"Why doesn't the damn sun just come up?" muttered Raelynn as she yawned up at the twinkling night sky. It was quiet, eerily quiet as the group slept soundly on the ground. A new group, she thought to herself as she kept watch that night. A new group after months on her own. She wondered how long this one was going to last. It seemed more right to say that Rick allowed her rather than accepted her in because the rest of the group were still very wary of her. Carol - or at least Raelynn thought that was the name of the gray haired thin woman - said that if she wanted to stay, Raelynn needed to push her weight around the camp, help with the group. Understandable, Raelynn thought. Raelynn asked if she would take the night watch and keep an eye out for things as the others slept. She just didn't want to sleep and be alone for a little while longer. Michonne - the dark-skinned woman with amazing katana skills, Raelynn admitted to herself - was uneasy about it but gave in when Rick insisted that it was fine. She had to remind herself to thank Rick when he woke up, but for now he slept close to his son, Carl and baby daughter, Judith. She didn't blame the others for their suspicions of her, it was completely natural and necessary toward a stranger joining the group. She knew she was wary of them too.

Suddenly, there was a crunch of leaves nearby and the girl grabbed her machete that rested in its holster on her lap. She stood up, unsheathing her trusty blade and held it in one hand, ready to swing, as she took slow steps toward the noise. It was a walker, she convinced herself. A simple walker that could be taken down with a swipe of the blade. It wasn't a human. It wasn't an armed human being. That would mean trouble. Raelynn turned a corner of a tree, ready to pounce and take down the walker when she saw that there was no walker trying to eat her group.

No, it was the redneck that almost crushed her skull earlier that day.

Unfazed by the machete that was close to his head, he looked down at her as he held a large hunting knife in one hand and some kind of small creature in the other. His face, she noticed, was stoic and expressionless. He simply looked at her. Daryl. That was his name, she remembered. Daryl the dickhead.

"Watch where you point that thing," he muttered in a distinct Southern drawl as he walked past her, placing his knife at the base of the tree behind her. He slid down the truck and sat down on the ground, facing her. Raelynn sighed and brought down her machete, sliding it back into its holster. She looked down at him as he took hold of one of the small creatures - which turned out to be some rabbits and other small animals - and prepared to skin it.

"I thought you were a walker," she whispered sharply.

"Well I ain't," the redneck responded. Raelynn watched as he began to skin the rabbit of its fur. If this was before the turn, it might have completely disgusted her. But, nothing seemed to faze her anymore, not after all she'd been through. Not after all she'd seen. She'd done worse than skin a rabbit.

"You need somethin'?" Daryl asked, looking up at her curiously. She didn't make a move to leave, he noticed. She stared blankly at him, lost in her own thoughts. Her black hair was held up in a ponytail and waved in the wind. It was like she was sleeping with her eyes open, Daryl thought. She was quiet, calm and blank. He, still holding the rabbit and halfway through his skinning for the morning meal, waited for her to come back to her senses. He continued on his skinning, thinking she'll come out of it eventually and leave him the hell alone. But she didn't.

Daryl didn't have time to entertain the new girl.

He nudged her ankle with the sole of his boot. She lost her balance for a moment, but stepped back to equilibrium. She came back from her thoughts. Raelynn looked at him and he looked at her, the only sound was of the rest of the group sleep, emanating throughout the lonesome forest.

"You ain't that good of a watch person, if you're 'ere with me," Daryl commented as he looked down at the crimson - once brown - bunny and he resumed his skinning, "Sun's comin' up soon. Go back to your post. I'll watch 'ere." Raelynn nodded, holding onto her machete as if it was her life support.

"Right," she said simply and muttered, "Dickhead," under her breath as she left promptly back to her post by one of the trees. Daryl grunted and laid his head down on the bark of the tree as he finished skinning one rabbit and moved onto a squirrel he managed to snag. Hmph, damn woman.

A few hours later, the sun was beginning to show itself to the world. Instead of the black dark that cradled the world, rays of orange and yellow broke through to lighten the world and awaken some of the group. Raelynn watched the first movements from the people lying just a few feet away from her. A yawn escaped her as she saw Michonne sit up from her spot on the cold ground. Michonne turned and looked at her, nodded as a silent greeting and rubbed her face of the sleep. Raelynn watched as she stretched and stood up, careful not to wake the others still resting. Michonne grabbed her katana and slung it over one shoulder, she walked over to Raelynn as Raelynn walked away from those who were sleeping, to check around.

