"Here,"

Louie silently let Daryl take the heavy box from her hands and moved to grab another. Hershel announced that the Atlanta survivors were to move in immediately into the Greene house for the winter to come. Except for Shane.

"I…" he started and she stopped and turned around slowly.

"You did what you had to do," she said despondently, not meeting his eyes. She seemed to hesitate. "I'm glad it was you," she finally said, her words hanging in the stiff air heavily. Her actions dreary and doleful went back to grabbing a box to shift into the new shelter. He watched her retreat in a lifeless manner before following with the box.

After the mercy killing of Dale, Rick had to physically drag Louie away from the body and back to the campsite. He himself was in tears at a loss of a cherished group member but had to put the living first now. Hershel had granted Rick to take her to the house to calm her down, her hysterics starting to become frightening. Rick carried her to the room where his son and the Dixon man had operations. He stayed with the younger woman, trying to muffle her cries of agony but only found himself weeping with her and apologizing out of pure guilt for lack of responsibility. The two didn't sleep, but only racked their bodies for tears, Louie's bawlings never decreasing. Unlike Carol, Louie did attend Dale's funeral, sitting cross legged near his grave, while everyone stood. She picked at the grass and stared at the patch of raised earth comatosely. Andrea ended up sitting with her silently for a few more hours after everyone left, the two commemorating the life of Dale Horvath.

Daryl now watched the empty shell of the girl that showed a day ago, so much vigor and love. She would be fine, he decided. She lost her home. She survived. She was brutally raped for two weeks on end. She recovered. Loss was a reoccurring role in everyone's life and wasn't going to ever end. She knew that. She would be fine.

After Louie set the box down with a sigh, she stood up and spun around and found herself immediately bouncing off a broad chest. With a wheezy breath, she realized T-Dog was enveloping her in his arms lifting her up in a giant hug. He set her down wordlessly and she patted him on the shoulder with a weak smile, "Get out of here, ya big softy," she joked but anyone could see the woe she was going through. With a sympathetic glance, he returned to helping store boxes in the Green house. Louie only wrapped her arms around her stomach and looked out the window where Rick was leaning over a map with Daryl. She studied the man's profile steadily. She wanted nothing but to be with him even if they weren't touching each other; she just wanted to be by his side. Why couldn't he admit his fault? He yielded from striking Carol but didn't think twice to hit her. She closed her eyes and repressed a shudder.

"Hey," she didn't have to look to know Glenn's voice. "You said you had piano fingers, right?"

At this, she turned her head slightly.

Louie's rendition of Lacrimosa from Mozart's Requiem was interrupted by T-Dog ripping through the house, panting.

"He's gone."

Louie stood up immediately along with Glenn, the bench scraping the floor loudly. Even Maggie's sister who was watching the recital, Beth, was taken aback. They all looked at each other before the Greene girl went to find security in her father and the other two in their group. Glenn grabbed her hand and raced them outside behind T-Dog to see Andrea and Lori already ahead of them moving towards the shed where Randall was meant to be kept.

"How'd this happen?" Louie gasped as they briskly tried to keep up.

"I don't know," T-Dog breathed as they approached the group. "The lock was on 'n everythin'!" Daryl was observing the lock and door to see any forced exit. Hershel had also arrived on the scene looked disturbed.

"Cuffs are still hooked. Must'a slicked 'em," Rick said scouring the roof for any signs or clues to the disappearance. Louie gagged thinking about the amount of blood to have allowed that.

"Is that possible?" She asked in horror.

"It is if you've got nothing to lose," Andrea retreated from the shed at that moment.

"The shed was secured from the outside," Hershel said inspecting the door just as Daryl had.

"T-the roof? Could he have scaled the roof?" Louie asked starting to get frightened that Randall could be lurking around the home. Looking for revenge, possibly.

"No," Glenn said scanning the top of the shed. "Not injured, at least."

Suddenly a scream came from the woods. Everyone's heads snapped towards the direction seeing Shane's bloodied face emerge. "Rick! Rick!"

