True to his word, Daryl woke a screaming Lilly several times throughout the night. She would sit up, gasping, his hand on her elbow or shoulder. No words were exchanged except for a small "thank you" and "sorry" from Lilly, followed by a "quit apologizin'" from Daryl. Then they'd both lay down again and fall straight back to sleep.

When Daryl opened his eyes to find dim sunlight streaming through the dirty windshield, he thought that he'd never felt so good in his life. Warmer and better rested than he'd been in a while, he sent a mental thank you to whatever deity existed for getting Lilly to make him sleep.

Stretching and rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Daryl turned on his side and looked at Lilly in the backseat. She was curled up, practically in fetal position, hugging her poncho around herself. Her brown hair looked almost golden in the orange sunlight, sprawled around her face like a fiery halo. She was more relaxed than what Daryl had even thought was possible. He liked her this way.

Her face was completely clear of the stress and anxiety that Daryl had thought was a permanent feature. Long eyelashes brushed the top of her cheekbones, pink lips full. In that moment, Daryl couldn't deny that she was beautiful. Almost angelic.

A knock on the window broke him out of his trance. Carol was smirking as if she knew something no one else did, giving Daryl a cheeky wave and walking away. Daryl scowled at her retreating figure - what was she so smug about?

"Lilly," Daryl mumbled, his voice crackly with sleep. She stirred a little but didn't move. Daryl reached over and smacked her leg. "Wake up, Sleeping Beauty."

Lilly frowned at him blearily, still not fully conscious. "Hm?"

"Time to wake up."

Lilly groaned and sat up, tousling her hair and yawning widely. She stretched and rubbed her face, then blinked at the orange sunrise. A small smile appeared on her lips.

Daryl squinted. "What're you smilin' at?"

Lilly's smile widened as she met his gaze. "I love sleeping," she replied simply.

With a snort, Daryl retrieved his crossbow from next to him and exited the car. Lilly followed, albeit slower, reluctant to go back out into the cold wind. Others in the group were emerging from cars and shuffling about, passing around breakfast.

T-Dog came up to them with a glum expression. "Ladies and gentlemen," he began sarcastically, "I present to a you a never before seen gourmet granola bar." T-Dog handed both Lilly and Daryl said granola bars dejectedly.

Lilly took the bar and unwrapped it, feeling similarly. Granola bars were getting old quickly. Daryl seemed to have the same thought as he frowned. "As soon as we get outta here, I'mma go huntin'."

"I wouldn't mind that one bit," T-Dog agreed readily.

As soon as they were done eating, everyone got to work on moving cars again. They'd made it a good two thirds of the way through the blockage yesterday. Rick estimated that they could get moving again by lunchtime.

Knowing what she did now, Lilly was just as eager as everyone else to leave the place behind. She never knew Sophia, she couldn't imagine how horrible it must have been to witness the child's destruction. So she didn't claim to feel as strongly about it as everyone else did. But even so, Lilly still felt the need to leave just as much - for Daryl's sake more than anything.

Fortunately, Daryl was in a much better mood than he had been yesterday. Both him and Lilly were extra chipper that morning, both revelling in the feeling of being rested for the first time in days. Today, Lilly chose to team up with Daryl rather than Glenn and Maggie. She was tired of third-wheeling the couple, and Daryl had managed to alienate himself from the rest of the group again.

They made good progress, Lilly growing brave enough to sit next to the dead bodies by the steering wheels while Daryl pushed. There were moments where she couldn't help but pause when she saw something particularly sad, but Daryl would always give her a nudge and grunt something about not looking or thinking about it, and she was able to press on.

The group worked quickly, and the closer they got to the end of the pile-up, the better their moods became. By noon, they were all joking and talking. Lilly relished in the sound of socialization, almost laughing at herself because of it. In her previous life, socialization was the last thing Lilly would have enjoyed.

Daryl wasn't one for socialization either, but even he couldn't deny that the sound of a happy family was nice to hear for once. As he approached the next car and got ready to push it, a sweet melodic sound floated his way. Daryl paused and glanced up at where Lilly was hopping into the driver's seat, humming unconsciously. With a small small smile teasing at the corners of his lips, he leaned against the back of the car and listened. The humming continued for another minute or so. He didn't recognize the tune, but he enjoyed Lilly's soft vibrato and pure tone.

The humming stopped abruptly and Lilly poked her head out of the car. Her confused gaze fell on Daryl. "What?"

Daryl shrugged and stood back up. "Nothin'."

