All around me are familiar faces

Worn out places, worn out faces

Bright and early for the daily races

Going nowhere, going nowhere

Their tears are filling up their glasses

No expression, no expression

Hide my head I wanna drown my sorrow

No tomorrow, no tomorrow

And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad

The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had

I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take

When people run in circles its a very, very

Mad world, mad world

Children waiting for the day they feel good

Happy birthday, happy birthday

And I feel the way that every child should

Sit and listen, sit and listen

Went to school and I was very nervous

No one knew me, no one knew me

Hello teacher tell me, what's my lesson?

Look right through me, look right through me

And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad

The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had

I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take

When people run in circles its a very, very

Mad world, mad world, enlarging your world

Mad world

"Settle down, Clary, you're scaring me." Andrea said, watching me pace around nervously in front of the porch stairs. I looked at her and honestly tried to calm down. It didn't do any good though. Jamie and Carl were out, helping Carol wash and mend clothes. Both kids were worried about what was going to happen to our group, but they didn't voice their concerns.

"How can you be so calm?" I asked the blonde as I sat beside her. Talking might help me forget that our very lives were on the line.

"I trust Rick will see where Shane's coming from. It's just a matter of time."

I sighed. "No offense, Andrea, but I wouldn't place my life in Shane's hands. Yeah I think he's right that we need to clear the barn, but damn we're only guests here. What if keeping those things in the barn, keeps others away? D'ya ever think of that?"

"Shane's rational. I trust him."

"I'm afraid I don't see him the same way as you do. Shane's a caged bear waiting to be let loose."

We both refused to speak for a while. Nervous energy loomed in the air. I fiddled with the necklace a friend of mine bought me when I was still in high school. It was a simple black strap with three charms on it; a large key, a rose, and a bulb. Idly, I wondered if she was even alive.

"I see the way you look at Daryl." Andrea suddenly blurted out. I looked up at her confused, but blushed. "I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't even bother playing innocent. You like him." She continued teasing.

I sighed. "Okay, fine I do. But come on, there's nothing going on between us."

She just gave me a look. "I think he likes you too."

"There's no way in hell he likes me. Remember how I hit on him at the CDC?" I said, bringing my friend back to reality.

"I think he does. I've seen him watch you and Jamie like a hawk. And…" She leaned in close towards my ear. "The other night, I could have sworn I heard him yell your name."

I looked at her, bewildered. There was no way Daryl liked me. Maybe he just thought I was hot and used me as his pin up to get off on. Now that Andrea placed those thoughts in my head, a small jolt of electricity shot down my spine. Maybe I liked the idea of Daryl getting off and calling out my name as he climaxed….

Just then, Rick and Hershel walked out from behind the house and started off towards the swamps.

"What the hell are they doing?" I asked, watching the duo disappear in the tree line.

"Not sure. Maybe Hershel needed some help with something."

We both agreed that was probably the case.

I left Andrea's side to check on the kids. Carol liked watching them and it seemed to help keep her from dwelling on Sophia's disappearance. The poor kid was loosing support by the hour. By tomorrow, I could just about guarantee that everyone save, Rick, Carol, and Daryl would give up and assume the worst. I honestly didn't know where I stood on the matter. I wanted to believe she was just hiding out in some abandoned farmhouse, but it'd been several days since she went missing. A lot of shit could have happened to her.

"Hay, Clary." Carol said, giving me the best smile a grieving mother could.

"Hay, Carol." I responded. We both watched the children as they were playing on the shores of the creek. It was nice to see them doing something normal.

"Don't bother asking. Lori, Glenn, and Rick have all been out here asking me the same questions." She said, forcefully.

"I'm not going to, Carol. I just want to let you know that I'm here for you, we all are, should the worst happen. We pray it doesn't though." I told her.

She placed a hand on my shoulder, seeming grateful for my words and I gave her a comforting hug.

Just then we heard angry shouts coming from the barn; mainly Shane's. I looked at Carol and the kids.

"What the hell's he gotten into now?" I asked as we started towards the mass that had gathered around the barn.

"Maybe Hershel's kicking us off his land?" Carol suggested skeptically. It's true that could have happened.

