A/N: Geez, my three months of unemployment certainly had me spoiled. Definitely not used to balancing work, school, and writing quite yet. Hope none of y'all have forgotten about me or my little story!

Unfortunately, we're coming to the end of this tale and the next chapter I post will be the last in this story. I can't begin to tell you how much your reviews and subscriptions mean to me. This next one is a little intense, so let's get right down to it. Enjoy!

Chapter 12

It was a miracle they had all found each other. It was difficult to have any significant thoughts on the back of a motorcycle, much less the terrible odds of meeting up with the others. Carol figured it had something to do with the roaring wind in her ears and the warm metal rumbling beneath her and she realized that it was probably why Daryl loved the bike so much: it was a way for him to tune out the world for a little while.

The wind and the engine didn't manage to block out the warmth in her heart when she realized that, in a way, Daryl was sharing a special place with her by letting her ride with him. Of course there had been walkers chasing her when he picked her up, but she'd like to think that she would have taken this trip eventually, regardless of life and death situations.

She didn't realize exactly how hopeless she had been until Glenn's taillights appeared in front of them, weaving from one lane to the other. Carol felt like her heart was about to burst and she squeezed Daryl around the waist so tightly that he let out a growl that made her ease up immediately. Still, when she peeked around the back of his head to get a better view of the car, she could have sworn she saw a relieved smile on the man's face.

It hadn't taken long to find the others once Daryl and she had managed to flag Glenn down. They had all been drawn to the spot where they had lost Sophia, guided by the simple fact that it was the only place they all knew besides the farm. The reunion had been bittersweet, of course: any loss among their group was a tragedy enough, but four to consider all at once?

"She saved me and then I lost her…" Carol had admitted when Glenn asked about Andrea, throat tightening significantly. When T-Dog confirmed that he had seen her go down, she almost cried for the younger girl. The only thing that stopped her was Daryl volunteering to go back; she was simultaneously filled with pride that he felt close enough to the group to continue to risk his life for its members, and rage that he would even consider leaving her again.

Rick had stopped him before she had a chance to say anything, and hearing his words made her hate herself for being so selfish, even for a moment.

It had been hours since then, and the world seemed to have been turned upside down multiple times since the intimate moment she had shared with Daryl in his tent the previous afternoon.

Carol stood next to Daryl's bike in the biting air, trying to make sense of the confession that had just come out of Rick's mouth: "We're all infected."

She had trusted Rick, they all had. The discovery that he had been keeping something that monumental from the group he had sworn to protect seemed to knock the air out of her lungs. The deepest corner or her mind entertained the idea that she was directing all her anger towards Rick to distract her from the crippling fear she was facing: the sickness, virus, whatever it was that had caused so many deaths, so much destruction, was running through her very veins.

Carol glanced up and saw the group, the people she had grown to think of as family, busying themselves around her. She knew that Rick and Lori had gone off somewhere by themselves and a slight turn of Carol's head revealed that Glenn and Maggie were digging through the backseat of the cars to see if there were any supplies that had been left in the vehicles. Hershel and Beth had found T-Dog and the two men were speaking in hushed tones while Beth stood by, clutching her father's shoulder for support. Then there was Cheryl, pale as a sheet and eyes wide as dinner plates, isolated from the rest of the group save for Julie, who she was clutching tightly to her chest. The young mother's lips were moving quickly in the toddler's ear and Carol realized she was singing, whether to calm herself or her daughter, she didn't know.

Running was pointless. They would all be overcome eventually, even without bites or scratches to assist their turning into flesh-eating monsters. The pain that came with that simple realization was almost physical and Carol's hand leapt to her heart as if her clawing could soothe the agony she felt.

Daryl entered her line of sight, but it wasn't until he called her name softly that she was able to comprehend his presence before her. He was so close to her, hand hovering just below her elbow, and she was so desperately cold that she was tempted to yank him close and drink in every ounce of warmth he could offer her.

"You okay?" he mumbled and she could see his eyes flickering down her body, as if judging her stability.

She almost let out a bitter laugh at his implication that being "okay" was even an option at this point, but she refrained. "No," she said softly. "I suppose I'm not."

It was frustrating how calm he was, given their situation. She had been witness to more of his lashing-outs than she cared to recall, most of them within the first couple weeks she had known him. They had died down significantly once Merle was lost, but there had still been a good few after they discovered Sophia in the barn. The bond between Daryl and Rick had been strengthening significantly as of late and she was actually surprised he hadn't been more vocal about Rick's betrayal.

Despite her expectations, Daryl's face remained calm and thoughtful as he glanced around at the group. "Yeah, guess none of us are doin so hot."

