The next morning, Daryl led the way while they walked down the trail and Carol was walking next to him, holding Judith in her arms. Beth, Mika and Lizzie walked behind them and Tyreese took the rear. Tyreese scanned their surroundings with his eyes while he frowned and he snorted a breath of air.
Daryl had explained what happened with Lizzie and Judith and Tyreese started wondering what else Lizzie had done.
"Daryl, I think we need to stop," Carol said. Daryl turned as he walked to her then he caught wind of something sour.
"Hand her over," Daryl said, placing the crossbow on the ground. He knelt down on the road as Beth handed him the diaper bag and Carol knelt next to Daryl. Carol handed Judith to Daryl as Daryl smiled down at the baby and Judith whimpered. "Yeah. Yeah. Hold on."
Daryl changed the diaper as he handed the diaper to Mika and Mika tossed the diaper into the bushes. He redressed Judith when he picked her up and he held Judith in his arms.
"Which way now?" Tyreese asked.
"That way," Carol said.
They walked down the road when Daryl saw something moving along the side of the road and he handed Judith to Beth. Daryl took hold of a long stick with two small branches on the end as he carefully walked into the bushes and he looked around. He caught sight of the rattlesnake when he removed the knife from the holder on his right hip and he slowly moved closer. Quickly, he slammed the stick down while the two small branches pinned the rattlesnake's head to the ground and Daryl used the knife to cut the rattlesnakes head off. Picking up the rattlesnake's body, Daryl walked back to Carol, Beth, the girls and Tyreese as Mika scowled at the sight of the rattlesnake and Tyreese gave him a puzzled look.
"Ever have rattlesnake?" Daryl asked.
"Can't say I have," Tyreese said.
"We can eat that?" Mika asked.
"Yep," Daryl said.
"How do we cook it?" Carol asked.
"Just roast if over a fire."
"Hold on," Beth said when she walked over to an abandoned car. She checked the body in the car as she picked up pieces of the broken side mirror and some window glass then she walked to Daryl. "I know Daryl has a lighter, but I think we should use these to make a fire."
"Good idea," Carol said.
They walked to a clearing when Carol and Daryl went to find some stones for a fire circle and some wood for the fire and Daryl glanced over at Lizzie. She was poking the body of the rattlesnake with a stick and he frowned.
"What is she doin'?" he grumbled as he walked to her and Lizzie frowned.
"Why isn't it coming back to life?" Lizzie whispered, poking the rattlesnake with a stick.
"Leave it."
Lizzie looked startled as she nodded and he picked up the rattlesnake. He walked to a log when he sat down, used his knife to cut into the rattlesnake and Lizzie frowned.
"That was a little mean," Beth said as she sat next to him.
"Maybe."
Daryl pulled the skin off the rattlesnake then he tossed the skin into the bushes and he speared the rattlesnake with a sharp stick. He placed the stick in the fire when he sat back and Carol placed Judith on her lap after she sat next to him.
"Daryl, I have to go to the bathroom," Mika said.
"There's a tree," he said as he pointed toward the trees and Carol lightly nudged him. Sighing, Daryl stood then he handed Judith to Carol when he walked to Mika and they headed for the trees. "Turn the meat so it doesn't burn."
"Right," Carol said with a nod.
Daryl stood on the other side of the tree while Mika peed and he leaned against the trunk of the tree.
"She didn't mean it," Mika said.
"What?" Daryl asked.
"Lizzie. She told me what she did. She wasn't really going to smother Judith. She just wanted her to stop crying."
"Well, it was still wrong."
"Yeah," Mika said with a nod. They walked back to the others when Daryl used some water Carol had placed in a canteen to wash Mika's hands then his hands then he handed the canteen back to Carol.
Once the snake meat was done cooking, Daryl used a knife to cut the rattlesnake meat into pieces when he handed the piece to Carol, Beth, the girls and Tyreese and they looked at the cooked meat. Shrugging, Daryl bit into the meat as he ate and Carol and Tyreese took cautious bites.
"Not bad," Tyreese said.
Beth nibbled on the meat when she smiled and she took a bigger bite.
Mika sniffed the meat then started eating, but Lizzie just looked at the meat.
"Go on, Lizzie. Try it," Carol said.
Lizzie took a few bites then she tossed the rest into the bushes and Daryl frowned.
"Why did you do that?" Daryl asked.
