shane.

Rick, a step back but in between the two, raised his arm in front of Daryl and took a step in front of him. "All right, all right." He said, trying to get the two of them to cool off. He lowered his arm when Daryl stopped coming forward.

Kat took a couple steps towards them. She could tell. She could tell by both Shane and Daryl's posture, this wasn't going to be good. And with the accusations and words Shane was spitting, he was poking a wolf and about to be bit.

"Man, look, I'm just sayin what needs to be said, here. Now you get a good lead, it's in the first 48 hours! And after that-" Shane yelled as he turned and walked a couple steps away before returning. Lori looked at him in shock. How could he be so cold.

"Sh-Shane. Shane, stop!" Rick said as he held his other arm up towards Shane.

"Let me tell you somethin else, man." Shane said with an amused smile as he looked at Daryl.

Daryl took a couple more steps closer, coming to stand right in front of Rick, who glanced at him before watching Shane again. He figured he wouldn't have to worry about Daryl quite as much with his side still hurting if they lunged at each other. He was more worried about having to hold Shane back.

"If she was alive out there and saw you comin all methed out with your buck knife and geek ears around your neck, she would run in the other direction, man." Shane shouted and pointed his arm opposite of Daryl.

Daryl raised his arm and pointed at Shane as Rick tried to put his hand over his chest and push him back. "Shut your mouth!" Daryl yelled as he tried to get around Rick. "Shut your-"

"Wait! Just stop!" Rick yelled as he held his arm out towards Shane and tried to pull Daryl around with his other. Daryl took a step back, jumping around to Rick's side, trying to get past him, as Shane tried pushing around Rick to grab Daryl.

"Don't you come at me!" Shane yelled as he tried to get past Rick again.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!" T-Dog yelled as he and everyone rushed forward trying to hold the two men apart.

"What are you doin? Don't come at me, man!" Shane yelled again, pushing into Rick's hand on his chest.

"Calm down!" Glenn said as he stood next to Rick, trying to put themselves between the fight that could break out.

"Come on!" Daryl yelled back at him and tried to push past the people in front of him.

"Shane!" Andrea said, as she put a hand on Daryl's chest and gave him a push back. Carol put her hand on his shoulder for a second to ease him away before she let it fall and fixed her eyes on Shane again, who was still trying to come closer to him.

Daryl wasn't fighting as much to get past them now, not with the sharp pain originating from his side. It was aching once again with all the movement he'd just done trying to get around Rick at the man. His brain told him to ignore it though, and he took a couple steps towards them, his eyes still burning with anger.

Kat grabbed his arm and pulled him back, stepping in front of him and placing her hand on his chest, giving him a good push. "Dixon, stop!" She yelled and looked at him once, before she turned towards Shane and everyone standing between them. "Both of you knock it off, for fuck's sake!" She figured Daryl was probably done and his side was bothering him, but she kept her hand planted on his chest so she could tell where he was at all times; Not trying to get around her. She didn't really want to put him on the ground, but if she had to...

"I'll beat your ass, boy!" Shane yelled one more time. Rick held his arm out towards him as Lori got between them and pushed against Shane's chest.

"Back off!" Rick yelled at Shane when he tried to get around Lori at Daryl again.

"Keep your hands off me." Shane pointed at Lori's face and finally backed down, taking a few steps away from everyone. Lori walked after him.

"Now just let me talk to Hershel. Let me figure it out." Rick said as he looked at Shane's back.

"Man, what are you gonna figure out?!" Shane spun around and looked at Rick, taking a leaping step towards him as he exploded with anger.

"Enough!" Lori yelled at Shane, putting her hand on his chest and pushing him back, again.

"If we're gonna stay, if we're gonna clear this barn, I have to talk him into it. This is his land." Rick pointed blindly to the area around them.

Dale finally stepped forward after most of the commotion had died down, causing everyone to look towards him. "Hershel sees those things in there as people-" Dale said, as he looked at Rick, who was still watching Shane. Dale held his hand out towards the barn. The Walkers; The people. "Sick people- his wife, his-his- his stepson."

"You knew?" Rick said in a higher voice as he looked at Dale.

"Yesterday I talked to Hershel." Dale nodded.

"And you waited the night?" Shane said as he looked at the old man.

Dale had had enough from Shane. He looked at him in anger as he raised his voice. "I thought we could survive one more night. We did."

Shane turned around and looked out over the fields again. Kat let her hand trail down Daryl's chest, letting it fall to her side as she thought that over. It had to be secure. It'd been right within their sight from the time they got here a few days ago and they had no clue about what secrets it held. They still wouldn't know about it if Glenn hadn't found it. But everything about the situation went against anything she'd ever been taught or trained to do. Just leave it alone?

Dale looked away from Shane and back towards Rick. "I was waiting till this morning to say something. But Glenn wanted to be the one."

"The man is crazy, Rick, if Hershel thinks those things are alive or- no!" Shane yelled as he stepped towards Rick again.

Rick held his hand up at him as he got closer. "Shane!"

The doors started being pushed against as the Walkers inside tried to get to the people that were just feet from them. The group could hear the chains on the locks rattling as the Walkers banged against the doors. Most of the group took a step away, Lori and Carol rushing to the back of the group with Carl and Sam. Kaleb walked closer to Kat, who pushed him to her side, further from the barn as they watched the Walker's fingers appear through the gaps in the wood and pull at the doors.

"Come on." Kat grabbed Kaleb's shoulder and urged him to start walking away. She tugged on Daryl's arm before she turned back around and followed her little brother. "Shoulda stayed at the damn pond." Kat said in a low voice and shook her head as she walked back to camp, pushing Sam and Kaleb along. Most of the group slowly followed. Rick and Shane stayed behind a little longer to make sure nothing would coming out.

What pond? Daryl thought as he came up to her side and started walking back with her. It wasn't the one closest to the property, he could see it from their camp and she hadn't been over there. He was still fuming a little at everything Shane had said about the little girl. He decided he was going out looking for her again. He'd show that piece of shit he was capable of finding more than some flimsy doll. He knew he could do better than that.

Kat felt him veer off and start walking towards the stables before they got to the camp. She stopped and looked at him. "And where are you going?" She shouted a little as he got farther away. He didn't answer. He just looked back at her over his shoulder for a second while he kept walking.

"What's he doing now?" Sam asked as he watched Daryl.

"He's gonna hurt himself, is what he's doing." Kat sighed. She got the boys back into camp and situated before she jogged towards the stables to meet Daryl. Rick had told them he didn't want anyone going anywhere alone after what happened with Daryl...although she broke that rule this morning, Daryl was still hurting. She wasn't going to let him go out alone again. She knew he could take care of himself. He was a big boy. But she knew the advantages of having a partner. If you were to get hurt, at least there is someone there to help. She thought back to her and Leon before she shook it from her mind.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rick and Shane were walking around every inch of the barn, leaning over the overgrown grass that was right up against the wood.

"This, right here." Shane said as he pushed some of the brush out of the way to look at a section of the barn walls. He banged his fist on the wooden boards, as Rick did the same, testing their sturdiness.

"Yeah, looks secure." Rick said, looking the wall up and down as he backed away.

Shane scoffed as he took a step back. "For how long, man?"

"For right now." Rick looked at Shane. Shane shook his head as they continued around the barn. "He's workin one of the fields. I'm gonna let him get back and clean up, then I'll talk to him." Rick said.

They came around to a side door of the barn. Shane banged on a wooden board that seemed a little loose. He kicked at the bottom of it with his feet, making it shake.

"It's secure." Rick stopped him. "Don't make it different." He said as Shane dropped his hands from the wall. "You wanna get ready to-"

"No, man, I don't. Okay?" Shane cut him off. He knew they were going to go search for Sophia. Shane took off his cap as Rick walked away. He turned back to the barn, hearing the Walkers right beyond the wall in front of him.

Shane stayed behind after Rick left, to check the perimeter around the barn, trying to find a weak spot. Even though they had just done that.

