Halie heard footsteps running the very air seemed tense and frantic. Shouts could be heard all around her as well as a low rumbling and damn if her lap wasn't nice and toasty.

"Get out of the car!" A mans voice shouted with an absolute air of superiority.

She almost laughed but sucking breath in was hurting. The voices were getting hazy and the rumbling was getting louder.

"Really Shane? Get out of the car?" A woman's voice asked incredulously. "She's not even conscious."

"Fuck it then. Just leave her, for all we know she's bitten. We don't have the resources for another anyway." The man (Shane?) spat.

"To bad this ain't your farm isn't it?" The woman spoke again. "You don't get to make those calls. Andrea, get Hershel now!"

Another woman's voice spun in my head with a quick "On it!" And Haile could her her footsteps fading. She thought she must have blacked out again because the next thing she knew there was a flurry of voices arguing around her car.

"We can't just kill it!" A woman cried

"Well we obviously can't move it and y'all are damn set on 'rescuing' her. What options do you think you have?" She could hear the triumphant smirk in the mans voice and was sure he was the one that had wanted to leave her.

Gravel crunched as someone walked closer to the car and the rumbling grew." Nika!" She thought and then she heard the calking of a gun. All of the relief at realizing Nika was at least alive suddenly whooshed out of her. Quicker than she had thought herself ever capable of moving-much less in the condition she was in-Haile had drawn her gun and cracked an eye pointing the barrel at the mans head. His eyes widened almost comically before they hardened.

"Shoot my dog and I shoot you." She grunted. The only response she got was a snarl from the man as he spun on heel.

"Think you could grab it Daryl?" What sounded like an older man asked.

"Fuck you think this is? I ain't gettin' tore up over no dumb bitch or her damn dog." A heavy southern accent bit out. "S'good as dead anyway." He spat and stomped out.

Prick, Haile thought. The old man was talking again and she was trying hard to understand what was going on.

"Hey sweetheart," he started "My name is Dale. We can't help you unless your dog moves."

Ok she could understand that sort of. "Loud whistle-real loud." she mumbled "I'll take care the rest."

The man named Dale was talking to someone else "Dayrl and Rick are the only two that can whistle loud like I think she's talking about."

"Well Daryl isn't gonna do shit, want me to grab Rick?" A woman asked.

"Yes and hurry. Thank you Andrea." Dale said before turning to look at me and eye Nika. "You're going to be fine sweetheart."

More crunching gravel but a second set of steps was uneven, almost frail sounding. Then a loud whistle had Nika at attention.

"Nika, go." Haile said in as an authoritative tone as she could muster. "Whistle again." And again she heard it. Nika jumped out of the car and looked for a moment between the man who had whistled and her owner seeming torn. "Go Nika heel." She managed to grind out before everything was peacefully black.

When Haile came to she was in a bed-which was odd in itself. What bothered her even more was the frail looking man sitting with her dog next to her bed on a rickety looking chair. He looked as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders and he was breaking-literally breaking. As she looked around she realized she was in a mans giant T-shirt and all that remained of her personal clothing was her bra and underwear. 'Good god the man isn't even conscious and I'm blushing' She thought biting back the embarrassed groan that was threatening to escape. Her leg hurt like a bitch and so did her foot.

'Wait foot?' Haile wondered confused as she tried to move to see what the hell was going on here. Unfortunately she hadn't realized the IV's she was hooked up to and stepping down her foot felt like it was on fire and immediately gave taking the IV's with her. Nika started barking and the man with the loose grip on her collar jolted awake-just not quick enough to dislodge his hand from the collar- and came crashing down with Nika right next to Haile's head.

She wanted to sink through the floorboards and Nika happily licked her face over and over and the poor man-who looked disoriented as hell tried to get up. If it could get any worse she didn't know how. And then it did. The noise had attracted a crowd that seemed to pour in the small bedroom. First two older men came running, then two younger women, and older woman, and two younger men one of them Asian. She wondered if she was going to cry.

"Oh my god! Are you ok?" One of the women asked.

Haile was confused-'were they talking to her or the broken guy?' She wondered

"Told y'all this was a bad idea from the start." A man said and stomped off. 'Jackass that tried to shoot my dog' she thought. She could remember the voice but the face was hazy. A pretty blond woman and an older woman with short hair were helping the man she had inadvertently taken down back into the chair.

"Daryl!" One of the old men called out. Haile liked this man immediately; he had a soft expression and seemed so sweet. "We need your help, just for a quick moment." The man said talking at the doorway. Haile heard heavy footfall before she saw him-tall, muscular, handsome, and redneck. She felt she might have died and this humiliation was hell.

"The hell you need my help for old man?" He drawled. Some recognition sparked in her brain. He was an ass and she had heard him before.

"Getting her up on the bed." The old man stated matter-a-factly. Yes this was hell she was sure of it.

"Shoul'n have gotten out in the firs' place." Daryl grumbled as he walked over and scooped her up. And then she realized his arm was touching her ass. The shirt they had put on her had ridden up exposing her underwear to the whole room. Before she could process anything he had dropped her on the bed in a heap and walked off.

"Hey Jackass!" She called out and watched as he tensed and turned pinning her with angry eyes and folded arms, saying nothing and just waiting. Glances were being flung around the room, some worried and some trying to hide laughter. "Thanks!" She said brightly and abruptly waved him off.

"Stupid bitch." Daryl spat and stalked out of the room. A few moments later a door slamming reverberated throughout the house.