Anna returned home not long after finishing the cell and took a shower before walking out onto the front porch, where Daryl sat inspecting his bike.
"I'm glad you got it back," Anna said, sitting on the top step. "Now you can teach me how to ride," she said, bumping his shoulder.
Daryl snorted, "You already know how to ride, sweetheart."
Anna felt her chest tighten and her skin heat, but she couldn't help the grin that spread across her face.
"What was it you said? You'd rock my world? Best I'd ever have?" Daryl asked softly in her ear, his arm snaking around her waist.
"Daryl," Anna laughed, lightly pushing him away.
Daryl smirked at her and pulled back.
"No trainin' today?" He asked.
"No," Anna said. "I had more important things to do."
"Daryl, Anna."
The two looked over to see Rosita and Denise approaching, with a rifle and a piece of paper respectively.
"What's up?" Daryl asked, getting to his feet.
"We're running low on medicine—I think I know where we can find some," Denise explained as she handed Daryl the piece of paper in her hand.
Anna looked over his shoulder to see that it was a map.
"After I got out of DC, I just drove," Denise started. "I remember seeing it right when I realized I had no idea where I was going. Edison's Apothecary and Boutique. It's just this little gift shop in a strip mall, but if it's really an apothecary, they had drugs."
"How do you know they still got 'em?" Daryl asked.
"It isn't that far," Denise assured. "I just wanna check. And you, Anna, and Rosita aren't out scavenging or pulling shifts."
Daryl pursed his lips.
"We'll go," he said.
"I wanted to check," Denise said quickly. "I just want to help."
"How much time you spend out there?" Daryl asked.
"None," Denise sighed.
"Forget it," Daryl snapped.
"I can ID the meds," Denise insisted. "I know how to use a machete now. I've seen roamers up close. I'm ready."
Daryl glanced at Anna, then looked to Rosita.
"You good with this?"
"No," Rosita huffed.
"I'll go alone, if I have to," Denise warned.
"You'll die alone," Daryl said.
"I'm asking you to make sure I don't."
"I am not babysitting her by myself," Rosita scoffed.
The trip down the road was jolting and loud. Daryl pushed and pulled the stick shift and the engine squealed in protest. Anna leaned against the passenger door and stole a glance at Rosita in the bed of the truck. Anna may not have known how to drive a stick shift, but she didn't need to; it was obvious that Daryl didn't know how, either.
"It—the—" Denise cut herself off, shaking her head.
"No, what?" Daryl pushed, shoving the stick shift forward. The engine practically growled at them.
"I think maybe you're disengaging it too soon," Denise explained. Daryl looked to her. "I've been driving stick since I was fifteen—usually beat up trucks like this. I mean—you know, before I left home," she rambled.
Daryl continued to 'disengage too soon' and the gears responded by grinding on each other.
"My brother taught me, so I just know," Denise insisted.
Daryl watched Denise as he shifted gears, and Anna could feel a headache forming, but her attention turned to the tree blocking the road.
"Daryl," she called.
"Yup," Daryl sighed, pulling to a stop. "Stay here," he instructed, climbing out of the truck.
Anna stepped out as Rosita jumped down from the truck bed. The three approached the tree cautiously, scanning the perimeter and inspecting the damage. They could hear growling. Rosita grabbed a branch and tossed it aside to reveal a snarling walker.
"This happened fast," she said. "Tree rotted out. It wasn't people."
Daryl stepped off to the side to peer into the woods as Rosita dropped her machete on the walker's head and rummaged through the pack on its back. She produced a plastic bag of what looked and sounded like glass bottles. Anna went back to the truck and pulled the door open.
"Come on," she said, gesturing for Denise to get out.
"What did you find" Denise asked.
"Bottles of booze," Rosita said, displaying her loot. "Any takers?"
"No, thanks," Denise said, quickly tucking her sheathed machete back into her belt.
Daryl went back to the truck and grabbed Anna's old, orange duffle and his shotgun from the bed as Anna grabbed a black backpack; they then joined the others.
"For later," Rosita insisted. "I'm not bringing these to the pantry,"
"I'm good," Denise assured. "They were kind of my parents' thing. Which is why they aren't mine."
Rosita reached for the pack, and Anna tossed it to her.
