Authors note: As always I cannot begin to thank you all enough for the reviews and everything that you write. It makes it so easy to write when I know there are people out there reading! It's you guys that keep me writing and keep me updating, even if it is just for fun haha =)

Enjoy!

Light & love always

xxx

E

Chapter 25

I was jolted out of my content world of happiness by the angry snarls of Sophia and the harsh whispered tones emanating from Shane and Rick in the far corner of the room.

"What the hell are ya goin' to do?" Rick spat.

"I'm gonna put one in that little girls brain Rick! What the hell else can we do!" Shane replied equally as viciously.

"And what the hell d'ya think that's gonna do? Ya go out there poppin' bullets left right and centre ya gonna bring every dang walker for miles reigning down bloody hell on this little wooden box," Daryl commented from his spot next to me, his arm still wrapped around my shoulders, holding me to his chest easily.

"Exactly," Rick agreed.

"We can't just leave her out there," the voice was so tiny it almost went unheard. I looked over at Carol kneeling by the door and felt my heart beat start to rise just a touch.

"What?" Shane dropped the whisper and spoke normally. This was not going to end well for anyone.

"She's my little girl, we can't just leave her out there to be eaten," she turned to look at the room behind her, her eyes still wide and glazed over as if she was looking straight through all of us.

"Ha," Shane scoffed bringing his hands to his mouth in frustration before holding them out to his sides in a frustrated manner.

"Let's face reality here Carol," he dropped his hands down by his sides limply, "she's dead, she ain't comin' back in this house, the only way we can deal with her is to put one between her eyes. I know it ain't easy..."

"Ya don't know anythin' Shane! How could ya! All y'care about is yaself and keepin' ya own ass safe!" the room went completely still at Carols outburst.

"For gods sake Shane, just let her be," Lori spat at him harshly. Andrea went and sat by Carol who simply leant into her for support when Andrea wrapped her arm around her shoulders.

"We gotta deal with that little girl out there!" Shane said his voice raised considerably.

"Would y'keep it down! We don't know how many of them things are out there," Rick chastised Shane angrily standing up and staring him down harshly.

"We know my baby is out there," Carol sobbed.

"She's a danger to everyone Rick! I know y'know that!" Shane was standing so close to Rick that if he so much as breathed too heavily he would touch him.

"We can't do shit until mornin' Shane, we can't afford to put everyone in danger," Rick was glaring so harshly at his friend that it was intensifying the testosterone and tension in the room tenfold.

"Ya can't kill my baby," Carol squeaked looking up at the two men standing in the middle of the room.

"She's already dead Carol," Dale's harsh tone made everyone turn and look at him in astonishment.

"I sympathize with ya I do, but she ain't alive, she ain't a livin' thing anymore," he knelt down in front of her and took her hands lightly into his own, "she's gone, and as hard as that is to stomach, she is a danger to everyone in this house. We have to consider the needs of those in here as opposed to the needs of someone we can't help anymore. Carol, ya have my word that she will get the proper send off she deserves."

Carol looked up at Dale for a long time, staring into his eyes vacantly before turning to face the rest of us in the room.

"Okay," she breathed, "but we wait until mornin'." Her tone had a finality to it that seemed to elicit a bowed head response from everyone.

"We can't..."

"Shane! For all that is left in this world! Shut... The FUCK... Up!" Andrea was glaring at Shane, her eyes as cold as ice.

"It's not open for discussion," Rick backed her up.

"First light. I mean it," Shane said after a pause before gripping his gun tightly and storming off upstairs to keep watch. Everyone fell silent as his footsteps echoed from the top floor and stopped as he settled into his little perch.

"I'll make sure he doesn't do anythin'," T-Dog said quietly as he headed out the room and up the stairs after Shane.

There was a silence that spread across everyone once more. Carol finally tried to lay down and get some sleep, though her gentle sobs were still audible in the stillness of the room. I sat against Daryl comfortably, making sure at least some point of my body, no matter how minute was touching him. It's funny how a simple touch can make the overbearing weight of the world just that little bit easier to hold. Sophia's sluggish footsteps trudged up and down the front porch, her gurgling, hunger filled groans dulling down every so often before rising again when someone moved or made a noise from our sanctuary inside. Everyone tried to remain as still and as quiet as possible though after a few hours Carl burst into tears, whimpering about how she was his only friend and how he was never going to be able to have a friend like her again. Lori held him to her chest muffling his cries just enough so as not to stir the death eater outside any more than need be. I looked over at them in the pitch black and was only just able to make out the hunched over shape of Lori as she cuddle Carl tightly. Her eyes were wide, staring at the floor in front of her feet, tears welling as she comforted her distraught son. It seemed the pain he was feeling was tearing straight thorough her very heart making her equally as distressed as he was. I couldn't help but purse my lips in confusing and look up at Daryl. I wondered if he had ever felt that before? Ever felt so helpless at someone else's pain that he himself ended up going through the motions as a sort of sympathetic self torture.

I was so lost in my own intense train of thought that I almost missed the light crunching of twigs underneath heavily clad feet. I sat up straight my eyebrows narrowing at the pin stripe lines of moonlight coming in between the cracks of the boards on the windows. Daryl's body seemed to stand at attention at the sound as well. I was vaguely aware of everyone else shifting uncomfortably as I edged slowly closer to the windows to see what had moved in the forrest around our little safe hold. I was only a few feet from the window when a resounding, ear splitting 'bang' ripped through the stillness of the night outside. Everyone was sitting up, alert and staring wide eyed at the door. I remained dead still anticipating another shot... Though it never came. Sophia's footsteps and angered groans had ceased outside which only seemed to entice more sobs from Carol.

"Well, well, well..." the call came from across the other side of the threshold. The room seemed to suddenly drop thirty degrees in temperature, a frightening chill rippling through the bodies inside. I turned around to give someone a confused look to show my lack of understanding, but instead I was met with the pale, wide eyed, clenched jawed face of Daryl staring at the door. His hands gripping the crossbow so tightly to his chest I was afraid he was going to break it in half.

"This looks like that there little girl we was all carryin' along with us when we left Atlanta!" the southern drawl called again. There was a few gasps that rang out across the room.

"Must mean that little, sad, pathetic, excuse for a brother of mine is in there somewhere," with every word the footsteps grew closer and closer until a sound of heavy boots were clunking on the decking outside.

"Must mean them pigs are in there too," the emphasis on the insult at Shane and Rick was so menacing and vicious that I found myself beginning to feel the same chill as everyone else. I turned to stare at the door and waited for another call.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when the three loud, resounding knocks on the wooden door rang out in the room. Carol sat with her mouth wide open, Andrea next to her with the same expression. Lori clutched Carl to her chest tighter, her hand going immediately to her mouth as Rick wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Glenn stared wide eyed at the door as Maggie stared at him with confusion plastered across her fine features and Dale simply glared at the door sheer fear evident in his eyes. I turned to look back at Daryl who's eyebrows were narrowed and his whole body rigid as he stared straight through me at the door. I looked back at the door, my body tense with the atmosphere in the room.

"Oh little pigs, little pigs..."

A pause...

"...Let me come in."