"Lizzie!" Maggie leapt to her feet, wrenching her hand from Glenn's grasp and running across the room as her friend followed Daryl back inside. She wrapped her arms around her as they collided, squeezing her tightly as she let out a sigh of relief.
"Rick an' Shane ain't back?" Daryl asked, looking around the room as the girls embraced.
"Not yet." Lori answered, the worry clear in her face.
"We heard a shot," Lizzie said, letting go of her friend and turning to Andrea, "everythin' okay here?"
"It wasn't us," Andrea replied, "they must've found Randall."
"We already found him," Daryl said, "he'd turned."
"Did you find the walker that bit him?" Hershel asked, not liking the idea of a rogue walker wandering around outside his property.
"He wasn't bit," Lizzie replied, shaking her head, "someone broke his neck."
"There's somebody else out there?" Lori asked, stepping forwards.
"Shane an' Randall's tracks were right on toppa each other," Daryl explained, "an' Shane ain't no tracker…"
"So he got lucky," Lori interrupted, "that doesn't mean anything."

"You said the door was locked when you got there, right?" Lizzie asked T, watching as he nodded in reply, "Then somebody musta took him out, took him into the woods an' broke his neck."
"And you're accusing Shane?" Lori asked, rounding on her.
"He did it to protect you," she shrugged, watching as embarrassment passed across Lori's face, "I jus' don't understand why he'd let us go out there lookin' for someone he already killed."
"You gotta go back out there," Lori said, whirling around to Daryl and touching his arm gently, "find Rick and Shane and ask them what the hell is going on."
"You got it." Daryl nodded, moving back towards the door.
"What?" Lizzie asked, her tone making Daryl stop, "You're jus' gonna go back out there?"
"I'm gonna find Rick," he shrugged, "man deserves my help if he needs it."
"An' if you don't find him?" She asked, stepping towards him, trying to subtly ask if he would honor his promise of taking her away from all this.
"Then we go," he said, lowering his voice, "I promise."
"Then I'm comin' with you." She said as she drew her axe to show him she wasn't faking.
"So what? If we don't find him, we jus' leave like that?" He asked, his voice almost a whisper.
"We come back, get our things an' get outta here," she replied, nodding, "but I ain't lettin' you go out there alone again."
"Fine by me." He nodded, leaving the house with her in tow.

As they moved along the porch, followed by Glenn and Andrea, they both stopped. Lizzie blinked a few times, rubbing her eyes, trying to clear her vision because she was sure she was seeing things. When she opened her eyes again, squinting into the darkness, her mouth dropped open.
"Holy shit…" She whispered, looking out towards the barn as dozens upon dozens of walkers stumbled across the fields, towards the house.
"What's happening?" Hershel asked, stepping forwards, gazing upon the scene before them, "Patricia," he hissed, turning around to seek her out, "kill the lights!"
"I'll get the guns." Maggie said as she hurried back inside.
"The herd on the highway just passed us by," Glenn said, turning to Daryl, "shouldn't we just go back inside and wait it out?"
"They'll walk straight through the house," Lizzie said quietly, shaking her head, "they don't stop, they jus' keep comin'."
"We gotta get outta here." Daryl said, turning to look at the others.
"I'll go fetch Carl." Lori said, running back inside for her son.
"What're we gonna do?" Carol asked, looking up at Daryl, searching for answers.
He looked over at Lizzie, realizing that they had to make a choice- they either chose the group and helped them get away or they chose each other and took their chances alone. Lizzie could see the regret in his eyes and she looked away, understanding that they needed to choose quickly but not wanting to be the one to make the decision.
"He's gone!" Lori shouted as she ran outside, "Carl's gone!"
"What?" Lizzie asked, whirling around at the mention of the boys name and stepping towards Lori, "Where was he?"
"He was upstairs, I can't find him anywhere," she gasped, shaking her head, "what if he went out after Rick?"
"He might just be hiding," Carol said, trying to calm her down, "we'll look again."
"I'm not leaving here without my boy." She said, looking at Lizzie before she let the older woman pull her back inside.