I was prepared to move, to start living on the road again with this rag tag group. I was ready to fight my way through hell to keep Jamie and the rest of the group safe, but I was not prepared for what was happening in front of me.

Hershel had a female walker on a game hook and Rick had a male one on another hook. Beth's boyfriend, Jimmy had been goading the monsters towards the barn, but Shane shoved him out of the way.

"What the hell is this Rick?" The ex cop shouted.

The bastard wouldn't even let his friend speak, before ranting about how we weren't safe with all the walkers in the barn. I agreed that this situation was perilous to our safety, it could be handled more rationally.

"Do not do this brother! Brother, think about what you're doing!" Rick bellowed, still holding on to the rasping male walker.

Hershel remained silent as Shane popped a round into the female's lung, heart, and stomach.

"WHY IS IT STILL COMING?" Shane screamed at the old man. My heart went out to Hershel. Realization that he may be wrong was settling in. Shane was just rubbing it in his face.

"Shane! Enough!" Rick called out to his best friend, but his pleas fell on deaf ears.

"Yeah, you're right man." Shane scoffed, cocking his gun once more. "That is enough." As he passed Hershel, he popped the final round in the female walker's head without missing a beat.

Shane grabbed a metal pipe, it might have been a crowbar or pick axe, and yelled out as he charged the barn door. Within moments the padlock was broken and the doors flew open. Shane, Andrea, and T-Dog stepped up with their weapons raised. I hugged Jamie close to me as she yelped in fear. I looked at Lori and she was doing the same with Carl.

Daryl stepped forward, in front of us. "Get behind me." He said harshly. I could barely acknowledge him. All I could think about was if those walkers got through the ranks and came after my group. Quickly, I pulled the pistol from the waistband of my jeans and shoved Jamie towards Lori. Lori held both frightened children as I stepped up, shoulder to shoulder with Daryl, and took aim to kill the some bitches that killed so many people.

"I said get behind me!" Daryl bellowed.

I tossed him a smirk. "I can handle my own."

One by one, the bodies dropped. Loved ones, neighbors, mothers, fathers, hell there was at least one teenager who'd been locked up in there. I know Hershel believed they were sick, but I'd be damned if I'd let them touch the group.

Shane did Rick a favor by lying to rest the walker still on the game hook. This gave Rick his hands to shoot if need be. I only prayed his brain was there enough for him to do so. He seemed almost catatonic, sitting there, barely moving.

When all the dirty work was done, I looked around. Hershel knelt on the ground, his kids hovering over him. I wanted to talk to him, but it wasn't my place. He needed time to grieve. Daryl looked at me and nodded. I guess that meant he approved of my shooting.

Just then we all heard movement behind the barn door. I stepped forward cautiously, but Daryl placed a hand on my shoulder. I looked back in confusion. Hell, he even looked confused as to why he did it. He removed his hand and I turned back around to face the monster in the barn. Was there some sort of gored up disemboweled walker crawling around on the floor? Before any more thoughts could enter my brain, a set of sightless amber eyes met mine. A tiny body stumbled forward, her hair a dirtied mess. My breath caught in my throat and I barely whispered the child's name.

"Sophia?"

Shane, who'd been beside me when Sophia walked out of the barn, nearly turned tail and ran behind the rest of the group. I couldn't move, I was so shocked, yet at the same time I expected this. Carol nearly ran through Daryl to get to her daughter, but he held her back. For some reason, my finger cocked the gun and aimed it at Sophia's head. I knew what needed to be done. Carol would hopefully understand one day. As I squeezed the trigger, Rick walked up to me, seeming hollow inside.

"I need to do it." He whispered. I nodded and felt my grip on my gun loosen. It fell to the ground as a clear gunshot rang out. I looked at the body of Carol's daughter as it fell to the ground. The deeds were done. The barn had been cleared out and Hershel saw what these things really were—monsters. Oh, and Sophia had been found. Yeah, we did a great job of protecting our own. I felt my knees go weak and I sank to the ground as Jamie ran up to me. All she did was cry. Before I knew it, I was crying too. Wet tears fell down my cheeks and onto Jamie's hair. A dear friend had been lost. A sweet girl had been caught in the hands of fate, and had ended up dead. This really was a mad world….