Amy pulled a sunhat out of one of the suitcases. "Oh Lord, look at this Andrea."

Amy watched her sister smirk and chuckle at the wide-brimmed floppy hat. It was a relief to see her smile. Ever since the attack on the camp she'd been different. "It's so you."

"Not hardly," Amy dropped the hat.

"It'll keep the sun out of your eyes."

"I guess that's probably why she packed it," Amy said. Amy looked through the rest of the bag. "Sunscreen, bug spray, granola bars, I guess this lady was woodsy."

Andrea frowned. "It didn't do her any good, did it?"

"Maybe she's still alive. Maybe she just had to abandon her car, but she's still out there."

Andrea sighed. "I wish I were more like you Amy."

Amy plopped the hat on her head and then struck a dramatic pose. "Everybody does."

Andrea rolled her eyes. "You-"

"Get down," a harsh whisper commanded.

Both women turned to look at Morales. "What's-" Amy began.

"Walkers coming, get down."

Andrea grabbed Amy's hand and then started to pull her to the RV. "Come on."

Amy's heart began to flutter in her chest. They had lost so many people when the camp was attacked. That couldn't happen again. Amy clung tight to her sister as they rushed to the safety of the RV. Lord, keep me and my sister safe, and the kids, and everybody else, please.

T-dog spat out a mouthful of gasoline and then placed the rubber tube into the opening of the gas can. He turned to look at Glenn. "Man, that is nasty. I wish there was a better way to-"

Both men caught sight of Andrea and Amy running into the RV. "What's going on?"

"No idea," T-dog said. "Let's go find out." The two men headed after the sisters, but the sight of Sophia running from something distracted them. "I got her, you go." T-dog followed her.

T-dog had just reached the little girl and put a hand out to stop her when he saw them, dozens of walkers headed right for the pair. Sophia saw him. "Where's my mom?" she asked.

"Get under the car," T-dog said.

"But my mom-"

"Your mom is fine, get under the car."

Sophia obeyed with a whimper. The nearest car was too low to the ground for T-dog to fit under, so he moved a short ways away. T-dog didn't want to get too far away from Sophia, so he crouched down behind a wrecked car with a corpse in the driver's seat, hoping the scent of gasoline and decay would make him harder to detect. T-dog's foot slid, and he found himself going down. A piece of metal from the mangled wreck sliced his arm open. The pain was intense, but T-dog managed to keep himself from crying out. The smell of salt and iron filled T-dog's nostrils. Warm fresh blood ran down his arm. A walker detached itself from the herd and started toward T-dog. T-dog tried to get to his feet, but the thing was bearing down on him and he knew he wasn't going to make it. A quiet twang barely registered under the moans and shambles of the walkers, but the arrow sticking through the head of the now-fallen walker that had been intending to eat him did not escape T-dog's notice. Daryl ran over to him. "You okay?"

"Get out of here," T-dog said through gritted teeth. "It's not safe."

Daryl opened the door of the wreck and pulled out the body. "Hide under him."

T-dog didn't have much of a choice as he was still on the ground and Daryl pretty much just dropped the corpse on top of him. Daryl then hid under his fresh kill. From his spot on the ground T-dog could see the feet of the walkers as they went past. All it would take was for one to smell his blood from under the scent of corpse and he would be done for. T-dog closed his eyes and began a silent prayer. Lord, protect my stupid ass from these dead things, Amen.

Rick saw the herd come. He grabbed Carl and got under a car while Shane did the same thing with Louis. Daryl started to follow Rick and Carl, but that was when they saw T-dog stumble and cut his arm open. "Damn," Rick said. The scent of blood would probably attract the walkers to T-dog. Rick wanted to help the man, but a gunshot would just draw more walkers in and doom everybody, including T-dog. Daryl started toward T-dog. "Daryl, get back here."

Daryl either didn't hear, or ignored Rick. He loaded and then raised his crossbow toward the stumbling corpse that was advancing on T-dog. Rick started to get out from under the car, but the herd was almost on them and he couldn't risk drawing attention to Carl. Daryl took out the walker with a perfect shot in almost total silence. Rick admired the bravery of the teen, even if he bemoaned the foolishness of his actions. He may have just saved T-dog though. Rick watched Daryl and T-dog hide. The walkers went past, but none of them detected the sight, scent or sounds of the survivors. The herd took what seemed like hours to pass through, but Rick was certain it was in reality no more than twenty minutes. The last few were almost past when Sophia, thinking the cost was clear, started to get up. Rick tensed. A walker turned towards her, and then another. She began to back away. They snarled and started after her. Sophia vaulted over the guardrail and began to run. Rick crawled out from under the car as fast as he could as he watched Sophia vanish into the woods. T-dog struggled to get out from under the walker, but his injury delayed him. Daryl was already at the guardrail and pursuing Sophia. Rick cursed.

