Daryl hunkered down near the red car while he watched the horde of Walkers moving by and he held the handle of the knife tightly in his right hand. He had helped T-Dog back to Dale's RV after T-Dog cut his arm on some metal and Daryl hoped to get to his truck so he could get the drugs out of Merle's backpack.
"Daryl," made him to look over at Glenn kneeling next to a blue car and Daryl placed his right index finger to his lips to hush him. Glenn nodded as Daryl walked closer to the male Walker then Daryl slammed the blade of the knife into the side of the Walker's head. With a soft grunt, he pulled the knife out of the Walker's head and the body fell to the ground. He watched Shane and Rick taking down the rest of the horde when he heard someone screaming and he turned to see Sophia running by the gap in the guardrail. Two Walkers followed her as Daryl placed the knife away and he lightly shook his head.
"Shit," Daryl whispered.
"Rick!" Lori called out as she held onto Carol and Carl was standing next to her.
"What!?" Rick asked as she pointed to Sophia and he sighed. "What's her name?"
"Sophia."
"Shane!" Rick called out. Shane looked at him as Rick pointed to Sophia and Shane frowned.
Daryl watched Rick and Shane heading for the guardrail as he shook his head then he looked at his truck Without thinking too long on it, Daryl ran after Shane and Rick and they hopped over the guardrail. They entered the woods as they tried to see any sign of Sophia and Rick saw Daryl walking next to him.
"Which way do you think she went?" Rick asked.
Daryl looked at the leaflitter as he frowned then he nodded his head. Rick followed him while they walked by the trees then Daryl stopped near the bank of a stream. Daryl knelt down on his haunches when he saw Sophia's doll on the ground and he picked up the doll. He looked at the leaflitter as he stood and he looked at Rick.
"She went into the stream," Daryl grumbled. Tucking the doll into his belt, he slid down the small incline and he stood in the calf-deep water. Rick followed and they quietly moved through the water and Daryl scanned their surroundings with his eyes. He heard a gurgling sound as he held up his right hand and he slid the crossbow into his hands.
Rick removed the Colt Python from the holster on his belt as he held the Python in his hands and he pointed the gun in front of him.
Daryl watched the Walkers moving closer while he held up his left hand and he and Rick stood still. The Walkers moved closer when Daryl took aim and he fired the crossbow. The crossbow bolt hit the Walker in the forehead as the body fell onto the mud and Rick fired the gun. The Walker fell onto the mud while Daryl heard a small whimpering sound and he turned to look at the roots dangling down toward the water.
"What's her name again?" Daryl whispered, pulling the crossbow bolt from the Walker's head, wiping off the crossbow bolt then reloaded the crossbow. He remembered hearing her name a few times, but he never called her by name back at the quarry.
"Lori said her name is "Sophia"," Rick whispered when he heard gurling sounds and he tried to see where the sound was coming from.
"Sophia? Come on out. It's ok," Daryl softly called out and he saw the roots of the tree moving. He felt a tiny bit guilty about pointing the crossbow at the roots when he saw Sophia sliding out from behind the roots and he lowered the crossbow. She looked at him and Rick when Rick saw the Walkers moving toward them and he sighed.
"Take her back to the interstate," Rick said.
"What about you?"
"I'll be right behind you."
Nodding, Daryl led her to the incline and he saw how scared she looked. He helped her climb up then he climbed up and Rick looked at the Walkers. The Walkers moved closer as Rick sighed and he took aim.
"Go!" Rick hissed and Daryl nodded. Daryl led Sophia down the trail when he heard gunfire and he hoped they didn't see any more Walkers.
"Sorry," Sophia said in a soft voice while Daryl handed her the doll and she held the doll to her chest.
Daryl heard the fear and sadness in her voice as he nodded and they headed down the trail. He knew what it was like to be afraid. He knew what it was like to feel like everything was his fault and the thought of receiving a beating moved through him.
"It ain't yer fault," Daryl said with a shake of his head.
The gunfire became louder as they walked down the trail then Daryl saw a female Walker and he lightly pulled Sophia toward him. She went behind him as Daryl took aim and he fired the crossbow. The crossbow bolt slammed into the Walker's forehead as the Walker fell to the ground and Daryl walked closer. Placing his foot on the Walker's head, he pulled out the crossbow bolt then he looked back at her. Nodding, he signaled for her to follow and she quickly walked to him.
"Where's Sheriff Grimes?" she asked, looking behind her.
"There," Daryl said, pointing to Rick climbing up the incline.
Rick walked to them when they headed down the path and Daryl saw the guardrails. He could just see Shane talking with Lori then Daryl looked at Rick. He pointed as Rick nodded and they walked down the path. Rick walked out of the woods while Carol looked at him and he saw the fear in her eyes. He walked to the guardrail while Daryl and Sophia walked out of the woods and Sophia was holding onto Daryl's left hand.