"That truck ain't gonna make it past this tree. Come on, let's walk," Daryl said, starting around the tree.
"Hold up," Denise called. "Looks like a straight shot if we follow these tracks," she said, pointing down the trail of train tracks.
"No," Daryl said simply. "No tracks. We'll take the road."
"That's twice as far," Rosita pointed out.
"Go whichever way you like," Daryl snapped. "I ain't takin' no tracks."
With that, he walked off.
"We should stick together," Denise said quietly, following after him.
Anna and Rosita exchanged a look.
"You gonna follow your boyfriend?" Rosita asked, rolling her eyes.
Anna snorted.
"Fuck no," she said. "That's twice as far," she echoed before starting down the tracks.
After a moment she heard a sigh and the crunch of gravel behind her. The two walked for some time. Anna peered around at the trees.
"I wonder why they thought that would be a good idea," Anna said, pointing out cars scattered across and around the tracks as they passed.
"People turn into idiots when the world goes to shit," Rosita shrugged.
Anna hummed in response, thinking back to the airport in Atlanta and the man who had grabbed her.
"What?" Rosita snapped.
"Just doesn't make sense," Anna said thoughtfully.
"You gonna keep muttering to yourself, or are you gonna tell me what the hell you're talking about?" Rosita huffed.
"It's just," Anna started, shaking her head. "Back when everything hit the fan, this guy grabbed me at the airport. He tried to—" she paused. "I never thought much about why he tried. I mean, the world was ending and all he could think to do was—it just doesn't make any sense."
"You kill him?"
Anna stilled and watched as Rosita continued walking—until she noticed Anna wasn't following anymore.
"Well?" Rosita asked, expectantly.
"No," Anna answered. "That wasn't who I was back then."
The two started walking again.
"You know, you aren't who I thought you'd be," Rosita said suddenly.
"What do you mean?" Anna asked.
"Jay—Jessie—told me about you," Rosita explained. "How you were this nice, caring person who wouldn't hurt a fly." She sighed. "From what he told me, I honestly thought you were dead. I didn't think you were the type of person who could make it in this world."
"I wasn't," Anna assured. "I had a lot of people help me along the way."
"Me too," Rosita nodded. "A lot from a lot of people—before and after. And that's what's kept me alive."
"Yeah," Anna agreed.
As they settled into a silence, Anna and Rosita came upon another crossing and spotted a strip mall down the road. The two shrugged at each other and got comfortable; figuring that it would be awhile before Daryl and Denise joined them, the two sat down on the ground to wait.
Rosita shook her head, pursing her lips as the figures of Daryl and Denise slowly appeared in the distance. They climbed to their feet as the two approached.
"About time," Rosita teased.
Daryl walked past both of them without a word.
"I didn't mean to pick him over you back there," Denise said, looking between Anna and Rosita. "It's just…"
Rosita shook her head, "You're holding it wrong," she said, pointing to the machete in Denise's hand.
Anna sighed and jogged to catch up with Daryl as they all started towards the boutique.
Anna took note of the bloodied hand prints scattered across the face of the building as Daryl knocked on the door. She wondered what they were going to find on the other side. When there was no sound, Daryl handed Anna his shotgun and pulled the duffel off his back.
"Alright, we're gonna do this, you're gonna stay back, got it?" He said, pulling a crowbar from his bag.
He popped the door open easy enough and Anna and Rosita filed in, guns trained forward as Daryl followed after them. They cleared the room quickly and called for Denise to join them inside.
There was gagging from behind, and Anna glanced back to see Denise covering her mouth. Anna hadn't even noticed the smell.
"We gonna find out what you had for breakfast?" Daryl taunted.
"Oatmeal," Denise said as she straightened. "Just so you know."
"Hey," Rosita called, flashing her light over wall lettering that read Pharmacy.
Daryl shoved his crowbar under the rolling door covering the window and forced it open with a loud screech.
"You want me to hold your bags, or…?" Denise asked sarcastically. "If you set 'em on the counter, I can tell you which," she said, shining her light into the pharmacy as Daryl and Rosita climbed inside.
"No, we're gonna take it all," Daryl said.
"Are you sure? Because—"
"No, it's fine," Rosita assured.
