Good morning, or afternoon, depending where you are. About 13 more days and this will be wrapped up and I am so glad for that. This is the first story I've written that I stuck to my guns with and wrote before actually posting. I did it because life is hectic sometimes and I wanted to be able to update quickly. And I haven't gotten this much crap for a story since my first attempt at writing one two years ago.

I usually go out of my way to please everyone and I think that people are so used to that that me writing something that doesn't fit snuggly into the typical Haitus80 box is hard to swallow. Yes, they've been separated and that sucks. Yes, there are OC's and they suck too. At least for some. And I get that. It's just kind of frustrating to know that to keep readers, I have to do exactly what they want me to do and not tell the story that's in my head to tell. No, this isn't a fluffy sparkling story. But I haven't ran the characters through the ringer. No one has been raped, beaten, brutalized, humiliated or tortured.

Anyway, some of you are digging it and that's great. Really great. Because it's starting to seem like the reason other stories were such a success was because I did almost everything people wanted me to do and not because of the writing or the story at all. And for a writer, even a fanfiction writer, that is a really difficult thing to deal with. But I'll keep posting because it's already been written and a few of you actually like the writing. This one time, I wrote because this was the story I wanted to tell and not because I wanted to please everyone else. Sorry for the rant but it's been a rough night. I'm sure that it'll be another rough night. So, here's to you having a better day than me. Thanks for reading.

Chapter Twenty Five

Her guard went up as soon as she spotted them. Her heart picked up and her hand went to the knife at her hip. It was strange because she had this very reaction when she had seen Lydon and his group for the first time. She had gotten used to humans being the bigger threat and she was having a hard time accepting that not everyone was out to cause harm. There were plenty of people in the world that were just like her own group. Good people trying to make it.

"You okay?" Lydon asked softly.

She nodded but didn't take her eyes off the people that were walking towards them from the beach, carrying buckets. The road was blocked off at this point, a pile up of vehicles that didn't look accidental. Someone had moved these cars here.

A few members of the group waved but she didn't wave back. Who the hell did that now? She opened the door muttering a quick, "Stay here," to the boy.

The group consisted of three men, two women and two little boys that looked to be around nine or ten. She took a few steps towards them, willing herself to not draw the knife. Two men turned to the others, speaking low and then started walking towards her. She watched their faces carefully, looking for any sign of hostility but all she saw were open friendly faces. As a matter of fact, they looked more concerned than anything else.

"Evening, Miss. Can we help you with anything?" The taller man asked.

Carol cleared her throat, her eyes sharp as she kept watching them, waiting for them to draw a weapon. "Just passing through. Is there a reason this road is blocked?" She tried to keep her voice even but even she could hear the challenge in her tone.

The two men looked at one another and then back to her. "Actually, that was to keep people from just passing through. A few miles back there's a detour that'll take you around so you can keep heading north on the highway."

She nodded and backed towards the car. She flinched when she heard the drivers door close and then Lydon came around the car. She shot him a look but he ignored her. The men nodded at him as he came to stand next to her.

"You folks have a camp here?" He asked.

For the first time since meeting him Carol felt like grabbing him up and shaking him. Was he an idiot?

The two men walked closer and actually offered their hands. Carol shook each one in turn but she wasn't easily impressed. She had always heard stories about how charming Philip Blake had been, back before he lost his mind and tried to kill them all.

"My name's Luke and this is my son Logan. We have a settlement here, not a camp."

Carol studied the two men more closely. There was a definite resemblance but Luke didn't look old enough to have a son that was obviously in his twenties. "What do you mean, settlement?" She asked.

"A town. We've walled it off for the most part. Most people we take in decide to stay but we can offer you both a room for the night if you need shelter."

She narrowed her eyes. "You just take in anyone off the roads?"

He smiled. "Ma'am, I don't own the town or the land or the shops or the homes. It isn't my place to keep anyone in or out. I offer strangers a safe place and if they mind the laws and help when they can, well, the more the merrier."

"What laws?" She asked, still extremely skeptical of this new development.

He shrugged. "Well, you can't run around killing townsfolk. You can't steal from people and we look down on nudists," he chuckled at his own joke and his son rolled his eyes. "Other than that, it's pretty much a free settlement."

She glanced at Lydon, who was looking at her excitedly. She felt torn because she knew how dangerous other people could be but she also felt like she needed to do what was best for him. They were both exhausted and they were both starving and these people seemed okay. Not that that was much comfort. Anyone could seem okay. She looked harmless as a mouse but she had murdered before. This world changed people.

"Okay," she said reluctantly. "We could use a room for the night if you're sure it isn't putting anyone out."

He smiled kindly, seeming to sense her unease. "Not at all. You can leave the car if you'd like. It isn't worth a whole lot now days."

Lydon glanced over his shoulder, staring a the sleek car longingly. She linked her arm through his, smiling at the devastation on his face. "You heard the man. It'll be fine."

"I should have just stayed in the damn car," he muttered.

