Hello guys. I am sorry it took me so damn long to update. I hope you can still enjoy the story, still remember what happened in the last chapters. I don't want to bore you with my story, so here is Ellas story:

Chapter 58

Daryl's Point of view

When I followed Carol through the door I wondered why she didn't move and stood so close to the door. When I looked up I saw the reason. A teen stood in front of her, her gun in his hands. "Hands up, both of you!" I shut the door behind me and put my foot against it. Ella needed to stay safe on the other side. "Lay down your crossbow." I felt the door moving, Ella tried to open it, even knocked. But the boy in front of me didn't seem to notice. I heard her muffled voice calling for me. I didn't move and didn't intend to give him my crossbow. The boy release the safety catch of Carol's gun. "Look, nobody has to get hurt. I just need weapons, that's it." Looking at him, he didn't seem like the normal enemy we had met so far. "So, please, lay down your crossbow." He definitely wasn't like our last enemies. When I laid down my weapon, he nervously pointed the gun from me to Carol and back at me. "Back up." This was just a kid.

Carol reluctantly took a step back, while I felt the door behind me relax. Ella had stopped trying to open it. I hope she would just wait behind that door. When the boy took my weapon I noticed his left leg was injured, he hobbled backwards. "Sorry about this." And with this, he started to cut open the tents and the walkers started to walk towards us slowly. "You guys look tough, you'll be alright!" While I took my knife, Carol took a gun from behind her back. But she didn't point at the walkers, she intended to shot the boy. I grabbed her arm in astonishment and the shot failed the boy. I never had thought she would shoot a kid. Without a word I ran after him, but he had looked the door.

I ran back for the other door and when I opened it to squeeze through, my heart almost stopped. Ella was gone. I could almost hear Merle laughing at the back of my head, telling me this girl was nothing but trouble. "Damn it." I looked from right to left. "Ella!" I screamed, but there was no sound of her.

Carol came to stand by my side. "She must have heard the shot. She sure wanted to help us." She looked around for another way out. I had already noticed another way out and walked on wordlessly. "Three bullets." Carol came after me, but I didn't look at her. "We're in the middle of a city. He was stealing our weapons." I was mad at her for trying to shoot a kid like that, but at the moment I more cared for Ella to be found. This little runaway … "Did you think I was gonna kill him!" Her words suddenly hit me. Back at the prison she had killed two people … she had done so to survive, so that we could survive. But still she had killed two of our group … I tried to ignore this feeling arousing in me and concentrated on finding Ella. Where would she go? She definitely wouldn't hide somewhere to wait to be rescued. This stubborn girl would fight her way right back to me. My heart skipped a beat thinking she cared that much for me … Suddenly I could feel something in my bones, a good feeling rose again, but Carol was still babbling on about the boy stealing our weapons, which drove me crazy.

"He's a damn kid." I finally interrupted her. If she had noticed at all, he was injured and kinda helpless. I tried for a door which was closed too. Ella must have went this way, had she locked all the doors? I was sick of closed doors and tried to open the next one with my knife.

"Without weapons we could die." She sighed. "Ella could die." I hated it when people used her name to get at me.

"We'll find more weapons." I said sharply.

And finally Carol's emotions seemed to overtake her. "I don't want anybody to die, I can't see anybody die. That's why I left, I had to be somewhere else."

I turned around, sick of people leaving. "Well, ya ain't somewhere else. Ya're right here."

"Look, you are not who you were and neither am I!" She stated and she was right.

With force I finally opened the door and exhaled loudly. I didn't want to talk about that shit right now, my thoughts revolved around Ella. The girl who changed me the most to who I was right now. I didn't want her to get hurt again. With these wannabe policeman around, who knew what could happen. "Let's go back to our car, maybe she's waitin' there." Hope dies last, I told myself.

We carefully walked around the buildings. This time the walkers almost didn't seem to be the enemy here. My eyes were not only looking out for Ella, but for cars with a white cross and the kid who took our guns. Looking around, my eyes found Carol who somehow looked distant and sad. I turned to look around the corner. "Ya said I ain't like how I was before!" I said to Carol without looking. She was still my close friend and I was tired of cutting people who were close out.

"Yeah." Even her voice sounded distant. What the hell had happened when she had split?

"How was I?"

"It's like you were a kid." She sighed, walking past me to see around the next corner first. "Now you are a man."

I laughed at her words. But the smile was gone before she could look at me. I turned around again and saw our desolated car. No Ella in sight. "Damn it …" Where the hell could she ran off to?

"Maybe she went for the car on the bridge." Carol mentioned beside me while we walked carefully to our car.

"Maybe." I confirmed.

"We could split up." She looked into the car. "I go to the bridge and you check the surroundings here."

