Present Day

Daryl

The car ride to Woodbury was silent. I stared straight ahead, out the windshield, trying to stop myself from telling Rick to step on it. We were flying down the empty roads, but it felt too slow. Like we were crawling. It was taking too long. I needed to see Charlie. I needed to know she was okay. More than that, I needed to actually feel her in my arms. Until then, nothing was gonna be alright.

"Probably should find a place to pull over soon. We're not far now. Better to make the rest of the way on foot." Michonne said from the backseat. Her voice still had that quiet, controlled tone. Like what we were about to do was no sweat. Maybe to her it wasn't. She didn't have someone she cared about in there. She didn't know Charlie, or Glenn. Or any of us.

Rick nodded slowly. "That's a good idea. We'll pull the car into the trees. Try to have a little bit of cover for it." He drove for another couple minutes longer before easing up on the gas and pulling the car into the tree line as far as he could. He turned the key in the ignition and the engine shut off, making the silence even heavier than it was before. "Ready?" He asked after a long minute.

I didn't answer, instead pushing open my door and stepping outside. Everyone else followed my lead and filed out. Rick walked around to the back of the SUV and pulled the hatchback open. I snatched up my crossbow and slung it across my back.

"So what's the plan?" T-Dog asked suddenly, looking from Rick to me.

"We get in, we get Charlie and Glenn, and then we get out." I said coolly. I was still a little pissed at him after what happened earlier at the prison. Didn't even know why he bothered to tag along. Hadn't seemed so concern about going after them before. We locked eyes and I gazed at him long and hard until he looked away.

"I meant, do we even know how to get inside this place? Past the fence." He added.

"I know a way in. There's a way to slip through the wall and into the building they use as an armory. After that, it may be a little harder to get around the town unnoticed." Michonne said, arms crossed over her chest.

"Let's just worry about gettin' there and gettin' in for now." Rick commented. Michonne nodded curtly in agreement before stalking past us to lead the way. I hung back a little before taking up the back. I wanted to be alone, at least while I could. My mind was still racing, and my pulse felt like it hadn't slowed once since finding out that Charlie was gone. I couldn't make myself stop thinking about what kinda danger she was in. For about the hundredth time that day, I couldn't stop thinking that it should've been me instead of her. I would've given anything to trade places with her, wherever she was and whatever was happening. As long as Charlie was safe, I didn't really give two shits about what happened to me.

Up ahead, I could hear Maggie and T-Dog murmuring to each other in quiet voices. Rick glanced over his shoulder at me before suddenly slowing down and falling into step next to me. I clenched my jaw, waiting for him to say something. Waiting for him to feed me some sort of bullshit about how everything was gonna be just damn fine. It was a while, though, before he finally did start talking.

He cleared his throat. "I know how it feels…" He started slowly. "I know how it feels to be separated from someone you love…someone you feel you're supposed to protect from things like this."

I shot him a look, surprised. Not what I had been expecting to hear him say. He didn't turn to look at me, keeping his eyes straight ahead on the path. I finally nodded. "Thanks." I said gruffly.

Rick shrugged. "Just wanted you to know that I understand. We'll get her back. We'll get both of 'em back."

Nothing was said for a while after that, as the sun sank lower and lower in the sky and every step brought us closer to whatever we would find inside Woodbury. Michonne suddenly froze at the front of the group, though, putting up a hand to silence the rest of us. I froze in mid-step. At first, I couldn't hear anything besides my own breathing. Then it came, though.

"We got walkers!" Rick said suddenly, as the geeks began streaming out of the trees behind us, in front of us, and everywhere. I had no idea where the hell they all had suddenly come from, but I knew there were too many to fight off.

I lunged at the one closest to me, jamming my hunting knife into its skull. It fell to the ground and I placed the toe of my boot on its chest as I tugged my knife free, just in time to take down the next ugly geek. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Michonne clearing a path through the walkers with her katana.

"Let's get the hell outta here!" I called to Rick, who had fallen back to take care of the walkers that had been sneaking up behind us.

He finished taking down his last geek before hurrying after the rest of us as we ran from the pack. We didn't stop, even when I knew the walkers were good and gone, somewhere far behind us. It was getting darker now which set me on edge. Easier to sneak into Woodbury in the dark, but also easier for anyone else to sneak up on us. I slid my crossbow off my back and held it in my hands. We couldn't be too much farther now.

Turned out I was right. Was only a few minutes longer before we slowed down to a walk, leaving the cover of the forest and appearing back out on the street. Michonne crouched down behind an abandoned car, the rest of us following her lead. I followed her eyes and saw the lights coming from up ahead. It looked like two big spotlights mounted on a huge wall. Who knew how many guys they had up there, keeping watch for anyone outside who didn't belong.

"Ya' sure you know a way in?" I hissed quietly.

Michonne didn't turn to even look at me. "I can get us in." She said confidently. "Just stay close."

