Daryl tried to not to let on how annoyed being near Andrea was. She was just trying to get away from the crying and Dale's overprotective streak.
"You think we'll find her?" Andrea asked sadly and Daryl shone his flashlight on her face and scoffed.
"You got that look on yer face the same as everybody else." He shook his head. "What's wrong with you people? We just started looking." Andrea let him rant a bit more. "It ain't the mountains it's Savannah Georgia!"
"She's only 12…" Andrea snapped at him and Daryl rolled his eyes again.
"Hell I spent 9 days in the woods eating berries and wiping mah ass with poison ivy…"
"And nobody found you?" Andrea asked not really that interested.
"Mah old man was on a fucking bender, and Merle was doing a stint in Juvie again." Daryl explained with a shake of his head. 'Ann would've listened intently but she's still at the damn ranch house.' "They never knew I was gone." Daryl sighed thinking about Ann and then continued his story. "Got home then made mahself a sandwich. Except my ass itched something awful…" He ended and Andrea finally snickered before laughing out loud. 'Ann wouldn't have snickered aw hell who am I kidding yeah she would've but she would've kissed mah cheek and made me feel betta by telling me an equally embarrassing story.'
"Sorry that was a terrible story." Andrea apologized but failed to stifle her laugh again.
They finally broke through some brush and came across an odd sight.
"What the hell?" Daryl grumbled confusedly.
They saw a Walker hanging by a noose, the person must have hung themselves before they turned. Tried to opt out but screwed up. Daryl looked closer at the note the man had put up on himself. He gave Andrea a pathetic look and waved her over to read it.
"Ah cain't read…" He admitted and Andrea rolled her eyes. He glared at her when he heard her grumble 'dumbass redneck'.
"Got bit, fever hit world gone to shit…"
"Stupid sumbitch didn't know enough to shoot himself in the head." Daryl grumbled. "Now all he is, is just a big swinging piece of bait!" Daryl heard Andrea groan in disgust and gag a bit. "You all right?" he asked with an evil smirk. 'Ann wouldn't have gagged she's used to stuff like this being a nurse and everything.' Daryl loved thinking about her, and he really loved comparing Ann and to Andrea because Ann made her seem like a fucking reject.
"Let's just talk about something else…" Andrea offered trying not to get sick. "Where'd ya learn how to shoot?"
"Gotta eat, look at this idiot strung up like some damn piñata. I can see other Walkers must have come by and stripped the flesh clean off his legs…" Daryl rambled some more and smirked in triumph when he heard Andrea finally vomit behind him.
"Ye did that on purpose…" Andrea stated after spitting and wiping her mouth.
"Call it payback for laughing at my itchy ass." Daryl started off. "let's head back…"
"Aren't you going to?" Andrea motioned to the walker.
"Nope, he ain't no threat right now. Leave him up there it was his choice, he opted out though he kind of screwed it up." He watched Andrea stare at the pathetic creature. "You want to live now or not?" He asked calmly and Andrea looked back at him. "Just a question…"
"An answer for an arrow." Andrea nodded her head over to the hanging Walker. "I don't know if I want to live. Or if I have to maybe it's just a habit…"
"Not much of an answer…" Daryl stated simply but still shot the Walker in the head. "And a waste of an arrow…"
Shane finally pulled into the dirt drive way and the Green family raced out to meet him. He handed all the bags to the doctor who then looked past him worriedly.
"Otis?" He asked but Shane shook his head. "Nobody tells Patricia! I still need her!" The man snapped sadly. He entered the ranch house with his family as T-Dog and Glen walked over to where Shane, Rick and Lori were.
"Shane…?" Rick asked while his eyes narrowed. "Where's Ann?" Shane looked directly into his best friends eyes and Rick felt himself almost get sick right there. "Shane…? Where is mah sista!" He asked again, while Shane's tears started falling again. Rick and Lori watched as Shane fell to his knees in despair.
"She didn't make it Rick!"
Those 5 words seemed to suck the life out of the remaining standing around him. Rick's eyes started watering in confusion as he choked on a sob.
"How…?" He asked feeling his heart breaking in half. Lori gasped and held her hands to her mouth while her eyes widened in horror. Glen looked around confused sadness on his face.
"Ann's gone…?" He asked while Rick's face darkened.
"SHANE HOW DID SHE DIE?" He angrily growled.
"We got separated from Otis, got caught up at a wall without a way out. I used the bags to pull myself up. I told her to throw up her bag and we tried to get her to pull herself up but the damn strap broke. The walkers were already almost on top of her. I had no choice but to move on Rick. Ah just couldn't sit there and watch them rip her apart! OH GOD I CAN STILL HEAR HER SCREAMING FOR ME RICK!" Shane sobbed out and grabbed Rick around his waist in a pathetic hug as Rick ran his fingers through his friend's hair.
"So the one way I saved my son's life, was to sacrifice the life of mah sista…" Rick admitted starting to feel sick to his stomach with guilt. Rick felt his wife hugging him then holding Shane's shoulder as he sobbed. Rick let out a small sob and held onto his wife.