"We've got enough hands—whatever is expired, we'll throw out," Anna said, moving her light over the knick-knacks on the counters.
The store reminded her of all the little trinkets she had collected at the prison. She wondered if they were still there or if a looter had taken everything. Maybe someone had moved in.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Anna turned about, searching for the source of the sound.
"It's just one," Rosita commented.
"Sounds like it's stuck," Daryl huffed.
"We should be good," Anna shrugged, turning back to a bright, paper mâché baby bird that looked like something a middle schooler made in an art class. She smiled at it and pulled it delicately off the dusty shelf it rested on. "I'm calling it Pocco," Anna said, turning to show it to Denise, only to find the woman gone.
"Denise?" Anna called quietly.
She scanned the area when she noticed a door open. Anna stepped forward, peering into the dark.
"Denise?" She called again.
Anna jumped back when Denise rushed out of the room and straight into a shelf, knocking over some glass bowls.
"What the hell are you doing?" Rosita demanded.
"Nothing," Denise said breathlessly before turning on her heel and walking out of the store.
Daryl and Rosita looked to each other, then to Anna, who merely shrugged in return before returning to gathering the medicine. Anna sighed and looked back at the open door. Cautiously, she stepped inside.
She moved her light over the room, scrunching up her nose at the putrid smell. She saw the baby's playpen in the corner and the kids' books scattered on the ground before she found a female walker laid out on the floor, its leg in a thick, dirty cast. Anna pulled her knife out and ran it through its skull.
She continued her gaze through the room, her light shining over the word HUSH drawn in what looked like red marker on the wall over and over again. She furrowed her brow and brought her eyes down to the metal sink mounted to the wall, filled to the brim with deep red water. A baby's shoe floated on the surface.
Anna's stomach churned at the sight and she quickly stepped from the room, shutting the door firmly behind her.
"I'm going to go check on Denise," Anna announced as she walked out of the store, not waiting for a response.
The outside seemed a lot brighter than she remembered as her eyes adjusted to the sudden change in lighting. Anna shielded her eyes and looked around for Denise, spotting her on the ground in front of a pillar, her head turned away. The other woman didn't seem to hear as she approached.
"Hey," Anna said softly, crouching beside her, the paper mâché bird in her hands.
"I'm okay," Denise said quickly, her voice cracking.
"Okay."
They were quiet for a moment. She knew Denise was trying to be strong like everyone else around her. Because no one had ever let her know that she didn't have to be. Not always.
"It's okay if you're not," Anna started. "What you saw back there… it was a lot—even for me."
Denise took a deep breath. "Is it all like that?" She asked.
Anna sighed, pursing her lips. There was no point in sugar coating it. Denise wanted to be out here; she needed to know the truth.
"Sometimes even worse," Anna told her.
"How do you deal with it? How can you see stuff like that and just… keep going?"
Anna bowed her head. "I've, uh—I've never actually been very good at coping," she said. "But I'm figuring it out. That's all you really can do—figure it out. And you don't have to do it alone," she assured, looking at Denise.
It was okay to be vulnerable—with the right people—to let them help. That was something Anna was learning. She had taken steps, but there was still one more thing she had to face. Her fingers twitched toward her thigh. The last thing she had yet to tell Daryl.
Denise sniffled and wiped her nose as the front doors creaked open again and Daryl and Rosita joined them outside. Anna stood, wiping her hands on her jeans as Rosita and Daryl looked to her and then to Denise.
"Hey," Daryl said, and Denise wiped her face before looking at him. "You did good finding this place."
Denise nodded and picked up her machete, climbing to her feet.
"Tried to tell you, you weren't ready," Rosita said gently. "We all did."
"I know," Denise said quietly before starting towards the tracks.
"You're never ready for this kind of place," Anna said, looking to Rosita. "You just get used to it," she finished, following after Denise.
The four walked back to the tracks, the pills rattling in Rosita and Daryl's packs.
"So, was he older or younger?" Daryl asked suddenly.
"Older," Denise answered. "By six minutes. My parents came up with the Dennis/Denise thing on one of their benders. Hilarious, right?" Anna smiled. "Nothing scared him. He was brave. He was angry, too. It's kind of a dangerous combination."