He'd made his way back to the front and was checking the two large doors. He pushed against the wood, making the door creak. He reached above his head at the chains that had been fed through two holes cut into the wood on either door that held the two together. The chain was held together with a padlock. Shane pulled at the lock and chains, testing their sturdiness before be reached for the lock that was in front of him. It was a simple hasp, held shut with another lock. He pulled at it, doing the same thing, testing it's strength. Below the lock, there were slots that held a wooden board across the door. He pulled at the wood seeing if it would lift up at all if there was any force behind it.

Just then, the Walkers inside all pushed against the door, making it creak out against the board and locks as they growled at him from inside. Shane was startled and took a jumping step back, reaching for his hip out of instinct, where his gun was normally in it's holster. It took him a moment to remember Hershel had told them no guns on the property. Stupid fucking place. Shane grabbed his hat off his head and spit on the ground as he looked at the barn doors.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maggie had a basket in her hands and was collecting eggs from the chickens when Glenn saw her and made a beeline towards the chicken coop.

"Maggie." Glenn said from outside. She looked at him through the chicken wire and rolled her eyes as she turned around to walk out of the door of the coop. "Hey..Maggie, just talk to me." Glenn pleaded. She shut the wooden door on the other side, blocking her from his view. He stood in his place and waited for her to appear on the other side as she walked around. She acted like she didn't even see him. "Hey." Glenn said in a low voice as she walked right past him. "Maggie."

Maggie walked a few more feet before she stopped and turned around to face him. She took a few steps forward. "Gimme your hat." Glenn furrowed his brow. "You said talk to you, I'm talkin to you. Gimme your hat."

Glenn took his baseball cap off and held it out to her. What's she doing?

Maggie took the hat from him and held it in her hand. She grabbed one of the eggs from her basket and put it inside the cap before she put it back on Glenn's head...More so, smashed it, on Glenn's head.

He closed his eyes as he felt the egg white and yolk run down his face. "Why would you waste an egg like that?" Glenn said as he slowly took off his hat, letting the eggshell fall to the ground. It's not like they could go to the grocery store anymore and get more food. Every morsel was precious.

Maggie smiled as she turned to walk back towards the house. They could spare one. "I think it was rotten."

Glenn wiped at his forehead a bit as he watched her walk away.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What are you doing?" Kat said as she caught up to Daryl, they were almost to the stables now. He took his hand away from his side as she came up to him. He'd been pressing against it. It didn't hurt as bad if he put a little pressure on it. He didn't want her to use it as more of a reason for him not to go, but she'd already caught him doing it before she came up.

"Goin out." He said, looking at the ground in front of him as they walked further towards the stables.

"Shouldn't push yourself." She said, not expecting a response. And he didn't disappoint; All she got was a sigh. She glanced behind her and saw Carol standing at the edge of camp, looking towards them. "Well, you're not going alone." Kat said as they walked. She'd be damned if he was leaving the property by himself. She could tell everything Shane said was still swimming around his head. He didn't need to go off half cocked and possibly get himself in more trouble.

Daryl just nodded his head at her as he opened the door to the shed that was attached to the stables. The shed held most of the riding gear. Kat walked into the main part of the building and leaned her back against one of the stalls with a saddle rack in front of it as she waited for him.

Back in camp, Lori was sitting at the table with Carl while he did his homework. She was reading ahead in the math book so she could help him if he needed it after he was done with the problems in his workbook.

"Does Shane think Sophia's dead?" Carl interrupted her as he stared at the numbers on the page in front of him. He twirled the pencil he had, around in his hand.

Lori paused for a second, looking at him then to the trees around them before she looked in his eyes again. She couldn't tell him, yes. "Shane's just scared."

"Of the Walkers in the barn?"

"Yeah." Lori nodded, then looked over her shoulder behind them. The barn looked much more ominous now than it had in the few days they'd been here.

"Mom..I'm not leaving until we find Sophia..And..I don't wanna go even after that."

Lori glanced down at the book in front of them before looking at her son. "Well, we're not leavin, Carl." He nodded. "Now finish those problems." She tilted her head to his workbook.

He put his pencil back on the paper as he looked at the numbers again. "I just think..she- She's gonna like it here." Carl looked at her. "This place, it could be a home."

Lori grabbed him and pulled him into her chest. She rested her chin on his head as she played with his hair and looked out over the land behind him. They couldn't leave. She let go of him after a few seconds and let him go back to his work as she looked towards the barn again.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Daryl grabbed one of the saddles from the shed and was walking it into the stables. Kat watched him walk towards her, to the rack a few feet from her, as she saw Carol walking into the building from behind him.

Daryl lifted the saddle up and swung it up onto the rack, wincing and letting out a grunt at the pain in his side as he strained. He grabbed for his side as Kat stood up and took a step towards him. She was about to open her mouth when Carol beat her to it.

"You can't." Carol said as she walked closer, seeing Daryl's hand pressed firmly on his wound.

Daryl looked to his left, towards the voice and dropped his hand as he stood up. "I'm fine." He said and walked to Kat, grabbing the halter off the hook next to her head.

"Hershel said you need to heal." Carol said as she came ever closer to the pair.

"Yeah, I don't care." Daryl said and turned around to the stall behind him.

"Well, I do." Carol said as Daryl opened the door to get the horse out. He made sure it wasn't the same horse as before. Don't need another damn bolt in my side. "Rick's goin out later to follow the trail." Carol said as she stopped a few steps in front of the rack and watched him walk up to the horse. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Yeah, well, I ain't gonna sit around and do nothin." Daryl said as he slid the bottom half of the halter over the horse's nose and mouth.

"No, you're gonna go out there and get yourself hurt even worse." Carol said. Daryl ignored her as he pulled the top half of the halter over the horse's ears and adjusted it around it's head. Carol paused for a minute before she continued. "We don't know if we're gonna find her, Daryl...We don't."

Daryl stopped and turned to look at Carol. He locked eyes with her for a few seconds before she looked away, glancing at the next stall before finding his eyes again. He was still glaring at her. He couldn't believe what had come out of her mouth. It's like Shane finally saying the words had woken everyone up. Carol lowered her voice so that it was barely above a whisper. "I don't."

Daryl pulled the halter from the horse and stepped out of the stall, walking towards her. His form became blurry as tears filled Carol's eyes. Finally saying it out loud made it real. She'd been thinking it on and off for the last couple days since Daryl found her doll. But she hadn't said it. Not to anyone. She figured if she didn't say it, it wasn't true. So saying it out loud now, admitting it to herself, broke her heart.

Daryl came to stand a couple feet in front of Carol as Kat watched the two. "What?" He said as he looked into her eyes. He'd heard her correctly the first time, but he needed to hear her say it again. She wanted to give up on her, too?

Carol looked behind him to the horse, then spared a quick glance at Kat by her side. "Can't loose you, too." Carol said.

Daryl scrunched his face up for a brief moment. Why the hell would she care? He looked up and down her face before he looked at Kat. She was staring at Carol with a look of sadness on her face for the woman. Daryl looked at Carol again and took a step towards her. He raised the halter and reins in his hand before he let them fall to the floor beside her, landing at Kat's feet.

Daryl took a few steps away from her, towards the saddle rack. He was angry again. Did Shane fuck with her head that bad? Did she really have no hope left? He grabbed the saddle from the rack and quickly lifted it up, throwing it a good few feet away, towards the front entrance of the stables. "Agh!" After the saddle flew from his grip he doubled over with a groan and his hands quickly went to his side.

Kat took a step towards him and came up behind Carol, who out of a motherly instinct, ran to his side. She put a hand on his back as she walked around him, but only for a second, almost afraid to leave it there. "God, are you all right?"

Daryl tried to stand up straight, and swung his arm at Carol. A go away motion. "Just leave me be." He shouted as he walked away. Carol stopped coming towards him. "Stupid bitch." He mumbled as he exited the stables.

Carol stood and watched him hold his side as he walked back to camp. She let another tear fall down her face before she turned around to look at Kat.

