The morning sunlight woke her while Carol yawned, rolled over onto her right side and she opened her eyes. She watched Daryl sleep when he made a soft humming sound, wiggled slightly then he slid his right hand out from under the pillow. She lightly moved her left index finger over the back of his hand, but she was slightly startled when he pulled his hand back.
"Nnnnnh," he grumbled. He had scrunched his face up, turned his head so he was no longer facing her and he pulled the pillow up.
"Daryl," caused his eyes to open. He heard the sadness in her voice. The sudden feeling of her fingers moving through his hair made him flinch and he felt her fingers moving away.
"Don't," he grumbled.
"Fine," she said and he felt the bed moving as she started to get out of bed.
"Don't stop."
"What did you say?"
"I said don't stop."
She moved closer. Her fingers moved toward his hair as she started carding the top of his head and he looked at the wall. She brushed some hair way from his ear as he sighed and she leaned closer. He felt her lips on the top of his ear and he blinked his eyes a few times. She moved back when he rolled onto his back, looked up at her and Carol snuggled down next to him. She placed her head against his shoulder then she placed the palm of her left hand against the center of his chest and he looked at the ceiling.
"Sorry," Daryl grumbled.
"Me, too," Carol said, moving her fingers in small circles against his skin. He took a staggering breath as he swallowed the lump in his throat and she kissed his shoulder.
"I mean about movin' my hand away."
"Were you having a bad dream?"
"No. Just scared me."
"Oh."
Carol moved to place her head at the center of his chest and Daryl wrapped his arms around her. She listened to the soft and steady thrumming of his heartbeat when they heard the tiny cry coming from the crib and Daryl's chest vibrated as he silently laughed.
"I'll get him," Carol said, moving off of him. Daryl sat up after she turned on the light, got out of bed and she walked to the crib. Picking the baby up, she walked to the dresser when she placed Henry on the small changing pad and she started to change his diaper.
"I asked Rick why it was so easy fer him to trust me, to let me in, but he couldn't do the same with Merle," Daryl suddenly said and she looked at him,
"What did he say?" she asked.
"That he had seen guys like Merle back when he was a cop. That most of those guys either ended up in jail or they ended up dyin'. He's right. Most of the guys that Merle knew ended up goin' to jail or dyin'."
Nodding, Carol put the dirty diaper in the plastic container near the dresser when she used some baby wipes to clean her hands, placed them in the plastic container then she picked up Henry. She walked to the bed when she handed the baby to Daryl and she got in bed. Daryl held Henry on his lap after bending his legs up and Henry blinked his eyes a few times.
"What do you think Merle has to do fer Rick an' the rest of you to trust him? To let him in?" Daryl asked.
"Not sure."
They sat in silence while Daryl lifted Henry in the air and he held the baby near his head. Henry wiggled and smiled as he reached for Daryl's face and Daryl held him up a little higher. Carol softly laughed as she lightly shook her head and she placed her hand on Daryl's left shoulder.
Outside, Rick walked out of the ranch house when he saw Merle standing in the bed of the white truck as Merle knelt down and he was opening his backpack. Curious, Rick walked to the white truck while Merle looked through the backpack and Merle frowned.
"Daryl gave the drugs to Dale," made him quickly turn and Merle looked at him.
"Ain't lookin' fer my drugs. Though, I wouldn't mind havin' a hit of somethin'. I was lookin' fer my smokes," Merle said.
"I think Daryl has them."
"Oh," Merle said, sitting down. He watched Rick walk to the back of the truck then climb into the bed of the truck and Rick went to sit next to him. Merle rested the machete on his right knee as he frowned and Rick glanced at him.
"Thanks," Rick said, softly.
"Fer what?"
"You didn't have to save me from that Walker."
"Won't lie. If that happened after you left me off that roof then came back fer me, I wouldn't have done it."
"Why did you?"
"Guess I didn't want any shit from Lori if you died."
Rick gave him a doubting look as Merle softly laughed and shook his head.
"Fine. Guess I was just tryin' to show you I'm a part of this whatever it is you got goin' 'round here."
Rick nodded when he thought of something and he placed his wrists on his knees.
"Hershel wants to burn the barn down, salt the earth and cement over the remains. Know where I can get some cement, salt and some gasoline for the fire?" Rick asked, glancing at him.
"I might," Merle said with a sly grin.
Days later
To protect the animals from the fire and smoke, the horses, the cow and the chickens were moved. Rick, Hershel, Dale and Otis stood at the four corners of the barn with torches in their hands. The others stood together when they lowered the torches and the wood slowly started to burn. Rick, Otis, Hershel and Dale stood back then they walked to the others and they watched the barn burn. Hershel led them in prayer as Maggie and Beth held his hands and tears rolled down his cheeks.