"Sounds like we had the same brother," Daryl commented.
They hit the tracks and the women started down the road, prepared to follow Daryl's path in favor of sticking together this time. Daryl had other ideas as he veered to the left and made his way down the tracks.
"Hey," Rosita called, and everyone paused.
"This way's faster right?" Daryl asked, gesturing behind him before he started walking again.
Rosita glanced between Denise and Anna before shaking her head with a sigh at the grin on Denise's face. The two followed after him and Anna smiled, jogging to catch up with and walk beside Daryl.
"What's this?" Daryl asked, cocking a brow at the treasure Anna held in her hands.
"A paper mâché bird—I'm calling him Pocco," she said, displaying it out in front of them.
"Startin' a new collection?" Daryl asked, pulling lightly on one of the three pieces of coiled colored paper sticking out of the birds' head and letting it spring back into place.
"I figured it was time," Anna shrugged. "We're starting something here, aren't we?"
"Yeah," Daryl hummed. "Yeah, we are."
"Let me put it in your bag," Anna said, stopping.
Daryl paused and turned his back to her, allowing her to uncinch the duffel and carefully place the bird among the orange and white bottles of medicine.
"Thanks," Anna said, cinching the duffel back up and patting his arm.
He turned to her and brushed his hand against hers, lacing his fingers with hers for a moment before bringing his hand up to her face.
"I—"
"There's a cooler in there!" Denise shouted, cutting Anna off. "Might be something we can use inside."
Anna sighed and stepped away from Daryl as they looked to Denise, who was standing beside a car, a walker pounding against the drivers' side window.
"We got what we came for," Rosita said.
"Nah, ain't worth the trouble, come on," Daryl said, starting back down the tracks.
Anna shook her head and continued on, adjusting the rifle on her back, wondering if she should have brought her stick. They hadn't needed to use their weapons so far—except for the one walker.
"Ah!"
The three turned to see Denise struggling on the ground, a walker on top of her. Anna rushed back, ready to yank the walker off Denise.
"No, don't!" Denise shouted before shoving the walker off and climbing on top, pulling her knife out. She pulled back and rammed the blade into the side of the walker's skull.
With the walker dead, Denise got to her feet and tucked the knife back into her belt before stepping towards them, out of breath. She then promptly threw up.
Anna took a step back, scrunching her face up.
"Oh, man," Denise groaned, picking her glasses off the ground. "I threw up on my glasses." She turned away and tucked the glasses into her pocket as she knelt over the cooler she'd tried so hard to get. "Hot damn," she said, pulling an orange soda off a six pack.
"What the hell was that?" Daryl snapped suddenly. "You could've died right there, you know that?"
"Yeah, I do," Denise sighed, standing.
"Are you hearing me?" Daryl shouted.
"Who gives a shit?" Denise shouted back. "You could've died killing those Saviors, all of you, but you didn't. You wanna live, you take chances. That's how it works." She pointed at the walker. "That's what I did."
"For a couple of damn sodas?" Daryl huffed.
"Nope," she said, tossing the rest of the six pack to the ground as she walked past. "Just this one."
Anna looked at Daryl, confused.
"She wanted to get it for Tara," Daryl explained.
Rosita scoffed.
"Are you seriously that stupid?" Rosita demanded, storming after Denise.
"Are you?" Denise asked, rounding on her as they approached. "I mean it. Are you? Do you have any clue what that was to me, what this whole thing is to me? See, I have training in this shit. I'm not making it up as I go along, like with the stitches and the surgery and the…" she trailed off looking to Daryl, "I asked you to come with me because you're brave like my brother and sometimes you actually make me feel safe." She looked to Rosita, "And I wanted you here because you're alone. Probably for the first time in your life." She then turned to Anna.
"And you because you're stronger than you think you are, which gives me hope that maybe I can be, too." She paused and took a breath. "I could've gone with Tara. I could've told her I loved her, but I didn't because I was afraid. That's what's stupid," she laughed. "Not coming out here, not facing my shit. And it makes me sick that you guys aren't even trying because you're strong and you're smart and you're all really good people, and if you don't wake—"
It felt like the world had slowed down as she came to the realization that an arrow had just split Denise's eye. Anna was vaguely aware of herself pulling her rifle off her back and positioning it in her hands.
