The morning sunlight caused the inside of his eyelids to turn brown as Daryl yawned and he rolled over onto his back. He opened his eyes when he looked out the window of his tent and he could just see the sun rising. The air was crispy and clean. He took in a deep breath through his nose then he slowly breathed out and his mind replayed the first time he saw a sunrise.

He was three years old.

He had run into the woods to hide from his father and he had spent the night in a hole in a trunk of a tree.

He hadn't slept.

His ears focused on every little sound.

His eyes were focused on the darkness.

Suddenly, the sky started changing color.

He watched the darkness disappear, but he had to close his eyes when the sunlight became too bright.

That was when someone grabbed him.

He started screaming, kicking his legs and thrashing his arms around as tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Whoa! Take it easy! It's me," Merle had said and he opened his eyes.

He had jumped into Merle's arms as he hugged his big brother and Merle had laughed.

They didn't go home.

They went to one of Merle's friends' houses and he went to sleep the moment Merle placed him on the couch.

"Seriously?!" startled him as he looked at the tent flap and he sat up on his elbows.

"Yes. Seriously," Rick's voice said.

"The sun isn't up yet," T-Dog's voice said.

"Get up!"

Snorting a laugh, Daryl sat up on the edge of the camping bed when he placed his head in his hands then he yawned.

"Daryl, you awake?" made him look to the tent flap and he could just see Carol standing in front of the tent flap.

"Yeah," Daryl said, getting up and he walked to the tent flap. She had given him back his clothes and boots and he was surprised to see she had repaired the holes in his shirt and jeans.

"Better get out here. Patricia's expecting us at the house for breakfast."

"Ain't hungry."

"Daryl…"

He was getting used to the stern tone to her voice as he smiled, went to put his boots on then he opened the tent flap. She quickly scanned him with her eyes then she pointed and they headed for the farmhouse.

The chickencoop

Beth smiled at them while Carol, Andrea, Lori, Sophia and Carl walked to her and the soft clucking of the chickens filled the air.

"Good morning," Beth said.

"Good morning," Lori said.

"Good morning," Andrea said.

"Good morning," Carol said.

"Mom, look at the chickens!" Sophia said and Carol smiled at her. Carol then noticed Daryl and Rick walking toward them and Daryl barely nodded his head.

"Hello. Your dad said we should learn how to do this," Rick said and Beth smiled.

"That's great," Beth said. She explained what they had to do, but Rick had a feeling something was wrong. He looked at the rooster and the chicks, but there were only a few hens.

"Where are the rest of the hens?" he thought.

Beth handed the small baskets to Carl and Sophia then she led them to where the egg boxes and Sophia and Carl reached in to gather the eggs.

Daryl and Rick helped place the feed into the buckets as they handed the buckets to Carol, Lori and Andrea and Daryl flinched slightly after his fingers brushed against Carol's fingers. She noticed a tiny speck of fear in his eyes and she want to take on whatever it was that was scaring him.

"Are you ok?" she whispered and he nodded his head. He picked up the bucket as he followed her to the hens and they took turns feeding the hens.

"Help!" Andrea said while she was surrounded by the hens and Beth laughed, making shooing noises to make the hens move away from her.

"Be nice," Carol warned in a soft voice after Daryl snorted a breath of air.

"Mom? Daryl? Look!" Sophia said, running to them. She had a small chick in her hands as she showed the chick to them and Carol smiled. Sophia held her hands out to Daryl as he looked at the chick and he blinked his eyes a few times. "Go on. It's not gonna bite you."

"I know," he grumbled, cupping his hands so she could place the chick in his hands. The chick made tiny peeping sounds as the chick moved around in the palms of his hands and Carol noticed the sweet look on Daryl's face. The chick looked up at him when Daryl felt something wet in his left hand and he frowned. "It just took a shit in my hand."

"Oooops!" Sophia said with a grin and she removed the chick from his hands. They watched her run to Carl then Carol removed a clean cloth from her pocket and she cleaned off Daryl's left hand.

"Thanks," he grumbled and she nodded her head. Rick and Beth walked to them as Daryl looked at Rick and he noticed the look in his eyes.

"Sorry, but I need to show you and Rick something," Beth said. They followed her when she picked up a sack, headed for the hens and she made sure Carl nor Sophia saw her place three hens in the sacks. She pointed to the building to their left as they walked to the building and Rick wondered what was going on. She led them inside the building as a strong smell of blood filled his nose and he made a small cough. "This way."

