It wasn't the moans of the dead that woke Jess, it was pure laughter. Her eyes fluttered open to see the bottom side of what looked to be a bunk bed and she tried to search through her hazy memories to figure out what had happened.

The last thing she clearly remembered was being shot and this was confirmed by the pain in her side. She closed her eyes again as she mentally pictured the location that she'd been shot in, racking her brain for any details but she hadn't seen her assailant. She scoffed as she opened her eyes again. Someone had probably shot her for her supplies and maybe even her horses. Or they could have just done it for fun. People sucked.

She had been shadowing the highway for about a day looking for any sign of her parents along the road when she felt the blinding pain then the sound of the gun followed by her falling from her horse oddly enough to dislocate her shoulder. She had forced herself to get back up to her feet on pure adrenaline and run for cover with her horses following closely. How long she had waited there behind a large tree after making the horses lie down to be less conspicuous in the driving rain, listening for any sign of who had decided that she was worth killing, she couldn't really remember. When the sky started to change colors she had decided that she couldn't wait there forever, she was bleeding profusely and she didn't want to give any satisfaction to whoever had shot her by dying there and leaving her gear for them to loot. So she had sucked it up and climbed painfully back on her horse and rode her way back through the forest to the town she'd passed half a mile back, hoping that whoever had shot her had gotten tired of waiting and moved on.

The last clear thing she remembered, as her adrenaline left her system and she'd lost a fair amount of blood, that she was lucky enough to find a grocery store with a pharmacy and hoping she could get something to stop the bleeding and maybe even some painkillers. However, she hadn't been thinking clearly enough as she'd dismounted and stumbled into the building full of walking dead. Everything after that was blurs and flashes. She remembered losing her bow while running from the freaks, finding the office, and then making the solid choice that she was ready to die and put a bullet through her brain, hoping that someone found her horses to take care of them. She'd even had the gun up to her temple ready to pull the trigger when the door had opened and there were blue eyes. His eyes.

Her reminiscence of him made her really take more time to check her surroundings. She looked around, trying to blink back the blurs at the edge of her vision, and quickly realized she was laying on the bottom bunk of what looked like a prison cell.

Great, out of one terrible situation and straight into another, she thought as she noticed the cell door was shut and more than likely locked. It was then she decided to see how bad her condition actually was as she tried to sit up. A sharp pain shot through her side as she tried to push herself into a sitting position, failing miserably to get up. Disappointed, she looked down to see that her blood stained tank top had been replaced by a flannel shirt that was a little big for her but was clean and her arm was in a sling to keep her from moving her shoulder that had been put back into place. She had also been stripped of her dirty jeans and dressed into a loose pair of shorts and she was barefoot.

She felt her cheeks flush and her stomach turned at the thought of him changing her clothes for her before shaking her head and lifting the shirt up to inspect her wound to find that it was neatly bandaged with a slight blood stain. She let out a disgruntled noise before dropping the shirt gingerly back into place. Her wound hurt like hell and she felt as weak as a baby and it was frustrating.

Since she couldn't get up she decided she would take inventory of her room. She strained her neck to look around the dull gray cell and noticed that her bag was on the floor in the corner along with her black Justin boots. She was a little disappointed to see that her weapons weren't with them but it was to be expected. She wouldn't trust her either after seeing what she was capable of.

Jess turned her attention back to the outside of her cell as she heard more laughter float up to her. People laughing during the apocalypse?

She wished she could get up and try to see where the laughter was coming from but there was no way she was moving for a while. However, she was able to see that she was locked in a cell on the second floor in what looked like a prison block and it was dark outside. She heard more voices but couldn't make out what they were saying and she saw light flickering along the walls between window panels that were covered in bars. Her stomach did a horrible flip-flop as the smell of food filled her nostrils. She couldn't remember the last time she ate.

She quickly changed her thought process as a wave of nausea hit her and focused her attention on trying to make out whatever she could from the voices filtering up to her. She couldn't tell exactly how many but knew there were several people down there visiting, joking, and eating dinner together. She caught herself straining to hear his voice.

"Daryl," she whispered as the memory returned to her. He had been the one to talk her out of putting the bullet in her head and she remembered placing the burden upon him if anything should happen to her.

His voice wasn't among the ones she could pick out through the chatter and she felt disappointed. Where was he? Had he left her with these people? Despite her obvious distrust of people, Daryl didn't seem like a bad person. He'd had two chances to kill her and had even saved her the second time.