Using the cars as coverage, we made our way down the trashed street. We stayed in the shadow of the tree line, ready to duck back into the forest if things got hairy. My heartbeat sounded loud enough to bring in any walkers in a half-mile radius, but not even the biggest deep breath wouldn't calm it down. All I could think about was how Charlie was somewhere behind those walls. I was so close.

Michonne led us to the edge of the wall, where it was made up of old school busses draped with sheet metal. "This is how we get in. We sneak through here and go into the back of that building on the other side. The front door leads right out into the middle of Woodbury." She said quietly.

"Someone should stay here, just in case." Rick said suddenly. "If things go bad, they can make it back to the prison and warn the others."

"I'll stay." T-Dog offered, his rifle clutched in his hands.

Rick clapped him solidly on the soldier. "Good man. Thanks."

T-Dog just nodded, ducking down into a crouch as we waited.

I sat still, trying not to pay too much attention to how loud my heart was beating inside my chest. I could see the shadowy figures of at least two or three guys walking along the top of the wall, no doubt with guns in hands and ready to unload the first chance they got. I glanced back at Michonne just in time to see her wavin' her hand, letting us know that the coast was clear. I took a breath and followed her, slipping through the gap in the wall and right into Woodbury, Rick and Maggie close behind me. It was quiet on this side of the wall, too. Not a damn soul in sight. I knew it was some damn good luck we hadn't run into anyone yet, but I couldn't stop my stomach from twisting and turning inside me.

We crept up right behind the building Michonne had said was the armory. I pressed my ear to the door, listening for any sounds. It was quiet. I caught Maggie's eye. She had her fingers curled around the doorknob, ready to pull it open. I nodded once. She tugged on the door, opening it just wide enough for me to get inside. I crouched down, raising my crossbow in front of me as my eyes searched the room. Nobody. I lowered my bow and turned around, nodding to the others and letting 'em know it was okay to come inside.

"So where now?" Rick asked as Maggie shut the door behind us.

"They could be in his apartment." Michonne offered quietly.

"And what if they ain't?" I shot back, narrowing my eyes at her. She had gotten us this far, but it wasn't in me to trust somebody that easily. For all we knew, woman could be leading us right into a trap.

"Then we'll look somewhere else." She shot back, her eyes burning holes right through me.

"I thought you said you knew where they were! You're supposed to be helpin' us!" Rick hissed, running a hand through his hair.

Michonne spun around to face him. "I am helping. You think I want to be here. I'm doing the best that I can." She snapped.

I gritted my teeth, shaking my head. Charlie and Glenn could be anywhere. We could comb the entire damn town before we found them. By then…well…I couldn't bring myself to even think it. The longer we took, the worse I felt. I needed to find Charlie now. "I say we split up. We'll cover more ground that way." I suggested.

Rick opened his mouth, looking ready to argue when all of the sudden I heard the sound of a key in a lock. I swiveled to face the front door. Sure, enough, the knob slowly started turning. I ducked behind a shelf, crouching down and trying to make myself as small as possible. Maggie squeezed herself in next to me and we both waited there, doing our damn best not to make a sound.

"I know you're in here!" Someone called out. I heard the door swing shut behind them. "You know you're not supposed to be here." His footsteps came a little bit closer. "Just come on out. You can't hide in here forever."

That voice sounded awfully familiar. Young, a little bit scared. I'd heard it somewhere before…I couldn't pinpoint exactly where or when though. I tried to get a look at whoever it was through the gaps in the shelves, but his face was hidden. He took another step closer. Then another. I gripped my crossbow tight, ready to take him down if he got any closer.

Before I could, though, Rick suddenly lunged at him from his hiding spot. He pressed a hand over the kid's mouth, muffling his cries. I moved behind Rick, watching as he pressed his gun to his head. "Shut up. Don't make a god damn sound." He threatened in a low voice.

I came a little closer, and tried to get a good look at the kid's face. Rick pushed him to his knees and his eyes suddenly looked up and met mine. Son of a bitch. I knew those eyes. They looked just like his sister's. "Rick, stop." I said suddenly.

Rick threw a glance over his shoulder at me, his eyebrow furrowed in confusion. "Daryl, we don't have time to-"

"Let him go…fuck, just let him go!" I said harshly, running a hand over my head and tugging my hair. "That's Charlie's brother!"

I felt everyone's eyes on me as I shoved Rick away and crouched down at Gabe's level. "Jesus Christ, Gabe. Your sister thinks you're fuckin' dead, you know that?" I whispered weakly. God damn, he looked so much like her. But what in the hell was he doing here? Of all god damn places. What were the chances?

"Daryl…" I heard Rick say behind me, his voice sounding like a warning. I ignored him.

"Charlie? She's alive, is she with you?" Gabe asked hurriedly, scrambling to his feet as his eyes searched the room. I placed a hand on his shoulder and shoved him back against the wall.

"No, she's here."

