AN: If everyone who reads this could review, that would be awesome! :) xx

Chapter 6

After Desiree ate her breakfast she was met by Lori who was hanging clothes on the clothes line strung between two of the trees that stood in the middle of camp. "Here," She said passing her a small pile of clothes. "You could use some new clothes. Change into these, and I'll get your dirty ones washed." "Thanks," She said walking into her tent.

She marveled at the touch of the clean fabric. These days, she wasn't concerned about how she looked, but she had to admit new clothes made her a little giddy. She slid on the skinny cargo pants, along with a black T-shirt and a black leather jacket. She laced up her usual black boots, and stepped out of the tent once again.

"Well, don't you look hot," Carol said, smiling at Desiree. Carol reminded her a lot of her own mother. They had the same sense of humor. "Thanks," She answered awkwardly, not really sure what to say. She turned and grabbed her crossbow that was perched on the side of her tent and strung it across her back. "I'll be back…" She said as she handed Lori her dirty clothes.

"Where you going?" She asked. "I thought I'd go hunting… I think I need some time alone to clear my head. I'll be back in a couple of days…" Lori nodded and smiled, "Be safe." She was glad Lori wasn't one to question too much, unlike Dale or Shane.

She could feel her stress melt away as she entered the forest. It was like being home again, even though it was nice to sleep on a sleeping bag instead of a tree branch. She immediately began tracking squirrels and deer. While she was out there she thought about the choices that she was going to have to make when she got back. She had to choose whether to stay with the group or leave. She couldn't spend any more time just hanging around.

She wasn't sure how many days she was out there, maybe three or four? But she couldn't be sure. When she was finally finished hunting, she carried back almost twenty squirrels, two Canadian geese, and a fox. It was a heavy load, but she found herself excited to return back to camp. She could see herself doing this regularly.

As she emerged from the woods, she looked around the farm. It seemed quieter than usual, and she didn't see anyone moving around camp. When she got closer she realized everyone was in front of Hershel's house, along with all their cars and trucks. She noticed Daryl fixing the roof of the nearby shed and Lori and T-Dogg chatting near the truck.

"There's the wild child," T-Dogg said as she approached them. "Hi," She answered back, dropping the bags of game. "Looks like we got ourselves some dinner," Lori said happily. "Yep," She answered back proudly, "What's going on?"

They both looked at her gravely. "What happened?" She asked, knowing that look all too well. "Something happened last night…" Lori started." "Dale died." T-Dogg finished. She didn't know how to react. Yah, she knew who he was, but she wasn't very close to him and only talked to him a couple times. "I'm sorry," She said quietly to the pair, knowing they were probably having a tougher time than her with the news.

"I'm going to go see if Daryl needs some help," She said with a small smile. With that she turned around and headed toward the shed. As she got to the door she felt a hand land on her shoulder. Instinctively, she jumped out of the way and reached for her knife. "Whoa, crazy! It's just me," Daryl said taking a step back and lifting his hands up in the air.

"You scared me," She sighed, putting a hand over her heart. "I was just warnin' ya' that ya' should probably stay away from the shed," He said scratching the back of his head. His hair and shirt were drenched with sweat and he looked completely exhausted. "Why?" She questioned. "Have us a prisoner in there," He said loudly. "What do you mean a prisoner?" She asked stepping towards the door. "He almost killed Hershel, Glenn, and Rick when they went into town. Says he's got a group of 30 men with him. Now we're just figuring out what to do with him."

She nodded, "Geez... you leave for a couple days... I think I'm bad luck. Everything bad seemed to start happening since I got here," She said with an awkward laugh. "Nah… Bad stuff is always goin' on. I think the group's just bad luck. Better get used to it," She smiled at his words, knowing that he thinks that she is or thinking about staying with the group.

"You should go in and get some rest. I know how tired you can get after huntin'." She nodded and turned back to the house. It felt like she had butterflies in her stomach but she didn't know if it was Daryl's presence or just hunger. Or maybe both.