It didn't take long for the voices to die out and she was left in complete silence for several minutes before she heard footsteps coming up metal stairs. The wounded woman tensed but didn't move as she waited for what happened next. She let out the breath she didn't realize she had held when she saw Daryl come to peer into her cell. She waited for his eyes to find hers and held his gaze.

He watched her for a few moments before he actually turned away to lean over the rail and let out a low, quiet whistle. There was a few moments before he nodded his head in her direction and he turned back to walk up to the door and inspect her.

"How ya feelin'?" He asked in a quiet voice.

"Like I done been chewed up 'n' spit out," she sassed.

The corner of his mouth twitched like he was about to smile before she heard more footsteps on the stairs and he walked away from her cell, disappearing from her line of vision. There was some whispering and keys clinking before he reappeared with said keys, followed by an older man with pure white hair and a fairly bushy beard that walked with a heavy limp.

Daryl watched her and she shifted a bit under his gaze. She made it a point not to move too much more because she didn't want either of the men to think that she was positioning herself to attack them, not like she could though since she could barely move. The hunter picked out the correct key on the ring and slide into the lock but he waited to turn it.

"Gonna play nice?" He asked.

Jess nodded and held up her hand in surrender and he took that as his sign to turn the key and pull open the door, the hinges creaking loudly. Daryl held the door open for the other man to enter the room and he chose to stay at the entrance, leaning his hip against the bars and folding his hands under his arms to watch her carefully. The other man pulled out the short stool underneath the metal table to sit and regard her with narrow green eyes as he spoke.

"Our doctor says you're going to make a full recovery," he stated in a gentle voice. He wasn't trying to be threatening at all but she could tell that he was trying to get a read on her.

"The moment I can stan' up without fallin' over I'll be on my way ta find my horses," she promised.

The woman knew that Daryl had taken a risk in bringing her back here to his people to save her considering their run in a few days ago. She refused to be anymore of a burden than she had already been.

The green-eyed man seemed a bit surprised at her statement however, indicated by his raised eyebrows.

"Alright then," he said not wanting to argue with her, "My name is Herschel and Daryl tells me your name is Jess."

She nodded cutting her eyes to Daryl who hadn't moved an inch since coming in.

"So, Jess, what happened out there?"

"Not rightly sure," she admitted in her long drawl with a shrug, "I 'member gettin' shot off my horse 'n' making a run fer it. I reckon whoever took tha shot was lookin' for fun or ta take my horses 'n' loot after I's dead. Cain't say it's the first time. Evrathin' after that is purdy hazy."

"You're alone?" Herschel asked in shock.

The injured woman answered the question nonchalantly.

"Yes sir," she answered respectfully. She could tell this man was a leader, if not the leader, in the group and had been sent to gather information on her. Besides, her momma always told her to respect her elders.

"How long you been out there by yourself?" He asked in with unconcealed concern.

"Lost track a time but it was somewhere in Mississippi when I had ta make a go o' it on my own," she answered carefully, dancing around the full story.

"You've been fighting walkers alone since then?"

Jess nodded. She got this question a lot from the nicer people she'd run into since she left home. It was hard for anyone to believe a woman could make it on her own in this mess.

"Yes sir. Started up close ta Austin 'n' been making my way ta Atlanta lookin' fer my family. They packed up 'n' headed this way on a road trip a couple a weeks afore thangs started getting bad."

"Texas?" He asked.

"The one 'n' only," she sang trying to make light of the situation. "Born 'n' bred," she added with a smile, purposefully thickening her accent.

Herschel looked back at Daryl to convey his surprise. This woman had traveled alone for thousands of miles through zombie infested America. They knew it was possible for a woman to make it on her own out there, Michonne was their proof, but that far? That was nothing short of a miracle.

Daryl just shrugged. He'd stumbled across a few other people on their own and brought them back to the prison over the past few weeks after Woodbury. Besides, if Michonne could do it, so could some other woman. He'd seen Jess' skills first hand but it didn't mean that traveling that far alone wasn't impressive though. Also, her accent made more sense now. It'd been much thicker than anyone he'd run into and he'd run into a lot of backwater rednecks in his time. Hell, he was one himself and he didn't even have an accent like that. Texan's seemed to have their own special drawl.

She cut back in before either of them could say anything.

"Look, ya'll seem like nice folks 'n' I'll forever be grateful a what ya'll done fer me," she began as she looked pointedly at Daryl before returning her attention back to the leader, "but I know I make ya'll nervous as a cat in a room full a rockin' chairs by bein' here 'n' I'd be much obliged if I could just have some time ta recover 'n' be back on my way 'n' outta your hair."

