Chapter Two:

They walked out of the woods into a pasture. Rosanna looked up and saw a lovely white farmhouse in the distance, with an RV and several cars and trucks parked out front. As far away as it was, she could see several people milling about. Including a woman standing on top of the RV. The woman was yelling, "Walker, Walker," although Rosanna knew Daryl wouldn't be able to hear it clearly. The people on the ground began running toward them and the woman on the RV raised a gun. Rosanna bit her lip and pulled Daryl down as the gun went off, knowing from how close the sound of the bullet made that she had just saved Daryl's life yet again.

"What the hell?" Daryl yelled.

"That bitch shot at us!" Rosanna cried, preparing to pull her swords out as a group of people ran toward them holding weapons.

"Don't," Daryl said, pulling on her arm. "These are my people."

"She. Shot. At. You." Rosanna said flatly, reaching for her swords again.

Daryl shook his head. "She probably thought we were walkers."

Rosanna bit her lip harder as the people approached. One was a bald man with a necklace that had a 22 on it. Another was an Asian kid, younger than herself. The others were a tough looking black guy and a scruffy looking white man who looked like he was growing a beard.

"Daryl!" the scruffy guy shouted, running closer.

"Rick," Daryl answered as the man and the black guy took him from Rosanna, each putting an arm over their shoulders.

"What the fuck happened?" the bald man asked, glaring at Rosanna.

"I fell off a cliff. This chick helped me. Names Rosanna," Daryl answered.

The bald man scrutinized Rosanna while the Asian looked from her to Daryl in wonder. "Where'd you come from?" the bald man asked.

"California," Rosanna answered shortly, annoyed at the man's tone. "And Daryl needs attention. I'll be going now." She glanced at Daryl. "It was nice to meet you Daryl, I hope you recover fully." She turned to go, but the bald man grabbed her arm. Without thinking, Rosanna moved instinctively. Something about the smell and demeanor of the bald man turned her stomach. She grabbed his other arm and flipped him, throwing him on his back. "Don't you dare touch me," she snarled.

"Damn that was actually really badass!" the Asian kid told her with a smile.

Rosanna backed up, looking from one person to the other worriedly as Rick jumped between Rosanna and the bald guy. "Shane, leave her alone!" Rick yelled as Shane glared at Rosanna.

"How'd the hell you do that?" Shane snarled, dusting off his clothes.

She shrugged, keeping one hand on a sword. "Martial arts." She certainly wasn't going to inform him it had just been instinctual.

"Look," Rick said evenly, still holding Shane off. "You helped one of ours. Least we could do is feed you dinner."

Rosanna shrank against a tree. "I don't know. I told Daryl I didn't want to get involved in your group. I just wanted to make sure he got home safe."

"Good, then leave," Shane spat, still glaring.

"That's not right," the Asian said. He lifted a hand towards Rosanna. "Hi, I'm Glenn. Sorry about Shane, he sometimes acts like he's got a stick up his ass."

Rosanna took a deep breath and took Glenn's hand. "I'm Rosanna. It's nice to meet you Glenn. And Rick." She nodded towards the bearded man.

"I'm T-Dog," the black man said, nodding at her. Rosanna smiled at him. He grinned back.

"Come meet everyone," Rick said, going back to help Daryl.

Rosanna steeled herself and followed them through the pasture. By that time, another group of people had congregated in the front yard under a tree.

Rosanna was introduced to Hershel, the owner of the farm, his daughters Maggie and Beth, Beth's boyfriend Jimmy, and Patricia, an older woman who smiled warmly at her but had a distinct aura of sadness around her.

"This is my son, Carl," Rick said, pointing to a young boy, "and my wife Lori." He pulled a dark haired woman into a half hug.

"I'm Dale," an older man said, "and this is Andrea."

Rosanna studied the blonde woman. "You shot at Daryl."

Andrea glared at her. "I thought he was a walker."

"Well didn't anyone tell you, the first rule of learning to shoot is to know for sure what you're shooting at?" Rosanna asked caustically.

Andrea sputtered, and Dale put an arm around her. "It was an accident," he said.

Rosanna shrugged. "Well, it's nice to meet you all. I tended to stay away from people since all this began. I haven't met anyone, really, besides Daryl."

"You haven't been with a group?" Lori asked.