Now her smile was genuine as she nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you should have. Now if something happens to it, you have no one but yourself to blame."

He groaned but followed behind the others.

~H~

At first light they headed out in the Jeep that had gotten them all the way to South Carolina. Daryl reluctantly agreed to let Piper come along and hang back with the others while him, Glenn and Rick made their way towards the fences. Daryl wasn't surprised when they were actually approached by a few men leaving the fence that surrounded the area.

Daryl let Rick do the talking. He kept his eyes on the men that were walking the perimeter inside the fences. When he glanced over Rick seemed to have relaxed slightly. Daryl wasn't about to do the same. They didn't know these people and even though he trusted Piper he didn't trust that she had been able to really read these people while she was here. They could have shown a girl her age one thing but behind closed doors they could have been much more sinister. Even Daryl had to admit, however, that these men didn't come off as dangerous. They introduced themselves quickly.

"I'm surprised," the man said as he glanced over his shoulder. "Just last night we ran into a woman and her son. Now you three this morning."

Daryl tuned out after that as he kept scanning the area. He heard the man introduce himself as Luke. Rick seemed relaxed now as the men were leading them to the gate.

"You get new people often?" Rick asked the man as they were let inside the gates.

The man shrugged. "It depends really. We've had several run ins with rogues. No offense, but usually they don't come around because they have any friendly intentions. Most people, though, end up wanting to stay once they get here. We deal with other settlements like this one. We have a good relationship with all of them."

"We aren't looking to stay here. We just wanted to see what we were dealing with in case we stayed in the area for a while," Rick explained. Daryl was glad he didn't disclose their location. The motel was back from the road and wasn't easily spotted. They had torn the sign down when they had first decided to give the place a try.

"What kind of things do you trade?" Daryl asked suddenly.

Luke's eyes finally settled on him and he shifted on his feet. Daryl seemed to make him a little more nervous than Rick did. Good. Luke cleared his throat and offered a shrug. "A lot of things really. Food, for one. All of us along the coast have plenty of seafood but every now and then a man just wants some red meat. We don't have money so most of us just barder. Everyone has different skills. Some folks are better at working the land than others. Some are better fishermen. We have hunters, gatherers. It isn't a bad set up really. We're all just trying to start over."

"And you ain't had no problems with other groups?" Daryl asked. They were walking down the middle of the street and looked strangely normal. Like before the world ended.

"We have but this is a big town and everyone here is willing to help defend it. I think we're up to a hundred and fifty people."

Daryl, Glenn and Rick stopped, looking at the man with wide eyes. "That's a lot of people. How do you enforce the laws here?" Rick asked.

Luke shrugged easily. "It isn't as hard as you would think, really. Most of the people here are grateful enough to have a place to raise their families that everyone keeps an eye out for everyone else. There may be a lot of us as far as numbers go but we're a close knit community here. All we want to do is survive this thing as best we can."

The streets were clean. There were shop doors open and there were several people meandering about. The sight was so surreal that Daryl had to blink a few times to make sure his eyes weren't playing any tricks on him. He had heard stories of Woodbury from Merle but he also remembered hearing stories about the ominous feeling that some of the others had there. He hadn't spent much time there himself and what time he had been there it had been a damn nightmare. But this place didn't have a strange feel about it at all. He felt a little awed actually.

He was eyeing a sign for a sporting goods store when he quickly went from awe to stunned into complete stillness. There, coming out of the store with an easy smile on her face, glued to the arm of some young blonde guy, was Carol. He stared, expecting her to vanish like a mirage but she didn't. She looked different but it was still her. Her hair was a little longer and she was a little thinner than the last time he had seen her, but it was her all the same. The guy with her said something and she gave him an indulgent look before she laughed.

"Is that..." Glenn's voice jarred him out of his momentary stupor.

He watched as Glenn ran past him, calling her name. He saw her look up, her eyes going impossibly wide when she saw Glenn. And then she was off her feet as he grabbed her in a crushing hug. She seemed as stunned as he was for a second and then he saw her hug him back, clinging to the back of his shirt like she wasn't planning on letting go of him.

Rick was there now, even though he hadn't even noticed his friend moving towards her at all. He could hear their happy laughter. He could see the happy tears in her eyes as she hugged Rick just as hard as she had hugged Glenn. She kept her hands on Rick's shoulders when he finally pulled away. She said something and then Rick glanced Daryl's way.

When her eyes landed on him he felt that old wound tear open. The hurt in his chest that she had left him with when she had walked out on him. It was raw and real and it took all of his will to pull in a breath. Once he had some air in his lungs he did the only thing he could do. The only thing that made sense in the chaos of his thoughts.

He turned around and he walked stiffly towards the gate. "Let me out," he growled to Luke, sounding like a caged animal, feeling like a caged animal. Luke didn't ask any questions. He hurried ahead of him so he could get the gate open. Without a backwards glance he headed straight for the trees, avoiding the spot where him and Rick had left the others. He would make it back before nightfall on his own. He needed to get away. As far away from her as he could get.