"Hey! Anyone lose a kid?!" Rick called out and Sophia softly giggled. Carol carefully climbed over the guardrail and she ran to Sophia. Daryl moved back while she hugged Sophia and he felt a tightness in his chest.
"Mom….," Sophia said with a small roll of her eyes and Carol held her against her as she looked at Rick and Daryl.
"Thank you," Carol said.
"You're welcome," Rick said.
"Do me a favor. Keep a better eye on her from now on. Next time, we might not be so lucky," Daryl said as he walked to the guardrail, hopped over the guardrail and Carol frowned. He didn't sound his usual grumpy self and she swore he gave her a tiny smile as he hopped over the guardrail.
"Asshole," Shane whispered and they headed for the guardrail. Rick helped Carol and Sophia over the guardrail while he watched Daryl heading for the white truck and Daryl removed Merle's backpack from the back of the truck.
"Who does that backpack belong to?" Lori asked.
"This is Merle's," Daryl said, opening the backpack and he pulled out a plastic bag filled with medication bottles. "He's got loads of shit in here. Strong painkillers. Antibiotics. Some shit he needed when he got the clap."
He saw the disgusted look on Lori, Carol and Andrea's faces and he sighed. He tossed the plastic bag to Dale and Dale looked at the plastic bag.
"Thanks," Dale said with a nod and Dale headed for the RV.
"Let's go check her for bites or scratches," Rick said, looking at Sophia.
"I'm fine," Sophia said.
"He's just being cautious," Carol said with a small grin and they headed for the RV.
Daryl noticed the others were watching him as he placed the backpack back in the back of the truck then he headed for the guardrail and he hopped over the guardrail.
"Where are you going?" Shane asked.
"Huntin'," Daryl said.
"When are you coming back?" Andrea asked.
"Dunno. Maybe I won't."
They watched Daryl heading into the woods then they looked at each other and Lori headed for the RV. She went inside as Rick walked to her and he noticed the worry in her eyes.
"What's wrong?" Rick asked.
"Daryl left," Lori said.
"What do you mean he left!?"
"Shane saw Daryl heading for the guardrail and he asked him where he was going. Daryl said he was going hunting. When Andrea asked when he was coming back, he said he might not."
"Shit."
She moved back so Rick could walk by her then he left the RV. He walked to the guardrail when Shane lightly grabbed onto his right upper arm and Rick looked at him.
"Where are you going?" Shane asked.
"I'm going after Daryl," Rick said, pulling his arm away.
"Why?"
"We need him."
"No, we don't. He and his brother have been nothing, but trouble since the day they showed up at the camp."
Rick locked eyes with Shane then Rick climbed over the guardrail, headed into the woods and Shane sighed, rolling his eyes.
Rick walked by the trees when he saw Daryl standing near the large oak tree with his hands against the trunk and Daryl had his head down. Rick stopped walking as he watched Daryl's fingers move over the bark of the tree and Rick swore Daryl was shaking.
"Leave me be," made him blink his eyes a few times and Rick placed his hands on his hips.
"Are you really leaving?" Rick asked.
"Yeah. Need to go find Merle."
"Why?"
"What do you mean why?! He is my brother!"
"I get that. But he might not even be alive."
"And whose fault is that!?" Daryl demanded as he turned around and Rick saw the same fury in his eyes that he saw back at the camp.
"It was his fault."
"He wasn't the one who handcuffed him to that fuckin' pipe! He didn't leave him to die on some roof neither! That was you!"
"Keep your voice down."
"Everythin' that's happened…!" Daryl said as he swung his arms out. "Every fuckin' thing! That is yer fault!"
"I know that."
Daryl stared at him as Rick slowly walked closer and he had his hands up in surrender.
"I know full well that I messed up. But that's on me," Rick said, lowering his hands.
"Damn right, it is."
Rick watched Daryl wipe his eyes with the back of his right hand as Daryl pumped his arms down and he shook his head.
"Shit," Daryl grumbled, looking around.
Rick had a feeling he needed to tread lightly when it came to Daryl, but he also felt like Daryl was willing to listen to him if he picked precisely the right words to convey what he needed to tell him.
"Look, you may not believe this, but we do need you," Rick said and Daryl sighed.
"That ain't what he said."
"You heard what Shane said?"
"My ears fuckin' work!"
Daryl was getting angry again as Rick nodded and Daryl kicked the leaflitter. They stood in silence when Rick sighed and he lightly shook his head.
"Shane can be an asshole," Rick said then he held up his right hand to stop Daryl from saying something. "And I have seen how the others look at you. But…! Did you see how Carol looked at you…?! At us…!? When we brought her daughter back?"
"So?"