Daryl and Rick followed her when Beth stopped near the table and Daryl and Rick looked at the knives, bloodstains and feathers on the top of the table.

"Here," Beth said as she handed one of the sacked to Rick. The sack moved while the hen made loud clucking sounds and Rick frowned.

"What do you want me to do?" Rick asked.

"She wants you to kill the chicken," Daryl said.

"Oh."

After Beth showed them what to do, Rick and Daryl killed the hens as she reached for the sacks and they handed the sacks to her.

"Thanks," she said and they nodded. "Maggie's waiting for you at the cowshed."

Rick and Daryl left the chickencoop while Rick looked at his hands, sighed and he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

The cowshed

The cows stood in the stalls in the cowshed while Maggie led the way and Sophia and Carl smiled after seeing the cows. Lori, Andrea and Carol held onto the buckets while Maggie walked to one of the cows, turned and she looked at them.

"What're you doin'?" Daryl asked as he, Rick and Glenn walked in the cowshed and he looked at the cows.

"I was going to show them how to milk the cows," Maggie explained.

"Oh," he said as he leaned against the doorway. Daryl, Rick and Glenn listened to Maggie explaining what they had to do and Daryl noticed how Glenn was looking at Maggie.

"Want to give it a try?" Maggie asked, looking at Sophia and Carl.

"Yes," Sophia and Carl said and she and Carl walked to the stools. Maggie sild the bucket under the cow's udders as Sophia and Carl sat on the stool and Sophia looked over at Carol. Carol nodded as Sophia started to milk the cow and she lightly patted the cow's side.

"How's that?" she asked and Maggie looked in the bucket.

"That's pretty good," Maggie said with a smile.

Carl frowned as he tried to milk the cow then he lightly patted the cow's side and the cow turned to lightly nudge him with its head.

"That's not half bad for a first try," Maggie said, looking in the bucket.

"Thanks," Carl said with a small smile.

After the kids stood and headed for their mothers, Daryl watched while Andrea, Carol and Lori tried to milk a cow and he and Glenn tried hard not to laugh when the cow nearly pushed Andrea off the stool.

"You think you can do better?" made Daryl and Glenn look at Maggie and she had her arms crossed under her breasts.

"Uh…," Glenn said.

Daryl walked to the cow when he lightly patted the cow's back then he sat on the stool. They watched while he reached for the bucket, placed the bucket under the udder and Daryl started milking the cow. He gently patted the cow's side every now and then as the cow softly mooed and Daryl barely tipped the bucket so he could look at the milk.

"Damn," Maggie whispered as Daryl stood up and he walked to Rick.

"Where did you learn how to milk a cow?" Rick whispered, but Daryl just gave him a blank look.

"What about you guys? Want to give it a try?"

Rick and Glenn walked to the cows as they sat on the stools and Maggie placed buckets under the udders.

Rick rubbed his hands together before he started milking the cow and he glanced at Maggie.

"Learned how when I was in the Boy Scouts. It was for a farming merit badges," he said and she nodded.

"Shit!" Glenn said after the cow nearly kicked him and he landed on his bottom.

"Guess you were pullin' too hard," Daryl said.

"Yeah."

A few minutes later, the cows were milked and they left the cowshed. Rick walked near Daryl as they headed for the stone well and Daryl glanced at him.

"Farm camp," Daryl said in a soft voice.

"What?" Rick asked.

"When I was thirteen, Merle and I got arrested fer stealin' stuff. Merle got three years in jail. I got three months at a JUV farm camp."

"That's where you learned how to milk cows and kill chickens?"

"Yeah."

"Why didn't you say so?"

Daryl glanced over at Shane as Rick followed his eyes then Rick nodded. They kept walking when they stopped at the stone well and Daryl looked at Hershel, Otis, Jimmy and T-Dog standing next to the stone well.

"What's wrong with the well?" Rick asked.

"Even though we do have running water in the house, we use the well to water the horses, cows and chickens," Hershel explained. "Or we did."

He moved some of the wooden boards as they walked closer and they looked down into the well. The sunlight shimmered on the water below, but it was the swollen male Walker looking up at them which made them back up.

"How did that get in there?!" Glenn asked while the Well Walker reached up for them.

Hershel didn't answer.

Rick and Glenn looked at each other while Daryl walked closer to the well and Daryl looked down at the Well Walker.

"How're we gonna get it out?" Daryl asked, looking at Hershel.

"I have some rope," Hershel said and Otis held up two long cords of rope.

