The forest was renewed after the last snowfall and Daryl felt as though he was weaving through an unfamiliar maze. The walls of thick branches around them bowed beneath the burden of heavy snow. Small animal tracks caught his attention and he followed them into the distance, over the swells of snowdrifts and out of sight. Judith's fingers flexed in his and he looked down at her rosy cheeked smile.
"I could see a deer were here," she pointed to the dainty impressions in the snow.
Daryl nodded and shifted his heavy pack, wincing at the pain in his side. He was healing steadily, but there was only so much he could expect after just over a week since his injury. Beth's head turned in his periphery and he caught her offering him a concerned look. Ignoring it, he turned his eyes forward and did a sweep of the trees around him. Judith tugged on his hand again, reclaiming his attention. Her question was a silent one as her eyes expressed her uncertainty. He gave her a nod of assurance and she scrunched her nose with dissatisfaction. The truth was he didn't know where they were going.
Since their separation from the group he had always held onto a sliver of hope that one day he wouldn't always be responsible for Judith on his own. He figured that having the others back would mean that he could go back to being second-in-command. Instead of comfort though, the return of their leader had made him feel more uncertain. Rick had not been a perfect leader in the past and he worried that he would have to be more vigilant now.
Daryl looked at the man who led the group in solitary silence. Rick's large steps drew a long distance between him and them. He walked with the confidence of a man who had done this for years and survived- one who left it all out on the field.
With Judith to care for, Daryl had taken a very different strategy- to him, a less reckless one. He had avoided conflict and skirted around the gaze of danger. He'd kept his head low to protect hers. Now he wondered if the payoff was worth it. He hadn't been able to provide for Judith the stable home that Lori would have wanted her to have. They'd been running for so long that he'd forgotten what it meant to have a place that felt like home. Maybe Rick and Carl were right, maybe if they charged ahead into danger they might find long-term safety.
Suddenly the transient plans that they had agreed on didn't seem so half-baked and heedless. Judith laid her forehead against the inside of his wrist and sighed. "Where we're going?" she asked again, this time muttering the words sleepily into his palm.
"To find a home," Daryl answered her, pinching her fleshy cheek to wake her up.
Her head lifted and she looked up at him curiously. "There sure are lotta words I don't knowed," she told him. "You learned 'em all at that there place- school?"
Daryl smiled and pushed her bangs back. "Some of 'em," he told her. "Home is like, y'know how squirrels live in them football nests? Up in trees? That's a home."
Judith nodded, "Oh, we's goin' on a squirrel hunt?"
Daryl chuckled and shook his negatively. "We're lookin' for a home for us. Ta live in."
Silence followed his statement and he looked down to see Judith's eyes squint as she processed his words. Finally her features settled into a leery expression and she peered up at him skeptically. "We ain't can't live in a tree," she said decidedly.
A giggle caught his attention and he looked up to the young couple who had been walking arm-in-arm just ahead of him and Judith. Beth slapped her hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter while Carl hid his amused expression in his wife's cheek. Daryl felt a twinge of embarrassment at knowing they had overheard his failed teaching session.
"Why they're laughin'?" Judith asked him, returning her forehead to the spot on his wrist. She clung to his hand more heavily and she stumbled against his leg.
"'Cause they're pain in the asses," he answered simply, looking over at the couple again. Beth offered him a sheepish shrug while her husband rolled his eyes and slid his arm around her back and pulled her closer into his side.
Judith accepted his answer with a small nod and raised her arms, releasing her hold on him. Daryl considered for a moment how he could accommodate the small girl, his pack, and his cross-bow. Deciding it would be impossible he whistled, drawing the group's attention. Nodding to Carl he slipped the crossbow off his shoulder and handed it to the young man.
Carl accepted the weapon without meeting his eyes and slipped it over his shoulder. Without missing a step Daryl lifted Judith and settled her on his good side where she wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her cheek on his shoulder. "Where we're gonna find home?"
Daryl wasn't sure of the answer to that question, so he shushed her.