"What happened!" Lori yelled at the sight of the battered man.

"He's armed! He's got my gun!" His deep voice boomed shaking everyone's bones and instilling fear in everyone's hearts.

"You okay?" Carl asked.

"I'm fine. Lil' bastard snuck up on me and clocked me in th' face!" he marched over in anger. Rick sprung into action.

"OK, Hershel! T-Dog! Get everybody back in the house. Glenn, Daryl- come with us," Rick commanded.

"No," Louie whimpered slightly. Glenn gave her a hardened look and a nod before joining Rick and Shane. She gave a trembling look at Daryl and he only narrowed his eyes and tightened his lips. He understood that look she gave him.

Be careful. Come back.

He nodded and stretched a bow ready in his weapon.

"Just let him go? That was the plan wasn't it? To let him go?" Carol asked.

"The plan was the cut him loose far away from here. Not in our front step with a gun!" He spat and unsheathed his own gun.

"Don't go out there! You don't know what could happen!" Carol pleaded. Louie brought one hand to her mouth and started biting her nails.

"Get everybody in the house! Lock all the doors and stay put!" Rick shouted before trekking off with the men. Louie felt a tug on her arm and saw Andrea grabbing at her.

"C'mon," she prodded and Louie gave a last fleeting glance at the troop before nodding slowly and allowed Andrea to drag her back to the house.

Night was starting to come quickly for some reason and the women didn't once leave the windows, staring into the dark abyss hoping to catch movement from somebody living.

"Why aren't they back yet?" Carol whimpered.

"For once I agree," Andrea muttered. Louie snorted and the two exchanged an understanding glance. Louie lowered her eyes before standing up and going to the kitchen for a glass of water.

"You okay?" Louie knew Andrea followed her in.

"Is anyone?" Louie laughed hollowly, turning around with a glass in her hand.

"I mean about… Dale," she hesitated. Louie looked away.

"Yes," she said quietly. "And no. It happened a few days ago and it feels like years."

"I know," Andrea sighed empathetically. "And there's no way to justify it. Like, I can't console myself or tell myself it'll be ok or that it was noble or some bullshit. Because it wasn't."

Louie nodded understandingly. The concept of death was skewed and messy.

"He didn't deserve it though...he, God-" her voice broke and she held her hand to her face to shield her pain.

"He loved you," Andrea looked up, remaining in her spot on the other side of the kitchen. Louie took her hand off her face and looked back at her.

"Same goes for you."

"I know. I just wish- I just wish I let him know that I knew."

"For the record…" Louie started. "I don't think you're a bitch. I mean, you are- but… you know."

Andrea gave a slow smile. "Yeah. I know,"

They were alright.

"Rick n' Shane get back?"

Louie grabbed onto Glenn the minute he stepped into the room. He nodded feverishly when she asked if they were ok.

"No," Lori answered.

"Heard a shot," Daryl frowned.

"Maybe they found Randall," Lori justified.

"We found him," Daryl said scanning the room and locking eyes with Louie.

"Is he back in the shed?" Andrea asked.

"He's a walker," he didn't break their gaze.

"Did you find the walker that bit him?" Hershel frowned. Glenn fidgeted next to Louie.

"No. The weird thing is… he wasn't bit." Everyone frowned.

"His neck was broke," Daryl added. This didn't help the confusion.

"He fought back," Patricia said slowly.

"The thing is… Shane n' Randall's tracks were right on top of each other. N' Shane ain't no tracker. So he didn't come up behind 'em," Daryl said his thoughts aloud. "No, they were together."

"Would you please go back out there and find Rick n' Shane and find out what is going on?" Lori asked stepping right up to Daryl. This time Louie was the one to fidget. Daryl looked back at Louie before answering Lori.

"You got it."

The sound of the creaky screen door resounded in Louie's head and she had a bad feeling accompanying the Dixon man. Not a second too soon, the creaky screen door slammed open violently.

