She couldn't believe the amount of emotional distress that had unfolded in the hour she had been awake between the returning city scavengers coming back with much more than supplies, and those who remained at camp. The man accompanying the survivors living at the camp was a familiar face to Sidney; it was Rick Grimes, a local cop and best friend of Shane Walsh. By association the two had some past but not enough for more then a brief feeling of relief to pass over her, more so for Carl than Lori. Upon further inspection she became unnerved at the realization that a certain boisterous man was not present in the group, Merle was no where to be seen. Her thoughts instantly turned to Daryl Dixon, Merle's younger, but just as outspoken, younger brother. He would be back from hunting any moment now, and coming home to news of his brother's absence could inflict damage on not only him, but possibly other survivors.
The commotion had subsided and Sidney sat obediently on the mat opposite Shane, who cradled his head in his hands. It was the most vulnerable she had seen him in all the years she had spent growing up with him, with each of his emotions being openly displayed for any passerby to see.
"Shane" Sidney finally approached him verbally as she reached to place a comforting hand on his shoulder. At first he stayed silent, only slightly shuddering at her touch, but soon he found what little words he could muster up and replied
"Yeah Sid?"
"Is there anything I could get you? I could start up on your work or I could-"
Shane's emotions quickly transformed from melancholy to frustration as he growled "You're still recovering, how many times I have to tell ya to stop overworking yourself?" Sidney felt her heart drop as Shane used her medical disabilities against her for what seemed like the thousandth time. Sidney suffered from epilepsy causing her to have tonic–clonic seizures, but she was not weak, just not as physically dependable as many of the other men and women at camp.
Hurt, Sidney silently excused herself from Shane's presence, knowing that the conversation would only get more heated from that point on. Sidney was unbelievably grateful for having Shane with her, and protecting her especially now when the world had gone to hell, but he often treated her as a child. Sidney overlooked most of Shane's nastier qualities and focused the majority of her appreciation on his loving qualities.
Walking from Shane's tent, that she would admit felt more like 'their' tent then 'his' tent on account of how often she is told to stay there so Shane can provide protection to her even when she is resting, Sidney noticed Jim and Dale intently listening to Glen, who was telling his story both verbally and physically. Sidney joined the audience of two and began to piece together what Atlanta looked like now. She hadn't seen many walkers, other than the few she encountered before she fled town with Lori, Carl, and Shane. Most of the journey was spent blacked out though, making her even more grateful for having a dedicated companion like Shane to help transport her from the street of her home town to the police cruiser that got her as far as the highway leading to Atlanta.
As Glen reached the climax of his story, involving the utterly disgusting depiction of guts being lathered on his body a frightful scream echoed through camp. Amy came bursting through the tree line, tugging both Carl and Sophia behind her and causing an uproar among the camp.
"There's a walker! It's.. It's right outside the camp!" Amy shrieked to the gathering audience of concerned survivors. Glen and Rick grabbed their weapons and began to head out to the woods beyond camp; following behind them Sidney grabbed her baseball bat. Shane, who finally broke the chains constricting him to his tent, stopped her with a slight shove in the opposite direction and a look that told her she better stay put.
Hurt, Sidney stepped back with the women of the group who also stayed behind with the children.
"Oh, Sophia are you ok?" Carol, the girl's mother, asked nearing tears as she examined Sophia's exposed arms and legs. Sophia physically confirmed her safety by swiftly shaking her head, not daring to speak in that moment. The bodies of the women stood stiffly and nervously, not much could be heard from the woods only 50 feet away from them, but no one knew if that would be a good or bad sign.
Suddenly a sharp southern drawl came echoing from the tree line, and the silence that overcame the women vanished.
"Daryl, he must have led the walkers up here" Lori accusingly said mostly to herself but the others nodded in agreement, making sounds and gestures of disgust. Sidney watched them pass judgment on Daryl, who normally left her alone, never causing trouble for her in any way. For the most part she didn't mind him other than his hot headedness in situations where critical thinking is needed.
The infamous Daryl came barreling through the brush draped barbarically in hunted squirrels, cursing openly and not minding the children.
"Ay Merle, get out here an' help me with these damn squirrels" He shouted out to his brother who was currently not in the camp. The tension radiating from the group was incomprehensible; no one knew how to break the news to the younger Dixon brother.
Rick approached Daryl timidly, preparing to tell him about what happened to Merle. "Who the hell are you?" Daryl hissed as the former policeman came near. Rick began to calmly explain what had happened to his brother on the roof in Atlanta, making sure he included the fact that the actions taken to prevent his brother were originally provoked by the Dixon brother's unruly mannerisms.
"I am going to help you find your brother, you, Glen and I will help you get him back but you have to cooperate with us for this to work"
"Me too, I dropped the key, I'm responsible for this too." T-Dog hesitantly added as he grabbed a few supplies to get ready to go back into the city.
"You have got to be kidding me Rick, Merle isn't worth risking the lives of four of our men" Shane finally broke in.
As the two cops battled out their opinions, Sidney fell back to Glen, who was leaning on the R.V. awestruck that he had been volunteered to risk his life.
"Are you really going back after everything that happened?" Sidney asked Glen worried for the boys safety.
"I guess so, figures my opinion wouldn't matter here" Glen tried to joke but his voice was catching as fear leaked from his body.
"I… I'm going with you" Sidney whispered to Glen, and before he could respond she was walking towards the argument that was subsiding. She stood there, bat tightly in hand and not asking for permission, told them with confidence "I'm going with you."