The West was apparently a death trap and an impenetrable wall of dead that seemed to swell daily. Carl had suggested that the Walkers had been moving in circles through the area like a hurricane and perhaps they had found themselves in the eye of the storm. Rick had reported that there wasn't much North either except a settlement of people who didn't seem particularly friendly. And so they had decided to pick their way South West in hope of finding a place to settle until spring when Beth's baby would come.
There had been talks about going back to Hershel's farm, but the journey would take weeks on foot- even longer with two children and a pregnant woman.
"Walkers," Rick turned around to the group, already pulling his gun out of its holster. The other man didn't appear to be particularly distressed so Daryl didn't rush placing Judith on her feet. Beth took the little girl's hand while Daryl and Carl fell into step with each other. Daryl took his crossbow back and gave it a rudimentary inspection while they covered the few feet until they found themselves at Rick and Glenn's side.
The four men watched as a writhing group of Walkers devoured an almost unrecognizable carcass, their hands and teeth tearing into its side and splattering blood and tissue onto the snow. Daryl counted six of them crouched around the ravaged deer- a small enough number for them to take down hand-to-hand and with his crossbow. He was lining up a shot when he felt a tug on his pants. Looking down he spotted Judith standing at his side.
"What'r you doin' here? Get back with Beth," he jutted his chin over his shoulder.
Judith looked to the Walkers who had gotten to their feet and had begun staggering toward them, their gaits swinging like pendulums. "I could get 'em," she told him, unclipping her knife from her belt. She opened it easily and gave him a determined look.
Rick, Glenn, and Carl had already started towards the Walkers, their own blades glinting in the last of the sunlight, its piercing rays struggling to light the woods over the tree-line.
"Ya stay here, y'hear?" He started to follow the other men. "If I need ya I'll holler."
Judith nodded as Beth came up behind her and closed her arms around the little girl, the pregnant woman panting for breath. "You can't run off from me like that," Daryl heard the woman scold the small child, her voice gentle but firm. He diverted his attention away from them and focused on taking down the Walker closest to him.
In a matter of minutes they stood in the middle of a cluster of dead corpses. Daryl picked up some snow and started washing the slick black blood off his hands and forearms. Next to him Rick did the same and they met eyes for a moment before the ex-deputy's mouth twisted into a small smile.
The sound of bone crunching behind them made both men turn and they found Judith crouched over a Walker, pulling her knife out of its skull. "I could pra'tice," she explained, her knife dripping with brain matter. Stepping over the corpse she took her spot next to Daryl and pointed to the ruined deer. "Damn waste, that is."
Daryl looked to Rick who was watching his daughter, small smile still playing on his mouth, his blue eyes crinkled in the corners.
XXXX
Ben had become cranky with hunger and cold and they all feared that his cries would attract more Walkers than they would be able to handle. They huddled around a simple fire, wrapped up in their blankets. Carl and Rick had made a mat on the ground from sawed pine branches, the thick boughs providing a dry padded bed that insulated them from the frozen ground. Daryl set up the hammock, suspended between two trees above the camp. He hesitated, his eyes lingering on Maggie and Glenn's sleeping toddler and Beth's swollen belly.
His silent offer was declined as Beth curled into her husband's side, her head resting on his chest. She hummed with satisfaction as her eyes drifted closed, clearly exhausted from the day's travels. Her husband, propped up on his bag, rubbed the small of her back and her hips and watched her fall asleep, his face giving away the concern that he kept carefully masked whenever she was looking.
Maggie, Glenn, and Ben crawled into a single sleeping bag, the baby snuggled between his parents for warmth.
Off in the distance Daryl could just make out Rick's silhouette leaning against a tree, his back to the camp. Turning, he lifted Judith into the hammock and then climbed in himself. He settled on his back with her on his chest then tucked them into their sleeping bag.
The night was so silent that he could hear it roaring in his ears as he listened for something to betray its false security. The fire popped below them and Rick's boots crunched in the snow as he walked the perimeter and Daryl began to drift off. Judith shifted and he opened his eyes to find her blue ones open and watching him.
"Get ta sleep," he told her, guiding her head down to settle in its spot over his heart.