"So," Michonne said, her voice thick from waking up, "what's your story?" Raelynn remained quiet for a few moments, looking down at her feet as suddenly became aware of the sensation of her shoes encasing her feet. It made her uncomfortable and claustrophobic.

"Not much to tell," Raelynn said simply, silencing a yawn with the back of her hand, turning her head to the other side.

"So what is there to tell?" Michonne insisted as she bent down to lace her boots on. Raelynn shrugged and shifted her feet, sighing softly.

"Absolutely nothing," she said, ending the conversation as Rick got up and relieved her of her duty. She nodded to Rick and then to Michonne, who finished tying her on her boots and straightened herself. She turned to leave and get some water.

"You know," Michonne said as she followed her and stood eye to eye with Raelynn, "I trust Rick's judgment. He says you're good. But if you want to be here, you have to learn to trust and respect us." Raelynn looked at Michonne and nodded, inhaling the crisp heavy scent of firewood and meat cooking. Her gaze shifted from Michonne to the follow the scent. She saw Daryl crouched by a glowing fire, cooking up the rabbit he had caught earlier. Their eyes met, for just a split second. Daryl turned back to the food, rotating the rabbit meat that he stuck on a stick. Ignoring her stomach that began to grumble at the prospect of eating for the first time in a long time, Raelynn looked back at Michonne replied with a slight chuckle.

"Trust," she scoffed and eyed Michonne, "How can you tell if anyone is a good person anymore? You can never be 100% sure." Raelynn watched as the others were gathering around the fire, some talking to others and others were more reserved, "I'm not here to be a part of your little family. I'm not looking for your respect or your trust, just a means to live another day and you need more hands on deck. It's an exchange of goods, I get that. I respect a deal and keep my word. So, for that," Raelynn explained as Michonne eyed her, "for that I'll try to make this work, as best I can. I hope we understand each other." The two women stared at each other and Michonne nodded and walked away, ruffling Carl's hair as she sat next to him near the fireplace. Raelynn watched as they talked and laughed, as if the world around them didn't exist and there weren't any walkers trying to bite at them. She couldn't do that, not anymore at least.

That part of her was dead inside. It was dead at the bottom of her cold, dead heart.

"Hey." Raelynn turned around to see Rick holding baby Judith, not even a year old. Upon seeing the baby, she took a step back.

"Hi Rick, what's up?" Rick nodded toward the fire where the others were gathered.

"Join us," he said, "We're all gonna eat." Raelynn looked at him and then at the group, that were finally biting into their pieces of rabbit. She looked back at Rick and smiled softly at the baby girl, shaking her head.

"I don't have much of an appetite right now," she lied as her stomach rumbled softly enough for her to listen and placed a hand on her holster with her machete safely placed inside. It was her safety, the thing that kept her sane and protected.

"Mind if I check around the perimeter while you eat? I thought I heard some walkers nearby last night, just want to be sure there isn't any near us while we're here." Rick nodded and held onto Judith securely to stop her squirming, in need of some kind of attention.

"Take someone with you," he ordered. Raelynn looked at him curiously, a smirk on her lips crawling across her face.

"What? Afraid I'll run away?"

"Oh, no, you can go anytime you want," he said simply, "But if you wanna stay you gotta-"

"Earn my keep," she finished for him, "Yeah, I got it loud and clear last night. Have it your way," Raelynn said to him. Rick nodded, looking out to his group as some were finishing up with their morning meal. She knew what he was doing. He was deciding who would babysit her for this little job. Oh, who could it be? She could already feel it, she knew exactly-

"Whatcha waitin' for, sunshine? Let's go." Bingo, she thought to herself. Right on the money. She didn't even turn to face the redneck. She grabbed her backpack and slung it over one shoulder and secured her machete. She knew the others were staring at her as she walked away from the campsite with Daryl the dickhead Dixon next to her. They might think that she was going to be taken far away from there and Daryl was there to make sure she didn't come back. She didn't care anymore, she didn't care about what others thought. Because she didn't know them, they didn't know her. What was there to be afraid of? Who gave a fuck about first impressions anymore? Well, she thought to herself as the two continued to walk in silence already a good distance from the camp checking for nearby walkers. First impressions were still relevant, many fucks should be given about first impressions.

She was pretty sure Daryl had a horrible first impression of her for pointing a gun at him. But he wasn't good in her book either. Her face was still sore from the slam into the counter back at the Pharmacy. And yet here they were, having to work together to protect the same group. So, first impressions, at least in this case, were off the table. All that mattered was their survival.

"Let's go, I ain't got all day." Oh, this was going to be interesting.