Chapter 25

Daryl had ripped a sheet a made a make shift sling for his arm for his wounded shoulder. He knew if it was going to heal he'd have to quit moving it so much.

Ethan squirmed in his crib as Daryl leaned over to check on him. Ethan smiled up at Daryl with his big blue eyes as he chewed on his fingers.

"Ya don't have a clue how things are here do ya?...Wish I could forget as easily as you...wake up smilin' everyday...hell I don't think I ever did that even before everything went to hell." Daryl told him.

Daryl walked down the hallway to the kitchen area and made Ethan a bottle. He carried it back into the room and Ethan eagerly reached for it, opening his mouth wide. Daryl couldn't help but laugh a little at him. He let go of the bottle for a moment and watched as Ethan struggled to hold it. It rolled off his chest a few times but Daryl gently placed it back until Ethan finally had a good grip on it himself. Daryl leaned against the crib and just watched him drink.

"Look at you...see ya don't need me for that no more...you'll be shootin' my crossbow in no time." Daryl remarked.

Ethan stared at him intensely but never once stopped drinking from his bottle until it was empty.

Daryl heard a knock at the door at the bottom of the stairs. Soon it turned into a constant banging as he rushed down the stairs and jerked it open. Water dripped from her clothes and hair from the storm outside. The woman pushed her way in before Daryl could even speak. She rushed up the stairs and he chased after her.

"WAIT...STOP...WHAT THE HELL YA DOIN'?" Daryl tried to grab hold of her but she was moving to fast and being wet she practically slipped right through his hands. She started looking in each room until Daryl caught up with her and grabbed her arm just before she reached Ethan's room.

The woman was out of breath and her face was flushed. "No time to explain...we gotta go...get your stuff..."

"I ain't goin' anywhere with ya unless ya tell me what's goin' on..." Daryl insisted.

"People are coming this way and we don't want to be there when they get here...please...just trust me and let's go...I know someplace safe but we gotta go now."

Daryl didn't really know a thing about her but the conviction in her voice and look on her face gave him the chills. Under normal circumstances he would've told her to take a hike but he had a nagging feeling he should listen to her.

He rushed into Ethan's room, grabbed the back pack from under the crib and shoved a few baby items in it.

"Get the cans of formula from the kitchen..." He ordered the woman.

Daryl took the sling off his shoulder, shoved it in the backpack front pocket then struggled to slip both arms through his leather vest. He grabbed his crossbow, slipping the strap crossways across his body. He shoved his handgun in his waist band. He lifted Ethan from his crib and quickly bundled him up in clothes and a hat then rested Ethan on his hip then grabbed the backpack from the floor.

The woman returned with the formula and he handed the backpack towards her. "Shove them in there and slip it on your back...you armed?" Daryl asked.

She pulled a handgun from her back waist band and nodded. "You ready? Then follow me."

Daryl followed as he held Ethan close as she stopped at the bottom of the stairs. Cautiously she opened the door then peered out before opening it all the way and rushed over towards the exterior door. She looked down towards the north end of town and then opened the door.

Daryl tucked Ethan in his jacket as best he could but as they rushed out into the storm he could feel Ethan jump slightly in his arms as the rain beat down on them both. "I know buddy...just hang in there..." He told him as he followed the woman.

She kept close to the building as she crept to the corner to peer around. She squinted her eyes as she struggled to see but soon rounded the front. Daryl hated not knowing who they were looking out for and how many as he started to second guess his decision to follow her. The next building had a canopy and shielded them briefly from the rain.

"What the hell is goin' on?" Daryl asked.

The woman shushed him and began to move again but this time cut down the alley towards the woods. Daryl kept looking over his shoulder but continued to follow. He slowed his pace through the trees as he did his best to shield Ethan from the debris. Soon they came to a clearing and Daryl could see a farm house ahead of them. As he got closer he could see it was in shambles, practically falling apart before his eyes. He thought this couldn't be right but she continued on past the house towards the back and he reluctantly continued to follow. She stopped for a moment and looked around seeming slightly disoriented but rushed over towards the well. He watched her turn her back towards the well then count her steps as she walked out into the yard. Suddenly she stopped, squatted down and Daryl could see her digging in the ground with her hands. He looked back over his shoulder towards the town but didn't see anyone. When he turned back he saw the door open to an underground cellar. The woman was out of sight but soon he saw her head pop up from the cellar.

"COME ON...HURRY!" She waved at him to follow.

Daryl looked back one more time, struggling to see through the rain then quickly walked down the stairs of the cellar into the ground. The woman slammed the door shut and it was soon pitch dark except for the slight glow from the flashlight in her hand as she slipped a board on the back of the double doors keeping anyone else from opening. She turned towards him, slightly blinding him for a moment from the flashlight and walked past him then turned on a lantern resting on a self.

