I want to take another moment to thank everyone who has taken the time to read and review this story. I also want to say sorry for taking so damn long to update it! My work schedule is nothing but insane, and after staring at a computer screen for upwards of eight hours a day, the last thing I want to do is go home and stare at another computer screen.

But I simply had to continue with this story. I have so, so much in store for Merle, Daryl and Cass, and I cannot stop writing this story. Everyone must see what I have in store for these survivors.

I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. I'm sorry if it seems smaller than you'd like, but I have to go to work in a few hours, and I thought I'd give you all a little something for before the weekend.

Also, I want to apologize ahead of time if there are any spelling errors. I've had an incredibly tough time at work this week, so I've had a few beers to try and relax myself. Hope you all don't mind!

Thank you all for sticking to this story! It makes me want to continue writing just knowing there are actually people out there who enjoy my writing. Enjoy, everyone!

Cass sat in the living room of her family's small apartment. She was seated at the edge of the couch on the opposite side of the front door. She was leaning forward, her elbows resting on her bare knees as she waited dreadfully for her parent's return.

What was she going to tell them? "Oh, hi, mom and dad. How was your night? How was mine, you might ask? Oh, it was plenty eventful. First, I watched as a man took a nice chunk of Joanne's face, then I beat him to death with my baseball bat. Oh, yeah, by the way, I left the bloody mess in Joanne's room for you to clean up. Good times, here at home!"

Her head fell between her knees as the scene played out before her once again.

She had acted in the moment, seeing a man on top of her older sister as he tore out her flesh. Instinctively, Cass had grabbed the thing closest to her, her own baseball bat that she had left in her sister's room a few nights prior. She had bashed his head in harder than she had ever hit a baseball in her life. She hadn't stopped swinging her favourite bat until the man had stopped moving altogether. When Cass had finally ceased bringing her bat down against the man's head, nearly everything around them was splattered in his blood.

Cass had ran to her sister's side, bending down beside her and taking a steady hold of her hand. She vaguely remembered saying something to her sister, tears steaming down her face endlessly as she gripped onto her sister tightly for what would be the last time. The man had managed to take two bites out of the older girl, and Cass had a painful thought that the gaping hole in Joanne's neck was going to be the one that did her in.

Joanne had stopped Cass from leaving her side when she tried to get up and call an ambulance. Joanne had tried to speak to her little sister, but only blood came from her mouth, pouring down the side of her face more and more with every word she struggled to get out.

"Jo, I have to call an ambulance. I'll be right back, I promise."

But Joanne shook her head as best as she could, given the state she was in. Cass realized why she refused the help hours later. Joanne didn't want to die alone. She wanted to die with someone who loved her, someone who would've stopped at nothing to keep her safe. Someone who would've killed for her. She wanted to die with her sister by her side.

"Okay. Don't worry. I'm here. Shh. Stay still." Cass whispered, pulling strands of her sister's dark hair away from her eyes. "Mom and dad will be home soon, don't worry. Everything's going to be fine. Just hang in there."

As much as Joanne wanted to, she couldn't. The fever hit her fast and hard, leaving her entire body aching. The open wounds started to burn, making her wish the man had killed her instantly so she wouldn't have to deal with the pain he had inflicted upon her.

It didn't take long before Joanne stopped moving. Shortly after, she stopped breathing. Terrified, Cass lowered her head to her sister's chest, trying to find a sign that she was still with her. But the heartbeat that should have beaten against Cass's ear was nowhere to be found. There was nothing but silence in her sister's room now.

Cass heard the front door open and her eyes shot up as she watched her parents walk into the apartment. Cass read their emotions almost immediately as they took in the sight before them. Their youngest daughter, covered in blood.

"My God! What happened? Are you okay?" Her mom asked as she rushed over to Cass.

Cass didn't say a word, she couldn't. She merely nodded, her eyes falling to the floor when she felt her mother's arms wrap around her in a loving embrace.

"Cassidy, is everything okay? Where's Joanne?" Her dad questioned as he stepped closer to the two women.

A shaky breath escaped from Cass's dry lips as she shut her eyes in a failed attempt to stop the tears from falling down her face. She felt her mother let go of her, running off into Joanne's room in a hurry. It was almost as if she could feel that something terrible had happened to her first child.

"Oh my God! Joanne! What happened?"

Cass sat straight up when she heard the words her mom nearly shouted from her sister's bedroom. Something about the tone in her mom's voice, something about the choice of words that she had used…was Joanne still alive?

A scream filled the cold apartment air. Her mom's scream. Cass jumped to her feet, but her father put a steady hand on her shoulder to keep her in place.

"Stay here." He ordered moments before he disappeared further into the apartment.

Cass's heart beat like a drum in her chest. Her vision blurred, leaving her nearly blind. She swore that at that moment, she felt her heart stop, if only for a moment.

"What are you doing? Get off her, Joanne!" The man hollered, his voice lowering the further he went away from Cass.

It wasn't more than a few moments later that Cass had heard another scream fill the air. This time, it was her father's.

She should have listened to him. Her father always knew best when it came to his little girl. But she didn't. She couldn't just sit there and listen to the screams of her parents. No, she had to go to their aid, the same way they would have gone to hers with no questions asked.

But the scene before her was not something that Cass could have anticipated. In fact, nothing in the world could have prepared her for what she had walked into.

And now it was their turn. It was her turn.

Daryl had explained the situation and it didn't look good. There were only three of them, a horde of walkers outside, and not nearly enough ammunition to bring them through it. They couldn't be hasty about this. No, they needed a plan.

