The days seemed to rush by and yet freeze at the same time. It wasn't long before the blistering heat began to cool and the need to constantly move wasn't helping anyone's irritation. It seemed like they would set up in a place for a few days and it would become invaded by walkers and not just one or two, but herds at a time. Rayne had become so used to flinging Layla on her back and running that it had become second nature to her.

Today the group was traveling up north, trying to get further and further from the cities and heading to the rural areas. This idea was voted on by the group though none of them enjoyed going up where it was getting colder by the day. Rayne walked along with Layla trailing behind her, her breath coming out in white puffs in the early morning. They had been walking for what seemed like hours, although in a group like that it was possible they had only covered about eight miles.

"Rayne, my legs are tired." Layla complained behind her. The tired woman turned, "You want to climb up on my back for a while?" She nodded her head and Rayne bent to lift her when a hand came out to stop her. Her eyes took in the Korean boy shaking his head at her, "You've been carrying her a lot lately, I've got it." Rayne smiled gratefully as Glen bent down on one knee, "Come on little sister, hop up."

Layla smiled and climbed on his back, securing arms around his neck. Maggie came up on the side, "It's going to get cold all the way up there." She removed her black beanie and secured it on the child's head though it was clearly too big. Layla peeked out from under it, "Thank you big sister!" Maggie smiled and brushed her golden curls back so that the hat fit better.

Rayne beamed at them, so grateful for their patience for her goddaughter. The group continued to march on, making sure to stay off the main roads as much as possible. Rick lead the group with Daryl at his right and T-Dog on his left. Lori stayed back with Carol in the middle and the loss of Andrea was felt by the women, though she suspected it wasn't as horrible for Lori with all the fights they had been in. Carl walked beside his mother, black sheriff hat blocking the cold wind that circled them all.

Rayne hiked up her pack while Hershel helped Beth with hers. The group remained for the most part quiet, no one liking to make more noise than necessary and constantly on guard for any threat that may have been creeping up on them. Another few miles and it felt like each step was beginning to burn. She wondered how long their shoes would last or when they would have to go on another raid into town. It seemed that was their lives now, constantly running, stealing, scrambling to stay one step ahead.

Lori cleared her throat, "Rick, how much longer are we going to keep walking? The children are getting worn out." It was true what she said, Carl looked ready to drop and Layla was hiding her face in Glen's back to block the cold. The sheriff looked back and it was obvious that he was making an assessment of this area's safety, "I saw a sign a while back that said a town was only three more miles away. We need supplies. We'll set up camp in the woods tonight and a few of us will go on a raid."

There seemed to be a sigh of relief at the concept of no more walking as they shuffled along until they found a bit of a clearing in the Georgia forest. Glen let Layla down who ran over to Carl instantly, her blonde curls lifting in the cold breeze. It had seemed like those two had become inseparable since the incident at the farm. Rayne was happy that Layla had a friend, but she worried about what kind of boy Carl was becoming.

They began to set up their tents, Carol digging out a fire pit while Lori removed their pans to make up some hot dogs and beans. This wouldn't have seemed so tragic if it wasn't for the fact that had been their meals for the past week. Hunting was getting more and more difficult with the cold and the walkers taking out any prey they could catch. Daryl always managed to bring in some kind of game, but Rayne had noticed the size becoming smaller with each return.

She hadn't really spoken to Daryl again since their incident at the cherry tree. It had been weeks and just when she would think they were making headway into some kind of footing, he would push her away. It was never a strong push and sometimes she wondered if she were imagining it, but he definitely had placed some kind of emotional barrier to keep her out whenever she believed she were getting closer to knowing the real him.

Beth came to help her set up the tents while the men talked about who would go on the raid. It was getting dark and they would need to move quickly, but have enough man power to fight off any stray walkers in the town. Rick ended up selecting T-Dog, Glen and of course Daryl to assist him in gathering what supplies they needed.

Rayne looked up from her tent post when the voice she most loved to hear inquired, "We're goin' to town. You want anything special?" She stood, brushing her hands off on her jeans, "No I'm fine, but if you happen to go past any clothing stores, could you look for some new shoes for Layla? She'll outgrow the pair she has soon and I don't want her getting blisters." Daryl nodded, chewing absently on a small twig, "Don't you want any for yourself?"

She looked down at her boots, "No, these are fine for now. Take care of her first and I'll make due with what I have." He smiled at her selflessness when it came to Layla and nodded, "I'll keep an eye out." Rayne returned his smile and reached up to touch his neckline where his poncho had folded under. As always he flinched at her touch, seeming to constantly be surprised when her gentle hands didn't harm him. She fixed the material and slid her delicate fingers down his bicep, "Please be careful."

