Branches of trees struck and whipped his face and he ran through the woods, trying to avoid as many walkers as possible. He knew what would happen if he didn't get back to the prison fast enough. They were probably already on their way.

...

"Where is he?"

"Carol... Please calm down. We'll-"

"No! Where is he? You left him there?"

"There was nothing we could do! We were-"

"You left him on his own!"

Carol's voice broke and she sunk down to sit on one of the chairs. Rick crouched down in front of her.

"We're gonna go back. He's gonna be fine."

Carol met his eyes with her own teary ones. "How do you know that?"

"C'mon," Rick said. "It's Daryl." He stopped. "But- er-"

She looked up. "But what?"

Rick hesitated but said, "Merle was there. He's alive."

Carol felt like she'd been struck in the stomach. She remembered Merle clearly. Always bossing his younger brother around. Racist. Something Daryl no longer was. Then she felt fear. What if he went with Merle and left her? Left the group? Or if he brought Merle back here... She wondered about the reaction of the group to that. She saw Glenn's face and what he had done. He wouldn't be welcomed and Daryl may even have to choose.

...

Another arrow in another walker. He stooped to remove it and ran on, remembering the Governor's voice clearly in his head.

"Both of you will have to die for your crimes of terrorism against this town and it's people!"

He shook his head and carried on running despite the stitch in his side. He had to get to Carol and the group. They would be preparing to go to the prison now and he knew he was running out of time.

...

Axel looked in on Carol's cell and came inside, sitting on the bed with her. "Sorry 'bout your loss," he said.

She turned to face him and frowned fiercely. "What're you talking about?" There was more venom in her voice than she'd ever heard and she tried to not be surprised about it.

"Well, they... They left him there, didn't they?" he asked, edging closer.

Carol stood up quickly and made for the door to her cell then she turned back. "He isn't dead. He'll be fine," she said forcefully, making herself believe the words tumbling out of her mouth.

"Aw, c'mon. Don't get upset," he said, standing up and tracking her movements.

"I'm not!" she cried. Then she realised that she was crying. She angrily wiped at her tears and straightened up. "He's going to be alright, okay?"

Axel shrugged. "I don't-"

"Listen to me," she said, charging forward and pushing him in the chest, "he's going to be fine! He's always fine!... Now leave me alone!" She whipped around and stalked out of her cell and up the stairs to Daryl's perch. Carol brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Then she noticed Daryl's poncho was on the floor in front of her and she picked it up, hugging it to her chest. "Please, Daryl. Please be okay."

...

That was close. A walker came at him out of nowhere. A vision of Merle doing the same thing came into his mind.

Merle had run at him and knocked him to the floor before he had time to realise what was happening. He brought his fist back over his head then, just before the blow could occur, he stopped and stood up as though he had realised that this was his little brother. Not just another guy he could knock around a few times. Merle helped him up, untied him, looked at him for another second then faced the Governor.

"He had nothing t'do with this. It was me. It was all me," he said, stepping in front of Daryl.

Then everything happened all at once. Merle running at the Governor, a gunshot, a fight. Daryl took advantage of the commotion and grabbed his crossbow off some guy who was holding it. He pulled and snatched it back and then ran. He didn't look back.

He pulled his knife back out of the walker's head then started to run again. Quickly dragging his arm across his damp eyes, he knew he couldn't be that far off the prison.

...

"Are you alright?" Beth said, sitting next to her in the main room.

Carol nodded and braved a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"He'll be alright, y'know?" Beth said, a corner of her mouth tugging up into a slight smile.

"Yeah. Course he will," Carol replied, looking down at Beth then around the room. "Where is everyone?"

Beth's face fell. "Hershel's treating Glenn's wounds and Rick's with them. They're deciding what to do now after Glenn's back on his feet. Maggie hasn't left his side since it all happened. Carl's feeding Judith in his cell."

"Then where's-"

"You okay, ladies?" Axel said, appearing behind them.

They both whipped around and faced him. Carol stood slightly in front of Beth, constantly wary about him being around her.

"Shouldn't you be on the guard tower keeping watch?" Carol snapped.

Axel shrugged. "Keeping watch for what? Your boyfriend's not coming back any time soon," he said with a slight innocent smile on his face.

Carol's face ignited but it wasn't embarrassment. It was anger. She stepped closer to the convict. "You don't know him. You don't know him at all. He will be back. He can fend for himself," she said, remembering the time over winter where he had told her about his two weeks lost in the woods when he was a child.

"If ya say so," Axel said, shrugging. "I wouldn't bet on it though."

That was it. Something inside her just broke.

"Get the hell out," she said, calmly.

"Carol?" Rick said, appearing behind herself and Beth.

Her eyes didn't leave Axel. "I told you nicely. Get out. I don't want you near us anymore."

Rick put a hand on her shoulder. "What are you doing?"

She shrugged his hand off and turned to face him. "I'm sick of him. He's constantly hovering over me... And Beth," she added, noticing Hershel appearing out of the cells. "He keeps telling us Daryl won't make it and... I don't feel safe with him here." The last part, she knew would do the trick.

Rick faced him and frowned. "I want you out of here. In your own cell block. I don't want you near my people."

Axel looked threatened for the first time and now scared. "No... c'mon, Mister! I didn't mean it! I was just sayin', y'know? There's a chance-"

"I don't wanna hear it. Just get back to your own cell block."

Axel dropped his gaze and trudged out of the room. Carol stood defiantly next to Beth and felt a little better.

...

There it was. The prison was there. He shot at one walker. Then another. Clutching the stitch in his side, he walked closer to the gate. He fished the key out of his pocket and threw the gate open, closing it behind him. There was nobody in the watch tower and it was mid-day. Morons, he thought and took off running up the path to the cell blocks again. He saw Axel moving back into the other block and frowned at him. Axel seemed to jump but disbelief was on his face.

"Woah! You're back! Best get inside and tell your missus you're alive."

He grunted at Axel, pushed away a blush that was threatening to form on his cheeks and sped inside his own cell block.

...

She heard the doors bang open and instantly everyone was on their guard. Rick, Carl and Carol all had their guns pointed at the door. Until he walked in. She dropped her gun in disbelief and her eyes filled with tears. That was all she needed. She pushed past Rick and Carl and met him as he left the last stair, crushing herself against his chest and wrapping her arms around his neck on her tip toes. At first, he grabbed onto the railing to hold them both in place and he wasn't sure of what to do but he finally decided to pull her in around her waist and hugged her back.

"Where the hell have you been?" she mumbled into his shoulder.

He pulled back to look at her and then into the smiling faces of Rick, Hershel and Carl. Finally, he looked back at Carol and blushed slightly. Then he remembered why he was out of breath and what had happened at Woodbury and Merle. His arms dropped and he scanned the people around him.

"We need to leave here."