Hey guys, I am back so soon. ;o) I had so many ideas ... hope you like how this is going on. The first chapters mainly focus on Ella, but now let us keep a look on Rick and the others. Just want you to get to know Ella a little better. Reviews welcome!

The flames of the CDC told them goodbye as the now smaller group left the place. "Ford Benning it is!" Shane had told everybody. No one knew really better, so everyone was moving the cars. When the group reached a highway, Daryl came to a halt. His truck was out of fuel, but that seemed to be a good thing. All cars stopped as they saw Daryl jumping out of his car.

When Rick looked into the driving mirror, he rolled his eyes. "What the …" Carl looked at his father with big eyes and Lori gave him a worried look as well. "Wait in the car." He ordered and stepped out.

He went to Daryl who was working on the back of his truck. He seemed to want to ride the motorcycle instead of the car. "Need a hand?" Daryl just sniffed at him. Rick didn't move, he didn't know what to say. „ Ford Benning is our next try." Daryl seemed to be even more grumpy than before.

Glenn also approached them. "Shouldn't we check our little campsite again?" Rick looked at him with a serious stare.

„What the fuck are you talking about?" Shane broke into the little conversation. "We are heading …"

Glenn interrupted his angry words. „But Ella might be still there. We have to check again, maybe she went deep into the forest to seek shelter. Maybe she made it to Atlanta."

Shane was annoyed. "We are not going to this hell place back. You guys nearly didn't make it back." Almost everyone was slowly joining the talking group. "This is not open for discussion. We are going to leave now." As he turned he looked into Daryl's eyes. "What you stupid red…"

This time Rick interrupted his words. „Stop it Shane." Shane turned around to face him. Anger was written all over his face.

Andrea took one step forward. „I am not going back to the campsite." She was pale and seemed to be still in a shock. No one thought she would come out of the RV so soon. Dale was by her side with a comforting glance, but Andrea seemed mad at him.

Glenn was frustrated. "But we have to. We have to check if Ella came back. Maybe she is hurt."

Shane was tearing his hair. "Maybe she is already with Amy or next to Jim!"

Everyone stood silent and some looked nervous at Andrea. But Andrea looked to the ground, she didn't want their pity. As she looked up, she met Daryl's gaze. She was pissed at everyone, mostly at Dale but she looked at Daryl first: "She was your little friend. Do you wanna go back?"

Daryl didn't move but gave her an icy glare as she spat the words. „She was Amy's friend."

Remembering Amy, Andrea felt pain in every corner of her body. "Amy …" Dale quickly came to her side, but she shushed him off. She swallowed the limb in her throat and fought tears back. "The hell you use my sister's name to get to me. You wanna know what … Ella left the camp and went after you. Amy saw her sneaking out but wasn't sure where she might be going. She told me in the morning she might have followed you."

Daryl didn't lose his icy glare but one could tell his heart skipped a beat. Rick took hold of Andrea's shoulders and turned her to meet her eyes. "Are you sure about that?" Andrea nodded. "Why didn't you tell us earlier, when we were looking for her?"

At first she didn't respond, but when she looked at Daryl once again who was dealing with his bike, she felt guilty. "I was in shock." She didn't really seem to know what to say. "I was in the RV the whole time and first heard she was lost when we were on our way to the CDC."

Daryl moved the bike to the ground. Rick held him back, but Daryl backed off. "Daryl wait!"

"Wait for what?"

"Your brother is gone and your friend too …"

Daryl's hard voice cut him off. "Leave me be officer-know-it-all. You left my brother chained on a roof and that girl left on her own will." Everyone knew he grew a little fond on the girl since she was the only one talking to him back then.

"She left because of you." Andrea tried to apologize, but the way she tried was definitely wrong.

Daryl pointed his finger at her. "Shut up bitch."

Rick stood in front of Daryl so he couldn't see Andrea anymore. Rick had heard about that girl Ella and had met her before he had left for Atlanta. She had seemed to be a cheerful nature. He was told she had been the only one getting along with Daryl, laughing at his remarks and helping him even when he had pushed her away. He knew Daryl would wanna look for her, but the group needed to be protected and Daryl was a good shooter and a hunter too. They needed him and Rick would put his family over a girl he didn't know. He flinched at that thought … The world changed and he changed with it. He would always go for it, help to find a missing person, but now everything had changed.

Loris voice broke in on his thoughts. "We don't know where she might be. Is there any sense in going back?"

"No sense in nothing." Was Daryl's answer, who jumped on his bike and started the motor. Andrea sniffed and walked back into the RV along with Dale. Carol never came out of the car and held Sofia close as she watched the scene from inside the car.

Daryl watched them when they slowly went back to their cars, but Rick never left his side. "Daryl, come with us. We need to protect these people. They need help."

Daryl stared into nothing. "Who said I was leaving anyway?"

"So you stay with us?" Daryl only gave him a short nod. When he was sure Daryl wouldn't leave, Rick eventually left to join his wife and kid in the car. The convoy of cars started to get moving and Daryl followed them deep in thoughts. His brother might be still alive. With a little smile on his lips he thought about his brother Merle. "Only a Dixon can kill a Dixon." He might have just one hand, but he had stolen the car and drove away. He had left … even he had known Daryl would be at camp, he still had left. He could have come back, but he hadn't.

Daryl's thoughts suddenly drifted off to Ella. She was not afraid of him like the other women of their group. She had always smiled at him but it hadn't been a pity smile nor had it been annoying. He liked the way her eyes had lit up when she saw him and he never knew why and it looked like he would never find out. Deep inside he knew he wanted to turn and search for her. She was innocent and alone. Maybe she wouldn't make it on her own, not like Merle who was on his own so many times.

He thought back of the day she had sneaked up on him in the woods. At first he had been mad at her, insulted her and told her to leave, but she hadn't. She had looked at him with a serious questioning look. No matter how hard he had tried to get rid of her, she had always come back, never resentful. One day she had told him he had looked kinda sexy. Due to that statement he had stood up and wanted to stump away, but she had grabbed his hand. Then everything had went quick. He had wanted to tear apart, but with a quick movement she had pushed him to the ground. He had been startled that she had been so fast and really angry, but her innocent eyes had told him to stay put. "I am maybe a quick one to knock you down, but I do not know how to kill." She had just tried to prove him she was worth living. Daryl had let out a bad laugh. "You could've just asked." He had been mad at her, but understood. That day he had trained her how to kill a walker with a knife.

All of a sudden the cars came to a stop and Daryl almost crashed into the RV. "What's going on?" Glenn's head came out of the RV. "Something is wrong with the damn car."

Thanks for reading :o) Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Will update soon!