He stayed in her eyes for a moment before nodding and turning to join the raid party. They waved them off and went to making dinner. Hershel rolled some logs over for them to sit on and the group looked into the fire silently. Rayne's eyes flickered around to the tired faces, wondering how they were going to survive this winter when it hadn't even begun to snow yet?

She was surprised when Beth's voice came out, "Rayne, would you like to sing something with me?" She smiled to the blonde girl whom never really said much of anything, "I think I could hum a few bars if you start." Beth nodded and looked into the flickering flames before her voice came out surprisingly mature for a girl her age, "Oh Danny boy, the pipes the pipes are calling."

Rayne smiled, she sung that song several times in choir and knew the harmony with it. The two ladies joined their voices into a lovely harmony seeming to lift the spirits of the weary faces around them. Hershel sat there with a look of pride that only fathers seem to possess as he watched his youngest sing. Maggie poked the fire enjoying seeing her sister happy for a change though she worried for Glen's safety.

Lori brushed back Carl's hair as he leaned into his mother with Layla on her other side smiling up at her guardian. When she and Beth had finished and the group gave a quiet applause, Layla stood up, "My turn! My turn! Rayne sing, 'Jesus Loves Me' with me! Please?" Rayne smiled at her excitement while the rest of the group chuckled at her. Rayne nodded, "Ok kitty cat, you want to start it?"

She nodded and pointed to her guardian, "You have to do the hand signs with me." Rayne rolled her eyes, "All right, if you insist." She smiled truly pleased while they began to sing, "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the bible tells me so..." Layla lifted her tiny fingers making the signs she had learned in Sunday school, though that world seemed so far in the past that it almost wasn't real.

It was then they heard a man's voice interrupt, "Jesus ain't here." The women and Hershel looked around when suddenly out of the darkness came a group of at least six men. Rayne shot out of her seat backing Layla behind her while the unfamiliar group closed in, "Well look what we have here, some regular musicians."

Another man who looked to be Hispanic spoke up, "Wow old man, you've got some hot ladies with you. You must be packing." Hershel pulled his two daughters closer, "We don't want any trouble. Move along." The dark haired man seemed to be the leader of the group, "Now what kind of hospitality is that? We forget how to treat our neighbors now? Y'all are encroaching on our land, not the other way around."

Rayne hid Layla behind her fully when she spoke, "There is no property anymore, we are just staying for the night and have nothing you would want to steal. Why don't you all just go back to your camp and leave us be?" A shorter man looked to her and walked a few feet closer, "Well you've got some nerve, you little slut. Don't you know who you're talking to?"

Rayne's blue eyes narrowed, "I'm not interested to find out. Shove off." He was about to raise his hand to smack her when the leader cleared his throat, "Bill, calm yourself down. That's not how we speak to ladies. It's the end of the world, not the end of manners." Bill glared his beady eyes at Rayne before backing off and the dark haired man stepped closer into the light, "My apologies, we haven't seen such a large group for a while and some of us have forgotten the protocol. My name is James and I have a camp about a half mile away from here."

Lori was hiding Carl while Carol wrung her hands nervously. Hershel kept his stare, clearly assessing the chance of survival if it came to a fight. James looked to him, "Well I can see you are the patriarch here, so why don't we talk man to man." Hershel scanned him, "Again we don't want any trouble with your group. Like Rayne said we are just staying the night here and will move on in the morning."

James ran a hand through his hair, "Now see that is where we have a problem. If I honestly believed it was just you and this group of lovely ladies I wouldn't have a problem with you passing through. But I find it hard to believe that you would have survived this long without some muscle around. So where are the men of this camp? Are they near by?"

Rayne's eyes flickered to Hershel wondering how much was safe to tell them. She could lie and say they were on their way back though they had left only about twenty minutes prior and if the town was three miles away they would just be arriving there. She could say they were in town and wouldn't be back until much later in the night so James wouldn't have to worry about them, but her gut told her it was dangerous to show them any kind of helplessness.

Her hand went to her pistol that was hidden in the back of her jeans while Layla quivered behind her. James tilted his head her way, "Now who do you have hiding behind you there?" Layla shook at the back of Rayne's legs while James bent down, his smile becoming deceitfully charming though it reminded Rayne of a snake fixating on a bird, "Come on out little one, we aren't going to bite."

Layla froze clearly unsure of what to do. Rayne's eyes became lethal as she snarled, "Don't speak to her." To this the leader cleared his throat, "I wasn't talking to you, ma'am. Borris..." A red haired man in plaid pointed his weapon Rayne's way while James continued to smile, "Now let's try again without any interruptions. Come on out, princess, I'd like to have a word with you."