Lilly watched him go back to the car and prepare to push it. Their eyes met and she gave him a small smile. She was so grateful for the odd friendship she'd formed with the hunter. Not only was he what she needed to learn how to survive, but she felt safer with him. More safe than she'd ever felt in that attic. And in a world where walkers were just around the corner and death was always a possibility, feeling safe was a valuable thing.

As the final car was pushed off the road, the group cheered happily. A nice pathway had been formed in the pileup that they'd be able to drive through. While some wanted to hop in their cars and go right away, Rick decided that they would eat lunch first. The group walked back to their vehicles and passed around more granola bars (much to T-Dog's dismay).

That's when Rick saw something that ruined his good mood in an instant.

Two black trucks and an RV were speeding down the road, headed right for them.

"Everyone get armed," Rick shouted. "We've got company!" The rest of the group turned and saw, their faces falling and shoulders stiffening immediately. There was a mad rush as they retrieved their guns and other weapons from their belt loops and the backs of their cars.

"Can't we just drive away?" Glenn asked.

"They've already seen us," Rick told him, gripping a pistol in his hands. "Don't wanna risk them followin' us. It's best to deal with 'em head on."

"Besides, we don't know if their dangerous yet," Lori reasoned, though from the tense look on everyone's faces, nobody agreed with her.

Daryl's keen eyes quickly sought out Lilly, finding her a few yards away. He weaved around some other people, coming to stop next to her and nudging her shoulder. The girl looked up at him with worried green eyes. "Stay close," Daryl growled quietly, taking position at her side with his crossbow.

The sight of him standing steadfast next to her eased her nerves a little, but not much. Lilly felt a little stupid gripping her knife, not sure what she'd even do with it if something bad happened. With that in mind, she unconsciously stepped a little closer to Daryl so that their arms barely brushed each stood with the rest of the group, watching the threatening vehicles draw nearer.

The tension was thick in the air, almost tangible. The group stood stiffly with wary eyes as the trucks and RV slowed to a stop. The new vehicles were dirty, coated in dust and what appeared to be walker guts. The sight of something gory dangling off one of the tires was unsettling. It didn't help when six burly men hopped out of their trucks, looking everything but trustworthy.

They were rugged, to say the least. Four of them had scraggly facial hair, some with ponytails on their heads. They were large, well muscled - save for one who stood out from the crowd with his skeletal frame and pale bald head. He was covered in tattoos, images of skulls and dragons weaving up his neck and scalp. Moving to stand in front of the frightening group, a greasy looking man with shoulder length black hair and a chained vest eyed Rick and his own group.

"Y'all stuck?" the apparent leader of the group asked, his voice reminiscent of dry sandpaper.

"We were actually just leavin'," Rick answered. He stood tall, authoritative. "The pile-up held us back for a day, but we've cleared a path."

"Well that's awfully nifty of you," the greasy man replied. "Why not turn around and find another way?"

"There's a walker herd headed this way, last we saw," Rick explained. "Didn't wanna risk getting caught."

The strangers exchanged looks, their eyes empty and soulless. Lilly tightened her grip on her knife, already sensing that they were in trouble. Others in the group seemed to sense it too.

The leader took another step forward and extended his hand to Rick. "The name's Cain - this here's Orren," he pointed to the bald, tattooed man, "Jeff, Malachi, Erik, and Alex." As they were all introduced, they didn't move a muscle to acknowledge it or give any greeting in return. Their dark eyes were all scanning over Rick and his group, like vultures watching a potential meal.

Rick didn't move to shake Cain's hand. He gave Glenn a meaningful look, as if to let him know to be ready to move, before facing Cain again. "Good to meet you. Now if you'll excuse us, we're gonna pack up and go."

Rick's group immediately started to head for their cars. Cain held up a hand and squinted at them. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa… What's the rush? Looks like you folks are doin' pretty well." He shrugged to Rick. "If you say there's a walker herd headed this way… We could use the help, ya know."

Cain's eyes fell to the gun in Rick's hand. "No, I don't think so," Rick replied stiffly. He urged Lori and Carl into his truck, ready to bolt as soon as everyone was in.

Daryl urged Lilly to Maggie and Glenn's car, but before she could move to go there, she found her path blocked by the raggedy figure of Orren. The bald man gave her a dirty smile, his crooked eyes roving up and down her body with no ounce of subtlety. "Where you goin, sweetheart?" He leaned closer to her, very much invading her personal space.

Daryl's hand clamped around Lilly's arm and pulled her behind him as he sidestepped in front of her, blocking her from Orren's leery sights. "Back off, man."

