I'm so sorry this has taken so long! I got a bad review last time I updated and I think it threw me a little! But I'm back now and plan to finish this as intended! Please do review and let me know what you think.

Thanks!

Chapter Seventeen

The farm came into view just as Carl's ankle began to give way, he had dodged at least four walkers on the road, but he tried not to let the fear clog his memory as he rushed through the long golden crop towards the fence.

"Dad!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, "Dad!"

There was no reply, but Carl knew that the moment anyone heard him, he'd be safe.

"Dad!" He repeated urgently, his lungs burning from the run.

"Carl?" Rick's voice sounded from the farmhouse, heavy footsteps followed towards Carl as he climbed over the low fence and into the camping ground.

"Oh my god, Carl!" Lori rushed towards him, her arms already open and waiting his return. She crashed around him, folding him in against her, Rick soon following.

"Carl," Rick muttered in a broken breath of relief as he kissed the top of his head.

"Where were you? Are you hurt? Are you alright?" Lori questioned, fearing the worst.

Already people were crowding around the reunited family, but Carl searched only for one person.

"Lila is at the cabin in the woods, there are some men and there were walkers, five or maybe six of them. She said that you would know where she meant," Carl stated, ignoring his parents and looking straight towards Daryl.

Without anything said, Daryl turned away, walking towards his tent as he grabbed his crossbow and threw it over his back.

"You seriously need to think twice about going to get her, Daryl," Andrea stated.

"The girl saved the kids life, you tellin' me she don't deserve somethin' back?" He hissed, walking past Andrea.

"I'll go with you," Rick stated, reluctantly leaving his wife and son's side.

"You should be here with your family," Daryl replied, avoiding Rick's gaze.

"Like you said, she saved my son, ain't no way I'm ignoring that."

"Be safe, bring her home Daryl," Dale said, his hand patting Daryl lightly on the shoulder for just a moment.

"Let's go," Shane added, throwing one of the guns towards Rick and keeping one for himself.

"I'm in," Glenn added, much to Maggie's reluctance.

"She was hurt bad, she told me to run, that she'd be okay," Carl said, his voice urgent and panicked.

Rick patted his boy on the shoulder, "Don't worry, I'll be back as soon as I can," Rick's eyes moved up to Lori's this time, as he silently promised her he'd return safely.

Lila rolled over, blood pooled in her mouth as her hands gripped at his, trying her best to rip away from the grasp he had around her throat.

"You were everything to me, Lila Belle!" Erik yelled before standing up and pacing away from Lila. He had made an effort to patch up the doorways and windows of the cabin since Carl's escape and little to no light seeped in.

"Erik, I was nothing to you. You had a girlfriend, two kids and where were you? Too busy slappin' me around to save your real family?" Lila rolled over onto her hands and knees, coughing up blood and she forced oxygen into her lungs, "I could've been with my family and you could have been with yours, it didn't have to be like this and that's why you're so goddamn angry!" Lila screamed, tears flowing freely down her cheeks, "I had to make a choice, Erik. I had to decide who was more deadly, you or those things out there," Lila paused, looking up at Erik, the man she'd been so madly in love with only a year ago, "You would have killed me, Erik. I'd rather face a world of those things than you. I took my chance, I had to leave!" Lila wept, unable to control herself any longer. "I left my family, my parents my sisters, my brothers, all for you!" She screamed, her voice breaking, "So go on, beat the shit out of me once more, end it now and put me out of this misery, you'd be doing me a favour." With Lila's words, Erik immediately pulled a knife from the holster at his hip and knelt down in front of her, gripping her vest top, he cut it open, throwing it to the side. He ran the tip of the knife across her collarbone, his eyes locked onto hers.

"Feel that?" He whispered sadistically as he pressed the knife into Lila's skin, a small trickle of crimson ran away from the wound and Lila tried not to cry.

