When I pushed out into that hall way my body was ready but my mind was miles away. I'm not sure how long it had been but my mind had found its way back when I was alone sitting on the ground. I wasn't sure where I was or how long it had been But I couldn't see the door that I came out of any more. My whole body was covered in blood and I wasn't sure if it was mine or not but I didn't care.

This whole break down that was happening now wasn't just because of Hershel but when I saw him in there dying I snapped. He reminded me of my father who died two months ago. So when I had to watch Hershel dying it was like my father's death all over again. I lost a lot of people. My mother, my three little sisters, all my friends, and the one that hurt the most my older brother. They were all gone. The whole in my chest that was filled by all those people is bigger than ever now that they're gone. The worst part was the person that I've lived out this past year with, my brother who was with me even before this world went to hell, went missing when my father died. By now he's either a drooling cannibal or ones meal.

I hadn't realized that I was crying until a hand was put on my shoulder and I spun around holding my buck knife. My face was wet with blood and tears, when I faced Rick. His eyes were red and his face was turned down in a sad way.

I felt my eyes swell with tears and a lump grow in my throat while I shook my head, "He's dead?" I croaked.

"No," Rick smiled, "He's alive thanks to you. We wouldn't have made it out of there if it wasn't for you."

I sighed in relief and smiled back, "Thanks to you, you mean. Your quick thinking kept the infection from spreading."

"Why don't you come back and meet everyone. I think you've earned yourself a cell in our block."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

After I had retrieved all my arrows and knives, Rick had led me back to their cell block and had taken me to meet the woman with the large belly. I knew it was his wife from our previous conversation, so when she introduced herself as Lori, I wasn't surprised to see Rick put a hand on her shoulder. I also meet Maggie and Beth, Hershel 's daughters, who thanked me many times with tears running down their faces. Carol was such a nice lady who welcomed me with a smile and offered the top bunk of her cell to me. Carl was an adorable little boy who took his looks from Rick. Glen was a sweetheart who couldn't smile wider. Daryl took off before I even got back.

After we had done our introductions, I went in to see Hershel. He smiled at me, "I thought you were dead."

"I thought the same of you, " I swallowed.

"Thank you.".

"Everyone keeps saying that but it was Rick's quick thinking that saved your life," the main reason that I went out and cleared the way was because of my selfish problems. Maybe pay off out was Hershel but mostly because I couldn't take the death and blood anymore. Before he could reply I spoke, "You should rest." I gave his hand a squeeze and walked out.

I grabbed my bag and headed out to the clearing. When I got out there, I grabbed as many sticks as I could find and settled down on a log.

An hour later I had twelve arrows whittled with my buck knife. That's when someone came and sat down by me. I didn't bother to look up until Daryl started talking, "Ya know ya could jus' raid a huntin' outlet instead a takin' an hour ta make um."

"Alright," I scoffed, "Next time you see a hunting outlet pick me up a dozen. Will ya?"

"Yeah. OK. Ya made your point," He paused and watched my hands, "Ya willing to show me how ya did that? "

I smiled and looked up at him, "Sure." I pulled out another knife that was strapped to a holster on my thigh and handed it to him. For the first few minutes he just watched my hands then tried for his self.

Thirty minutes later he held up what looked like just a sick with the bark peeled back. I laughed at him.

"What? " He chuckled.

"It took you half an hour to make that? That's the ugliest thing I've ever seen." I was gasping for air at his failed attempt to whittle arrows.

"I'm a beginner. Cut me some slack."

"Here, " I smiled asking for the arrow. He signed and handed it over.

"Looked pretty damn good to me, " He mumbled under his breath.

I scoffed, while fixing the edges of his creation. It wasn't totally unsalvagable, but if you tried to actually shoot it you'd end up missing whatever you were aiming for.

"There you go. Better than anything you could find at a hunting outlet," I handed him the arrow.

"So what'd ya do before everything went ta shit?"

"I Uhh," I really hated the pre-apocalypse talk. It brought back good memories that reminded me that I was still stuck in this hell hole, "I was a weapons tester at Sintech. My father was the big guy in charge and hired my brother and I when we turned sixteen. I lived with them my whole life. My mother was never around and my father always worked late so I stuck around to take care of my three little sisters, so I didn't have that interesting of a life."