"Lizzie…" Daryl began, moving closer to her, wanting to talk to her.
"Don't," she said quickly, cutting him off, "I can't make this choice, not now, not with Carl missin'…"
"We gotta find 'em first," he said quietly, surprising her, "we find her family, then we decide."
"What're you decidin'?" Maggie asked as she returned with the bag of guns, dropping it on the porch and stepping back so everyone could find a weapon.
"Whether he's gonna give me his crossbow or lemme take my chances with my axe." Lizzie lied, stepping away from the guns, not wanting to take one.
"You're gonna have a fuckin' gun," Daryl snapped, reaching into the bag for a handgun and holding it out to her, "don't matter if you wanna take it or not, you gotta."
"I'll be fine," she shrugged, shaking her head as she stepped back, "you got my back, right?"
He sighed, dropping the gun back into the bag so someone else could take it. As he looked across the field again he shook his head, watching as the herd grew in size.
"Ain't gonna make no difference." He muttered.
"You can leave if you want." Hershel said from beside him, lifting a rifle.
"You gonna take 'em on by yourself?" He asked, admiring the man's bravery.
"We've got guns and we've got cars." He replied, nodding.
"Kill as many as we can," Andrea nodded, understanding Hershel's plan, "then use the cars to lead them away."
"So we jus' stay here while the army of fuckin' darkness comes along?" Lizzie asked.
"This is my farm," Hershel said, turning to her, "I'll die here."

As she looked up at the old man, she saw the seriousness in his eyes- he wasn't messing around, he intended to stay here no matter how many walkers came. She had to admit that he had spirit and he wasn't about to back down now.
"Alright," Daryl said slowly, vaulting over the railing, "it's as good a night as any."
"Wait!" Lizzie cried, hurrying down the steps to meet him, grabbing his arm before he left, "I'm comin' with you!"
"No you ain't," he said, shaking his head, "you're gonna stay right here an' look after the others."
"No!" She cried, a sudden rush of tears welling up in her eyes, "I ain't leavin' you! What happened to it bein' about us?"
"I'm thinkin' about us," he said softly, shouldering his bow so he could touch her face, "I need you safe."
"I need you alive!" She yelled, the tears beginning to trickle down her cheeks, "If you run off out there without me…"
"I'll be fine, you know why?" He asked, wiping away her tears as she shook her head, "Coz I got the best reason to live right here."
He pulled her into an awkward hug as she cried, kissing the top of her head and saying a silent prayer that they'd be bought back together after this.
"If things get bad, you get outta here, right?" He said, shaking her slightly, "You get the others together an' you get somewhere safe."
"But what about you?" She asked, not wanting him to leave.
"I'll find you," he nodded, studying her face, making sure that he had a clear picture of it in his mind in case the worst happened and they were separated, "I'll always find you, I promise you that you ain't getting' ridda me that easy."
She nodded as she looked up at him, wishing that she could go with him but understanding that he needed her to stay here and keep out of trouble- if she was safe, he'd have less to worry about while he went out there so he wouldn't get distracted. She was still clinging to him, not wanting to let go, but she felt him pulling away, leaving her. She watched as he stepped back, nodding to her one last time before he turned away and began to walk towards his bike.
"Lizzie," Maggie said softly from behind her, touching her wrist, "it'll be okay."
"No," she replied, shaking her head, "it won't."

She ran suddenly, calling Daryl's name, watching as he turned in surprise. She needed to touch him, she wanted to taste him and she had to tell him how she felt- that she was in love with him and neither hell nor high water would keep them apart.
She grabbed the front of his jacket as he turned, pulling him forwards and pressing her lips against his, trying to put all the things she wanted to say to him, all the feelings she hadn't had chance to voice, into the kiss. She felt his arms snake around her, holding her against his body as they kissed gently, both wanting to stay locked in this moment for as long as possible.
He knew he had to let go otherwise it would only make it harder for him to leave. As he broke their kiss, he looked down at her, the tears shining in her eyes as her lips trembled, and he felt the urge to try to express his feeling to her again- he figured now was as good a time as any and she deserved to hear it before he left. As he opened his mouth, she pressed her finger to his lips, silencing him.
"I know, okay?" she whispered, nodding as she smiled at him, "me too."
"Stay safe for me," he said quietly, stroking her cheek, "I'll find you."
They broke apart suddenly, both stepping back and turning away from one another without another word. Lizzie looked up as she wiped at the tears in her eyes and saw Maggie waiting for her, her hand stretched out towards her. She reached for Maggie, taking hold of her hand and allowing her friend to pull her into a hug, crying quietly against her.

