Charlotte was putting the final touches on their tent. She set up the beds and put in the bags. She found herself humming some old Irish song her mother used to sing. She was a second generation immigrant from Ireland. Charlotte's family immigrated from Europe just after World War Two, her mom was around Hannah's age when they arrived. Her mom used to sing all the old songs to Charlotte and her sister Willow in order for them never to forget where they came from. When Hannah was a baby, Charlotte used to sing them to her. I was the only way she could get to sleep. She laid down the sleeping bags when she heard someone clear their throat. She jumped and turned to see Lori standing sat the threshold of her tent.

"Can I come in?" She asked

"Sure." She complied

"Look, you were right." Lori said after a beat. "I never should've did what I did. I understand now."

"I'm sorry that you do." And she was. There was nothing like that fear of having your child lost for good.

"Are we okay?" Lori asked

"Of course." Charlotte gave her a reassuring smile.

"Guys!" It was T-Dog's voice coming from outside the tent. Lori and Charlotte stepped out. Glenn, Andrea, Shane, and Hershel's daughter, Maggie were also there. "We got a problem."

It sure as hell was a problem. Charlotte stood by the well with the group. The usual rancid smell from the walker was being blocked by the depth on the well. She could hear the growling. Charlotte peered down and gagged at the sight. She'd never seen a more disgusting thing. Whoever it was before has on the heavy side. It's face was bloated. The moaning and hissing echoed on the stone walls.

"That's one ugly sumbitch." Charlotte declared after a moment.

"How long d'you think he's been down there?" Glenn asked

"Long enough to grow gills." Andrea stated making Charlotte cringe once more.

"We can't leave it there. Lord knows what it's doing to the water." Lori pointed out.

"We gotta get it outta there." Dale said obviously.

"Easy. Put a bullet to its head." T-Dog planned.

"No." Charlotte and Maggie said at the same time.

"Why? It's a good plan." Glenn questioned. Typical male response, Charlotte thought, guns are always the way to go.

"It's a dumb plan." Charlotte informed them. "If that thing hasn't already contaminated the water, spilling it's blood'll finish the job." This was basic knowledge.

"She's right. We gotta find some other way." Shane agreed with her.

"So it's gotta come out alive?" T-Dog asked

"So to speak." Shane joked after. There had to be some way to do this right.

They'd thought about it for a few moments before Maggie came up with a plan. They had to bait it somehow. Maggie went to the house to grab anything they could use. She brought back a canned ham. Glenn lowered it deep into the well but the walker wasn't moving to it. The whole thing reminded her of the crappy fishing trips she'd take with her father. Willow was more the fishing type. Charlotte needed to move constantly.

"He's not goin' for it." Maggie stated.

"Maybe 'cause canned ham ain't kickin' or screamin'." T-Dog suggested.

"He's got a point. The dead didn' come back to life and start raidin' our cupboards." Charlotte added. They pulled out the

"We need live bait." Andrea said looking straight at Glenn. Charlotte's heart started to pound when Glenn actually agreed.

They were tying Glenn up, ready to lower him down. It did make sense to ask him to go, he was the lightest of the men and he was the fastest. Still, it made her uneasy. She felt responsible for him. Glenn was right, they were family.

"You don't have to do this." She told him.

"I'm not going to make you go down there." Glenn explained. Shane was checking over the nots, making sure they were still tight. "Have I mentioned how much I love your new haircut? You've got a nice shaped head." He prattled nervously.

"Shane, this is crazy." She told him.

"Don't either of you worry, we'll get you back in one piece." Shane reassured

"Living piece. The living part is important." Glenn was still rambling, not lessening Charlotte's nerves one bit. Charlotte and Shane walked over to the rope to help lower him down. "Nice and slow, please." Glenn cautiously started dropping down the hole.

"We got you." Shane reassured as Glenn disappeared from sight.

"Oh, you people are crazy." Maggie exclaimed. Yes Maggie, yes we are. It was crazy what they were doing. They were risking Glenn's life. The water might already be contaminated.

"Give us an eye there Maggie." Dale suggested. The rope was burning her hands and the loose fibbers dug into her skin.

"Little lower. Little more." Shane instructed.

Things were working fine, when suddenly, their anchor snapped, sending the rope through their hands. Every was moving so fast. T-Dog ran and grabbed the metal, planting his feet on the side of the well. She could hear everyones frantic screams, Glenn's echoed off the stone walls. Soon the rest of the group was running and grabbing the rope and the metal pole. Charlotte helped pull him up. Her heart pounded the whole time.