Rayne's gaze was burning holes into the man while she froze in place, silently willing Layla not to say anything. Of course the little girl had no idea what was right or wrong to say and she poked her head out from Rayne's protective frame. James smiled at her, "Now aren't you a pretty little angel? Come over here."

She looked up to her guardian and then shuffled painfully slow towards the dangerous man. His plastic smile stayed on his face and the firelight reflected in his dark eyes, "What's your name, little one?" She swallowed and replied, "Layla...sir." James's eyes widened a bit and he smiled happily, "Well Layla, you are very well mannered. There is nothing I hate more than ill-mannered children. You aren't going to be that way, I can tell. Now how about you tell me about the men in this group? Are there a lot of grown up men around here?"

She looked back to Rayne and then to James, "A few." Rayne felt her heart leap at the answer when James nodded, "Do you know how many? Can you count?" Layla didn't say anything, some instinctual part of her tell her not to reveal how many men they had. Layla was old enough to know who it was that protected her and she didn't like the way this man was smiling. It wasn't a friendly smile like she saw from her new fathers, but something cold and evil.

When she didn't answer James had a little twitch go through his cheek, "Layla, I thought we agreed that you were going to behave. Tell me this, is that lady your mama?" She looked back to Rayne and shook her head, "She is my godmother." James nodded, "But she takes care of you doesn't she? You love her very much don't you?" To this the four-year-old nodded and James smiled, "Isn't that nice? Well Layla if you don't tell me how many grown up men are in your group, I'm going to have my friend over there blow her head off. You don't want that do you?"

Quicker than she realized he could move, the large man named Borris was beside Rayne, pointing his rifle at her temple. Layla's eyes widened, filling with tears, "Please don't! Don't hurt Rayne!" James put up a hand, "I don't want to hurt her, but I will if you don't answer my question. Now, one more time, how many men are in your group?"

Layla looked to Rayne, tears running down her face while she lifted her tiny fingers and showed him four, "Mr. Rick, big brother, Daryl and Mr. T." At the last name, the group of unfamiliar men laughed, "Mr. T, huh? Well that is pretty impressive that they got him on their side." James allowed the laughter for a moment before speaking again, "Thank you Layla, you've been very helpful." At that he stood up and announced, "I'm not pleased with the idea of four able bodied men lurking around my territory. We're going to escort you back to our camp and meet them there where we can have a nice chat about coming onto other people's land. Let's head out now."

When no one moved, James pulled out his glock and pointed it at them, "I don't like repeating myself. Get. Moving." Rayne looked to the group knowing that there was no way they would win this fight. She bent down to scoop up Layla and nodded to the others to move. They all shuffled along stiffly, hearts beating in unison when the enemy circled them like sharks waiting to devour their long awaited meal.

Rayne hid Layla's face in the crook of her neck while she wept, "I'm so sorry Rayne...I didn't know what to do." She shushed her rhythmically while they walked on in the growing darkness. It didn't take long for them to notice the lantern lights glowing like stars in the dark trees. Rayne's eyes widened at the size of the camp, much larger than any she had seen. Tents that looked like they could fit eighteen people were set up and members of the camp were rustling around completing their end of day tasks.

James walked in the front announcing, "Everyone, we have some visitors. I hope you all mind your manners and treat them kindly while they stay." Something in his sugary falseness made Rayne's blood chill when she wondered what "treating them kindly" meant. The stepped into the lantern light and marveled at the group that appeared to encompass twenty people all staring at them. James called out, "Anna Marie? Would you come on up here?"

A woman who looked to be in her forties emerged from the back, her silvering hair tied back in a red bandana. Her tired eyes stayed on James, "Yes?" He put an arm around her and gestured to the group, "Why don't you take their weapons and put them in our armory tent? There is no need to be packing anything." She nodded and walked up to the group, her accent sounding New Yorken, "Please give me your weapons." When no one moved she cleared her throat, "You don't want to make James ask again...trust me."

The women looked to Hershel and then to each other before removing their weapons though only Rayne, Maggie and Carl were armed. Anna Marie went from person to person collecting the guns until she came to Rayne, her gray eyes flickered over her as she retrieved the gun and whispered, "You better hide that one in your back better. He'll see it for sure."

Rayne tried not to let the surprise show on her face, but gave a minute nod. Anna Marie turned with the three weapons in her hand and James smiled, "Ladies, why don't you join us around the fire while we wait for your knights in shinning armor to arrive? And as far as you grandpa, I'd like you to tell me exactly what it is you do."

Hershel spoke in a voice that sounded much more sure than most of them felt, "I was a vet." James's dark eyes widened, "Oh you're a doctor are you?" The gray haired man shook his head, "No, I'm a vet, I work on animals." James rose his hands, "Animals, people, all the same. We have been needing a real doctor for a while...we might just keep you, old man."