When the fire died down, they poured large amounts of salt around the remains of the barn then they walked away.
A lot of water was used to make the cement Merle had found at an old construction company and they had made a frame for pouring the cement.
Before the cement dried, Hershel wrote the names of those who had died along the edges of the cement and Beth and Maggie held him after he was finished.
Two months later
The white truck headed down the road with Merle sitting in the back and he wiped some gore off the machete blade.
"You ok back there," Daryl called out.
"Just peachy," Merle said after the truck hit a bump in the road.
The white truck came to a stop near the frame for the new barn and Merle pushed himself up. After turning the engine off, Daryl got out of the truck when he walked to the back of the truck and he looked at the stacks of wood. Merle walked around the stacks of wood when he hopped out of the bed of the truck and he stood next to Daryl.
Rick had gotten out of the truck as he headed for them and he had some blood and gore on his shirt.
"Looks like you three had some fun," Lori said, walking closer with Judith in her arms.
"Ran into some Walkers at the lumberyard," Rick said.
"Then go take a shower."
Smiling, Rick walked away. Lori looked at Merle and Daryl when she pointed toward the farmhouse and they went to catch up with Rick. Daryl noticed the worried look on Rick's face as he walked beside him and Rick glanced at Daryl.
"Looks like there's more an' more Walkers 'round," Daryl said while they headed up the stairs.
"Yep," Rick said, opening the screen door and he went inside.
"Think we should pull up stakes an' move on." Merle said, opening the screen door and he went inside.
"I've been talking to Hershel about it."
"What did he say?" Daryl asked after he opened the door and he headed for Rick.
"He agrees with me. What we need to figure out is where we should go and what do to with the animals."
"Well, if you ask me, we kill th'cows an' th'chickens fer meat. Th'horses can be let go," Merle said.
"Sounds good. But I think…."
"There ain't no more time fer thinkin'. We need to go."
They watched Rick go up the stairs when Daryl looked toward the kitchen and Merle smiled.
"Gotta go check in with yer lady?" Merle asked.
"Yeah," Daryl said.
"Go on. Don't want her apron strings to get any tighter 'round yer nuts."
Daryl gave him a frustrated look and Merle laughed before he headed down the hallway. Daryl headed for the kitchen when he saw Carol and Patricia near the sink and Henry was sitting on the highchair near the table.
"Hey," Daryl said. Carol and Patricia looked at him while Henry reached out his tiny arms and he made a soft gurgling sound.
"What happened to you?" Carol asked, walking closer.
"Had a run in with some Walkers at the lumberyard."
"Are you, Rick and Merle alright?" Patricia asked.
"Yeah."
"Then go take a shower."
"Can't."
"Why not?"
"Merle."
Carol saw the worry in Daryl's eyes as he gave her a tiny grin and she took hold of his hands.
"What's wrong?" Carol asked.
"Nothing."
"Daryl…"
"I guess I'm tired of findin' a place then havin' to leave it."
"I know how you feel. This farm has been in Hershel's family for generations. The thought of leaving…," Patricia said with a sigh as she wiped her hands with the small towel. Henry looked at them when Daryl walked to the highchair, knelt down on his haunches and Henry smiled at him. The thought of something happening to his son… To Sophia and Carol… To any of the people he cared about caused a knot to develop in his chest and Daryl stood up.
"We need to go," Daryl said. Carol saw the seriousness in his eyes and she nodded. Daryl walked out of the room when he headed for the hallway and he slid his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
Later that night
The map sat on the table while the group stood around the table and Hershel and Rick looked at the map. They had been trying to figure where to go as Rick sighed, placed his hands on his hips and he shook his head.
Merle walked to the screen door as he looked out at the darkness and he leaned against the doorframe. Daryl watched him when he walked to Merle and he stood next to his brother.
"You feelin' it, too?" Daryl asked.
"Yeah," Merle said with a nod. Merle opened the screen door when they went outside and they stood on the porch. Daryl reached into the pocket of his jeans when he removed a pack of cigarettes and he removed a cigarette. He handed the cigarette to Merle and Merle nodded. Daryl removed another cigarette when he placed the cigarette in his mouth, put the pack of cigarettes in the pocket of his jeans, removed the lighter from the other pocket and he lit the cigarettes. They stood in silence while they smoked when Merle saw something moving in the shadows. "What the hell is that?"
They headed down the stairs while the screen door opened and Rick walked outside.
"Where are you going?" Rick asked.
