A few days later, Kayla stood with Ada and Johnathan as Daryl prepared his bike to leave. They were standing out by the gate out of Alexandria, some other people preparing cars and supply bags. He and the others who were going to guide the walker herd out of the quarry and twenty miles away from Alexandria planned a dry run today just to tie up any loose ends before the actual run the next day. As much as Kayla felt frustrated with watching Daryl going out without her, she knew that Ada and Johnathan needed her home. That way if something ever happened, they would still have one of their guardians with them. Johnathan was much more accustomed to Daryl's tendency to take the lead on runs and projects whereas Ada was a bit more distraught about it. She just lost her parents and found a new home in Alexandria with Daryl, Kayla, and Johnathan. If she lost any of that after just getting it, she would be devastated.

"Any idea when you'll be back today?" Kayla asked.

"Early evening?" Daryl guessed, not a hundred percent sure himself.

He secured his bag onto his bike and then turned towards Kayla. Ada and Johnathan were on either side of her. Johnathan had grown a bit since the days of the prison, the ten-year old now standing at almost five feet. His hair was well kept, Kayla taking advantage of Jessie's haircutting services when needed. Once they arrived at Alexandria Kayla also tossed his old, worn out clothes for new ones they received. Those things coupled with the daily hot water and steady food supply made allowed Johnathan to appear like a healthy ten-year old boy. Ada on the other hand was a bit underweight from only just entering the safety of the community. However, she now had the amenities of Alexandria to help her get healthy again. She was already looking better from jus the last few days and Daryl knew she would only get better.

"When can I start going on runs with you?" Johnathan asked.

The other three looked at him with surprise. Daryl then looked at Kayla whom remained looking at Johnathan with a little bit more shock and distress. Johnathan looked at Daryl, waiting for a response. "Not for a while yet." Kayla interjected, making the young boy look at her.

"Why not?"

"Because you're too young and only just started learning how to shoot properly."

"But-"

"This isn't a negotiation, Johnathan. That's the end of it."

Daryl knew it was in his best interest to keep his thoughts to himself for the time being. While he agreed with Kayla to a degree, Carl was not much older than Johnathan when he started helping on runs, taking the lead on sweeps of new places, and other responsibilities in the group that entailed a lot more risk in the world beyond the safety of walls and fences. He knew that by allowing Johnathan to do things like that, it would only better equip him for the world. Kayla may not have thought he was ready, but Daryl did. At least to a degree.

Wanting to redirect the conversation, Daryl bent down to be eye level with Johnathan. "We'll practice some more shootin' when I get back," he told him. "Until then, keep an eye on the girls for me. Sound good, little man?"

Johnathan smiled and nodded. "Yeah."

Daryl hugged Johnathan, looking up to see his wife's smile. Once he parted with Johnathan, he looked at Ada. "You stay outta trouble," he teased. "And take an easy. Your ankle ain't all the way healed."

"Yes, Daryl," she obliged, offering him a half smile.

Even though she has only known Daryl and his family for a few days, she did not hesitate to give him a hug. It caught him off guard at first, but he happily returned the gesture. The young girl had her arms secured tightly around Daryl's midsection and did not seem to mind his delayed response at first. However, when she felt his arms wrap around his shoulders, she held him tighter.

After a few seconds, Daryl let go of Ada and turned to his wife. He smiled seeing the joy in Kayla's eyes, but it was quickly replaced as she remembered he needed to leave soon. "I'll be back for dinner," he told her. "Don't worry." Before she could reply, Daryl hugged his wife. The tightness of her arms encircled him immediately as did a kiss on his cheek.

"Don't be late." Kayla said to him as they broke apart.

"Never."

Kayla and the kids stepped back so Daryl could get on his bike. "Be careful." Kayla told him.

"Always am."

Kayla leaned forwards and pressed her lips to his, smiling when she felt Daryl's hand reach up and get lost in her hair. As much as it pained her to watch him go out yet again, there was something intoxicating about their "see you soon" kisses. The way he deepened them and put everything he had into them left her thinking about them until he came back.

The sound of a horn broke them apart, turning to see Glenn loading something in a car near them. "Sorry!" he called out. Kayla just laughed and kissed Daryl once more before backing away from his bike. "I love you." She told him as he started up his bike.

"Love you, too."

The gate to Alexandria opened, allowing Daryl to begin driving out as the cars behind him followed. Kayla watched her husband drive down the street, the sound of his bike still able to be heard even after he was out of sight. Once the gate shut, Kayla gathered Johnathan and Ada to take them to the group's house for the day.