"That's fine, but we need someone light enough to go down there and make it reach up so we can put another rope around it," Rick said.

"Someone light…," Glenn said when he realized who Rick was talking about and he sighed. "Shit."

A few seconds later, Glenn sat on a plank of wood tied to the rope while they lowered him down into the well and the smell coming off the Well Walker nearly made him vomit.

"Why did I let them talk me into this?" Glenn whispered.

"Try moving around to attract its attention." T-Dog called down with a grin and Glenn glared up at him. Glenn looked down at the Well Walker as the Well Walker reached for him and Glenn kicked his feet to knock its hands away. "Whoa! Not that much!"

"Wanna come down here and do this?!" Glenn called up.

"Knock it off, you two," Rick warned. Daryl and Dale lowered the end of the other rope to Glenn as Glenn caught the looped end in his hands then he looked down at the Well Walker.

"Here goes nothing," Glenn whispered. He made the loop bigger when he dropped the loop over the Well Walker after it reached up then he pulled on the rope. Dale, Rick and Daryl pulled until the loop tightened around the Well Walker and the Well Walker growled. "Ok. Pull me up!"

"Hang on!" Daryl said. He, Otis and Rick starred pulling on the rope as Glenn rose upward, but they didn't notice the rope was scraping along the stones of the well. He looked up when he noticed the rope was fraying and he reached up, taking hold of the rope. "What are you…!?"

The rope snapped as the plank of wood fell onto the Well Walker's head and the Well Walker roared. Glenn hung onto the rope when he anchored his feet on the stone and he started climbing. When he got to the top of the well, Rick and Daryl helped him out of the well and Glenn went onto the ground, rolling onto his back.

"Shit! I am never doing that again!" Glenn said as he panted. Shane helped Glenn to his feet when they looked down at the Well Walker then they looked at the rope.

"Right. Let's do this," Rick said.

Taking hold of the rope, Rick, Glenn, Daryl, Otis and Jimmy started pulling on the rope and T-Dog and Hershel watched the Well Walker slowly rising out of the water. They kept pulling until the Well Walker was half-way out of the well, but, suddenly, the Well Walker became stuck.

"Now what?" Otis asked.

"Keep pulling!" Rick called out.

They kept pulling as the stone cut into the Well Walker and the Well Walker started thrashing around. Daryl and Otis dug in their heels as they pulled harder and the Well Walker moved a few inches.

"It's not working!" Glenn called out.

"Keep pulling!" Rick called out again.

The Well Walker was bellowing as it thrashed around and they pulled. With a sickening, tearing sound, the bottom half of the Well Walker tore off as the bottom half fell back into the well and the top half rested on the ground.

"Fuck," Daryl whispered.

Rick removed the Python Colt out of the holster on his belt when he took aim and fired two bullets into the Well Walker's head. Placing the Python Colt back in the holster, Rick looked at Hershel and Hershel frowned.

"Jimmy, take them to the stable," Hershel said and they watched him walk away.

Otis and Jimmy led Daryl, Rick and Glenn to the stable as they walked inside the stable and Daryl looked at the horses. He never felt comfortable around horses. Sighing, he shook his head and he leaned against the wall.

"Ok, guys, you ready to help clean out the stalls?" Jimmy asked.

"Are you kidding me?!" Shane asked with a disgusted look while he and Dale walked in the stable.

"Shane…," Rick warned.

"So, what do we do first?" Dale asked.

"Let me introduce you to the horses," Jimmy said. He led them to the stalls as he told them which horse was which and Daryl looked at Nellie. "That's Nellie."

Nodding, Daryl scanned the stable with his eyes while he listened to what Jimmy wanted them to do, but he was started after Nellie nudged his back with its head.

"She likes you."

"Yeah," Daryl said then he went to get a shovel and a broom. He opened the stall door when he walked inside the stall and Nellie watched him move by her. He gently patted her back when he started cleaning the stall and he smiled when Shane started complaining.

"Nothing wrong with some good hard work," Dale said.

"Yeah. Right," Shane said with a sigh then he dodged out of the way when the horse tried to kick him. "Shit!"

"Shane, go get some hay for the horses," Rick said and Shane skulked out of the stable.

"Asshole," Daryl grumbled and Nellie nudged his left shoulder with its head. Nodding, he went back to cleaning the stall then he walked out of the stall, placing the handles of the broom and the shovel against the wall.

"Are you done?" Jimmy asked.

"Yeah."

"Then go to the house and take a shower."

"Uh… Sure."

