A/N: Thank you for the follows and the favorites.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Walking Dead.

Chapter 10

Marianne was eating breakfast when she realized she hadn't visited Carl yet and that he must be bored out of his mind cooped up in the house. She didn't like kids but she'd make an exception for him. She passed Beth and Patricia on the way to his room and greeted them with a nod. Beth gave her a shy smile.

The door was open but she knocked anyways before entering. "Morning, sheriff."

Carl looked pleased at the name and adjusted the hat on his head. It was a little stuffy in the room, even with the window open, but he kept it on.

"Thought you might want some company. I brought these." She held up a well worn deck of cards. "What do you want to play?"

"Can you teach me poker?" Carl asked really fast.

Marianne was tempted. "I don't think your mom would like that. How about Go Fish? It used to be my favorite."

"Okay." He sounded a little disappointed.

She dealt out the cards and they started playing. Marianne let him win the first game.

"I must be outta practice," she said while Carl grinned in victory.

"Can we play again?" She nodded and began shuffling the cards.

"Dad told me you fell and hit your head trying to help Sophia."

Her shuffle faltered. "Yep, got the stitches to prove it."

"Can I see?" he asked eagerly.

"Sure." She set the cards on the bedside table, knelt down next to the bed and turned around. She gently parted her hair.

"Whoa, cool."

"But it can't beat yours kid."

"I'll have a scar like my dad."

"I bet yours is bigger than his." Carl nodded enthusiastically in agreement.

Marianne won the second game and they were starting the third when she heard footsteps coming down the hallway and towards the bedroom. She turned around to see Rick appear in the doorway. He looked a little taken aback by her presence.

"Dad! We're playing Go Fish."

"I can see that." Rick smiled at his son, then put his hands on his hips and looked at Marianne. "In a few minutes, we're going over the search grid, if you want to join us."

Marianne nodded. "I'll head out there right now." She folded up her cards and Carl complained that their game wasn't finished. "We'll do a rematch later."

Carl made her promise they'd play again and she packed up the cards. She started to leave but it looked like Rick was about to say something to her so she paused. Whatever it was, he seemed to change his mind and Marianne left the room, not giving it a second thought.

"Alright, everyone's getting new search grids today," Rick said to Marianne's left as she smoothed out a curling corner of the map. "If she made it as far as the farmhouse Daryl found, she might have gone further east then we've been so far."

"I'd like to help." Jimmy, the teenage boy she hadn't talked to ever, came up from behind her. "I know the area pretty well and stuff."

"Hershel's okay with this?" Rick asked.

"Yeah. He said I should ask you."

"Alright then. Thanks."

"Nothing about what Daryl found screams Sophia to me. Anyone could've been holed up in that farmhouse." She was starting to hate Shane's voice.

"Anybody includes her, right?" Andrea pointed out.

"Whoever slept in that cupboard was no bigger than yea-high." Daryl held out a hand at about the height of Sophia.

"Maybe we'll pick up her trail again," Rick said.

"No maybe about it. I'm gonna borrow a horse, head up to this ridge right here. Take a bird's-eye view of the whole grid. If she's up there, I'll spot her," Daryl said as Dale came up beside him and placed the gun bag on the hood.

"Good idea," T-Dog said and then mentioned Daryl's chupacabra story, which Marianne still couldn't believe was one of the first thing's he told about himself to everyone. Daryl wasn't good on first impressions.

"So you believe in a blood-sucking dog?" asked Rick.

"Do you believe dead people walkin' around?" Daryl countered.

Jimmy reached for the rifle lying on the hood in front of Rick.

"Hey, hey. Ever fire one before?" Rick took it away from the boy.

"Well, if I'm going out I want one."

"Yeah, and people in hell want slurpees." Daryl shouldered his crossbow and walked away.

Marianne felt frustrated when Rick showed the area he wanted Andrea and T-Dog to search and then where he and Shane were going. Everyone left and it was just her and Rick. She was studying the map, looking at the penciled little Xs that marked where Sophia ran off of the highway, the spot where they hid in the creek, and the house Daryl had found.

"I know how you feel," Rick said, standing beside her.

"I'm sure you don't."

"You feel like you failed her but you didn't. You did everything—"

"I don't wanna hear it. I know what I did and I know it could've gone different. I made a choice and it was the wrong one."

She began to walk away but Rick placed a hand on her arm, trying to stop her from going. She pulled away from him. "Don't touch me. Ever." Marianne looked back at him while walking to her tent. He looked sorry but she didn't care.

She waited for both search parties to leave before she revealed to Lori she was going to the highway. She made sure Dale wasn't around because she didn't want to hear him gripe about her going alone.

"Does Rick know?" Lori asked.

"Last time I checked he wasn't my babysitter." Marianne opened the door of the car they had picked up on the highway, got in, and drove away.