"So?! She thought Sophia was going to either be dead or get lost. If you hadn't been able to figure out which way she went, who knows what would have happened to her."
Daryl titled his head to one side when he started chewing on the cuticle of his right thumb and he frowned. He wasn't sure why, but his mind replayed the time when he got lost as a child and how angry he was after he learned no one even went looking for him.
"It would have been my fault if I had found her and told her to go back here on her own," made him look at Rick and Rick had a serious look on his face.
"Damn right, it would have," Daryl said with a nod of his head.
"Wanna tell me why you followed us?"
"I… I…"
Rick noticed he was shutting down as Rick moved closer and Daryl backed up a few steps.
"Why is he doing that?" Rick thought as he stopped and he looked at Daryl.
"Rick!" made them look toward the guardrails then Rick looked at Daryl and he waited to see what Daryl was going to do.
"Better go," Daryl said, pointing to the guardrails.
"You coming back?" Rick asked.
"Dunno."
Nodding, Rick headed out of the woods as he looked behind him, but Daryl was gone.
"Dammit," Rick whispered and he headed toward the guardrails. He saw Shane and Glenn watching him as Rick climbed over the guardrail and he walked by Shane.
"Good going, Asshole. You just cost us our tracker and the only guy who's good at hunting," Glenn said.
Glaring at him. Shane walked away and he balled his hands into fists.
Later that night, Dale sat on the lawn chair on top of the RV while he looked at the darkness and he listened for any signs of Walkers. Suddenly, he saw something moving in the shadows. He sat straighter when he could just see Daryl walking to the guardrail and Daryl climbed over the guardrail.
Daryl pulled up the strap to the crossbow while he headed for the white truck and the moonlight made it easy for him to find it. He reached into the back of the truck as he tried to find his backpack when he picked up the backpack and he slung the strap over his left shoulder. He then reached in for Merle's backpack when he picked it up and he placed the backpack on the ground.
"What is he doing?" Dale whispered as he watched Daryl open the backpack, place a few items inside his backpack then he placed Merle's backpack in the back of the truck. Daryl then looked at the motorcycle as he frowned and he tiled his head to one side.
"I thought you left," startled him as Daryl spun around then he looked up, seeing Dale sitting on the lawn chair.
"Just came back fer my shit," Daryl said, walking to the RV.
"Does that include the drugs?"
"No," he said with a shake of his head then he frowned. "Gotta problem with me leavin', Old Man?"
"No. Do you?"
"Why the hell should I stay? No one wants me hangin' around."
"Look… It's true that you can be a pain in the ass. But the one we didn't want hanging around was your brother."
"Yeah. You made that crystal clear. None of you wanted to go rescue him after he got left on that roof."
"According to T-Dog, he deserved it."
"Bullshit!"
"Keep your voice down," Dale said, looking into the darkness. "Do me a favor. Go inside and get some sleep. If you want to leave in the morning, we won't stop you."
Daryl glared at him when he sighed, looked down while having a silent conversation with himself then he walked to the RV. He quietly opened the door then he walked inside. He softly closed the door as his eyes adjusted to the darkness and he saw T-Dog sleeping in a sleeping bag on the floor.
After placing the crossbow and the backpack down by the door, Daryl carefully stepped over him when he headed for the back of the RV and he could just see Carol sleeping in a sleeping bag on the floor.
"You came back," caused him to look over at the bed and he could just see Sophia looking at him.
"Just stayin' the night," he said, carefully walking to the bed then he knelt down on his haunches.
"Are you leaving because of me?"
Daryl felt like she punched him in the chest.
"No," he said with a shake of his head.
"Then why are you leaving?"
"Because no one wants me hangin' around."
"I do."
He could just see her sliding her right hand toward him as he cautiously took hold of her hand and he was surprised by how tiny her hand was in his.
"Wanna know somethin'?" he asked and he could just see her nod her head. "I wasn't gonna hurt you."
"You mean when you told Mom to shut me up or you would make me if I didn't stop crying?"
"Yeah. I was…"
"You were angry. Dad used to hurt me… Hurt Mom… When he was angry."
"I wasn't angry with you," he said then he looked over at Carol. "Or yer mom."
"You were angry at the people who were shooting at us."
"Yeah."
"Were you scared?"
Daryl snorted a laugh as he nodded and he could just see her smiling at him.
"Don't tell anyone, ok?" he asked and she nodded.
"Why did you want to go look for me?"
"Uh…"
Again, the memory of being lost in the wood when he was a kid moved through his mind as he frowned and she waited for him to say something.
"When I was a kid…," he started as he moved closer and he leaned his left forearm on the mattress. "I guess I was nine or ten. I had gotten lost in the woods."
"Why were you in the woods?"
"I like bein' out there. Used to spend hours just walkin' 'round. Huntin'. Forgin' fer food."