I couldn't think clearly. Ella was gone, Carol told me she left sick of people dying and we didn't have any weapons. I looked to the knife in my hand. "No." I stated. "We won't split up." On one hand I was afraid she would leave and on the other one of us could get killed. "Let me think …" I leaned at the side of the car while Carol sat down on the hood.

"Daryl?!" Who the heck was calling for me? I turned around and couldn't believe to see the boy who robbed us running straight at me calling my name. I clenched my fist, ready to knock him out. "We have to help Ella!" What?! My head spun. "They shot … we have to help her …" He hobbled quickly. "Please!" I saw the helplessness in his eyes again. He was just a damn kid.

"What about Ella?" Carol grabbed him and with a quick motion took her knife. The kid looked puzzled when Carol pointed it at him. "Where is she?" I saw Carol looking at me from the corner of her eye. Maybe she had grabbed him before I could knock him out. My clenched fist was already white.

"I am not the enemy. They have her!" He told us.

"Who?" I shot him a mad glance and grabbed my crossbow. He almost gave it away without resistance.

"She is back there in the building. You have to help, she told me to find you guys." He hobbled back and forth, seemingly not knowing what to do next. "She said you'd know what to do."

"Where is she now?" I asked him already walking the direction he had come from. He tried to follow as good as possible with his limping leg.

"I heard a shot. I don't know what happened … maybe she is … if she was shot or …" He stammered.

I silenced him with a glance. "Where?" I grunted. If she was shot … no, I didn't want to go down that path.

"The next building, across the street." He pointed towards one of the buildings. "We have to be careful. They have guns and others might be close"

"Who?" Carol asked next to me.

"The ones who imprisoned us … who use us …" He was out of breath, but I was walking on.

A shot was heard but couldn't tell where it came from. I drew my crossbow as it echoed from the buildings. I was about to run when held back by the kid. "Don't …" He pulled me behind a car while Carol ran forward. "No!" The boy called after her, but it was too late. Carol ran across to the building but was hit by a car halfway. I wanted to go for her, but the boy clung to me as if I was his lifejacket on a drowning ship. "Don't! They can help her." I madly grabbed him, but then I saw Ella coming out of the door almost next to me. I jumped towards her to pull her to our hiding spot behind the car, but accidently pulled her too hard and she crashed to the ground. She hit her head and remained unconscious on the ground. "Fuck."

The boy peaked around the car. "They didn't hear us." He turned to us and behind him the car which had run Carol over drove away, on the rear window a white cross.

Ella's Point of View

"Ella." I heard someone calling for me, but I didn't want to open my eyes. I felt just fine, somehow relaxed. "Ella." This time my name was called with more strength and when I felt someone grabbing me with force, pain shot right through me. I had been awoken by pain so many times, I really got used to the feeling of shattering bones. Don't you think you should stop to get hurt?! There really is a nicer way to weak up. Another pain rushed through me and my eyes popped open to look at Daryl and the boy who robbed him.

"Daryl …" I croaked seeing the man I always wanted to wake up to. Next to him stood the boy. So he had gone to find my friends. "You found them." Then it hit me. Carol was lying dead-like on the ground surrounded by policemen. "Carol!" And I sat upright but Daryl's eyes told me to stop. My head spun. Easy Badass, take it slowly. You have been in trouble again. I had told you to wait for them but you took off again. I felt him smile in the back of my head. Definitely not funny.

Daryl shook his head. "They took her." He simply stated.

"She is better at the hospital." The boy told us. "They can help her."

Daryl grabbed the young man and almost hit him. "What hospital?"

When I grabbed for Daryl's fist, my shoulder burned. "Daryl, wait." He looked at me but didn't let go of the boy. "He knows Beth." Now I got his attention. "He knows …" I grabbed my shoulder and when I looked at my hand it there was blood. "Damn it." Is there some rule that you have to get hurt or bleed? Why the sarcasm? You don't listen and always get into trouble. I don't want you to get hurt anymore, but you seem to provoke it every damn time. I tried to shut up his thoughts. Do you want to feel pain? Do you need the pain to know you still feel, to know you're still alive?

"They can fix that too." The poor kid said. Daryl's grab around his throat didn't look comfy. I put more pressure on my shoulder and it burned. Was my brother right that I needed the pain to know I was still alive?

"What's ya name?" Daryl barked.

"Noah …" He tried to get rid of Daryl's grab, without success. "Your friend is safe with them."

"How do ya know?" Daryl really knew how to scare people. He looked at me again with a worried glance but I nodded. "Who are they?"

"They are positioned at the hospital. They have all the equipment to help your friend. They have a doctor." Noah looked at me. "They could help you too, but it comes at a price."

"What are you talking about?" I stood up examining my arm. The shot seemed to have just grazed my arm. There was no wound where the bullet had entered, just a flesh wound. I was relieved. Did I feel more alive now? My brother had nothing to say to that. I didn't feel more alive.

