AN: OK…OK…I'm cruel for leaving all of you (or at least the 5 of you who reviewed to say something about it) with a cliffhanger, but sometimes I like to be cruel.

Here's a little something more to the story.

I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!

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As Carol reached the fence it was difficult to make out what was going on from the crowding of people and the confusion of screams coming from outside that were blood curdling and screams on the inside of people trying to direct each other…people trying to figure out what to do…people trying to make sense of something that, as of yet, made little to no sense to any of them.

Finally, though, the pieces of the puzzle started to drop, one by one, into place for Carol. Outside the fences there were, gathered together, anywhere from ten to fifteen Walkers. Rotting, half clothed, the smell enough to turn anyone's stomach…and they were feeding on at least two people…though it was hard to tell. There wasn't enough left of one of the people to really be sure that's what it was…except for the fact that it was a preferred meal for Walkers. The other person was dead by any stretch of the imagination, but enough remained to tell it was, or had been a person.

And living, and scrambling against the fences, were three others. Three living people.

But the iron gates they were throwing themselves against and trying to climb were unforgiving. The whole fence system was built to keep out herds of Walkers…Brian had reinforced everything with concrete so that it would very well stop, he assumed, armored trucks from driving in. And even if you managed, somehow, to climb the thing…there were stakes and barbed wire at the tops to slow you down.

And the gates were locked.

Carol found her way to Michonne and wrapped her arms around Michonne's arm, even though Michonne hardly seemed to notice her presence. She was going hoarse from her yelling…yelling she was keeping up despite the wave of people who had flooded to join her…trying to distract the Walkers away from the living…trying to get them to come closer to her at the fence so she could stab with the knife she held, the only weapon on her for a peaceful walk.

And Carol held to her, knowing that when Daryl and Brian, the only two to have keys at the moment to the gates, got the gates open and got the opportunity to rescue the living people, Michonne would instinctively rush forward and she was in no condition to save anyone at the moment, even if her brain told her she was.

They did get the gates open and the living people from outside were almost thrown in by Brian, Daryl, and Rick who rushed out quickly to put down the Walkers.

Michonne pulled against Carol and only then did she come out of the trance that had overtaken her for the moment and look at Carol, ceasing the straining she was doing on her vocal chords, very likely without realizing she was doing it.

The confusion didn't die down then, in fact it increased. Suddenly, thrown into the midst of their group, interrupting the peace that they'd taken for granted, or maybe just enjoyed, were living people and evidence of a life that they were blocking out with fences made of concrete, brick, wire, steel.

And outside the fences, Carol kept her eyes glued on Daryl who was caught up in a fever of determination with the other men. They put down the Walkers that were out there…put down the one body that remained as something that somewhat resembled a human in case it should decide to reanimate, and they kicked around somewhat at the remains of the others…now being obvious from their actions that the mess that Carol thought had been one person, must have been at least two.

"Christ…" Carol heard Daryl mumble.

Rick walked over to Daryl, the hurry and confusion of the moment passed, and looked at what Daryl was looking at. Carol didn't know what it was…to her, from her distance, it looked like, much like everything out there, a disgusting mass of flesh…but little else.

She saw Rick reach and pat at Daryl's back and Daryl nodded his head at Rick…some silent communication taking place. Then Daryl turned to look at all of them that were looking at him.

"We done decided," he said. "Far right corner over there…gonna be a graveyard…we gon' need three. Two adults…one kid…"

It was so straightforward, so informative. There was just a hint of some pang of regret…or remorse…or something coming through in Daryl's words. But that's how death was these days. Something so normal that it was difficult not to get numbed to it to some degree.

Carol backed a little, her arms still wrapped around Michonne's and craned around observing those that were inside as the three men passed through the gate again, working to lock it.

Glenn didn't say anything, but his walking away indicated that he intended to start on graves. Maggie followed after him, her head hung, probably going to help. Close behind went Imogene and when Wyatt started, Daryl whistled at him.

"Wyatt…bud…need'ja here…" Daryl said.

Wyatt stopped and turned back.