"Walkers!" he bellowed and everyone rushed outside to see the damage. As Louie grasped on to the porch pillar in horror, the barn suddenly went up in flames burning her eyes as she watched. Everyone shielded their faces from the explosion that had occurred out of nowhere. Once the initial burning had subsided, the amount of walkers that were visible from the illumination of the fire was clear. For a moment, fear took hold of the group and nobody moved as if staying still would eliminate the problem.

"There has to be hundreds!" Maggie cried out. Carol started sobbing along with Patricia and Beth.

"If ya can shoot'a gun, ya best be out there!" Daryl barked and marched down the steps. Andrea, T-Dog, Maggie, Jimmy, Glenn and Louie followed. When they reached the vehicles Daryl held his hand out.

"Lou, go back," he ordered.

"I can help," she pressed.

"You can't shoot worth a nickel. Nobody's gonna look out fer you," he said as T-Dog and Andrea claimed the truck. Daryl sighed and grabbed her elbow and led her a little away.

"I ain't got time fer all your whinin', so you best be here when I get back to get you," he grabbed her face and crashed his mouth against her lips in a hard and needing manner.

"On the back of a motorcycle," she breathed and he pulled away from her to mount his bike. She didn't need to be told twice as she sprinted back to the house where Hershel and the women remained trying to calm Lori down.

"Where's Carl?" She screamed frantically at Louie.

"What?" Louie gasped.

"He's not here!" she panicked madly.

"I'll check the attic," Beth offered.

"Cellar," Louie claimed as she sprinted to the kitchen and ripped down through the pantry which held a door for the cellar. She didn't think twice about the dangers that usually would haunt the normal person's mind when coming to a dark cellar.

"Carl?" Louie shouted as she scanned the darkened room. She let out a scream of fright as a broom fell in her path. "Where are you?" She shouted to the empty room. Even from underground, she could hear the gunshots resounding from outside. She returned, barely bumping into Beth who had no luck.

"We gotta get out of here. They're getting closer!" Patricia wailed as she looked through the planks of wood that barred the windows.

"Let's go," Louie nodded and the three came onto the porch where Carol was attempting to stop Lori from taking off to look for her son.

"That's my boy!" she screamed. Carol quickly talked her out of it and convinced them to leave. Hershel stood at the foot of his house, shotgun in hand, blaring off bullets left and right.

"Hershel!" Lori called him over and over again. He paid no attention; only remained shooting any walker that neared him. Louie tore down the steps and grabbed at his arm.

"C'mon!" she screamed her voice hoarsely. She led Hershel to the truck where Lori was in a fret. She climbed in the bed and hung on for dear life, eyeing the zombies that were getting closer.

"Carol took off that way!" she screamed. Andrea took off towards Carol who was being cornered by the shed. She shot at two walkers and they went down immediately.

"Look out behind you!" Carol cried. Andrea didn't miss a beat as she pivoted and took down the walker causing it to land on top of her.

"No!" Louie shrieked. Soon the truck was being overtaken by walkers, one grabbing at Louie's hair. "Drive!" She shrieked knowing what she was about to do was suicide. The truck took off and Louie tucked herself in a fetal position so that when the vehicle peeled away, she rolled off the bed and on the ground. A few hands grappled at her but she managed to jump up with adrenaline and sprint to the pinned Andrea.

"Run!" Louie cried and Carol didn't think twice to start running. Glancing behind her, she saw the blue truck slowly disappear off the property. "C'mon!" she groaned as she pulled the large zombified business man off of Andrea who was still alive. "You okay?"

"Yeah," she breathed and looked in a stunned panic at the fact that they were abandoned. "What do we do?" she asked hysterically.

"We run," Louie shouted. "We find the others. But we run, okay?" she asked and Andrea nodded ferociously. They grabbed each other's hand and took off towards the woods blindly hearing the groans and sound of their predators following.

"Fuck!" Louie shouted as she toppled to the ground, her chin colliding with the dirt. When she looked up, Andrea was gone in the darkness of the forest.

