Chapter Six

Joelle woke to the soft breathing of Daryl, his face buried in her neck, his arm carelessly thrown over her waist pulling her into him. It felt good being in his arms, being close to him, she fell back asleep with a small smile on her face.

When she woke again she wasn't surprised to find herself alone in the tent. She got up to find everyone else awake and getting ready to search for Rick, sneaking to her truck Joelle geared up with her dual swords, hand gun and hunting knife before sneaking into the forest. She needed to be alone to think in silence without everyone bothering her.

As she trekked deeper into the woods the light dimmed, each mile becoming darker with the ever encroaching undergrowth. She was about twenty miles in when she came across a small herd of Walkers surrounding a lone cow carcass. Joelle quickly back tracked but in her haste stepped on a dry branch causing a loud crack. The walkers turn towards the sound and at the sight of fresh meat rise from their crouches.

Drawing her swords Joelle waits from them to make the first move and like the mindless creatures they are, they stumble forward. She steps forwards slashing the first Walker across the face, it fell, swinging her blade around she catches the next walker through the eye, it too fell. Joelle drops two more Walkers before the others get too close, turning she runs from the remaining nine walkers deeper into the forest.

She had her gun but that was really a last resort and she didn't really want to alert the whole Walker population to her whereabouts, she takes down one that gets too close to her and continues moving into the woods. Joelle stops as she comes to a cliff edge and turns to face the Walkers that had been chasing her for the past half hour; they stumble towards her one at a time making it easy for her to pick them off. There are three more walkers left when one of her dual swords gets stuck in the skull, it slips from her grasp, she lets it go holding her remaining sword up she waits for them to move. One was quick and caught up, they reached Joelle at the same time. She slashes wide with her sword simultaneously slicing them through the forehead, not expecting for the last to be so close she stumbles back, it's a little too close when she stabs it through the eye but instead of falling back the walker falls onto her twisting her ankle and pushing her further back. She fell over the cliff edge and into the shallow water, her head hitting a protruding rock and darkness filling her vision.

Daryl POV

The group had been busy and distracted by the new problem that Randall posed that they hadn't yet realized Joelle wasn't about even though it was now the middle of the day. They were discussing Randall in the dining room when Rick noticed her absence, "Where's Joelle?"

"She had a long day yesterday, she's pro'bly still sleepin'," replied Daryl, when he said long day his piercing eyes met Shane but only Shane and Lori noticed.

"It's the middle of the day," countered Rick looking unconvinced.

"I'll go check on 'er," called Daryl as he left the room, the groups confused gaze burning into his back.

Daryl called to Joelle as he neared his tent, "rise 'n' shine Elle" he grew slightly worried at the silence that replied to him, finally reaching the tent he unzipped it to find it empty. The worry grew as he called her name without reply, making his way back to camp he went straight to her truck knowing that was where she kept her weapons.

Rick and the rest of the group came towards him as he swore loudly kicking the truck and running his hand roughly through his hair, "Where th' fuck is she!?"

"You couldn't find her?" Lori voiced her worries first.

"Nah bu' she took he gear so she shoul' be right for now," Daryl replied he was worried but he also knew she could take care of herself and if she didn't come back soon he would find her.

"Good if she's not back by sundown Daryl, Glenn, Shane and I will go look for her. She must have gone into the woods otherwise one of us would've seen her leave." With that Rick and the rest of the group walked off.

General POV (Joelle)

Joelle could see the blurry outline of someone and as her vision cleared she recognized Merle, "Why don't you pull the knife out Sugar? You can bind your wound better," he scolded gently she smiled at his voice and his antics.

"Merle,"

"What's goin' on here? You taken a siesta or somethin'?" he smirked back.

"A shitty day Merle," she sighed, barely audible.

"Like me t' get you a pillow? Maybe rub your feet?" his voice sarcastic.

"Screw you."

"You're the one screwed from the looks of it," he chuckled "all that time I spent protecting you and this is what I get. Look at ya lying in the water like a used rubber. And for what?"

Joelle coughed, "Some silence,"

"Hell you coulda just climbed a tree," he moved a little closer, "time to wake up Little Firecracker," that was all he said before he was gone, Joelle closed her eyes trying to relax.

Her eyes sprung open as she heard the moans of a walker her body jerks slightly in anticipation but the walker doesn't come for her, she looks and the dead walker covering half her body. The realization the it was covering her scent came quick and she smiled, her smile faded though as she realized that if she wanted to get out of this she would have to be quick.

Joelle feels a sharp pain in her side as she realizes the hunting knife came loose and was stuck through the skin of her stomach just past the side of the ribcage. A wetness around her mouth makes her take a tentative finger to brush some of the silky substance off only to reveal it to be blood, ignoring it she returns to her current task; getting back alive.

Reaching towards the pain she grips the hilt on the knife and pulls it out barely restraining the groan of pain. Using her remaining strength she pushes the dead weight off her legs, gets up and lunges at the oblivious walker. The hunting knife hits the walker through the temple and Joelle pulls it out as the walker falls to the floor.

Using what she learnt about the walkers she cuts off the ears of both dead walkers and strings them alone a piece of shoelace creating a necklace. Turning to the sky she realizes it will take at least two hours to track her way back to the farm taking a moment to steel herself she begins the long trek back.

Daryl POV

The sun glowed a bright orange as it made its slow decent to the horizon, Joelle still wasn't back yet and everyone was getting extremely worried. The women had busied themselves with chores like washing and laundry. Andrea was taking watch and Dale was doing the same. The brighter the orange glow became the tenser everyone became. Rick, Shane, Glenn and Daryl were gearing up to go find her when Andrea screams "Walker! Walker!"

