The woods were quiet as Daryl walked by the trees and he held the crossbow in his hands. He scanned his surroundings with his eyes when he turned his head to the right and he could just see Shane, Rick and Carl.
Rick had decided to teach Carl how to hunt and Daryl lightly shook his head. His father and Merle had taught him to hunt when he was around four and he remembered his father hitting him on the back of the head when he failed to bag a squirrel.
"Asshole," Daryl whispered. He walked down the trail when he thought he heard something and he headed left. He walked by the bushes then he stopped. In front of him was a heavy built man with a bald head and the man was wearing a dark shirt, jeans and brown work boots. The man held the rifle in his hands while kneeling in the bushes and Daryl cautiously moved closer.
Turning right, Daryl saw a large deer slowly moving out from the bushes and he took aim with the crossbow. He lowered the crossbow after seeing Carl heading for the deer and Daryl looked back at the man.
"If he fires, the bullet could go through the deer and hit Carl," Daryl thought. He carefully walked to the man while he kept an eye on the deer and Carl then he lightly kicked the man's right foot.
"Put the rifle down," Daryl whispered. The man was startled, but he was calm enough not to fire the rifle and he turned to look at Daryl.
"Who are you?" the man whispered.
"You first."
"Otis."
"Daryl," Daryl said then he looked at the deer. "Get up. Gotta show you somethin'."
Otis carefully stood up when Daryl pointed and they walked by the deer. Otis' eyes widened when he noticed where Carl was standing and he looked from Carl to the rifle then back.
"Shit," Otis whispered.
'Yeah."
They watched Carl walking closer to the deer while the deer grazed on the grass, occasionally looking at him, and Carl held out his right hand. The deer seemed calm enough as Carl lightly placed his right hand on the soft hide and the deer raised its head. He was surprised when the deer lightly nudged him and Carl smiled. He moved back when he slowly walked to Rick and Shane and Carl smiled.
"That was so cool," Carl whispered.
"Yeah," Rick whispered, ruffling Carl's hair.
Suddenly, rifle fire filled the air as they ducked and the deer fell to the ground. Rick saw a crossbow bolt sticking out of the deer's neck when he watched Otis and Daryl walking out of the bushes and Rick, Carl and Shane stood up. Rick then noticed where the deer was standing as he looked at Carl then at Otis and he glared at Otis.
"What were you thinking!? You could've shot my son!" Rick said.
"That's why he stopped me," Otis said, looking at Daryl then he looked back at Rick. "Who are you?"
"I'm Rick Grimes. This is my son, Carl. Daryl. Shane," Rick said. Otis gave Carl an apologetic look, but there was something about Shane which caused Otis to hold tightly onto the rifle.
"Is it just the four of you?"
"Why do you want to know?" Shane asked and Rick glared at him.
"We have some more people," Rick said.
"That's why we're out here. We're runnin' out of food," Carl said. Otis' eyes widened as he looked at the deer and Otis nodded his head.
"Then you better take the deer," Otis said with a small smile.
"No. Not if you need it," Rick said and Shane's eyes widened.
"Rick….," Shane hissed.
"We could share it," Carl said, looking at Rick.
"I'd have to ask Hershel," Otis said.
"Is that your leader?" Rick asked.
"More like my boss."
"Where is your camp?"
"It's not a camp. It's a farm. Come on. I'll show you."
"What do you think?" Daryl asked.
Rick thought for a few seconds when he sighed and he placed his hands on his hips.
"Shane, go back and tell the others what's going on," Rick said.
"What about Carl?" Shane asked.
Otis and Rick noticed he didn't ask about Rick or Daryl and a small growl filled Rick's throat.
"I wanna go with Dad," Carl said.
Daryl and Rick noticed the hurt look in Shane's eyes as Shane nodded then he turned, heading down the path.
"Let's go," Otis said.
