Angel guessed she must have accidentally fallen asleep, because the next thing she knew she was startled by the sound of gun fire. Sitting up and holding her breath she tried to pin point the exact location of the noise. Another few shots and she determined they were being fired into the alleyway. Shit Merle, please be ok.

To make matters worse there were no windows in the shop that faced out towards the department store. The only way to see what was happening would be to open the door her and Glenn had entered through. And if there were walkers already out there she would be putting herself at risk.

Sliding off of the counter, Angel grabbed the crowbar and quietly made her way to the door. Less than a foot away from it she could hear multiple dragging, labored footsteps and deep, growling moans. She turned facing into the store and leant her back against the steel of the door. Clutching the crowbar to her chest, she slid down to the floor.

Fear and helplessness flooded over her, and with those familiar feelings crashed a wave of unwanted memories.

Threatening footsteps. Her fathers hands all over her. Laying in silence until he finished. Curling up in the corner. Not letting herself cry. Wishing her brothers would come home and save her.

She hated herself for relying so heavily on Merle and Daryl. If only she was half as strong as them maybe it would have given her a better chance in this new world. Instead she had let them be her protectors. Merle was always the one to fix things with fists and sheer brute force but Daryl was the one who comforted her with his kind words and his warm embrace.

Angel squeezed her eyes shut and rested her head against the cold metal of the crowbar, fighting back unwanted emotions just thinking about Daryl. When he would come home from work or school or on the occasions when he would visit once he had moved out, he would seek her out before doing anything else. When he would find her curled up and blank of all emotion he would always take her into his arms and comfort her. Daryl would never ask her what their old man did, she hoped he thought they had just had a fight, and neither of them would speak about it. The Dixons may never show their emotions, but when it was just Angel and Daryl, he would often let his guard down.

Always the sweet one. That's what Merle said about their brother. And it was true. He may act tough around other people but to Angel he was the kindest person she had ever known. His embrace was calming, she could feel his love for her.

Angel would never tell him what their father did to her, and she hoped Daryl would never ask. All three of them hated their father, but if Daryl were to ever know, she didn't even want to imagine what he would do. He may be the quiet one out of the men, but when angered he was just as volatile as Merle.

He doesn't even know I'm gone, she snapped her head back up in realization. As far as Daryl was aware, her and Merle were still safe at the camp. What if he comes looking for us and runs into walkers?! She couldn't stop the worry and started twisting the crowbar between her hands.

Through the groans and feet dragging across the asphalt Angel noticed that the gunshots had stopped. She stilled her breathing once again and listened carefully. Still the lumbering sounds of the walkers, and Angel thought she could hear raised voices, but maybe she was just hoping to hear other signs of life.

The alternative was the possibility of something awful having happened to the group. She couldn't tell if she should be more or less worried about Merle now that there was no gunfire. Her head was so full of fears and pain of not knowing that she couldn't sit still any longer. Rising to her feet, she quietly made her way back to the counter and her backpack. Unzipping it she pulled from the bottom a bottle of water. Avoiding broken glass on the floor, Angel made her way around the counter and took a box of paracetamol off the shelf.

She popped the two pills into her mouth and chased them down with some of the warm water. Angel hoped they would numb the dull ache she was getting in her temples, though deep down she knew it was being caused by the stress, and that wasn't going away anytime soon. She tried a tactic she had used to cope through bad times, tuning out the world around her and looking back on past memories that at the time seemed awkward and embarrassing, but now she could smile about.

Her go to memory was always the most cringeworthy. She was 13 and had just got her first period. Angel knew what it was but was completely unprepared for when it would happen. Without a mom to confide in and help her she turned to the closet family member she had; Daryl.

Angel stood awkwardly in the doorway of their bedroom. "Dar', I'm bleedin'." She nervously blurted out. He had been laying on the mattress flicking through a magazine at the time. He looked up at her, his eyes scanning over her to see where she may be cut. Seeing nothing he had turned back to what he was reading. "Ya know where the band aids are."

"Not like that Dar'. Like...what women do..." She trailed off and chewed on her lip. Realization and shock crept across her brothers face. He dropped the magazine and got up from the mattress. "Shit Cub, I don't know what to do!" He practically shouted.

Angel averted her eyes to floor, finding it too embarrassing to look straight at her brother. "I need...things. I dunno...tampons, towels...shit I dunno, somethin' to make it stop."

Daryl had given her a small nod and left the house. Within half an hour he came back to their bedroom, laden with two plastic bags from the local store. He dropped onto the mattress next to where his sister was sitting. "I didn't know what to get...so..." He trailed off and started unpacking the bags, showing Angel everything he'd purchased. Several packs of sanitary towel, a few boxes of tampons but Angel had to stop herself from laughing out loud when Daryl produced a blue pack labelled 'Tena'.

"Ya think I'm goin' ta piss myself as well?" She couldn't help but tease, pointing out the description on the pack of the incontinence pants. She watched as her brother realised what they were for. "Fuck Cub I didn't know what to get. I didn't know I'd ever have to do..this..." He grumbled into his chest.

A rush of love and pride filled Angels heart. She couldn't contain the emotions and launched into Daryl, wrapping her arms around him and nuzzling her head into his neck. She felt protected and cared for, and she loved that she could rely on Daryl to always be there for her.

The hug took Daryl by surprise and he froze at the unexpected contact. Gradually he relaxed, engulfing her small frame in his arms. "Thanks Daryl." She whispered, giving him a small squeeze. "I gotcha Cub. Always will." He replied, rocking her gently in his arms, a habit started back when she was just a baby.

Once they broke apart Angel sensed that the moment had passed. While she gathered up all the products she hoped this incident would be forgotten about. She had gone off to the bathroom and her brother resumed reading the magazine like nothing had happened.

Her wish for it to be forgotten about was short lived. The next day Merle had approached her while she was on her own in the bedroom. He sat beside her and started to tell her about men and women and sex. Whereas Daryl had been nervous and embarrassed, Merle was brash and straight to the point. Angel wished the ground would swallow her up while her eldest brother carried on his spiel.

It didn't take a genius to realise that Daryl must have told Merle about what had happened. No more was ever said about the matter, but Angel would notice how aggressive and protective her brothers became when she would hang out with them and their male friends.

Angels mind continued to wonder, and she was so deep in her thoughts that she practically screamed in shock when the door to the shop burst open. T-Dog rushed in, shutting the door behind himself. He clutched the other crowbar and Angel noticed blood dripping from the pointed head.

"T? Where's Glenn? What..." He interrupted her. "We need to go. There's too many walkers. I'll explain later. Come on." He panted.

Angel grabbed her bag off of the counter and made her way to him. Before he could open the door she gripped the neck of his top and looked into his eyes with concern. "My brother, is he ok?"

T-Dog looked away from her, debating whether to say anything. With his eyes still averted from hers he finally spoke. "He was wild. Randomly shooting, threatening us. He had to be stopped. A new guy cuffed him up on the roof. He's still there. The key...I...it's gone..." He trailed off.

Angel loosened her grip on him as she tried to process what he was telling her. Noticing the break in contact, T-Dog yanked the door open. "We gotta go, now!" He told her, giving her no choice but to follow as he ran into the alley.