"I thought the Walkers might like it," Lizzie said. Daryl scanned the tree line with his eyes, but he didn't see any Walkers and Lizzie tossed another piece of meat into the bushes.
"Stop," he said and she nodded.
"Can Judith have some?" Mika asked.
"No, she's too little," Carol said with a small smile as she fed Judith a bottle of formula, but Judith looked over at Daryl eating. Judith reached out her left hand while stretching out her fingers and Mika giggled.
"She wants some," Mika said.
"Maybe when you're older," Daryl said while he leaned closer to Judith and Judith suckled harder on the formula.
"Oh, she's got her angry face on," Carol teased as she kissed the top of Judith's head and Daryl nodded.
"Which way should we go now?" Beth asked while looking around and Daryl frowned.
"We need to go north," Daryl said then he took a drink of water from the canteen.
"Still think we shouldn't have stopped following the railroad tracks," Tyreese said.
"Maybe."
After they finished eating, Daryl kicked dirt over the fire to put the fire off and they headed down the path. Mika held onto Daryl's right hand as they walked along and Daryl lightly squeezed her fingers. Carol watched them as her mind drifted back to the quarry and she adjusted her hold on Judith.
The quarry
"Where the hell do you think you're goin'?!" Ed shouted while Carol and Sophia headed for the bushes with Eliza Morales.
"We're… We're going berry picking," Carol said.
"No, you're not!"
"Ed…."
"Are you talkin' back to me?!"
"Hey! Keep it down!" Daryl called out as he walked closer and Ed looked at him.
"Mind yer own business, Dixon."
"What're gonna do if I don't?" Daryl asked as he went face-to-face with Ed and they locked eyes.
"Daryl, no," Carol pleaded and she saw the worry in his eyes when he looked at her.
"Hold on! When are you on first name basis with this asshole!?" Ed demanded.
"She can use it if she wants to," Daryl grumbled.
"No, she fuckin' can't!"
"What's goin' on over here?!" Merle asked as he walked to Daryl and he looked at Ed. "You botherin' my little brother, Piggie?"
Carol tried hard not to smile when Merle called Ed that and she saw the fear in Ed's eyes.
Ed was terrified of Merle.
"He's buttin' his nose into our business," Ed said and Merle looked at Daryl.
"Why are you botherin' with these sheep fer? They ain't worth shit," Merle said.
"I was just tryin' to get him to keep his voice down," Daryl explained.
"Oh! So that's what all that squealin' was about," Merle said with a wide grin and the girls giggled. "Think that's funny, hunh?"
"Yeah," Sophia said and Eliza nodded.
"Why don't the two of you just fuck off?!" Ed demanded as he tried to reach for Sophia, but Daryl got between them.
"Leave her be," Daryl said, locking eyes with Ed once again.
Carol knew Ed was terrified of Daryl as well as she moved closer to Sophia and she led the girls into the bushes. She turned back to see Ed walking away and Daryl was giving her a small nod as if to assure her everything was going to be ok.
They had gone a short distance when she heard someone following them and she prayed it wasn't Ed.
"You're goin' the wrong way," Daryl said. He walked to Sophia and Carol was surprised when Sophia took hold of Daryl's right hand and he wrapped their fingers together. They walked down the path as Carol saw how at ease Daryl was being with them and she smiled, walking a little faster.
"You good?" Daryl asked as Carol's mind returned to reality and she saw him looking at her.
"Yeah. I'm fine," Carol said with a nod. "I was just thinking about… About Sophia."
"You don't talk about her."
"Rick said the same thing. She's dead. Why should I talk about her? It's my fault."
"Who is Sophia?" Mika asked.
"She is… She was my daughter."
"Did she die?"
"Yes. A Walker bit her."
"Did she become a Walker?" Lizzie asked.
"Stop," Daryl said after he noticed how uncomfortable Carol looked and Lizzie sighed.
"Sorry," Lizzie said and Carol nodded.
Suddenly, Mika saw something when she let go of Daryl's hand and she ran down the path.
"Mika!" Daryl called out as he ran after her and Mika ran down a side path. He could just see the farmhouse, a small barn, a well with a hand pump on the top and a barbwire fence at the end of the path as they stopped and he lightly pulled her toward him. "Don't ever do that again."
"Ok," Mika said, lowering her head.
