Dustee

Dustee followed Liz closely as the two men had brought them inside the prison. Liz seemed apprehensive about the entire thing, having whispered to her that they should not accept and that they were doing fine on their own. It was true, they were doing fine. But fine wasn't good enough. She was tired and hungry and she knew that Liz needed to rest. The woman was all kinds of messed up in the head and her body was in a constant state of exhaustion even though she never once complained to her. Dustee just knew.

She waited for the tall man to lock the second gate before she turned her attention to the one with the crossbow. He seemed on edge, his eyes were squinting at them under a fringe of greasy hair and she raised her brows in curiosity when he locked gazes with her. He had come from the woods too. Why had he been out there?

Almost as if they had read her mind, the tall guy spoke up, "Where is your brother?"

Crossbow grunted, "Went back."

Liz shifted her stance, finding it awkward to stand there and eavesdrop in a conversation that did not involve them no doubt, but Dustee was curious and so she piped, "Back where?

He snarled at her. The crossbow guy actually snarled, flinging his hand towards him, his muscular arm following as he grounded out, "Ain't none of ya business girl."

"Daryl," tall guy said slowly, placating.

"So that's your name!" Dustee smiled brightly as if she had just won a bet. "Daryl and…?"

Liz shook her head at her, a small amused smile present on her face. Score! She made her smile. Liz never smiled. She suspected it had everything to do with what had happened to her and her…well it had been a long time coming, what those people got. Dustee had been there, she had seen what Liz was capable of, had found out what she was capable of for the woman. It was a good thing they were on the same side, was all she could think afterward.

The tall guy's light eyes connected with first her's and then Liz's as he answered, "Rick, Rick Grimes, and this is our home, we do not let a lot of people in, its too dangerous now-a-days. We have a small group, a tight knit group, I can't say y'all will be able ta stay, but we do have some food and water that we'll share."

Dustee's heart froze a small amount at the words; she looked away from Rick and towards Daryl before sighing softly and nodding, "Thank you."

Liz, on the other hand, was hell bent on being rude. "Big enough place to let us stay for a while," she points at one of the watch towers, "You don't have anyone guarding that one, but you do the one in the front, seems a bit of a hit and miss plan, we can take the tower and stay for a while. Bandage up, get a bit healthier –"

"Not my call," Rick interrupted and looked to Daryl, "Take them up to the group, I'll be there shortly."

Daryl nodded and started towards the inner gate, motioning for them to follow.

Liz

Rick had lied. He didn't show back up the rest of the day and well into the night. Liz and Dustee had found themselves welcomed about as a case of chicken pox by the rest of the group, save for a man named Hershel. He was kind, tended to their wounds even though they did not ask and made sure they had enough to eat to fill their stomachs. It had been a long time since they had had full bellies.

When Rick did come back, it was dark. He made his way through the cellblock, stopping only long enough to give Liz a nod and overstep Dustee's feet as she laid asleep on the floor. He disappeared down the hall, the same hall they were locked out of. It was true that these people were private. Smart. She liked it.

"Go to sleep," she heard Dustee order in a sleepy voice.

Liz sighed and relaxed back down on her blankets, "I'm trying."

Two days went on like this. They weren't really accepted, but they weren't told to leave. Two days they ventured around the grounds with freedom, yet never allowed in the inner cellblock. Two nights spent sleeping together, hearing the group's mumbling from down the hall, briefly wishing she could interact with them as well.

On the third day, they were outside, Dustee was talking to one of the prison's occupants, a short haired woman who looked exhausted, but proud. Liz found her someone to be wary of, Dustee found her comforting. She did not know why, but she had watched her companion's face light up when they had been introduced. Who knew? Dustee was someone who liked everyone, perhaps she just wanted to be around another female. Liz certainly wasn't the best company.