Kat shook her head in the direction Daryl had gone off in, she couldn't see him anymore from where she was standing. She bent over and picked up the reins and halter Daryl had thrown on the floor. She walked to the stall door he'd left opened and shut it before she hung the halter back on the hook where she was standing. Carol was wiping the tears away from her eyes when Kat looked at her again.

"In case you haven't figured it out by now, Daryl's got some anger issues." Kat tried to lighten the mood in the stables. Carol cracked a smile at the young woman as she wiped at her cheeks. She let out a small laugh and nodded as she smiled at the ground and picked up the saddle Daryl had tossed. "He'll come around." Kat said in a softer voice as she came up to Carol. "Let's put that away." She said as she walked with Carol to the shed to put the saddle back up.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Andrea's looking for you." Glenn said to Dale a few hours later, from the top of the RV on watch. He pointed below him, meaning inside the RV. He'd washed his hair and face off with some water from the well but felt awkward without his hat not on. He looked down at the old man, who had been looking out at the barn, seeing Shane walking around it, again.

"Thank you, Glenn." Dale said as he took a few steps towards the RV.

"Any chance you got an extra hat?" Glenn asked as he looked down at him.

Dale shook his head. "Nope." He said as he removed his own bucket hat he hardly ever took off. He tossed it up to the boy before he walked into the RV.

"Thanks." Glenn said as he caught it and Dale disappeared under the RV's awning.

As Dale stepped inside he saw Andrea sliding a magazine into her handgun and saw the gun bag on the table of the RV.

"Going off with Rick to look for Sophia." Andrea explained as he looked down at the open bag of guns. She'd had to pick through it to find hers.

"I thought he was talking with Hershel."

"He is. We're gonna go after. I'm headed to the barn in the meantime. Shane wants a watch duty down there." Andrea said as she grabbed her bag, putting an extra mag inside.

"Does Rick?" Dale asked as he watched her.

"Why wouldn't he?" Andrea asked as she put her bag's strap over her shoulder.

Dale just looked away from her and to the open bag of guns laying on the table. "Are you only gettin yours?"

Andrea looked at the bag of guns before she looked back to Dale, wondering what he was implying.

"I don't know what's going on with you and him." Dale said.

"Him?" Andrea asked.

"Shane."

"Dale." Andrea smiled and looked away from him for a second.

"It's not my business. All that matters to me is that you- you may not really know him."

Andrea tilted her head at him a little. "We don't need to do this." Andrea nodded at him. "You and I are finally-"

"It's important." Dale tried to say. He couldn't be trusted. Dale still had his suspicions about what happened with Otis, and now with the Walkers in the barn, he was sure something else was going to happen.

"I get it. You don't like him." Andrea stopped him.

"It isn't that." Dale raised his eyebrows and shook his head at her.

"Then what is it?" Andrea said with a smile as she looked at him. Was Dale jealous?

"Is that how you wanna be? Like him?"

Andrea thought for a second before briefly shrugging a shoulder. "He's not a victim."

Dale looked away from her and was silent for a couple seconds. "You don't know him."

Andrea stared at the man's face. "Dale..I need you to stop." Andrea took a step towards him in the small space. "You spend so much time watching me, looking out for me."

"You wanna beat me up anytime I show any concern." Dale shrugged and looked at her. "Go ahead. I'm done."

"I'm not beating you up, Dale." Andrea shook her head. "I'm okay, really. Things are...different."

Dale looked at the gun bag again then back at her for a second. "You got your gun."

Andrea looked around before she walked past him. "Okay." She quietly said as she made her way to the door.

Glenn stood on top of the RV awkwardly as he watched Andrea walk away. He heard their whole conversation from his spot. He already knew Dale cared about Andrea. Everyone knew. Glenn waited until Andrea was out of ear shot before he leaned over the awning a little, to make sure dale could hear him. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Dale said as he stared at the gun bag for another second before raising his head towards the roof of the RV slightly. "You mind running and getting me some water? I just- I need a second."

"You'll keep watch?" Glenn asked. Dale put his hand on the bag and thought for a second. He'd keep watch, all right. He was going to watch out for this gun bag. He didn't want Shane getting his hands on it and the barn magically not become a threat anymore, or worse, Hershel not being one. "Dale?" Glenn said when he didn't answer his question.

"Yeah..sure." Dale said as he started to zip up the bag of guns.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hershel was sitting in his dining room at the table reading one of his medical books while he ate some freshly cut up peaches. He didn't tear his eyes from the words he was reading when he heard a knock on the front door. "Come on in." He shouted as he turned the page.

Rick turned the door knob and stepped inside the house, making his way to the dining room where he could see Hershel sitting.

"A little light reading for lunch?" Rick said as he walked into the dining room. He stopped and stood a few feet from Hershel, away from the table.

Hershel looked up at him before he went back to his book. "Been working so hard lately I get my studying where I can." He said as he pierced another peach slice with his fork.

"Well, you know we can help you out with your work." Rick said as he placed his hands on the back of one of the dining chairs and leaned against it.

"It's my field to tend." Hershel said as he looked at him before going back to his reading.

Rick watched him for a second, thinking of how to approach the topic before he just decided to be blunt. "We found the barn."

Hershel didn't even look at him, although his heart rate picked up a bit. He knew how these people had been dealing with the Sick. "Leave it be."

"Well, I'd like to talk about it, but either way- your barn, your farm, your say."

"I don't want to talk about the barn. I don't want to debate." Hershel looked up at him.

"Not a debate, a discussion." Rick looked at him.

Hershel slowly turned to Rick in his chair. He grabbed his napkin and wiped at his mouth before he spoke to him. "I need you and your group gone by the end of the week."

Maggie stopped at the foot of the stairs as she listened to what her father said.

Hershel turned back to his book as Rick stared at the table. "I talked to Dale..You and I have our differences with the way we look at the Walkers." Rick looked at the ceiling for a second. He could hardly say the word. "Those..people," He paused as Hershel looked at him "they may be dead, they may be alive. But my people, us, we are alive right now, right here, right in front of you. You send us out there and that could change."

"I've given you safe harbor." Hershel said to Rick. "My conscience is clear." He picked up his glass of juice and took a drink.

Rick pulled out the chair he'd been sitting at and sat down. "This-this farm- this farm is special. You've been shielded from what's been goin on out there. Dale said you saw everythin happen on the news. Well, it's been- it's been a long time since the cameras stopped rollin."

Hershel let out a small sigh and grabbed his glass and plate as he stood up. He started walking towards the kitchen as Rick followed him.

"The first time I saw a Walker it was just half a body snappin at me from the ground. And my inclination wasn't to kill it. But what the world is out there isn't what you saw on TV. It is much much worse and it changes you. Either into one of them or something a lot less than the person you were. Please do not- do not send us out there again."

Hershel listened to him as he set his plate in the sink and stared out the windows in front of him. He didn't say anything. Rick turned around and took a few steps away, they were both quiet for a moment.

Rick looked back at Hershel. "My wife's pregnant." Rick said, causing Hershel to turn around and look at him. "That's either a gift here or a death sentence out there..If we were to stay we could help you with the work, with securing this place. We can survive together." Rick said as he came closer to the old man.

"Rick, I'm telling you we can't."

"Think about this. You think about what you're doin." Rick said, raising his hand to Hershel to stop him.

"I've thought about it." Hershel said.

"Think about it."

"I've thought about it!" He shouted this time.

"Think about it again. We can't go out there." Rick stared at him for a minute before he turned and walked to the front door.

Hershel took a few steps after him, leaving himself standing in the middle of the kitchen. He saw Maggie standing at the foot of the stairs out of the corner of his eye and looked at her. She stared at him for another second before she turned and walked towards the door.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shane was on the watch duty by the barn when Rick walked over to him. Shane was leaning against a tractor, his eyes hardly ever leaving the barn's side door. He scoffed a little as Rick got closer. He could tell by the look on his friend's face it hadn't gone as he planned.