"Calm down, hick," Orren sneered. "Just gettin' to know people."

"You all seem awfully skittish," Cain observed snidely. "Why don't you take a breather. S'like you don't trust us or somethin'."

"Trust is hard to come by these days," Rick answered lowly. "Lotta bad people walking around. Robbers, murderers, rapists." He gave Cain a pointed glare. "I suggest you let us leave before things get tense."

Rick and Cain both locked each other in a standoff of sorts, glaring and trying to calculate who was more dangerous. Daryl and Orren were practically head butting. It was all Lilly could do to not grab the back of Daryl's vest like a frightened child. Lori, Carl, Beth, Herschel, and Maggie had all managed to get in vehicles and were watching out the windows worriedly. The intensity in the air was thick enough to cut through.

Everything happened in a flash. The newcomers yanked out guns and aimed at everyone. Cain took a shot at Rick, who managed to anticipate it and duck out of the way before he was hit. Chaos ensued.

Orren had moved to put a bullet in Daryl's brain, but the hunter was quick enough to knock the gun out of his hands before he could pull the trigger. He slammed his fist into the tattooed man's jaw, sending him spiraling to the ground.

A bullet whizzed past Daryl's arm and nearly hit Lilly. She felt it zip pass her neck, only centimeters away from her skin. Daryl turned and moved to cover her, but two more men came and grabbed him roughly, pulling him to the ground. Daryl tried to fight back, but they were on him faster than he could defend himself, kicking and punching. Lilly watched in horror as they managed to hold him down and one lifted up a gun.

No! They were aiming right for his head, seconds away from ending the life of her friend forever. Lilly didn't even need to think about it. Instinct took over and her body automatically leapt at the man about to shoot Daryl. He had no way of anticipating her attack, his back turned to her and focused on ending Daryl's life. Lilly's knife came crashing down into his back, right where his heart would be.

The man choked out a surprised yell. Lilly snarled, bringing the knife out of his back and burying it into him once again. There was a popping sound each time her blade broke skin and embedded itself into his lungs and ribs, blood spurting onto her hands. Lilly shoved the man off Daryl with an almost animalistic expression on her usually harmless face.

With one opponent gone, Daryl was able to fight off the second man. Lilly didn't have time to help, as a wiry pair of arms wrapped around her from behind. Orren had recovered from Daryl's punch and was back on his feet, his thin face twisted into a menacing grin. Lilly struggled against him, kicking at the air and wriggling about in his arms.

Daryl's heart skipped a beat at the sight of Lilly being dragged back towards the trucks. "Lilly!" He moved to go after her but was blocked by the barrel of a gun. "Don't even think about it," Cain hissed.

Lilly was screaming - a sound that would have made anyone's heart ache. But it seemed these men didn't have hearts, and Daryl's mind was frantic as the sound cut through his core and blurred all reason. He was going to lose her.

Orren nearly had her to the closest truck. That's when she remembered her knife. Lilly mustered all the strength she had and managed to free one arm from Orren's grasp, bringing the knife down on his hands. Orren howled in pain, dropping her at once. Lilly staggered away and didn't even bother looking back.

Just as Daryl was realizing that he was about to get shot, Rick knocked Cain off his feet, allowing the hunter time to duck out of the way. "Let's get outta here!" Rick shouted. Everyone ran for their cars and started speeding away.

Daryl was not leaving without Lilly. "Lilly!" His eyes fell on Orren, who was clutching his hand and bleeding all over the place, shouting in pain. He frantically looked around for Lilly, catching sight of her small frame barrelling straight for him.

"Daryl!" Lilly shouted. Cain was getting back up, gun in hand, and ready to kill. As soon as Lilly was close enough, Daryl grabbed her wrist and pulled her along. As they started running, he placed a large hand on her back and pushed her in front of him. They both sprinted for Daryl's motorbike. The hunter leapt on and was already starting the engine up.

"Get on!" Lilly didn't need to be asked twice, jumping on behind Daryl. He took off, Lilly nearly falling back because of the momentum. She threw her arms around his waist. Gunshots were echoing in the air, bullets whizzing past them. Lilly squeezed her eyes shut and prayed that they wouldn't get hit.

The rest of the group was already speeding away, one bullet shattering a window in Glenn and Maggie's car, others embedding themselves in the vehicle's sides. Daryl pushed his bike as fast as it would go and caught up to the rest of them. The gunshots started to grow faint, eventually stopping when the group had gotten far enough.