Beth, Carol, Tyreese and Lizzie ran to them while Carol held onto Judith and Daryl turned to look at them.
"Stay here," Daryl said while he took hold of the crossbow and he cautiously moved toward the farmhouse. He looked in the window as he thumped his fist against the glass, but he didn't see anything moving in the house.
Carol heard something when a door to her right opened and a Walker stumbled outside.
"Walker!" she called out, handing the baby to Beth and she removed the gun from the holster.
"Get behind Carol!" Tyreese called out and Lizzie and Mika hid behind Beth.
Daryl ran to them as Carol fried the gun and the Walker fell to the ground after its head exploded. Judith was crying while Beth hushed her and Daryl ran inside the farmhouse. He checked the farmhouse, but didn't see any more Walkers, but he did notice the gas stove and fireplace.
Going back to the door, Daryl signaled for Tyreese come on and Tyreese followed him. They searched the front rooms when they came to the door to the basement and Daryl looked at Tyreese. Tyreese opened the door as they looked down into the dark basement and Daryl went back to get the flashlight he has seen in the kitchen. He returned with the flashlight as he flicked the switch and the flashlight clicked on.
"You first," Tyreese said as Daryl sighed and they went down the stairs. Daryl shined the flashlight as they came to the bottom of the stairs and they searched the basement. Daryl found plastic containers with plastic bottles of water and some nonperishable food in them they carried the plastic containers upstairs. Daryl kicked the door closed with his foot when they walked into the living room and they placed the plastic containers on the floor. Daryl walked to the front door doorway when he opened the door then he motioned for Carol, Beth and the girls to come inside and they walked to the house.
"This is nice," Carol said while she looked around and Daryl walked out of the room. He had found a highchair in the kitchen as he carried the highchair into the room and he placed the highchair on the floor. Carol saw he had cleaned the highchair off when she placed Judith in the highchair and Judy smiled, lightly tapping her hands on the plastic tray. "She likes it."
"Yeah," Daryl said with a nod when he noticed Mika was missing. "Where's Mika?"
"She went that way," Lizzie said as she pointed toward the hallway and Daryl left the room. He walked down the hallway when he checked the rooms and he found Mika in what used to be a little girl's bedroom. She was looking at the rag doll sitting on the bed when she picked the rag doll up and Daryl leaned on the doorframe.
"Thought you weren't gonna run off," he said.
"I wasn't running off. I was just looking around," Mika said when she placed the rag doll against her chest and, for a split second, Daryl saw Sophia holding onto Eliza's doll. His heart thumped hard in his chest as he shook his head clear and Mika looked at him with a confused look. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah. Come on."
Mika walked to him as they headed down the hallway and they walked back in the living room.
"That's a pretty doll," Beth said with a small smile.
"Yeah," Mika said as she looked at the rag doll. "I'm gonna call her "Griselda Gunderson"."
"That's a mouthful," Tyreese said with a small laugh.
"What's in there?" Carol asked as she looked at the plastic containers.
"Bottles of water an' some food," Daryl said as he opened the containers and he removed a plastic bottle of water. He opened the plastic bottle when he saw Judith reaching for the plastic bottle and he smiled. He helped her sip on the water then he placed the plastic lid back on the plastic bottle then he looked at the front door. "Need to do a little huntin'."
"Don't go too far," Carol said and he gave her a little nod. Picking up the crossbow, he slid the strap over his right shoulder then he headed for the front door. She stood at the window as she watched him walking outside and he gave her a small wave as he walked off. She waved back when she turned to look at the others and she sighed.
Later that day, Daryl did a perimeter search as he looked at the black smoke in the distance and he wondered where the fire was coming from. He returned to the house with some rabbits as he walked down the path and he smiled when he saw Carol standing in the doorway.
"Think this will be enough?" he asked.
"Yeah, but you're cleaning them," Carol teased and he arched an eyebrow. They went in the house after he had opened the door and she softly laughed when he lightly nudged her.
"Dinner's ready," Carol called out a short time later.
Mika and Lizzie had set the table as Daryl placed Judith in the highchair and Carol had found a clean bib for her to wear.
Carol placed the plates of food on the table as they sat down and Tyreese looked at them.
"You know what? I could get used to this. I mean… Look at us. We're like a family," Tyreese said.
"Yeah," Daryl said with a nod and Carol noticed the way he was looking at her.
"Then we can stay?" Mika asked.