We went back into a building to a hideout Noah had found shelter at. We found a little first aid kid. Daryl cleaned up my wound and wrapped the bandage around my shoulder while Noah told us about the people who held him, Beth and others like slaves and how they had to work for them. After he had finished his story Daryl had scratched his chin and starred at the floor wordlessly. My head was still processing what I had just heard. After a while of silence Daryl stood up. "We're goin' back."

"What?" I couldn't believe his words.

"We get the others and come back with more guns, more gunfire, more brains." Daryl pointed to his head. He was right, he and Rick together would find a solution. Daryl stood up and held out his hand to help me get up too.

"They have guns." Noah said next to me. "They have people."

I smiled to myself, he didn't know us. Finally you get it. Together all of you will overcome any problem.

"So do we." Daryl said and I finally took his hand. "We go back and get the others. Maggie will be glad Beth is alive."

Maggie … we had gone in the night, hadn't even told our friends where we had gone. Glenn and Maggie would be mad. We had took off … I had took off again without a word. They definitely would be mad.

Mentioning Beth' name Noah looked up to us. "She helped me escape. I want to help."

Daryl nodded. "Let's find a car." But I didn't move.

"I'll wait here and observe these guys." Are you crazy?! You really don't learn, do you!? You have been shot, sliced open and god knows what and you still choose to stay alone and behind? You should better think twice. I could feel the madness in his words. This didn't make me feel alive either …

Daryl turned to me. "No. We all go." We looked into each other's eyes. "It is too dangerous." My brother laughed in the back of my head, liking Daryl to be his opinion. See.

"They won't move. They will stay at the hospital until the end of the apocalypse." Noah got to his feet. "Believe me, I had to be with them god knows how long … they never move. They just come out of this damn hospital for supply runs and whatnot."

Daryl shot me a look. I had wanted to stay and check the hospital, but maybe it was better to stay together. "Maybe I should check for … Someone should observe this hospital …" But I stopped, I didn't want to split again.

Daryl put his hand on my shoulder looking deep into my eyes. "We're comin' back." He squeezed my good shoulder.

Moments later we were on our way back. I watched the city disappear in the rearview. I was afraid of Maggie's and Glenn's reaction when we would return. But we had found Beth, they couldn't be mad. Daryl drove on fast with the lights of the truck turned off. "How is your arm?"

"Just a scratch."

"And your head?" His voice mirrored pain. He really had crashed my head hard to the ground.

"Tell me when I am starting to speak French." I joked. A short laugh escaped Daryl's lips. "I'm fine, really." I reassured him and tried a smile. I turned to Noah. "You okay?"

He looked a bit puzzled and seemed to feel uncomfortable. "Yeah …" There were dark circles around his eyes. He yawned into his hand.

"You can rest if you want." I told him. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. "If they have a doctor, why are you limping?"

"It happened on our escape." He looked outside the window maybe avoiding more questions.

"Ah." Daryl looked at me from the corner of his eye. I felt like he was studying me. "What?"

"Nothing." He changed into a higher gear and the car sped on. I put my hand on his and he shot me a look. I liked his glance, no words needed to be said. I yawned too and when I looked back to Noah he was already asleep.

"Rest too." Daryl told me. "You'll need all the strength you got."

Daryl had been driving fast and found the way back to the church without using a map. After all he was a tracker. In my mind I still saw him working as a bounty hunter tracking every target down in the blink of an eye. But he hadn't been fast enough. I starred at the church and couldn't believe what had happened. Rick had told us about Gareth coming back, the bloodshed and Bob's death. While I was frozen to the ground, my eyes still at the church, everybody got ready to secure the church. My shoulder burned a bit, but it didn't really hurt and I wasn't limited in my movements. I was ready to set out again. And Daryl hadn't even argued about that. My eyes wandered to Rick. This man didn't seem to be standing at the abyss but was already deep down. And recently it seemed he was taken us down with him. Since I had seen him killing Joe by biting his throat, Rick's behavior and mood seemed to darken.

I couldn't believe Glenn and Maggie left with Abraham after the incident. How could she not want to look for Beth? Maybe saving the world is of higher priority. "But it is her sister …" I whispered.

You mean like Merle is Daryl's brother? I swallowed hard. Like no one is looking for him anymore. That hurt.

"I am …"

You have been.

"Beth is a scarred girl alone with those psychopaths." She needed to be saved while Merle could pretty damn good look after himself. My brother had told me so a million times. Still I thought Maggie would care more for her sister then just leave.

Or are you sad she didn't wait for you? You had been gone too many times to be waiting for you too. Wow, someone was in a destroying mood. There was a harshness in his voice that hurt. I had run away, but for a reason. Maybe she has a reason too. Now you know what it feels like when a person splits. Ouch, another blow from a ghost. But I deserved that one.

