There was a storm overnight, rain deafening as it pounded against the roof as though trying to get in. The next day dawned grey and cloudy, and they left the warehouse in the steel grey light of dawn. Asha barely glanced at Len's crumpled body dumped unceremoniously outside the door, some small part of her mind noting that the dead in this world were so commonplace that the smell of decomposition barely registered.

In the cold morning light it was easier to force the whole thing out of her mind, and before long she had Len locked away tight in her box of repressed memories. She wasn't even ashamed that the only thing she felt about the past night's events was relief that he was gone.

The group was quiet, her and Daryl trailing the rest of them. The others seemed to be avoiding her, although from time to time she felt eyes on her and looked up to see one or another of them watching her with weighing eyes. Not exactly friendly, but she wondered if she was imagining it that it felt like there was less tension without Len. Tony glanced at her once, but his eyes slid quickly away.

She was happy for the quiet, drawing comfort from the simple fact that Daryl walked beside her, close enough brush against her and to snap a steadying hand under her arm when she hooked a foot on a rail sleeper. As the warmth rose with the sun, it was easy to let her mind drift as they walked.

A low whistle from Joe pulled her from her half daze around mid morning. Ahead of them the tracks they followed crossed another line. Joe had stopped by the battered signal box and was peering intently at one of the walls, obviously waiting for them to join them.

A map of the state rail system covered the wall, and someone had inked all the train lines passing through a central crossing point, a place Asha knew well. 'Terminus' was blocked in beside the point, and above the map were the words 'Sanctuary for all: those who arrive survive.' The ink wasn't exactly fresh, but it didn't look too old either.

Asha stared at it in shock.

'Well?' Joe asked.

For an irrational moment Asha thought Joe knew about her connection to Terminus and expected her to have an explanation for the sign.

'What?' Daryl growled with characteristic bluntness. 'You in search of sanctuary?'

Joe snorted contemptuously. 'Why? World's already my oyster. But that there is where we're headed. Our quarry, we tracked him from that house to the rail track. There was one of these signs nearby and hence we got ourselves a destination.'

Asha stayed silent. She spent most of her time trying not to actively think about that place and her mind worked furiously trying to process the fact that there were people still at Terminus – and at least some of them from the days when she was there. Sanctuary for all. That was something they used to say, back when they were building the place.

Daryl grunted stepping forward to look more closely at the map. 'We ain't that far away,' he said, sending a shiver of nerves through Asha. 'Day or so at most. Planning on taking on a whole community if he beats us there?'

'Ain't gonna matter,' Joe said confidently. 'We're getting real close now.' He pulled out a battered hip flask and took a swig, pointing to a chocolate bar wrapper nestled against a rail sleeper - colour bright and foil crisp and unflattened. It couldn't have been there through the downpour overnight.

Daryl grunted noncommittally, taking a glug from the flask Joe extended before handing it back. Asha was more than a little surprised when Joe then held it out to her.

'Might want to take it easy,' he cautioned. 'It's got a bit of kick.'

Asha took a modest gulp, then spluttered slightly despite her best intentions. She'd been expecting something on the level of moonshine, but this was worse, much worse. It tasted as though it had been brewed in an old boot, one something had died in.

Joe grinned. 'We brew it ourselves, when we get the time. Tastes like arse but does the trick.'

Asha arched her brows, but had to admit that as the taste faded the familiar alcoholic burn was vaguely comforting. She took another small swallow, grimaced, and handed the flask back.

It disappeared into Joe's pocket. 'Let's pick up the pace,' he said brusquely, swinging his rifle on to his shoulder. 'I want to catch this arsehole before dark.' He pointed down the left bank of the track. 'Harley, I want you down there, keep an eye out for any sign of them leaving the tracks. Daryl, you right to take the other side?'

Asha's stomach sank slightly as Daryl shared a quick glance and then shrugged, adjusting his crossbow strap across his chest as he stepped off the tracks.