Rick stopped by Shane's side and glanced back at the Greene's house before looking at the barn.

"What's it gonna be, man?" Shane said as he looked at Rick before returning to the barn. "Which way's this thing go?"

"I don't know yet." Rick shook his head.

"Well, what did he say?"

Rick sighed. "We're negotiating."

"You're nego-" Shane trailed off with a frustrated smile. "Clock's tickin, Rick."

"No. N-no, it isn't, Shane." Rick sighed. "That barn- the barn's secure. We didn't even know about it till this mornin."

"We didn't. Well, we know about it now..Right? We know there's over a dozen Walkers in there." Shane said as he stood up from leaning on the tractor. "We know that it's..about a stone's throw from our camp. Rick-" Shane rested his arm on the top of the tractor and rubbed at his eye, "where we sleep. So look, if we're not gonna go in there and clear it out then we just gotta go."

"We're not gonna clear it out and we're not gonna go." Rick said a little louder as Shane was raising his voice a bit.

"We at least need our guns. We gotta-"

"We can't have them, not here." Rick said.

Shane laughed at him. "Why do you wanna stay here when it's not safe? I just- I cant-" He stammered.

"We can- We can make it safe." Rick said.

"H-how we gonna do that?" Shane raised his eyebrows at him.

"We will, okay?"

Shane furrowed his brow and raised his voice again. "How we gonna make it safe, Rick?"

"We will, okay?"

Shane slapped his hand on the tractor. "No, man, it's not okay! We-"

"Shane!" Rick shouted. "Lori's pregnant." He lowered his voice.

Shane stared at him. It was just one thing after another today. He pulled his eyes from Rick and looked at the ground next to him.

"We need to stay." Rick said, deliberately.

"We need our guns. Yes, we-"

"No, I can work this out." Rick said and started walking away. He stopped when he was a few feet away and looked back at Shane for a second. "You good?"

"Yeah." Shane said, bringing his hand away from his face. He patted the top of the tractor and put on a smile as he looked at Rick. "Lori's havin a baby, man." His smile faltered. "Congratulations."

Rick nodded at him and turned around again, walking towards camp. "Thank you."

Shane watched him walk away. He was practically buzzing with a flood of emotions. Anger, happiness, sadness, fear- no, not fear. Shane didn't feel fear. He looked at the barn again. He was going to make sure that Lori was safe. Lori and Carl, and the baby...His baby.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maggie was in the kitchen pulling the stems from the green beans her father had gotten from one of the fields earlier that day, when Hershel walked in. She didn't look up at him. So many things were going through her head right now. Her father wanting Rick and his people gone; Although he had betrayed her, she still felt for Glenn; And what happened the day before when she was attacked. It was her first close call, and it had woken her up to what this world was, now. Her father was wrong about the people in the barn. They weren't sick. They were gone.

"Hi, honey." Hershel said as he walked over to the stove to pour himself some tea. Maggie didn't look up at him as she continued to throw the stems she was picking off into the waste pile on the table.

After filling his cup, Hershel turned around and came to stand on the other side of the table, opposite of her. He knew she had heard his and Rick's conversation in the kitchen a bit ago, and figured she was upset about it. He could tell her and the Asian kid were becoming close. What was his name? He told her not to become attached to anyone.

"Carl doesn't need any more of my help." Hershel said.

"So that's it?" Maggie looked at him for a second.

Hershel could tell in her voice that she was upset about his decision. He set his cup down on the table as he pulled out a chair and took a seat across from her. "Rick was tryin to make his case. It'll be hard. They'll have to be careful. But he was bein dramatic. They're a strong group. They've done well on their own. They're just going to have to go out and find their own farm. There's plenty of em now to chose from."

Maggie had grabbed the knife while he was talking and was cutting the green beans into smaller pieces now, to cook. "There aren't." She said as she continued cutting. "Every one of em nearby is burned out or full of Walkers."

Hershel sat up straighter in his chair with a bewildered expression on his face as he looked at her. That was the first time she had refereed to the Sick as anything but that or their names. "Walkers?" He raised his eyebrows. He let out a short, exasperated laugh. "So we just keep these people here forever?"

Maggie looked at him for a moment before the beans, again.

"How are they my responsibility?" Hershel asked.

"'A new command I give to you: love one another as I have loved you.'" Maggie looked at her father as she quoted the bible verse. "That's what you told me, right?" She said. Hershel stared at her as she went back to cutting the beans. "I was mad about Mom." She continued. "Mad about you marryin Annette..I was 14 years old and I was awful, to you more than anybody..All I wanted to do was smoke and shoplift... 'Love one another.' That's what you told me." She raised her eyebrows at her dad before looking back down at the table.

"Maggie." Hershel looked down and shook his head before his eyes returned to her face. "That was different."

"No." She shook her head and looked at him. "You're different."

"I am..But we're not." Hershel said, gesturing between the two of them before Maggie looked away. "I love you. That's part of this..Is this about you and the Asian boy? Do you want me to-"

"No." Maggie said as her voice cracked. She looked back up at her father with tears in her eyes as she sighed. "His name is Glenn..And he saved my life yesterday when one of the people you think is sick tried to kill me..How's that for dramatic?" Maggie said as Hershel watched her. She hadn't told her father about what happened. "Things aren't what you think they are. They aren't. Don't do this..Okay? It's not about me and Glenn. It's not about me and you..It's about you. It's about who you are, who you're gonna be."

"Hershel!" Jimmy interrupted them as he came barreling through the front door. He rushed into the kitchen as Hershel and Maggie looked at him. "It happened again." Jimmy said, out of breath, with his cowboy hat in his hand and sweat dripping down his shirt.

Hershel looked at Maggie as he stood up from the table. Maybe if Rick could prove himself to him, they would be able to live side by side. He was going to need help.

Outside, Rick, Andrea, Kat and Dylan had the map sprawled out on the hood of the Hyundai, talking about where they would continue the search for Sophia. Against his wishes and a few stern words from Kat and Rick, Daryl went to the pond near the Greene's house to pout about not being able to accompany them in the woods.

"It also shows she coulda been movin this way, south." Rick said after Andrea asked if they should only focus on the path the doll was left on. "If Sophia kept in that direction, she mighta gotten outta the forest and into the farmland. So we take 74 up to Ivy Road, then push south on foot through the forest till we hit Christopher," Rick said as he pointed out their path on the map, "go east a couple of miles and then double back."

Andrea, Kat and Dylan nodded as Hershel came up behind them. "Rick." He said.

"Hershel." Rick replied. He thought the old man had seen the Carsen's and his weapons holstered on their person and Andrea's on the hood of the car. "We just have our guns out because we're gonna go look for Sophia."

Hershel was rolling up the sleeves off his button down shirt as he came closer. "Before you do that, I could use your help with somethin."

"Count me in." Andrea said as they turned and faced the old man.

"Thank you, but I just need Rick." Hershel said.

Rick looked at him for a minute before turning his eyes to Andrea. "I'll be down at the barn keeping watch until you're ready." She said as she tucked her gun into her jeans.

Kat leaned off the car and pointed towards camp. "I'm gonna check on my brothers." She said, before she and Dylan walked off.

Rick nodded and looked back at Hershel as the search party disbanded.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lori was sitting on a tree stump, in front of another she was using as a table to cut up the basket of carrots Patricia had brought them. Shane walked over to her and squatted down in front of the "table" in front of her. She glanced at him for a second before she focused on the vegetables.

They were quiet for a few seconds before Shane spoke up. "I thought he was dead."

Lori shook her head. "Shane, I don't-"

"Then when he came back, right then, right there, you see I wished he was. Not-not because you wouldn't be mine, but because I knew that sooner or later he would be dead." He said as they looked at each other. Shane took a breath. "See Rick..he ain't built for this world, not for what it is now." Shane shook his head.

"You're wrong." Lori said, looking at him. "You're wrong."

