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" You see sumthin?" Daryl asked after a few minutes.

He looked over his shoulder to find her on her knees on the ledge, looking into the building. She had one hand on the window and the other on the ledge but she was completely still, telling him that she was seeing something. The hand on the ledge went into a fist before opening wide, then closing again before showing him the number three. Eight. She was seeing at least eight walkers. He was slightly impressed how she thought to get that information to him. She was being careful, not drawing attention to herself and even they won't have been able to hear her if she spoke out loud to him, she wasn't going to take any chances. He liked that.

" That all?" Daryl asked quietly, turning to face her completely.

Moving in the slowest motion he had ever seen, she brought herself down to her ass. She turned so she could look down at him and nod. She cast a slow look over her shoulder before giving the window her back again. She took a hold of the ledge with both hands and pushed herself off. He reacted without thinking, intending to try and catch her so she didn't get hurt. Not because he cared about what happen to her, but because he didn't want to have to be weighted down by her being hurt. He told himself, at least. But she didn't need his help. She landed on her feet, only stumbling back slightly before she caught herself.

" The ground level is a big open space with a few boxes and crates scattered around. There are two sets of stairs, leading to a top level. There are a few closed doors in there so I don't know what's inside those rooms." She said. " There may be some downed that I can't see. I have noticed that some of them will just, kind of, sit around after a long period of no activity." Daryl frowned but nodded.

" Yeah, seen that too." He said. " Can you work a knife?" Rebel shook her head as she started to chew against her bottom lip. He sighed as he reached for his hunting knife. He unclipped it quickly with one hand while reaching with his other hand to pull out the tire iron he had tucked into his waist band. "We gonna draw them out. Be easier to deal with them out here, were we can run is we need to."

" I...I can't..." Rebel said quietly while shaking her head continually.

" You ain't gonna do shit unless I need it." Daryl said handing his knife over. " You hold it tight by the handle. Stab them in the head and leave it there. I'll get it out after they down. You take this tire iron too. If need be, you hit them with this too." With her hand shaking and nerves in her stomach, Rebel took his knife from him and brought it to her stomach, staring into his eyes. She had never before actually had to fight one or kill it and...she was scared.

" What about you?" She asked, taking the tire iron too. Daryl pulled a gun out from where he had stored it, tucked into the waist band of his pants.

" I can't take them all out with my cross bow, not on my own. I'm gonna have to shoot them. If there are some downed ones, the noise will bring them out so we won't have any surprises." Daryl said, clicking the safety off the gun and making sure it was ready. " Stay off to the side. I'll draw them to me. You be still and don't say shit. They'll be focused on me. You only got to step in if I need help." Rebel nodded and took a deep breath. She could do this, she had to do this. Sophia might be depending on it. And Daryl was depending on it for sure.

" Okay." She said.

" I'm gonna bang on the door and get their attention. Go stand by the buildin." Daryl said.

Together they walked towards the one door of the warehouse. She took up her spot, a few feet away from the door, pressing her back into the hot bricks, clutching his knife and the tire iron in each of her hands. Daryl waited until she nodded, letting him know that she was ready. He looked to the door, his eyes twitching slightly before he steeled himself. He reached out and slowing opened the door. None of the walkers paid attention to Daryl's actions until he banged the butt of his gun against the steel door. He let it go and started backing up quickly.

" They comin! Be still!" He yelled out to Rebel, who's heart was in her throat.

A few seconds later, the door was opening and the sounds of snarls and growls greeted the afternoon. She watched in horror as walker after walker stumbled out and towards Daryl. He held up his gun and started firing. One after one the walkers fell as the gun shots echoed through the woods, sending birds screaming up and into the sky. She watched Daryl, overtaken with how smoothly he was taking them down. He was steady. He looked calm. He held his arm out and fired one bullet at a time, seemly unworried or even concerned that rotting bodies were coming towards him.

Thankfully, he took the walkers down in no time. They waited a few more minutes in their places before Daryl crept towards the door, reloading his gun as he walked. He stepped over and around the dead, not even sparing them a second look. Rebel was enthralled by him. Captured by how his muscles moved under his skin, how his eyes grimaced in the sun light, how sweat was making his shirt stick to the wide span of his shoulders and chest.

" Let's go in. Just cuz no more comin out don't mean we got them all." He said.

" So watch my ass, got you." Rebel said. At the mention of her ass, Daryl felt his face start to heat again. He frowned, tucking his gun back into his waist band. He yanked his cross bow up and around to the front of him.

" Yeah. Sumthin like that." He muttered, passing her quickly. Watch her ass...his hands tighten on his weapon, remembering all to well how her as felt against his hands. Soft but tight. Round, fitting perfecting into his palms. " Shit." He whispered as he reached out and opened the door again.

The inside of the warehouse smelled like the inside of a butcher shop in the middle of the summer. There was what looked like pools of blood at different spots on the cement floor and blood splatter on the walls, telling them that walkers had killed the people inside. Rebel coughed as she covered her mouth with her arm.

" Holy shit, it's smells so bad in here." She whispered.

