Daryl had been out all night, and the following day. He was trying to collect his thoughts, to come up with a good explanation for what had happened, but he came up empty.

As the sun was setting he stood in the middle of the forest far away from Alexandria, and all its residents. He dragged an arrow out of a walker's head, and as it fell to the ground he kicked it, again and again, until it was battered beyond recognition. He screamed, and more walkers approached him from all around. He couldn't take it anymore, he was angry. Not at the walkers specifically, but at Aaron, and Eric, and the stupid man with the ugly burn on his face, but most of all at himself.

The worst thing was that he couldn't stop thinking about that kiss, about Aaron… He didn't want that for himself, but still it stuck in his mind. It played over and over until he had killed all the walkers around him in rage. It looked like a massacre around him, and it didn't make him feel any better.

It was time to go back "home" before people started worrying where he was, but that was when he heard something in the distance. It was steps on the ground, feet making footprints on the damp forest floor. It wasn't a walker, Daryl knew the difference, this was a much more controlled stride. Each step was deliberately placed, making Daryl fear the worst and hide behind a few bushes; just in time.

"Did you hear something?" a tall, muscular man said, appearing into Daryl's view.

"Nah," a woman said, "You is probably only imagining things" she said, in the most complicated accent Daryl had ever heard. She had to be Russian or something like that, he thought. "We'll make camp soon," she continued, and as she turned to look behind her, that's when Daryl saw them; a whole group of people. There were old folks, young children, but also a few terrifyingly scary-looking men and women. The two in the front had to be the leaders, but many in the group looked just as strong.

Daryl was frozen in place, but he knew he had to run back and warn the others. This group was approximately as big as their own, if not bigger, and the people in Alexandria were nowhere near ready for a fight. He didn't want anything to happen to Carol, or Rick, or Lil' Ass Kicker… or Aaron. The thought of anything bad happening to any of them made his insides turn, and his heart pound.

The whole group had stopped. They apparently decided to make camp right in front of where Daryl was hiding. A large man with a tattoo covering his entire arms and neck made his way dangerously close to the bush Daryl was sitting behind.

"Yo, Lana," he said in a particularly deep voice, and the leading woman turned to him, "what's the plan for tomorrow?"

She seemed determined, and stood up in front of the group. "Tomorrow, we'll heading east," she said, "and if the rumors are true, we will see town before nightfall." Every single person in the group raised their hands and shook them, it was like seeing a group of deaf people clapping. Daryl figured it was their way of cheering without catching the attention of walkers.

As the Russian lady spoke some more, Daryl saw his cut to make a run for it. His feet carried him across wet leaves and mud, as he maneuvered easily between the trees. He didn't see a single walker on the whole way back, and when he approached the wall, he started panicking. It hadn't dawned on him before that he would be having to face Aaron when he arrived back inside.

Anyhow, he climbed the wall in the place he knew it was possible, and jumped down on the grass inside. The first person he saw was Morgan, and then he knew Rick wouldn't be far away.

Right he was, as Rick appeared from behind a building.

"We gotta prepare," Daryl managed to stutter, despite having ran for an extensive amount of time. "There's another group out there. They'll be here by midday tomorrow."

Rick took a moment to take in the information, before Daryl could see the realization dawn on him; they were weak. "How many?" Rick said hastily.

"At least as many as us, maybe more."

Morgan looked calmer than Rick, but then again, Daryl couldn't remember having seen Morgan freak out. The man was always the beacon of calm and mystery, but now there was a tinge of something in his eyes. Was it fright? It should be, Daryl thought.

"We have to tell the others," Rick exclaimed, heading for Deanna's house. Daryl followed, and as he entered the door the inevitable happened: he bumped into Aaron. Not just figuratively, he actually physically bumped into the other man as he was entering the home. A spark of something shot through Daryl's body, but he brushed it off. He shouldn't think about those kinds of things now.

Deanna was standing right inside the door, and Aaron also went back inside when he saw the looks on the other people's faces. He stood silently in the corner as the others spoke, and Daryl couldn't concentrate when he was watching him.

"What has happened?" Deanna had asked with a worried look on her face. She had lost some of her nerve along with her husband, and Daryl figured she would never be the same again. That was one of the reasons not to let your feelings flow in the middle of a freaking zombie apocalypse, he thought.

"Daryl saw a group heading our way," Rick said, and Daryl took over, "They're many, and look strong. Much stronger than us at least," he said, giving a subtle glance over at Aaron in the corner.

Deanna seemed to get more stern when Daryl spoke. She probably knew it must be serious if Daryl let his guard down and actually spoke more than a few words. After he had shared everything he had witnessed, Deanna opened her mouth. It took a second before she spoke, but when she did, she turned to Rick, "What do you propose we do?"

Rick frowned, "We have to make a decision," he said, "should we stay and fight; and lose a lot of people, or leave and take our chances outside the walls?"