"Get me out of here!" Glenn screamed frantically. They all pulled him up. He was heavier than expected. With all their combined strengths, they managed to pull him out of the hole. They all collapsed on the ground panting. Charlotte crawled over the the young man, who was shaking heavily.

"Are you okay?" It was all she could muster.

"Yeah." He panted.

"Back to the drawing board." Dale sighed

"Says you." Glenn replied with a grin on his face. He handed Shane the extra rope that still led deep into the well. Charlotte let out a relieved breath.

"Don't you do that to me again, got it?" She threatened.

"Trust me, I don't plan on it."

"How're we gonna get it out? Thing probably weighs three of us put together." She pointed out to the rest of the group.

"I've got a plan. Gimme a minute." Maggie said before running towards the stables.

She came back about a minute later with a horse. Of course, it finally registered with her, they were going to tie the rope around the horn of the saddle. With all of them pulling and the strength of the horse, they'd be able to get the walker out, no problem. T-Dog stood by the well, with his crowbar ready to kill it. He was the eyes this time.

"C'mon, guys, pull." T-Dog encouraged them.

"C'mon y'all." Shane urged. They had to be getting closer. Charlotte's arms strained as she pulled once more. This whole thing was giving her quite the workout. She blocked out all the encouragement. It just sounded annoying to her now. She could see the top of the walkers head now. It was even more hideous up close. It was almost bald with yellow spongy skin.

"Pull!" T-Dog shouted as they yanked one more time until it was over the edge. They kept going but it wouldn't budge.

"Shit." Charlotte cursed under her breath. She could see the body slowly breaking apart. "Stop!" She yelled, but it was too late. A pop echoed as the lower half of the corpse broke off, tumbling into the well. It's guts spilled all over the ground. Charlotte wrinkled her nose in disgust. She'd seen a lot of disgusting things in her time, this one was among her top five.

"We should seal off this well." Dale stated the obvious. The walker's guts contaminated the water.

"Might be a good idea." Shane agreed. The half-walker was still snapping at them from the ground.

"What do we do about…" Before Glenn could finish his question, T-Dog was already bashing in the walkers brains. Maggie gasped in the background. By the look of the brunette's face, she'd never seen a walker die before. How could she have been in this world for so long yet escape viewing these horrific things?

"Good thing we didn't do anything stupid like shoot it." He said sarcastically. Charlotte knew that shooting it was a dumb idea, there was nothing they could do now. Either way, the well was contaminated.

It was hot. That was all Daryl could think. The sweat dripped down his back. What he wouldn't do for a nice cold beer right about now. He had hunted in extreme heat before, that didn't mean it was any less uncomfortable. He'd been searching around the creek for a few hours. There was no trail for him to follow now. He had to find that little girl. He wasn't a leader like Rick or Shane. He didn't do runs like Glenn did. There wasn't much he could do but hunt and track. Now they were on a farm where they didn't need him to hunt as much. So, that left tracking. He would find Sophia. He wasn't about to leave the group, not while Hannah's still there. He had no lead on Merle. As far as he knew, Hannah was all he had left. Funny, he didn't actually know anything about her. She didn't talk much, neither did he. The few times she did, she made herself heard. He remembered when they were trapped in the CDC. He pounded on the door, a feeble attempt to get them out, but he stopped when he heard a voice he'd never heard before. Hannah was strong, more so than both her mother and father. He was thankful for that. He didn't say any of that though. Like he said, he and Hannah didn't talk. He saw himself more as a background sort of guy. He would probably never be fully emerged in her life. Didn't seem like the thing he'd do. He would never be like Rick. He kept his distance from her because he knew that he was deadbeat, just like his father. He was a stranger to her, and it was better off that way.

He walked until he saw an abandoned house. He readied his bow incase of any dead bastards inside. It was in shambles. Broken picture frames and old news papers littered the floor. Daryl was surprised the house was still standing. It was a bigger version of the one he lived in when he was a kid. He peered into one of the trash cans and found some empty sardine cans. A little further, there was a door that was somewhat open. Daryl slowly opened it, ready for anything that would come out. It was empty, save a rat. There was a makeshift bed inside. Based on the height of lowest shelf, whoever slept here couldn't be more than an inch taller than Hannah. Sophia was here, he just knew it. He did a once over of the house. There was no other trace of her. Maybe, she'd just slept in the cupboard last night and then left before he got there to head back to the highway. Daryl stepped back outside.