"Louie! Louie!"

"Where are you!" Louie cried standing up. She turned around and saw a few walkers headed towards her.

"I can't see you!" Andrea shouted back frantically from somewhere around her, her voice ricocheting and echoing.

"J-just run!" Louie screamed, trying not to reveal the tremor in her voice.

"Where are you?"

"Run!" she screamed and didn't hear a response.

Louie was alone.

Daryl stared at the burning barn with disdain. It was completely overtaken by walkers and there was no way he could get in there from any angle. The sound of a screaming woman caught his ears and he didn't waste time to start his engine and follow the cries. It was to his disappointment he found Carol crying and screaming with a few zombies following her sound and scent.

"Fuck," he cursed. "C'mon! I ain't got all day!" he yelled and Carol pathetically climbed on to the back of his bike. He glanced back at the deserted farmhouse that was a skeleton of memories.

He took off with the wrong woman on the back of his bike.

Their best bet was the highway where they all had once agreed as a meeting point when Sophia was missing. He swerved and maneuvered them through the fog of zombies and abandoned gas stations trying to find any main road. Not stopping once, he drove until the sky started to lighten up and the sun began to rise. Finally finding the highway, he slowly coasted the crowded road. His eye caught a skateboard abandoned haphazardly on the divider. Seeing a moving truck up ahead he sped up and parked the bike alongside the rest of the caravan. Carol unmounted and went to rejoice with the survivors. Rick and his son were reunited with Lori. Hershel's daughters were with their father once more.

Daryl climbed off his bike and scanned the flurry of people for the right face.

"Where'd you find everyone?" Rick asked a moment.

"This guy's tail lights zig-zagin' all over the road. Figured he had to be Asian drivin' like that," Daryl crossed his arms. Glenn rolled his eyes and laughed. "Where the rest of us?" Daryl frowned.

"We're the only ones who made it so far," Rick replied. Daryl frowned.

"Shane?" Lori asked. Rick shook his head.

"Andrea?" Glenn asked.

"She saved me and then I lost her," Carol lowered her voice.

"Where's Louie?" Glenn's voice started to rise. He began to pace. "Where is she!" He yelled.

"She," Lori lowered her gaze. "She was on the back of the truck. We turned around and she wasn't there anymore."

Daryl clenched his jaw and glared at the ground.

"Sh-she went after Andrea after she went down trying to save me. She told me to run," Carol added.

"Andrea's alive?" Rick asked. Carol was silent.

"We saw her go down," T-Dog offered sadly.

"Louie's alive then?" Glenn barked.

"I don't know," Carol offered meekly.

"No!" Glenn roared and clutched his head. Maggie rushed to his side and held him as he shook. Rick bowed his head and his wife held him tightly knowing that they were grieving together for the loss of Dale before the invasion. Carol watched Daryl's reaction from the corner of her eye. His arms were still folded across his chest and his eyes were squinting at the sky. Everyone was silent for their losses.

"I guess I'll always find myself on the back of a motorcycle, no matter where I am"

"You best be here when I get back to get you,""On the back of a motorcycle."

"We gotta go look for her," Glenn said weakly through his tears.

"Did you definitely see her?" T-Dog asked Carol.

"There were walkers everywhere," Carol replied.

"I'm gonna go back," Daryl decided, climbing onto his bike.

"No," Rick stopped him.

"We can't just leave her," Daryl barked.

"We don't even know if she's there," Lori said.

"She isn't there. She isn't," Rick pressed. Daryl mulled it over. He was right. Louie wasn't stupid enough to stay there and get eaten alive. "She's somewhere else or she's dead. There's no way to find her."

"We're not even gonna look for her?" Glenn shouted obviously distressed.

"We gotta keep movin'," The hurt was evident in Rick's voice. "Walkers crawlin' all over here."

"I say head east," T-Dog offered.

