Far North

Luck was not on my side. Not at all.

I already knew this was going to be a dry spring and most definitely summer – from what I remember – judging by the few dried-up rivers I'd found. My canteen was empty, had been for the last couple of hours. On top of it all, between the gunfire and loudly running around the woods the last few days, most of the game had been squared away. It didn't help that I had to use the air horn and some duct tape to redirect a herd of walkers. I'd taped down the button and tossed it across the street. Once the walkers were focused on that, I gave them the slip, with the loud blaring echoing through the area and scaring away any potential food.

I was frustrated, and borderline exhausted. I was still headed in the direction of the prison, but I needed to rest often, more so than I usually would need to out in the woods. It was by that logic that I needed to switch things up a little.

I took to the main roads for a bit, instead of the woods, hoping to stumble upon a town and a drug store in turn. Supply run, if you will. When I finally found one, I hit the jackpot in terms of survival. I didn't find any bottled water, but I did find some beef jerky, electrolyte solution, and even a bottle of activated charcoal. The latter could be used in a pinch to filter water. I also found a lottery ticket counter, and grabbed a few of those to use as kindling. Scratch-offs burned quickly, and what other use was there if you didn't get a winner?

…I was trying to make some humor for myself. Sue me.

As of right now, I had no idea how long I'd been gone for. I had been in Woodbury for about two days, then three full days with the guards chasing me. And then after that…? Maybe two or three more? Between trying to find food, water, and safe places to doze off, I'd lost track. I didn't realize how far up north I was, not until I got my bearings after my chat with Carol. I almost ended up way north of Atlanta.

And now that I was on my way back to the prison, I was looking at two or three extra days of hiking, provided I paced myself, which I really fucking needed to. I tried finding a car, no matter how much I really didn't want to. But all the ones I came across were either falling apart, had no fuel, or were too damn loud and would just attract walkers. Hiking was my only option.

All of this. Just to keep my home and people safe.

"Listen," I said, specifically to the universe. "I know nothing in life is free, I really do…But fuck you."

The evening sun was mercifully cool as I continued south. I should be in Coweta County by now. I took a good look at my surroundings, but the dense foliage could've easily been the woodlands around Woodbury. Look, I knew how to navigate, but I was tired, and it's not like I knew each and every individual tree.

I slumped against the trunk of one, resting my eyes for a moment and listening to my surroundings. Thanks to that supply run yesterday, I felt a bit more energized, but not by much. I hoped it would be enough before night fell.

If there had been a light breeze to muffle the sound, I wouldn't have heard it, because not too far from here was the gentle rushing of a river. I pushed away from the tree and went in its direction. Upon finding it, I went uphill, until I found a sort of flat jut in the land. I smiled. That flat jut was a thin row of boards and rail. I walked the train tracks. Not too far now. I soon came across a wide gravel driveway and turned myself uphill again. Around the next bend, the outer gates appeared.

The guard towers, the fields, the entire facility, it all came into view.

As much as I wanted to stop and take it all in, I didn't. I didn't want to stop until I was inside, until I saw everyone…until I saw him.

I noticed all the walkers along the fences, more than what I'd seen previously. I glared at all of them, knowing that problem would have to be taken care of and quick. I went right up to the gates because, well, I actually did own the place. But the guard posted there had different ideas.

He was a tall guy, short hair and a beard, with a skinny baseball bat holstered in his belt. He raised a rifle in my direction. "That's far enough," he said. "State your business."

My voice sounded about as good as I probably looked. And that fact that I wasn't caring about having a filter didn't really help matters, otherwise I probably would've gotten inside sooner. "I live here. That's my business. Mind opening the gates? I'm pretty fucking tired."

The guy shook his head. "Can't do that. Can't let any strangers inside."

"I just said that I live here. Or maybe you didn't hear me over the corpses," I said, pointing to some incoming walkers that were shuffling our way.

His tone was almost that of boredom. "My friend'll be by shortly. I'll see what he says, then we can decide what to do with you."

My brows came together, and I tried a different approach, because those walkers were getting closer. "What's your name? I've never met you before."

Scope still aimed at me, he shrugged. "Don't care to say. Besides, it might not matter. Unless you can take on all of them." He pointed to our unwelcomed guests.