"Sophia!" He called out, she couldn't be too far. Something white caught his eye. It was a rose, a Cherokee Rose. He wasn't a very religious man. He believed in God, to an extent. It was hard not to when is was drilled enough into his mind as a kid that he was real and piss him off meant an eternity in Hell. Daryl already knew that's where he was heading. He wasn't a good man, no matter what Charlie tried to tell him. Well, he wasn't before. It was a little late to atone for all the shit he's done in his life, maybe finding this girl was a start. This bush of roses had to be some sort of sign that Sophia was still out there. He picked one, maybe it could bring some hope to Carol.

Daryl kept searching in the woods. There was no clear trail but it didn't hurt to head somewhat to the highway. He could pick up a trail leading to her. All he needed was a little luck. The woods were quiet, he relished in it. Here, there was no drama like there was at camp. Out here, he was completely alone. Gave him time to really think. The conversation between he and Charlie last night still hung in his thoughts. He had an inkling that she wanted to stay at the CDC but to actually hear in coming from her, Daryl didn't understand. The girl he knew always fought to be alive. This woman was hollow. She said she didn't want to live, but she would. She made it seem like such a chore. Daryl didn't see it that way. He thought himself lucky to still be alive. He could be one of those dumb dead bastards.

The sound of a branch snapping pulled him out of his thoughts. He turned his bow towards the sound, it came from behind the bushes. He wasn't about to be stupid and go through it.

"Sophia?" He called out, if the girl was there, she'd come out. If it was a walker, it wouldn't catch him by surprise. Either way, he had his weapon posed. The leaves rustled as someone came tumbling out. Daryl looked to see a blond haired woman lying on the ground. Her chest heaved up and down with heavy breaths. Her eyes snapped open and she jumped onto her feet, a long blade of a machete pointed at his head. Her dark brown eyes were wild. Daryl saw the blood staining her black cargo pants and green t-shirt. Her skin was paling, making him realize it was her own blood.

"I'd lower that, if I were you." She warned, she had a light Georgian accent.

"Really? What d'ya thinks faster? My arrow or your knife?" Daryl taunted.

"D'you really wanna find out?" She threatened, though it looked like she was about to pass out.

"You been bit?" He asked urgently

"No." She was swaying now, until she finally collapsed on the ground. Daryl considered leaving her there. She obviously had a few loose screws, but there was something familiar about her. Maybe it was in her face but he couldn't quite place it. So, against his better judgement, he gave her the once over, making sure there were no bites or scratches. He found a pretty deep cut. It looked like a bullet gazed her. He lifted her bridal style and headed back to the farm.

Lori had come by, wanting to spend time with Carl. Hannah got up and walked over to the camp. Her mom was taking inventory of the food, something Hannah thought boring and tedious. She decided instead to explore a bit. She hadn't been on a farm in so long. She missed the smell of farm animals, it was a strange thing to miss but that didn't bother her. The smell reminded her of happy times playing in the fields with her mom and brushing horses or milking cows. She walked in to the stables and took in a deep breath. Then wrinkled he nose because the smell of horse poop stung. She saw two empty stalls, Lori had said that the brown haired girl from yesterday and Glenn had gone out to the nearby pharmacy. That had been a long time ago, they must be on their way back soon. There was a black mare facing her in the stall, there was a white spot the size of a medallion on his forehead. It was the only speck of colour that she could see. It sneezed, making her jump. So, that's what a horse sounded like. At least one that wasn't neighing. It's breath quickened as Hannah got closer to pet the horse. She calmly placed a hand on its long nose, calming the beast instantly. Once an animal knew she wasn't a threat, they would calm and let themselves be pet. Hannah start petting it.

That's it, you're a good horse. It made no sense to talk to it. Wasn't like the horse could understand her. Instead, she just kept petting it silently. It was calming, her breaths syncing with his.

"He likes you." The voice made Hannah jump right out of her skin. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." She turned to see the brown haired girl standing there with two horses trailing behind her. She and Glenn had just gotten back. All the sudden, she felt guilty. What if the Greene's didn't want them to go here. She'd never asked permission. Her mom didn't even know she was there. Hannah had just told her that she was going to look around. Her mom had been so distracted in her work, who knows if she actually heard her?

"I'll, uh, go." she awkwardly spoke. "Sorry for intruding."

"No, no. It's okay." the girl objected. "Don't think we've met officially. My name's Maggie."

"Hannah." She bit the inside of her lip. "I have to go. My mom will worry." She stated.