She stayed quiet and still for a long time and he listened to her breathing even out.
The fire burned brightly in the small one-room office that they had been staying in for over a week. He sat on the couch that he had dragged into the room for them to use as a bed and listened to the sound of powdered mushroom soup simmering in a cast-iron pot on the grate, placed carefully into the flames.
The baby sat not far from the fire, her chubby hands holding onto her doll as she gummed its arm and babbled nonsense determinedly, her voice rising above the sound of metal on metal as he sharpened his knife.
He looked her over, her hair still a mussed up nest from her nap earlier that afternoon. She curled her toes and looked over her shoulder at him, her doll dangling from her mouth- as though she could sense him watching her. Using the weight of her arms she turned over and got on all fours, leaving her doll abandoned on the floor where she had been sitting. She started to crawl towards him, her diaper crinkling as she moved.
Daryl watched her progress silently, his hands stilling their movements. When she reached his side she placed her hands on the couch and pulled herself to unsteady feet.
"Watcha' doin?" He asked her, reaching out to wipe the drool off her chin with his thumb. Her skin was smooth and soft under his calloused hand and he allowed his palm to linger on her rounded cheek. "You commin' to see Daryl?" he asked, his eyes fixed on hers.
The smell of burning suddenly caught his attention and he looked to see that the pot had caught a flame. "Damn," he growled, tossing his knife to the side while launching himself to his feet. He grabbed for the handle of the cast-iron and heard his skin sizzle as it made contact with the metal. "Damn son-o' god damn," he used his boot to pull the pot free while jamming his wounded fingers into his mouth, cutting off his own tirade.
"Da da da-mn," the baby voice behind him called out. He froze at the sound of babbling as it gave way to a solid word. Turning around slowly he found her sitting on the floor beside the couch, her hands wrapped around her toes as she rocked, watching him intently.
"Jesus," he muttered, leaving the charred soup to continue to burn to the pot. "Did ya' just say somethin'?" he asked, crouching down beside the tiny girl. Ignoring his injured hand he picked her up and rested her against his chest. "That's right. Damn- can you say that again?" He bounced her to get her attention when she looked past him at her doll.
Instead of giving in to his request she slid her thumb into her mouth and pointed to her toy.
"Yeah, alright," he muttered, setting her on the floor. "Ya little smart-ass," he smoothed her hair and pushed the doll into her arms before turning to deal with the ruins that had once been a promising meal. He sighed in annoyance at the blackened soup then turned back to the baby. His frustration slipped away and was replaced by the sensation of his heart swelling in his chest. The feeling was almost painful and he placed his hand over it as he realized it hurt in a way that felt… good.
"Ya got right in there, Lil' Ass-Kicker," he muttered, heading over to his pack to get another package of soup. "Now what am I supposed to do with that, damnit."
XXXXXX
"Wait for me, Merle," Daryl called after his brother, cursing his legs for being too damn short to keep up. He looked ahead to where his brother had ducked beneath the rickety old bridge that groaned every time a car passed over it.
Wrapping the long grass around his wrist he gripped it and slid down the sandy ridge that led down to the small stream where he'd built a dam the summer before. The collection of sticks and leaves had fallen apart over the winter, leaving the water to run smoothly again. With a swift kick he dislodged the last part of it and used the momentum to sprint after his brother. "Merle you shit-head- wait!"
He flinched before slipping under the bridge and covered his head. "Damn pussy," he scolded himself as he dropped his arms and forced himself to cross the rest of the way without reacting to the creaking wood above him.
Daryl spotted Merle not to far away. He had crouched down next to the water and Daryl paused, fearful for a moment of what his brother was up to. "Watch'a lookin' at?" he asked, approaching the crouched man with a sense of caution.
"Cat," Merle answered, turning to look over his shoulder. "Pussy must'a got herself hit up there on the bridge."
Daryl closed the distance between them and joined his brother. The cat lay on its side, its stomach slowly expanding and deflating but otherwise still. He inspected its waterlogged fur, filthy and caked with scum and blood. "How'd it get over here?" he asked, reaching out to touch the cat's head. She growled but he didn't pull his hand away.
