Daryl spun around at the same time Carol did. The creeps body was heaped on the ground,dead dead. A head shot made sure of that and there stood her grandmother. Rifle in hand and a self satisfied look on her face.

"I wonder when I'd see you." Her voice was the same sweet tang it'd always been. "Now get on in here. We'll have dead about soon."

Carol nudged Daryl and he was in motion immediately. He grabbed their bags and was walking behind Carol. He let her lead and she knew he was weary of her grandmother now. It almost made her want to laugh out loud thinking that Daryl Dixon was nervous around her rifle toting grandmother. Then too she almost was too with the accuracy of that shot.

"Well get on in here. I reckon I aint gonna bite." She cackled at that and placed her rifle right at the door.

The door clapped shut behind them. Daryl looked at Carol and raised a brow. She just shrugged and grinned. She never said that the woman was completely sane. She was always a little wild around the edges.

"Carol." Her grandmother stood in the kitchen now and had her hands on her hips. "Your manners are lacking."

"Sorry, this is Daryl."

"Is he your beau?"

Daryl chewed his lip and Carol fought smiling. "No, a friend helping me to get here and find you."

She nodded and offered them something to eat and drink. Her grandmother always took to canning and preserving foods so it didn't surprise Carol that she had enough to last on.

"We have a town. I'd like for you to come back with us."

"A town."

"There's walls, people pulling together."

"And what do you have to say about this young man?"

Daryl shifted a little but kept his face clear. "She's not wrong. The people there are trying to rebuild."

"And there's no funny business?" Her grandmother glared harshly at him as she slid a plate towards him. "Have you made a move on my granddaughter yet?" She barely took a breath before speaking again. "Oh don't look at me like that. You were willing to risk your life for that girl to get her here without even knowing if I was alive."

"No ma'am."

She hummed and brought Carol a plate while motioning for Daryl to eat. She hugged Carol tightly and then held her back at arms length looking her over.

"You're skinnier."

Carol huffed at her and then laughed. "Well the world ended."

"Well I guess I should get back to this town and make sure you're eating right."

"Young man."

"His name is Daryl." Carol laughed.

"Young man, my name is Dana. I'll come back with y'all but we need to pack up before we go."

Daryl nodded and then gaped when she opened her pantry. Every inch of it was covered in food that she'd canned and preserved. Daryl moved quickly to gathering up what was on the immediate ground. He set it out on the table but was stopped when Dana noticed that his plate wasn't cleared. She moved it next to him again and glared till he set down to eat. Carol fought laughing again and made sure she ate every bite.

When he was done Dana breezed back into the kitchen her long grey hair flowing behind her and stood in front of them now changed. She was on jeans and a flannel with boots laced up. She looked around sadly for a moment before her eyes landed on Carol. She smiled brightly and it was like everything she'd been worried about lifted from her shoulders visibly.

"Well out front is clear so we should start packing."

It didn't take long with Daryl helping. The man was a work horse and Carol honestly felt bad with how her grandmother was ordering him around. Daryl didn't even bat an eye at it before he was moving and doing as he was told.

Her grandmother was eating a plate of her own while Daryl packed another box out and Carol sighed. She tried to help but Daryl waved her away and left her with a gun while he was packing things.

"He seems a decent boy."

"He's hardly a boy." Carol said.

"And you would know." Her grandmother snickered. "Be careful with that one."

"What do you mean?"

"He's as loyal as a dog and as stubborn as an ox." SHe looked Carol in the eye. "You'll have your work cut out for you getting him to open up to you. He's been hurt."

Daryl walked back in swiping sweat off his forehead and cleared his throat. "Trucks loaded."

"Well no time like the present to get out of here then." Dana said.

They were walking out and Daryl grabbed up the bags Carol and Dana packed of her own clothes. Carol huffed at him and he snorted walking ahead. A shot rang out again and Daryl grunted. Carol seen blood on the back of his shirt and felt her heart drop. He staggered and the sound of breaking glass and gun fire made her nearly scream. Her grandmother was firing out the window by the door and she hooted when her shot met the perpetrator.

Daryl dropped the bags and his hand came up to his shoulder. He staggered again and looked at Carol before blinking slowly. He was applying pressure and he was still standing but Carol felt like her heart was in her chest. There'd been another man! How many more could they be? Now for sure the dead were coming.

"We need to get him in the truck and go." Dana snapped. "He's fine. It's a flesh wound but he wont be driving."

"You know the way Carol." Dana ordered. She kept her gun raised and pushed the front door open again. "Now get moving. Come on son."

She had her hand on Daryl's back guiding him. She traded her rifle for Daryl's pistol. He was panting slightly and pale. Carol rushed to open the door and Daryl slid into the back seat and immediately relaxed. They were on the road in no time and Daryl breathed heavily.

"Just focus on getting back to town Carol." He panted. "I'll be fine.