"Saw somethin'," Merle said.
"Hold on."
Daryl and Merle waited when Rick, T-Dog, Glenn, Dale, Otis and Andrea walked out of the farmhouse and they headed for them. Dale, T-Dog, Otis, Glenn and Andrea were armed with rifles and Rick held the handle of the Python in his right hand.
The front door opened again as Hershel, Jimmy, Patricia, Beth, Lori, Maggie and Carol walked onto the porch and Rick looked at Hershel. Hershel and Jimmy were armed with a rifle and a gun and they headed down the stairs. Jimmy handed Daryl the crossbow then he handed Merle a gun and they nodded at him.
Hershel had brought some rifles and guns as he handed the rifle and guns to T-Dog, Glenn, Dale, Otis and Andrea and Rick saw the fear in Lori's eyes as she looked out into the darkness.
"Go get the kids and head for the vehicles. If things get bad, I want you to leave. We'll meet at the interstate," Rick said and Lori nodded. Lori, Beth, Maggie, Patricia and Carol headed back inside while Rick nodded to Merle and Merle led them into the darkness.
The moon was out as they were lit in a dim light and they held their weapons tightly in their hands. Merle looked around with his eyes when he saw something moving and he pointed to their left. They headed into the darkness when the soft gurgling and growling sound filled the air and Merle held up the machete blade to stop them.
The horde of Walkers headed toward them as Merle moved back to stand next to Rick and Daryl and Rick and the others pointed the weapons at the Walkers. The gunfire filled the air as the back of Walkers' heads exploded and Rick signaled for them to fall back.
At the farmhouse, the sound of the gunfire alerted Lori and the others to leave the house as they headed outside and Lori, Maggie and Carol held the babies in their arms.
"Mom!" Carl called out when he just saw some Walkers heading for them and Lori's eyes widened.
"Run!" she said.
They headed for the RV as she opened the door and they headed inside. Lori handed Judith to Maggie as Judith, Hershel and Henry started crying and Lori went to sit on the driver's seat. She could just see the Walkers heading for the RV as she started the engine and she turned on the high beams.
"Where's Patricia!?" Lori asked.
"I think I saw her with Andrea!" Carol said, gently rocking Henry.
The Walkers hissed and growled, but they kept moving forward and Carol went to see if the door was locked. Lori put the RV in gear as she put the RV in reverse and the Walkers followed.
"Turn!" Carol said a few times after she had seen some Walkers behind the RV from the back window and Lori growled.
"Shit!" Lori grumbled as she turned the wheel and the RV moved to the right. She steered the RV around the Walkers as the Walkers grabbed at the RV then the RV headed down the road.
Rick had signaled for the others to head for the farmhouse, but he and Merle had lost sight of the others. They heard the horses whickering and snorting as they looked at each other and Merle looked at the stable.
"No," Rick said.
"It's either them or us," Merle said.
Rick knew he was right as they ran to the stable then they went inside. The horses were kicking at the stall doors when two of the stall doors slammed open and Nellie and one of the horses exited the stalls.
"Easy," Rick said while approaching the horse then he climbed up on a box and got onto the horse's back.
Merle looked at Nellie when he walked closer and the horse locked eyes with him.
"If you wanna make things up to my brother, you better not buck me off," Merle warned. Nellie seemed to understand as she stood still for him to get onto her back and Rick looked to the back of the stable.
"Let's go," Rick said and they held on as the horses left the stable.
At the farmhouse, Daryl led the way as they fought the Walkers and they headed for the vehicles. He quickly scanned the area with his eyes when he realized Rick and Merle were missing and he looked over at the motorcycle.
"Go!" he said as he pointed to the vehicles.
'What about you?!" Glenn called out.
"I need to go find Rick an' Merle!"
He ran for the motorcycle as the others got into the trucks, the SUV and the minivan. The Walkers moved closer when he got the motorcycle started and the motorcycle headed off into the darkness. He scanned the darkness for any sign of Rick or Merle when he saw a large group of Walkers heading for him and he sighed.
"Shit," he said as he turned the motorcycle and went in the opposite direction. The sudden sound of a horse whickering filled the darkness as he saw the Walkers attacking the horse then he saw something in the tree. "Rick!"
Rick saw him as the Walkers took down the horse and Rick jumped out of the tree. The Walkers didn't seem to notice him as he ran for the motorcycle and Daryl sighed.
"Come on! I ain't got all night!"
Rick got onto the back of the motorcycle and Daryl gunned the engine. The motorcycle roared by several Walkers who reached out for them and Daryl growled.
"Where's Merle?!"