"Daryl," Rick spoke as loud as he dared with the herd still so close. Rick chased after Sophia and Daryl. "I'll get her, come back." Rick felt a horrible sense of apprehension as Daryl disappeared into the woods after Sophia. Rick ran as fast as he could, hoping it was enough.

Amy huddled under the table in the RV's kitchen. Andrea crouched down next to the stove, watching the herd amble past the window. Amy was shaking. Andrea squeezed her eyes shut tight. Just breathe. Be calm. Andrea thought of her father's voice. Andy, life is never going to be easy. If you want something, you'll have to fight for it. You'll have to fight twice as hard because you're a woman. I know that isn't fair, but that's the truth. You'll have to fight twice as hard as that too because you've got to look after your sister. I know you'll be fine though because you're a survivor. Nothing can ever get you down for long Andy. The door to the RV began to open. Amy gasped. Andrea pulled her out from under the table and then pushed her into the bathroom before slamming the door shut. The walker was in the RV. It saw her and was headed right for her. Andrea looked at the kitchen. A frying pan was in the sink from when Jacqui had made breakfast that morning. They couldn't spare the water to clean it. You're a fighter Andy. She only had a moment before it was too late. Andrea grabbed the frying pan and then stood in front of the bathroom door. Swing batter, batter swing. The walker opened its mouth wide and snarled as it reached for her. Andrea swung at the walker and hit it on the side of its head. The walker staggered, but didn't fall. Andrea swung again. And again. You'll fight and you'll fight and you'll keep fighting. It's in your blood Andy. You have fire in you.

"Andrea stop!" The bathroom door was open and Amy was in the doorway staring at Andrea with wide eyes. Andrea was straddling the walker, smashing its crushed skull with her frying pan. "It's dead Andrea. It's done." Amy was shaking with fear. "You killed it."

Andrea got to her feet. She was covered in blood. "Are you all right?"

Amy nodded. "I'm fine, did it bite you?"

"I don't think so," Andrea said.

Amy started toward the door of the RV. "We need to check on the others."

Before Andrea could stop her Amy was out the door. Dale was climbing down the back of the RV. "Are you girls all right?!" Dale gaped when he saw Andrea. "What happened?"

"I killed it," Andrea said. "I fought it off. I survived."

Dale placed a trembling hand on her shoulder. "Is any of the blood yours?"

Andrea saw something under the RV. "Glenn?"

Glenn crawled out from under the RV. "I'm sorry. I was following you guys and I hid under the RV because I didn't want the walkers to see me go in and pull them to you. I saw that walker go in, and I wanted to do something, but I didn't have any weapons on me."

Andrea saw that Glenn was pale with fear and shame. "I'm glad you didn't do anything."

"All that matters is that we're all alive," Amy said.

And now I know. I know I can fight. I know I can survive.

"I saw two walkers chase Sophia into the forest," Dale said. "Daryl and Rick went after her and I don't think anybody else is hurt." Dale started toward where the rest of the group had congregated at the guardrail. Andrea, Amy and Glenn followed. Lori was holding tight onto Carol, probably trying to keep her from running after her daughter. Morales was carrying his daughter, who was sobbing into his shoulder. Morales and Miranda each had a hand on Louis' shoulder as though they were afraid he would float away. Jacqui was pressing rags onto T-dog's arm to try to stop the bleeding. Shane had an arm around Carl's shoulders and both of them were staring at the woods intently. Jim was staring too, with an almost dazed look in his eyes.

"Should we go after them?" Andrea asked

"No," Shane said. "We can't put more lives at risk. Rick can handle himself."

"Sophia's just a little girl!" Carol shouted

"Rick will bring her back," Lori insisted firmly.

"And Daryl," Jacqui said.

"Him too," Lori said. "He'll bring them both back."

Sophia ran and ran. Her heart pounded in her chest like that jackhammer had attacked the road in front of her house when the city had needed to fix the sewage line. She ran and ran and couldn't breathe. Everything was a brown-green blur and she couldn't see. Her foot snagged on something, and she went down. Sophia rolled over and saw that the first of the two walkers was right behind her. She squealed. An arrow went through its head. The walker fell to the ground, and Sophia saw Daryl behind the walkers reloading his crossbow. The second walker was so close; Sophia tried to crawl away from it. Daryl was in a hurry. He took less than a second to aim the bow, and as a result he hit the walker between the shoulder blades. The walker didn't even pause in his descent toward Sophia. Daryl pulled out a knife and rushed it. Daryl got it in the neck and the walker fell to the ground, but it wasn't dead. "Run!" Daryl told her. "Run back to the group! I'll lead it away!" The walker was getting back to its feet as Daryl pulled Sophia up.