The supplies were still intact when she arrived. She kicked the car tire and resisted the urge to throw the canned peaches at a windshield. She couldn't go back to the farm, not yet, so she decided she'd stay for a couple of hours, poke around and hope for a miracle.

She needed something to do and the crashed cars hadn't been searched through yet. Some of the doors and trunks were bent out of shape and no one had bothered with them. She selected a blue car that looked promising. As she pried open the trunk, it made a wrenching noise and she cringed at how loud it was. Marianne took a few minutes to cautiously look around her but nothing showed up. She turned her attention back to the trunk and liked what she saw. It looked as if someone had packed up their entire pantry. Food was stuffed in three large reusable grocery bags that had 'Save the Earth' printed on the handles.

Next to the groceries was a dark purple suitcase. Marianne moved the food into her car before unzipping it. What she found inside wasn't as exciting. It was mostly clothes. Marianne picked out a few tank tops and a toiletries bag she'd sort through later.

She had moved on to a second car when she heard a twig snap. She whipped her head in the direction of the sound and spotted movement between the trees. She unsheathed her knife and a walker appeared. And then another. And another. She ducked down behind the car but it was too late. The first one had already seen her and the others followed its example. She could hear them getting worked up over their impending meal.

Marianne peeked at them through the car windows and took a sharp intake of breath. More of them than she had realized were spilling out of the woods. She counted, mouthing each number.

"Nine," she couldn't help but whisper. And they were all headed her way.

She thought about making a run for the car but she didn't want to lead the walkers in the direction of the farm. They were already on the opposite side of the highway from the Greenes' and she wanted it to stay that way.

Marianne let the walkers get a good look at her before taking off down the highway. Instead of struggling up the incline to the road they veered off to the side, after her. She had to let them get too close for comfort if all of them were going to successfully follow her into the woods without losing her trail too early and wandering off in directions she didn't want them to.

She entered the woods and made sure they were following before she took off again, making as much noise as possible. She ran through a small clearing and stopped at the other side, waiting for the walkers to appear. They did and when they saw her she turned and ran some more, looking for the perfect tree to climb up and hide.

She found one and scrambled up it, not bothering to look behind her because that would slow her down. And it wouldn't help anyways. They'd either see her or not. Knowing about it a few seconds earlier didn't matter.

Trying to quiet her breathing, she straddled a large branch and gripped her knife. There were some lower branches that had some leaf coverage but not enough to hide her if the walkers looked up when they were anywhere but directly underneath her.

She could tell they were almost within sight by the rustling of the bushes and grass, which was more terrifying than the dragging of feet on asphalt. The first one appeared, the one that had been in the lead from the beginning. As each one passed her by, she counted. Eight. There was one more left.

A woman in her once Sunday best appeared. She had a heel on one foot and nothing on the other. That was what must have been slowing it down. Marianne held her breath in anticipation of the walker going away but it stopped walking. The dead woman's foot was stuck in a rotten log.

It was struggling to pull it out but soon it didn't try as hard and then it quit and just stood there. Birds in the tree next to hers took off making enough noise for the walker to look up and once it did that, she was in plain sight. The walker snarled at her, now feverishly tugging to get its foot free. If the others heard it and headed back her way she was screwed.

She climbed down the tree, trying to make as little noise as possible. The walker was pulling its foot so hard skin was coming off of its ankle. As Marianne closed in to make the kill, the walker reached out for her and with a crack of wood, broke free. She dodged the lunging walker and spun around to face its back. Without hesitation she plunged the knife into its head and it crumpled to the ground.

"What happened to you?" Dale asked, leaning out of the RV.

"Nothin'." She shrugged, the evidence of her lie splattered on her shirt.

"It sure doesn't look that way."

She pointed behind her at the car. "There's, um, some stuff in the back. Food and things."

She left it at that and went to her tent to change. Good thing it was laundry day. She'd actually have something clean to wear.

She noticed Rick, Shane, Andrea, and T-Dog were around camp but her brother was nowhere to be seen. He should've been back by now and Marianne had a bad feeling about it.

After washing up as best as she could with a bucket of water she went into the house. Lori, Carol, Beth, and Patricia were already in the kitchen. She promised Carol that morning that she would help make dinner.

"You look like you've had a rough day. How were things at the highway?" Lori asked. Marianne looked up from the cake batter she was supposed to be mixing.

"Um, the same." She began stirring again. "Found some more food."

"That's great," Carol said but only half heartedly.

"I noticed you changed," Lori persisted.

"Had a little workout."

"What kind of workout?" Lori asked suspiciously.

"Cardio." After that one-worded response Lori stopped asking her questions.

She looked out the window and noticed Daryl still wasn't back. She had to do something. Marianne deliberately let go of the spoon and it clattered on the floor. All four women looked at her. Marianne briefly closed her eyes and leaned against the counter.