Merle squinted as the sun hit his eyes and he looked between the bridge and the cat. "Flew maybe if the car were goin' fast enough. Maybe crawled."
Taking a step closer Daryl slid his hand under its head and back. His movements were stopped when Merle gripped his arm.
"Ain't nothin' you can do for her now," his older brother grunted.
Tears warmed his eyes and Daryl pulled his hands back. "We can't jus' leave 'er out here," he said, his voice breaking. "She's sufferin'."
Merle nodded and picked up a rock. It looked large and heavy in his hand.
"What are you doin'?" Daryl asked, swiping at his eyes. "Merle, don't-," he squeezed his eyes closed when Merle raised the rock in a fast and swift motion. Every muscle in his body stiffened and he recoiled when he heard it crash down, the impact creating a crunching sound. A sob sputtered from his mouth before he could stop it and he opened his eyes to see the cat's skull, flattened and oozing blood and brain.
Merle tossed the rock into the creek and got to his feet. "Sometimes the kindest thing ya' can do is put 'em outta their misery."
Daryl woke early the next morning and climbed out of the hammock to join the others around the fire. The sun was barely up yet and the air was brisk and chilly without even its thin winter rays to warm them. Glenn shuffled stiffly out of his sleeping bag, jammed his hands into his pockets with a shiver and muttered about going to use the restroom.
With his own feet on frozen solid ground, Daryl passed Judith her boots and watched her shove her feet into them before lifting her and placing her next to him where he fixed her coat. She waited impatiently, buzzing with energy while he pulled her hat over her ears and then immediately crossed over to Beth who was sorting through their food. The pregnant woman had pulled everything out of the bag and was carefully examining each option, her face calculating. He wondered if she was worried they would run out and he turned away from them to wipe moisture off the hammock.
"We could eated this one," Judith suggested, crouching down next to the collection of jars, cans, and packages. She held up a short cylinder with curiosity. "T-U-N-A… what that says? Fishes?" she guessed upon further inspection of the label.
Daryl crouched down beside the fire and picked up a stick from their kindling. He opened his mouth to correct her but wasn't quick enough.
"Tuna," Beth told her, reaching out to take the can. "I don't think my baby wants tuna today," she grimaced, running her fingers over her belly.
Maggie, who was wrangling Ben into a fresh pair of overalls looked over concerned. "You feeling alright?"
The blonde nodded and looked down shyly. "I'm fine," she insisted quietly and handed Judith another can. "Just a bit nauseous is all. How about some chicken soup? And we can add some vegetables to it…"
The little girl looked the can over, her index finger tracing the letters on the label, and then gave her approval with a small nod. "Okay… that baby likes it?" She nodded to Ben, frowning at his tantrum. "That one sure could cried a lot."
"Babies can't talk, so they cry to tell us when they want or don't like something," Beth explained, then nodded to her husband's pack. "Will you please pass me that pot?"
Judith pushed herself eagerly to her feet and went over to where Rick had taken a seat on the other side of the fire. Pausing mid-step, she looked between him and the pack next to him for a moment. Her father looked up at her and offered her a small tired smile. "Good morning, Judith," he greeted her.
She continued to watch him closely, her features guarded before finally saying, "You ain't sleep lots." Closing the distance between them she crouched down beside the bag and started to work on unclipping the pot. "You don't got tired?"
Rick looked surprised at the question. "I am- tired," he answered, his eyes flicking to Beth's then Daryl's before settling on his folded hands that were draped over his knees. The sharp angles of his thin face further accentuated the deep circles under his eyes and his ashy complexion.
Judith unhooked the pot and hugged it to her chest before standing again. "Why you don't sleep?"
Rick blinked and squinted up at her. "Cause I have stuff on my mind… things- I uh, it's complicated. Grown up stuff."
