Chapter two

I had to be dead. I was too comfortable to be alive. My fingers gripped soft sheets as eye attempted to pull my eyes open. I was in a room, in a bed. What the hell? Where was the forest, where was Daryl?

"Good, your awake" I jumped at the unfamiliar voice and snapped my head round to the left. Standing by the door where two men. Oh god, please no. I quickly looked down at myself, I was in a new top, one I didn't recognise and by the feel of the sheets against my shin, I was no longer wearing shorts, had they removed them? I felt sick, it must have shown. The closest guy quickly placed a bin at the edge of the bed as I leaned over it and hurled up what was in my stomach, which wasn't much. "Easy" he added keeping my hair from my face.

"Sorry" I mumbled at him, wiping my hand across my mouth. He hadn't me a small towel and I used it.

"it's okay, how you are feeling?" he asked me, I looked over at his friend who was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed.

"Sick" I admitted quietly.

"You passed out at the creak, fell into the water. Daryl brought you here, he wasn't sure what to do with you, but he knew he couldn't leave you out there" he told me "My names Rick Grimes, this is my friend Shane" he added nodding at the other man. "Daryl says you're from Scotland" I nodded my head. "We looked in your back, you don't seem to have much, when did you last eat?" he asked me.

"A couple of days ago" I replied.

"Okay, you passed out due to dehydration, I guess not having much food probably didn't help either" he told me "I've spoken to Hershel and he says your more than welcome to stay here for a few days, just until you feel better" he added.

"Hershel?"

"He's the owner of this house and the farm it's on" Rick told me. "we can get you some proper food and make sure you drink plenty of water whilst you're here" he added standing up "I'll send one of the girls in with some fresh clothes, your other stuffs still drying" he added. I nodded my head as the both left the room.

It was a woman called Maggie that had brought me clothes, apparently they were her sister Beth's because we were both the same size, she then took me out side and towards a little camp that had been set up under some trees. The sun was beginning to set and there was a fire lit, it didn't get cool here at night but not cool enough for me to sit by the fire. An older woman with short hair handed me what looked like scrambled egg and beans. My stomach growled as I looked at it. I thanked her and then went off a little bit from there camp and sat on the grass. God, it tasted so good. I couldn't remember the last time I had had eggs. It didn't last as long as I hoped but at least I actually felt full for a change. I didn't know where my bag or bat was though, I looked around but couldn't spot it anywhere. Had they taken it? I would need it when I left. There was a lot of people here, more than I had seen in a while and thankfully woman as well. I watched as an older man got up from his chair and walked towards me.

"Hello, I'm Dale" he told me with a warm smile.

"Freya" I replied.

"Yes, Daryl told us. You're lucky he found you by the sounds of it" yeah I was, I owed him my life, twice. "I don't mean to intrude but I noticed you didn't have a tent"

"That's because I don't" I told him.

"Where have you been sleeping?" I was well aware that everyone was listening in because they had suddenly gotten quiet.

"up in trees" I admitted.

"Well" he said "Your more than welcome to sleep in the RV but I should warn you it's pretty cramped" he added. I shook my head.

"No thanks I'll be okay out here" I replied standing up and walking away from the camp. I took a seat against a nearby fence and closed my eyes. It had been a strange day. I snapped my eyes open as footsteps approached. I looked up to see Daryl, it was almost dark now, but I could still see it was him. "Hi"

"You can't stay out here, it ain't safe out in the open" he told me sharply.

"I can't go in the RV" I replied "I don't know these people at all, and I'll probably be to hot" I admitted. He nodded his head.

"Alright" he said "Follow me" I got up and followed him. why did I trust him so much? He had saved me, twice, maybe that was why. He didn't seem very nasty either which was a plus. He led me by the tents until we came to one a little bit away from everyone else's. Was this his tent? It must be as I watched him climb in it and sit himself on a raised camping bed "Come on, what ya waiting for?" he said to me. I climbed in after him. "here you can sleep on here" he said pointing to the raised camping bed.

"I'd rather be on the floor, thanks though" he just shrugged his shoulders.

"Suit yer self" he replied handing me a pillow and a blanket. I thanked him and lay at the other side of the tent and got myself comfy. The ground under the tent was nice and cool as I lay my head on the pillow. It smelt earthy with a tinge of smoke to it, but I didn't care, it was a pillow. I pulled the blanket half over myself and closed my eyes.

