Four days passed since they arrived at the interstate and they spent most of their time either moving the vehicles to make a path for the RV, fighting a small horde of Walkers or two or searching the vehicles for supplies.
Daryl had found a poncho in one of the cars and he had placed the poncho in the cab of the white truck. He also found some comic books in one of the cars and he, Carl and Sophia sat in a shady spot under a tree, reading them.
A few times, he noticed the sweet looks Carol gave him, but he dismissed them and he lightly shook his head.
The woods
Daryl led the way as he held onto the strap of the crossbow and he had stopped a few times to check the leaflitter. He nodded as they moved on then he stopped when he saw the tent. He held up his left hand as he slowly walked closer and he held the handle of the knife in his right hand.
"Be careful," Rick whispered and Daryl nodded. Daryl walked to the front of the tent when he slowly unzipped the tent flap enough for him to go inside then he went in the tent. He looked at the body of a man sitting in a camping chair with a gun sitting on the ground near the camping chair and Daryl sighed. He picked up the gun, tucking the gun in the back of his jeans then he picked up the boxes of ammunition.
"Daryl?" Carol called out and he found himself smiling.
"Hang on," Daryl said. Seeing nothing else in the tent, he walked out of the tent as he walked to Rick and he held out the gun and the boxes of ammunition.
"Find anything else?" Rick asked. Daryl looked at Sophia and Carl when he moved closer and Rick saw the look in Daryl's eyes.
"Found a body of some asshole. Decided to take the easy way out," Daryl whispered and Rick nodded.
The sudden sound of a church bell caused them to arm themselves with their weapons as they looked around and Glenn looked to his left.
"It's coming from that direction," Glenn said.
Daryl led the way as they ran down the path when they came upon a small church and they carefully moved closer. Rick and Daryl stood on either side of the door when Rick quickly opened the door and he looked inside. They walked inside the chapel as they looked around and Daryl walked to the alter. He looked at the statute of Christ as he closed his eyes and he did something he hadn't done in a long time.
He prayed.
Opening his eyes, he looked to see Sophia standing to his right and she reached over, taking hold of his right hand. He wrapped his fingers over hers as they heard the bell sound again and they ran outside. Glenn, Rick and Daryl ran around to the side of the church when Glenn saw the remote-control box and he sighed.
"It's on a timer," Glenn said with a defeated sound to his voice.
"Let's go," Rick said after Glenn turned the time off and they headed down the trail.
The interstate
Daryl walked to the guardrail as he turned and he helped Carol over the guardrail. She gave him a small smile then she nodded and he lowered his head. She was starting to like how shy he got around her and she barely moved her fingers over the back of his right hand. He lifted Sophia up and over the guardrail before climbing over the guardrail himself and they headed for the RV.
"Find anything?" Dale asked from his perch on top of the RV.
"Just a gun and some ammo," Daryl said, adjusting the strap of the crossbow.
"How's T-Dog?" Carol asked.
"He's feeling much better," Dale said and she nodded.
Daryl headed for the white truck when he looked at the motorcycle then he opened the back of the truck. Hopping onto the bed of the truck, he checked the motorcycle when he felt like someone was watching him and Daryl turned to see Shane standing near the back of the truck.
"Got somethin' you wanna say?" Daryl asked.
"Why did you come back?" Shane asked.
"I fergot my shit."
"Well, now that you got it, why don't you just get in the truck and go?"
"Why don't you shut yer mouth?"
"Look, if you and that piece of shit brother of yours had left when we told you to…"
"All of you would've fuckin' starved."
"We were doing just fine."
"Oh yeah!? Remember that time we ran outta food? If Merle an' I hadn't found that truck…"
"You kept most of it."
"That's because you pissed him off!"
"He wanted us to pay for the food!"
Daryl snorted a breath of air when he jumped out of the bed of the truck, closed the back of the truck and he started walking away. He felt Shane grab onto his left arm when Shane spun him around to face him and they locked eyes.
"You better let go of me," Daryl said with a small growl.
"Make me," Shane said with a blank look on his face.
Daryl's right hand slowly moved down to the handle of the knife in the holder on his belt when Rick walked to them and he pushed Shane's hand off of Daryl's arm.
"Stand down," Rick said to Daryl then Rick looked at Shane.
Glaring at Shane, Daryl walked away and Shane looked at Rick.
"We gotta get rid of him," Shane said.
"No."
"He was going for his knife."
"Only because you told him to make you let him go. Do me a favor. Leave him alone."
Rick walked away when he saw Daryl leaning against the trunk of one of the cars and Daryl had his arms folded over his chest.
"He shouldn't've touch me," Daryl grumbled.
"No, he shouldn't."
"Should've let me punch him."
"You were reaching for your knife."