"He'll come back for you," she whispered, stroking Lizzie's hair, "he ain't stupid enough to lose something as good as you."
Lizzie nodded, sniffing as she pulled away from her friend, almost looking over her shoulder but thinking better of it. She squeezed Maggie's hand and cleared her throat.
"C'mon," she said, trying to inject some authority into her voice, "let's get back to the house an' make sure everyone's safe."
As they hurried back towards the house hand in hand, Glenn ran down the steps, shotgun in hand.
"Andrea and T are driving out with Daryl," he said as he ran towards them, "I'm going with them but I need a driver."
"I'll do it." Maggie said, barely missing a beat.
"Be careful," Lizzie said, nodding to them both, "I ain't lookin' to lose either of you."
"I'll keep her safe," Glenn promised, stepping forwards and hugging Lizzie briefly, "will you be alright?"
"I'll be fine," Lizzie smiled, turning to Maggie, "I'll keep 'em safe, don't worry."
"I know you will," Maggie replied, hugging her, "thank you."
"Go on," Lizzie nodded, flapping her hands, "get outta here an' help my man."

She watched as they nodded at her then at each other, both turning to run towards the vehicles, following Andrea and T-Dog across the lawn. She stood alone for a second, looking over her shoulder and surveying the scene behind her- walkers were everywhere, crowding around the barn, heading for the fence that separated the field from the lawn of the house.
If they don't get movin' those things are gonna break through an' get up here… She thought as she let out a deep sigh, an' you're gonna hafta fight for them.
"Lizzie!" Hershel called, bringing her back to the present, "Hurry!"
"Sorry," she apologized as she ran back up the steps, "it's jus' a lil' overwhelmin'."
"Are you okay?" He asked, stepping towards her and resting his hand on her shoulder, "I know you and Daryl are very close…"
"Oh yeah," she said, laughing nervously, "I'm all good."
"He's a fine man," Hershel said, squeezing her shoulder, "he won't let you down."
"Thank you." She smiled.
"You're just as fine a woman and I need a favor from you," he continued, letting his hand drop as he motioned towards the house, "there are people in there that need protecting, I'll try my best to cover us but I'll need help if we're going to get through this alive."
"I'm on it," she nodded, drawing her axe and nodding at him, "they ain't gonna get past us."
"Whatever happens to me, I need to know my daughters are safe," he said quietly, "if they get too close, I need you to get Beth out."
"I'll try my…" She began but he cut her short.
"Trying isn't good enough; I need to know it'll be done." He said sharply.
"I'll get her out," Lizzie nodded, "no matter what."

As the sound of shouting reached their ears from inside the house, Lizzie excused herself. Hurrying inside to find out what the problem was.
"Hey," she said as she entered, seeing Beth and Patricia by the window while Lori and Carol were standing in the middle of the room, "what's goin' on?"
"Someone's set the barn on fire." Beth said quietly, evidently worried for the safety of Jimmy who had joined in the extermination.
"We think it might be Rick." Patricia added quickly, looking to Lori and smiling.
"Carl's gone, he's not in the house," Lori cried, finding other matters trivial, "where is he?"
"He was definitely here," Carol said, "he must've run off outside, maybe looking for Rick."
"Then he could be in the barn…" Beth said, looking at Patricia.
"The barn that's on fire?" Lori shrieked.
"Look, if Rick's the one that set it alight, he'll already've found Carl," Lizzie said, trying to calm Lori's nerves, "an' if Carl's out there on his own, he'll be keepin' outta sight…"
"How do you know that?" She cried, shaking her head.
"Coz he's a smart kid," Lizzie snapped, moving to the window and watching as the RV followed Daryl's motorcycle towards the barn, "Daryl's on his way to take a look, if he finds your family, he'll bring them back."

As she watched, she saw the walkers breach the fence, beginning to file out across the lawn, heading up towards the house.
"Shit." She muttered, stepping back and running her hand through her hair, trying to think of what to do.
"What?" Beth asked, stepping forwards, "What's happening out there?"
"They're getting' through," Lizzie said, resting her axe on the back of a chair as she pulled her hair up into a bun, needing it out the way if she was going to be outside fighting, "there's too many of 'em, we can't hold 'em off."
"What're we gonna do?" Patricia asked, taking hold of Beth and pulling her close.
"You're gonna stay inside," she turned to Lori and Carol, "you're gonna check the house again for Carl, jus' in case," she reached for her axe, looking at Beth again, "an I'm gonna help your dad."
"And if that's not enough?" Beth asked, the tears beginning to fall from her eyes.
Lizzie faltered slightly, stopping before she left the room, unsure how she was supposed to answer the girl.
"It's gotta be enough," Lizzie said quietly, looking over her shoulder at Beth, "otherwise we'll all be dead."