r2j591: Lots of really good questions. Hopefully the have all been answered.

MaddyMarie1212: Excellent point!

Lily is my OC.

"What the hell was that for?" Daryl grabbed her arm.

"I was angry."

"So you punched me?" She didn't look at him. "Again!"

"It was better than hitting Carol! She's been through hell not knowing what happened to her daughter. And then you called her a bitch."

"She's not left camp once to look for her daughter! Ya almost died twice looking for 'er and you're defendin' her?!"

"But I didn't die!"

"And why didya hit me and not her?"

"Because she's lost her daughter!"

"You don't know that!"

"Daryl, we almost died looking for this girl! That should be more than a reasonable clue that she's gone. There's no trail to follow anymore. You stopped following her trail days ago! There's nothing left."

He scoffed rolling his eyes.

"This is just a dream to find this girl alive. She's gone. You've done your part. You don't owe these people anything. Don't kill yourself looking for this girl, Daryl! Don't leave me alone!"

She never saw the hand which slapped her.

"Don't you ever tell me what ta do! You don't know me!" He stormed off as she grabbed her face.

...

"What's wrong?"

Carl's question made Lily jump awake.

"What's that?"

"Daryl hit you?"

She sighed. "You saw that?"

"Yeah, most did." Lifting her head to look around the camp and saw a few people turn away from her.

"Come with me. It's school time and it gets boring. Teach me doctor things."

"Ok," she caved getting to her feet and following the over eager boy to school work.

"What's this, baby?" Lori asked. "I told you to get the book from the tent..."

"Oh, yeah! Be right back!" Carl then sprinted off to grab the book from his tent and Lily sat down next to Lori.

"What happened between you two today?"

It was almost nice not having to explain what had happened because she had already seen it happen.

"I said Sophia is gone and that he should stop looking?"

"So you think my husband should stop looking too?" Lori spat.

"Lori, I didn't say that. I told Daryl not to risk his life anymore." A harsh look was thrown at her. "Don't give me that look. We were thrown off a cliff and then shot, which I understand was an accident but seriously? Who let her take watch? Anyway, I love Sophia like she was my own, but don't you think it's been long enough? If there was any indication about her being alive, don't you think we'd have found more? I'm sorry if I have offended you, but that's what I think."

Lily looked away from Lori and saw Daryl walking off with Carol into the woods to do what, she didn't care. He could make his own decisions.

"I'm not saying you're wrong, we just need to keep hopes high and hope for the best."

"Mom, the book isn't here!" Carl shouted from the tent.

"Yeah, babe, it's there. Check under the table!"

"Got it!"

"All I'm saying is you can believe that she is gone, but don't go bragging about it to the others because they will not be happy to hear it. Can you not to tell anyone?"

"Yeah, I can. For how long?"

Lori gave her a distasteful look before turning her attention to Carl.

"School has officially started."

Most of the next hour was spent learning math and about how to take care of minor common injuries with Lori's consent. In that time Lily noticed Dale, Shane, Maggie, and Glenn all having disputes of their own.

"I'm gonna go get some water."

"Can I go with Lily, mom?"

"Yeah. Make it fast."

Lily carried Carl into the kitchen and set him on the ground getting two glasses for them. They drank their fill before going to stand on the porch where Beth and Patricia invited him to join a game they were playing. Lily jumped up on the railing and closed her eyes for a short time.

"Do you know what's goin' on?" T-Dog asked approaching the porch making Lily jolt awake.

"Where is everyone?" Andrea asked from her spot next to T-Dog.

Glenn got to his feet. "You haven't seen Rick?"

"He went off with Hershel. We were supposed to leave a couple of hours ago."

Lori shot Lily a stern look that only she understood.

"Yeah, you were. What the hell?" Daryl walked up with Carol right next him. He didn't even look at Lily.

"Rick told us he was goin' out," Carol added.

"Damn it. Isn't anybody takin' this seriously? We got us a damn trail. Oh, here we go."

Shane approached with the bag of guns slung over his shoulder.

"What's all this?"

"You with me man?" Shane asked holding a gun out to Daryl. "Time to grow up. You got yours?"

"Yeah. Where's Dale?" Andrea asked.

"He's on his way."

"Thought we couldn't carry?" T-Dog asked taking the gun from Shane.