"Ok. You should've let me stab him."
"That's not funny."
"Wasn't supposed to be."
"Just stay away from him. Ok?"
"He better stay away from me."
Rick watched Daryl walk away when Daryl saw Carl and Sophia near one of the cars and Daryl frowned.
"What the hell are you doin'?" he asked, walking closer.
"We were trying to get the doors open," Carl said.
Daryl tried to open the doors, but the doors were locked and he looked in the windows. He scrunched up his nose when he saw the dead body of a dog in the back and he sighed.
"Let's check another one," Daryl said as he looked at the cars then he walked to the blue hatchback. He checked the doors when the doors opened and he was able to get the hatchback open.
"Found something," Carl said as he removed the backpack and Daryl walked to him. Kneeling down on his haunches, Daryl opened the backpack when he looked through the boy's clothing and he handed the clothing to Carl. Daryl found a pair of sneakers as he looked at Carl's feet and Carl tried the sneakers on. "They're too small."
Daryl placed the sneakers back in the backpack while Sophia looked through the glove compartment and she found some chocolate bars.
"What about these?" Sophia asked and Daryl stood, walking to her. He removed the chocolate bars from the glove compartment, but the chocolate squished against his fingers and he shook his head.
"Hey, Daryl, look at this," Carl said as Daryl walked to him and Carl pointed to the leather vest sitting on top of the clothes. Daryl picked up the leather vest when he turned the leather vest around and he looked at the cloth angel wings. He slid the leather vest on as he rolled his shoulders and he looked at Carl and Sophia.
"What do you think?" Daryl asked.
"You look so cool!"
"Yeah. I like it," Sophia said.
Nodding, Daryl looked through the rest of the clothes when he felt like he was being watched and he turned to look back at Carol.
"Find something? Carol asked, walking closer.
"We found some clothes!" Carl said.
"Let's see."
Daryl stood back so she could look through the clothing and she shyly smiled at the leather vest he was wearing.
"You going to keep that?" she asked and Daryl looked down at the leather vest.
"Yep," Daryl said with a nod.
After they checked some of the other cars, they returned to the RV while Carol showed the others the clothing and Daryl walked to the white truck. He opened the back of the truck when he hopped onto the back of the truck and he removed the leather vest. Carefully, he folded the leather vest then he placed the leather vest in the backpack. He closed the backpack as he hopped off the back of the truck then he closed the back of the truck.
"Hey!" Daryl called out and Rick looked at him. "I'm gonna do a little huntin'."
"Be careful," Rick called back.
Nodding, Daryl walked to the guardrail when he hopped over the guardrail and he headed for the woods. He walked by the trees as the silence of the forest surrounded him and he took a deep breath of air.
A short time later, Daryl walked down the path as he scanned his surroundings and he listened for any sign of Walkers. He stopped when he thought he heard something and he held the crossbow in his hands. The sounds came from behind him as he turned and he saw Sophia standing near a tree.
"Hi," Sophia said and he lowered the crossbow.
"What the hell are you doin' here?" he asked, walking closer.
"I needed to give you this," she said as she handed him something wrapped in wax paper.
"How did you know which way I went?"
"You taught me how to track. Remember?" she asked with smug look.
"What's in here?" he asked while he opened the wax paper. He looked at the dried squirrel meat, some nuts and a few berries then he saw the compass and a few pieces of toilet paper.
"I got the toilet paper and the compass from Mister Dale. Thought you might need 'em. In case you get lost."
Snorting a laugh, he rolled his eyes when they headed back down the path. After walking for a few minutes, he saw the guardrail. He pointed as she nodded and he watched her head for the guardrail. Once he was sure she was safe, he tucked the wax paper onto the pocket of his jeans, turned and he headed back into the forest.
Later that day, Daryl hopped over the guardrail as he adjusted the strap of the crossbow and he slid the strings with dead rabbits tied to them into his left hand.
"Hey!" he called out as he held up the rabbits and Sophia and Carl ran to him.
"How many did you get?" Carl asked.
"Five."
He handed the strings to Carl and Sophia when he walked to Dale and he handed the compass to him.
"Thanks," Daryl said with a nod. Dale looked at the compass while Daryl walked away and Dale folded his fingers over the compass.
Daryl headed for Carol and Lori while they watched him walking closer and Daryl looked at Carol with a blank look on his face.
"What did I tell you about keepin' a better eye on Sophia? She followed me into the woods," he said, but he felt sorry for growling at her.
"Hey! Leave her alone!" Lori warned.
"It's alright," Carol said.
"No, it's not. He doesn't have the right to talk to you like that."
Carol saw the anger in his eyes as she pointed to the car to their left and Carol and Daryl walked to the car. She noticed Lori was watching them as Daryl looked down at their feet and he lightly kicked the ground.