The girl accepted his answer easily and went back over to Beth to deliver the pot. She watched Rick out of the corner of her eye, her face contemplative. Daryl leaned back against the tree that he had secured one end of the hammock to and picked up his knife, listening in on Judith and Beth's conversation as they prepared their meal. A sudden shift in Judith's tone sharpened his attention and he looked over at her. "You could hold my Beanie," she offered, turning the can of vegetables over to pour them into the pot, her gaze settling on her father again.
Rick chuckled softly, amusement colouring his dull grey eyes. "I think I'm a little bit old for dolls… But I appreciate the offer."
"I think that meaned no," Judith looked to Beth for confirmation. When she received a nod she looked down at the pot again. "Did you know'ed that Daryl gotted a Beanie too?" She asked after a moment, her body focused on mixing the contents of the two cans together. "Me!" When she looked up again her face was teasing and pixie-like.
Daryl scoffed and avoided looking up from the stick he was whittling into a small spear. He felt a sting of embarrassment at her words but he masked it. Out of the corner of his eye he inspected Rick, whose smile didn't falter. The other man's head dipped as he chuckled again, some of the weariness slipping away from his eyes.
Once the soup was ready Judith helped Beth to hand out the bowls, and then took a seat next to Daryl, her extended legs hooked at the ankles. The small group ate without conversation, each one of its adult members' eyes fixed on the dying fire, mentally preparing themselves for a day's worth of traveling on foot. Judith waited patiently in the silence for something to happen as she stirred the broth in her bowl.
They broke camp and headed out, Rick taking the lead again with Daryl and Judith just behind him. Judith carried Beanie under one arm and dragged her feet in the snow, creating long tire-like tracks in her wake. Maggie walked in the grooves, her son balancing in her arms as she chatted with Beth in a low voice. Carl and Glenn brought up the rear, their weapons drawn and ready- after their encounter with the Walkers the day before they didn't want to take any chances.
They hadn't been walking for more than an hour before something caught Daryl's attention in the short distance. He paused mid-stride and looked at the woods around him as he searched his internal map. Starting with the thick old-growth tree to his right he traced a straight shot across the space in front of him until his eyes settled on a sodden stump jutting upwards, its chipped uneven surface wearing a snowy cap. Sweeping his vision forward he followed a hill upwards until he couldn't see beyond it.
In his recent memory he recollected the visage of two young children, a boy and a girl darting over the earth's swell- the girl tumbling and sliding down as they laughed.
"What is it? You see somethin'?" Rick asked, turning his upper body to see Daryl, his hands resting on his utility belt and gun.
"Been here before," Daryl answered, looking down at Judith who slipped her hand into his as she stood on tip-toe to see over the hill. Her baby teeth worried her cherry-coloured lower lip and her brow creased in concern. He squeezed her hand before releasing it and passing it to Beth- the sisters and their husbands had caught up and they all stood in a small cluster.
"Something we should all know?" Carl asked, checking the chamber on a six-shooter before passing it to his wife. His fingers lingered for a moment on her knuckles as she accepted the weapon.
Daryl shrugged. "Messed up family- ate Walkers," he looked down at Judith and then up at Beth who shifted uncomfortably, her face moving between confusion and disbelief before paling into a light green tint. "I uh, their son came at me with a knife. That's how I got carved up," his hand settled on his side.
Maggie shuddered and pulled Ben closer. "They ate Walkers? What kind of-," she looked at the spot over his shoulder as though she was still processing the gravity of the information.
"Bunch o' dumbasses, that's who," Daryl turned his gaze towards the same direction that hers had on. "Didn't know nothin' 'bout how ta live without take-out and… hell- computers and whatever. Point is, they fucked up and they got fucked up. Best we stay the hell away."
"I want to take a look," Carl had already started towards the hill that would drop off to reveal the cabin. "Can't hurt."
Daryl looked to Rick who nodded and followed his son, already unclipping his weapon from its holster. Judith pulled her hand free from Beth's, leaving her mitten still in the pregnant woman's hand, and darted after her father and brother. Sighing, Daryl indicated the three-some with his chin and started after them. He took two large quick steps and snagged the back of the little girl's coat, giving the fabric a quick tug, breaking her momentum and causing her to tumble back against him.