"No. I saw what some people became, worse than walkers really, so I stayed by myself," Rosanna said quietly, looking at another woman who had just come from the house. She had short hair and looked rather motherly.

"I'm Carol," the woman said, holding out her hand. "Thank you so much for bringing Daryl back."

"Are you his mom?" Rosanna blurted, and at the strange look on Carol's face she flinched back. "Sorry."

"It's ok," Carol said, smiling strangely. "I am a mom but Sophia's my daughter."

"The girl Daryl was trying to find?" Rosanna asked.

Carol's eyes teared up. "Yes."

Rosanna nodded and then shook her head. "I'm sorry, I haven't met a girl. But I'm happy to help look, if you need help."

Rick smiled at her. "Thank you, we just may take you up on that offer."

"But I need to make it clear, I'm not here for a handout or anything. If you need help, I'm happy to look, but I don't want to intrude, and I'm not looking to stay," Rosanna said quickly.

"You helped Daryl, and he's back safe because of you," Carol said, as Hershel followed Rick, T-Dog, and Daryl into the house. "Hershel will help him."

"He helped me, and I was shot," Carl said.

Rosanna frowned and kneeled down to Carl's level, looking the boy over. "You were shot?"

"Yes," Carl answered. "And Hershel helped me. He'll help Daryl too."

"It was amazing, what Hershel did for my boy," Lori said, pulling her son into a hug and smiling at Rosanna. "He saved his life."

"Are those swords?" Carl asked eagerly, pointing towards the sheaths on her back.

Rosanna nodded. "Yes. My father bought them for me one year when I got really into anime." She shrugged, smiling. "Who knew they'd actually be useful for something other than looking pretty on my wall. Would you like to see one?" She looked up at Lori for permission and got a nod in return. She drew a sword and gave it hilt first to Carl. "Be careful, they're very sharp."

"It's heavier than it looks," Carl said, grinning.

"Is that all you have for protection?" Carol asked tentatively.

"No, I have guns but I rarely use them.," Rosanna said, taking back the sword and sheathing it. "They draw more walkers, so I only use them to hunt deer. I also have a hunting knife, but the swords are really all I need."

"That's amazing," Carol said, looking at Lori, who nodded.

"Guns are necessary," Andrea put in, still looking angry.

"Maybe for you," Rosanna said, "but I never needed one. I know how to shoot, my dad was a hunter and I've been hunting every season for elk and deer since I was eight. We also shot clay pigeons as stress relief. I used them a lot at the beginning, but I ran out of ammo quickly, and I decided not to use them exclusively since I have my swords, and they work well."

"Bet you haven't ran into a herd then," Andrea spat, her lip curling.

Before Rosanna could answer, Carol and Lori both took an arm. "Come on in. There's a hot shower if you'd like to take one. Looks like you're pretty clean though."

"I had just finished bathing in the creek when I found Daryl," Rosanna answered gratefully, "But I'd love to take a hot shower. I haven't had one in the longest time."

"We can do your laundry too," Carol said, "just let me have it and I'll get your things nice and clean for you. Would you like to shower before or after dinner? Dinner's ready now but we can hold it off until you're done."

"I'll do it after, if that's okay," Rosanna said gratefully. "But I'd like to check on Daryl first."

They led Rosanna into the majestic house, and she looked around interestedly. This was the first nice place she had seen since the apocalypse. "This is lovely," she said in appreciation. Maggie heard her.

"Thank you," she said, smiling. "This place has been in our family for a hundred and sixty years."

"That's amazing!" Rosanna smiled back, looking around eagerly. "I've never been in a real farmhouse before. I've never even been on a farm."

Maggie grinned as Glenn walked up behind her, timidly touching her shoulder. "I guess you want to check on Daryl. Come on."

Rosanna followed Maggie and Glenn into a small family room, where Hershel was stitching up Daryl's arrow wound. Daryl frowned when he saw Rosanna and looked away.

"He'll be just fine in a few days," Hershel said serenely without looking up. "You needn't worry."

"That's good," Rosanna answered with a small smile at a still frowning Daryl. "You have a beautiful house. Maggie tells me its been in your family for a hundred and sixty years?"

Hershel looked up for a moment to beam at her. "Yes, it sure has."

Not knowing what else to say, Rosanna looked down at her boots. Carol and Lori came in smiling. "Dinner's ready," Carol said with a small smile at Rosanna.