Daryl watched him tie a rope around the deer's front legs then Otis started dragged the deer down the path and Daryl frowned.
"Hold up," Daryl said.
He walked to the deer when he tied a rope around the deer's hind legs, stood and Otis was shocked when Daryl pulled the back of the deer slightly off the ground.
"Damn," Otis whispered.
They headed down the trail while Rick looked down at Carl and Carl smiled up at him.
The interstate
Lori watched Shane climbing over the guardrail as she and Carol walked closer and she saw the worried look on his face.
"Shane, where are Rick and Carl?" Lori asked. Carol noticed she didn't mention Daryl and Carol crossed her arms over her stomach. Shane explained while Carol looked toward the woods and Lori frowned. "Do you trust him? Otis?"
"No, I don't," Shane said.
"Well, Daryl's with them. He'll make sure nothing will happen to them," Carol said.
"That's supposed to make me feel better?"
"Shane….," Lori warned.
"What do you think we should do?" Carol asked.
"About what?" Dale asked. He, Glenn, T-Dog and Andrea walked closer as Lori explained and Dale frowned. "It's got to be a trap."
"Yeah," Glenn said with a nod. He looked at Shane as Glenn titled his head to one side and he frowned. "Why the hell didn't you go with them?"
"Rick told me to come back here," Shane explained.
"Yeah. Sure," Dale thought. His mind replayed the time that he, Rick and Shane had gone hunting and he had found Shane pointing his rifle at Rick's head.
"What should we do?" T-Dog asked.
"I guess we have to wait for them to come back," Lori said as she looked at the woods and a strong sense of panic and worry moved through her.
The Greene Farm
Otis led the way while he and Daryl held onto the deer and Rick looked at the scene spreading out before him.
Fences separated the paddocks and the cows grazed on the grass.
A paved road led to the gate with GREENE FARM painted in green letters on the sign above the gate.
The wooden buildings looked like an old ranch house and some sheds and there was a stone well.
Rick looked at the barn, the cowshed, the stable and the chick coops, but there was something about the barn which sent out red flags and a sense of danger.
Daryl noticed the truck, the SUV and a minivan sitting next to the farmhouse and there was a hill a short distance from the stable.
"Nice," Rick said and Carl nodded. Rick and Carl followed Otis and Daryl while they walked toward the farmhouse when the screen door opened and a white hair man holding a double barrel shotgun walked outside.
"Otis, who are these men?" Hershel Green asked, aiming the shotgun at Rick.
"We mean you no harm!" Rick said, holding his hands up in surrender. He saw Daryl was pointing the crossbow at Hershel and Rick rolled his eyes. "Stand down."
"Him first," Daryl grumbled.
"Hershel. It's alright. They just helped me bring the deer home," Otis said. Hershel glanced at the deer lying on the ground then he looked at Rick.
"Who are you?" Hershel asked.
"I'm Rick Grimes," Rick said.
"Where are you from?"
"King County," he said then he looked at Carl. "This is my son, Carl."
"Who is he?" Hershel asked, pointing the shotgun at Daryl.
"Daryl," Rick said, looking at Daryl and Daryl still had the crossbow pointed at Hershel. "I said stand down."
"Fine," Daryl said with a sigh and he lowered the crossbow. Hershel noticed the hurt look on Daryl's face when he lowered the shotgun then he walked down the stairs.
"Are you clean?" Hershel asked.
"Yeah," Rick said with a nod of his head.
"Dad, what's going on?" made them look at the screen door and Rick looked at the two, young women.
"Hello," Rick said and the young women looked at each other.
"Hey," Maggie Greene said.
"Hello," Beth Greene said. Daryl saw her looking at him as he turned his back to her and he looked down at his feet.
"What are you doing here?" Hershel asked.
"They helped me bring the deer back," Otis said and Maggie could just see the deer.
"Thanks."
"Uh… Hershel, I need to tell you something," Otis said and Hershel frowned. Otis motioned for him to follow him as they walked off and Daryl looked at Rick.