"Lori, how many times has he saved your life? I just- I wanna know how many times. Because by my count, I've saved your life on four different occasions. And that's Carl's, too. So I just wanna ask you, how many times has Rick saved your life?"

Lori started shaking her head, holding her arm out to her side as a 'back when' gesture. She cut him off as he kept talking. "That night at the camp. That night at the camp after the fish fry."

Shane stood up. "No, no, no, no, no. See, no...That was me, too. You see, Rick..he showed up late because he went on a suicide mission over nothin." He laughed as he continued. "Yeah, he joined in, but, see, we wouldn't have been in that situation if he hadn't left because he felt that he needed to leave to save a drug dealer." Shane said as she looked up at him. "And so we lost Amy and we lost Jim. We lost-" Shane stopped, taking a breath to calm himself, thinking of all the other members at the camp that had been killed the night most of the group went to find Merle. Shane squatted down again after he regained his composure. "Rick told me." He said as he looked at her and raised his eyebrows.

Lori furrowed her brow. "Told you what?"

"And I know the reason why you didn't is because you know it's mine." Shane said.

"It's Rick's." Lori shook her head.

"Okay." Shane laughed. "You know, we carried on quite a bit before Rick got back, Lori. It's mine. You know it is."

"You're wrong." She said. "You're wrong. I'm sorry. Shane, I'm sorry. But even if it's yours, it's not gonna be yours. It's never gonna be yours and there's nothin you can do to change that."

They stared at each other for awhile, Shane with a smug look on his face before he stood up. "I don't need to."

Lori took a breath and watched him as he walked back to camp, which was several yards away.

"Hey, Shane." Carl said from his spot on the ground, leaning against a wood pile reading a book. "Can I talk to you for a sec?"

Shane stopped on his path to the RV and turned to look at Carl. He took a few steps back toward the boy as he stood up from the ground. "You okay?" Shane asked him as he messed with his Police cap in his hands.

"Yeah." Carl nodded. "I know you think that Sophia's dead and that we should stop looking for her..But that's- that's bullshit."

"Hey, man, watch your mouth." Shane raised his eyebrows at the boy.

"We're gonna stay here until we find her." Carl said as he looked up at him.

"You think that's what we should do?" Shane asked.

"It's what I know we should do."

Shane shrugged. "Then we stay...That means we gotta do..whatever we gotta do to make that happen. Hmm?"

"Like help out with the chores?"

"Mmm." Shane nodded and bent down to Carl's level, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Like help out with the chores." He said, before sending him off to his mother. Shane had a chore of his own he had to take care of at the moment. He headed to the RV to grab the gun bag.

"S'up?" Glenn nodded to Shane from his seat in the camp chair on top of the RV, on watch. Shane didn't respond, he just disappeared under the awning and into the RV.

The gun bag wasn't in it's normal spot on the table. Shane bent down and looked underneath. Nothin. He looked around the front of the RV, seeing nothing, before he opened the small closet across from the bathroom. Again, he found no trace of the weapons as he moved things around. He went to the back of the Winnebago and started flipping over the cushions of the couches that made up the two beds in the back room. Frustrated, he returned to the front of the RV, looking over the seats to see if he'd somehow missed it, though he knew he hadn't. He turned back around and stood in front of the small sink in the kitchenette. He slammed his hands down on the counter on either side of it. "Son of a bitch."

Shane walked out of the RV and out from under the awning to look up at Glenn. "You see where he went?"

"Who?" Glenn asked as he looked over his shoulder at Shane on the ground.

"Don't even try to shit me, okay?"

"What?" Glenn turned in his chair. He was genuinely confused.

"Dale, Glenn. Did ya see where Dale went?" Shane said as he slowly spun around, looking out all over the property for the old man's figure.

"Yeah, he asked me to run and get him some water." Glenn said as he stood up from his seat. "He said he'd cover me on watch."

"And he was gone when you got back, huh?"

"Yeah." Glenn said, making it sound like a question. "You think he's okay?"

"Oh, he's fine."

"Why'd he bail then?" Glenn asked, he didn't understand.

"So you wouldn't tell me which way he went."

Glenn paused. "I don't get it."

"No, man, you don't." Shane said as he walked off. The boy was so naive. But that is what Dale had been hoping for.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Daryl had taken his boots off and had them behind him on the deck that he was sitting on the edge of.

There was a boat on the deck with some paddles he'd had to walk around, and the thought about going fishing crossed his mind. But he didn't see any equipment. He wanted to do something around here, he could've at least caught some fish. But that idea was shot down, too. So, he had his feet in the cool water of the large pond on the property as he swayed his legs back and forth, causing ripples of water to spread out from where he was.

He was just sitting, looking out over the water. Enjoying the sounds and relative safety of the moment. He had so many things going through his head. Merle, if he was alive or not. If he was, what was he doing? Was he safe? Where was he? ; Whatever these feelings were he was having about Kat, seemed to be getting bigger; The barn full of Walkers not far from where they slept and how they were going to deal with that; But more pressing, the matter of Sophia. He'd been shut down twice today trying to go look for her. First by Carol in the barn, then by Rick and Kat when they were organizing another search for the day. He came to the fishing pond to cool down, literally and figuratively.

As if on cue, reminding him why they hadn't wanted him to go, his side started aching.

He swayed his legs back and forth, listening to the sound of the water rushing up over his ankles, wetting the ends of his jeans he hadn't bothered to roll up.

He hated this shit. He hated feeling useless. Not doing anything. Especially now, when there were so many things on the line.

Daryl looked out on the water again before he looked over his shoulder, seeing a hint of color among the green, overgrown grass. He sat up straighter as he realized what it was. He swung his feet up out of the water and onto the deck as he turned himself.

"Ah." He groaned as he started to get up, the motion hurting his side again as he came up onto one knee. He grabbed one of his boots while putting his hand over his wound for a second. He took his hand away to pick up his second boot and put it in his hand with the other and got to his feet, putting pressure back on his side as he walked over to the area of the pond he was looking at.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



"The silt on the bottom is like glue. You just sink in." Hershel was explaining to Rick as they made their way through the brush. He and Jimmy each had a snare pole in their hands. "That's Lou Bush." Hershel said as one of the Walkers came into view.

Rick looked at the two Walkers that were stuck in the creek. "You knew him?"

"Lou as in Louise. She has a farm up the road. Sweet corn mostly. Worked at Hatlin's Bar on weekends. The man, I don't know him, but the coveralls, I've been to where he worked." Hershel said as they walked closer. "How many have you killed?"

"Too many to count." Rick answered as he looked at the two Walkers, stuck in the creek bed. They were up to their calves in mud and water. The bottom of the creek must've did just what Hershel said and acted like glue. He wasn't sure if he meant Elmer's or super, though, so he wasn't taking any chances. He kept his eyes on the Walkers and his hand ready to go for his revolver.

"Can you stop?" Hershel asked as he looked at them and then to Rick.

Rick couldn't answer with a yes or no. He didn't see things like these people did. He couldn't. Not after what he had seen in the short weeks he'd been in this hell. But if it meant their safety and them staying here, he would try.

"There are people out there who haven't been in their right minds, people who I believe can be restored." Hershel said.

"You're not talking about the Walkers, are you?"

"It doesn't matter if you see them as human beings anymore. But if you and your people are going to stay here, that's how you're gonna have to treat em. My farm, my barn, my say." Hershel said as he held the pole out to Rick. Rick stared at it for a second, but reluctantly took hold of it.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Kat had apologized to Andrea after what she said to her a couple days ago. Because of him. That was pushing him to do what he was now. Daryl wasn't one much for apologies, but Carol hadn't actually done anything to him. She was trying to help, if anything. She didn't deserve what he called her. He had been aggravated at the time, and it didn't help matters when his side started screaming at him on top of it.

"You see it?" Daryl turned his head to the side to talk to Carol as he led her around the pond to the spot he was at earlier. He didn't need to take her out on the deck where he had been, to show her what he wanted to.

"See what?" Carol asked. All she could see was the large pond and the over grown grass and weeds surrounding it, but she followed after the Hunter, anyway.