She felt his absence as they started walking, even though he was only a matter of feet away and she could clearly see him scanning the ground as they walked.

Tony was five or six paces ahead of her and Asha shot Daryl a small reassuring smile before quickening her step to catch up to her old friend. There were some questions she wanted answered and he seemed the best mark.

Tony gave her a guarded glance as she fell in beside him. His lips crinkled as though he was looking for words, but ultimately he said nothing.

Asha swallowed a faint feeling of hurt and annoyance. 'Warned you I wasn't who I used to be.'

'Guess seeing ain't the same as hearing.'

She bristled indignantly. 'Don't tell me you haven't done things. There's no way. Not in this world and definitely not with this crowd.'

'No there ain't… But guess I didn't expect it of you.' Tony shook his head sadly.

There was an uncomfortable moment as they walked on in silence.

'What do you want Asha?' he eventually asked tiredly.

Asha hesitated a moment as she weighed up whether to still risk a few questions. She figured she could start of innocuously and back out if needed.

'You come across many people lately?' she asked, glancing at him sidelong.

'Not heaps. Guess people are spread thinner today than they used to be. You?'

'Used to be a lot back when this all started. Everyone was on the road and going anywhere. Lately, hardly ever. Occasionally we'd see signs that someone's been places we've been, but it's been a while since we've seen real live people. Before you of course'

Shut up Asha, you're rambling again.

She tried to sound casual. 'We did see a car not all that long before running into you. Went past before we could see anything about the driver.'

Tony grunted as Asha watched him out of the corner of her eye. 'Strange thing about it. They'd gone to the trouble of painting a white cross in the back windscreen.'

Tony's head snapped around, eyes blazing. 'What. Did they see you?' His hand whipped out, snatching around her arm and yanking her to a stop. 'Asha, did they see you?'

Asha's heart had started pounding at his tone and she stared at him in shock. He was flat lipped and there was a deep line between his brows. The entire group had stalled around them.

'Get ya hand off her,' Daryl grated at her back, low and dangerous.

'Did the people in that car see you?' Joe asked seriously behind him.

'No,' Asha said, improvising quickly. 'We were camped out in a house, we saw them go past from inside, but they didn't see us.'

'Where?' Joe asked.

'I'm not sure exactly,' she frowned, trying to think of something nearish to the truth. 'North roughly. About a day or so's walk from where we crossed paths I guess.'

Tony let her go, trading a guarded look with Joe. 'That van we saw was close to Atlanta,' he said. 'Didn't expect 'em to be hunting this far south.'

Joe spat off to the side. 'Slim pickings 'round Atlanta now I guess. Ain't our problem. No reason to think they'll be concentrating on this area if they didn't see these two.'

There was a sick feeling in Asha's stomach as she recalled that, whoever they were, they had in fact certainly seen her.

'You know these people?' she asked.

'Know enough to stay clear of em,' Tony said flicking his teeth with his tongue as though there were a foul taste in his mouth.

The others had started moving.

'That's not much to go on,' Asha said. 'What if we see them again.'

'Don't,' Joe said. 'Stay away from them, Unless ya get the chance to shoot one of 'em in the back of the head, and then by all means, take it. First chance ya get.'

He pulled a tattered cigarette from the pack in his vest, lighting it as he strode towards the front of the group. 'Let's keep moving,' he called, putting an end to the conversation.

Asha sneaked a concerned look a Daryl, noting the hard lines set in around his mouth, the last spark of hope she'd been sheltering for Beth sputtering and dying.

It was nightfall when they caught their quarry.