Herschel nodded.

"Okay," he agreed as he stood and pushed the stool back up under the metal desk. He wasn't about to argue with her. If she wanted to go back out there on her own, so be it. "Since you seem to be understanding of the situation I hope you will also understand that we have to keep you locked in here until we can trust you. So for now, get some rest and someone will be up to check on you and bring some food soon."

Jess nodded as Herschel smiled encouragingly down at her and walked out of sight. She heard him descending the stairs as Daryl stood from his perch against the metal door without a word to lock her in. She watched as he turned the lock into place with the keys and he glanced over at her one more time before also taking his leave.

She was left alone to her thoughts for a while before she heard more footsteps on the stairs and Daryl appeared again carrying a tray of food, the keys, and a water bottle. He juggled with unlocking the cell door as a woman with short greying hair carrying a bag and a battery operated lantern appeared next to him. When the woman noticed that Jess was watching her she smiled at the injured woman. Jess didn't know why but it made her relax a bit because there was something soft and reassuring the way this woman carried herself.

Daryl opened the door and entered first to set the water and tray on the small metal table on the wall before stepping back out to let the other woman come in. The two shared a look, Daryl looking at her sternly while Carol just glared back.

"Shoo. I have to change her bandage and you don't need to gawk at her," she ordered as she lightly pushed on his bicep.

Daryl regarded the woman for a few moments before giving in.

"I ain't no pervert," he grumbled before looking pointedly at Jess to make sure she understood, "I'll be right out here," he added before he took a few steps away, turned his back to them, and leaned against the top railing of the second floor. That's as far as he was going to go with Carol close to the unpredictable woman in the bed.

Carol let out an exasperated sigh as she turned to Jess with a smile.

"Always worrying over the silliest things," she sighed with a roll of her eyes.

Jess followed the woman with her eyes as she pulled out the stool and sat close to the bed and held out her left hand so Jess could shake it with her good one.

"Carol."

It didn't take long for Jess to give into Carol's kind nature.

"Jess," she obliged the woman as she took her cool hand in her own. There was something very motherly about how Carol carried herself and it was something Jess found herself drawn to.

"Nice to meet you, Jess, and sorry about all the precautions" she apologized after releasing her charges calloused, warm hand. Carol starting taking out medical tape and gauze from her bag along with some disinfectant as she continued, "why don't we get your bandages changed before you eat."

"I don't blame 'em." Jess admitted as Carol pulled down the blanket covering her lower half and pushed her shirt up just enough to expose her bullet wound. Jess shivered at the cold air on her warm skin as Carol moved the waistband of the shorts down a bit and this didn't go unnoticed.

"Sorry," the older woman winced as she began to pull the bandage slowly from the warm skin, "I'll try to be quick."

Jess let the woman work in silence as she settled farther back into the pillow beneath her head. Jess also didn't trust herself to hold a conversation as she felt the disinfectant touch her marred skin. It stung but the pain was manageable compared to what it had been before she'd passed out back at the grocery store.

Now that her bullet wound was being treated and she knew it wasn't going to kill her, she was more worried about her shoulder. Most of her self-defense came from her bow as she wasn't as skilled with her blades and dislocations could possibly end her use with a bow.

"Alright, one down, one to go. Think you can turn on your side so I can change out the back?"

Jess nodded and with a bit of Carol's help and some sharp pains in her side and shoulder later, she was on her left side staring at the wall. She heard Carol's intake of breath before she felt the woman's cool hand on her skin to work. Carol must have seen the true extent of her scars.

"Do you mind if I ask how?" The older woman asked as she worked quickly at replacing the gauze bandage.

Jess decided to answer Carol. It'd been a long time since she'd had a conversation with another woman and knew that keeping everything bottled up could drive anyone mad. Besides, It's not like they could use the information against her and she wasn't going to be there long enough for them to anyway.

"There are men, 'n' women, out there who haven't fared as well as ya'll. Men that, now that there ain't no rules or laws, feel as if they's free ta do whatever floats their boat. My sister 'n' I just happen ta run inta a pair a men who got their jollies from causin' pain ta women, mainly with razors, not too long after thangs really started goin' to hell 'n' we'd struck out on our own," she paused as she felt Carol finish and turned over to look her in the eyes, "We learned real quick that tha dead weren't tha biggest threat out there. Jus' had ta learn it tha hard way."

Carol shook her head as she replaced Jess' clothing and pulled the blanket back up to the sling.