Daryl held his arm out in front of him, pointing to a specific place in the overgrown brush. He let his arm fall as they walked closer and stopped near the edge of the pond. Carol came to a stop next to him and saw the familiar white flowers.

"I'll find her." Daryl said as they looked at the Cherokee Roses. Carol watched the flowers, seeing Daryl glance at her out of the corner of her eye. She turned to him as he looked at her again. He pulled his lips back a bit, forming the tiniest bit of a smile before he let it fall. Daryl took a small side step towards her, "Hell..sorry about what happened this mornin." He said softly.

"You wanted to look for her." Carol said, looking at the flowers again with him. "Why?" She paused, waiting for him to look at her again. "This whole time I've just..wanted to ask you." But she had been afraid to, mostly. The man kept to himself for the most part. She hadn't heard him speak much before his friend and her brothers showed up.

"Cause I think she's still out there." Daryl said.

Carol stared at him for a second before she pulled her lips up, slightly, looking back at the roses.

"Truth is," Daryl shook his head as he shrugged, "what else I got to do?"

Carol watched his face as he looked at the flowers. She turned her head towards them and took a couple steps forward, grabbing onto one of the petals of the nearest flower. "We'll find her..We will." She turned to look at Daryl. "I see it." She said, pulling another hint of a smile from him.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Hershel, Rick and Jimmy had gotten the snare poles around the Walkers' necks and had already pulled the female from the creek. Jimmy and Rick were still trying to pull the male out, it being tougher than the other because it had sunk down farther.

"Otis said if you get em halfway out they'll do the rest of the work." Jimmy said over the growls as he and Rick continued to pull on the pole, trying to pull the Walker from the muddy creek bed.

"How many times did he do this?" Rick shouted to Hershel, who was standing several feet away with Lou in his snare pole.

"If one wandered onto the property, Otis would get em into the barn. Now we have to." Hershel spoke loudly over the noise, as he kept a firm grip on the pole, holding Lou in place as she tried to reach for him.

"What happens when the barn gets full?" Rick said. He slipped on the wet embankment and fell to his knees. Jimmy fell backwards, landing behind Rick as the weight on the other side of the pole finally gave way, the Walkers feet lifting from the silt on the creek bed.

"Jeez!" Jimmy shouted, the Walker falling forward, it's mouth inches away from his feet.

"Get the pole!" Hershel shouted as Jimmy scooted away, handing the pole off to Rick. Rick grabbed onto it and pushed back, easing the Walker away from them as he and Jimmy got to their feet.

"Jimmy. Jimmy. You got it." Hershel said to the boy as he hurried away from Rick and the Walker. "Easy. Easy, Rick." Hershel said as he watched Rick getting to his feet, yanking the pole back and forth, trying to keep the Walker under control. "Lead him. Jimmy will spot for us. Lead him, lead him, Rick." Hershel said as Jimmy hurried around him, getting behind Hershel so he could keep an eye on the four as they walked back to the farm. "You're the carrot, not the stick."

"What?!" Rick turned to look behind him at Hershel as he tried to lead the Walker in the direction he was walking; backwards. I'm bait, now?

"You heard me, just lead him. He'll come to you." Hershel said.

No doubt about that. Rick thought. He could feel the Walker pushing against the pole, trying to grab at him as he tried holding it back. "You told me he handled them easily. This is easy?!" Rick said as he finally got to a place where he could swing the pole around and put the Walker in front of him as Hershel did the same. Jimmy acting as bait for Louise to follow and Hershel as bait for Rick's Walker to follow.

"It's easier than some things." Hershel said.

"All right, it's through this way." Jimmy said.

Rick couldn't help but thank all that is good they weren't far from the farm.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Glenn was sitting on top of the RV when he saw Maggie walking up the driveway. She was carrying a basket of onions she had just picked.

"Maggie." Glenn shouted down to her. "Hey."

She looked at him but kept walking. Glenn started to climb down from the RV and catch up to her.

"Maggie." He said as he got to the ground again. "Maggie. Maggie, just stop for a second." Glenn jogged up to her.

"You talked about it. You told Dale, fine. I asked you. I-I told you. I asked you for one thing. One thing." She said as she tried to make it to the house.

"I couldn't do it." Glenn pleaded as they walked.

"My dad's gonna kick you guys out now. He told me."

"No, Rick's gonna work something out with your dad. Okay? I had to tell them."

"You did not!" Maggie said as she picked up her pace towards the house.

"No," Glenn said as he gently grabbed her arm to stop her, "I did." He said as he pulled her in front of him. "I wanted to." He grabbed the basket from her hands and set it on the ground next to them. "You see, I forgot. Okay? I forgot or I stopped thinking about it or maybe I didn't wanna think about it. I let them lower me into that well like it was fun, like I was playing 'Portal'. -It's a video game." Glenn shook his head quickly as he explained.

"Of course it's a video game." Maggie closed her eyes and nodded.

"And then the pharmacy happened yesterday and I realized something. I forgot that they're dangerous. I don't care if they're sick people or dead people, they're dangerous. And then I realized something else. That I don't want you in danger ever. So I hate to blow your dad's big secret, but I'm sick of secrets. Secrets get you killed. And I'd rather have you pissed off at me and alive than liking me and dead. So that's why I told em." Glenn said and turned around, heading back to the RV.

Maggie waited until he got several feet away from her before she said anything. "Hey, Walker bait."

Glenn sighed but turned around. "Don't call me that." He shook his head.

Maggie started walking over to him. "Okay..Glenn." She sighed and smiled as she stood in front of him. She placed her hands on the back of his head and pulled him in for a kiss.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



"Man, this is a good hiding place." Shane shouted a bit as he watched Dale by a tree with the bag of guns. He'd brought a trash bag to hold them in and was going to nail it to the large tree he was next to. "We ain't been in the swamps much, huh?"

Dale sighed as he bent over to grab the trash bag and open it. "Imagine if you applied your tracking skills to finding Sophia."

"How about," Shane started as he began walking over to where Dale was, "you just gimme that bag, huh?"

Dale turned around to look at him. "I'm not gonna do that."

"Yeah, you are, Dale. Unless, well, you do have that rifle over your shoulder." Shane glanced at the Winchester that always seemed to be hanging from its strap on Dale's shoulder.

"What, are you gonna shoot me like you did Otis? Tell another story?"

Shane chuckled. "Nah, man...Hell, when you really look at it in the cold light of day..you're pretty much dead already...Just gimme the guns. Do it now." Shane said, calmly, trying to intimidate the old man.

"You think this is gonna keep us safe?"

"Mm-hmm. I know it is."

"Rick is tryin to get Hershel-"

"Dale, shut up. Just shut up and gimme the guns."

Dale looked at him for a moment before he leaned the bag of guns against the tree. He took the rifle from his shoulder and pulled the bolt handle back, making sure there was a round in the chamber. He faced Shane, holding the rifle out. "Am I gonna have to shoot you?..Do I have to kill you? Is that what it's gonna take?"

Shane chuckled under his breath as he raised his eyebrows. "Eh." He shrugged his shoulders and started walking closer to Dale, who quickly held the rifle to his shoulder, aiming at Shane. Shane only stopped for a second, before coming closer. He put his chest right against the muzzle of Dale's rifle. "Yeah. That's what it's gonna take."

They stood there for a few seconds, neither of them backing down before Dale finally lowered the gun. He couldn't do it. He held his arms out to his side for a moment. "This is where you belong, Shane."

"How's that, Dale?"

"This world, what it is now..this is where you belong." Dale shook his head as he swung his rifle back over his shoulder. "And I-I may not have what it takes to last for long," Dale said as he pointed to himself, Shane mumbling in agreement, "but that's okay." Dale said as he bent down to pick up the bag of guns. "Cause at least I can say when the world goes to shit I didn't let it take me down with it." He shoved the heavy bag into Shane's chest.

