He weren't some errand boy for some bitch who never said a word to him, but said plenty about him with a look on her face like she just bit into something rotten. Like he's gonna go out there and look for grown ass men who should be takin' care themselves. Come back or not, weren't nothing to him.

Sophia, she were somethin'.

She'd done been gone already while he'd been pretendin' he could could save her.

Ought to have known better than think he could be anything other than what he always had been, anyways. Weren't ever gonna be that the likes o' him could do somethin' like that.

He'd been trackin' shit for long as he could remember. Started out back afore Merle disappeared the first time, stumblin' along behind him, huffin' and puffin' tryin' to keep up. Merle would squat down and point at somethin', explain to him what it meant. Started him out with a sling shot, but weren't long 'til Merle stole a pellet gun an' started Daryl out shootin' little things. So's he could eat when he run out the house and hid in the woods.

It kept him alive after Merle were gone.

Shoulda found her. If he'd been half worth his salt he woulda, too.

Shown himself for the fool he was now, though, hadn't he? Struttin' around like he were somebody, promisin' that girl's mama he'd find her. Thinkin' 'bout stuff he had no right to think about, too. Like the way her face didn't screw up in disgust when she looked at him.

Hell, partly her fault anyway. Sayin' all that stuff.

You did more for my little girl today than her own daddy ever did for her in his whole life. And, You're every bit as good as them.

She had him all full of himself. Had him daydreamin' like some fool teenager, actin' like maybe he mattered some. She even said it. Said she couldn't lose him. Were just her bein' scared that her girl was gone, but she still said it.

He'd been so sure he could do it. Save Sophia. All that little girl had to do was stay alive 'til he tracked her down. She survived that sorry prick of an old man, but soon as Daryl decided she was his to... To what, anyhow? Be somebody too? Protect? Hell, if he were gonna be that then he shoulda took that old man o'hers out way back at the start and then not let 'em outta his sight.

She weren't his fer nothin'. Weren't anything like his. And neither was her damn mama. An' it didn't matter what he thought he might maybe be able to be for Carol one day, not after he broke the only promise he ever coulda made anyway. Couldn't promise her anythin' else, but he thought he could promise her that. Now she likely couldn't ever look at his face and not remember what he couldn't do. Not know her little girl was dead 'cause Daryl were too slow and stupid.

Never shoulda been lookin' for her no ways. Shoulda left these folks a long time ago, before the CDC even, and not quit 'til he'd found Merle. Or at least stayed right there in that quarry 'til Merle come to find him. Merle was his. He was Merle's. That's all there was and all there ever would be.

An' if Merle were gone, then he was just his. Not these people's. Group o' uppity stupid city folk what were just gonna get themselves killed of, and probly him too if he weren't careful.

Hell, they didn't like him none anyhow. Snickerin' at him at all the time. Lookin' down their noses at what he brung in, actin' like squirrel weren't perfectly good food even while they went about not starvin' to fuckin' death 'cause he killed enough of 'em.

He didn't owe nobody nothin'. Thought it were better in a group than alone, but weren't so sure anymore.

One thing he were certain sure about, though. Lori Grimes could kiss his ass.

He looked her straight in the eye and said, "I'm done lookin' for people."