"W-what? What the hell do you mean she's here? And what the hell are you doing here, Daryl? If they see you then-" Gabe said quickly, his eyes moving towards the front door and whatever was outside it.

"No one's gonna see us and you're gonna keep your mouth shut." I hissed. "Your sister got taken here by some jackass. She and another one of our people are being kept here."

"It's true." Michonne's quiet voice suddenly came from behind me as she stepped out of the shadows.

Gabe's eyes grew wide. "Michonne?"

She waved her hand, shutting him up. "I told you before I left that I had a bad feeling about this place…I watched Martinez take them. He took your sister and now she's here somewhere. We need to find her and you can either help us or stay the hell out of our way."

Gabe's mouth fell open slightly and I watched the disbelief on his face slowly disappear. He sank back against the wall, his arm becoming limp in my grip. "I know where they might be." He suddenly said quietly. "There's a warehouse at the edge of town that no one's allowed near, unless your one of the Governor's guys. They're probably there."

"Then let's go. I ain't killin' anymore time here." I grunted. I shoved Gabe in front of me and he stumbled a few paces before looking back at me. "Lead the way. But I fuckin' swear to god you do anythin' to give us away and I'll put you down. You got that, kid?"

"Daryl…" He said. "Charlie is my sister…I want to help. I promise…I'm not going to do anything to get you guys caught." His eyes bored into mine and I just nodded, trying not to think about how much he looked like her.

"Just lead the god damn way." I said again.

He nodded and turned back around. I watched as his shoulders quickly rose and fell as he took in a deep breath before pushing open the door and looking outside. He finally glanced at me over his shoulder and nodded. I filed out the door and stood next to him, my back pressed up against the side of the building. It was still quiet, not a damn soul in sight. It made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I couldn't shake the bad feeling I had about this place.

Gabe led the way down the street, turning down a narrow alley that led to a huge warehouse at the edge of the town, close to the wall. I could see lights on inside the grimy windows and hear voices coming from inside. We ducked underneath the window, and waited as Maggie slowly peered through the dirty glass. I watched the color leave her face, leaving her about as pale as ghost. Her breathing hitched and I tugged her back down to the ground next to me.

"What is it, Maggie?" Rick whispered.

I could feel my heart in my throat. Charlie was behind those walls, somewhere. God, she was so close. I knew it. I could feel it.

"It's Glenn." She said, her voice shaking. "They got a bag over his head…I-I think they're going to execute him."

"Shit." Rick whispered, catching my eye.

I wondered what my face looked like because I felt my stomach suddenly heave and I leaned back against the wall. Execute…I took in deep, shaky breath. If we were too late….No, I couldn't- I wouldn't finish that thought. She was alright. I just had to get to her.

Rick fumbled through his bag, pulling out two smoke bombs and tossing one to me. "We get inside, get Glenn and find Charlie…then we get the hell out of here." He met my eyes and nodded once before crawling over to the door and sneaking his way inside. I was right at his heels and I could hear Maggie's breathing as she followed closed behind me. The voices got louder and I could tell they were just on the other side of the wall.

Rick suddenly pulled the top off his smoke bomb and tossed it into the room on the other side of the wall. I followed his lead and did the same. There was a loud 'click' before the room was filled with thick, white smoke. I slung my crossbow on my back and instead pulled out my gun. If these assholes had guns, you could bet your ass I was gonna use one too.

I held it front of me as I hurried into the room, trying to find Glenn. I suddenly felt something solid at my heels and grabbed a bare arm, hauling a limp figure to their feet.

"Daryl." Glenn said, his voice weak as hell. His face was almost hard to recognize. It was covered in so much blood…the skin puffy and swollen, all sorts of colors. If he looked like this, then what did Charlie look like?

I didn't have time to think about as gunshots started bouncing off the metal walls, clanging and making all sorts of racket. Rick suddenly appeared at my side, Maggie and Gabe behind him. Maggie let out a cry when she saw Glenn and wrapped her arms around him, knocking him from my grip.

"Not here, not here!" I heard Rick holler above the racket. We hurried across the room into a dim hallway and followed it to a staircase at the back.

"Glenn, where the hell is Charlie?" I asked, my voice shaking more than I wanted it to. I wondered if I looked as scared as I felt.

"They kept us separated, but we were both down the stairs, in the basement. I could hear her crying sometimes." He said weakly.

I didn't wait, taking the steps two at a time until I reached the bottom floor. It was quiet, and I didn't like it. I needed to hear her, I needed to know she was still alive. I followed the corridor with my gun held out in front of me, looking for a door.

I turned the next corner and saw a heavy looking metal door with a padlock on it, chaining it shut. I didn't think twice about it, I knew she was behind there. I shot the padlock open, my breathing shaky. It was too quiet on the other side. I pushed the door open, afraid of what I would see on the other side. I held my breath as the door creaked open and I walked into the dimly lit, concrete prison. My eyes widened and I felt like the air was being crushed from my lungs.

Charlie.