"Up—" Denise went on to say. "and face your…" she trailed off, falling forward.
Daryl caught her and quickly laid her on the ground before getting his own shotgun ready as several men trickled out of the trees, guns ready.
"You drop 'em now!" Ordered a blond man—the side of his face heavily scarred—as he forced Eugene ahead of him.
Anna counted the men, took in Eugene's terrified face, and lowered her rifle.
"Well, hell," the blond man said, looking at Daryl. "You got something to say to me?" He asked. "You gonna clear the air? Step up on that high horse?" Daryl said nothing. "No. You don't talk much." He nodded his head for his men to pat them down and take their weapons and packs before he glanced at the crossbow in his hand—Daryl's crossbow. "Still getting the hang of her. Kicks like a bitch, but—"
"I should've done it," Daryl growled.
"Oh, what's that?" The man asked. "Seriously, I didn't catch what you said."
"I should've killed you," Daryl repeated.
"Yeah, you probably should've," the man agreed. "So, here we are. Kind of begs the question, right? Who brought this on who? I mean, I get that you'll just have to take my word for this, but she wasn't even the one I was aiming for. Like I said, kicks like a bitch. It's nothing personal. Look, this isn't how we like to start new business arrangements, but, well, you pricks kind of set the tone, didn't you?"
"What do you want?" Rosita snapped.
"I'm sorry, darlin', I didn't catch your name," the man said, turning his attention on Rosita. "I'm D, or Dwight. You can call me either." He raised his one eyebrow. "So? What's your name?"
"Rosita. What do you want?" Rosita hissed.
"Well, Rosita," Dwight mocked. "It's not what I want. It's what you three are going to do. You're going to let us into your little complex. It looks like it's just beautiful in there. And then you're going to let us take whatever and whoever we want, or we blow Eugene's brains out. And then yours. Then hers. And then his. I hope it doesn't come to that, really. Nobody else has to die. We just try and start with one. You know, maximum impact to get our point across," he shrugged. "So, what's it gonna be? You tell me."
"You wanna kill someone, you start with our companion hiding over there behind the oil barrels," Eugene interrupted. "He's a first-class a-hole and he deserves it so much more than us four."
"Go check it out," Dwight ordered, and one man started towards the rusted, orange barrels.
Anna clenched her jaw, keeping her breathing steady as she looked between the barrels and the man holding her rifle. There was only so much she could do with the situation they were in.
"Ah!"
Anna's eyes snapped to Dwight to see his face contorted in pain and Eugene's face in his crotch. Not wasting any time, Anna rushed forward and kicked the back of the knees of the man in front of her. He fell to the ground as she yanked her rifle out of his hands; she whipped the butt of it across the back of his head and knocked him onto his stomach before firing a single shot into his skull.
She whirled around as the other men opened fire, sliding in the gravel as she threw herself behind a car for cover. Anna was only slightly aware of the others taking advantage of the distraction Eugene had provided—both Daryl and Rosita had also managed to get weapons, and were firing back while Abraham materialized from the woods. Dwight and Eugene fell to the ground, their arms covering their heads, and walkers began pouring from the trees.
Anna shot down one walker that ambled a little too close to Eugene.
"Fall back! Fall back!" Dwight shouted over the gunfire as he rolled off the tracks.
He clambered to his feet and darted into the trees, along with four of his men. Anna shot at them as they retreated.
"Shit," she growled as the last one vanished into the trees unscathed. With the enemy gone, Anna turned her attention to Eugene still laying on the tracks.
Daryl rushed past her, snatching up his crossbow as he started after Dwight.
"Daryl, stop!" She called.
He stuttered to a halt and turned back to her as she, Rosita, and Abraham ran to Eugene. Rosita applied pressure to the bullet wound in Eugene's side.
"You're gonna be okay," Rosita assured.
"We gotta get him out of here," Abraham said, grabbing Eugene's right arm.
Daryl came up on Eugene's left side and lifted him as Rosita took his legs. Anna took aim and shot a walker making its way toward them before turning back and grabbing their packs. She paused and stared at Denise laying still on the tracks, at the arrow still protruding from her eye socket. She shouldn't have been there.
We'll come back for you, she promised.