IF YOU HAVE NOT READ BREAKING SILENCE, TURN BACK NOW!

Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead.

Hannah woke up that morning to find herself back at home. She could see the Harry Potter posters hanging proudly on the wall. There was a loud beeping coming from her bedside table. She groaned before smacking her alarm clock. Hannah groaned, flopping back in bed.

"Time to get up, sweetheart." Hannah threw her pillow on top of her head. She really didn't want to get up. She heard her bedroom door open. "Hannah, you don't wanna miss your first day of middle school."

Hannah groaned once more and got out of bed. She looked over to see her mom smiling at her. She was on call tonight, which meant that it was a father-daughter night. Hannah got up and put on a pair of blue jeans and a dark blue Grand Ole Opry shirt she got when her family went to visit her Aunt Willow over the summer. Dad had said that most of the new stuff was garbage, but the Opry still held value because of all the country icons that played there. She couldn't remember who they'd seen perform that night but that didn't matter. She then went to the bathroom and brushed her teeth and threw her curly hair up into a pony-tail.

She walked downstairs to see her parents in the kitchen. She went and took her seat on a stool by the island. There was already a plate of pancakes, bacon, and eggs placed in front of her. Dad was in front of the stove, flipping another pancake. He was wearing a pair of jeans along with his dark blue uniform shirt from the garage. Mom had a cup of coffee in her hand and a plate of food in front of her. They were happy. Hannah smiled as she looked down at the food in front of her. Her mouth started watering at the delicious smell of bacon. Hannah gobbled it all down and drank her glass of milk.

"Oh, look at the time, Hannah, Lori and Carl will be here any minute to take you to school. Daryl, remember we promised to pick the kids up in the afternoon," her mom spoke up. "I gotta get to the hospital. I'll be back in the mornin'." Her mom got up from the table quickly kissing her dad's lips. "I love you." Hannah made fake gagging noises. Her dad let out a laugh while her mom came and kissed her hair. "And I love you too."

"See y'all in the mornin'. Have a good first day, tell me all about it," her mom smiled and with that she was out of the door.

Her dad looked at her and handed her a paper bag with her lunch. The doorbell rang, meaning Lori and Carl were here.

"Bye dad!" Hannah waved. She headed down the hallway, which was full of their pictures. In one, there was her mom and dad on their wedding day. Hannah had been two years old at the time. There were pictures of Hannah and her dad at her tenth birthday in front of a cake. One of the three of them when they went on vacation to Disney World. There was one from when her family and Carl's family went camping together and her dad took them fishing. Hannah was standing proudly with a long fish she'd managed to catch. Her favourite, though, was the picture from when her parents had first started dating and he had his arms wrapped around her waist as her mom looked like she was laughing.

"Hang on," her dad called out. "You're forgettin' somethin'." He came over and she wrapped her arms around him. Her dad bent down slightly and kissed her forehead. "Love ya, kid."

"Love you too Dad. I'll see you after school," she told him.

"Mac 'n Cheese for dinner?" He asked.

"Of course," she smiled. The door bell rang again. "I gotta go." And with that she ran out the door.

Hannah woke with a start. She was lying on the hardwood floors of the house they were currently squatting in, wrapped in an itchy but warm blanket. It had been about six weeks since the farm. Every night, Hannah had this same dream. She dreamt of another life. One where Daryl and her mom had never broken up, where they'd stayed together and gotten married. In this life, Hannah had still gotten sick, but Daryl had been there to catch it in time so Hannah wasn't deaf. In this life, they lived in King County and her mom had fulfilled her dream of becoming a doctor. Daryl was a mechanic at the garage and was always able to pick Hannah up from school. In this life, they were happy, and they were a real family. She was just a normal kid. There were no walkers. No one she loved died in gruesome ways. More importantly, in this world, there had never been a Shane. Her mom was alive, safe, and happy.