Daryl brought the door closer to them, edging it inch by inch, cautious not to make any noise that might draw very much unwanted attention to them. Once the door was securely shut tight, he turned around to face the only two people he would lay his life down for. He had hoped doing such a thing would have never had to come up, but given the current situation; it didn't leave him much choice. Out of all of them, he felt as though he was the one who needed to make a sacrifice that would ensure the others would live.

Cass was too young to die. She had barely begun to live her life when the world had been destroyed by the hungry, desperate walkers. She was the last ray of innocence in a world that had been completely corrupted by darkness. She had to keep going, to find somewhere safe and secure where she could live out the rest of her years. She wasn't going to die here. She wasn't going to, because Daryl would sooner die than let anything happen to her.

And Daryl had to die knowing his only brother was still alive and kicking. Daryl could live with the idea of himself dying if it meant his brother could live to see another day. But the thought of something happening to Merle while Daryl was still alive was just too much to even think about. The guilt alone would kill Daryl before a walker even got close to him.

"I saw our car out there." Daryl said, finally breaking the silence the survivors had found themselves trapped in. His eyes darted back to Merle as he held out his hand. "You still have the keys?"

"Of course, little brother." Merle eyed Daryl with suspicion. He knew what Daryl was going to do. And there was no way in hell he was going to let him do it. No Dixon was going to sacrifice himself to the walkers.

"Good. Toss them over to me."

"Wait, what? What do you mean? We saw all the walkers out there. Are you insane? What exactly do you plan on doing once you get to the other side of that door?"

Daryl shrugged. "I'm going to make a run for the car. I'll lead them away. Once they're far enough, I'll come back and get you guys. I'll honk so you know I'm out there. It'll be just like the pharmacy."

Merle's eyes narrowed at the casual tone in his brother's voice. Merle had to give it to him; Daryl always did know how to remain calm in a dangerous situation. But this was pushing it. Did he really think he could pull that off twice? The fact that they had managed that once was a miracle in itself. To do it once more was just testing whatever luck they still had on their side.

"What? We pulled it off once before. Who's to say we can't pull it off again?"

"I say." Cass jumped in. If he thought he was going to pull a stunt like that, he had another thing coming. She would almost rather wait right here in the stairwell with the hope that the walkers would disperse outside in a few days than let him try to pull that. "This isn't a movie, Daryl. You go out there and try that shit, you're going to die."

"Well, I don't see either of you guys coming up with a better plan!" Daryl growled. Damnit, if he was willing to put his life on the line for these people, why wouldn't they accept it and move on?

"About how far was the car?" Cass asked curiously. The look on her face assured both brothers that she had something up her sleeve.

"Not far. Maybe 50 feet, give or take."

Cass turned to Merle. This time she held out her hand. "Give me the keys."

Merle snorted. "You're kidding me, right?"

"Yeah, like hell you're going out there. Not without us at least clearing the way. And even then, you bet your ass we're going to be coming with you."

Cass turned to face Daryl, trying her best to seem as confident in her decision as possible. Because Lord knows her chest was pounding like a humming bird inside her, desperately try to break free. "I played a lot of sports in high school. I can run fast. I can run to the car without any of them getting anywhere near me. You see how slow those bastards stumble around?"

"Oh, yeah, we see how slow they can be, Cass. We also saw that there are at least thirty of them out there, just waiting for someone to try and be the hero." Merle assured her.

"Look, if you guys want to get out of here alive, I suggest you let me do this. How many times have you put your lives on the line for one another? For me? Let me do it for you guys, even if it's just this once." She was determined to take this one on on her own. "Look, the bottom line is, I'm a lot smaller than both of you. I can sneak past them easier than you can. And I can run. And believe me; I'm going to run like hell. I'll do exactly as Daryl said; I'll bring them as far away from the door as I can and I'll come back and get you."

"She's right." Merle admitted, as much as he hated to. The thought of something, anything happening to her drove him crazy. But she had brought up a valid point. He had seen her run before and she moved like something he had never seen. If any of them could pull that off, it was her.

"You've got to be kidding me." Daryl wasn't having this. Any of this.

Cass was beyond the point of being understanding now. She had enough of his doubt. If they didn't make a move now, it would be too late. As much as she hated to acknowledge it, the chance of more and more walkers flocking to the premises was higher than them leaving. If she had learned one thing since walkers began roaming the city it was that they are relentless sons of bitches. It's not like they had anything better to do than wander around aimlessly. If they got a single whiff of something they could feast on, you can bet your life that they're going to be hanging around a lot longer than a living person would ever care to.

Cass turned her back to Daryl, facing Merle directly as she tilted her head back to look into his eyes. "Merle."

Without saying another word, Merle handed his keys over to the young girl. Cass ignored the groan that came from Daryl as she bent down, putting the keys on the ground beside her. She tightened her laces the best she could, strapping them tightly to her calves to try and keep the oversized boots steady for once she started running.

Cass got to her feet, keys in hand, and walked past Daryl, closing the distance between herself and the door. She stopped and glanced over her shoulder when she felt a strong hand grip onto her arm. Her eyes met Daryl's instantly.

"Be careful."

She tried to flash a smile to try and reassure both the Dixon brothers and herself. "Always."

It was only a few short seconds later that Cass found herself crouched down, edging closer to the brick wall of the building and on the other side of the door. She heard the door click shut behind her and could feel the presence of the Dixon brothers on the other side. She could feel them but she couldn't depend on them. Not right now.

The odds were dangerous and they were stacked against her.

She was on her own.