She growled with impatience before meeting his eyes. Her expression turned into a sheepish one and she pursed her lips.
"Ya don't just run off like that, y'hear?" he scolded, getting a firm hold on her hand. "Been too much o' that and ya know better."
Judith submitted to his grip on his and walked obediently beside him. "Daryl? We's gonna go back ta that there place?"
"The cabin- yeah," he answered. "But we ain't stayin'- we're just gonna take a look and then we're gettin' outta here."
She perked up at his affirmation of her thoughts. "Good, we could getted more veg'ables," she told him gleefully, bouncing beside him.
Before he could answer they had caught up with Carl and Rick who had crouched down just before the crest of the hill. Daryl lowered himself into the same position, drawing the little girl down with him. Over his shoulder he could hear the others picking their way up the hill.
Daryl ignored them and refocused on the view of the clearing where the small cabin was still nestled. The scene before him was picturesque, as it had been before, but it didn't feel as quaint somehow. The windows showed off the dark lifeless interior of the cabin- the warm glow of the fire replaced by black shadows. And the stone chimney gave off no smoke that had wafted the scent of smoked cedar throughout the defoliated area. The gate swung outwards, its latch still unrepaired and splintered at the lock from when he had kicked it.
He expected to find Walkers swarming the place but the cottage was comatose- undisturbed. The fresh snow leading to the gate appeared like a flawless shell- untrampled. A quick glance at the other two men in his company confirmed that they would take a closer look.
They approached the cabin, their movements tight and cautious as they moved in a practiced formation. They kept Ben and Judith in the center of their assembly, though Judith reminded Daryl that she could see anything several times as they covered the short distance to the gate.
The snow had drifted along the wall and he kicked it loose before pushing the gate open slowly. Peeking inside he found the yard empty and the front door of the cabin open. Fat blood drops had frozen into the snow and staggering footprints led around the side of the building, uneven and clumsy in their appearance. Daryl stepped through the gate first, his crossbow raised and pointed towards the black interior of the cabin.
Rick followed him through, then Carl, and then the others. Daryl jutted his chin towards the gate, instructing Judith to push it closed. The girl slid between the cage of Glenn and Maggie's legs and did as she was instructed. Looking around, she picked up a piece of splintered wood and slid it into the crossbar. The wood was barely a twig and wouldn't hold, but Daryl praised her efforts with a nod of his head before he moved forward. Glenn and Carl ducked around the back to follow the blood trail while he and Rick advanced towards the front door.
The sound of smacking and tearing caught Daryl's ear and he eased the door open slowly with his shoulder. The wood gave way to the motion, pouring more sunlight into the darkness. Squinting as his eyes adjusted to the still shadow-filled room, he picked up movements on the other side of the table where the sounds were coming from. He stepped fully inside, his weapon at the ready, his finger resting solidly against its trigger.
The table edge cleared his line of sight and his eyes settled on the hunched form of a child, ratty and bloodied blonde hair caked and nest-like against a purple sweater. Another larger body was splayed out on the floor before the crouched child and Daryl's eyes immediately moved to where a long broomstick skirt covered all but the pale skin of its ankles and bare feet. Daryl flinched ever so slightly at the sight and he heard Rick swallow over his shoulder.
The girl before them stopped moving for a moment before her head lifted and she gradually rose to her feet, her upper body rigid. She turned, stepping to the side to fully reveal the body on the floor. Katrina, her abdomen splayed- a partially devoured cavity. Its flesh puckered up around where her extended uterus had been torn open, oozing blood that had congealed into thick gooey clots.
The sight made Daryl's stomach clench but none-so-much as when his eyes fully adjusted to the darkness and he was able to make out the long thick rope that began in her stomach cavity and extended upwards to the girl's hands, tethering the flesh the she held to the body.
The baby had been mostly devoured, its face an unrecognizable pool of raw ground flesh. The girl stared at them, her blank eyes darting between them, her lip pulled back into a bloody snarl. Tissue was caked into the spaces between her teeth and thick sinewy blood plastered itself to her cheeks and down her throat. Rick raised his weapon, clicking the safety, and Daryl looked between the barrel of the gun and the girl before reaching out to stop him. "She's alive," he told him, taking a step back. "Outside."
