Hay guys! I'm back with another chapter! :D I'm running on coffee, energy drinks, and only a few hours sleep today so I hope this chapter isn't total crap! As always I love reviews :) Enjoyy!

Clary's POV

"Clary get up. Breakfast is ready." Jamie said as she yanked the covers off my body.

"Fuckin' hell." I mumbled angrily. "A'ight I'm up. Let me get some clothes on."

Once Jamie left, I changed into a striped polo shirt and a pair of comfortable jeans.

"Morning sleeping beauty." Dale said as he walked up to me.

I smiled and mumbled a "good morning" before shoving some eggs and toast into my mouth.


I helped Carol and Lori do the domestic chores most of the day. Lori was happy that Carl was doing better. I felt kind of sad thinking about that. Not that I didn't want Carl getting back on his feet, but Beth had let it slip that Hershel was going to make us leave once Carl was completely healed. I didn't want to leave our small safe heaven. I didn't want to spend the rest of mine and my sisters' lives running from danger, praying for shelter.


"WALKER!" screamed Andrea from on top of the RV.

Since she'd been given her gun back, Andrea had been taking watch against walkers. Quickly I turned to Jamie. Fear was clear in her eyes.

"Go to the house!" I yelled at her.

Lori grabbed Carl and helped lead Jamie inside. I grabbed my hatchet and ran with Rick, Glenn, and Shane towards the decaying corpse.

As we neared the body, I noticed a now familiar crossbow around its back. No. No, Daryl couldn't have been bitten by one of those bastards. He would've taken an arrow to the head rather than wait to be turned.

"Is that Daryl?" Glenn asked.

All of us paused except for Rick. He held Daryl, or Daryl's body, at gunpoint.

"You gonna pull the trigger?" Daryl's heavily accented voice asked, obviously irritated.

"That's the third damn time you pointed that thing at my face."He told the former cop.

I felt the tightness in my chest release at knowing Daryl had made it back safely. Damn was he filthy though. Suddenly a gunshot ripped through the air. I turned back towards Andrea. Had there been a walker near by? I heard something heavy drop to the ground. Rick let out a bloodcurdling scream and I nearly went weak in my knees. Daryl was had fallen. Blood was spattered over his head. He looked dead. Shane and Rick screamed that it wasn't a walker Andrea had shot and carried Daryl towards the house. We couldn't lose Daryl, especially to a stupid mistake.

"You stupid bitch!" I yelled at Andrea as she climbed down from her post.

She looked like she might be sick. Good, she deserved to feel bad for possibly killing a member of our small group. "I-I—I didn't know!" she stuttered.

"No you didn't! You should've listened to Rick! But nooo! You hadda play little miss badass and now Daryl's hurt."

She regained her composure and cocked her hip to one side while crossing her arms. "Hay! I was protecting the group. Don't tell me that as soon as you saw him, you knew he was alive. From anyone's point of view he looked like a walker."

"Yeah, but Rick waited before he took the shot."

I shook my head, overcome with malice."Not you though. Shoot first; ask questions later. That sound about right?"

She looked at me wearily.

"You think that when you pulled that suicide stunt on Dale back at the CDC?"

For a moment, I feared she'd blow a gasket and slap me.

"Yeah, you're protecting the group alright."

I turned towards the house to cool off. My face was red from yelling at Andrea for her stupidity and my temper was boiling.

Rick walked out of the room where Hershel was looking at Daryl. Immediately I stood up.

"Is Daryl gonna be okay?" Jamie asked.

I placed my hand on her shoulder, bracing her should the cop give us bad news. Rick cast us both a tired smile.

"Yes, it's just a flesh wound thankfully. He'll stay in the house for a few nights so Hershel can keep an eye on his injuries."

I felt relieved at his words. Shane and Hershel walked out and greeted us.

"He's going to be fine. He shouldn't have taken my horse like that though." The old man said, wiping his hands clean on a rag.

I sighed and just then I remembered the dull pain in my shoulder. Guess I'd have to take some ibuprofen when I went to bed.


"Ay, Clary, where you goin?" Shane asked as I made my way towards the spare bedroom where Rick, Lori, and Carl were.

Jamie had made Carl a "Get Well" card with what little notebook paper I had in my bag and was too shy to give it to him.

"I'm taking Carl this card Jamie made him."

He chuckled and walked up to me. "Ain't that sweet. Here we are in the fuckin apocalypse and we still got time for young love."

I glared at him. "Hay, they're just kids. Sides I'm glad they've become good friends. The hell's your problem, Shane?"

Suddenly his hands slammed into the wall on either side of my face. His breath smelled like stale whiskey.

"You keep your fuckin sister away from Rick and his family. You see what Sophia going missing did to Carl. The less attached he is, the better chance he has at survival."

That did it. I was still pissed off from my spat with Andrea earlier that evening and now this asshole was trying to scare me. Did I have a sign on my back saying "I Have No Life. Please Feel Free To Fuck It Up"?Before I gave his demands much thought, I spat in his face.

"You lay a fuckin hand on my sister, and I swear to God I will cut you into tiny motherfucking pieces and feed you to the damn walkers."

He stepped back and looked at me like I had grown three heads.

"Stay away from Rick and Lori. And keep that kid away from Carl!" He growled as he walked back outside, presumably to his tent.

I sighed as the crazy ex-cop left. Guess he'd been hitting the bottle pretty hard tonight. That thought alone didn't keep me from shuddering slightly at his words.


I knocked on the bedroom door to see if everyone was descent. It'd definitely be awkward to spoil an intimate moment between the couple. Lori smiled as she looked at the card.

"He's sleeping, but I'll make sure to give it to him. Since Sophia went missing, he's been so determined to find her."

I nodded. "Jamie feels the same. I have to watch and make sure she doesn't take sneak out on her own."

Lori and I chuckled quietly. Thankfully, it seemed that no one had heard mine and Shane's "conversation".

"Well, I'm gonna go get ready for bed." I told our leader's wife.

She folded the card back up and looked down at her sleeping child.

"Yeah, it's been another rough day." I was all too willing to agree with her on that.

"Night Lori." I told her as I left the room.

Laying in my cot, I watched my sister sleep. She'd been so strong through all of this. She hadn't once gone into hysterics since I'd found her hiding in that closet. Frankly, that scared me more than anything. Was she really okay? Was she scared and didn't want anyone to know? Or had she shut all of it down? Some days it felt nice to just wander through the motions. Not to feel anything. But I couldn't. I had to be on alert for her. Shane only made the dangers of being a child in this world clearer to me. I'd rot in hell before I let anything or anyone touch her. That was a promise.

"I love you…so much."