Lilly refused to look back, frozen in her seat and squeezing Daryl for all she was worth. She knew that if she loosened her grip at all, she would break down and panic. As the shouts of the hostile men chased after them, promising revenge and pain and regret, Lilly clenched her jaw and pressed her face into Daryl's back, breathing in the smell of leather and sweat. His solid presence, whisking her away from the danger, helped calm her racing heart.

Daryl, on the other hand, did glance back. He watched the attackers grow smaller and smaller in the distance until they were nothing but specs. Only then did his grip on the handlebars relax a little. He took a deep breath, following behind the rest of the group as they sped down the road.

Lilly's arms wrapped tightly around him was oddly soothing, and he found that he didn't mind that she had practically glued herself to his back. He was just glad to feel her there, with him, and not trapped in Orren's arms. Not shoved into a black truck and taken away to where Heaven knew what would be done to her. He thanked his lucky stars that she had that knife, and that she'd been able to use it.

They didn't slow down for a good hour, constantly looking back to see if Cain and his men were following them. Rick felt off about the whole thing. They had escaped with their lives, but something told him that it wasn't over.

Once the road had reached a section of forest, Rick found a side road and led the parade down it. They drove in the shadows for some time, happy to be back under the shelter of the trees. When they finally pulled to a stop, everyone had a wary look to them, their eyes wide and faces pale as the adrenaline wore off.

Daryl swung himself over the bike and got off, Lilly following with watery legs. She nearly fell right there, but Daryl caught her elbow. "You alright?"

Lilly was trembling from head to toe, and not because of the cold. She could barely even blink without her heart jumping. She had been so close to… Lilly didn't even want to imagine it. The sensation of Orren gripping her tightly still tingled on her body, the ghost of the danger she'd been in haunting her. Furthermore, Lilly was starting to process the things she had done to escape said danger with her friends. Her eyes fell on her hands, noticing the blood on them for the first time. Lilly couldn't meet Daryl's eyes, her gaze glued to the stains on her skin. When she spoke, her voice was small and on the edge of breaking. "I… I think I killed someone."

Before Daryl could respond, Rick called out. "Is everyone okay?" People mumbled responses of affirmation. He weaved through the group, checking for himself, touching people's shoulders to assure himself that they were alright. Rick's eyes fell on Lilly, who was stock still next to Daryl and his bike, looking ready to throw up. He locked eyes with Daryl who gave him a nod, letting Rick know that he'd take care of her.

Flashes of when she'd stabbed Daryl's would-be murderer in the back rotated through Lilly's head, the slurpy popping sound echoing around her skull and the image of red blood staining her eyes. She hadn't thought about it in the moment. All she'd been able to think was that Daryl was going to die if she didn't do something to stop it.

Lilly's knife had been clutched in her delicate hands the whole time, and she now dropped it with disgust. It clattered to the ground and glinted up at her mockingly. Lilly rubbed her hands on her pants, wanting to cry when it only seemed to increase the blood stains on her person.

Daryl's hands clasped around hers, stopping their frantic attempt to cleanse themselves. "Here." He fished a water bottle out of the saddlebag on his motorcycle and opened it, pouring some water over Lilly's hands. Then he took the rag from his back pocket and gently started wiping the blood off. Lilly watched numbly, her eyes welling up.

"You did what you had to do," Daryl told her quietly.

"I took a life," Lilly whispered. "I did something only God should be allowed to do…"

"If you didn't kill him, others would have died," Daryl said.

Lilly remembered the feeling of absolute horror when she'd seen Daryl moments away from death. She shuddered. "I couldn't let you… I had to stop him before…" Lilly stuttered, struggling to form the words for what she was feeling. Her round green eyes met Daryl's. "I need you here, Daryl." The words didn't feel adequate, but Daryl seemed to understand anyway. He was the only thing keeping her from breaking down. Though they'd only known each other for about six days, she depended on him with every fiber of her being.

Daryl dropped his gaze back down to her hands and finished scrubbing the blood away. "I'm glad you remembered to use that knife this time," he remarked, giving her a rare smirk. It was his way of thanking her for saving him from getting shot, and also his way of expressing that he was glad Orren hadn't succeeded in taking her. Lilly was perceptive enough to understand this.

She returned Daryl's smirk shakily. "Me too." Then she took a deep breath, her heart finally starting to calm down. "I only have to save your life one more time and then we can be even," Lilly joked wryly.

Daryl chuckled, "Keep dreamin', princess."

Once everyone had gathered their bearings, they got back in their vehicles and continued deeper into the forest. Lilly was a little reluctant to go back into Maggie and Glenn's car, but she figured Daryl wanted the space.