Carol felt her throat tighten and her fingers reached forward to grasp at the fabric of the jacket that covered his chest. "What are we gonna do?"

His feet shifted and he let out a small sigh. "Same as we been doin. Rest up here a bit, see what Rick thinks our next best move is. Go from there."

"You're still gonna follow him?" Carol breathed incredulously. "After he kept that from us?"

"It don't change nothin," he said, eyebrows furrowing. "We'd always been careful not to die before."

He had a point. They had always kept themselves as safe and healthy as they possibly could even before they knew that they would turn regardless of cause of death, and she supposed that the virus could only take over their living bodies if it went through some sort of mutation in the future. Still, it was the principal of the matter: Rick had vital information and he kept it from them. It was a betrayal of trust strong enough to make Carol wonder what other secrets he was capable of hiding.

Nothing left to say that wouldn't lead them arguing in circles, she bit her tongue. The silence between them was stiff and heavy, so unlike the comfortable quiet they were used to falling into around each other, and she could tell it made him uncomfortable.

As if to confirm her suspicion, he cleared his throat and took a step back. "Gonna go see about roundin us up some dinner."

"Be careful," she responded automatically for what seemed like the thousandth time in the last twenty four hours. Carol knew it wouldn't guarantee his safety in the slightest, but she figured it would be less problematic than the "I love you" that threatened to spill past her lips every time they parted ways.

Maybe one day she would say it. But not now.

"I won't go far," he assured her before turning and heading towards the woods. He stopped after a few feet and turned back to her. He bit his lip and the internal struggle was clear on his face before he finally said, "Sorry for wantin to go back. For Andrea, I mean."

Carol was caught off guard by the apology, but only allowed her eyes to widen momentarily before she smiled softly. "No you're not. And that's okay. I don't want you to be sorry."

It was true; the thought of Daryl putting himself in any sort of danger made her stomach churn, but his bravery and loyalty were some of his best qualities. She couldn't fault him for that. He would do the same thing for any member of the group if there was any chance they were alive.

Andrea's face flashed before Carol's eyes briefly and she had to shake her head slightly to clear her thoughts. When she looked back up at Daryl, he gave her a small twist of his lips before jerking his head towards Cheryl.

"Better check your girl. She ain't lookin so good."

Carol nodded, thankful for any task to distract her from thinking about the good friend she had lost. Daryl turned back towards the woods as she made a beeline for Cheryl.

The young mother was just as unsteady as Carol had seen before. Carol had found out from Lori that Cheryl spent a good portion of the drive from the farm in the bed of the truck because none of them had realized she was there. It was clear that the ride had shaken her greatly and her pale form was still clutching Julie to her chest in an iron grip.

"Cheryl?" Carol called softly when she was a few yards away from her.

Cheryl didn't look up at the sound of her name and continued to whisper hastily in Julie's ear. Carol continued the walk forward when she noticed a frayed edge on the old shirt that Julie was wrapped in. She squinted and realized that one of the sleeves had been torn off.

Fear bubbled in the pit of Carol's stomach but she forced it down. "It's nothing," she thought. "It was probably ripped in all the commotion." Regardless, she quickened her pace in Cheryl's direction. She was almost there when her eyes were drawn to the movement of a single red droplet falling through the air and hitting the pavement with a splash.

Blood.

A single drop of blood fell from Cheryl's elbow as she tried to sing her daughter to sleep.

"No. No no no no no no no no no."

It wasn't until the young girl's eyes flashed towards her knowingly that Carol realized she had spoken her lament out loud. In a flash she was by Cheryl's side, and the mother looked up at her with sad, fearful eyes.

"I just can't seem to stop keeping secrets from you," she whispered as she finally pulled Julie away from her torso and placed her on her feet on the cold ground. Julie protested with a whine and raised her arms upwards towards her mother, but Cheryl kept her eyes on Carol.

The jacket Cheryl had borrowed from Maggie was dark brown and Carol hadn't been able to see the blood soaking through the fabric until she was standing right next to Cheryl. Slowly, the young girl pulled off the jacket to reveal her blood-soaked arm, the sleeve of Hershel's shirt tied just below her shoulder. The sight and smell of it made Carol nauseous, but it was nothing compared to the feeling that hit her when Cheryl moved the bandage and revealed a perfect oval of teeth marks embedded into her arm.

It was if Carol's lungs had stopped working.

She tried to breathe in, tried to inhale enough oxygen to process what was happening, but it was impossible.

Cheryl stepped forward and immediately faltered on her shaky feet, falling with a crash to the pavement. Julie shrieked and ran for her mother, collapsing by Cheryl's side when the woman had managed to roll on her back to face the sky. Carol dropped to her knees next to her and pulled Cheryl's head into her lap, only vaguely aware of the rest of the group around them.

