Part 4: The Other Side

Beth Greene didn't know how she had gotten to where she was without the people by her side. Rick, Michonne, Glenn, Maggie… They had almost lost her daddy when he had been bitten by a walker on the leg but thanks to Rick's quick thinking, her daddy had made it through. Without a leg but again, he was still living to see another day.

They still hadn't cleared out all of the Walkers from the prison but were slowly working on it. They all knew they had to hurry so that Lori could properly give birth without having to worry about Walkers nipping at her heels.

When the time finally came for Lori to give birth, it definitely hadn't been as planned. Maggie, Carl and Lori ended up getting cornered in the boiler room with Walkers outside the door, banging relentlessly to get inside. That had spurred on Lori's labor and unfortunately, she didn't make it to see her new daughter. Rick had been grief-stricken of course and had went a little crazy for a few weeks but they had made it through it. Glenn, Tyrese and Bob had went on a run to get formula for the baby while the rest stayed behind.

And it had all worked out.

That happiness of course couldn't last forever, though. With them all being in such tight quarters inside the prison, a sickness had spread throughout the people. Some had made it, others hadn't. The ones who didn't survive, turned throughout the night, turning others while everyone slept. Everyone finally had to be separated and quarantined away from those who were still healthy.

When Bob, Tyrese and Michonne had decided to go on a run for antibiotics, Beth had wanted to tag along so badly. She knew that along with the medicine, Judith needed some supplies also.

After talking with Hershel, he and Rick had agreed that Beth tagging along would be alright. They knew that Michonne would keep an eye on her and maybe even teach her some things to help her survive, god forbid anything happened and they were separated one day.

Maggie wasn't thrilled at the idea but with Hershel's blessing, she didn't really have a say in the matter. Glenn reassured her that Beth would be just fine, especially with Michonne covering her.

It didn't take long for them to find a drug store to raid and after finding everything they needed, they decided to hunker down for the night since it was beginning to get dark.

"You doing okay, Beth?" Michonne asked, worry evident in her eyes.

Nodding hesitantly, "Yeah, just gonna take some getting use to. Ain't never really been on a run before."

"You'll get used to it, it gets easier every time I go."

With those words, everyone drifted off into a peaceful slumber with Tyrese keeping watch for the first few hours.

"Get up, we've got company!"

It couldn't have been long that they were sleeping. And they all knew that Tyrese wouldn't have woken everyone up for nothing so at his voice, they all jumped to attention automatically.

"What's going on?" Michonne asked, noticing Tyrese was staring out the window, seeming confused by something.

"I don't know… It isn't a walker but… I'm not sure. He's just standing there. Looking like he knows we're here.."

Michonne followed Tyrese's gaze and spotted a man standing in the middle of the road, sure enough staring at the building that they occupied. His lips were moving but they could hear nothing.

Shaking her head, Michonne opened the door and cautiously stepped outside.

"Couldn't hear you… Are you alright?"

The man acted as if he had just noticed her outside and smirked slightly.

"I said, there's a herd comin' this way. If ya don't wanna get caught up in it, there's an old cabin right up the hill there where I've been staying. Be happy to oblige ya and let y'all spend the night."

She eyed him suspiciously, then glanced behind her at her fellow companion.

"How do we know you're telling the truth?"

He shrugged his shoulders and walked closer. His steps were precise but he seemed to be making a point to seem nonchalant.

"Don't make no damn to me if ya believe me or not. Just thought I'd make the offer. Ain't wantin' ya to stay forever. Just get away from the herd and y'all can be on your merry way by mornin'."

Considering his offer, Michonne held up her finger signalling the man to wait a minute. Walking back inside, she looked over to Beth, Tyrese and Bob. If there were any chance of a herd coming their way, she knew that some of them wouldn't make it. Beth was just learning how to defend herself in this new world and she didn't want to risk losing the girl after Hershel entrusted her with the task of taking care of her.

"Ain't got all day, woman. They'll be here in bout 15 minutes."

Nodding to herself, "Let's go. Don't really have a choice and I don't want to take the risk of not listening to him. Plus, he might have food and water."

All four of them started to make their way outside and Michonne couldn't help but notice the mans' eyes light up the minute he spotted Beth. Gripping the handle of her katana, Michonne vowed to keep an eye on Beth while she slept. The mans' eyes were devious as they devoured Beths' small frame.

"Think ya could lead us there instead of gawking?" She asked the man, giving him a pointed glare.

He threw his hands up in surrender, smirking once again. "Sorry, sorry! Just haven't seen a beautiful lady in a long time. Had to make sure she was real…" Again, with the devious nature.

"Well… keep your hands off. She's not up for grabs."

Daryl regarded the small group of humans with an amused smile as they all followed him to the cabin that he had been hunkered down in. There really had been a herd of Walkers but they weren't anywhere close to the drug store like he had claimed.

He had no plans to approach the people but when he caught a whiff of the sweetest scent he had ever encountered, he knew he had to find out who it belonged to.

And soon as the little blonde woman stepped outside, he knew it had been her he had caught the scent of. He knew then that he couldn't leave this group and had to find some way to ease himself into their good graces. He had a feeling they were holed up somewhere else where there would be a lot more people.

The sword lady saw right through him the moment the blonde girl stepped outside and although the woman had spunk, she would be no threat to him. If he wanted to, he could grab the girl and take off before any of the others could blink.

But he wouldn't be doing that. He wanted to enjoy the hunt. Play with her head a little.

So with that thought in mind, his back straightened and he became the Daryl DIxon that had died so long ago. And with a growled grunt, he ushered the people to the little cabin on the hill, waiting for his opportunity to be invited to their camp.