Chapter One: Through Michonne's Eyes

"Hrrgghh..."

My eyes snap open at the sound of the slow, painful moan. Daryl and I are seasoned hunters by now but we still have to sleep every once in a while. We chose an old roadside motel for the job last night.

I sit up with a grimace. The stench of death is thick in the air and I know that it would be even with the window of our room closed. It is their scent.

The herd hasn't caught up with us yet; I'm sure of that. I wouldn't be sitting here gathering my thoughts if that was the case. The walkers outside now are probably just those in the lead.

I glance out the window. Sure enough, there are only two of 'em gimping around out there in the parking lot.

The first is wearing the ragged remains of a suit and tie. One eye has been torn away along with most of the flesh on that side of its face. The other walker is a girl who looks like she should be asking Daddy for a car instead of stumbling along with both of her arms missing.

I click my tongue - twice, softly - without taking my eyes off of the two walkers. Daryl is awake and at my side before the next moan drifts in through the open window with the light of dawn.

He looks out at them for a moment and sucks in a deep breath, exhales.

"There goes the neighborhood," he mutters.

I turn away to smile as we both get ready to move on. Daryl is a really nice guy once you got to know him but I learned the hard way with Andrea. If you get too attached to someone these days, you're going to get hurt and badly. Any one of us can die at any minute.

We creep quietly out of the room and down the garbage-strewn hallway. My boots crunch on broken glass as we approach the nearest exit and I carefully avoid the rest of the mess. Daryl leads the way out through the back door.

There isn't any sense wasting time with two walkers when we have to stay ahead of the herd. We walk on in silence until the moans fade with distance.

I surprise myself by breaking the silence first.

"So what's up with you and Carol?" I ask Daryl, "Are you two friends or . . . What's up?"

Daryl seems taken aback at first. He doesn't reply for a very long moment.

"It's . . . kinda hard to explain," he answers.

I nod without speaking. I walk and wait for him to go on. He just walks on at my side without a word.

"She has her own cell and everything back at the prison though . . . right?" I venture to ask.

I tell myself I'm just making small talk but a little voice in the back of my head is whispering And what if he says no? Daryl looks even more surprised now than before.

"It's not like that at all," he protests immediately, "She's the only . . . "

We both freeze at the dim roar building a good ways off in the distance. Our eyes meet. I point wordlessly to the east.

"The Governor?" I ask with a raised eyebrow.

"Only one way to find out," Daryl replies grimly.