"What happened?"

"Oh my God, look at all the blood…"

"IT'S A BITE!"

Frantic shouts and shrieks flooded the air around them, but Carol couldn't speak as she stroked Cheryl's hair and listened to the girl breathe out a shaky story.

"I just wasn't fast enough, I guess. I mean with my ribs still messed up and everything, I barely got Julie and me to the truck. But I was climbing in and one took a bite out of me, and all I could think of was covering Julie and keeping her safe even if I was going to die anyway."

A tear splashed on Cheryl's face and Carol realized she was crying. It was hard to believe that she had any tears left in her after years of abuse and losing Sophia, but here they were, spilling out over a dying girl she had grown to love.

The group was standing around them now, some further back than others, as Cheryl reached up a shaky hand to wipe a tear from Carol's face.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," she whispered. "I'm sorry I didn't jump out of the truck and leave myself for the walkers. But I had to spend the end of it with my little girl in my arms. I couldn't just leave her. I'm-"

"Shhh, it's alright," Carol hushed her, voice cracking as the tears continued down her face.

Carl was at Julie's side, attempting to pull her back from the scene, but the toddler wiggled out of his grip and leaned down towards her mother's face.

"Mama?" she said, fear clear in her voice.

Cheryl smiled sadly. "Hi baby girl. It's almost time for me to go."

Tears started rolling down Julie's cheeks. "I don't want you to go."

Cheryl choked and reached up to pull Julie close to her. "I don't wanna go either, boog. But remember what I said? I have to go be with daddy now and you have to stay here with everyone else."

"I'll go with you," Julie cried, wrapping her arms around Cheryl's neck and burying her face into her shoulder.

"You can't, Jules. You have to be brave and stay here. And mommy and daddy are gonna watch over you, always."

"Promise?" Julie sniffled.

Cheryl planted a kiss on the toddler's forehead. "Cross my heart. Mama loves you, Julie, more than absolutely anything. Never forget that, okay?"

Julie continued to cry into her mother's shoulder until Carl came and picked her up, carrying her out of the circle. Full-fledged sobs were racking through Carol's body and she felt a familiar, calloused hand grip her shoulder tightly.

Cheryl looked up at them with watery eyes. "Please take care of her," she whispered desperately. "Keep her safe. Please. I know I have no right to ask you, but…"

The words were caught in Carol's throat and she was thankful when she heard Daryl's somber, "O' course," from above her.

Cheryl smiled weakly, a glimpse of her former self shining through in her final moments. "Thank you. Thank you for everything."

Carol could only give her a watery smile in return. Rick's boots came into view and she looked up to see the man they belonged to towering over her.

"Carol," he said in a strained tone. "It's time to…well, we have to…" he trailed off, but his hand moved slowly to the gun on his hip.

Rick was planning to kill the girl that Carol had grown to love like a daughter and he had absolutely no right. He had never heard her story, never listened to her cry, never seen her face light up, never seen her make his own son laugh like there wasn't a care in the world, and now he was taking it upon himself to put her out of her misery. Anger flared through Carol and she shoved Rick's knees to send him stumbling backwards. "Don't touch her!" she shrieked hysterically. "Don't you even think about it!"

Daryl's grip on her shoulder tightened but he said nothing when Rick looked down at Carol, a mixture of surprise and pity on his face.

"Carol," Cheryl cried in a strained voice. "You have to do it. Do it now. I don't want to turn into one of those things. I don't want to hurt any of you…"

She trailed off and Rick nodded solemnly. Carol was about to spring up against him once more when he pulled the gun off his belt, but he handed the weapon quietly to Daryl. Her throat went dry when she saw Daryl turn the safety off, but instead of pointing and aiming, he held out the gun for Carol to take.

His face was unreadable when she took the weapon from him and her hand shook as she tried to get a grip on it. The metal was cool and heavy under her fingers and it seemed so foreign and dangerous to her. She would have much preferred a bow like Daryl's at that moment, something less loud and more graceful to end the life of the young woman who was sprawled on the pavement in front of her.

She looked down at Cheryl who gave her a small nod as she moved her head off of Carol's lap and placed it on the cold ground. The forest was silent as Carol stared down at the girl one last time, but she was sure that everyone could hear the deafening sound of her heart beating wildly in her chest. She leaned down and placed one last kiss on Cheryl's forehead. "I'm sorry," was all she managed to whisper.

Carol had never mastered shooting, but her target was so close that she was impossible to miss. Still, her hands shook so badly that Daryl kneeled behind her, reaching his hand to skim down her arm and rest lightly over hers.

One last sad smile twisted Cheryl's lips before the gunshot rang out. Then all was silent.