I woke to the sound of someone saying my name. I opened my eyes to see light steaming in the tent. Had I slept all night? Wow, that was the best sleep I had had in weeks. I stretched like a cat.

"Freya, would you like some breakfast" the voice asked. I didn't recognise it, but it was defiantly a guy, I staid quiet. I wasn't sure if I could trust him, I still wasn't sure if I could trust this group period. Why hadn't they given me my bat back? I would feel better with my bat.

"What the hell ya doing at my tent?" I heard a gruff, familiar voice asked.

"I was trying to see if Freya wanted breakfast but she's not replying" the other man replied.

"here, gives it" Daryl replied as I heard footsteps approach the tent, I watched as the door was unzipped and Daryl walked in holding a bowl of food. He just looked at me when he saw I was awake, but he never questioned it, he just handed me the food. I took it and sat it in front of me, but I never touched it. One meal I could accept but two, what would they want in return. "eat up" he told me after a minute. I shook my head.

"I can't"

"why the hell not?" he questioned.

"what will your people want in return?" I asked him.

"You don't need to worry about that"

"But I'm eating their food, you don't get anything for free. Especially not now" I told him.

"Just eat it, you need it" I looked down at it, it was some sort of meat and beans "Besides I caught the deer, and you don't owe me anything" he added seriously. I nodded my head and mumbled a small thanks before clearing my plate. It had been good, I was glad I wasn't one of those fussy eaters.

"thank you, for everything" I said to him.

"didn't do anything Rick or Shane wouldn't have done" he told me. Shane scared me a little he had a strange look in his eyes, Rick seemed okay, but it was Daryl I trusted.

"I don't trust them though, I trust you" I admitted quality. He just scoffed.

"you're crazy then"

"maybe" I allowed.

Over the next couple of days, I had learned who everyone was by name. Glenn had filled me in about carl being shot and Sophia being missing. I felt sorry for the group they were obviously going through a lot and Hershel seemed to be expecting them to leave the farm once Carl was fit for travel, but it didn't mean I trusted any of them. I spent most my time near Daryl's tent or in it if I thought someone was going to come over and start a conversation with me. Daryl disappeared every day to look for Sophia, but we had gotten to know each other a little better, or at least we were comfortable around each other now. That morning almost everyone had gone out looking, I had watched Daryl ride of with one of the horses. It was a quiet day with everyone gone, I watched as Carol and Lori did washing and hung it up to dry. The good news is they had given me my bag back, the bad news, I was an outsider and they didn't trust me with my bat, or so Shane had told me when I had plucked the courage to ask for it.

That morning I found myself wondering around the farm. I found myself at the stables, I had always liked horses. The stable wasn't empty though, Maggie was in there grooming one of the horses, she looked up when she spotted me.

"Hay, how you are feeling?" she asked.

"I'm okay, thanks" I replied walking over and clapping the horse.

"Ones missing" she told me "You any idea who has it?" she asked. I nodded my head.

"Daryl" I replied simply.

"Hope he's a good rider, he's took the most nervous out of them all, there's a reason we call her Nelly, dads not to happy but I understand why he's done it, he can cover more ground and try and find that little girl" she said. I wasn't sure if Daryl was a good rider, he had looked comfortable on the horse and I'm sure he wouldn't have gotten on it if he didn't know how to ride. "Your very quiet are your worried about something?" she asked me when I didn't reply.

"I don't want to talk about it" I told her seriously.

"Did something happen to you out there?" she asked seriously stopping and looking right at me.

"No" technically anyway, he had tried, and I had smashed his head in with my bat to protect myself, but I wasn't about to admit out loud that I had killed a man. I still couldn't believe I had done it. I was a horrible person, I had killed a man. I could feel tears starting to form, I quickly turned away from Maggie and ran out the stables. I didn't stop running until I was back in Daryl's tent. With no one looking at me, I let silent tears fall. I couldn't help but blame myself. If I hadn't agreed to join their group then that man wouldn't have touched me, and I wouldn't have killed him. I was a murderer. Glenn had told me Rick and Shane where cops, even at the end of the world I couldn't let them find out.