She preferred that reality much more to this one. In this one, Hannah hadn't spoken since the highway. She couldn't bring herself to do it. For about two weeks, all Hannah wanted to do was drop down to the ground and cry. She never did though, at least not when the group could see her. Hannah would cry at night, quietly whimpering under her itchy blanket. By week three, the tears had dried up but she still felt that gaping hole in her heart. She numbness paralyzed her to the point where all she did was keep breathing. Maggie and Lori had to shove food down her throat, though most of the time she thew it back up when no one was looking. Now, Hannah wasn't exactly sure, the same emptiness still weighed on her. She was hollow, numb. Losing her mom, it shattered her. Hannah was afraid to speak again. Recently, she'd begun signing again. Not that it made much of a difference, seeing as no one knew what she was saying.

Hannah was broken. Until now, she'd always thought that being broken meant that something was physically wrong with her. Until Shane stabbed her mother and left her to die in those woods, she didn't believe that she could break like this. She felt hollow, numb. That's what scared her the most. It felt as though part of her had died too.

She couldn't sleep anymore, instead basked in the few minutes of silence she actually got. At night, she would take out her implant out, letting herself be deaf again. She knew the others weren't particularly fond of this idea, in case they needed to run in the middle of the night, but Hannah didn't care. She found solace in the silence. It was the only time where she could think. These were the moments where she started to dream of a better life. She knew it wouldn't change anything, that regardless of how much she dreamt her mom would still be dead and she would still be broken.


Daryl was looking over at his daughter. He could tell that she was awake. Six weeks into being a single dad and he was already failing. Hershel and Rick kept telling him to give her some time but how much? He could see some slow changes in her but not enough. Bright side, she'd stopped throwing up her food when she thought no one was looking. Still, she hadn't spoken. She signed but no one knew what she was saying. Charlie, why'd you have to go? He couldn't do this without her. She thought he could, but she was wrong. Now, all Daryl felt was a void.

He got up and went to relieve Rick who was on watch. Ever since that night in the ruins, Daryl noticed a change in the man. He hardly slept anymore and could hardly look at Lori. It was revealed to the group not too long ago about Lori's affair with Shane. Things were looking grim. They were beaten down by what happened on the farm. Daryl didn't know how much more they could lose.

"Been quiet?" Daryl asked.

"Yeah. You get any sleep?" Rick asked turning towards him.

"A couple of hours," Daryl lied. In truth, he got sleep from time to time but every time he closed his eyes, he saw Charlie dying in his arms over and over. Sometimes she came back as a walker, other times she was just dead.

Rick scoffed. "Bullshit. I saw you still awake an hour ago. Get Glenn to cover for you and get some sleep."

"I can do it," Daryl countered.

"When's the last time you slept?" Rick asked.

"Last night," Daryl answered.

"For how long?"

"Four hours," he lied. In reality he'd gotten maybe two.

"Uh-huh. Look, I know things ain't been easy for you since Char…"

"I'm fine," Daryl snapped. He hated when the group looked at him with pity, like they knew how he felt.

"No, you're not. You went from not having a daughter to being a single dad. And I know things with Hannah haven't been…"

"She ain't talkin'. I can't make her talk," he grunted.

"Doesn't mean it's not hard. Look, Daryl, go back inside and get Glenn. Get some sleep. You're no good to anyone exhausted," Rick ordered. Begrudgingly, Daryl agreed and walked back in the house.

Glenn covered for him on watch as Daryl took his spot back on the floor. He closed his eyes and tried his best to sleep. The nightmares all started the same way, the moment he closed his eyes, he could see her surrounded by trees. This time it was different, Daryl saw Shane standing above Charlotte holding a knife. Usually, by the time he got there, she was already stabbed.

"CHARLIE!" His cry was masked by her screaming. He tried to run towards her as Shane drove his knife into her. "NO!"

The scene shifted as he got closer. Shane had vanished, now Charlie was pinned under Randall's body. He was moaning, his teeth snapping hungrily. Daryl kept running towards her, but the roots in the ground reached up and wrapped around his legs. Daryl crashed to the hard forest ground. He didn't have his bow with him. He was next to useless in this.