Little did she know, Daryl was actually missing the feeling of her pressed against his back. He couldn't get the image of Orren dragging her away out of his mind. To assure himself that she was still there and safe, he kept driving his bike next to Glenn and Maggie's car to see her sitting in the back. Since one of the windows was shattered, the wind came through and blew her hair around her face. She caught him staring a few times, but merely gave him a tired smile before leaning her head back and closing her eyes.

Back by the pile-up, Cain and his men were busy regrouping, tending to their wounds. Cain observed his injured men with a scowl. Twelve groups. Over the months, they'd managed to attack, kill, plunder, and ravage twelve different groups of survivors. It was how they survived, and so far it had been easy for them to do - even entertaining. So how on earth had this group managed to escape?

Patience was running thin. After leaving a starving girl in a small town last week, the men were growing restless and hungry. When they'd seen this group, rich with supplies and resources, they'd been thrilled with their luck. Now, they were bruised and angry.

A couple feet away, Orren was sitting against a car and nursing his bloody hand. He groaned in pain, pressing a dirty cloth to the injured limb. Cain smacked him in the back of the head. "Quit whinin'. It's your own fault for letting a tiny girl get the best of you."

"She cut my fingers off!" Orren exclaimed, removing the cloth to reveal that his left pinky and ring finger had been severed into nothing more than a pair of uneven nubs. "I'm gonna make her wish she didn't exist, I tell you!"

The bald man was haunted by that girl's green eyes, so bright and innocent - and yet she'd managed to maim his hand. Feeling the throbbing pulse of blood and pain in his nerves, Orren could feel the beginnings of an obsession forming. Nobody did something like this to him and got away with it. Before the apocalypse had begun, Orren had been nothing but a criminal in jail, sentenced to life imprisonment for brutally torturing and murdering his girlfriend. Then when the world crashed and burned, the guards were bitten or killed and he was given an opportunity to escape. In some sick, twisted way, Orren viewed the apocalypse as his salvation. It was like God had allowed him to unleash his full potential, had placed him in a world where he finally could flourish in all his crooked glory. And now, this green eyed little minx had taken both his fingers and his pride. Orren would not allow her to get away with it. He'd rip that light and purity from her countenance and reduce her to nothing if it was the last thing he did.

"We're not letting them get away," Orren sneered, veins sticking out on his head angrily.

Cain glared at the road down which the group had escaped. He couldn't blame Orren for his frustration. The entire clan was shocked that they had been bested by a group of weak nobody's. Honestly, the only real fighters in the group had been the leader, Rick, and the guy with crossbow. The mousy brunette girl had caused more damage than expected, but Cain could tell she'd be easy to break. Overall, they had all gotten lucky and fled like cowards.

It didn't matter, though. His group was down to five men. They'd lost this round. But as he eyed the cold corpse of Alex lying on the ground, a new fire ignited amongst the group. They wouldn't be bested by a pack of nobody's.

Nudging the still body of Alex with his foot, Cain grimaced. The man was covered in stab wounds on his back and had bled out quickly, now cold and lifeless. Couldn't even get the brain, Cain observed disdainfully. He unsheathed a knife from his belt and knelt down, lifting Alex's head by the hair and taking in the man's dull eyes.

Alex's body started to twitch, a rattling gurgle escaping his mouth. He had transitioned into a walker quickly. Cain scowled at his reanimated group member, remembering the man's recklessness and tendency to constantly get drunk. "I never liked you anyway," he told the walker bluntly, before planting his knife in Alex's skull.

When Alex's body stopped twitching, Cain slid his knife back out and wiped the blood on his tattered jeans. He tucked it back in his belt and looked around at his group. They watched, waiting for instruction, their eyes bloodthirsty.

"Search the cars," he told them, referring to the variety of vehicles scattered around the road. "Grab what you can. We'll rest here tonight."

"Even with the walker heard coming?" Jeff inquired, adjusting the beanie on his small head.

"If we stay in the cars and stay quiet, they'll pass right by us," Cain answered. Then he nudged Alex's corpse with the toe of his boot. "If worse comes to worse, we'll use Alex as a distraction."

"And Rick and his group?" Malachi implored, biting at his lip ring. They were clearly anxious to get payback.

Cain gave him a dark grin. "Oh, don't worry about them. They can't hide forever." He ran his tongue across his yellow teeth, already imagining what hurt they could cause. "We'll find them, and when we do, they'll wish they had never been born."