Drifting in and out of consciousness Dawn couldn't help but notice the agonizing pain in her left side and the flames that erupted in her lungs when she took a whisper of a breath but it wasn't hard to believe that she was still alive, abuse had readied her for the harshness of the apocalypse in an ironic sort of way. A hand brushed her left side sending claws of pain up her abdomen at only the feathery brush, suddenly the lightness left the hand as it crushed against her bones shoving them into a different position with a blood chilling crack. Dawn screamed in pain trying to fight with all of her will not to cry,

"What the hell man?!" the familiarity of Merle's voice seemed to peel back Dawn's eyelids, his features were blurred at first then slowly they came into focus and the scene of chaos unfolded. Merle was leaning over an older man that was seated across from her, he was screaming at him to be more careful with her. Behind him a man clutching a baby yelled at Merle to calm down only causing the baby to scream in confusion, a young blonde headed girl was huddled next to a younger looking boy who was staring intently at her. An Asian looking man was yelling at Merle holding a brunet woman to his chest pointing to her and calling her Maggie, something about being abused and some rape incident seemed to be associated with Merle and the governor's name. An older woman silently coaxed the baby from the man's arms as he began to physically enter the argument by pulling merle out of the room followed by a man with a crossbow strung across his back. Everyone filed out after Merle and the other man that had held the baby. Dawn peered silently around the now quiet room, it looked like a prison cell, grey cement floors with dingy, blood stained walls, then a set of barred doors that were currently open were on the wall straight across from her. Looking up she noticed a cover over her head telling her she was in a bunk bed,

"Sweetheart I need you to tell me if you can hear me," looking at the older man she painfully tried to sit up.

"No, no, you need to stay in your ankle is broken, now you just need to talk to me," he said gently easing her back onto the flat pillow. Dawn only nodded silently and allowed the man to look closely at her; he pulled up her shirt last earning a thwart to the side of his head from Dawn.

"I'm so, sorry but," she began but was suddenly cut off from lack of oxygen.

"It's alright honey just promise me you ain't gonna beat me up for trying to look at your ribs we gotta make sure they don't get worse," he said gently easing off her shirt and tossing it to the floor. He nodded to himself silently taking in her swollen side and her bruised back, he gently helped her sit up on the edge of the bed as he ran a wrinkled hand over her maimed back.

"How," was all he said, but she only shook her head launching herself off of the bed onto her good right foot towards her shirt. Missing her target by a mile, Dawn miss calculated and fell to the floor with an audible thud that echoed throughout the cell block. Footsteps followed a whole herd of them,

"What is going on," A southern accent that was vaguely familiar shouted as the man from before that had held the baby came hurrying in. Behind him came Merle and the man with the crossbow.

"I don't need any of your help, so if you would kindly show me the way out," Dawn began but Merle cut her short when he quickly stood in front of her blocking her from the men that were noticeably staring.

"Ain't anything to see here boys," he purred coolly, the man with the crossbow shook his head and growled,

"Listen up here missy you best not be no spy or nothing or we will leave ya to the walkers in a heartbeat," Merle stepped forward stiff arming the other man and said indifferently,

"Ease up little bro, she ain't a threat unless you try and take off her clothes, I'm surprised the old man here is still standing, unless she cut something off we can't see," he jerked a thumb towards the older man who in return shook his head then grabbed a pair of crutches and on one leg let the room brushing by the three other men and glancing uneasily towards her.

"Great man now Hershel hates you too, just making a bigger mess for me to clean up," the redneck with the crossbow growled angrily at Merle. Merle only seemed amused,

"Ain't nothing to worry about, he'll warm up to me, jus' like Rick did mhm officer friendly forgave me real soon now," Merle replied nodding towards the other man.

"Daryl, Merle and this girl are your responsibility and I don't want anything to go wrong with them and if anything does it's on your head, got it?" The man named Rick regarded Daryl ignoring Merle's scoff in disagreement. Rick glanced over Merle's shoulder at her and said nicely,

"You stay, you play by our rules not the governors so if you wanna go back to the governor and be with him you go right ahead honey," That was the last straw, still topless Dawn stood up on her good leg and hobbled an inch from Rick's face and growled frustrated,

"I don't even know who the hell you think you are and I don't understand why you get to pretend like you know me but I want you to understand this I won't be going back to the governor any time soon. I see you've noticed my back, well guess what Mr. know it all he did this to me an you wanna know why," she didn't wait for a response, "Because I happened to pass through this way by the prison and that ass hole thought I was with you. he beat me day after day asking where you were even when I swore I didn't know you guys, but no he didn't believe me and you know what I put up with it because I could have killed that man if I wanted. but you know what he told me you guys had women and children and a baby and you know what I played along pretending to withhold information just so that he wouldn't go looking, just to try and help you poor people and this is how you treat me and the man that saved men, like gum off of the bottom of your shoe, well sir I wish I wouldn't have sent them on wild goose chases in the opposite direction for you now so why don't you swallow your pride and get some balls and just say thank you!" Dawn was out of breath and allowed the three men to stare at her wide eyed like the idiots they were, Merle snapped out of it first and just laughed like it was funny. Spinning on to face him she spat,