Carl came to stand next to me. "I still can't believe they ate his leg." He told me, staring the church down with me.

From where I was standing the church looked so clean and untouched. "It doesn't really look like there had been a massacre."

"The priest scrubbed hard." Carl told me. "Washed almost all blood away."

"You still think he is an innocent person, heh!?" I remembered the words scratched on the back wall. "Sounds more like he's washing his sins away."

Suddenly a sound of shattering wood came out of the church. "That's Sasha." Carl told me. Before I could ask if she would be okay, he turned to me. "No, she's not hanging in there." He looked at me as if he knew what I was going to ask next. "She didn't let him change."

I breathed in deeply. Was that why Bob had been so melancholy the last time I had seen him? The moment I wanted to move Priest Gabriel walked around the church. I changed my mind and followed him. When I walked silently around the corner, I saw him touching the carving. "You'll burn for this." I told him and he almost jumped at my voice. He just looked at me. "You didn't give your sheep shelter, did you?!" Still he didn't speak up. "When we'll go, will you turn your back on Michonne and the kids too?" He wanted to say something but looked down to his hands. I took my knife and made a step towards him. "If we come back here with our friend and …"

Carl took my knife holding hand. "This is a man of faith."

"I have no faith in him." I told him but Carl starred at me his grab around my wrist was tensed. I wouldn't kill a priest … would I? What are you thinking drawing your weapon? This is a man of God. Is there really no faith left in you? I sighed putting my knife back in its sheath at my leg. "Hershel was a man of faith, I have never seen him betraying his people." Not knowing if I was talking my brother or Carl or both, I gave Carl an apologizing look.

"I never wanted this …" Gabriel whispered turning his back to us. He mumbled something to himself and all I could think of was that there were demons chasing his thoughts. Maybe the dead were talking in his head too, but his dead flock wasn't like my brother. So, am I an angel to you?

Daryl called for us. "Let's keep moving."

I walked towards Daryl. "You should have a little faith." Carl said next to me. "Otherwise this whole world is just a dark place with no light." Such grown up words from a young boy.

I gave him smile. "I put all my faith in you Carl." I half hugged him. "Someday you'll be the leader and I know you will be doing great." While we will be long gone … Another one of your destructive thoughts? Somehow I couldn't believe I would still be standing at the end of our journey.

Arriving at the front of the church, Rick handed Judith to Carl placing a kiss on her cheek. "We'll be back soon." Carl looked at me as if to tell me something, then he just smiled and hugged his sister tight. He turned to walk into the church to join Michonne and the priest. Rick closed the door and walked to the car.

I joined the others who stood already at the car. They had guns ready, the kind of firearms we would need. Noah was standing next to Daryl still a bit unsure on his feet. Whether it was because of his injury or the fact that we were something like going to war – I couldn't tell, but I knew he was determined to help Beth. Tyrese and Sasha loaded the truck and sat down in the back. When I jumped on the truck too, I saw my bag full of books. I had almost forgotten about my little treasure. I went back to the church and knocked. Carl opened and I smiled at him. "I don't want you to get bored."

He took the bag, opened it and saw the books. His lips formed a smile. "Thanks."

I went back stepped in the truck sitting down opposite of Tyrese and Sasha. Noah sat down next to me while Daryl and Rick were driving, maybe already coming up with a plan.

"How is your shoulder?" Noah asked me.

"Nothing worth mentioning." I smiled.

"I guess." He smiled back. "You look like a tumbler." He looked to the others, who were armed and ready to fight. "All of you look like fighters. I guess that's why you survived."

"We survived because we have each other. We are a family." He nodded to my words. What about his family or group?

"How many policemen are there?" Sasha asked in a monotone voice. She reminded me of when we had first met Michonne. "How many weapons? Any arsenals around the city? Any nasty surprises we should know?"

"I don't know … I was only cleaning floors on the ward. They have a riffle cabinet and guns in their cars." He looked down to his hands.

"Are they actual cops?" I asked him trying to put a nice tone to my voice. The poor kid seemed to have been put through a lot by this self-claimed chief in charge named Dawn.

"Yeah. They know each other."

"So they know how to shoot." I commented.

"They know how to kill." Tyrese added.

I fell silent. We needed a good plan. But with our two brains in the front of the truck, I was sure anything could work. And we had the element of surprise. Deep down I can feel you do not trust Rick as much as you say. This psycho had bit a man's throat, had killed him with his bare hands. He had done so to protect his son. You do know that I know you better than anyone in this truck, better than yourself sometimes. You are afraid this man will be the group's death. Maybe that's the reason Glenn and Maggie left, better to save the world then to go down with a man killing humans. My brother fell silent.

Thank you for reading – especially the favs&followers since day one. Thanks a lot you stick to the story. I will do my best to update soon! Have a great day