Shane smirked at Dale before he backed away. "Fair enough." And he started back to camp, leaving Dale standing by himself.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Kaleb, Sam, Dylan and Beth were surrounding a small table on the front porch of the Greene's house. Patricia and Carl were sitting at the two chairs on either side, playing checkers. It was early in the evening now. Rick, Hershel and Jimmy hadn't returned from their errand yet. Lori was on the opposite side of the porch, preparing the vegetables for dinner. Daryl and Carol had walked off towards the pond. No one knew where Dale and Shane had gone. T-Dog was with Andrea, who was heading up to the house from her watch duty at the barn she'd sent herself on earlier that day, wondering what the hell everyone else was doing. They were supposed to go look for the girl. Kat was sitting on the railing of the porch, straddling it, as she sharpened her tactical knife with the small whetstone she carried in her pocket. Glenn was sitting on the porch steps next to Maggie, who was giving him a funny look because he had put Dale's bucket hat back on.

"You look like you should be in line for the Early Bird Special." She smiled at him as she took the hat from his head. "Go get your cap. I'll wash it for you, okay?" She laughed.

Glenn smiled and patted her leg as he stood up to go get his hat, but was stopped by T-Dog. "Do you know what's goin on?" He asked as he and Andrea came up to the house.

"Where is everyone?" Andrea asked, noting several people were missing.

"You haven't seen Rick?" Glenn asked them.

"He went off with Hershel. We were supposed to leave hours ago." Andrea said, she and T-Dog coming to a stop a few feet in front of Glenn.

"Yeah, you were. What the hell?" Daryl said as he and Carol approached the group, coming out from behind the other side of the house.

"Rick told us he was goin out." Carol said as she furrowed her brow, but as Andrea said, that was hours ago.

Daryl looked around, not seeing a few key members. "Damn it. Isn't anybody takin this seriously?" He said as he came closer to everyone. "We got us a damn trail." He said as he swung his arm around towards the woods as he pointed. Upon turning around, he saw Shane walking up to the house with the bag of guns on his shoulder. "Oh, here we go." Daryl said, taking a couple steps forward as everyone turned their eyes to Shane.

Shane pulled a Remington Wingmaster out of the gun bag as he got closer to the house.

"What's all this?" Daryl pointed to the guns.

"You with me, man?" Shane said as he kept walking, but held the shotgun out to Daryl.

Daryl immediately knew what he meant. They were clearing the barn. "Yeah." He said as he took the shotgun from Shane, pulling the fore-end back as he walked with him closer to the house.

Kat jumped down from the porch. Shit. She thought. She wasn't against clearing the barn, but Rick was trying to work things out with Hershel and come to an agreement. What Shane had in mind was certainly going to deter that.

"Time to grow up." Shane said. "You already got yours?" He said as he looked at Andrea.

"Yeah. Uh, where's Dale?" She replied.

"Kat?" Shane looked as he walked closer to her and the others in front of the steps to the house. She patted her hip, where her Beretta was in it's holster on her belt.

"Dale's on his way." Shane replied to Andrea's question as he grabbed the Glock 17 he had tucked in the side of his pants.

"Thought we couldn't carry." T-Dog said as Shane handed him the gun.

"Yeah, well we can and we have to." Shane said. Everyone gathered around as he started talking. "Look, it was one thing sittin around here pickin daisies when we thought this place was supposed to be safe. But now we know it ain't."

Daryl brought the shotgun up and let the barrel rest against his shoulder as Kat came to his side. She took her Beretta out of its holster and flipped the safety off. They were gearing up for a fight. They weren't just carrying their guns around the camp.

"How about you, man? You gonna protect yours?" Shane said as he grabbed an H&R Pardner Pump shotgun and held it out to Glenn. Glenn looked at Maggie for a second before he looked away and took the gun from Shane.

"That's it." Shane said. Then looking to Maggie, asked, "Can you shoot?"

"Can you stop?" Maggie replied. "You do this, you hand out these guns, my dad will make you leave tonight."

"We have to stay, Shane." Carl said as he started to come down from the stairs.

Patricia shook her head at Lori, who had heard the commotion and was walking around the porch, seeing half the group with weapons in their hands. The other half was in a state of distress, looking at Shane with the gun bag hanging from his shoulder.

"What is this?" Lori asked as she walked to the steps.

"We ain't goin anywhere, okay?" Shane said as he knelt down to put the bag on the ground, grabbing a small revolver before standing back up. "Now look, Hershel...he's just gotta understand. Okay? He- well, he's gonna have to. Now we need to find Sophia. Am I right?" Shane said, walking over to Carl, using the boys words against him to get him to agree with what Shane was about to do. He knelt down in front of the boy. "Huh? Now I want you to take this. You take it, Carl, and you keep your mother safe." Shane said as he held out the Colt DS to Carl. "You do whatever it takes. You know how. Go on, take the gun and do it."

Just as Carl was about to take the gun from Shane, Lori came down the steps and put her hand on Carl's chest, pushing him behind her. "Rick said no guns." Lori spat at Shane as she looked down at him. "This is not your call. This is not your decision to make."

"Oh, shit." T-Dog said as he saw Rick, Hershel and Jimmy coming out of the tree line and walking towards the barn, with two Walkers in tow, still in the snare poles.

Everyone turned and looked to see what T-Dog's eyes had found.

Jimmy was in front of Rick and Hershel, clapping his hands, saying, "This way. Come on." Trying to keep the Walkers that Rick and Hershel had in the poles coming at him and forward.

"What is that?" Shane said as he started running towards the barn. The group followed, chasing him across the yard.

"To me. Over this way." Jimmy said again as Hershel and Rick tried to maneuver the poles towards the barn to steer the Walkers along.

Shane pushed the steel gate open, rushing through the fence that separated the house's yard from the field the barn was in. "What they hell are you doin?" He yelled as he got closer to them.

"Shane, just back off." Rick said as they tried to walk closer to the barn.

"Why do your people have guns?" Hershel looked at Rick.

"Are you kiddin me? You see?" Shane pointed. "You see what they're holdin onto?" He said as he walked in a circle around the three men. The group fanned out behind them, all for Lori, Carl, Carol and the younger Carsen boys. They were making their way to the barn more slowly once Lori and Carol saw what was happening. They didn't want the youngest ones of the group close to the Walkers.

"I see who I'm holding onto." Hershel looked at Shane. Daryl and Kat stepped closer to the men.

"No, man, you don't." Shane shouted as Kat raised her gun at the Walker Hershel had a hold of, seeing it grab for Jimmy when he got too close, but the boy jumped back and out of the way.

"Shane, just let us do this and then we can talk." Rick said as he tried to keep the Walker he had under control. Shane was making another circle around, coming next to Rick when the Walker grabbed for him.

"What you wanna talk about, Rick?" Shane yelled, he too, jumping out of the way, as Daryl kept his shotgun aimed at the Walkers head. "These things ain't sick. They're not people. They're dead. Ain't gotta feel nothin for em cause all they do, they kill!" Shane yelled as they all crept closer to the barn.

Lori and the others were closer now as they walked up to the group, Carl holding his stomach, the short jog they'd done, irritating his wound. Daryl was ignoring his.

Shane pointed at the Walkers. "These things right here, they're the things that killed Amy!" Andrea nodded her head. "They killed Blake!" He looked at Kat. She squeezed her finger back a little more, itching to pull the trigger. "They killed Otis!They're gonna kill all of us unless we do some-"

"Shane, shut up!" Rick yelled, steering the Walkers closer towards the barn. He didn't completely hate to admit it, but he felt better knowing Daryl had a gun trained on the Walker in front of him and Kat had a sure fire bead on the head of the Walker Hershel was holding onto in case things went south with this task.

"Hey, Hershel, man, lemme ask you somethin." Shane said as he reached behind him and untucked his Glock from the back of his pants. He flipped the safety off. "Could a living, breathing person," He said, aiming his gun at the Walker Hershel had, "could they walk away from this?" Shane fired his Glock, sending three bullets into the torso of the Walker Kat had in her sights. Everybody behind them, ducked, not expecting the sudden shots.

