Carol got to her feet, rushing forward. She couldn't believe her eyes. The woman stared at her with a slight smile on her face then she pulled her into a tight hug.

"I'm so sorry! I left you! I-" Carol spluttered.

"It's alright. We just need to get out of here now. Before-"

But Andrea was cut off. Around a dozen men, all armed, burst into the room with their guns pointed on Andrea, Carol, Carl and Daryl. Andrea sighed and raised her arms in surrender. Carol followed. As did Carl. Then, reluctantly, Daryl.

"C'mon. We ain't takin' chances anymore," one man said, gritting his teeth. "Hands on your heads. Governor wants you to see somethin'."

They were marched out, Andrea too, until they came to what looked like a makeshift wrestling ring. Daryl stopped walking and Carol turned and saw.

"keep goin'!" someone snapped, striking Daryl in the back of the head with his gun.

He stumbled forward and Carol ran to stop him.

"HANDS ON YOUR HEAD!"

Carol ignored the man. She put her hands on Daryl's chest to stop him from falling and he looked up at her. His eyes met hers and he looked ashamed.

"Come on," she whispered. "It's okay. You said we'd get outta here."

Daryl straightened up and placed one hand on his head and the other wrapped around Carol's. The men from Woodbury eyed each other curiously then one smirked.

"Oh no, we can't have this," he said coyly, glancing from Daryl to Carol. "Take her to the Governor and take him back to the ring. Make the kid watch his daddy."

Carl struggled as he was carried away, shouting and kicking at two men.

"CARL!" Carol cried, unable to reach Lori's little boy.

Daryl punched at everything in his surroundings, shouting at them and trying to force his way forward through them all to get to Carol. She was trying but, with the combined strength of three Woodbury men, she was hauled away. Her last sight before a bag came over her head was Daryl's eyes, wide and frantic.

...

He was shoved unceremoniously into the ring. Rick was stood a few feet away from him. Along with Tyreese and Glenn. They all looked worse for wear with bruised faces, burst lips and random cuts across their skin. Rick's hands were tied and he looked as though he was battling with unconsciousness. Daryl was trying to work with the ties when he saw what was different. The ring was not bare. In the four corners were walkers. They were securely on chains but then the chains became loose. They stopped just a few feet from them. Daryl was holding up an almost unconscious Rick. He could hear Carl in the stands being held by two men.

"DAD!" he shouted.

He searched around but he couldn't see an escape. He didn't know how to get out of this. Tyreese was already trying to bash in a walker's head that was reaching out for him. Glenn had its' arms behind its' back at Tyreese's giant fists pummelled the head of it. They had been stripped bare of weapons. Nothing could be done. Then Rick's legs gave way and he fell.

"Shit!" Daryl cursed. "C'mon. Wake up! Rick!"

Memories of getting hit by Merle crept into his head and how that couldn't be done this time. Not unless he- No. He couldn't. He wanted to risk his life to save them. Then to come back again like Merle had. But it seemed unlikely this time. He'd already escaped once. But if it got Carol and the others a chance to escape then- Wait. He scanned the crowd around him. Where was Carol? Where had she been taken? Where was the Governor?

"DARYL!" Glenn shouted.

He whipped around to see that the chains had come loose another foot and they were struggling. Standing over Rick, he tried to defend them.

...

A bag was pulled forcefully off her head and she was stood in a large room. There was a large table in front of her with the man, who she had presumed was the Governor, sitting at the top end. A solitary dim light flickered. They just stared for a few moments and said nothing until he broke the silence.

"Welcome to Woodbury," he said smoothly.

Carol said nothing.

"I'm not going hurt you unless you make me," he said, standing from his chair. "But I highly doubt someone like you could do that. Hell, I bet you don't even carry a weapon." He laughed. "Are you going to cooperate or am I going to have to make you?"

Carol swallowed. She wasn't that scared of him but there was something about him which made her very uncomfortable. It wasn't his eye patch, it was his manner. He seemed very calm but she had a feeling that, if you pushed him the wrong way, he would snap.

"Well," he went on. "I don't want anyone here to go to waste. Aside from the other troublemakers in your group. They're in a ring with walkers right now."

Carol's breath caught in her throat as she thought of Daryl. He seemed to read her mind.

"Oh yes, the one who gave me some bother before he escaped. He'll be taken care of this time. He and his brother will be no more." He stopped. "Where is Merle Dixon?"

Carol wiped a tear away that had fallen down her cheek.

"Answer me!"

"...Dead," she whispered.

He straightened. "Well, that's one less person we need to deal with now, isn't it?" he replied, running his thumb down her face. "Hey, there's no need to cry... Oh. The other Dixon." He smirked.

Carol lifted her head to look at him. She had tears in her eyes but they were from anger, not sadness.

"You and the other Dixon, huh?" He grabbed her face in one large hand, tilting it up so she was looking into his eyes and it was inches away from his own face. "Am I right?"

"Yes," she rasped, nodding quickly.

He smirked again and then his hand drifted down her jaw line and down onto her neck. "You may as well forget him now. He's gonna be gone soon," he whispered, smiling at her. He was bent down so his eyes were level with her own. "Now, don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you. You can stay in this town and abide by the rules or you can try to run and the consequences will be fatal. Now, which one are you going to choose?"

Her eyes left the floor and she looked at him. "I'll take my chances with running."

The Governor bared his teeth. "You'd take your chances out there rather than be safe and play by my rules in here?"

"You have killed the only people I care about. Why would I want to be with you? And, if I run, you kill me. That's just fine too. I don't want to be in a world without those people." She breathed out.

He smirked. "Well, so be it. I might as well get this over with now rather than dragging it out."

Carol swallowed. She knew it was coming. Maybe she'd see Sophia soon. Maybe Daryl would be there too. And Carl. And maybe Rick. It wouldn't be so bad. She closed her eyes. There was a pause. Then a deafening bang echoed in the room. The door swung open and Michonne, closely followed by Andrea, burst into the room.

"How the hell did you two escape?" he spat out.

Andrea and Michonne shared a look. It wasn't a smile but it was close. The Governor turned so he was facing them both. He gritted his teeth as he faced them. Michonne's sword was pointing at his chest. Andrea had a gun in her hand. His gun was flicking between the two of them. Carol stood blocked behind him then she remembered. He had been so wrong. She was not without a weapon. Pulling out the small knife Daryl had given to her that she kept in her back pocket, she raised it above her head. Andrea's eyes widened and Michonne stared at her. Just as he turned around, she brought it down. The knife stuck into the left hand side of his chest. The gun fell out of his hand and clattered on the floor. His body fell with a thud on the floor and the Governor was no more.