As they spoke, a loud commotion broke out. Shouts and demands and people rushing towards the entrance left Liz and Dustee confused and curious. They followed, their eyes narrowing in on what was going on. Rick was asking a blond woman if she were armed, she watched as the forcefully put her on her knees and then frisked her. All the while the woman protested weakly, calling them by name and wondering what was going on.

Dustee was worried. Liz was skeptical.

The moment she overheard that the woman was from the same place the people who had just shot the prison up was, was the moment she knew she could not trust this woman.

And she didn't, the entire day she couldn't keep herself from feeling uneasy about her. She had a death wish and a martyr wanting. It was the worst type of person one could be. Rick didn't seem to trust her either and Daryl made himself known that he didn't. She could appreciate that. She caught his eye and nodded, affirming to him that she was in agreeance and watched as he looked her over curiously before turning his attention to Dustee.

He did that a lot.

And she returned the curiosity.

Liz frowned as she overheard Carol and this Andrea. It was this conversation that made Liz's blood turn cold. These people were good people. They were a family and they were trying to protect themselves. What she gathered was simple, their turf, their family was in jeopardy. And this woman had once been one of their own. She was a threat. She knew too much. And that was exactly how she felt when Andrea told Carol she couldn't do that. She wasn't a killer. That's how it was in this new world; you did what you had to do.

Liz watched as Andrea stormed off and with quick glance at Dustee who shook her head and mouthed, 'leave it alone', she stood and followed her. When the two of them made it to the courtyard, Andrea turned around and sighed.

"I don't understand whats happened to them," she started. Looking at Liz with tears in her eyes. "They're monsters…"

Shaking her head she stepped towards Andrea and spoke simply, "When I first met them, your guy and his men were shooting this prison up. The boy and the baby were here on this courtyard – bullets barely missing them."

Andrea shook her head, "I don't believe any of it. Rick's lost his mind and the rest follow him blindly."

And there it was. The decision. Andrea was on the enemy's side. Nothing would change her mind, Liz looked dead in her eyes and knew it wasn't because of logic, but because she had feelings for the man. It was written all over her face. How sad. Stepping closer to the woman she spoke softly, "Do you really believe that?"

The blond looked up and glared hard at her, "You don't know him! None of these people do! He…he wouldn't…" she trailed off, then with a huff stormed off. Liz watched her and knew. She had to do what she had to do.

Dustee

Dustee stood next to Beth and Carl as they watched everyone hug and say their goodbyes to Andrea. It had been an intense day and she was thankful that it was almost over. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that the worst was yet to come. Frowning she looked towards Liz and wondered what was going through the woman's head. Liz was a tall woman; she was a good three inches taller than Daryl, who seemed to always be sulking in the background. She was fit, large muscles under tanned skin. Her jaw was sharp, her nose pointed, she reminded her of one of the wood elves from Lord of The Rings. Regal, hard, but beautiful. It was just how she carried herself – strong and sure. Dustee admired her, in that. But she also worried for her. Stoicism was a dangerous thing in this world. Being overly cold would harbor an explosion event that would have one talking to 'invisible people'.

At the thought she looked over to Rick and couldn't help raise both brows in shock when she saw him hand Andrea a gun through the car they had given her. That was a dumb move! Dustee looked to the rest of the group and saw their unease. None of them wanted this to be happening. Whether they just wanted Andrea to stay with them or if they wished she had never come in the first place, was unclear.

Either way, Andrea was pulling away after saying a soft goodbye to Rick through the window. The group started to disperse, but Dustee found Liz staring hard in the direction of the slowly retreated vehicle, she stepped towards her and then froze in fear at the set look of determination that was etched across her friends features.

Before anyone could register, before Daryl had time to reach out and grab Liz, before Rick screamed his protest, before the gun that was resting limply in Maggie's hands was taken, Dustee spoke a word that was hidden in the sound of gunfire. "No!" Liz had done it. Daryl's arms wrapped around her, Maggie's voice rang out and Rick stared in horror from Liz and down to the car that no longer moved, but now held a crimson spatter of finality on the inside windshield and dash.