"We can and we have to. Look," Shane addressed everyone. "It was one thing sitting around here picking daisies when we thought this place was supposed to be safe. But now we know it ain't. How bout you, man? You gonna protect yours?" He gave a gun to Glenn.

"Can you stop?" Maggie asked. "You do this, you hand out these guns, my dad will make you leave tonight."

"We have to stay, Shane," Carl piped up.

"What is this?" Lori asked.

"We ain't goin' anywhere ok?" Shane tried to reassure her. "No, look Hershel, h's just gotta understand. Ok? He- Well, he's gonna have to."

"Sound like you gave that one a lot of thought, Shane..." Lily stated jumping from the railing.

'This is so wrong! Shane is about to kill every chance we have of a safe place to live!'

"Now, we need to find Sophia. Am I right? Now I want you to take this." Shane handed a gun out to Carl. "Now you take it, Carl, and you keep your mother safe. You do whatever it takes. You know how. Go on, take the gun and do it."

"Rick said no guns," Lori hissed pushing Carl behind her. "This is not your call. This is not your decision to make."

"Oh, shit." Everyone turned to see where T-Dog was looking and saw Rick, Hershel, and Jimmy leading two walkers out of the woods.

After Shane dropped the gun he took off in a full sprint towards Rick and Hershel and all hell was about to break loose. Lily took off in a dead sprint ignoring the pain in her leg and in her lungs as she charged him. Daryl watched her pass him on her way to stop Shane.

"What the hell are you doin'?" Shane shouted.

"Shane, just back off!"

"Why do your people have guns?"

The second she was close enough she launched herself onto Shane's back and wrapped her arm around his throat.

"Shane! Calm down! Calm down!" He threw her from his back and T-Dog jumped in front of her. There was no need to because Shane was focused on the walkers Rick and Hershel were holding at the end of a snare.

'What the hell?'

Everything was a blur before she was able to get back to her feet and hear the shouts.

"These things aren't sick. They're not people. They're dead. Ain't gonna feel nothing for them 'cause all they do, they kill! These things right there! They're the things that killed Amy. They killed Otis. They're gonna kill all of us. Hey Hershel, man, let me ask you somethin. Could a livin' breathin' person walk away from this?"

Shane pulled out a pistol and shot the walker Hershel was holding onto. Three rounds through the abdomen. It recoiled and kept coming.

"Could someone who's alive, could they just take that? Why is is still comin'?" Three more rounds. "That's its heart, it's lungs. Why is it still comin?"

"Shane, enough!" Rick shouted.

"You're right that is enough." Shane stomped over to the walker and shot it in the head.

The look on Hershel's face was complete and total devastation.

"Enough risking our lives for a little girl who's gone!"

Carol gasped.

"Enough living next to a barn full of things that are trying to kill us. Enough. Rick, it ain't like it was before! Now if y'all want to live, if you want to survive, You gotta fight for it! I'm talking about fighting right here, right now."

The next moment was filled with Rick screaming for Hershel to take the snare pole, and Hershel staring blankly at the barn that Shane was opening.

'Here, it goes.'

Shane beat the locks off the door before standing back and letting the walkers do the rest of the work. They began pouring out of the barn like ants out of an ant hole. The others who had been issued guns ran forward to begin the execution.

'This is wrong!' Lily looked at Hershel. 'He is crazy to keep walkers locked up like this. Damn it, Shane. This didn't have to be the way!'

One by one the walkers fell by bullet. The Greene family was in distress and it was obvious. Their family was being slaughtered right in front of their eyes. Now maybe if Rick had, had more time to talk to Hershel maybe this wouldn't be happening.

Halfway through the massacre Shane turned around and killed the walkers in Rick's hands.

An eternity passed before all the walkers were dead.

Lily was curled up when she heard the last footsteps shuffling out of the barn. All of the years listening to people shuffle around the hospital told her that those footsteps belonged to a child. Hearing the sob from Carol was proof enough that it was Sophia.

Lily couldn't find the strength to look up and see the girl before her so she just chose not to look up.

Light feminine snarling filled the air as the shuffling continued. No one was breathing at the horror before them.

"Sophia? Sophia!" Carol ran forward but Daryl caught her and fell with her to the ground making sure she wasn't going to endanger the rest of the camp by getting bit.

With a heavy heart Lily looked up and saw Rick standing with his gun hand raised. His body hid Sophia from her view.

After a sharp breath, he pulled the trigger.