"Are you alright?" Patricia asked.

"I'm sorry. My head is killin' me. Do you mind if I go get some fresh air?"

"Go right ahead," Lori said.

"You sure?"

"Don't worry. We've got it handled." Carol gave her a smile.

Marianne was out of the house in a flash. She avoided the kitchen windows as she walked to her tent. She needed to pack a bag, grab a second knife and the gun she had managed to sneak into her things on the highway while Dale and T-Dog scavenged the cars more thoroughly.

She almost made a clean getaway but Glenn ran into her and saw she was wearing her backpack.

"You're going out there? You can't do that," he said incredulously.

"Oh, so are you tellin' me what I can and cannot do, now?"

"No, it's not like that. You're injured. What if you pass out or something while you're out there?"

"I'll be fine. My head barely hurts. I'm just goin' to check on Daryl. It's not like I'm riskin' my life or anything."

"But you are! What if a walker finds you?"

"I can take care of myself and I'm better off on my own. Last time, I had someone else to worry about."

"What if he found Sophia's trail and decided to follow it and that's why he's still out there?"

"Then I'll've had a nice little walk in the forest."

"I can't let you do this."

"Glenn, I swear to God, if you tell anyone I'm leaving, I will skin you alive. Something's not right. The last time I had a brother runnin' late, he ended up chained to a roof, chopped his hand off, and disappeared."

"I still don't like this. And I already told you I suck at keeping secrets."

"How about I pretend I didn't hear what I did between you and Maggie today and you pretend you didn't see me."

"Oh my God, you heard that?"

"I hear a lot of things. Now get out of my way."

Glenn reluctantly stepped aside and Marianne went to the spot that Daryl had entered the woods. It'd be easier to track him on a horse. Marianne decided to head to the ridge first, where Daryl said he was going to look. No one else seemed to have seen her because no one followed. Either that or they didn't care about her traipsing off into the forest.

She found his trail without a problem and followed it. Marianne estimated she was about halfway there when she saw him limping along, nearly dragging his crossbow on the ground.

"Daryl!" She rushed up to him.

He looked like death warmed over. His mouth was bloody but she suspected it wasn't his. Blood stained his undershirt and his over shirt was tied around his waist. He had leaves and grass sticking to his wet and muddy clothes and in his hair. He was wearing a necklace of walker ears which she promptly tore off of him. He protested. "Hush, we don't need anyone seein' those." She threw them into some bushes.

"Are you really here?"

Her forehead wrinkled. "Of course I'm here," she said. "Where are you hurt?" She would ask him what happened later.

"Arrow went through my side." Daryl pressed a hand against what she assumed was his wound and Marianne swore.

"Let's get you back. Give me your crossbow," she said, taking off her backpack to make room for it. "You're not carrying that." Daryl showed no signs of handing it over so she grabbed it from him and slung it across her back. She then hung her backpack over one shoulder.

They made slow progress. Her backpack kept slipping off so she ended hooking both straps with her right arm and carrying it that way. Daryl stubbornly refused to lean on her even though he kept stumbling. She tried her best to stay right next to him in case he fell. Daryl had gone on about how tough Merle was but he was, at the least, just as strong and he didn't seem to realize it.

She could spot the house through the trees and Marianne sighed in relief. Daryl would get help soon. He'd be okay.

The dirt path had all but disappeared and her backpack got caught in an overgrown bush. By the time she untangled herself, Daryl was already out of the woods. She jogged after him and in the distance saw four men running towards them. It looked like they were armed.

"Rick, it's just us," she called out to him after he had pointed his gun at Daryl. She cleared the trees and he looked confused to see her.

"That's the third time you've pointed that thing at my head. You gonna pull the trigger or what?" Rick lowered his gun.

She stood on Daryl's left, a couple of feet behind him. "He's hurt real bad. He needs to see Hershel."

A gunshot thundered across the farm and Daryl was on the ground before she could comprehend what had happened. When she did, she fell to her knees next to him and flung her backpack aside. Her heart was pounding hard and fast. She heard Rick yelling but she focused on her brother's head. The bullet had grazed him. He wasn't dead, but the anger inside of her kept growing.

Rick and Shane picked Daryl up.

"I was kidding."

Marianne saw Andrea and Dale running towards them. "Oh my God. Oh my God, is he dead?" Andrea asked frantically.

"Unconscious. You just grazed him," Rick told Andrea.

Marianne set her sights on the woman. "Did you do this?" Andrea looked at her. "Did you do this?"

"I thought he was a walker." Andrea was near tears.

"If it was a walker, it was one fucking walker you wasted a bullet on. And you better pray to God a herd didn't hear that gunshot." She stepped closer to Andrea. "You put all our lives in danger. You nearly killed my brother to satisfy your own ego!" Marianne shouted and nearly pushed the other woman to the ground.

