A/N- Hi guys! I've had such a tiring week at work but I felt bad for abandoning this story so I've updated for you. I just want to say thank you to everyone that messages, reviews and follows this story. You all mean the world to me! I wouldn't want to write if it wasn't for you. Ooh and this is getting us there to the important bits. Enjoy! and review ;)

It's hurts to look into the sun. It's hurts to see innocence.

It was those steps that changed his perception completely. Daryl knew that the world had gone to shit a year ago but he was too busy pushing on, suriving, to really take a step back and notice. It was only when he saw Merle, crouched lazily over a body, fists tight filled with organs and flesh. It was the look of anger in Merles cloudy eyes that made Daryl truly feel alone. It was only when he lost his brother did he realise that there no help to be had. Merle wasn't supposed to go that way. Hell no, he was supposed to go in a bar fight or off his face of prescription meds and booze. Life had been so cruel.

Daryl cleared his throat, refusing to give into to his shitty emotions when there was stuff to be done. He put his cross bow down and flexed his back, it ached like a bitch but it wasn't for nothing. Three large rabbits hung from his belt, the camp would at least eat a little better now and most of his frustrations had been put at bay.

Rick passed him, slowing a little to pat him on the back. The morning shift had been hard on them both, they had to clear the traps which had proven very affective. The prison barely held walkers and it was beginning to feel like a safe haven although the smell of burning flesh was beginning to bug Daryl. Amelia had given them something at least, it had to make up for all the earache from the camp complaining that she was too much and too violent.

Pft this camp needed violence. Needed some brutal honesty. Aint' nobody going to save themselves with teddy bears and sprinkles.

"Uh hello" and then came Maggie, into Daryl's eye sight. He flinched back a little, angrily looking up at her from his eye lashes. "I've been talking to you for near ten minutes"

"Sorry" he mumbled, clearly not caring at all.

Maggie smiled softly, he had been working so hard trying to keep everything running as smoothly as it could.

"I brought you some breakfast! You need it" and she poked him in the side. Grunting he snatched the plate and began wolfing down the stale crackers.

"I hear ya getting on pretty well with Amelia. Got her doing your odd jobs" and Daryl coughed, indignantly, not enjoying the teasing.

"she ain't doing my jobs" he barked "I just tell her what to do and she gets it done"

"Okay" she said, eyeing him slightly. "She's okay isnt she? I mean once you get past the total psycho army attitude she really is somethin' for the camp"

Daryl didn't know what she was getting at nor did he really care but he wanted to get back to work so he tried to round the conversation up quickly.

"She's alright" and he shrugged.

Maggie rolled her eyes "Don't give me that Daryl. Look at her, she's a total ten and every male seems to know it" and she began glaring in Glenns direction who happened to be innocently watching Amelia tend to Carols flower bed.

"They just makin' sure they're safe. Watchin' their backs. We still don't know if we can trust this girl" and Daryl gulped slightly.

"Yeah...right" and she took Daryl's plate from him and stormed off back up to the prison.

"Fucking women"

–

Daryl had been in a foul mood all day. His head ached, his body ached, he was covered in so many cuts and bruises that all he wanted to do was crawl into his cell space and sleep. As he dragged his feet up to the prison he was confronted by a very worried Rick. Daryl always knew shit was going down when Rick got that throbbing vein in his forehead. It was almost a bad omen.

"You seen Carl?" he asked.

"No man-"

"CARL!" Rick bellowed past his face, looking into the woods, hoping to hear something.

Daryl had a seriously bad feeling, he whirled round to help look for Carl and to listen out for a small voice calling back. They heard nothing. Amelia down the path had also turned to look towards the woods, Daryl could see her expertly scanning the area and looking for possible routes he may have followed.

"He's not in the prison!" Carol shouted as she flung herself out of the prison door. Rick knew it and he began sprinting towards the perimeters, his hands reaching for his gun. Amelia however was too quick, she had bolted down, running through the gates as Maggie and Glenn opened them. Daryl followed behind, swinging his cross bow ready for action.

"DAAAAAAD!" And the scream was electrifyingly scary. Daryl saw Amelia grab for her knife in her boot and throw it into the trees without hesitation. Daryl just hoped that she had done the job and that Carl was going to be safe again. The last thing Rick needed was to lose more family.

"Rick cover me! Daryl take the back. We've got a herd" she screamed as she bolted into the heavily overgrown trees. It was only when Daryl took down two walkers did he really see the shit they had landed both feet in. Their was at least fifty snarling freaks, hurrying their dead asses towards the frightened boy with a knife. A varied group of adults that in some point in life had been nothing more than a nurse, a doctor, a dentist, a waiter, a shop assistant...