"How did you make it through?" Carol asked with large, sad eyes.

"After a few days they got lazy, thinkin' tha' we were too outta it ta fight back 'n' didn' tie Erin up as tight after they got done with 'er. She got both a us loose 'n' we waited. Luckily only one a 'em came back fer a round with us alone 'n' we took 'em down together. I grabbed our stuff 'n' we tried ta run but tha second guy came back 'n' I put an arrow in his eye when he tried ta shoot her," she closed her eyes at the memories, the images stinging enough for her eyes to mist. She willed away the tears before she continued, "I was bleedin' everywhere 'n' she wuddn't as hurt as I was so she took care a me. I was sure I was gonna die 'n' she was gonna have ta put a bullet in my head. But we seemed to find the best bull 'n' we ended up ridin' up onna farmhouse with a sweet elderly couple tha' patched us up."

Carol regarded her for several seconds, her own eyes getting a bit misty and before she could open her mouth to ask, Jess answered for her. The injured woman felt some of the weight lift off her shoulders at being able to talk to someone and Carol was so easy to talk to. The words were just pouring out of her as she lay fixated on a spot on the bunk above her.

"The couple let us stay so we could get our strength up 'n' set back outta find our parents. We were there fer 'bout a week afore the place got overrun by a group. The couple sacrificed 'emselves to let Erin 'n' I get away but she got bit in tha escape," her eyes were starting to fill with tears as the memories of her sister flooded through her mind, "we'd made a promise tha' we wuddn't let each other turn inna one a those thangs 'n' ta continue tha search if one a us was bitten," she swallowed the lump in her throat before shrugging, "so I followed through," she looked at Carol with tortured eyes, "so here I am, two states later, with no answers but I'm not gonna to stop 'cause what else is 'ere?"

Carol was a little shocked at Jess' confession. From what little information Daryl had told her, she seemed like a woman hardened, like they all were, by the new world. However, she could tell that Jess had probably been alone so long she was close to her breaking point.

Carol smiled softly at the wounded woman on the bed as she took her uninjured hand in both of hers.

"You could find a place to call home and start building a new life," she paused as she ran her thumb comfortingly across the younger woman's knuckles, "we are quite safe here and we've started a little community. You'd fit in quite well with what Daryl has told me."

Jess looked at her like she'd just grown another head.

"Ya don' thank I'm too dangerous ta keep 'round?"

Carol's grin grew and her eyes literally twinkled.

"Oh I know you're dangerous," she purred with a pat on Jess' hand, "and I think the world could use more dangerous women like you," she added with a wink.

Jess was shocked to silence as Carol went on to talk about the medicine and how she needed to eat before she took it. Jess was too nauseated to really eat anything though and she said so.

"Well, you need something to eat. There's some mashed potatoes here, how about a few bites of them before you take these?" Carol urged as she pointed to the plate.

Jess reluctantly agreed and Carol stuffed extra pillows behind the prone woman's back to help her sit up and happily sat back down with the tray and water and placed the tray on Jess's lap and handed her the fork.

It was obvious at that point that Carol wouldn't leave until she saw Jess eat and take the pills so she obliged the stubborn woman by taking a few bites of the potatoes and choking down the four pills. Hopefully one of them was a painkiller.

"Good, now get some sleep and I'll come back in the morning with more food and pills. We'll also see about getting you cleaned up a bit if you're up for it," she smiled slyly, "we have showers."

Jess' eyes went wide in anticipation. She couldn't remember the last time she had a shower. It'd been baths in shallow rivers when she happened to find them for what seemed like years.

"I'll be there with bells on," she drawled with a smile that reached her eyes.

"I'll see you tomorrow then. Sleep well, Jess."

"Thank ya fer everythin', Miss Carol."

The older woman smiled as she gathered everything she'd brought but the water, placing it on the floor by the bed so Jess could reach it if she needed it, and nodded as she left.

"You're welcome."

After she disappeared around the corner, Daryl turned around from his perch and startled Jess by closing the cell. He'd been so quiet she'd forgotten he was there and her cheeks flared crimson at the thought of him hearing her pour her soul out to Carol. She watched him carefully as he locked the door and glanced at her with a carefully guarded expression. She put her rough exterior back on, hoping her blush wasn't showing.

"G'night, peach," she sang in a light voice, hoping it was enough to cover her embarrassment.

He narrowed his eyes at her for a few moments before walking away.

"Shut up, kill stealer."

Jess smiled as she settled back into the pillows for sleep. Too bad she wasn't going to stay, she was beginning to like these people.