"For now," Carol said with a nod and they started eating.
After they had finished eating, Carol and the girls were washing the dishes, the glasses, the silverware and the baby bottle and Lizzie frowned while she looked out the window at the darkness.
"Do you think there're Walkers out there?" Lizzie asked.
"There might be," Carol said.
"I don't understand why everyone hates them. Walkers aren't dangerous."
"Yes, they are," Mika said, drying off a dish.
"No, they're not. You just say that because you're afraid of them."
"I am not."
"You are!"
"Lizzie, don't talk to your sister like that," Carol scolded.
"She's weak! That's why she's gonna die!"
"Lizzie!"
Mika looked at them as tears rolled down her cheeks and she ran out of the kitchen. Carol called her name as Carol went to follow her, but she didn't see Lizzie picking the knife off the towel. She looked at the light sparkling off the blade of the knife and she tiled his head to one side.
Carol saw Mika run into the living room when Mika ran to Daryl and he was sitting on the recliner with Judith resting against his chest.
"What's wrong?" Daryl asked as he sat up and held Judith in his arms.
"Lizzie said I'm gonna die," Mika said with a small crack to her voice. Beth was sitting on the couch, reading a book and she got off the couch as she went to take Judith off Daryl's lap. Nodding, he reached out for Mika and Mika crawled onto his lap.
"You ain't gonna die," Daryl assured Mika while she buried her face in his chest and he felt her body shaking. He lightly rocked her when he saw Lizzie standing in the doorway and she saw the anger on his face. "Ain't that right, Lizzie?"
"Yeah," Lizzie said with a nod of her head and she walked to one of the sleep bags Carol had found in the hall closet. She slid into the sleep bag as she hid the knife under the sleeping bag and she closed her eyes. Daryl looked at her then at Carol and Carol shook her head. He rocked Mika until Mika sighed and he watched her closing her eyes.
Beth rocked Judith when she started singing and Daryl leaned his head against Mika's head. He did admit Beth had an amazing singing voice and he always found comfort in her voice. Once they were sure Judith and Mika were asleep, Beth and Daryl stood as they walked to the sleeping bags and Daryl placed Mika into a sleeping bag with a unicorn on it. He carefully moved the sleeping bag toward the recliner as Mika sighed, but she didn't wake up. Carol had found a crib in the master bedroom and Beth placed Judith in the playpen. Beth covered her with a small blanket as she stood and she smiled sweetly at the sleeping baby.
"Need to find more firewood," Daryl said when he headed for the front door and he opened the door. He walked outside as he walked down the path and he looked up at the night sky. He looked at the stars twinkling about him as he slid his hands into the pockets of his jeans and he blinked his eyes a few times. He heard someone walking closer, but he didn't move and he lightly shook his head. "You should go back inside."
"You should have closed the door," Carol said as she walked to him and he turned to face her. She could just see the frustration on his face and he lowered his head and he moved his head around in a small circle. She walked closer when she placed her hands on his shoulders and he glanced up at her. "Talk to me."
"I… I feel like Rick."
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm talkin' about Lizzie. She didn't sound like she meant it when she said Mika wasn't gonna die."
"Daryl, none of us know if or when we're going to die."
"That ain't what I mean. I'm… I'm wonderin' if she'll do somethin'."
"She's not going to do anything."
"She nearly smothered Judith. You didn't see her, Carol. She had this… This… I dunno. Her eyes looked dead. Like she knew what she was doin', but she didn't give a fuck."
Carol heard the fear in Daryl's voice. He hardly ever sounded scared. She didn't know what to tell him as she lightly rubbed his shoulders and he flexed his fingers in and out.
"What if she does do somethin'? Are either of us ready to deal with that?"
"Like Rick banishing me after he found out I killed Karen and David?" Carol asked in a soft voice while she looked to see if Beth or Tyreese were listening.
"Yeah. Could you do that? Could you leave her out here alone to fend fer herself? I know I couldn't do that. Not… Not after…"
"Sophia," she said and he nodded. He waited for her answer as Carol pondered what he said and she locked eyes with him. "No. No, I couldn't do that."
"Then we… You, me, Tyreese an' Beth… We are gonna have to figure out what to do. An' soon."
"You really think it's that bad?"
"Yeah. I do."
Sighing, she moved closer as he wrapped his arms around her and they looked up at the stars twinkling in the darkness.