Amelia ran to his side, taking down a walker with the side of her hand, not removing her eyes from the boy.

"Carl!" she yelled as she shoved him, trying to wake him up. He blinked in terror and began to stutter some sort of response. His eye's reeling at the sight before him.

"We have to get out of here now!" Rick bellowed as he took three down. It wasn't enough, they where in on them now and there was only a few seconds left before they where swarmed. "We need to get to safety NOW"

"Rick take him. Daryl you cover them. I'll hold them off"

"Fuck no. It's too much" Daryl snarled, sending an arrow past her ear to hit the walker just behind.

"It's your best shot now fucking move" and she pushed Carl roughly into Rick, who looked eagerly outraged at her suggestion until he saw the four heading his way.

"I got this" and she pulled her knife out of the dead walkers head at her feet and began.

The last thing Daryl saw was a walker clamp his hands down on her bare shoulders.

–

It had been two hours since they had last seen her and already Daryl felt the camp begin to mourn her death. He stood by the gate waiting, cross bow at the ready to back her up as soon as he saw her sprint through those woods. Rick was on edge to, he hadn't even bothered to ask why Carl was outside of the prison as he kept look out on Daryl's left side.

"She's still out there I know it" Rick hissed to himself as he paced for the fiftieth time.

"I don't know man. There was a hell of a lot of them, they where on all of us for a minute" and Daryl tightened his grip on his bow and stared intently down it.

The wind was really picking up now and he knew for sure that a storm was coming, wiping away all of Amelia's tracks. He had come to the edge of his nerves when he saw something burst from the trees. He was almost sick.

Amelia fell onto her knees, her hair falling infront of her face but Daryl could see her alright. Blood and guts covered her entirely, ruining her pale skin as it festered on the surface. Oozing with blood and dripping tears she tried exhaustedly to stand back up but her legs gave way. Daryl and Rick without thinking both pounded the ground as they made their way to her, praying that no walkers would jump out with her. If they could just reach her she would be okay, nothing bad would of happened and they could retreat back to safety.

The storm had decided to make a show, rough wind and rain suddenly battered down the prison as if it was trying to make the two frightened mens mission even harder. Daryl pushed on, ignoring the pain in his back as he made it through the first fence.

His eye's were still on her frail figure. The light blue top she wore was ripped to shreds, showing her stomach. The jeans that she wore where battered and smothered in the deads blood and her dark hair was black with blood. Daryl felt like all the air had been ripped from within him.

It was only when they made it to the last gate did two walkers stumble from the opening of the forest. Daryl heard Rick scream Amelia's name, he screamed for her to move, for her to get up and run but she couldn't. Amelia was nothing but a shell, her energy spent up. Daryl without thinking had already had his bow ready and fired a bow right into one of the walkers rotting shoulders. It stumbled with a groan, it's teeth still snapping for warm flesh.

"Amelia get up! Run!" Rick yelled again as they made their way down the bank.

Amelia looked up at them then, her eye's empty and her fate showing clearly in her face. Daryl felt like this was the way he was supposed to watch her die in that very moment. Everyone he loved had gone the same way. She was looking at him as he breathlessly pushed on, she was trying to mouth something to him.

One of the walkers lurched forward and grabbed her shoulder, it's fingers gouging into her soft flesh with a ferocity that was wilder than a mountain bear. Amelia screamed loudly but still no energy or adrenalin made it to her body as she twisted onto the ground.

Daryl fired his last bow into it's skull as Rick took care of the other one with his hand gun. Both stood five foot away from her looking down at the bodies, tangled with one another but it was Rick who made the first move.

Amelia's eye's began to close as the heavy rain hit her face, coating her dark eye lashes. Rick grabbed her, trying to stem the bleeding in her shoulders and Daryl quickly snapped out of it and grabbed her by the other arm. Amelia was in a bad way, he could tell by the way she was breathing.

"Daryl" she mumbled.

"Shut up woman. Let us get you back to the prison then you can yap my ears off" he joked as they began a light jog. Afraid that their was more walkers behind them and that she wasn't going to make it.

"I have to save the kid...the kid and the baby. I have to. Let me" but he didn't have time to think about what she was saying. The storm was picking up and soon lightening would be threatening the prison fields and woods, leaving them open to more tragedy.

"I'll get Hershel to look at her but Daryl she's in a bad way. We're going to need antibiotics"

"I'll make a run as soon as we get her back"

"No. You stay with her. Glenn and Maggie will go"