Daryl looked around and noticed a row of shelves and a single cot with a pillow and blankets. "What is this place?"

"My uncle owned this property...it's why I came to this town in the first place...he was one of those people who liked to be prepared for everything...well...almost everything, don't think he ever envisioned this...and when he was in the doghouse with my aunt he'd sleep down here." She told him.

She slipped the back pack off her back and tossed it towards Daryl's feet. Daryl laid Ethan on the cot and removed his wet clothes. Ethan started to crawl away from him on the cot as he searched for dry clothes in the back pack. Daryl struggled to keep him close but once he found a toy in the bottom of the pack, Ethan's attention quickly focused in on it as he sat still and started to play with it. Daryl sighed with relief as he stood up and slipped on his leather vest and wet shirt.

The woman had strung a line from one end of the cellar to the other. "Toss it here..." She reached towards him and Daryl passed her his clothes. She hung them up and reached towards him again.

"What?" Daryl asked.

"Your other shirt...it's wet too..." She replied.

Daryl looked down at his sleeveless shirt as it clung tightly to his chest. "It's alright..."

"Don't be ridiculous...it's soaked...you'll catch a cold leaving it on." She told him.

Reluctantly Daryl unbuttoned it and struggled to slip his injured shoulder out of the sleeve. His shoulder throbbed and he felt like the more he moved, the more it seemed to stiffen. The woman took his other shirt and hung it to dry. He couldn't help but stare at her as she took off her sweatshirt and her T-shirt down to just a tank top and hung her clothes next to his. She looked up and caught Daryl staring.

"What are you staring at?" She glared at him.

Daryl could feel his face turn red as he quickly looked away. He stepped over to the line and draped Ethan's clothes over it then sat on the cot next to him.

"You normally this shy with women?" She asked.

Daryl glared up at her for a minute then directed his attention back towards Ethan. "I don't know whatcha mean..."

"Well...you were embarrassed to take your shirt off in front of me then when I caught you watching me you blushed..." She stated.

"Whatever...what are we doin' here? Who'd we run from?" Daryl asked.

The woman smirked at him for a moment then grew serious and folded her arms across her chest. "I'm not certain it was them but it looked like them from a distance..."

"Who?" Daryl asked.

The woman sighed and turned away from him for a moment. "Some really bad...fucked up people...people you want to make sure you stay far far away from."

"I don't understand..." Daryl stated as he looked at her confused.

She stared blankly at him for a moment, then covered her mouth with her hand and stared at her feet. "You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you..."

"Or I just might..." Daryl replied.

"Just trust me on this...they're bad people and you're in no condition to tangle with them." She remarked.

Daryl stared intensely at her. "Tell me..." He said softly but still with sterness.

The woman looked away from him amd sighed deeply. When her eyes returned to his, his were still locked on her. "If you thought the walkers were bad, these people are worse...at least you know the walkers want to eat you...you don't expect other survivors to..." She told him.

Daryl laughed a little to himself in disbelief. "What?!"

The woman rolled her eyes and started to distance herself from him but he reached up and grabbed hold of her hand. "Wait...you mean like cannibals?" Daryl still couldn't fully wrap his mind around it.

"Not like...they are..." She insisted. "I knew you wouldn't believe me."

"It ain't that...it's just so..." Daryl struggled to find the right words.

"Unbelievable..." She stated.

"Yeah...how do you know this?" He asked.

"I just know...Just...nevermind..." She told him as she turned away and walked over to the shelf.

Daryl wasn't sure if she was actually looking for something or just pretending to.

"They were heading towards town and they outnumber us...with your shoulder and that baby I figured it wasn't worth waiting around to be certain..." She told him.

Daryl looked at Ethan and his stomach turned. What she was saying sounded so insane but so was the world they were living in. He guessed anything was possible.

The woman brought a box over to Daryl and opened it up. "Scoot closer..." She ordered as she looked at the duct tape covering his injured shoulder. "That probably needs cleaning out better or it's just going to get infected."

Daryl was silent but cringed as she tended to his shoulder. It had been difficult to reach one handed so if it helped him heal faster, he welcomed it. When she finished she bandaged it for him.

"You never told me your name..." Daryl said softly.

She walked back to the shelf and put the box with the medical supplies back on it. "Annabelle...Anna for short."

"Daryl...the girl I was with...Beth...she wasn't my wife...just a good friend." Daryl told her. "I appreciate what ya did for her...for both of us..."

"It hard to trust people these days Daryl...I don't know if I can really even trust you...I keep telling myself I'm just going to be on my own...stay away from everyone...I guess I'm just stubborn that way, maybe loneliness gets the better of me. I can't help but hope the next person I come across is ok...I guess I just can't give up all hope for humanity...not yet at least." Anna told him.

"I know..." Daryl remarked.