"You are no saint either so why don't you get in line too with your apology and your thank you for not slitting your throat the first day we met when you decided to try to undress me like the pig you are!" he stopped laughing and the smirk fled from his face replaced by a predators glare,

"What you gonna make me?" he challenged, but before Dawn could respond Daryl stepped in front of him and pointed the crossbow at his forehead saying simply,

"She might not but I sure in hell will." Dawn couldn't help but smile at the two brothers at each other's throat and the courtesy of Daryl to stand up for her even at the end of the world. Daryl smiled at her briefly before pointing his crossbow at the older Dixon's head. Dawn only shook her head and uneasily stooped to retrieve her shirt, a large hand shot out grabbing her arm then another plucked her shirt off the ground. Righting herself Dawn looked up to find Rick holding out her dingy shirt with his other arm wrapped around her bare waist, Rick didn't seem to notice her thudding pulse. Dawn smiled sweetly at him accepting her top gratefully. She allowed him to stand close by as the brothers still arguing angrily amongst themselves not even noticing the scene before them.

"You hungry Dawn, if that's your name," Rick asked quietly in an almost shy manner. Dawn nodded eagerly already hobbling towards the door.

"Now hold on you won't make it down the stairs in this condition," Rick protested, Dawn sighed.

"Guess I'm stuck in here, what you gonna lock me up too?" She sneered annoyed at the man thinking her as weak. Rick laughed and shook his head, he stepped forward sweeping off of her feet in a fluid motion.

"Rick!" Dawn protested at the sudden closeness of him, but something in the back of her mind seemed to just tell her to shut up and enjoy it. Shrugging mentally Dawn did just that she got quiet and threw her arms around Rick's neck without a second thought. Rick grunted as he carried her down the stair making Dawn feel suddenly embarrassed and slightly self-conscious,

"You could put me down officer," she giggled, Rick only shook his head as they descended the final stair,

"Yeah right, we are almost there any ways so just go with the flow and if anyone bothers you just say the word and I will work it out," He replied as they entered a different room that had a few tables scattered around the room, two were filled. There were two black men at one along with a white man and a boy, at the other table not far from the first sat a young blonde girl, an older brunet, an Asian looking guy, Hershel, and an older grey haired woman.

"this is T Dog," he said gesturing towards the larger black man, "this is Oscar and Axel," He introduced pointing to the other dark man then the white one, "that is Carol and Beth," The grey haired woman then the blonde, "and Maggie and Glenn," To the brunette then the Asian. Dawn made a mental note of everyone trying to remember names.

"Oh and this is Carl," he said pointing at the young boy in the Sherriff hat, must be related, she thought to herself noticing the resemblance of the man and the boy. She nodded at each of them liking their uninterested in her accept for the man Axel who just seemed to be unable to take his eyes off of her. Rick set her down at the table next to the one hosting Hershel and the others, Hershel nodded in her direction earning a warm smile in return from her. Axel plopped down next to her followed by Carol, Carl, T Dog, and Oscar, so much for the uninterested,

"Welcome, you got a name missy?" Axel's southern drawl made her think of her late husband bringing back the awful memories of him and Daniel.

"Dawn," She replied simply, hoping that the conversation would end there, but no this man was very persistent, VERY.

"That's a nice name girl, so where you from?" He asked scooting closer to her, Dawn flinched away,

"Yeah I came from a faraway land called reality," she responded coolly, Rick came up behind her setting a bowl much like the others surrounding her had along with a water bottle. Uncapping it Dawn took a long sip while Rick patted her gently on the shoulder then disappeared from the room.

"So are you and Rick together or somethin'?" Axel asked tilting his head to the side reminding Dawn entirely too much of a child. Dawn did a spit take in surprise,

"Axel would you stop scaring off the new girl, for Christ's sake let her eat at least!" T Dog growled across the table. She smiled gratefully at him and dug into the rice and canned gravy.

"Well since you are going to be here a while how about after dinner I get you some better clothes and show you to the shower room, how about it Dawn?" the woman named Carol asked innocently, she nodded excitedly it had been weeks since she last had a shower. Carol nodded obviously content with the response she got. Their cheerfulness was interrupted by the banging of a heavy mass tumbling down the stairs outside of the doorway leading into the cell block. Carl shot out of his seat and headed towards the noise followed by T Dog wielding a piece of sharped metal piping,

"Move out the way!" Daryl's familiar growl made Dawn curious. Daryl pushed past the boy and T Dog holding Merle with his good arm behind his back while pressing a knife to Merle's back between his shoulder blades.

"Apologies for what you did to Dawn right now!" Daryl howled shoving the older Dixon to the ground; Merle looked up revealing his swollen bruised face. Dawn gently hopped one-legged to the stubborn man and said darkly,

"Don't worry Daryl I don't need an apology from him, I never liked him." Dawn hobbled past the scowling man knowing hard to get was how she had to play it. Daryl pushed Merle over catching Dawn by her arm he assisted her back to her cell.