I really glad you guys like my story! I've been trying to write whenever I have time, especially now since I'm having a little break because of the holidays. I have some side projects that need attention, but I'm just in a Walking Dead mood! Not to mention 3 weeks until season 3 comes back! Its so close, yet so far away. I guess in the meantime, I can wear my 'I heart Daryl' shirt.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead.

Diary of the Dead Days

Part 2: Hershel's Farm

Chapter Eleven
Diminishing Hope

"We can't just leave it in there." Andrea peered into the well, gazing down at the walker.

The smell was putrid, death mixed with water that has been rotting in the heat. Shane had shined a flash light down in the well, revealing one of the most disturbing walkers I've ever seen. It was bloated to nearly twice its size, like a sponge soaking up the water and even fungus started growing on its body. Its growl was a hissing, gurgling sound. I scowled at the beast, squatting down to get a better view as the others surrounded the well. Dale called for Shane and Andrea to investigate what we found. After Maggie and Glenn returned from their supply run, they checked out the problem as well.

"How are we getting it out?" I inquired.

"We can just shoot it." T-Dog offered, Andrea shook her head.

"Then it would infect the water, we have to pull it out." Her plan was easier said than done, there was no way we could manage to hoist the walker up out of the well without tying a rope around it ourselves. I began biting the inside of my mouth, trying to figure out the best way to take care of the problem but my mind was blank. I couldn't help but feel distracted, I kept glancing back at the woods and expecting Daryl to return with Rose and Sophia. He wasn't back yet.

"We need bait." Shane said, his concentration on the mutated walker.

"Like meat or something?" I questioned, I wasn't sure where he was going with this plan.

"No, we need live bait. That thing isn't going go after something that ain't moving." His dark eyes gazed around the group. His plan sounded insane, a tremendous risk that might get somebody killed. Everyone started looking at one another, no one brave enough to volunteer for the task. I didn't like the plan at all, it didn't seem worth it. I rather risk shooting it than risking someone's life.

"I'll do it." Glenn's voice was the first to speak. I stared at him with wide eyes, he couldn't possibly be serious?

"Are you crazy?" Maggie hissed, her brown eyes full of fear.

"You can't go down there." I added, standing up and stepping towards Maggie as I sided with her.

"Somebody's got to do it." He half-heartedly grinned.

There was a flash of regret in his eyes, but it was only there for a split second. None of the others bothered to argue, though Dale didn't seem comfortable with the idea of letting Glenn be lowered down into the well. With the rope that was near the well, Shane tied a secure knot around Glenn's waist and gave him another rope to tie around the walker. We each lined up, holding the rope that was literally Glenn's life line. I tighten my hands around the thick twine, wishing for the upper body strength I didn't have. My spot was behind Shane, were I hoped he would be able to pull the weight I lacked. As Glenn began to lower himself into the well, I felt Maggie tense behind me.

My arm muscles tightened as Glenn was hanging by just the rope, the rugged texture of the rope was starting the make my hands burn but I forced myself to keep a tight grip. The rope bend against the post next to the well that helped support Glenn's weight. As he drew closer to the walker, the beast began to make louder noises. For a second, I noticed the post leaning dangerous to the side but after that quick moment, it completely snapped.

My heart skipped a beat as I was lurched forward, my nose crashing into Shane's back and Maggie nearly falling on top of me. Glenn's screams echoed from the bottom of the well. Shane had reacted faster than anyone else, he immediately grabbed for the rope before it completely disappeared. My nose was aching, I thought the impact had caused it to bleed, but that was the least of my concerns. I grabbed the rope as well, and the others scrambled to pull Glenn to safety.

"Oh my God, are you okay?" Andrea fretted as we gathered around to yank Glenn fully out of the well.

"Did it get you?" Maggie panicked, her eyes scanning for any injuries.

He was catching his breath before he grinned, revealing the rope in his hand. Glenn had successfully snared the walker. I was amazed at his ability, smiling in relief as I patted his back. Shane squeezed his shoulder, impressed as well. Everyone, except Maggie, was astonished by his quick thinking. Even though he nearly died, he was able to get the rope around the walker. The next step was to pull it up.

The walker was even heavier than Glenn, its swollen body was slowly starting to lift up. My forearms were burning, but I just needed to keep it up a little more. Peering over Shane's shoulder, I saw the disgusting, vile looking creature almost out of the well. Its belly was dragging on the ground until its moisten skin got caught on something. Suddenly, its body rips in half with ease and its lower half and intestines spilling back into the well. We all stared dumbfounded at what just happened.

"Dammit." Shane cursed under his breath.

The torso stretched out his arms, clawing its way towards us but unable to move. My nostrils filled with its horrid stench, I covered my nose to shield myself from the stink. I was also thankful to realize my nose wasn't bleeding, though it still ached. T-Dog grabbed one of the weapons he brought with him to the well, bashing the walker's face in. I couldn't help but notice the reaction from the farmer's daughter, she seemed disturbed as T-Dog killed it.

"Because shooting it was a bad idea." T-Dog mocked, rolling his eyes.