Daryl left the stable as he walked toward the farmhouse then he stopped. He looked down at his dirty hands and arms, dirty clothes and boots as the wind shifted and he smelt the sour smell moving up his nose.

"Shit," he whispered. He walked to the farmhouse when the screen door opened and Patricia walked onto the porch.

"Are you done with your chores?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Go take a shower."

Patricia noticed him flinching from her stern tone as she felt her stomach hurting and he looked down at the ground.

"The bathroom is at the top of the stairs. Second door on the right. Leave your clothes and boots outside the door."

Nodding, Daryl walked to the screen door as he opened the screen door, walked inside and he headed for the stairs. He went upstairs then he walked in the bathroom and he closed the door. He saw some clean towels, a washcloth and a bar of homemade soap and he looked at the door.

"Need any help?" came from behind the door.

"No," Daryl said. He got undressed when he opened the door enough to hand out his clothes and boots and he barely saw the smile on Patricia's face. "Check my pockets."

"Ok. Now, the water's not hot…"

"I'm used to cold showers."

"Alright," she said with a nod and he closed the door. She headed down the hallway when she heard the sound of water running and she placed her hand on the railing. "Can't get clean just by running the water."

"I know!" came from behind the door.

"Don't forget to use soap."

She could just picture him scowling as she laughed then she headed downstairs.

The camp

The sky was dark while the low firelight flickered in the darkness and Daryl sat on the ground outside his tent. He was looking at his fingernails as he tilted his head to one side then he looked up when he heard someone walking to him.

"Hey," Carol said, sitting on the ground next to him.

"Hey," he said, arching his back a bit.

"Feeling a little sore?"

"Maybe."

"Me, too."

They sat in silence when Daryl thought he heard something and he stood up. Carol watched him pick the crossbow off the ground when he slid the strap over his right shoulder then he placed his right index finger against his lips. She got to her feet as he pointed toward the darkness and they headed for the fence. He scanned their surroundings with his eyes as they walked along the fence line then he stopped. She watched him lean his forearms over the top of the fence then he placed one ankle over the other. She went to stand next to him as he looked up at the moon and she could just see his profile.

"What're you lookin' at?" he asked after a few seconds.

"You," Carol said.

"Why?"

"No reason."

They became quiet when he pushed of the top railing of the fence then he started walking again. She followed him as he held onto the strap, but he didn't say anything or look at her.

"No offense, but you smell nice," Carol said.

"Must be all those showers I've been takin' lately," he said.

"Yeah, that must be why."

She wasn't sure, but she thought she saw him make a tiny smile and she arched her eyebrows up. They kept walking until Daryl held up his right hand to stop her and he raised the crossbow. He scanned their surroundings with his eyes then he lowered the crossbow. Nodding, they started walking again and Carol noticed they were heading for the barn.

"Wanna know something?" Carol asked in a soft voice.

"What?" he asked.

"Not sure why, but there's something wrong with this barn,"

"Yeah. There is."

"Wanna go inside?"

"No," he said with a shake of his head when he thought he heard something and he turned, going back the way they came. Sighing, Carol went to catch up with him and they walked side-by-side. "Farm camp."

"What?"

"I told Rick that's where I learned how to milk a cow."

"What kind of summer camp teaches farming?"

"It wasn't a summer camp. It was a work camp."

"A…work camp?"

She waited for him to answer when he sighed then he told her what he told Rick. He waited for her to walk away with a disgusted look on her face, but she just looked into his eyes.

"Stop," he grumbled, looking away.

"Stop what?"

"Stop lookin' at me like that. I don't need yer pity."

"If that's what you think, I'm sorry."

He blinked his eyes a few seconds while she reached for his right hand and he slid her hand into his. He wrapped their fingers together while she walked closer and he tilted his head to one side.

"We need to get back," he said, softly.

"Why?"

"Sophia might be wonderin' where you are."

"She's asleep."

"She might wake up."

"Are you trying to get rid of me?"

Daryl pressed his lips into a tight line when he heard something behind him and he let go of her hand. She was amazed with how fast he could arm himself with the crossbow, take aim then fire and she heard a soft yelp coming from the darkness. He placed the crossbow against his back when he walked into the darkness and she waited for him to return.

"Daryl?" she whispered. She heard footsteps when he walked out of the darkness and he had something in his right hand. He was holding onto a crossbow bolt and a fox carcass was dangling down from the crossbow bolt.

"You hungry?" he asked, holding up the crossbow bolt and she smiled at him.