"Somebody needs to go back to the highway. Daryl needs ta know…" T-Dog admitted wiping at his eyes in despair and Glen paled again.
"Oh no I ain't doing it!"
"T-Dog can't because of his arm. Ah can't because I'm still weak from the blood giving. Shane is just, done…" Rick bit out with another sob Lori nodded sadly.
"I'll do it…" She agreed. "We tried to sugar coat it last time with Daryl and that didn't work too well…"
"Shit first his brother now this…" Glen moaned with tears in his eyes.
Dale watched over the road as Kim was back instead the RV trying to relax enough to sleep to no avail. Dale heard a car approaching and his face grew confused. He noticed it was the Station Wagon. It stopped and Lori Grimes slowly got out, there was a somber expression on her face and Dale knew this wasn't good news.
"Dale…?" She asked quietly and he walked over to her worriedly.
"Yeah?"
"Where's Daryl?" She asked feeling her nose trying to run with the tears she was holding back.
"He and Andrea went out in the woods to scout for Sophia…" Dale saw the tears in Lori's eyes. It was never good when Lori Grimes asked where Dixon was while holding back tears. "Why…?"
"Ann's dead." Lori admitted finally letting out some rampant sobs as Dale's eyes widened in horror.
"Ann's…oh dear GOD…HOW?" Dale asked in fear.
"She Shane and the guy that shot Carl went into a small medical unit at the local high school. She got caught by Walkers…we need to tell Daryl." Lori sobbed loudly unable to hold it together any longer. Dale made her go inside the RV to sit and let out her sorrow. He heard Lori inside telling Kim what was going on and she joined her in her tears on the small couch.
Daryl let out a sigh of relief as they finally found the damn highway. Ah sweet relief from the pyscho blond. Dale approached them with an unsure expression. He looked over at Andrea.
"Andrea go into the RV please…" Dale tried to give her an expression to not fight him on this.
"Dale you just can't stop can you…?" Andrea started missing the expression until Dale lost it.
"ANDREA GET IN THAT DAMN RV NOW!" He yelled angrily causing Andrea to finally look at him and nodded in surprise. She entered the RV and heard Dale again. "Hold up a second Daryl I need a word with you…" Andrea looked at Dale who had touched Daryl's shoulder. She gave him an odd look but heard the sobs from the couch. She entered the RV fully and saw Lori being held by Kim while they both sobbed.
"Lori…?" She asked worriedly.
"It's Ann…" Kim explained quietly as Lori sobbed louder over her little sister-in-law. Andrea paled then turned to look out the windshield at Daryl and Dale.
"What the hell is it old man…?" Daryl was starting to get annoyed he just wanted to fucking sleep.
"Daryl…son…" Dale started and gripped the younger boy's shoulder. "Something's happened…"
Daryl gave him a confused look. "What..?"
"There's no easy way to do this kid. So it's just going to have to be fast and come out…" Dale took in a shuddering breath. "Ann's dead."
Daryl felt something cold enter his chest when he heard what Dale said. He ripped his shoulder away from Dale's grip.
"What the fuck are ye trying ta pull! Yer not being funny ya fucking old bastard!"
"Daryl…" He heard his name being called and he spun around and saw Lori at the entrance of the RV and she had been sobbing in earnest. He shook his head and felt his crossbow slip off of his shoulder and onto the asphalt of the road.
"NO!" He yelled angrily but Lori just nodded while more tears fell. "Just a couple hours ago that horse bitch said she was fine what the fuck changed?"
"She went out with Shane and the guy that shot Carl for medical supplies. She got ambushed by Walkers Daryl, I am sooo sorry." Lori admitted with another sob.
Dale saw the world ending in Daryl's eyes and the poor kid looked ready to go nuclear. They were all worried that he would react the way when he found out about Merle, that they were prepared for. What Daryl did they were not prepared for.
"First mah brotha! Now Ann?" He snapped out feeling something burning at his eyes. "How the fuck is that fair?" He screamed angrily feeling sick to his stomach.
"It's not son, it's not." Dale nodded sadly Daryl shook his head woefully and backed away tears filling his eyes.
"Leave me the fuck alone! ALL YA'LL JUST ME THE FUCK ALONE!" He screamed venomously as he turned tail and ran as fast as he could into the woods.
Daryl ran for what felt like hours and slumped to the dirt floor of the woods and let out a sorrowful sob. He clutched mud into his hands as he wept for the loss of Ann.
'Why does my chest hurt?' He mentally questioned as the voice that sounded like his mother telling him that the feeling was heartbreak. Daryl sobbed harder not liking how bad is chest was hurting it felt like something stabbing out his soul.
"Now why the hell are you crying…?" A voice snapped and then softened. "Daryl…?"
Daryl Dixon snapped his head up and stared in horror at what he saw.
"Ann…?" He asked the bloody figure who was holding an interesting weapon with a water-gun with a gasoline can taped to it strapped to her back.
