Chapter 4

A month had passed since what seemed to be the end of the world. Carol, Daryl and Sophia had stayed at the little house off the old highway for only two nights before a raiding party had nearly come across them in the night. After a sleepless night, they'd packed up and headed off, up into the mountains. They'd found a cabin that seemed to be pretty remote and had a well which they could draw water from. To be safe, Carol boiled it before using it for drinking or cooking.

The nearest neighboring home was a mile down the mountain, and Daryl was often gone during daylight hours, hunting with his crossbow and bringing home squirrels and the occasional rabbit, which Carol prepared without hesitation.

They'd had no problems with walkers yet, but they often heard gunshots through the night from down the mountain which meant that people were still alive and fighting like hell to survive, as they had been doing. But Daryl warned Carol and Sophia not to stray too far from the cabin when he was gone, and if they saw any sign of walkers, they were to run. Daryl left a pistol behind for Carol, but so far, she hadn't had to use it.

Electricity had fizzled out a week ago. There was no radio. There was no television. There were simply three people keeping quiet in a cabin and trying not to draw attention to themselves.

One particular morning, Daryl was grabbing his hunting gear from the back of his truck when Carol stepped outside. The morning was cool, and she wrapped her arms around herself to keep warm.

"What you doin' up this early?" he asked, squinting into the sunlight as he stared up at the porch.

"I want you to teach me how to shoot. How to hunt," Carol said quietly. Daryl eyed her. "What if something happens to you? I want to know how to take care of myself. How to provide for Sophia." Daryl considered this for a moment before nodding.

"A'right. Today?"

"Yeah. Let me go wake Sophia. We'll join you." Daryl nodded and slung his crossbow over his shoulder. Carol turned to head back into the house, not noticing he was watching her walk away.

In all honesty, Daryl Dixon was a man of few words, but a look or a stare spoke more than some words ever could. Over the past few weeks, she'd grown accustomed to the quiet around the dinner table. Sophia seemed to be a bit intimidated by him, and to be honest, she was too. She didn't fear him, but there was so much about him she didn't know. They didn't talk about the past. They just talked about the present and what they needed to survive.

"Thing you gotta remember 'bout firin' a gun is that you gotta breathe. Aim and breathe." Carol nodded, holding the gun awkwardly in her hands. Daryl shook his head. "Nope. Gotta hold it like this." He showed her, holding his own gun. She didn't quite have it.

Sticking his gun in the waistband of his pants, he moved behind Carol, his hands moving down her arms as he pressed against the back of her. She tensed at the feeling, but when his hands moved over hers, she relaxed a little.

"Like this. Hold it like this. Breathe and squeeze the trigger." Carol did just as he instructed, and when she squeezed the trigger, the bang went off. Sophia covered her ears at the sound, and Carol watched with fascination as the bullet hit the tree they were using as target practice.

"Like that?"

"Yeah," he murmured, clearing his throat and moving away from her. She turned to see that his cheeks were a little red. It was a cool morning, but she couldn't help but wonder if he was blushing.

"That's about all the shootin' for today. Don't wanna give away our spot. You wanna try tomorrow, kid?" Daryl asked. Sophia's brows rose, and she looked to her mother.

"Can I, Mama?" Carol looked back and forth between Daryl and Sophia. She'd never really cared much for guns. Ed had one, and she'd kept on him about keeping it locked up so Sophia wouldn't be able to get to it when she was little. But now, the world was changing, and knowing how to shoot a gun was going to be a big key to survival. She wanted Sophia to have every advantage.

"I suppose that's alright," Carol said quietly. "Under Daryl's supervision. I don't want you playing with it like a toy."

"I won't, Mama. I promise," Sophia said, hugging her around the middle.

"Tomorrow then," Daryl said with a nod. "C'mon, let's get back to the house." They" turned to head back up to the house, which was about a mile away. Daryl had wanted to try and stay away from the cabin, just in case walkers were nearby and heard the gunshots. He didn't want to draw any attention, as he'd discovered about a week ago that they were attracted to sound.

Sophia walked up ahead a little bit, and Carol hung back with Daryl.

"She's doin' better?" Daryl asked, nodding toward Sophia.

"Yeah," Carol said with a nod. "I think so." The first couple of weeks were rough for Sophia. The poor child was terrified of the world around her, and she'd had horrible dreams that Carol often woke her from because she couldn't take the sound of her daughter crying in her sleep. "She's been through a lot," Carol explained. Daryl eyed her for a moment, as if urging her to continue. "Her dad and I got divorced a couple of years ago. He tried to fight me for custody, and Sophia was caught in the middle. He lost, of course, but it brought out a very…very bad side in him. Sophia didn't want anything to do with him at all last year. Maybe I could have encouraged her to spend more time with him, but I guess I preferred having her close to me, you know?" Carol sighed heavily. "Ed wasn't really there when she was growing up. He was a business man. He wasn't really family-oriented. He only wanted custody of her because he knew it would hurt me. The sad part is that I think…I think she knew that."

"Kids can come back from anything. Believe me." He kicked at the dirt as he walked. "S'long as you keep breathin', you can come back from anything." Carol eyed him, seeing the way his head hung a little lower and the way he stuffed his hands in his pockets as he spoke. In that moment, he very much reminded her of a wounded child, and she wondered what exactly it was that he'd come back from.

A scream from up ahead startled them both. Sophia was just about ten feet away, but the gap was too far for Carol's liking now. She and Daryl both glanced in the direction Sophia was looking, and a small herd of walkers—ten or so—were heading right for them. Sophia was panicking, and Daryl reached her first, grabbing her by the shoulders.

"Shut up, you hear me? Calm down. You'll bring more of 'em on us." He grabbed Sophia's hand, and the girl, startled and a little wounded by Daryl's harshness, calmed for a moment. Carol reached them both, and she took Sophia's other hand. "We can't lead 'em to the cabin," Daryl breathed.

"The woods," Carol murmured. "Lead 'em further in and put 'em down." Daryl looked from her to the group of walkers for a moment before nodding his head.

"Works for me," he muttered. "C'mon. Keep up." The three of them took off into the woods as the snarls and moans of walkers bounced off the trees, echoing so loudly around them that it sounded as if they were surrounded.

They picked up the pace a bit, and Sophia stumbled, falling. Breaking down in tears, the little girl struggled to get up.

"Come on, sweetheart," Carol urged, helping her daughter up. Sophia shook her head, her cheeks red, and her breaths coming out in quick, sharp puffs.

"I can't," she cried. Without hesitation, Daryl hoisted Sophia up into his arms, and he nodded to Carol.

"I got you," he assured her. Carol felt the tears well up in her eyes, and she nodded a quick thanks before they rushed off again, hoping to lure the walkers far enough away that no stragglers would be able to make their way to the cabin in the mountains that she had begun to call home.