OOOOO

Kayla stopped in at the infirmary not long later to find her newest addition, Denise, sitting and bushing up with some medical books. Pete mentioned her to Kayla before, but did not seem to have a lot of faith in her since she swapped surgery for psychiatry. Despite this, Kayla knew how people could change in the world. Just because a little bit of blood and guts scared her before does not mean that was the case now. As Kayla walked around checking the inventory of medicines, she could feel Denise's eyes on her every now and then.

"You know I am available for questions." Kayla told her, not taking her eyes off her task. She heard Denise laugh from her seat before replying.

"Sorry, I just…I'm a pretty nervous person."

"I can tell, but I like to think I am more approachable than some people."

This caused another laugh from Denise, making Kayla smile. She turned around and faced her, leaning on a wall for some support. "So, what are you unsure of?"

"Everything," Denise answered.

"Well, I have all sorts of time."

For the next little bit, Denise and Kayla sat together in the infirmary and went over all the questions Denise had. From how to handle the sight of blood to properly suturing to how to more major procedures. Kayla told the story of helping save Carl when he was shot by Hershel's farm, unsung Hershel's amputated leg, handling the illness that spread through the prison, and every injury she helped treat in-between. Recalling the past hurt a bit, realizing how many people she aided have since died, but it seemed to give Denise some confidence.

"Look before all this, I wasn't a surgeon," Kayla told her. "I worked as an EMT before going to work in an emergency room, so it's not like I treated people long term or did serious surgeries. That's been enough so far, though."

"But at least you had medical training." Denise pointed out.

"Most of my group didn't though. But when it came time for me to need their help, they stepped up. I have the bullet mark in my leg to prove it." Kayla stood from where she was seated and put a hand on Denise's shoulder. "You can do this job. Just because Pete didn't have faith in you doesn't mean we don't."

Before Denise could respond, the sounds of screams filled the air. Both their heads shot up and rushed towards the windows. Kayla ripped back the curtain and felt her heart and stomach drop to the floor at what she saw. Outside, there were people in ratty clothes running down the streets wielding swords and knives, killing everyone they encountered. The two women watched in horror as they murdered an Alexandrian woman across the street, slicing her across the stomach and striking their blade down on her again when she fell. Denise screamed which caused Kayla to turn around and cover her mouth.

"Don't scream!" she instructed. "Don't make a damn noise."

Kayla felt herself go back into survival mode, her instincts kicking in immediately. She pulled Denise away from the curtain, pulling it shut in the process. "This is what's gonna happen," she began. "You are gonna stay here and guard the infirmary like your life depends on it. We can't lose any of our supplies in here."

"What about you?" Denise questioned.

"I have to find my kids."

Saying it out loud made Kayla realize the situation at large. There was a group inside their walls murdering people and her kids were someplace else now with her. The thought made her want to cry, but she knew there was no time for that. She just had to find them.

Kayla turned to leave, pulling out the gun she kept in her waistband out and cocked it. Once the threat of the herd was revealed, Alexandrians were permitted to carry in case anything went bad. Not allowing any time for fear to kick in or for Denise to stop her, Kayla burst through the door and began running. The house was not far from the infirmary, only the next street over. She ran with her gun raised, shooting at every person she saw dressed in rags for clothes. She ran across the street, raising her gun and killing two right away. She kept her gun raised, ready to fire as soon as she needed. Once she was on the other side of the road, she cut between two houses and came out on the other side to find the dead bodies of two more Alexandrians on the ground. The shock of all the blood and damage done to them made Kayla stop in shock. Realizing she could not afford to stop, she picked up the pace again. The house was a few doors down and a few more enemies stood in her way. She took aim down the street and fired off the shots, hitting both her targets easily as she hurried to the house.

Now that the house was in her line of vision, Kayla ran even faster towards it. She reached the steps, all but jumping over them before she got to the door. When she grabbed the handle though, it was locked. She fiddled with it for a few moments before calling out Carol's name. "Carol!" she yelled. "Carl! Anyone! It's Kayla!"

A few moments later, Carl opened the door armed with an automatic rifle. He stepped to the side and Kayla rushed in, Carl closing the door behind her and locking it immediately. "Ada! Johnathan!" Kayla called out.

"They're not here." Carl informed her, fear lacing his voice.

Kayla turned around in shock as she panted for air. "What!?"

"They left a few minutes before everything started."

"Oh my God, this isn't happening!"

This caused Kayla to drop to her knees and bring a hand to her mouth as tears pricked at her eyes. She knew he group that infiltrated them would not spare anyone's life, and that included two kids. Fear streamed through her veins when the thought of either of them being dead crossed her mind. She dropped to the floor, Carl going over to console her. "Johnathan's smart, and I'm sure Ada is, too. They are probably hiding. You have raised Johnathan to know how to react to something like this."