The movement was instant, everyone got up and the men grabbed their weapons, "Just the one?" Rick asked Andrea.

Andrea gets the binoculars to take a closer look and nods, "I bet I can nail it from here."

"No, No! Andrea put the gun down!" she does.

"You best let us handle this!" Shane smirks at her.

"Shane, hold up Hershel wants to deal with walkers," explained Rick.

"What for man we got it covered," questions Shane still proceeding in the direction if the Walker.

Daryl, Shane, Glenn and Rick run towards the walker and slow when they get closer. The walker is female her jeans ripped, wet and dirty, her shirt in tatters and blood staining most of it. Her hair once brown caked in blood and dirt. She's lipping badly and her breath is coming out in long rasps. Her mouth is covered in old blood, the rest of her face in dirt and mud. She looks familiar, she is familiar, it's Joelle.

Rick holds up his python at her but hesitates when he recognizes her. Everyone stops taking in the sight of Joelle as a Walker. Daryl lets out a "No," soft and barely heard, only Rick caught the word.

"Is that Joelle?" Glenn pants, despair tainting his tone.

A few seconds pass, "Is that any way to greet family?"

The men let out a sigh of relief and Rick drops the gun, happiness is evident on everyone face including Shane's. The gunshot rips through the silence and Joelle falls to the ground.

"NO! NO!" Rick and Daryl scream in unison.

The remaining inhabitants of the farm come out running, "Rick!" screams Lori worried for her husband's safety.

"What on earth's going on out here?" Hershel demands.

Rick kneels down beside his sister, looking at the side of her head he notices the shot missed and was only a graze, Joelle pants quietly, "I was kidding!" her hand feeling for the wound.

Daryl bends down near her before picking her up. Andrea and Dale run towards them "Oh my god, oh my god is she dead?" sobs Andrea.

"Unconscious, you just grazed her," snaps Rick clearly pissed at Andrea.

"But look at her, what the hell happened? She's wearing ears!" panics Glenn.

Rick rips the ear necklace of her, "Let's keep that to ourselves!"

When they reach the farmhouse it's a flurry of activity, Maggie leads Daryl to the bed that Carl had been wounded in and he lays her down gently but doesn't leave, instead he sits in the chair and watches as Hershel and Patricia stitch her back up.

His eyes slightly widen when he sees the pair of angel wings tattooed on her back, covering it completely but says nothing.

After Hershel and Patricia are finished Lori comes in with a trailing Maggie, "We're just going to give her a bath" Lori says quietly as if she were afraid to move Joelle away from Daryl just in case he might snap, again he says nothing.

Lori and Maggi lift her up and take her to the bathroom adjoined to that bedroom, it takes them at least half an hour to give her a sponge bath and redress her but the effort is worth it when they're done. Her skin looks less grey and her hair has its natural shine, now she looks alive.

When they lay her back on the bed Lori turns noticing Daryl hasn't moved she motions for Maggie to go without her.

"She'll be okay Daryl, Joe's been though a lot, she's strong and knowing her the way I do, it's going to take a shitload more to kill her, to take her away from the people she loves."

"I know she's strong, I've seen it," he replies not taking his eyes off Joelle's unmoving form.

"Today in the dining room when you said she'd had a long day what did you mean? Why were you looking at Shane?"

" 'Cause tha' day I stopped him from raping 'er" for the first time in their conversation Daryl looked at Lori.

"That's why you told me to leave her alone," exclaimed Lori happy to know the reason for his harsh response, "You know Daryl it's amazing how close she is to you. Usually it takes her weeks to get close to any man let alone one as Alpha as you."

Daryl ignored the Alpha comment he wasn't the leading type, well he didn't think so, "How'd you know about her bein' raped before?"

"She never told me but when she came back from the army because she was pregnant I got confused, Joelle was a smart girl she wouldn't put her job on the line for sex she would've used protection. Then I noticed how she was around men, around her brothers she acted normal but when we went out shopping she would give a wide berth to all men and stay close to me," Lori let out a sigh, "It wasn't hard to put two and two together, I just wish she had never gone through that harrowing experience." She looked like she was about to say something else but a small groan moved both their attention to the women on the bed.

General POV (Joelle)

Joelle groaned she felt like death and probably looked just as bad. Her vision was dark but the black slowly receded and became bright. She noticed two figures in the room she knew one was Daryl but the other she wasn't quite sure, "I'll go bring you some food," Lori's voice came through slightly muffled but Joelle understood.

She looked over at a scowling Daryl and raised her eyebrow in question, "What?"

"Ya know what, what th' hell happened t' ya out there? Why were ya even there 'n th' first place?"

"I needed to be alone, to think. Didn't really work out." She replied quietly afraid of his reaction.

Before he could reply Lori came back with her food, "Here you go," she placed it on the bedside table and left again. Joelle reached for the plate but could barely lift it let alone feed herself. She heard Daryl sigh as he got up and walked towards her. Picking up the plate he sat down on the edge of the bed and began to feed her.

"This is so degrading," mumbled Joelle a mouth full of food, she looked into his eyes and swallowed, she saw it there; the worry and the pain. He had been so worried, they all had. "I'm so sorry Daryl, I didn't mean to get hurt, I didn't mean to worry you, I'm sorry."

"S'okay jus' let me come too next time," he looked at her before hesitantly leaning down and giving her a quick kiss on the forehead before standing, a rosy tint to his cheeks and a now empty plate in his hands. He walked to the door and stopped, "G'night Elle," with that soft goodbye he left.

Joelle smiled, "Goodnight Daryl."