"Reckon ya can…" Daryl paused. "Can ya haul 'em in for us? We'll get'cha a tarp…some sheets…"

Wyatt nodded his head, always pleased to have a designated job, a place to be, something that he was needed for.

"I got it…" Wyatt said, a hint of a smile on his face for the responsibility, not for the moment. He stepped forward, covering the ground that he'd already covered and then some in less than four steps, and his hand closed around Daryl's as Daryl passed him the key to the gates.

And then slowly the wave of people that had made their way down there started to flood in other directions…started to flood after Glenn and Maggie to help with graves for people they didn't know…started to flood to get the tarp and sheets for Wyatt's messy job…started to flood back, even, to what they were doing and to inform Hershel, Ned, and Milagros, none of which were present, of what had happened.

And others began to clump around the three people…the living ones…who had been brought in.

There were two men and one woman. All three very obviously suffering from shock, and Alice was doing her best to approach them despite the fact that the shock and the overstimulation was making one of them keep lunging at her, a small knife caught up in his grip that had done him little good against the Walker attacks.

Carol made her way toward that part of the events.

The woman was very obviously in some kind of shock. She was hugging herself, her eyes wide, screaming out at intervals. And she was covered in mess and blood, be it human or Walker…or even her own. Carol tried to near her, reaching out a hand tentatively as she approached.

"It's OK…you're OK…" Carol said, keeping her voice in tune with what she might have used to calm Cayden. "You're fine…you're safe now…"

"This one's bit…" Carol heard Alice say from where she was, trying with the assistance of Sasha now, to keep the mad man subdued.

The other man was the calmest of the three of them, though he wasn't even keeled and easy going by any means. He was subjecting himself to inspection by Karen and very obviously shaking.

"I don't think he is…" Karen said. "I can't…I don't see anything…"

Carol hadn't succeeded yet in getting her hand on the woman, though she kept up her soothing chants. The woman was looking at her now, at least, aware of her presence, and seemed like she might be starting to come around to the fact that the immediate threat was done for the moment.

"Are you hurt?" Carol asked. "Are you bit? Nobody's going to hurt you."

We'll put you down when you die…but nobody's going to hurt you until then…

Finally, Carol edged close enough, aware now that Melodye was flanking her, to get her hand on the top part of the woman's arm. She felt the woman tense to a rigid state, and then start to relax. Her terrified yelps now dissolving into hiccupping sobs.

"Are you hurt?" Carol asked again.

The woman, wide eyed with fear and trauma, finally shook her head, almost violently at Carol, her teeth starting to chatter.

Carol turned to Melodye.

"Get a blanket…some clean clothes? Get some people started warming water…they're going to need baths and something to eat…" Carol commanded.

Melodye nodded without hesitation and darted off to do just that.

"I'm Alex," the man that Karen and Cynthia were looking over offered finally. "I'm Alex…and that's Trevor…and Maddie…"

Everyone was slowly starting to calm now even as other things were taking place all over…the place a hive of activity.

"We saw…we've seen for a few days…smoke from here. We've been travelling. We were in a group…about twenty, twenty five people," Alex offered still visibly shaking.

"The herd? Was that all the Walkers?" Karen asked. "All the…dead things?" She asked, immediately recognizing that everyone they encountered took time to understand "Walker" as what they considered a universal term.

Alex shook his head.

"No…we've killed a lot," he offered. "They've been on us…every time we've stopped…every camp…every day and every night…there were too many of them."

And not enough of you, Carol thought.

"It's OK…you're safe here," she offered, turning her voice back to the woman who was going through yet another transformation in the process of coming down from where she'd been.

"Joshua…the baby…was Maddie's son," Alex offered by way of explanation, perhaps.

Carol caught a glimpse of Wyatt tugging his tarp through the gates, loaded down with stained, sheet wrapped mess. There wasn't much there for a funeral, but if those were there friends, their group members…her child…then they would have the most respectable burial that they could give them. It was the least that they could do.

"Glenn…" Alice called as Glenn came closer to say something to Wyatt, probably directing him as to where to take the bodies, "dig four…" she offered.