"This doesn't look good," Daryl said.
"Just relax until we find out what Otis is telling him," Rick said.
They watched Otis and Hershel walking back to them and Hershel looked down at the deer.
"How many people are in your group?" Hershel asked. Daryl looked at Rick as Rick had a silent conversation with himself, but there was something about Hershel that Rick trusted.
"Including us? Eleven. We had a few more, but some of them died after our camp was attacked," Rick explained and Hershel nodded.
"Otis," Hershel said and Otis walked to stand next to him. "Take the truck and go get his people."
"What if they don't want to come here?" Otis asked.
"They will if I go with you," Rick said. He looked at Carl then Daryl and Daryl titled his head to one side. "Keep Carl safe."
"I will," Daryl said with a nod.
"Be careful, Dad," Carl said. Nodding, Rick followed Otis to the red truck and they got inside the cab of the truck. Daryl stood behind Carl as they watched the truck head down the path then Daryl looked at Hershel.
The interstate
Rick looked straight ahead as Otis carefully steered around the other vehicles and Rick leaned back in the seat. It didn't take long to find the turn off which lead from the farm to the interstate and Rick wondered if Lori and the others would go with him back to the farm.
"There," Rick said as he pointed to the RV and Otis stopped the truck. They got out of the truck while Rick watched Lori walking closer and Otis looked at the others.
"Where's Carl?" Lori asked after hugging Rick.
"He's safe. Daryl's with him," Rick said.
"That's not what I asked."
Otis saw the look on her face at the mention of Daryl's name and he leaned against the front of the truck.
"Rick, where's Carl?!" Shane asked, walking closer and the feeling Otis had about Shane grew.
"He's with Daryl," Rick said.
"Are you nuts?!"
"Not now!"
Otis saw the glare Rick gave Shane as Shane growled and Shane's fingers flexed in and out.
"Who's this?" Dale asked as he and the others walked closer and Otis saw the concerned look on Carol's face.
"Rick, where's Daryl?" Carol asked.
"He's safe," Rick said with a nod. He explained who Otis was, about the deer, the farm and Hershel wanting to meet them and Dale frowned.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Dale asked.
"They seem to be willing to help us," Rick said, looking at Otis. "Right?"
"That's up to Hershel," Otis said.
"Look…," Rick said as he looked at the others and he held Lori to his right side. "If I thought it was a trap, I wouldn't have left Carl or Daryl behind."
Otis saw the looks they gave each other when he mentioned Daryl and he wondered if he was wrong about taking them back to the farm.
"I wanna see the farm, Mom," Sophia said and Carol smiled down at her.
"Me, too," Carol said.
Rick looked at the others while he waited for their answer and he felt a sense of relief when Dale headed for the RV and the others headed for the cars. He watched them get into the RV and cars then he thought about Daryl's truck. He walked to the white truck while he looked at the motorcycle and the urge to leave it behind moved through him.
"Better not," Rick whispered, opening the door and he got in the truck and he closed the door. The inside of the truck smelt of cigarette smoke and beer and he sighed, starting the engine.
A few minutes later, the RV and the vehicles followed Otis' truck and they headed down the road.
The Greene Farm
Daryl and Carl were sitting on the steps when Daryl saw the vehicles moving down the road and he stood. Daryl and Carl went down the stairs while the vehicles stopped then the doors opened and Carl smiled when he saw Lori.
"Mom!" Carl called out and she ran to him. Daryl heard the sound of the screen door opening as he turned and Hershel, Maggie and Beth walked outside. Hershel had introduced him to Patricia and Jimmy and Daryl saw them standing at the screen door.
"Daryl!" made him turn around while Sophia ran to him and he didn't stop her when she wrapped her arms around him.
"Are you ok?" Carol asked, walking closer and he nodded his head. They didn't notice the small smile on Hershel's face while he watched how Daryl interacted with them and Hershel headed down the stairs.