"CHARLIE!" He screamed once more. He was clawing at the roots, desperately trying to free himself. The panic set in. He had to save her. "CHARLIE RUN!" She kept struggling.

"DARYL!" She called. "DARYL HELP ME!" He fought against the roots, screaming at her to get away. That was when he saw Randall's teeth sinking in to Charlie's neck. She let out a scream in agony. The roots let go of Daryl's legs. He got up ran over.

There was so much blood when he got there. Charlie wasn't breathing. He dropped to his knees and cradled her in his arms. No, she couldn't be dead. Not again. He felt his heart tighten in his chest.

"I'm sorry," he sobbed. "I'm sorry."

"Why didn't you save me, Daryl?" Charlie's voice rang in his ears. He looked to see her eyes still clouded. "You promised me you'd keep me safe."

"Charlie, I'm sorry," he repeated.

"Why, Daryl?"

"I'm sorry," he apologized once more. He stood up, leaving Charlie's body on the ground.

"Dad?" Daryl turned around to see Hannah standing there, looking at the scene in horror. "You promised! You promised you'd bring her back! You promised!"

"I know," his voice cracked. His eyes widened in horror as Charlie's body had somehow moved and was standing behind Hannah. She eyed the little girl hungrily. "Hannah, RUN!"

Hannah didn't move, instead she just stared at him confused. Daryl started to run over, only the roots wrapped themselves around his legs, sending him soaring to the ground once more. He dug into the ground, trying to break away from the roots.

"HANNAH!" His cry was drowned out by Hannah screaming as Charlie's teeth sank into her neck. Red gushed out as the little girl fell to the ground, still screaming. Daryl furiously clawed at the roots around his ankles trying to pull himself towards his daughter. No, no, no, no! Not Hannah. He couldn't lose her too. "Hannah? No."

"Damn, lil' brother, can't do anything right," Merle's voice rang. The roots let go of his ankles and he crawled over to Hannah's lifeless body. "Your lil girl's gone now, all cause of you. You break everythin' you touch."

"Shut up," Daryl whimpered.

"Our dumbass of a dad, your baby mama… Hell, even me. And you're gonna lose the kid too," his brother taunted.

"Fuck you!" Daryl snapped.

"Hoo-hoo struck a nerve there, did I?" Merle egged on. Daryl felt his rage boil, still holding Hannah's body. "See lil' brother, you can't keep her safe. She and every one else in that pansy-assed group o' yours is gonna die. And there ain't a damn thing you can do."

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" He roared. A gun appeared in front of him and in his rage, Daryl picked it up and pulled the trigger without a second thought.

Daryl looked over to see that where his brother should have been standing, there was an empty spot. Hannah was gone too, as was Charlie. He was alone. Everyone he cared about was gone. The crippling despair filled every inch of him. He didn't want to be alone. He eyed the gun in his hands and decided. He wasn't going to be alone anymore.

Daryl's eyes snapped open to see Carol giving him a curious stare. The sun seemed to be like it was just beginning to rise. Out of the window, he could see the the pink streaks in the sky. He must've gotten at least a few hours of sleep. He ignored Carol's stare and got up. Hannah looked as though she'd fallen back asleep. Good, he told himself, at least one of us is getting rest.

He walked over to the kitchen where Beth and Lori were making breakfast. They'd hit a few of the houses around and managed to find a very minimal amount of food. Daryl figured now would be as good a time as any to go hunting. He walked back through the living room and grabbed his bow.

"Where you off to?" Rick asked.

"Gonna see what I can hunt," Daryl told him, starting to walk out of the house. "Be back in a few hours."

"Hey," Rick called after him. "You shouldn't be goin' alone."

"Told you once, and I'll tell you again, I'm better on my own," he snapped before heading towards the nearby woods.