Kayla looked up at Carl and nodded. She was right. When Johnathan became her responsibility, she taught him how to take walkers down with a knife and to run and hide if anything happened when she was not around to save him. Now that he was capable with a firearm, it changed to shoot only if he had to. The threat before them now were not walker though; it was people. Unlike walkers, people fought back.

Standing up, Kayla checked her clip. She still had enough rounds left to keep her alive out there if she needed them. Looking at Carl, she put a hand on his shoulder. "Lock it behind me, protect your sister."

Carl simply nodded in response and followed her to the door. "Be careful." He told her as she opened the door.

"You, too."

With that, Kayla ran down the steps and down the street. If the kids ran and hid somewhere, she guessed the first place they would try to go is their house. The sound of a horn blaring made Kayla stop in her tracks and turn towards the noise. It sounded like it was coming form the gate, and she guessed the group tried to break down the walls with a truck based on the volume of the horn. Once again, she snapped back to the immediate task at hand to find her kids. She bolted down the street towards her house but fell when a sharp pain pierced the back of her calf.

She hit the pavement face down, dropping her gun and letting out a scream of pain in the process. She quickly turned onto her back and saw on of the group members running towards her. Realizing he threw knife and hit her leg, she reached down and ripped it out of her calf. Before she could bring it up to throw, the man was too close. She made quick work of putting her legs up and throwing the guy over her as he went to jump on top of her.

He landed with a loud thud and Kayla wasted no time getting to her feet with knife in hand. She rushed over and kicked the guy down again before all but falling to her knees next to him and driving her knife into him over and over again. Blood sprayed and squirted onto her with every stab, coating her clothes, arms, and face in the process. Her final blow was to his head, to assure he did not come back as a walker. Once she was done, she got to her feet and looked for her gun. It slid a few feet away and she began walking towards it when the sound of running footsteps caught her attention. She turned and was immediately tackled back onto the pavement. She got the wind knocked out of her and was barely able to register in time to see the person raising a knife to her. Adrenaline kicking in, Kayla jerked to the other side but was still constrained by the woman straddling her. When the knife came down towards her again, she jerked to the other side.

"You're all dead!" the woman yelled at her, going to raise the knife again. As they brought it up, Kayla tried to fight the person off her but could not with how she was positioned. The images of Johnathan and Ada flashed in her head, as did Daryl's, think this was her end. This was how the world was going to kill her.

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out. Kayla looked at the woman on top of her and watched as her arms lowered and blood flooded out of her chest. Another shot rang out and the woman's head flew back right before her body slumped back. Kayla shoved the woman off her, getting to her feet quickly. She turned to the direction the shot came from only to find herself shocked to see Ada and Johnathan a few yards away, Johnathan with a handgun still raised. He lowered it when he saw Kayla stand up and begin approaching them. Seeing them alive made all her emotions come out. She brought a hand to her chest as tears filled her eyes as she walked towards them. Johnathan meeting her halfway, running into her arms.

Despite her injuries, Kayla picked up Johnathan off the ground when he was in her arms and clutched him to her body as tightly as possible. The adrenaline coursing through her veins prevented the pain of her injuries to remain subdued for the time being. Kayla let out a sob from the back of her throat as she struggled to remain standing from the emotion taking over her body. Having Johnathan in her arms made every bit of fear and terror from before leaving her body now that he was safe. Then she remembered Ada.

Ada remained standing a few yards away on her own seemingly unsure of herself. Seeing her safe and unharmed brought Kayla just as much joy, a smile spreading across her face. She got a better grip on Johnathan so she could walk over to the young girl, Ada smiling as Kayla approached. Once she was close enough, Kayla knelt on the ground and used a free arm to bring Ada into the hug. She kissed both kids' heads and then remembered they were still out in the open. Turning around, she saw there was no one around but did not want to risk being this exposed.

"Come on you two," she said as she unhinged her arms from the two of them. "We gotta get somewhere safe. Keep that gun ready, John."

The next thought that ran through her head was Angela. She was not with Carl at the house, but neither was Carol. Kayla just was hoping that Angela was well enough equipped to handle the situation. She knew bits and pieces on Angela's past in this world since they were not together for a long time but trusted her friend would adapt and survive by her instincts and abilities. For now, she had both her kids in tow with her running towards safety. Then the blaring horn cut out and that was a sign for Kayla that allowed some weight to come off her shoulders.