"Welcome," Hershel said and Rick led Carl and Lori to him.
Dale and the others walked closer while Rick made the introductions and Hershel scanned them with his eyes. The only one who was giving off red flags was Shane as Shane glared at Daryl and Daryl glared back.
"Where's the deer?" Shane asked.
"We put it in the shed," Daryl said.
"You gave it to them!?"
"No. Put it in there to keep the bugs off it."
"Yeah. Right."
"Shane. That's enough," Rick said then he looked at Hershel. "I think we need to talk."
"I think you're right," Hershel said and he, Rick, Lori and Carl went inside the house.
"What do you think they're going to talk about?" Carol asked and Daryl looked at the screen door.
"Dunno. Maybe you and Sophia should go wait in the truck," Daryl said, looking at the white truck. He saw Merle's motorcycle as he blinked his eyes a few times and he sighed. Nodding, Carol led Sophia to the truck while Dale walked to him and Daryl looked at Dale.
"Where are they going?" Dale asked.
"I told 'em to get in the truck."
"Why?"
"Just in case he says we can't stay."
They went silent for a few seconds when he noticed Dale was going to say something and he turned, walking to the truck.
"Still think he's up to something," Shane said and Dale looked at him.
"Hold on. If it wasn't for Daryl, Carl could have been killed," Dale reminded him and Shane snorted a breath of air.
"You don't know that."
"You don't know either."
Shane watched Dale walk away as he glared over at the white truck and Daryl closed the door.
"Do you think he'll let us stay?" Sophia asked.
"Dunno. Maybe," Daryl said and Sophia leaned closer. He slid his right arm over her shoulders as he looked at the house and Carol lightly patted his arm.
A short time later, the screen door opening and Rick, Lori, Carl and Hershel walked outside.
"Looks like they're done talkin',' Daryl said.
They got out of the white truck while they walked to the others and Daryl saw the look on Rick's face.
"Right…," Rick started as he looked at Hershel. "Hershel is allowing us to stay until we figure out what to do next. But only if we pull our own weight."
"What do you mean?" Glenn asked. He noticed Maggie looked him over with her eyes as he made a tiny smile and she nodded her head.
"It means you will have to help out on the farm," Hershel said then he looked at T-Dog. Rick had told Hershel about T-Dog's arm as Hershel looked at the bandage and T-Dog also looked at it. "Is it alright if I take a look at your arm?"
"Sure," T-Dog said. He followed Hershel inside the farmhouse while Maggie and Beth showed Rick where they could set up camp and they went to move the vehicles.
The shed
Jimmy opened the door while they walked inside and Rick, Glenn, Dale, Shane, Carl and Daryl looked at the deer carcass lying on the floor.
"Do any of you know how to skin a deer?" Jimmy asked.
"I do," Dale said.
"Yeah, I do," Shane said.
"Yep," Rick said, but he didn't want to say he had gotten sick when the deer's stomach was cut open.
"Nope," Glenn said and Carl shook his head.
They looked at Daryl when Daryl walked over to where an axe was sitting against the wall and he picked up the axe. He walked back to them while Shane stood in front of Carl and Carl frowned, looking up at him.
"Put that down," Shane said.
"Shut up," Daryl said when he looked at Jimmy then he looked at the deer. "Pick up that leg."
Jimmy picked up the deer's right foreleg when Daryl lifted the axe over his head, swung the axe down and cleanly cut off the deer's leg.
"Cool," Carl said with wide eyes.
"Put the leg on the floor."
Jimmy placed the deer's leg on the floor as he held onto the deer's leg and Daryl looked at the spot where the hoof connected to the leg. With a small grunt, Daryl raised the axe, swung the axe down and he cut the hoof off.
"Where do you put this?" Daryl said, picking the hoof off the floor.
