Rick, Daryl, Michonne and Carl silently crept through the woods, trying to avoid making too much noise. A herd of walkers had migrated onto the railroad tracks, and the group decided to leave and set up camp for the night rather than fight. Daryl walked ahead with his crossbow hanging casually from his hands and Rick followed; his mind elsewhere. Michonne and Carl were jokingly fighting over the last chocolate bar, by having another competition. Whoever could hold their breath the longest won, and although Michonne beat Carl, they shared it like they always did. Daryl turned around every so often to watch the inseparable pair, and would scoff or shake his head. Nobody saw the quiet smile he had when he turned back around, but they knew most of his "loner" attitude was a front. He pretended that he was okay with being by himself, but they knew how much he still missed Beth; she had become a little sister to him.

They found a small area where they could settle for the night, the thin brown trees surrounding the clearing in an almost perfect circle. "Carl, could you be on lookout for me while I do this?" Rick asked cautiously. He was at war with himself, not wanting Carl to become too violent again, but also not wanting to push him further away. He knew father and son bonding was important, but it was hard and confusing after all they've been through. Rick began to take wire and set it around the circle of trees, weaving it through holes in tin cans every so often. They hadn't seen a walker in more than an hour, but it was a necessary precaution so the noise could alert them if there was one. Carl stood at ready with his gun, while talking aimlessly with Michonne.

Daryl went off, looking for squirrel or deer and to set traps. He had been so accustomed to this in his previous life that it was more like instinct now. He was about to shoot a squirrel, when he noticed something dark dangling from a branch on a tree some distance away. He thoughtlessly took a step forward, and the crunching of the leaves sent the squirrel running. "Damn it to hell," he cursed, his voice rough. He walked over to the object he noticed, until he could distinguish what it was. "The fuck?…"

"Hey y'all, there's someone else nearby!" Daryl jogged back to camp, ducking under the wire.

"What is that?" inquired Rick, narrowing his eyes.

"They're clothes! I guess someone washed them and they were leaving it to dry?"

"So you brought them back with you? Don't you think that was kind of stupid? Now they're gonna be mad and know other people are close too…" "

Well I don't fucking know, I just grabbed something so you'd believe me." Daryl threw the clothes he had in his hand on the ground and started pacing.

"Interesting choice of clothes you grabbed there." Michonne teased, holding up a pair of women's underwear. "I didn't know you were such a pervert Daryl."

None of the group there had ever seen Daryl's face go that bright shade of red, and they all laughed. Michonne wiped tears of laughter out of her eyes, and threw the underwear at Carl's face while Rick chuckled before sobering up. Carl also turned beet red which started up the laughter all over again, and even Daryl broke a smile and snickered under his breath. Daryl's laugh was throaty and rough, it completely suited him.

Lately Daryl had lost a lot of the baby fat he once carried; all of the constant rigorous work had turned it into muscle. His hair was as long as always, but it helped with the "bad boy" look. With emerald green eyes, he was ruggedly handsome but, of course, he did everything he could do to hide it.

"Seriously though, should we find another spot to stay for a few days? What if they're bad people?" Rick asked.

"It'll be fine."

"We can handle them dad."

"Fuck no, I ain't runnin' from anybody."

It was settled, they would stay there. As the sky darkened, they all fell asleep dreaming of someone they loved. Well, most of them. Rick dreamed of Lori holding baby Judith, reaching out to him, and whispering how proud she was of him. Michonne dreamed that she was in a valley filled with pastel flowers, playing with her son Andre. Carl dreamed of Beth, the girl with the silvery hair, the girl he never had a chance to confess to. Daryl didn't have someone to dream about; he only had the lonely ache in his heart he got whenever he thought about someone loving him completely for exactly who he was. The way no one ever had before…

*clink* *clink* *moans*

"WAKE UP!" Rick shouted, shaking Daryl's shoulder. There were walkers everywhere, a massive herd, headed straight towards them. They might have completely passed by without noticing them, if it weren't for the noise of the tin cans from one curious walker, drawing the attention of others. The moans were all that Daryl could hear. Rick tossed a gun to Carl and Michonne unsheathed her sword. Daryl sat up quickly, and grabbed his beloved crossbow. He had eight arrows left, but if he used them all now he would have none left and wouldn't be able to kill any more walkers with it. Yet, what was he supposed to do now, with a herd of walkers on their way over right this second? Before he could turn over the decision in his mind any more, Rick tossed him a shot gun and nodded at him. The walkers hurried their pace, and just as Daryl was about to fire, a figure dropped to the ground seemingly out of nowhere.

She turned around, looked at the small group, and smiled. She then proceeded to raise a sword similar to Michonne, and swipe the heads clean off of three walkers who were directly in front of her. It was a woman, around twenty five years old, and she was perhaps one of the most brutal and beautiful woman Daryl had ever seen.