"No! Don't!" Rick yelled.

"Whoa!" Glenn said as everyone stood back up.

"Stop it!" Rick glared at Shane, but he paid him no mind, he was busy taunting Hershel.

"That's three rounds in the chest. Could someone who's alive, could they just take that?! Why is it still comin?" Shane pointed at it, before he aimed his gun again. He pulled the trigger again, sending two more bullets into its chest. "That's it's heart, it's lungs! Why is it still comin?"Shane fired three more shots as Hershel watched the Walker he had on his pole, barely react to the bullets. It was trying to go for Shane now, since he was in front of it.

"Shane, enough!" Rick yelled.

"Yeah, you're right, man." Shane said as he started walking up to 'Lou'. "That is enough." Shane pointed his Glock at the Walker and shot it point blank in the forehead as he walked by.

The Walker fell to the ground, pulling the pole and Hershel down with it as it landed on the floor. Hershel fell to his knees and just stayed there. Not sure what he'd just seen.

Kat lowered her gun, pointing to the ground, while beside her, Daryl kept his shotgun locked on Rick's Walker.

Shane tucked his gun into his pants again and turned around, walking back out in front of the barn. "Enough; Risking our lives for a little girl who's gone!" Shane yelled, pulling a gasp from Carol as she unconsciously took a few steps back. Kat spared a quick look at Daryl, seeing his face harden at Shane's words. "Enough! -Livin next to a barn full of things that are tryin to kill us! Enough! Rick, it ain't like it was before! Now if y'all wanna live, if you wanna survive you gotta fight for it! I'm talkin bout fightin right here, right now!" Shane turned and ran toward the doors of the barn.

"Take the snare pole." Rick said, trying to hand the pole to Hershel as Shane took off for the doors. "Hershel. Hershel, take the snare pole! Hershel! Listen to me, man, please!" Rick pleaded, trying to get Hershel to grab the pole so he could stop Shane "Take it now! Hershel! Take it!"

Hershel just stared at Shane as he grabbed the pick axe that was leaning outside against the barn.

Shane shouted as he hit at the lock with the pick axe, knocking the hasp loose.

"Rick!" Lori yelled from the back of the group as she held Carl back, seeing Shane go at the locks.

"No, Shane! Do not do this, brother! Wait!" Rick yelled towards the barn as everyone watched.

"Come on!" Dylan yelled. He had his Armscor PT 1911 pointed at the doors of the barn. Shane had just pulled the hasp lock off with the pick axe.

"Don't do it!" Glenn yelled from behind Maggie, his shotgun pointed at the ground. She was crying and had gone up to stand behind Hershel with her hands on his shoulders as he was still on his knees on the ground, crying tears of his own. He didn't want to see his wife and stepson come out of the barn and into what was waiting for them out here.

"Rick!" Lori yelled again.

"Please!" Rick yelled as Shane lifted the wooden board from the rack across the doors. He couldn't reach the lock and chains on the top of the doors, but he'd leave them be. They looked loose enough that they would stretch to only let a couple Walkers out at a time, working in their favor.

"Come on!" Shane yelled as he banged his hand against the door, getting the Walkers inside the barn's attention.

"Shane do not do this! This is not the way! Please!"

"Dylan!" Sam yelled, as he and Kaleb stood a few feet between Lori and Carol. Neither boy had their weapons on them.

"Stay back!" He yelled over his shoulder, not taking his eyes off of the now unlocked, partially open barn doors. Shane stepped away from the doors and back with the group, who were all still a couple yards from the barn. He stood a few feet in front of the rest of them.

Carl, who was peeking around his mother, was pulled back. "Get behind me." She said as she shielded him with her body.

"Come on." Shane said to himself as he aimed his Glock at the barn.

The growls became louder as the first few Walkers began pressing against the doors, opening the space the chains would allow them to fit through. The first couple walkers came out of the barn and headed straight for the group of Survivors ahead of them.

Andrea and Kat were the first two to run up on either side of Shane and take aim at the Walkers, followed by T-Dog and Dylan. Shane fired the first shot, sending the Walker in front to the ground. As soon as Kat pulled the trigger of her gun, second, Daryl took his sights off of the Walker Rick was still holding onto with the snare pole and quickly ran over, aiming his shotgun at the Walker coming towards them. The other three began firing their guns as more Walkers came piling out of the barn.

"Maggie." Glenn said, his face turned up in anguish, knowing her family was inside.

She turned and looked at him, nodding her head. "Okay." She sobbed as she held onto her father's shoulders. She closed her eyes and looked away as her step brother walked out of the barn. Glenn ran up to join the rest of them.

Rick watched with the others in shock as the Walkers fell to the ground one by one as more came from the barn. Shane turned around and looked at Rick for a second before he aimed his gun at the Walker still in the snare pole. Shane pulled the trigger and the Walker fell to the ground, relieving Rick of his duty. He let the pole fall to the ground as Shane turned around and began firing on the Walkers again.

Carl ran around his mother, who was on his heels, and over to Rick.

"Stay back!" Rick turned around and held his arm out, stopping both of them a few feet behind him. Lori grabbed Carl and pulled him to the ground as they both knelt down behind Rick. He turned to look at the barn again. "Stop!" he yelled, but was drowned by the gunfire.

Only a few more seconds passed, Shane, Daryl and Kat taking down the last three Walkers that came out of the barn. Everyone lowered their weapons, looking over the pile of dead bodies.

It was quiet.

Shane turned and looked at Rick, who was still trying to understand what he'd just done.

Dale finally made it to the barn, his mouth agape, seeing all of the bodies scattered in front of it, most of the group out front with weapons, and the Greenes crying.

Everyone's eyes turned back to the barn doors when they heard a faint growling noise from within. Kat was the first to raise her gun again and train it on the doors ahead of them. Daryl aimed his shotgun up slightly, waiting for the last Walker to show itself, but they both quickly lowered their weapons when they saw a small figure emerge from the doors.

The little girl looked much different from the last time they'd seen her. Her hair was messed up and matted, her clothes covered in mud, and a large chunk of skin missing from the left side of her neck. Her hazel eyes, glazed over, and her skin, pale.

It took Hershel and Maggie a few seconds to understand why no one would raise their guns on this last Walker, when they'd killed the others so easily. And Carol confirmed their suspicions from the back of the group.

"Oh, God." She sobbed and began running towards the barn. "Sophia? Sophia!" Daryl dropped the shotgun at his side and grabbed onto Carol right before she ran past him, her body going limp as soon as he grabbed her. "Oh, Sophia." Carol sobbed, she didn't have the will to stand anymore. She went to her knees, slowly pulling Daryl down with her as he tried to lower her to the ground, gently. She kept reaching for her daughter and trying to scoot away from Daryl as he held her back. "Sophia." Carol sobbed as the little girl came closer, stumbling over the bodies of the fallen Walkers.

Hershel watched everyone in the Survivors group as the little girl came closer and closer. None of them raised their weapons. None of them could. Everyone's, including Shane's heart, the man who thought she was dead in the first place, broke a little at the site of her coming toward them.

Lori saw Rick place his hand on his revolver, still in it's holster. "Don't watch." Her voice cracked, holding Carl to her chest as he cried for his friend.

Rick walked past everyone that had drawn their weapons on the rest of the Walkers, but were unable to for Sophia. He stood in front of them all as they watched him raise his gun, aiming it at the little girl walking towards him. He couldn't help her out of the woods. But he'd free her body from this calamity. She took another step towards him, and Rick pulled the trigger.

Sophia's body finally fell to the floor, only feet from her mother, who was hunched over in the dirt, her head resting on her arms as she cried. Daryl had his own body partially leaned over her as he continued to hold her in place, although she wasn't fighting anymore. He couldn't let go. He couldn't move. His chest ached as he looked at the little girl, lying dead on the ground in front of him.

And it was quiet again, all for Carol's sobs.