Daryl's hunter instinct seemed to pay off for the most part as he led Glenn and Tyreese through the woods, fully armed. He could see every move Sadie had made as she stumbled through the brush, seemingly dragged by some unknown force. Somewhere far in the distance he could smell something burning making him search faster to insure her safety.

"What if she's just not out here," Glenn mumbled, his feet feeling swelled from the walk.

"She is… she ain't the type to just up 'n run away."

"How do you know that?" Tyreese added, huffing as they pushed forward, "Maybe she got scared of the commitment and ran off, Daryl… Women do it all the time."

"In the middle of the end of the fuckin' world?" Daryl said, stopping and spitting into the leaves below him, sweat dripping from his brow although the sun had long since hidden for the night. He calmed himself, remembering he may need their help. "Nah… Sadie's a simple lil' thing. She wouldn't run on me like that… not just outta the blue anyway," They started walking again when Glenn dared to ask the question Tyreese was wondering as well.

"So… what exactly… are you and Sadie…"

"It don't take a rocket scientist to figure out we ain't just friends," Daryl mumbled, looking around the ground then pursuing his trail once more. He tried being nonchalant about breaking the news to the men in his trek, but it was a hard thing to explain. His brother's raspy voice chimed in his head once more.

Yeah, yeah… good idea. Let 'em think your some kinda creep goin' in on a young girl like that.

Daryl dismissed the thought, silently reminding his brother that Sadie was already carrying his kid. There wasn't much that could be done about it now. They'd figure it out eventually.

"So… You banged her?" Tyreese mumbled reluctantly, half wanting to take his question back the second it escaped.

"Somethin' like that," Daryl smirked, stomping some poison ivy into the ground below him.

"Hey, how old is Sadie anyway? She's just a kid isn't she?" Glenn remarked. His tone was more curious than accusing.

"Nineteen…" Daryl replied. "Look, we here to talk about my business 'er find my girl? I can't stand around while ya'll two prod at me."

They pushed forward, the burning smell becoming stronger with each step.

In the small shack, nestled somewhere secret in the trees, Sadie fought against the radiator she was tied to, trying to inch away from her step-father's flame as he tried to catch the gasoline on her clothes. He teased her a bit by striking a match then blowing it out just before the flame spread across her shaking body, condemning her to her own hell. "Might need some more gas," Ralph mumbled to Travis as he watched her squirm. He nodded and walked outside to a car they'd found and siphoned fuel out of. Ralph turned to his beer and downed it while muttering something about how Sadie was an annoying little bitch just like her mother. "You know what I outta do?" He turned, finally speaking to her. "I outta leave you out here to rot… all alone in some little house with nobody, prayin' some walker came by to end your misery… so really, I'm doin' you a favor here, Pumkin… a real, big favor."

"How kind of you," Sadie mumbled defiantly, her grey eyes shifting up to him as her brow furrowed. He laughed, the noise bellowing from his gut made Sadie sick to her stomach as she thought about all the times he'd made her clean up his messes and take care of him, while she should have been taking care of her mother.

"Run away, Sadie… don't look back, even for a second… You go on and do what makes you happy for the rest of your life and don't you ever let nobody… especially Ralph, tell you you can't."

That was the last thing her mother had ever said to her. She died on a Sunday morning, holding Sadie's arm while her husband watched football in the other room. After her mom died, Sadie went out and dyed her hair fire engine red, adding the black underlayer later… she then started convincing the boys at the tattoo parlor to practice on her with her tattoo ideas even though she was only seventeen. Travis loved every second of her rebellious phase until she realized she didn't need him anymore.

"Travis…" Sadie mumbled, sitting on the picnic blanket he'd set out for them by the lake.

"Yeah, baby?"

"You ever think… we're growing apart from each other?"

"What? No!"

"I dunno… maybe we just thought we were in love 'cause I was so young… maybe we're just real good friends,"

"What are you saying, Sadie? I told you I wouldn't ever let you go, and now you're just gonna drop me?"

"No! All I'm saying is, maybe we should try seeing other people… maybe we're not the same people we used to be… I'll always be your friend, Trav. No matter what."

No matter what.

Those were the words that Sadie regretted the most as Travis returned with another can of gasoline. The door creaked shut behind him as his boots clattered across the floor in an emotional mess. He mumbled unintelligible phrases, most of them ending with "That stupid bitch."

"Trav…" Sadie choked, her eyes watering from the fumes he'd brought with him. Travis looked up at her after noticing her step father was half asleep in the corner. "You don't have to do this, Travis…"

"You left me… you left me again and I didn't know what to do with myself." Travis said, kneeling near her, his eyes wild.

"I wouldn't leave you… I was coming right back… we just went to the creek for a while,"

"To fuck!" Angry tears were forming as his voice went up in key. "I hate you, Sadie. I hate you with every fiber of my being because you didn't keep your promise. Remember… you said you'd never leave."

"I was fifteen, for God's sake!" Travis threw the gasoline on her again, then struck another match. "What, you're not gonna wake your little sidekick up?"

"I don't give a damn if he burns with you…He was just a tool… always has been to make you feel bad."

In the last second before Travis dropped the match, Sadie shouted, "I'm pregnant!" He paused, looking at her like a deer in headlights.

"Wh-What…"