" Suck it up and keep your eyes open." Daryl whispered.

With Rebel behind him, the two weaved around boxes and pallets that littered the floor. Their steps were slow and quiet. Daryl's arms were tight and his hands were gripping his cross bow. His eyes were alert, taking in the entire scene around them. Rebel's own hands were holding tightly to Daryl's knife and the tire iron he had given her. She was clutching them against her chest as she followed behind him.

Movement off to her left caught her attention. She reached out and tugged against Daryl's shirt. He threw her a glance over his shoulder and found her pointing. Daryl turned to look where she was pointing, seeing a walker on the ground against a far wall. Most of the dead thing's legs had been chewed off. It was trying to crawl towards them with it's jaws snapping. Bones were jutting out from it's fingers and shoulders. It was dragging the exposed bones of it's left over legs behind it as it tried it's damnest to reach them.

" Take care of it." Daryl said as they stared. Rebel felt herself grow pale. She wanted to look at him to see if he was serious but couldn't bring herself to look away from the walker.

" Why me?" She whispered.

" You need to learn how to kill them. Stab it in the head." Daryl said.

" I don't want too." Rebel protested.

" Too damn bad. Everyone needs to do it, at least once." Daryl said, almost gently. There was no anger in his voice, no mocking, or ordering. He was simply stating a fact.

Rebel swallowed hard but started forward, eyes still on the dead...woman. Or maybe a man who had had long blond hair...Of course now it was matted with blond and chucks of it were missing. It swiped out an arm at her as soon as she was close enough. Rebel's breath caught and she looked up at Daryl. He was staring her down hard and offered her up a small nod. Rebel looked back at the walker and swallowed again.

Daryl watched her take a shaky breath while she set the tire iron down. She gripped the handle of the knife in both hands and slowly raised it above her head. Daryl saw her lips moving but could barely heard her as she whispered to herself. He thought she was telling herself that it wasn't a person, just a dead thing but he couldn't be sure. Just as Daryl was ready to tell her to do it, her arms shot down quickly. She plunged the knife straight into the side of the walker's head, stilling it's movements at once.

" Pull the knife out." Daryl ordered. There was a sickening slupping sound as she yanked the knife out with a skull. Rebel fell back onto her ass and gagged as the sound. She closed her eyes and shook her head.

" I did it." She said. She heard Daryl moving and readied herself for him to tell her what she did wrong. She prepared herself to see him frowning down at her, ready to make her feel stupid for gagging. She frowned herself, opening her eyes. Daryl was standing directly in front of her, holding a hand down to help her up.

" Did good. Next time, it'll be easier." He said. She blinked in confusion but reached up and took what he offered. Gently, Daryl pulled her up before dropping her hand. " Did real good." He said, with a nod. " Come on now. We need to finish lookin around."

They finished checking the ground floor of the warehouse, finding nothing to suggest Sophia had been there. There were no more walkers and Rebel felt relieved until Daryl reminded her about the second level and the closed door. She followed up behind him, holding her weapons tightly. They took the stairs like they did the floor, quietly and slow.

The first closed door opened to an empty office. There were papers and books scatter all over the floor but no blood, no walkers and no little girl. The second and third room were much of the same. Their actions were always the same at each door. Rebel would turn the handle, thrust the door open and step out of the way. Daryl would lead the way into the rooms.

At the third door, Rebel took a hold of the handle, looking at Daryl as she did so. He aimed his cross bow up before giving her the nod of the okay. Rebel looked back at the door, slowly turned the handle then thrust it open. She quickly stepped back as Daryl took a step forward. Daryl came into the office, eyes searching the larger space. But all he saw was a desk against the wall, below a window, a chair, and a bookcase.

" Shit." He cursed, feeling like he had wasted most of the day searching another dead end. He turned, lowering his weapon as Rebel walked into the room. " Shit." He shook his head and leaned back against the desk. He set the cross bow down on the desk and ranked a hand down the front of his face, wiping the sweat away quickly.

Suddenly the door was pushed, hitting Rebel and pushing her back. A walker was snarling and growling towards Daryl. He snatched his cross bow up and straightened up. He took aim and was ready to sending a bolt flying when the walker's movements froze. There was another slurping sound and the walker dropped to the ground. Rebel was standing behind it, holding Daryl's knife up. She was staring at the walker as blood gore dripped from the knife. She was breathing hard, like she was shocked by her actions.

" You were wrong." She said quietly.

" Bout what?" Daryl asked. Her eyes drafted up from the walker to meet his bright blue ones.

" It wasn't easier." She shook her head slowly before closing her eyes. " No, no maybe...maybe it was." She opened her eyes again. " I didn't think. I just reacted. I wasn't scared. I just...took it down."

" Did good." Daryl repeated like he had done when she killed the one down the stairs. And he meant it. The first time Carol had killed, she had screamed and cried. Andrea cried every time she killed one and he had yet to see Lori do it.

" I hate having to do it this close to them." Rebel said.

" Yeah, should learn how to handle a gun." Daryl said.

" Yeah, maybe." Without another word, Rebel turned and walking out of the office.