"Look at me," Carol said.
He slowly lifted his head as they locked eyes and she saw the sad look on his face.
"Shit. Why did she have to do that? I just asked a question," he said with a sigh.
"Forget about Lori," she said with a tiny grin. "Now, to answer your question. I did know where Sophia was."
"It was still dangerous."
"That's why I asked Glenn to follow her."
Daryl thought he had seen Glenn following them back to the guardrail as he nodded his head and he cleared his throat.
"I… I thought it was kinda nice. What she did," he said, softly.
"Actually, it was my idea."
"Yours!?"
"Guess that story you told her the other night got to me."
"About me gettin' lost?"
"Yes. I can't imagine a parent not being scared out of their mind if they found out their child was missing."
"That's the thing. My old man? He didn't care."
Nodding, she looked over at Sophia and Carl showing Dale, Glenn and T-Dog the rabbits then she looked at Daryl. He was looking down at his feet and she knew he was shutting down. She poked him in the chest to get his attention and Daryl looked at her.
"Sorry," he said with a hurt look on his face.
"You don't have to say sorry. You were just concerned about her. Nothing wrong with that," she said.
"She ain't mine."
"Yeah, she isn't your daughter. But she is your friend. So am I."
"Damn," he whispered and she swore he was blushing. He turned to walk away as he headed for Sophia, Glenn, T-Dog and Carl and they headed inside the RV. She then noticed Lori watching them as well as Carol walked to her and Lori saw the anger in her eyes.
"Why did you do that?" Carol demanded.
"Why did I do what?" Lori asked.
"Why did you tell Daryl to leave me alone?"
"I was just looking after you."
"Daryl isn't Ed."
"I didn't say…"
"He also isn't Merle. Both of he and Ed were monsters."
"But…."
"Who was it who killed two deer and dragged them back to camp on their own?"
"Uh… Daryl."
"Who was it who taught us which berries, nuts and mushrooms were safe to eat?"
"Daryl."
"Who showed us where there was fresh water to drink?"
"Daryl."
"Damn right."
Carol stormed away as Lori frowned while Rick walked closer and he slid his arms around her. He pulled her closer as Lori sighed and he placed his chin on her left shoulder.
"What was that all about?" Rick asked. Lori explained as he looked at Carol leaning against the side of the RV and he held Lori a little tighter. "Guess you better go tell him you're sorry."
"Did you forget that he attacked you?" Lori asked.
"Only after I told him I handcuffed his brother to a pipe."
"He wanted to kill T-Dog and Jim."
"I stopped him."
"What about when we went to check on the Vatos? He was going to harm Sophia."
"No, he wasn't."
"What about what happened at the CDC?"
"He was scared. We all were."
"Shane told me he was going to stab him."
"I stopped him before he did that."
"Rick, why are you and Carol defending him!? He's dangerous!" she said as she moved away and Rick frowned. He watched her walking away when he heard a low growling sound and he ran to the ladder. He climbed up to the roof of the RV as he picked up the binoculars then he scanned the interstate. He lowered the binoculars after seeing a small horde of Walkers moving by the vehicles and he headed for the ladder.
"Walkers!" he called out and he climbed down the ladder.
Glenn, Dale, Daryl and T-Dog left the RV as Andrea ran inside to look after Carl and Sophia and Lori and Carol slid under the cars.
"Where are Lori and Carol!?" Rick asked.
"They ducked under those cars," Shane said, pointing to where they went.
Rick headed for the cars when he heard a low growling to his right and he turned, pointed the Colt Python at the two Walkers heading for him and he and Shane fired their guns. The Walkers' heads exploded as the bodies fell to the ground and Rick glanced over at the cars.
Lori looked out at Carol under the car across from her and they both felt a sense of déjà vu. She hushed Carol as Carol nodded and they watched the Walkers moving by the cars. Carol heard the gunfire as she sent a small prayer of thanks for Carl and Sophia being in the RV and she held her breath when a Walker stopped on front of the car. She heard the growling and gurgling as she wondered where Daryl was and she pulled her legs up to make herself smaller.
The Walkers headed by the vehicles while Daryl placed the crossbow on the hood of a car then he knelt down. He slid the knife out of the holder on his belt as he quickly looked up and he saw two Walkers heading for him. He ducked back down as he listened to the Walkers moving closer and he moved around to the back of the car. He stood up as he crept toward the female Walker then he slammed the knife into the side of Walker's head. He let the body drop when he stepped over the body and he slammed the knife into the head of a male Walker then he headed for the other female Walker. He slammed the knife into the side of the Walker's head as the body fell and he removed the knife. He quickly went back for the crossbow as he slid the strap across his chest and the crossbow thumped against his back. He headed for the male Walker when he grabbed onto the Walker's right arm, spun the Walker around then he slammed the knife into the side of the Walker's head. He pulled the knife out as the body fell when he turned and a cold chill moved through him
"Shit," he whispered while a Walker knelt down near the car where Lori was hiding and he half-ran toward the Walker.