Daryl spent maybe about two hours hunting. There wasn't much but he did manage to catch a few squirrels. There were maybe two or three walkers here and there, but Daryl managed to dispatch them with no trouble. He figured he had maybe about an hour and a half before Rick and the rest of the group would get worried. He didn't want to head back right away, so instead he sat in the dirt and leaned back on a tree. He pulled out his pack of cigarettes. He opened the pack and found there were only a few left. Over the last few weeks, he'd started smoking a lot more than he had on the farm. But he knew the reason why. Daryl put the cigarette to his lips and lit it.

"You know those things'll kill ya." Every time he lit one up, Daryl heard Charlie's voice berating him. It was crazy, but he was desperate for it. It never lessened the pain, but for just a split second, he smiled hearing her say those words.

He sat at the base of the tree trunk for just a few minutes more. The smoke dangled from his lips. He tried to collect himself, figure out what to do next. He was better on his own. Daryl hated being alone, but he knew it would be a hell of a lot easier. A part of him wished he'd just left the group after Merle went missing. Or kept his distance from them, maybe it wouldn't hurt so much. God it hurt. It hurt so bad, it felt like he couldn't breath. He hated Charlie for making him feel this way. He hated her for being gone. For leaving him all alone with a kid he was going to fail. He hadn't known how to be a dad when Charlie was around, he sure as shit didn't know how to do it now that he was alone. He couldn't get her to talk, let alone be her dad. He needed Charlie. He couldn't do this without her. More importantly, he didn't want to.

He took the burning cigarette and crushed it on his hand. He stared at it numbly, feeling only the burning on his skin. It was a desperate attempt to shift the pain in his chest to somewhere else. It hadn't worked. He missed her. He wanted her back. Please Charlie, don't make me do this alone.

Daryl made his way back to the small neighbourhood. Despite it's size, the house on the street were rather large. Never in his whole life did Daryl imagine himself staying in a place like this. The kind of house with a giant double garage and a pool in the back. The kind of house rich people lived in, the ones that drove big Escalades. The large house came in sight as he rounded the corner. T-Dog was on watch now. Daryl walked up the porch steps and showed the other man how little he'd caught.

"Damn," T-Dog sighed. Daryl merely grunted in response before heading inside.

Hannah was sitting on the couch pretending to read a book. He knew her patterns by now. Carl sat next to her with a different book in hand. Daryl had to give it to him, Carl never gave up on Hannah. Most kids would've by now, but there he was, trying. He walked passed them, casting another look at his daughter, before going to the kitchen. Rick stood over a map with Hershel, Glenn, and Maggie. Daryl put the squirrels on the counter.

"Success?" Rick asked.

"Game's runnin' low out there," Daryl responded.

"Yeah, been thinkin' maybe it's time to move on," he added. "Head up north towards Clarksville. Haven't been there yet." They were a few miles out of Eastman now. Normally, it would only take about three and a half hours but with the taking of backroads and the blocks it would probably take much longer.

"That's a long ways away," Hershel reasoned.

"I know, but with the winter on it's way, it'll be better to head up north. Mountains, cold, might slow 'em down," Rick replied. Daryl nodded.

"When do we leave?" He asked.

"We'll give it a day, time to get whatever supplies we can ready," he devised. "Glenn, you and Maggie…" He was cut off by Beth running in the room.

"Walkers!" She breathed. "Herd!"

"Fuck!" Rick cursed as everyone sprang into action. "Get the others, run for the cars."

Daryl went back into the family room to see T-Dog getting Hannah and Carl. He looked out the window to see maybe about a dozen dead faces in trying to get in. He followed the rest of the group out towards the garage, and hopped in the large grey truck. Carol had gotten in the passenger seat. He would've felt better if Hannah were in the car with him, but he knew she was safe in the Hyundai with Rick, Glenn, Carl, and T-Dog. This house had the largest garage on the block, big enough to fit three cars. It was one of the reasons why they chose it. They'd found the truck already parked inside with a full tank of gas. Daryl put his bike in the truck bed, given that it was getting too cold for him to keep riding it. He hit the garage door opener, cringing at the sound of the mechanical door opening. Houses like these had generators, meaning that they still had some power.