Asha's nails gouged ruts in Daryl's bicep, eyes wide as she stared at the familiar faces of Rick and Michonne flickering in the campfire light. Even though they'd been acting on the slim chance that the man with the beard was Rick, she had barely allowed herself to hope and so she stared blankly at their faces for a moment – at Rick's head tilted under the weight of Joe's' gun against his temple, and at Michonne's dark features glaring up the barrel of Tony's rifle. Then there was a thud and Dan dragged a half asleep Carl from the backseat of the abandoned car they had camped by. The pudgy man's eyes gleamed unwholesomely as he tightened his grip on the boy and Asha's stomach lurched sickly, jerking her harshly into the here and now.

'What do we do?' she whispered.

Daryl's face was hard lines and planes where they stood outside the circle of firelight – far enough back that they could have slipped away if Joe's unfortunate targets were anyone other than their own people.

'Circle round to Tony,' Daryl said without taking his eyes of Joe. 'See if you can talk him down. I'm gonna try reason with Joe.'

Asha frowned. It was a plan built on slim chances if she'd ever heard one.

'And if that doesn't work?'

Daryl glanced at her from the corner of his eye, lip folded in his mouth for an instant.

'They got rules. We ain't broken any. Might be enough. This ain't gotta end bad.' Then he grimaced. 'Beside's you've got no ammo, and I'd be lucky to get a shot off if we try anything. Ain't got no choice.'

Asha nodded tightly, squeezing his arm before circling around towards Tony.

Behind her, she heard Joe counting down.

'Ten Mississippi, nine Mississippi, eight Mississippi-'

'Hold up.' Daryl's gravelly voice seemed loud in the sudden silence. Asha fought the urge to look at him and concentrated on making her way around the group to Tony.

'You're stopping me on eight Daryl,' Joe said.

'Just... Hold up.'

'This is the guy that killed Lou,' spat Harley - or maybe it was Billy - Asha wasn't sure. 'So we got nothing to talk about.'

There was a moment of heavy silence.

'The thing about nowadays,' Joe said, 'is we got nothing but time. Say your piece Daryl'.

Asha skirted around Dan and sidled up to Tony, ignoring the sudden widening of Michonne's eyes. 'You don't need to do this,' she said softly, seeking out Tony's gaze and extending a hand.

She got only a warning glare in response.

'These people,' Daryl continued behind her. 'You're gonna let em go. These are good people.'

'I think Lou would disagree with you on that,' Joe said dryly. 'I of course will have to speak from him on that, 'cause your friend here, strangled him in a bathroom.'

'They're family Tony,' Asha appealed. 'Like Carla was. Like you were. Whatever you've done to survive, you don't have to do this.' She took a step forward, hand outstretched. 'You don't need to do this.'

The large man hesitated an instant, something flickering through his eyes - too quick for Asha to place it - before his face set like stone. 'Ya ain't know nothing about it,' he spat. 'Thought you were my chance to find a bit of who I used to be, maybe even who we both used to be. But you…' He looked her up and down, with more than a hint of disgust. 'You couldn't even hold on to who you were. There's no going back for any of us.'

'Tony's right,' Joe said, raising his voice a little across the space. 'There's no going back. But I ain't give two fucks who you used to be. The cold blooded bitch I met last night is useful. She can join us, or you can share your friends' fate. This is ya only chance though. I ain't losing sleep over it either way.'

'Maybe you just never really knew who I was,' Asha said just a little bitterly to Tony, before writing him off in terms of helping her friends and instead turning her attention on Joe. 'Feels like we've been here before Joe,' she said coolly. 'There's a place for blood. But right now i'm in favour of a plan that leaves less of it on the ground. You saw opportunities last time. Maybe there are opportunities here?'

'Asha,' he said shaking his head disappointedly, wolf grin spreading across his features. 'Last time we thought you had us outgunned, and this time, I want it to end in blood.' Joe's grin widened until it was all teeth. 'Your friends owe us blood.'

'Ya want blood,' Daryl interjected. 'I get it.' He dropped his crossbow and stood with his hands outstretched, eyes locked on Joe. 'Take it from me man.'

Asha's head whipped around to Daryl in horror. Joe would only see that as weakness. Sure enough, Joe's expression as he stared at Daryl was part stunned, part disappointed.