Carol didn't have to ask, she knew exactly what that meant. In whatever amount of time that they'd been talking…whatever amount of time it had taken to calm Alex to the point of speaking and Maddie to the point of almost being able to speak before long, Trevor had passed…and likely been put down…and now there was a need for one more grave.

The realization apparently struck Maddie too, because she sobbed out again, renewing her state of being for a moment.

And Carol realized that, for at least a little while, they were going to have their work cut out for them just trying to get the woman under control.

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Daryl had lingered a little longer than usual putting Cayden down and Carol stepped quietly out of the room and craned enough to see him, standing there, his hands on the top of the crib.

She stepped forward then, slipping into the nursery, and wrapped her arms around him, resting her head against his back.

"Was just a lil' damn kid…" Daryl muttered.

"I know…" Carol said softly. "You alright?"

Daryl turned around and Carol took her position again, this time against his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her, moving his head enough to let his lips flutter against her hairline.

"He ain't had no one ta look out for him…she couldn'ta saved him," Daryl said.

Carol closed her eyes for the moment.

They'd finally gotten the two settled down enough to get them clean. That had been the first thing they'd done. They'd helped them wash off the evidence of what they'd just suffered. Then they'd held a small funeral, really for just the two people, and they'd buried the bodies, or what was left of them, and Alex had said a few words, though he'd admitted he really was at a loss for what to say.

And they'd fed them and offered them a cleaned out house.

No one really knew what to do with them. Did they keep them there? It seemed cruel to turn them out alone in the world when they'd already seen what was behind the fences they'd apparently come in search of.

But trusting them would take time too. Even now, even as everyone was sleeping, and they were most likely sleeping too, Brian was keeping watch like a guard outside the doors of their house, determined that if they should be bent on some kind of foul play, they would be stopped in their tracks.

And Carol hadn't seen the baby…but Daryl had.

Just from knowing about it, she knew that she'd have nightmares tonight. She'd have nightmares of Sophia…and likely she'd have nightmares about Cayden…and she didn't doubt that Daryl might not sleep either because he'd actually seen it, and that would make his nightmares even more vivid than the ones her imagination could produce on their own.

"It's dangerous out there," Carol said, softly, sinking into Daryl and feeling his arms pull her tighter to him as though there was anywhere else for her to go. "We're safe in here…and it's easy to forget…" Carol admitted. "But it's dangerous out there."

Daryl gave her a sharp squeeze.

"We safe in here…an' we stayin' here," he said. "But…if we gotta go out there…if we gotta move again…"

Daryl stopped and Carol didn't say anything to him. She just stood there, listening to Cayden sleeping in his crib, listening to the sounds of life through Daryl's chest.

"I ain't forgot it's dangerous out there…" Daryl said. "Think about it ever' damn day…ever' damn time I see ya out…walkin' 'round with Cayden. I ain't forgot…"

He dropped off speaking again for a moment, and Carol stayed in her place. She was too warm, too comfortable…too happy to be there in his arms to have pulled away.

"An' if we go out there again…that shit ain't happenin' ta us, ya hear me? Ain't happenin' ta Cayden…if we get us another kid…ain't happenin' ta him neither…" Daryl said.

Carol was almost surprised by the confidence and determination in his voice. As though the declaration and the promise was all that was needed to protect them if they had to go out there again.

But, oddly enough, another part of her wasn't worried. It was said with enough confidence, that she actually found herself believing it…even if it seemed an over simplistic declaration for the world they lived in now.

"We gon' keep him safe…" Daryl said. "We gon' stay safe."

Carol pulled away enough to reach up and catch her hand behind his head, pulling him down. He came willingly and kissed her. She melted into the kiss with everything, her body pulling tight against his like they were connected by magnets.

"I believe you…" she said when they pulled apart. "I trust you…and I always will."

She smiled up at him, at the expression on his face, his furrowed brow and the hint of a smile that appeared at her words of affirmation. He kissed her again, pulling her to him, his hands running a trail over her back.

"Let's go ta bed?" Daryl asked.

Carol smiled and nodded at him slightly.

"I thought you'd never ask," she said with a smile as she pulled away, heading back toward their room. Maybe the nightmares wouldn't plague them as bad as she thought, after all.