"Hold on," Daryl warned Carol as he whipped out of the garage. There were maybe about a hundred walkers heading towards them. There were hands reaching up and clawing at the windows. In the rearview mirror, he could see the other two cars waiting for him to move. Daryl stepped on the gas and plowed through a dozen walkers. Blood stained the hood of the truck. The putrid smell of death stunk up the air. He didn't dare open up the windows, not yet. He veered towards the left, where there were fewer walkers and sped away. He could see the other two cars following behind them. Relief set in, knowing that Hannah was safe.

They headed straight out of the suburb, passing dozens of walkers along the way. Daryl led them on the back country roads, which were never well maintained even before the world ended. It was even worst now. There was pothole after pothole. They were bouncing so much, Daryl was beginning to feel nauseated. He looked back, making sure the others didn't get stuck.

"End of this road, should lead to the main road," he spoke. "Keep drivin' 'til we run outta daylight."

"And then what?" Carol asked.

"Rick was thinkin' up North," Daryl stated.

"What do you think?" She asked.

"Whatever Rick says goes," he shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess so," she sighed. "And what're you planning to do for Hannah?"

"What the hell you talkin' about?" Daryl snapped.

"She's drowning, Daryl," the older woman pointed out. "I know you lost Charlotte too. I know you miss her, but she was Hannah's mom. She was all that little girl had. She needs her father."

"You don't think I know that?" Daryl snapped. "'Sides, the hell kinda authority you got? You hardly even talked to Charlie."

"I know what it's like to lose your family," Carol snapped back. "I lost my daughter, remember?"

Daryl looked away from the older woman in guilt. Of course he remembered Sophia. It was yet another one of his failures. He was so sure he'd find her. Just as he'd been sure he'd find Charlie unscathed. He was wrong on both counts. He couldn't save anyone.


Another house, another herd, another quick getaway. It was all becoming very routine for the group. Hannah sat in the backseat of the Hyundai with Carl. She absentmindedly stared out the window, trying to drift back to sleep, though her head kept banging the window because the road was so bumpy.

"We'll keep drivin' 'til sunset. Then we'll find a place to spend the night 'n hit the road first thing," Rick explained. Hannah huffed, her head hitting the glass once more.

Carl kept trying to get Hannah to talk. She had to hand it to him, he was resilient. She did respond, but only in sign. This was her first language, wasn't her fault none of the others knew it, though she knew Carl was trying to learn it. Hannah was thankful for that.

She held the locket around her neck and squeezed her eyes shut. She found herself doing this quite often, when she felt especially lonely. It never made her see her mom, or hear her, or anything like that, but it made Hannah feel closer to her. It brought her some sense of comfort. For just a split second, she was at peace. There was an old saying for that, she remembered her Granny saying it when Hannah first started doing speech therapy. More than half the times Hannah met with the speech therapist, her mother was working, meaning her Granny needed to take her -this was after her Aunt Willow moved to Nashville-. Hannah would often feel beaten down that she couldn't speak. Her Granny used to look at her and say: "Baby steps, darlin'. It'll all come in good time."

She looked over at Carl who was looking down at a book. She saw him make the ASL 'B' and sticking it under his chin. She wondered if he knew what that sign actually meant. For some reason, seeing Carl sign the word made her laugh hysterically. Everyone in the car jumped at the sound of it. She didn't care though, she was laughing too hard. Maybe, she'd finally cracked.

"Why are you laughing?" Carl asked.

"Y-Your sign…" her voice was hoarse but she managed to speak in between giggles. T-Dog, Glenn, and Rick all looked back at her with surprised expressions."I thought I was saying breakfast…" Carl drifted off.

"You- you were signing 'bitch'," she laughed once more. She stopped, realizing that this was the first time in six weeks that she spoke. Baby steps darlin'. Baby steps.