"Hidin' from my old man when he wanted to beat the shit outta me," he thought and she could just see the sadness in his eyes.
"That day, my dad was away."
"Where was he?"
"Dunno. All I know was he was on a bender an' took off with some waitress."
"Where was your mom?"
"She… She's dead."
He hadn't thought about the day his mother died when he was eight in a long time and he felt Sophia wrap her tiny fingers around his fingers.
"What's a bender?" she asked and he snorted a laugh.
"He got really drunk."
"Like you and the others did back at the CDC?"
"Yeah."
"He just left?"
"Not the first time," he said then he became silent. "That day… I got bored an' decided to go fer a walk. Wasn't lookin' where I was goin', but I wasn't scared when I got lost."
He could just see her giving in a doubting look and he sighed, rolling his eyes.
"Ok. Maybe just a little scared."
"What did you do next?"
"I went lookin' fer food an' water."
"What did you eat?"
"Berries. Nuts. Grubs."
"Ew…," she said as she scrunched up her face.
"Grubs ain't that bad."
"What about when it got dark? Where did you sleep?"
"I slept on the ground under a tree."
"How long did it take you to get home?"
"Nine days," he said and she looked like she was going to cry.
"Didn't anyone go looking for you?"
"Nope."
He thought he heard Rick saying something as he looked behind him and he could just see Rick sleeping on the bed.
"Um…," Sophia said, but she wasn't sure if she should ask him what popped into her head. "What did you use for a toilet?"
"A tree," Daryl said with a small smile. He was enjoying talking to her and he barely squeezed her fingers. "Used leaves fer toilet paper if I took a shit."
"Ew…"
"It wasn't so bad. Until I accidentally used poison oak to wipe my ass."
She smiled as he shrugged his shoulders then he looked down at Carol when he thought he heard her giggle.
"What happened when you got home?" Sophia asked.
"I just went into the kitchen an' made a sandwich."
"Was your dad home?"
"Yeah. He acted like nothin' was wrong."
He could just see the hurt look on Sophia's face as he sighed and she moved a little closer.
"I would've gone looking for you," Sophia said and he felt a warm feeling building in his chest.
"Go to sleep." he said and she nodded. She let go of his hand as he moved the blankets up then he tucked the doll under the blankets. He watched her close her eyes then he started to stand, but something touched his right calf. He looked down and could barely see Carol looking at him. She moved one of the pillows out from under her head as she placed the pillow on the floor then she patted the floor.
"It's ok," Carol whispered. Daryl thought for a few seconds then he slid onto the floor and placed his head against the pillow. She could just see him as she studied his face and he looked up at the dark ceiling. "Just so you know, I would have gone looking for you, too."
"Me, too," came from the darkness as Daryl glanced over at the other bed then he slid his right arm under his head. He placed his left hand on his chest when he closed his eyes and Carol watched him drift off to sleep. She carefully slid her left hand on top of his left shoulder as she closed her eyes and the RV became quiet.
The next morning, Daryl opened his eyes when he saw everyone was gone and he sat up. He headed out of the room when he opened the door then he went in the small bathroom. He came out a few minutes later when he walked to the sink and used some water to wash his hands. He heard someone walking inside as he turned and he looked at Dale.
"Are you staying?" Dale asked.
"Yeah," Daryl said then he looked out the window. He saw Rick and Shane as he leaned his hands on the counter then he frowned.
"Want my advice?"
"No."
"I'm going to give it to you anyway. Walking away from the past is fine, but don't miss out what the future holds."
"You sound like a fuckin' greetin' card."
"Just think about it," Dale said as he walked by Daryl and Daryl held tightly onto the countertop.
Outside, Shane had his hands on his hips as he shook his head and Rick glared at him.
"Did Daryl come back?" Shane asked as he looked at the RV.
"Dale told me Daryl came back during the night. Told him to go get some sleep. If he wanted to leave, we wouldn't stop him," Rick explained and Shane frowned.
"You think he's gonna stay?"
"Dunno."
"Still think we're better off without him."
Rick opened his mouth to say something when the door to the RV opened and they watched Daryl walking outside. He had his crossbow strapped to his back and the backpack in his right hand while he walked to the white truck and he placed the backpack in the back of the truck. He then felt something touch his right hand when he saw Sophia standing next to him and he arched his eyebrows up.
"Mom wants to know if you want some breakfast," Sophia said. He looked at Carol when he reached out with his right hand and Sophia placed her left hand in his. They walked off as they moved by Rick and Shane and Shane saw the anger in Daryl's eyes.
"Are we gonna move 'em so we can get outta here or not?" Daryl asked, looking the vehicles.
"We can after you get something to eat," Rick said and Daryl nodded his head. They watched him walk off as Shane growled and Rick smiled, folding his arms over his chest.