Later in the day I had accompanied Shane, Andrea, and Carol to check up on the highway. The supplies were left untouched and no one was in sight. I wasn't expecting them to be here, but I had a glimmer of hope that they would. I stood beside Carol with Shane and Andrea behind us. I felt bad for Carol, the pain she must be going through. Rose was my sister but Sophia was her daughter. A mother that lost her child, feeling helpless that she couldn't protect her only daughter. Carol was fighting back tears, I could sense her hope diminishing. She no longer believed we were going to find them, but she refused to say so. I sighed deeply, I wasn't going to give up. They had to be out there somewhere.

"We'll come back tomorrow and the next day if we have to." Andrea spoke up.

"I'm sure they'll find the highway eventually." I tried to sound reassuring, but Carol only waved away our comforting words. She was tired of hearing more false hope.

We lingered around for thirty minutes before leaving, in case they might show up. I would have stayed longer, but Carol insisted we return. I couldn't help be feel agitated with her as she was obviously giving up on her daughter's survival. "If you start giving up, everyone else will start giving up too."Daryl's words rang in my head. Part of me did want to give up, the constant feeling of raising my hope only to be let down was exhausting and made me feel depressed. But I knew Rose wouldn't want me to leave her behind. Even though she had been upset with me, she still loved me. It was my name she called out when the walker found her, she was depending on me to save her.

As we headed back towards the farm, Andrea and Shane were scouting out a spot for a shooting range. Half of our survival group didn't know how to handle firearms properly, me included. I thought back to my archery skills and my lack of aim. If I couldn't aim with a bow, I probably was no better with a gun. Shane had been a gun instructor before and offered to teach the rest of us. Even though Hershel didn't allow the use of guns on his property, he reluctantly agreed to let us train. It was better to know how to safely handle a weapon than not at all.

"Can you teach me how to shoot a gun?" I asked Shane after they found a good spot for the firing range. He mentioned starting the training as soon as possible.

"Have you ever handle a gun before?" He fell into step beside me, letting Andrea lead us back to camp. Carol was walking a slow pace behind our group, keeping silent.

"BB Gun." He held back a chuckle, shaking his head.

"There's a big difference between a BB gun and the real thing." Shane said, "But you can join the gun training. I'm surprised you don't know how to shoot, your dad had quite a large collection."

"He didn't like people touching them." I felt awkward speaking about my parents. When Shane mentioned my dad, I couldn't help but remember his body sitting limp in the recliner. I shook my head, forcing the image out of my mind. I had to stop being so sensitive about topics like that, he hadn't meant any harm in mentioning my parents.

"I'd like the learn how to handle a gun too." Andrea added, her voice interrupting my thoughts.

"A desire for gunwork is good, but you'll have to cope with the guilt of taking another person's life." Shane warned, a dark glint in his eyes.

"Their just walkers," I scoffed, "Their life is already taken."

Daryl had returned from his search alone. He hadn't found Rose or Sophia, but he stumbled upon an abandoned house that had evidence of someone staying there recently. I felt a wave of disappointment, this would be their third night in the woods. By now they would be starving and dehydrated if they hadn't found a source of water or any food. Their time was ticking away. Carol had been in the RV, instead of her tent. From my van, I noticed Daryl visiting her. He was probably going to tell her the news she was expecting to hear. I could already picture her brimming with tears, dealing with the constant reminder that she didn't know whether her daughter was alive or dead.

That was what pained me the most. Had Rose been dead all this time? Were we just looking for a ghost? Or was she still alive, barely hanging on and waiting for her older sister to save her. I gritted my teeth to force the tears away. Crying wasn't going to solve anything. I shouldn't mourn because I believe she's still out there.

I ran my fingers through my hair, grateful the Greene's had allowed us to use their showers. When Maggie came up to me earlier in the day to tell me it was my turn to shower, I had to hold in my excitement. Today was the first time I had been able to bathe since the CDC. I didn't give Ripley a bath, they would probably think I was weird for letting a dog shower with me. Though they let me use the garden hose to give him a quick wash and relieve him of the heat. After my shower, I hadn't pulled my hair back right away, letting it stay down as it was almost time for bed. I couldn't help but feel guilty as I thought of my sister. I was enjoying the cleanliness of using soap while she was lost in the woods, dirty and scared.

"Ripley, why couldn't you be a bloodhound instead of a herding dog?" I teased the sleeping canine, he twitched as he heard his name.

I watched as Daryl exited the RV. He still firmly believe Rose and Sophia was out there. Rick believed as well, but I could see the doubt in his eyes and as the days go by the others started to lose hope. But Daryl refused to think they were dead. I couldn't understand why he was so determined to find them. He had no relation to either of the girls and barely knew them. I don't even remember Rose ever speaking to him. I recalled the story he told about getting lost in the woods, he might feel empathy towards them knowing the fear of what its like to be lost.

I watched him pass my vehicle, his gaze was down and didn't even realized he was being watched. Before I went to bed, I wrote in my journal. My writing focusing on the man who wouldn't give up hope on my sister. If anyone was going to find those girls, it was him.