"Stay off the main roads," Daryl added. Glenn was disgusted in his calmness over the loss of Louie. "The bigger the roads, the more walkers," he grabbed his crossbow. "More assholes like this one. I got it," he shot the silent zombie that was creeping along, right in the eye his bottled anger released in the arrow.

After driving for a while and lost in his thoughts all the while, Daryl felt sick and was starting to get a headache. A horn broke him of his thoughts and was reminded that the body behind him was Carol and not Louie. The group discovered to be low on gas and camped on the side of the road for the night. Everyone watched helplessly as Rick was starting to crack under the pressure and he finally blew up on everyone that night over the fire. He had admitted his secret that Jenner had relied on him about the infection and had admitted to murdering Shane. The women started to fear him and what was left of the men were nervous. Their leader was broken.

Daryl started to think about where he would go if he took up Rick's offer on anybody abandoning the group. He would look for Louie, no doubt. Where would he start?

"On the back of a motorcycle."

"I'm goin'," Daryl finally said in the midst of the tense silence. Carol protested and a few others muttered disagreement. Rick stared at him with boiling anger.

"You don't know she's alive," Rick spat knowing well what he was trying to do.

"She's alive," Daryl maintained his cool.

"Where would you look," Rick asked condescendingly hoping to deter him. Daryl stared back calmly.

"Michigan."

She quickly came to her senses when the rustle of dragging feet on the ground shook her. She started running through the thickets, pivoting and running in any direction away from the sound of groans. If she wasn't so scared and on the verge of having a heart attack, she would have felt stupid running like a chicken with its head cut off. Running for what felt hours, Louie contemplated death. She had no idea where she was. No matter how long she ran or where she turned, every place looked the same. The forest was going to devour her.

The thought of Daryl, alive somewhere, kept her going. The thought of Glenn and Rick and the others alive somewhere kept her going. The thought that there was human life out there kept her going.

She stopped running after the number of walkers following her had dwindled down and she personally mutilated the last persistent one with a large rock. She tried to rack her brains of what to do; how to survive. She needed to find a main road and get out of this god forsaken forest, she decided. How, though. She looked around and picked a tree that seemed to be the tallest. Sniffling her sorrows aside, she grabbed hold of the bark with her fingers and hiked her foot at an angle that would help her lift herself up. She climbed in this manner up the tree until she sat herself on a branch to rest. She almost shrieked when she saw the amount of zombies just a few yards off, scouring the forest for food. When she composed herself, she silently climbed up a few more branched until she felt that she was at the highest height safely.

And from up there she spotted a road. And up the road, a glow of a fire.

Rick had brought Daryl aside to talk to him privately.

"I can't let you go," Rick lowered his voice and put his hand on Daryl's shoulder. The man didn't take a liking to that and frowned, ripping his shoulder from underneath the touch.

"Man, you don't own me," he snarled. Rick put his hands up in defense.

"We need you here, Daryl. You're the best to survive and fight out of all of us. If you leave, we don't stand a chance," Rick hissed.

"Not my concern," he mumbled.

"After all we've been through? Just like that, you're gonna take off?" Rick asked incredulously, panicking internally at the prospect of their best man leaving.

"Lou's out there," Daryl said looking down the darkened road. "She's alive. I know she is." He looked back at Rick. "I ain't gonna complain if you come with me. But you can't stop me."

Rick closed his eyes and pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose. "Michigan is far north, Dixon. It's gonna get colder. Christ, we don't even know if it's worse up there. We don't even know if she's going there,"

"She'll be there," Daryl said firmly. "I ain't askin' if you wanna come. But I'm going. That's it," Daryl folded his arms across his chest. Rick chewed on his bottom lip staring at the Dixon man. He couldn't sacrifice the well being of the entire group for one man's mission to find a missing girl that could be dead.

"I gotta ask the group," Rick said. "They don't trust me now as it is. I can't keep this from them if we do go north."

"Probably best," Daryl muttered and followed Rick back to the fire. Everyone stared at the two fearfully as they returned. Daryl kept his distance behind Rick, but close enough to see everyone's reactions and hear their opinions, not that it mattered much.