He flicked his fingers for his two lackeys to take Hershel's arms while Maggie tried to pull them off, "You aren't taking my father anywhere!" At this one of the men back handed her so hard she fell to the ground. Hershel barked, "That's enough Maggie! Let them take me! Watch over Beth!" Beth shot down to her sister's side and glared at the men when they took Hershel away to the large tent.

James shook his finger and the women, "Now, now ladies, let us mind our manners. Have a seat and stay there." His voice was charming enough, but there was a definite underline of power in his words that Rayne was not willing to test when they were so outnumbered. She made it look like she was adjusting Layla on her hip but really used it as an excuse to move her pistol to her hip where her coat would cover it. They moved slowly and settled around the large fire, though none of them relaxed.

Rayne's crystal eyes scanned the camp trying to figure out what kind of people they were dealing with. On a rough count she could see eight men, three children and nine women of various ages. She watched as they went about their way as if there weren't seven strangers in the middle of their camp. Rayne held Layla close and Lori did the same to Carl who was whispering, "Why don't we fight back?" She shook her head, fear clear on her face and Rayne shared it. She knew there was no way they could make it out with these many people.

Her gun's metal rested against her skin and that gave her the barest shred of hope. If she could find a way to be by herself or even better with James then she could use him to her advantage. He didn't seem like a very large man, nor one that did a lot of fighting on his own. He seemed like the kind who had others do it for him, if she could get that gun to his head, she could make him a hostage and worm their way out.

Her eyes turned to Anna Marie who was coming out of a tent where she saw the barest hint of a large collection of weapons. This hadn't been the first time this group had taken weapons hostage. She was curious why the middle-aged woman would help them and what it would mean if she were so willing to turn against James. Rayne wondered how long it would be until their men returned to the camp and found them gone...where was Daryl? Would he be able to find them?

A few hours had passed and Rick rounded up the raiding party together. The town had been ransacked before, but there was still some food and clothes that were able to be packed away. Daryl had stumbled across a pair of little pink shoes he assumed would be Layla's size and tied them to his belt while they hurried back. Glen smiled at him, "So, getting a gift for Layla are you? How sweet."

Daryl shrugged, "Rayne asked me to, she's worried the kid will grow out of hers soon." Glen grinned at him, "I didn't know she had given you a grocery list. Make sure to pick up some milk next time you're out and then take out the trash." T laughed while Rick looked ahead stoically, always watching out for walkers. Daryl glared at him, "You ain't got anythin' to say, little man. That farm girl has had your balls in her hand since the first time you saw her."

At this Glen's face blushed while T-Dog smacked his back, "The power of the female species is a miraculous thing. Though Daryl, if you aren't swinging for Rayne, let me know. I might be making a move soon. She's pretty damn fine if I do say so." The hunter glared his direction, "Why haven't you already?" The black man shrugged, "Because it was looking like you two were getting close and I don't want you cutting off my ears if I try anything."

He rolled his eyes, "I did that one time and everybody is makin' a fuss. Do what you want, I got no claim to her." Glen's jaw dropped, "So you don't care even the smallest bit if T-Dog takes Rayne? Not even a little?" At this even Rick turned around to look at him, "She's a fine woman Daryl, sees the truth in things. I would be hard pressed to let one like her go."

At this Daryl threw up his hands, "You all are talkin' like she is somehow mine! Rayne is a grown woman, she makes her own choices and she would probably be better with T anyway. A girl like her shouldn't settle for a red-neck like me...she deserves better than me." There was a silence in the group of men, all bantering gone from their conversation as they walked along quietly.

For a few moments no one spoke until Rick put his hand on Daryl's shoulder, "Like I said, she sees the truth of things, that also means people. Why don't you let Rayne decide what is good for her or not?" The hunter looked away from him and chose to say nothing as they approached the camp. Glen smiled when he thought of returning to Maggie's arms when he announced, "Ladies and Hershel, boy and girl of different ages, we come providing food, clothes and..."

They were gone, the camp was empty and the feeling of dread began to pulsate through the men when they searched frantically for the ones they had left behind. Glen searched in the tents, "Where are they?! Maggie?! Where are you?!" Rick's eyes widened as he searched around, "Lori! Carl!" Daryl instantly dropped to the ground, using his flashlight to read the trail when he whistled, "These are Rayne's footprints."

The men circled him, "Where do they go? What happened?" Daryl moved along, his trained eyes reading the path, "These are our people, these bigger ones are strangers. Look like man feet by the depth of 'em...I'd say five...no six...heading that way." Rick stared in the direction Daryl pointed, a protective fire going off in his gut, "They took our families, let's get them back. Show the way, Daryl."