Rick hesitated before stepping backwards out the door. Daryl followed him and winced as Susan dropped the floppy half-eaten foetus to the ground with a slick thud. A gunshot from the back of the house made them both jump and Maggie quickly pushed her son into Beth's arms before dashing towards the sound.
She stopped at the corner of the cabin when Carl and Glenn appeared shoulder-to-shoulder, their faces stoic. They all breathed an audible sigh of relief at the appearance of the two men, though Daryl remained foreboding at the thought of what they might have found. Perhaps the family had been too stupid to put their boy down before he changed… or Susan had- he stopped himself from wondering and looked to Carl.
"Man," Carl filled them in, tucking his gun into his holster. "Guy was half eaten but alive, weird that he didn't turn… there was a boy too, but he'd been put down-," the young man tensed at the look on his father's face. He drew his weapon again. "Somethin' inside?"
As he posed his question the door squeaked and glided open to reveal Susan, her eyes glassy with tears as she stepped out onto the snow, trembling and whimpering. She winced as the sunlight struck her face and reached up her bloody hands to wipe her eyes, further painting her face with red.
"My Lord," Beth whispered, turning Judith's face into her thigh.
The little girl squirmed out of her grasp and stepped forward to join Daryl's side. They watched together in silence as Susan stepped further out into the day, her hands raised to block the sun from her eyes, her bare feet crunching on the snow. Daryl's throat clenched as he recognized the scene as one that was familiar to him. A small girl emerging from darkness- one he should have saved but had failed.
"Help me," she cried, dropping one hand from her eyes to reach for them. Her hands trembled badly and she curled her toes, sinking them into the snow, her head tilting in confusion.
Judith watched her curiously, Beanie held closely to her chest. One cheek rested against the doll's wool hair and she frowned. "She ain't no Walker."
"Daryl," Rick's voice was urgent, his blue eyes fixed on the girl before them. The man's mouth opened but no words came out.
Daryl ignored them all and kept his eyes trained on the girl, his heart thudding evenly in his chest. Susan suffered another whimper and froze, her arms wrapped around herself as she watched them, her lip quivering with emotion and cold. Without another word Daryl raised his crossbow and lined up the tip off the arrow with the center of Susan's blood-smeared forehead.
The girl barely had time to whimper before he squeezed the trigger and an arrow slid easily through her skull, killing her instantly.
Beside him Judith had squeezed her eyes closed, her face buried into the loose denim at the back of his jeans.
Slowly, he lowered his weapon and passed it to Carl. "Another one inside, better put her down before she's up," he instructed the young man and crouched down to slide his arms around Judith's back. The little girl melted into his chest and he lifted her as he stood, holding her tightly. He held her in place with one arm and reached out to rest his hand on Beth's shoulder, his eyes meeting her shimmering blue ones. "Best you stay out here for a bit. Ain't nothin' you gotta see in there."
She nodded and sniffled, offering him a watery smile. "You did the right thing," she told him, giving his extended arm a reassuring squeeze.
Daryl dropped his eyes and met Rick's, waiting for some judgment or affirmation. The other man gave him a small nod and pressed a kiss to his hand before touching the back of Judith's head. Without a word he turned and followed his son and Glenn inside.
Judith shifted in his arms and lifted her head from where her cheek had been resting on his shoulder. "Y'all look glum," she noted, tilting her head as she sat back on his forearm. Sliding her arms around his shoulders she hugged him tightly. "Why you did that?"
Daryl swallowed. "'Cause sometimes when somethin' is sufferin' ya gotta jus'- it's the only way to help it."
The little girl kept her tight hold on him and nodded, though he wondered if she really understood at all. Part of him hoped that she didn't- that the world hadn't taken that much from her.
"I sure am fond o' ya, Judith," he laid his forehead against the spot above her ear and closed his eyes.
Judith remained still against him, her boots dangling against his thighs. "'Cause that means I love ya," she answered quietly as they followed the others inside.