She followed the women into the dining room, where the others were just sitting down at a large table. "Wow, that smells delicious," Rosanna said, taking the seat T-Dog held out for her.

"Lori and Carol made it," said Beth, holding Jimmy's hand.

Rosanna nodded and took the plate Carol handed her, filled with chicken, fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, and mashed potatoes with thin gravy. "Wow, thanks. I haven't had chicken in the longest time. I've been living off venison and rabbit. Snake too, when I was in the desert."

"It's our pleasure," said Carol. "You brought Daryl back to us."

The others nodded while they helped themselves to their own plate. "So what happened, exactly?" Lori asked after glaring at Carl when the boy chewed with his mouth open. "Rick said Daryl has an arrow wound?"

Rosanna chewed her bite of chicken and swallowed before answering. "Yes. I was at the creek washing clothes when he fell down the waterfall. I hid at first. I was scared, I'll admit it. He got the arrow stuck in him when he fell. He tried climbing the cliff, but he fell again and didn't move. So I did what I could for him. He mentioned a little girl." She looked at Carol. "Your daughter . . . Sophia, right? She's missing?"

Carol's eyes filled with tears. "Yes, it's been several days. We lost her when a herd got to us on the highway. She ran into the woods."

"I'm so sorry," Rosanna replied. "I can't imagine how you feel. And there's been no luck whatsoever? No clue as to where she might be?"

"None, and we've been all over," Andrea answered, staring coldly at Rosanna.

"Daryl's been going out every day," Dale put in.

She surveyed the group before deciding to let them know what she had seen. The group definitely didn't look like Wrong Turn hillbillies. "The only child I've seen was a walker," Rosanna said quietly. "A big man was walking it through the woods a couple of days ago."

Everyone at the table stared at her. "What do you mean, walking it?" Glenn asked as Maggie looked at her sister and Patricia with a strange expression.

"It was attached to a stick," Rosanna tried to explain. "That's why I didn't help Daryl the first time he fell. I was afraid he was part of the same weird group. I didn't want to get involved with people who keep walkers as pets."

"You've been hanging around here for how long, exactly?" Maggie asked, her face red with anger. It didn't seem directed at Rosanna, but at something else.

Rosanna looked at each person staring back at her, making her feel uncomfortable. She put down her fork. "I've been in the woods. I found a deer that had been shot and just left there. No walkers had gotten to it, and it had been recently killed, so I took some of the meat. I spent a day smoking it so it would keep better. I'm sorry, have I missed something here?" She looked at each person in turn.

"It must have been the deer Otis shot," Beth said to Maggie, then looked at Rosanna. "Otis was Patricia's husband. He shot the deer, but the bullet went through and hit Carl. That's how they all got here." She motioned towards Glenn, Dale, T-Dog, Lori, Carol, Carl, and Andrea.

"Otis died, getting supplies to heal the boy," Patricia said quietly. "Walkers got him."

"Do you think Otis was . . ." Beth began, only to be shushed by Maggie.

"Can you tell me what the child was wearing?" Carol asked hesitantly.

Rosanna shook her head. "A T-shirt and cargo pants, I think. I was too far away to see properly, and the clothes were too dirty to see what color they were. I think it had chin length hair, though."

Carol put her hands to her mouth as Shane strode in. "What's going on?" he asked harshly, giving Rosanna a glare as he reached for a slice of chicken breast, popping it in his mouth whole. T-Dog told him what Rosanna had seen. "Really?" Shane looked at each person at the table. "A big guy, walking a fucking walker like it was a pet?" He slammed his fist onto the table. "Otis?" He scowled at Maggie and Patricia, who looked down at her plate. Maggie glared right back.

"Who knows?" she spat.

"Who else could it have been? Any other fat guys live around here? She said the walker was a child!" Shane shouted. "We're risking our lives looking for that girl. Look what happened to Daryl! I want to know what the hell's going on!"

Patricia let out her breath and looked at Maggie. "Honey, maybe we should . . ."

"No!" Maggie shouted, standing up so fast her chair fell backwards. "We're not doing this!"

"Doing what?" Hershel asked as he walked into the room, wiping his hands on a towel.

Glenn filled him in. Hershel looked at Rosanna with an odd expression, then turned to Shane. "I don't see how you think this man and the child have anything to do with us."