"Alright, if you ever want to come see the horses, you can." Maggie clarified.

"Thank you." She smiled before exiting the stables.

Hannah was cautious when it came to new people, she always had been. It had taken her a week to get somewhat close to the other members of the group. She'd played that first game of chess with Carl and Sophia but they didn't talk much until about third or fourth day in. Hannah had been reading next to the fire pit when Carl came next to her. Apparently he'd been talking to her for about a minute before he remembered she was deaf. They'd bonded easily, which she'd always thought was strange since he was so different from her. Though, she thought that at the end of the world, what did it matter that she was deaf and he was hearing? Of course she was cautious, she knew how mean kids could be, but neither Carl or Sophia seemed that way. She was thankful for that, it would be awfully lonely at the end of everything without a friend.

This girl was getting heavy. Daryl's arms strained. He was getting closer, good thing too. The girl looked tiny, but she was mostly muscle. He had to hurry, the girl was bleeding out all over his shirt. He looked down to see a pair of tags hanging around her neck. She was military. He never would've guessed.

"Oliver… I have to find Oliver." She mumbled. Sorry Princess, we all got people to find. Daryl thought. Everyone had lost someone in the end.

Daryl recognized his own trail now. He was getting closer. The girl was still mumbling about Oliver. He found himself in the long grassy field of the farm. He could see the RV in the distance, close to the big white farm house.

"Almost there." He told the woman as he started jogging. He didn't want the girl bleeding out. The closer he got, the more attention he drew.

"That Daryl?" He heard Glenn ask when he got within ear shot.

"Yeah." It was Dale now.

"Hey!" He called out. They needed to get her stitched up. "Need some help here!"

"Who's he got?" Shane wondered

"Is that Sophia?" It was T-Dog now.

"No, too big." He didn't even care, he just had to get this girl help. Didn't really know why, but he felt like he had to. He walked past the group. He could see Hannah and Charlie standing off to the side with curious expressions.

"What's goin' on?" Rick demanded coming from the house.

"Could use some help! Where's Charlie?" He asked

"I'll get Hershel." Right, because there was more than one person who could do this. Rick ran back in the house and the old man came out.

"What happened?" He asked upon seeing the young woman.

"Don't know. Came tumbling out a bush covered in blood." Daryl recounted.

"Was she bit?"

"No. Think she was shot." Daryl quickly explained. "Passed out 'fore she could tell me anythin'."

"Bring her in." Hershel ordered. Daryl carried her inside and followed Hershel's youngest daughter, he thought her name was Beth, to a bedroom down the hall. He laid the woman down on the bed and was ushered out of the room. Hershel got to work stitching her up.

He found himself in the hallway ambushed by Rick and Shane. Charlie was standing off to the side with Lori.

"What the hell were you thinkin'?" Shane scolded him. "We don't know this girl."

"What d'you expect me to do? Leave her in the woods to bleed to death?" He was right in Shane's face now. He was fuming. He had been higher than thou when Daryl had wanted to kill Jim after he was bit. He had agreed with Rick in saying 'We don't kill the living.'

"We aren't sayin' that." Rick calmly stepped between them. "Look, d'you know anythin' 'bout her? She say anythin'?"

"Nothin'. Don't even know her name." He thought maybe he shouldn't mention Oliver. It wasn't his story to tell.

"Look, we just patch her up n' we'll figure it up." Rick explained. Daryl nodded agreeing. He then explained the farmhouse he found and how that could be a lead on Sophia.

Hershel stepped out moments later, wiping some blood on of his hands.

"She'll be fine. Just needs rest." Hershel explained. They didn't know who she was, but they'd felt some relief. Charlie and Lori walked over and went into the room. They were probably going to see who's clothes would fit the woman better. Daryl trailed in after, he just wanted to make sure. He walked in to see Charlie stopped right by the bed her hand covered her mouth in shock. He could see the tears brimming her eyes.

"Charlotte, you okay?" Lori asked from next to her.

"I know her." Charlie managed to spit out. "Her name's Willow. She's my sister."

Cliffhanger! I am so sorry for the long wait, I've been super busy with end of semester stuff. I'm done school now and I won't be starting work for a couple of weeks so I should be updating. I can tell you now that Willow will not impede on the Charlie/Daryl relationship. I have a ton of plans coming up for these characters (one of which I know will get me a lot of hate but it's worth it). Anyway, please let me know what you think. I would love to know your opinions or even some predictions.