I'm baaaaccckkk . . .

Ha,hey everybody! So yes,I have returned,bringing this sequel that will hopefully make you smile,cry and exceed your expectations. To let you guys know,this story is a lot sadder, I guess. It deals with many grief driven actions,so if that stuff makes you uncomfortable,I'm sorry.

I want thank all of you that have read Family of the Dead. It all meant so much to me.

Just a tiny warning before we kick this off: due to the incomplete plot of the 4th season,where this story is taking place,I may go AU in later chapters.

P.S. IF YOU HAVE NOT READ FAMILY OF THE DEAD,GO READ THAT BEFORE YOU READ THIS.

Enjoy :)

(Disclaimer- I do not own TWD or its characters,just Riley)

There are five stages of grief.

Riley remembers each of them from some old,seemingly ancient memory that had been pushed into the back of her head,dusty and tattered,waiting for her to pick back up. It was like looking through a

The first is denial.

She stared down at the worn,patchy length of cloth in her hands,the same one he had bundled up in just this morning. It was nearly falling apart,her fingers gentle as they lightly stroked over the torn embroidery.

"Riles,"

She didn't look up at the gruff man who stood in her doorway. She knew his eyes would hold worry in them. She didn't understand why he was so worried.

"Hmm?" She responds softly,her main interest in the patchy little teddy bear that smiled up at her from the fabric beneath her fingertips.

She hears him shuffle uncomfortably,picturing his usually dirty, intense face to be set in an expression of unease.

"Riles," he says again,his voice low and careful. "Ya' need to get out. Talk to someone. I know Carol has been missin' ya'. Carl too. He's goin' crazy with worry,I guess. I don't really know though. It's just what Carol 's been telling me."

"I'm fine," she replies,her voice sounding distant and hollow,though she thought that must've just been in her head. "I like being alone."

He is quite for a moment,Riley thinking he had left when she heard a low growl.

"Bullshit."

She looked at him then,knowing he'd see the thing in her eyes that had scared off everyone else. She loved Daryl,but this feeling,this emptiness, was just too much. His face instantly morphed from irritation to shock,though he reigned it quickly.

"I like being alone Daryl," she repeated. "Stop worrying about me."

He stared at her,his blue eyes conflicting. His next words were surprisingly soft.

"He's dead,Riley," He says gesturing to the blanket in her hands. "He's been dead."

Riley now looks down at the tattered material,then back at him,very confused.

"But," her voice came out so small and feeble,she knew somewhere in the back of her mind that she would've cursed at her weakness. "He was here just this morning. I remember? He was,wasn't he?"

Daryl looked upon her with sad eyes.

"It wasn't this mornin',Riles."

Her eyes widened,the pushed memories trickling back to her. "Then when was it?

Daryl sighed. "Its been two weeks since we buried him."

Riley didn't speak,knowing he was right. He took that as a sign to continue.

"Two weeks,Riles. Two weeks since the Governor dragged his ass here,since Micheal got bit,since ya' locked yourself in here,after ya' cut yer hair."

At the mention of her hair,Riley reached up and ran her fingers through the shortened locks. She remembers the snip of the scissors,the cold metal guaranteeing safety.

Daryl cleared his throat,catching her attention once more.

"Riles look," he says,crossing his arms. "I'm goin' on a run. Just down to this liquor store a bit a ways. If your as sick as me with these walls then I recommend ya' come with. Gettin' out could be good for ya'."

She stares at him,her mind conflicted.

"Alright," she murmurs quietly after a moment. "I'll go. Just give me a second."

Daryl nods,not pushing her for information before walking away. Riley looks down at the blanket in her lap,then to her pillow,where a knife she hadn't touched in two weeks lay under,waiting for blood.

She took a deep breath.

Riley then gently places the blanket onto the bed,pulling her knife from under its resting place.

"Riles!" Daryl yells from somewhere in the cell block.

She looks back at the blanket. Michaels blanket. Another deep breath

Riley then then hurries off toward Daryl,now looking forward to getting out of the constricting prison. A new feeling started to bloom deep within her then.

Rage.

Carl Grimes watched the only girl he's ever liked tease him,like him,then hate him.

He watched her die from the inside as she returned from the prison,her brothers blood on her hands. It was horrible. He wanted to help so badly,but she never let him.

At first,when he'd try to walk to her,she wouldn't even look at him,which she did to everyone else. That was till Daryl coaxed her out of her cell,out into the world once more,leading her into what she was now.

She first looked upon Carl with hate,scaring him so bad he thought he had truly lost her. That hate somehow shifted into dislike,then finally to indifference. He tried so hard to talk to her,to let her understand,but the more and more she pushed him away,the more he realized how badly he screwed up.

It had been eight months since Michaels death,seven since Merle's and the Woodbury people joining the group. It had been hard,but they all pulled through,Carl settling his own demons.

Killing that Woodbury boy had been a mistake,a horrible one. He had to live with that burden for the rest of his life,and he prayed that Riley would never find out.

"Carl!"

Carl looked up at a irritated Patrick. The other boy gestured to the patchy soccer ball at his feet. Carl kicked it back half-heartedly,his thoughts dampening his mood dramatically.

The children laugh nearby,waving and calling out at the walkers at the fence.

Carl's eyes narrow,picking up the ball that Patrick had kicked back. He storms over to the giggling children,Patrick following close behind.

"You shouldn't name them," he snaps,catching their attention. One of the children,Lizzie,frowns at him.

"That one had a name tag," she replies,pointing to the walker they had been calling so insistently to.

"So?" He grows more and more irritated the longer he stands near these oblivious children. "Their not people. Their dead. It's stupid to give them names."

"And I think it's rude to insult innocent kids," someone snaps,making Carl turn. His heart drops at the sight of who's standing there.

Riley glares at him,arms crossed. Her hair,now nearly spiky and as long as Daryl's,was pulled back by a bandanna-made-sweatband,showing her eyes that flashed with bitterness. She wore a black tank top with black cargo pants,her knife strapped in her boot,her gun at her hip.

Patrick shuffled uncomfortably beside him. The young man had once tried to flirt with the girl,resulting in a bruised crotch and a punched rib,the latter courtesy of Carl after he had figured out about the whole ordeal. Hateful or not,his feelings for Riley refused to diminish despite her feelings towards him.

"Well," Carl says,trying to sound as less of a dick as possible. "They were naming them. That might as well lead them to them thinking walkers aren't dangerous."

Rileys eyes didn't soften. "But does that mean you have to be a complete ass about it. Christ,their kids."

She turned toward the children,her eyes still cold,but slightly less bitter. "But being kids doesn't keep you alive,does it?"

The children shook their heads,Lizzie looking doubtful. "What does that mean?" She asks.

"A walker isn't going to stop from attacking you if your a child. It won't look at you like any normal human being and be hesitant because of how old you are." Rileys eyes darkened. "No,it will still attack you. Bite,scratch,feed. They are dangerous. You don't want to forget that until their tearing you apart. "

She turned to Carl then,giving him a look he couldn't read before setting her usual glare in place,pushing past a terrified Patrick. Carl watched her leave sadly,wishing he could run after her and hug her and make everything alright.

The stringy young man next to him gave him an incredulous look. "God,she's scary. How did you ever manage to get her to like you before?"

Carl shrugged,his mind already on those happier times.

"I didn't hold her back."

First chapter. DONE. Ha,hope you liked it. Review/Fav/Follow

P.S. I will be changing my user name. I have an idea,but if you guys have any,just leave it in a review or PM me.

Abby 'Zombie Slayin' Dixon,over and out.