"Child? You mean people-eating walker!" Shane raged. "Who else could it have been in these woods?"

"To be fair," Rosanna interjected, "I was in these woods and I'm not part of your group. So like Maggie and Hershel said, it could have been anyone. Not someone they know."

"Like you said just now, you're not part of our group so you keep your fucking mouth shut!" Shane raged. He pointed at Hershel, who winced at his cussing. "Who the fuck could it have been then?"

Rick came into the room looking serious. "What's going on?" Rick asked. Lori stood up and pulled him aside.

"If that walker could have been Sophia, we need to know who has her," Rick told Hershel immediately.

"I have no idea where she could be," Hershel said, motioning to Beth, Jimmy, Maggie, and Patricia, who all stood up and left the room. "This is my land. I don't want any trouble. I don't appreciate being yelled at and cursed at in my own home." He looked solemnly at Rick. "I think it's time for your group to get ready to leave. Carl's much better and Daryl will be able to travel soon."

"We need to find Sophia first," Rick stipulated. "And I want to discuss staying."

"If the girl is infected, what will you do?" asked Hershel, brushing off Rick's statement.

Rick pinched the bridge of his nose. Shane shook his head. "If she's a walker, we'll put a bullet in her head and then we'll bury her," Shane said, crossing his arms.

Hershel merely looked at him. Rick gave Shane a look and shook his head slightly. "Hershel, we'll do what's right."

"And if there's a cure, what then?" Hershel asked. "You just killed a sick little girl."

"There is no fucking cure!" Shane shouted. "You're fucking crazy! We were at the CDC! There is no cure!"

"How did you get in the CDC?" Rosanna asked. "When I got there, it was burned down."

"You went to the CDC?" Lori asked.

"Yes. But like I said, it was burned to the ground. Looked like an explosion."

"Dr. Jenner was the last man working for a cure," Rick told Hershel gently. "He said there is no cure. The CDC blew up when it ran out of power for its generators. Jenner almost blew us up with it. He said there was no hope."

"Our friend Jacqui stayed," Carol said quietly.

"He killed her?" Rosanna asked, shocked.

"No, she wanted to stay. She didn't want to live in this world anymore," Lori answered, putting a hand on Carol's arm. Both women shared a sad look.

"So there is no cure, nor any prospect of one," Rosanna said finally.

Rick, Shane, Glenn, Andrea, and Lori all nodded. Dale and Andrea exchanged a look. Carol and Carl looked down at the table.

"None whatsoever," Rick said, looking Rosanna and then Hershel straight in the eye.

Hershel pressed his lips together and shook his head. "I'm going to bed," he said quietly. "I expect all of you out of here when you finish your dinner. And I don't want you filling my girl's heads with this no cure nonsense. I want peace and quiet tonight. The next person who shouts or curses will be banned from the house." He turned to go. Rosanna stood up and put a hand on his arm.

"I sincerely apologize," she told him. "I didn't mean to start a fight. I didn't know . . ."

"It's not your fault," Hershel said with a strained smile. "I'm glad you found Daryl. He wouldn't have made it out of the woods without your help. We have bears and coyotes in there and it seems like ever since all this happened, there have been more of them. They're getting bolder, too. All that blood would have drawn them right to him. If he hadn't bled out first."

Rosanna nodded and let go of his arm. "I heard that you would like to take a hot shower. Let me get Patricia for you. She'll show you where the bathroom is and get you a pillow and blanket. You can sleep on the couch tonight. I'll allow you to stay for now, but when Rick and his people go, I expect you to go too."

"I'm perfectly fine with that," Rosanna said, looking at Shane, who looked as if he was going to argue. Rick shook his head at him and Rosanna looked back at Hershel. "Thank you for your hospitality. I'd like to stay a few days and get laundry done, maybe hunt and smoke some more meat. I'm willing to help out with whatever you need done here on the farm, and I will absolutely share some of my meat with you, if I can get it."

"That won't be necessary," Hershel replied. "I'll get Patricia. Good night."

"Good night, Hershel," Rosanna said with a small smile.

"Rick, I need to talk to you," Shane said, motioning towards the door. Rick and Shane went outside while everyone else sat quietly back down to finish their dinner. Rosanna sat too, looking down at her dinner that she no longer had an appetite for.