"In there," Jimmy said, pointing to the box near the dor. Nodding, Daryl walked to the box when he dropped the hoof into the box then he walked back to Jimmy. Daryl pointed the axe to the other foreleg and, a short time later, he had removed the deer's legs and head. Jimmy had gone to get him a few bottles of water as Daryl sat against the wall, opened the first bottle and Daryl took a long drink of water.
"Psycho," Shane whispered and Rick glared at him.
"What do you do with the left-over parts and the guts?" Carl asked, looking at Jimmy.
"We take them out into the woods and dump them," Jimmy explained.
"Give back to the forest what you take from the forest," Daryl said, taking another drink of water.
"Right."
"So, now what?" Glenn asked and Daryl got off the floor. Daryl walked back to the deer when he knelt down on a clean spot on the floor and he removed the knife from his belt. He showed them how to remove the hide off the deer, placed the hide on a clean spot on the floor, then he showed them how to remove the meat. Jimmy had gotten him a plastic container for the meat and Daryl nodded.
"Hey, Carl, wanna see what this deer ate before it died?" Daryl asked.
"Yeah!" Carl said with wide eyes and a big smile. Daryl explained to Carl how to examine the inside of a deer's stomach while he cut into the deer and he noticed the pale looks on Glenn and Rick's faces. Jimmy brought over a container for the deer's internal organs and Carl placed the bones in the box.
"Let's go," Jimmy said as he picked up one of the plastic containers then he looked at the axe. "Leave that near the door. I'll clean it later."
Nodding, Daryl placed the axe near the door as he went to pick up one of the plastic containers and they left the shed. Daryl adjusted the hold of the plastic container as they walked to the house, but he had a feeling someone was watching him. Daryl slightly turned to see Shane looking at him and Daryl sighed, turning back around.
As they approached the farmhouse, Patricia opened the backdoor and they placed the plastic containers on the ground.
"Hershel said you can use the shower to wash up and I'll clean your clothes and boots if you want," she said as they nodded and she stood back so they could go inside. She looked at Daryl as he silently decided if he wanted to go into the house or not then he shook his head, placed the plastic container on the ground, turned and he walked away. Frowning, she shrugged her shoulders then she picked up the plastic container, went inside and the door closed behind her.
Daryl headed for the camp while he looked at the blood on his hands and he frowned.
He knew why he didn't want to take a shower as he puffed out a breath of air and he walked faster.
"Daryl," made him stop walking when he saw Carol heading for him and she looked at the blood on his hands, clothes and a little blood on his face. "You're a mess."
"Yeah," he said with a nod.
"Need help cleaning up?"
"Nah."
Carol knew he could take care of himself, but the mother in her felt like she had to do something and she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Go in your tent, remove your clothes and boots and I'll wash them while you get cleaned up," she said and he frowned.
"You don't…"
"Now," she said in a stern voice and she winced from seeing the fear in his eyes. He walked to his tent, went inside, closed the flap and Carol smiled when he handed out the clothes and boots.
"Anything else?"
"Nope."
"What about your socks and underwear?"
"I put 'em in my boots."
"Ok."
He moved the tent flap back enough to watch her walking away then he moved back the tent flap.
Carol headed for the table when she placed the clothes and boots on the table and she emptied the boots and the pockets of Daryl's jeans. She found his lighter, a crumpled pack of cigarettes, a pocket knife and what looked like a loop of fishing line with a hook on the end topped with a piece of cork. She took his things back to the tent when she thought she saw him sitting on the cot and she cleared her throat.
"What?" he called out.
"Found some things in the pockets of your jeans," she said.
"Just leave 'em."
"Ok."
She placed his things on the ground in front of the tent as she turned to walk away and she heard the sound of the zipper opening. She turned in time to see his right hand reaching for his things and he pulled them inside.
"Thanks," came from behind the tent flap as he zipped the tent flap shut and she smiled, shook her head then she walked away.