"Now, I can't stop him from leaving," Rick started slowly to which everyone became alert and upset. "But we have two choices. Either we leave one of our men for himself. Or we go with him. But I can't make this decision for the rest of us."

"How do we know she's in Michigan?" T-Dog asked with a frown.

"I know. She's there," was all Daryl said, his arms still defensively across his chest.

"We just gotta take his word for it," Rick raised his hands.

"North?" Lori asked. "It'll be colder north."

"There could be more of them there," Maggie worriedly piped up.

"It's a far travel," Hershel nodded.

"And for someone we don't know who's alive," Carol cried.

"Hey!" Daryl barked. "I ain't beggin' for y'all to come with me. The way I see it, the colder it get's, the harder it's gon' be for 'em to move around. If they anythin' like animals then they'll migrate south to get warmer and ta' move 'round better. If y'all find a place on the way where y'all can hunker down, then be my guest. But I'm leavin'."

"What's that!" T-Dog snapped and everyone looked down the road to see a figure standing at the end of the road's view. The men raised their weapons instantly and the women cowered unsure of what to do. "Is it a geek?" T-Dog asked.

"I can't tell," Rick murmured as he tried to make something out of the silhouette.

"Andrea?" Lori whispered.

"Louie?" Glenn asked hopefully. The figure started moving slowly towards them and the small outline of a woman came closer. Daryl frowned and tightened his grip on the bow. Rick squinted not able to decipher the movement for dead or living. Slowly but surely the woman got closer and closer until the broken eyes of a familiar face came near, standing only a yard away. Shock coated everyone's face at the sight of her tired and worn visage. Glenn, Lori and Rick sprinted to the figure ecstatically.

"I thought we lost you," Glenn held her to his chest even though she was slow to respond. Lori scanned her face to look for any response.

"Honey, are you okay? Where were you?" Lori asked. By now, the rest of the survivors had stood up to see her. Everyone's face glowed with relief and felt a weight lift up off their shoulders. Rick couldn't help but notice that Daryl Dixon's crossbow was still poised, ready to shoot.

"Daryl," Rick said slowly confused at why he was aiming his weapon at the new survivor.

"That ain't Lou," he said firmly, frowning. Glenn's face changed into disbelief and he became timid. The girl looked shocked and fearful as the Dixon man was ready to put an arrow in her head.

"Are you blind!" Lori shrieked at Daryl as if he was a madman. "Put down your weapon!"

"It ain't Lou," Daryl pressed, his bow still pointed at her forehead. Rick, wildly looked back at the girl who was undoubtedly the woman they had been living with for months now. Her heart shaped face, her almond eyes, her boney frame. But Daryl Dixon, who was willing to sacrifice his own life to find her, would never in a million years hold her as a target. Rick, with a shaky breath, took a step back. Lori, seeing her husband's actions, also took a few steps back in horror at what they were doing. Glenn had already stepped away from the girl when Daryl had stated his claim the first time around. He quickly deduced that Daryl was right.

The girl's nerved face melted into apathy. Her pretense dropped. Then a smirk.

"Well, well. Aren't you observant?" She sneered.

Louie's breathing was getting ragged and she felt like collapsing. But there was no place safe enough for her in the forest to rest or close her eyes for a moment. The afternoon was uncomfortably warm and the evening, chilling. Shivering and feeling near death Louie stumbled against a tree to compose herself. She hadn't found the main road when she dismounted the tree. She must have wandered off in the wrong direction. Though she convinced herself that she would only close her eyes for a second, in her heart she knew that death would envelop her and she wouldn't awaken again.

"I'm sorry Daryl," she whispered.

"Sorry fer what?"

"Giving up," she rasped, her eyes slowly closing.

"You ain't givin' up."

"Why not?" she mumbled, sinking into the darkness.

"'Cuz no girl that's sweet on my lil' brother gives up. Not while I'm 'round."

That's it folks.

Just kidding. There's a sequel.