'Come on,' Daryl urged.

'This man killed our friend,' Joe said frowning. 'You say he's good people. See that right there…' the grey haired man's features settled resolutely as he shook his head reprovingly. 'That's a lie.'

Daryl's hands dropped, face hardening.

'It's a lie,' Joe cried, and Harley and Billy were suddenly a step closer to Daryl, teeth gleaming and weapons swinging.

'No,' Asha cried, taking half a step before her vision blurred and white hot pain exploded in her cheek. She was vaguely aware that Tony had struck her as the damp road leapt up to meet her.

Ears ringing she heard Joe faintly. 'Teach him fellas, teach him all the way.'

Then all she heard was Daryl's muted grunts of pain beneath a sickening chorus of cracks and thuds. Prone on the ground, struggling to breathe, she saw Daryl's boots scrape back and forth between Billy and Harley. And then he was on the ground, curled on his side as Billy's boot connected with the arms wrapped protectively around his head.

Move Asha.

She pitched forwards, scrambling on hands and knees around the front of the car, grateful Tony and Dan couldn't spare any attention for her from Michonne and Carl. Then she launched herself at Billy - Billy with his back to her and his damn boot still swinging.

She was going to take that leg off with her teeth.

She collected him around the knees in a graceless tackle that smacked him to the ground.

Behind her there was gun shot.

Hard breath rasping, hers, Billy's, her fingers scrabbling for her knife. Then a boot, Harley's she assumed, ploughing into her ribs. She ate dirt, groaning, the rib Merle had once cracked bursting with renewed fire. From the corner of her eye she saw Daryl, blood dripping, eyes blazing, lurching unsteady behind Harley with knife in hand.

A hand tangled in her hair, pain splitting across her skull as she was hauled roughly to her feet.

Billy.

'I ain't gonna kill you yet,' he hissed, sour breath blasting in her ear. 'There's fun to be had with you when we're done with cunt boyfriend. Ya gonna have to pay for Len, and Lou.' He slashed a backhand across her face, spinning her around and back to her knees. White hot pain seared through her rattling teeth and she'd have screamed if she could make her jaw work.

The force of the blow spun her around and back to her knees. Through watering eyes she saw Joe wrap Rick in a bear hug, trapping his arms at his sides, sneering as he taunted him. She blinked, and thought for a moment that her vision had failed her as Rick's head snapped forward and then ripped back and the open neck of Joe's embroidered shirt fountained red. Joe gurgled, staggered, eyes bulging as he groped for his throat before toppeling backwards.

Rick leant to the side and spat, a spray of blood around a solid chunk of something that made Asha's stomach want to empty.

It wasn't until a gunshot ripped past her ear – a quick glance showing that the heavy thud was Billy falling to the ground – that she realised Michonne had a revolver in her hand and that Tony's inert form was at her feet.

Daryl.

Still on her knees Asha spun to the sickening crunch she heard behind her, sobbing with relief as she realised the sound was Daryl's boot driving through Harley's inert skull.

Asha staggered to her feet, glancing across the car for an instant to see Rick, death eyed, advancing on Dan, before her world shrunk back to Daryl. With a final wet thud of his boot he abandoned Harley - his limp form twitching irregularly - and crossed the distance to her in three quick steps. Her whole body shook with relief that he was on his feet. His face bleed from a number of cuts, one eye already almost swollen shut, and his hands were blood slick where they gripped her shoulders.

She probably looked as bad. His eyes searched hers, piercing through the darkness and blood, the tightness eventually fading slightly as he realised she was bloodied and bruised but not seriously injured. She lifted her hands to his face, wincing at the swelling and unable to stop the tears seeping from her eyes as she wiped the blood away. His arm slid around her, tugging her gently to him, and she rested her forehead against his collarbone as she listened to Rick wreak bloody vengeance on the other side of the car.