Not a second of sleep. I was walking the forest all night, not wanting to stop. Stopping would force me to think about Shane and Otis. I wasn't quite ready for that conversation with myself.

The sun's rays shone through the branches of the tress. The fog swarmed the ground. The grey coloring covered the green and browns of the earth.

I didn't want to go back. I just wanted to stay out here and forget the world. I wouldn't have a care if I stayed. Even if there were walkers around, I would be fine. This place was very secluded and peaceful. Yeah, I could live alone in these woods.

The one thing I wanted, I couldn't do. If I was alone out here, Daryl would go crazy. He would try to find me. He would go ape shit on Shane and Rick for letting me go. God, knows what the rest of the group would do. And Shane, well, he would probably go with Daryl to search. There was no way I would go unfound.

It was morning and the rest of the group should be on their way soon. I decided to head back before they got here. It would just be best if I was there when they showed up.

When the white farm house came back into view, my eyes skimmed the grounds for signs of people. Sure enough, everyone was awake and out. They appeared to be collecting rocks to be put into an old rusted wheel barrel.

I could see Glenn and T-Dog hard at work. T-Dog shouldn't be up and doing this kind of shit, not in his condition. He wasn't swaying anymore at least. Merle's drugs must have helped him out some. For that, I was glad.

I started walking toward the group of people when the sound of an extremely loud motor approached the farm. I guess I got back just in time.

Daryl was in the front of the pack with the RV and Shane and mine's car following close behind. They had managed to find this place all in one piece.

I leaned against the blue truck as they pulled in. The rest of the group joined to welcome them.

Dale was the first to speak. "How is he?"

Lori was joyous with her answer. "He'll pull though, thanks to Hershel and his people."

"And Shane," Rick added.

At the sudden sound of his name, my head shot up to the man. I did my best to not look at him since we got back, but I couldn't even recognize him. Shane had shaved his head and was wearing overalls that were two or three sizes too big.

All eyes went to him and he stood there shocked. "We'd have lost Carl if not for him."

I was happy that Rick didn't mention my name. Daryl would through a fit if he knew what I'd done. I had just got back on good terms with him and I wasn't willing to throw that away just yet.

The tension that the others had brought with them seemed to melt away. They were all worried sick about the young boy and this was great news. I was relieved myself. I hadn't been here to find out Carl's condition when it was first announced.

Carol and Andrea ran to Lori's side and hugged her. They expressed their happiness for her and her family.

Dale hugged Rick as well. "How'd it happen?" the old man asked.

"Hunting accident," Rick replied. "That's all. Just a stupid accident."

Rick introduced us to the rest of Hershel's family. I learned that the girl from last night was Maggie. She seemed sweet. Hershel also had a younger daughter named Beth. Her boyfriend Jimmy lost his family and live with them now. Patricia and Otis were husband and wife and they took care of this farm when Hershel wasn't around.

Rick then explained to the others about what happened with Otis. They were just about ready to start the memorial service for him when they showed up. The rocks that they were gathering were to be placed next to the tree closest to the house in his honor.

After only a few moments, it was time to begin. Each person placed a stone on top of the pile as Hershel spoke words of the man. "Blessed be God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Praise be to Him for the gift of our brother Otis, for his span of years, for his abundance of character; Otis, who gave his life to save a child's, now more than ever, our most precious asset. We thank You, God, for the peace he enjoys in Your embrace. He died as he lived, in grace."

I stood by Daryl as this service went on. I still wasn't ready to be anywhere near Shane. Unfortunately, this was far as I could get from him for now. He was only a few people down as he listened to Hershel's words about the man he killed.

Daryl's arms were crossed over his chest, trying to look as if he wanted to be there. The two of us never really enjoyed attending funerals, considering the first one we ever been to was our mother's.

Without directly looking at him, I could see Daryl's eyes shift from Shane to me then back to Shane. He could tell something was up when I insisted on standing next to him for the service and not Shane.

"Shane, will you speak for Otis?" Hershel's question caught Shane, and me for that matter, completely off guard.

"I'm not good at it," he claimed. "I'm sorry."

"You were the last one with him. You shared his final moments. Please. I need to hear. I need to know his death had meaning," the grieving wife begged Shane. She wanted to know the her husband didn't die in vein. What bullshit story is going to come up with to make it sound like Otis's death had meaning?

He sighed, giving in to the woman. "We were about done. Almost out of ammo. We were down to pistols by then. I was limping. It was bad. Ankle all swollen up. 'We've gotta save the boy.' See, that's what he said. He gave me his backpack. He shoved me ahead. 'Run,' he said. He said, 'I'll take the rear. I'll cover you.' And when I looked back..." Shane trialed off, not wanting to describe what he saw.

The shit that spewed from his mouth was unbelievable. He was telling this poor woman that her husband, the man she loved, risked his life to make sure Shane got out okay. I'm sorry, but I could come up with a better story than that in my sleep, if I got any.

Shane approached the barrel that held the left over rocks. He picked one up as he went on. "If not for Otis, I'd have never made it out alive. And that goes for Carl, too. It was Otis. He saved us both. If any death ever had meaning, it was his." Patricia nodded, accepting Shane's story as he placed a stone on top of the pile.

But Shane wasn't done. "And there's another person I owe my life to. If Ariel didn't show up in time, I would've been walker bait with this limp."

My body froze and my mouth dropped in surprise. All eyes were on me, including my brother's. Everyone promised not to tell him because they knew how he would react. It was a good thing we were in the middle of a funeral or else Daryl would have gone off right then and there. His weight shifted, however, and his glare never left my face.

"She and Otis saved mine and Carl's life." Shane turned to me as I could feel my face redden with anger and nervousness. "Thank you."