Lori kicked at the Walker behind her as the Walker reached for her and her heart slammed in her chest. She could see the fear in Carol's eyes as Lori kicked then the Walker grabbed hold of her ankles. Lori tried to get away as the Walker pulled her closer and she closed her eyes. She started screaming as Carol closed her eyes and pulled her arms over her head.
"Rick!" Shane called out as he killed a Walker and he watched as the Walker pulling Lori out from under the car
"Lori!" Rick called out as he started running.
"Rick!" Lori called out when the Walker stiffened, let go of her ankles then the body fell to the ground. Lori turned as she saw the crossbow bolt sticking out of the right side of the Walker's head then she saw Daryl walking closer. He placed his right foot on the Walker's head and he pulled and the crossbow bolt came out of the Walker's head. He knelt down to look at Lori and she noticed his eyes were hard. She crawled out from under the car while Rick ran to Lori and he helped her to her feet. Daryl flicked the gore off the crossbow bolt before he walked to the other car and Rick looked at Lori.
"You good?" Daryl asked after he knelt down on his haunches and Carol moved her arms to look out at him. He didn't like the fear in her eyes, but he felt better as she grinned at him.
"I am now," Carol teased and he held his hands out. She took his hands as he helped her out from under the car and he gently held her shoulders in his rough hands. She watched his eyes move to check her for scratches or bites then he patted her shoulders.
"Mom!" made them turn as Carl and Sophia ran toward them and Carl headed for Lori and Rick. Sophia ran to Carol as they hugged and Daryl stood back. Sighing, Carol wiggled her finger for him to come closer and he nodded. He wasn't used to being hugged, but he didn't mind if Carol or Sophia hugged him and Carol leaned her head against his chest. She could just hear the thundering of his heartbeat as she looked up at him and he arched up his eyebrows.
"Want to help us make dinner?" Carol asked and he nodded. He slid his right arm around her shoulders as Sophia went to walk on the other side of him and they headed for the RV.
Rick held onto Lori and Carl while he watched Daryl, Carol and Sophia walking away then he looked at Lori. She looked pale, but unharmed and she had her right hand against his chest.
"Are you ok?" Shane asked as he ran to them and Lori looked at him.
"Yeah," Lori said with a nod.
"Maybe we should go check you out," Rick said, but she noticed the icy tone to his voice. She let him help her walk to the RV as Shane stood near the car and his balled his hands into fists.
Later that night, Daryl sat on the lawn chair on the roof of the RV as he looked into the darkness and he had the binoculars on his lap.
He didn't mind being outside at night.
He liked the darkness and the quiet.
"It ain't that quiet anymore," he whispered then he yawned, carefully stretched his arms over his head. He leaned back in the lawn chair when he heard what sounded like someone climbing up the ladder and he slid the knife out of the holder.
"It's me," made him place the knife away and Carol climbed onto the roof of the RV. She walked to the lawn chair as he looked at her and she knelt down on her haunches.
"What're you doin' out here?" Daryl asked.
"It's my turn to keep watch," she said, lightly touching his left hand. She was surprised with him not moving his hand away, but she did see him trying not to yawn.
"I still have a few minutes," he said, rubbing his knuckle against his left eye.
"I know. But you need sleep."
"Ain't tired."
"You look like you can barely keep your eyes open."
"I'm good."
"Go. To. Bed."
She saw him flinch at the stern tone of her voice and the sense of guilt moved through her.
"Please," she said in a soft voice. He looked at her then he stood up and she watched him walk to the ladder. He went down the ladder then stopped and he looked at her. "Goodnight."
"Yeah," he said with a nod. He hopped down the last few steps as he headed for the door and he went inside after he opened the door. Placing the crossbow against the wall, he carefully stepped over Dale, Glenn and T-Dog sleeping on the floor, looked at Andrea sleeping with the side of her head against the window and Shane snorted awake after Daryl purposely stepped hard onto his right foot. Daryl shrugged his shoulders when he walked in the back room and he saw Carl and Sophia sleeping in the sleeping bags on the floor. Rick was sleeping next to Lori on the bed to Daryl's right and Rick had his left arm draped over her. Daryl saw Lori's eyes were open as she looked at him and Daryl kept his face blank.
"Don't," Daryl said before she could say anything and she watched him get into bed. He turned so his back was facing her and Lori frowned, closed her eyes and she snuggled closer to Rick.