The next morning was the continuation of the search, Rick looked much better than he had looked yesterday and Shane was slowly recovering from his ankle injury. Lori had wanted me to help with the laundry that Carol had been sorting out all morning, but I wanted to help search for my sister. She hadn't been pleased with me saying no, but she didn't saying anything, only shooting me a disapproving look. Rick was organizing the search parties, splitting the group up thin so we could cover more ground. Jimmy, the boy from the farm, asked to join the patrol with Hershel's consent. While Daryl was going to borrow one of the horses to scout the ridge.

Rick assigned me to search the area of woods closest to the farm with Glenn. Even though we searched the area before, it wouldn't hurt to check again in case they manage to slip under our radar. I led Ripley with the leash and had an axe in my other hand. I pulled back my hair and clipped my bangs with some bobby-pins to keep the brown locks out of my face. Glenn was armed as well, but he seemed distracted. Our searched was silent until Glenn finally spoke up.

"Why are girls so confusing?" He blurted out, but kind of regretting his sudden statement.

"What?" I raised an eyebrow, blinking in confusion. How could he be having girl problems during a time like this, but then my jaw dropped, "Are you talking about one of the farmer's daughters?"

"Maggie." His voice was laced with guilt.

If he was keeping this a secret, he was bad at it. I didn't know exactly what was up with him, but I could tell by just looking at his face that something was troubling him. However, I didn't know it was "girl problems".

"What happened?" I inquired, hanging a purple rag on one of the trees to signify we covered this area. Ripley kept sniffing at the ground, but I doubt he was going to find anything.

Glenn paused, hesitating before speaking, "We had sex."

My eyes went wide and I felt my face grow hot. My mind couldn't help but think of, well, dirty thoughts. I forced my mind blank, concentrating on the task at hand. I placed another rag on one of the trees as we continued to trek through the woods. Now I wished I had been assigned to a group with someone else, I wasn't expecting Glenn to confess such strange things to me.

"Um, what's the problem?" I blushed. I probably looked like an idiot with my face so red at the mere mention of sex.

"I thought she liked me, but she said it was just a 'one time thing' and she doesn't even know if she likes me or not." Glenn sighed, clearly depressed.

I didn't know what to say, and I didn't really have any valuable advice to give. Relationships weren't my strong point, and I never even had sex before. I felt kind of jealous. Even though all these horrible things were happening, Glenn managed to find somebody to like. Glenn was around my age, I was twenty-two and he was twenty-four, and everyone else was much older than us. Ever since the whole outbreak occurred, I never really thought too much about being romantically involved with anyone and accepted that my sister was all I had left. If I had a chance with anyone, it might would have been Glenn but that wasn't going to happen now.

"Just give her time." It was the only reasonable advice I could give. He nodded and the rest of our search continued in silence.

We returned before dusk but nightfall was around the corner. None of the search parties had returned with either Rose or Sophia, but Daryl was still out there. Carol had mentioned earlier in the day to organize a dinner to thank the Greene family for their hospitality. Lori and Carol had been cooking dinner while we had all been searching. Carl was finally able to walk around since his surgery and he was starting to look healthy again, it was almost hard to believe he had been shot. Though he was still worried about his friends. He told me he would look for them himself, but he wasn't allow to leave the farm.

I sat in one of the lawn chairs that surrounded the fire pit, breaking up twigs and throwing it in the empty, fire-less pit with Ripley laying at my feet. I wasn't doing it to be productive, it was just something to do while we all waited for dinner. Andrea sat on top of the RV with Dale's rifle in her hand, taking the old man's shift for awhile. Carl was beside me as well, petting Ripley.

I just happened to gaze towards Andrea, noticing her tensing up and focusing her attention towards the forest. She jumps out of her seat as she sees a limping figure emerge from the tree line.

"Walker!" She screams.

Ripley barks at Andrea's booming voice, scrambling to his feet. I did the same, racing towards the RV near Dale as he tries to get a better look at the figure. I squinted my eyes, it was too far away to get a decent look at it, but it was bloodied and limping like a walker. Rick tells Andrea to hold her fire as he races out into the field, pistol in hand. Shane, Glenn, and T-Dog quickly follow behind him with weapons to back him up. I gulped, hoping nothing bad would happen.

"Andrea don't." Dale warns. I look up and noticed Andrea taking aim at the figure. She hadn't had any gun training and didn't know how to properly aim. If she had my aiming skills, she would probably hit Rick or the others.

"Andrea!" I hissed as well. Her finger lingering above the trigger. She ignored us and pulled it. The figure dropped to the ground before the loud sound rang in my ears.

"No!" We heard Rick screaming in the distance.

It took me a moment to realize what just happened. I had thought it was walker, but it wasn't. I didn't even stop to think it might have been Daryl returning from his search since he had left on horseback. My heart was pounding with fear, my body was shaking, and I felt like I was about to cry.

Daryl had been shot.

Too bad since I'm writing in first person I didn't really have a chance to write about Daryl's hallucination about Merle, I really like that part in the series. But thank you for reading! Please leave a review~