"What did you think that speech would do Lila Belle? Hm? Did you think I'd cry, tell you I love you and let you run off while I kill myself here, all alone in this little cabin in the middle of no where? Think again bitch, I ain't that weak, you however-" Erik paused as he pressed the knife into Lila's skin, she let out a cry as he twisted it.
"You will be dying pretty damn soon, I gotta get my ass out of here and I ain't carrying no dead weight, no hard feelings babe." He slapped Lila back with one swoop of his hand, she lay bruised and broken in the middle of the cabin, her eyes grew dark and her head fuzzy, she was almost out of it enough to cancel out the pain as Erik cut across her skin, once, twice, three times. She began the lose count as the blood, so warm and sweet, fell down her sides.

"I did love you," Lila muttered, "I loved you a lot, enough to run away with you, marry you," She coughed, struggling to breathe as her chest ached with the beating she had taken, "Enough to leave everything I had in the middle of chaos, just to be close to you. I trusted you." Silence filled the cabin, the pain stopped and Lila finally thought it was over. He'd had enough. Until her eyes opened just long enough to see the tip of the arrow as it penetrated through Erik's chest.

The four of them made their way quickly and silently through the woods, it was about a seven mile journey on foot, and by the time the cabin was in sight, the sun was burning high and mighty in the centre of the blue sky. A trail of bloodied bodies, both of walkers and men, lay scattered around the grounds.

They checked the grounds as best they could, but it was Daryl that first spotted him, leaning over her, a knife pressed into the skin of her bare chest. He glanced towards Rick, who nodded solemnly in reply to his silent request. Daryl loaded his crossbow with ease, aiming it directly at the man's chest, he purposely missed his heart – but still the man collapsed off to the side of Lila as the arrow whistled straight through flesh and muscle.

"Lila!" Daryl yelled as he ran towards her. He knelt down beside her, forgetting all tactic as he removed his shirt and wrapped it around her bruised, battered torso. He couldn't believe his eyes as he took her in, her face was practically unrecognisable, blood was smeared across one whole side of her face, a wound at her temple seemed to have bled profusely, whilst her lips were split and swollen.
"Is he dead?" She managed to slur, her eyes still half closed as unconsciousness threatened her.
"No, hurt, but not dead," Daryl answered, moving the hair back from her face.

"Kill him," She whispered, sounding almost reluctant, "But I don't want to see it, please." Tears streaked her blood stained cheeks and Daryl's heart broke. He should have been looking out for her, should have never let her go off on her own.

"Take her, will you?" Daryl, nodding towards Rick, who immediately lifted her from the ground, only to feel the trickle of warmth run down his arm, as he looked down at Lila he couldn't help but panic. The wound was deep, jagged. Definitely not a bite, but the blood was relentless.

"Don't think that's going to be an option," Rick stated as he lay Lila back down, turning her over slightly as he examined the wound.

"She ain't worth saving," A gruff, choked voice sounded from the man lying on the floor.

"Shut it!" Daryl slammed a foot into his side as he moved around to Lila.

"I know what you see when you look at her, she's beautiful, cute little blonde thing with a little fire about her, best piece'a ass I've had," The man cough, blood staining his lips, "But she stabbed me in the back, just like she will you."

"You know it was more than that," Lila's voice was quiet, her words shook with each breath she inhaled, but the man went silent.

"I loved you, you betrayed me. Don't try and turn this shit around, Erik. I would have loved you for an eternity…except it wasn't love, I the only thing I felt was obedience." She was shivering now, losing blood too quickly from the wound at her side.

"Take her, now!" Daryl yelled at Rick, who reluctantly pressed his shirt against the wound and picked her up. Shane left first, followed by Rick and Lila.

When the dull thud of an arrow hitting flesh echoed throughout Lila's ears, her hand fell open, her eyes closed in relief, as the small box holding the delicate ring, fell to the floor. Suddenly, a weight was lifted, her shoulders slumped and she fell into a blissful sleep.