"He rode off in the other direction!"
Daryl felt a cold ball of ice building in his chest as he made the motorcycle go faster and he barely flexed his fingers. Suddenly, they saw something riding toward them as Merle howled and Daryl pointed. Nodding, Merle lightly kicked Nellie's left side and they headed down the road.
The interstate.
Lori stood near the RV while she watched the sun starting to rise and she folded her arms across her stomach.
She was happy to see the others when they arrived, but no one had seen Daryl, Rick or Merle.
Carol was standing next to her as Carol tried hard not to cry and Lori placed her left hand on Carol's right shoulder.
"They're going to be ok," Lori assured her.
"They have to be," Carol said with a nod.
The sudden sound of a motorcycle engine made Carol's heart go faster when she saw something on the horizon and she smiled at the sight of Merle on Nellie and the motorcycle slowly moving beside it.
"Ladies," Merle said with a nod as he lightly nudged the horse and Nellie moved by them. Carol and Lori looked at each other then started giggling and Lori rolled her eyes.
The motorcycle came to a stop when Daryl put the kickstand down and Rick got off the motorcycle. He walked to Lori as she slid her arms around his waist and Rick leaned in to kiss her lips.
"Did everyone make it?" he asked softly after they moved back.
"No. We can't find Andrea, Patricia, Dale, Jimmy or Otis," Lori said.
"Damn."
"Dad!" Carl shouted as he ran toward Rick and, for a split second, Rick's mind replayed him running to him after he had arrived at the quarry. Rick held his arms out as Carl ran into him and Rick lifted him off the ground. They hugged as Lori blinked the tears from her eyes and he took hold of her right hand.
"Where's Judith?" Rick asked.
"She's in the RV," Carl said, pointing to the RV. Nodding, Rick headed for the RV and he barely swung Lori's hand back and forth.
Daryl sat on the seat as Carol walked to the motorcycle and he gave her a blank look. She leaned on the handlebars as he waited for her to say something and she smiled.
"Had to go get your bike?" she teased and he snorted a laugh.
"Wasn't gonna leave it behind," he teased, getting off the motorcycle and he walked to her. She slid her arms around his waist as he placed his hands on her shoulders and she saw the sadness in his eyes. "Sorry fer worryin' you."
"Don't do it again."
Nodding, Daryl leaned in for a kiss as she wrapped her arms around his neck and he held the back of her head in his right hand. They moved back when he placed his forehead against hers and she lightly rubbed the back of his neck.
"Daddy!" made him move back when he saw Sophia running to her and Daryl held his arms out. She ran into him as he held her and she buried her face in his chest. She was shaking as he moved her back and he held her by the shoulders. "Where were you!?"
"I had to go find Rick an' Uncle Merle," he explained.
"And he had to go get his motorcycle," Carol teased and he gave her a slightly angry look.
"We were really worried about you," Sophia scolded as she playfully poked Daryl in the chest.
"Guess I'm grounded, hunh?" Daryl asked and she nodded. "What's my punishment?"
"You have to help dig a new toilet when we make camp."
"Ok."
"You have to change not only Henry's diapers, but Hershel and Judith's diapers for a week."
"Got it."
"And you can't have any of the chocolate bars me and Carl found in the RV."
Daryl gave her a sad look as he nodded and she hugged him again. Carol gave him a reassuring look as he smiled then he kissed the top of Sophia's head.
Sophia moved back as Daryl held out his right hand and Carol wrapped their fingers together. They walked to where Rick had gathered the others and Merle was still sitting on the horse.
"Is that Nellie?" Beth whispered, looking at the horse.
"Yep," Merle said, patting the horse's neck. "Didn't have the heart to leave her behind."
Rick looked at them as they were bathed in the morning sunlight and he crossed his arms over his chest,
"Ok. Now that we're all together, we need to figure out where to go from here," Rick said.
"Not that anyone gives a shit about what I'm gonna say. But I think, as long as we're together, who cares where we go. Family is family. An' this family? We're badass. An' those things out there? They don't stand a chance against us," Merle said.
"He's right," Hershel said.
"Then let's go," Rick said. He looked at the horse then at Merle and Merle gave him a blank look. "You sure you want to keep the horse?"
"Fer now. Once we find a safe place, and I find a new set of wheels, I'll let her go," Merle said.
Nodding, Rick led Carl and Lori to the SUV while the others got into the vehicles and Daryl led Carol to the motorcycle. He helped her get on the motorcycle then he got on the motorcycle and he started the engine.
The motorcycle led the way with Nellie and Merle beside it and the rest of the vehicles followed them down the interstate.