"I won't leave you!"

Daryl pushed her in the direction of the highway. "Go!" Daryl walked farther from her at an angle so that the distance between him and the walker stayed constant. "Come here ugly!"

"Daryl!"

Daryl threw a pebble at the walker to keep its attention on him. "Run!"

Sophia realized the longer she stayed the less chance Daryl had of escaping the walker because he would be distracted by her. So she ran. She hated herself for it, but she knew her running would allow him to do so as well. She had only gone a little ways when she almost collided with Rick. "Mr. Grimes you have to help him!" Sophia pointed in Daryl's direction.

"What happened?"

"He was leading it away from me. You have to go after him!"

"I have to get you back to the group." Rick tried to pick her up.

"No! You have to help him!"

"Listen to me. I have to help you both. I need to get you both back to the RV. Daryl has weapons and knows how to use them. You don't. I need to get you back to the group and then I will go after Daryl. Let's go." Rick picked her up and ran toward the highway. Sophia closed her eyes and tried not to imagine the walker catching Daryl and ripping him open with its teeth.

Sophia opened her eyes when Rick set her on her feet. Carol threw her arms around her daughter and Rick was already headed back down the hill. "Where are you going?" Shane asked

"I'm going to get Daryl. Everybody stay where you are!" Sophia watched Rick disappear after Daryl. She clung tight to her mother. They had to come back, they just had to.

Rick ran past the felled walker with an arrow in its skull. He really is a good shot. He can make it until I catch up. Rick kept running, hoping desperately Daryl hadn't randomly changed direction at some point, until he saw something that made his heart sink. Daryl's crossbow and quiver of arrows were abandoned on the ground. He dropped them, so what? If the walker had caught him there would be a body here and there isn't. This actually makes him more likely to escape because he can run faster. Rick paused for a moment and looked at the ground. He had never been much of a tracker. He didn't hunt. Occasionally they had gotten called out to look for someone lost in the woods, but King county wasn't a popular hiking, camping or hunting destination so those cases had been rare. Rick didn't see any footprints, so he just kept on in the same direction. Rick considered calling for the boy, but quickly discarded the idea. Shouts would attract walkers. That was the absolute last thing Rick needed right now. Rick stopped and drew his gun when he saw a walker knelt on the ground chewing on something. Rick swallowed the lump in his throat. An arrow was sticking out of the creature's back and a knife was sticking out of its neck. Rick made sure the safety was on before he gripped his gun by the barrel and then used the handle to bludgeon the walker. When he looked at the thing's meal he observed with relief that it was just a rabbit. Rick pulled the arrow out of the walker's back and then yanked the knife from its neck. Rick examined the knife. He had returned it to Daryl just that morning.

When Carol saw Rick emerge from the woods with a crossbow and a quiver full of arrows her heart sank. "Oh my God, he's dead. That poor sweet boy is dead."

"You didn't find him?" Jacqui asked when Rick stepped over the guardrail.

Rick put down Daryl's weapons. "I lost the trail."

"So you're just going to leave him out there?!" Carol demanded

Rick stared at Carol, shocked. "Of course not. I came back to get reinforcements."

Shane frowned. "You found the kid's weapons but not the kid? He's probably dead."

Rick glared at Shane. "I took out the walker that was chasing him. It never caught him."

"How do you know it was the same walker?" Shane asked.

Rick held up a knife. Carol recognized it as the one Rick had returned to Daryl that morning, the one Shane had to remember as it had been in his possession for so long. "I want anybody with any hunting or tracking experience with me. Everybody else stay here in case Daryl comes back. Shane, you used to hunt with your uncle back in high school, right?"

"That was years ago man," Shane said.

"Still, I need your help."

"I used to take my boys hunting every year," Jim said. "I'll help."

"Me too," Dale said. "I was a hunter, back in the day."

"You sure you're up to it?" Rick asked

"Don't sass me young man," Dale said. "I'm not afraid to bend you over my knee."

Under other circumstances that would have been funny, but everybody was too tense to laugh, especially Carol. "What are you waiting for? You have to go find him," she said.

Rick nodded. "Morales, can I talk to you for a second?" Carol waited impatiently for Rick and Morales to finish whispering with one another. Their conversation was only a few seconds, but it was far too long for Carol's tastes. Rick led Shane, Jim and Dale into the woods while Jacqui helped T-dog over to the RV. Carol watched the four men disappear into the woods.

"Are they going to bring Daryl back mom?" Sophia asked

Carol kissed the top of her daughter's head. "Yes honey, they are."