"Hold on now." Dale stood between her and Andrea.

"Marianne," Rick said.

She barely registered what they were saying after that. She only knew other people were talking and getting in her way.

"You got something to prove? Well you proved that you're a selfish bitch too goddamned wrapped up in your own feelings to think about the safety of others." Andrea was backing away from her, looking terrified. "You'll say you were trying to protect us, I call bullshit. You were thinkin' about yourself." Her voice got deadly quiet. "If you're smart, which I'm beginning to doubt, you'll stay away from me."

Stunned, Andrea stopped walking and Dale stayed by her side as the rest of them continued to the house.

Marianne was sitting at the end of bed, Rick kneeling next to her studying the map rolled out on the bed while Hershel was stitching up Daryl's arrow wound. Her heartbeat had returned to normal but she felt like if she ate something she'd throw it right up.

"I found it washed up on the creek bed right there." He pointed at a spot on the map. "She must have dropped it crossing there somewhere."

"Cuts the grid almost in half," Rick said, turning to look at Shane who was sitting behind him.

"Yeah, you're welcome," Daryl said.

"How's he lookin'?" Rick asked.

"I had no idea we'd be going through the antibiotics so quickly." Hershel began washing his hands in a porcelain basin. "Any idea what happened to my horse?"

"Yeah, the one who almost killed me? If it's smart, it left the country."

"We call that one Nelly, as in Nervous Nelly. I could have told you she'd throw you if you'd bothered to ask. It's a wonder you people have survived this long."

Rick and Shane departed. Hershel cleaned and bandaged Daryl's bullet graze and left with strict instructions for him to stay in bed. The siblings were left alone.

"I ran into some walkers on the highway today." Marianne picked at some imaginary fuzz on her shirt.

"How many?"

"Nine." He sat up straighter and she held her hand up. "I led them away from the farm. Ran into the woods, lost them in there and circled back." Marianne left out certain details, like how close she had been to getting stuck up a tree with walkers clawing at the bottom. She also didn't tell him that she was worried Andrea's gunfire had undone all the work she did to lead the walkers away.

In turn, Daryl told her what had happened. Marianne thought knowing would be better but it was worse than she had imagined. He told her how he fell down the ridge and an arrow pierced his side. How he fell down a second time and woke up to a walker chewing on his boot. He even told her about eating a squirrel raw but since he didn't mention the ears, she didn't bring it up.

"I saw Merle," he said cautiously.

"How was he?" Marianne asked like it wasn't strange at all one of her brothers hallucinated the other.

"An ass, like always."

"I yelled at Andrea. I called her a selfish bitch." Daryl snorted. "And don't tell me not to be mad at her."

"I won't." There was a pause. "Why'd you come lookin' for me?"

"I felt like something bad had happened, and after everything with Merle I couldn't stand around in a kitchen baking a cake, mashing potatoes."

They talked a little bit more but Marianne was exhausted and emotionally spent. She slouched in a flowery armchair and rested her legs on the bed, gently nudging Daryl's leg with her foot a few times before he told her to quit in a gruff voice, but they both had smirks on their face.

Sleep erased the anger, the pain, and the worry from her face. His little sister almost looked happy. Even when she smiled there was still something dark in her eyes, like the happiness didn't reach her soul.

Daryl had been apprehensive about telling her about Merle and relieved when she didn't call him crazy. But he couldn't bring himself to tell her that he had seen her too, as a girl standing in the water holding Sophia's doll with a bite mark on her arm. It didn't take a whole lot to figure out what that hallucination meant.

He heard the door open and he looked behind him to see Carol coming into the room with a tray. Daryl pulled the sheets up to his chest.

"How are you feeling?"

"'Bout as good as I look."

"I brought you some dinner. You must be starving," Carol said and he glanced at the tray she had set down on the side table.

Carol leaned down and Daryl flinched. For less than a second she hesitated before kissing the side of his head. He didn't know what to think about that. He just knew it made him uncomfortable.

"Watch out, I got stitches," he said, not looking at her and messing with the sheets just so his hands had something to do.

"You need to know something." Daryl looked at her again. "You did more for my little girl today than her own Daddy ever did in his whole life."

"I didn't do anything Rick or Shane wouldn't have done." He pulled the sheets over his shoulder and up to under his chin.

"I know. You're every bit as good as them. Both of you are. Every bit." Carol left, shutting the door behind her.

A/N: Hey everyone! I'm so happy you're still reading and I'd really like to know what you think about the story so far.

Fun fact- Marianne yelling at Andrea was the first thing I ever wrote for the character and the story. It's how I got the idea for Marianne in the first place so I was excited to finally get to this chapter.

Progress is still slow. I've been getting a lot of migraines lately so that's not really helping matters at all but I'm optimistic that I'll be better soon and back to writing more than a few sentences at at time.