"A weapons tester sounds pretty interestin' ta me."

"Huh. I guess. What about you?"

"Ya wouldn't like the story if I told ya. Let's just say I didn't have loving parents like you did."

"What the hell do you know about my parents!" I couldn't stay next to him and listen to his pity party so I got up and walked over to a near by over turned car.

I heard him get up and make his way over to me, "Look, I'm sorry. I just figured by the way ya spoke, your family sounded alright. I didn't mean ta make any assumptions."

"My family was great actually. I mean my sisters could make me smile even on my worst days. And my brother. You would've liked him. He was the toughest son of a bitch you'd ever met. My parents were what made it hard." my eyes were tearing up now.

"Sorry. I didn't mean nothin' by it. I know what ya mean. Merle's the only family I've ever known. When he left I had nothin'." His eyes were sad and full of a bad past until he noticed and then snapped back to his hard emotionless eyes that he normally holds.

"He's your older brother, right?"

He just nodded.

"My brother's name is Cameron." I smiled sadly at him.

"What about your sisters?"

I huffed, "Triplets. About as crazy as you can get. Rose, Amy, and Clara. They're quite a handful."

"Sounds like it."

"So Merle's missing," He looked up at me with a questioning glare, "I'm asking because you're upset when you talk about him but you still do."

"So what? " He was angry and was getting in my face now. I guess It's a territorial thing.

"I know exactly how you feel. My brother went missing around the time my dad was killed. Haven't seen him since. I don't think I ever will again, but you have to have faith in these kind of situations otherwise what else can we do these days except hope and pray that they'll come back in one piece."

"You don't know shit!" Daryl yelled, backing me up with every forward step he took, "Just because your brother's dead in a ditch somewhere or turned cannibal by a walker doesn't mean Merle is!"

"You know you can be such an asshole! You know that?" I stormed away trying to hold down the lump in my throat.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

It was around the time everyone turns their lights out when I had moved my back pack into Carol's cell. She smiled at me, "So you decided to take me up on my offer?"

"If it's still alright? Yeah, I'd love a room mate."

She smiled at me and nodded softly, "Here," She handed me an extra set sheets and a pillow, "It gets cold during the night. You might need these."

"Thank you for everything Carol."

There was a quiet knock at the door. We turned and saw Daryl leaning against the frame of the door, "Can I have a minute with Diana?"

Carol looked at me quizzically but nodded and left the cell.

Daryl stepped forward and I climbed to my bunk, "Now don't do that. I'm trying to apologize to ya. Jus' give me a chance, will ya?"

I sighed and sat up, still sitting on the mattress, "Five minutes."

"Merle's all I got, and I'm sure Cameron's all you got. I'm not makin' an excuse for what I did, I jus' want ya ta know where I was comin' from. It's this whole world an' everythin' I've been through. I bottled it up an' it jus' all came out when you were around. I'm sorry,"

"Well, shit," I sat up.

"So does that mean I'm forgiven?"

I know exactly how he feels. If someone tried to tell me finding my brother was a lost cause I would have decked them in the nose right then and there, but what Daryl didn't get was I wasn't talking about his brother. I was talking about mine, "Yeah," I sighed, "But if it ever happens again, I'll have to kill ya," I smiled at him tiredly.

"I'd like ta see ya try," He huffed.

"Everyone else has gone to their cells, Daryl," She smiled shyly, "I think I'm going to head off as well. Do you mind?"

"Nah," He was speaking to Carol but didn't take his eyes off mine while doing so, "Y'all sleep tight, now."

With that he left, leaving the room silent, "What was that about," Carol looked at me with a hint of a smile on her lips.

"He was being an asshole and realized that he was wrong, so he came in and apologized," I shrugged it off.

"Wow," Carol mumbled.

"What?" I sat back up.

"You must be somethin' special."

"Why?" I swung my legs over the edge to get a better look at her face.

"Daryl's always right. Even when he's wrong, he's right. He never apologizes to anyone. Ever."

"Huh." I huffed and laid back. I guess I never really thought of Daryl as anything other than a redneck with a crossbow and a problem with his own shirt sleeves.

"Goodnight, Diana," Carol blew out the lit lantern, and laid back down on the lower mattress.

"Goodnight, Carol," I closed my eyes and slowly drifted off into unconsciousness.