With an impatient growl, I spun on my heel to face them. Two, four, six…seven, eight. I mean, I've taken on more walkers than that in one sitting, but I could feel the fatigue in my knuckles when I flexed my fingers around my knife. To even the odds a little more, I also took out my bow.

Without looking back at the guard, I flipped him off. "Go fuck yourself," I told him.

I strode forward, and once the walkers were in range, I swung my bow. It hit three of them right in the head, sending them to the ground for now. I did the same to three more. The other two were easy, slow and predictable. My knife made quick work of them. For the walkers that were still on the ground, I turned towards them and grabbed three arrows from my quiver. Nocking all of them at once, I let them fly, not missing a single target. During all of this, I thought I heard the gate rattling, but I couldn't look away from my current task.

The remaining three walkers stood up, and I was out of arrows. Gripping my knife, I shot my arm out in a wide arc, slicing two skulls and almost getting my hand bit in the process. I faced the last one, brought my knife upward…

A long blade stabbed right through the back of its skull, with the tip of the metal stopping just inches away from my face.

The blade retreated and the walker dropped.

Merle's chuckle was lively as he cleaned his prosthetic on a walker's tee-shirt. "Christ alive, girl! You didn't need no help. Shit, I should know better by now."

I exhaled. "I appreciate it all the same."

He waved his arm in the direction of the gate. "Martinez! Open the damn thing!"

Without hesitation, the guard lowered the rifle and let us through. I couldn't help the sigh of relief when the gate closed behind us.

Suddenly, Merle slapped Martinez upside the head, almost hard enough to be a punch. "The hell's wrong with you?! Makin' her handle all them walkers by herself!"

Martinez was no longer the picture of confident sentry, now looking extremely flustered and struggling to maintain dignity. "I-I don't – I have orders! We don't even know her!"

Merle was livid, jaw tense and getting close to the guy's face. "She's my sister, you dumbass!"

Martinez's eyes went wide. "Oh." He shot me an apologetic cringe. "My bad. Sorry, Layla."

I shrugged. "We're all good. My very existence pisses people off."

Merle shoved his hand against Martinez's shoulder. "Now get the hell back to work and do your job, man."

"Jesus, Merle. Calm your shit," I grumbled to him while we walked up the driveway to the main gates. "And sister?"

He smirked and gestured between us. "Shoot. Don't tell me you don't see the resemblance," he said jokingly.

"No. But it's been a while since I've thrown up in my mouth, so thank you for reminding me what that's like."

He chuckled. "Hell, I never thought I'd get a sister-in-law. Never thought Daryl'd have the stones for it."

I rolled my eyes. "We're not married."

"May as well be! Him pinin' for you like a lost puppy."

I didn't have the energy to roll my eyes at him a second time.

I was usually quiet on almost any terrain, when I really needed to be, but I could hear my boots scuffing loudly against the ground. I even accidentally kicked some gravel against my own heel.

As we walked, I kept my eyes either right in front of me or down at the ground, knowing that the path I was on was a straight shot to C Block. It finally hit me just how close I was now, that beyond those doors…

I missed the prison like nothing else, but prison be damned, I just wanted to see Daryl again. I hadn't allowed myself the chance to dwell or to even process just how long I'd been without him. I finally allowed my heart to ache, to feel the twisting in my chest, and maybe even embrace it a little.

"I've missed him," I muttered aloud. "I...didn't really give myself time to think about it over the past three days. Too focused, or…forcing myself to be focused." I scowled a little, mostly to myself. "Is it bad that I tried so hard not to think about him once?"

I didn't think Merle was listening, but he surprised me. "Naw. If you had, and got distracted with all them guns aimed your way, even for a second…"

I nodded. "Yeah. I know."

He glanced at me. "You know it's been more'n three days, right?"

I chuckled a little. "I figured that much."

Right before we got to the main entrance for C Block, Merle stopped. I did, too, because his demeanor was very different. No arrogance, no showy gestures. He brought his hand up, as if about to clap me on the shoulder. Before I could respond to that, his hand came down. On my backpack.

He gave it a single pat, as if welcoming an old buddy of his. "He ain't the only one who's missed you," he said. "Everybody's been up in a tizzy since you left on that formula run. Been keepin' an eye out for you." His hand dropped away. "You're home now." He took out a set of prison keys and tossed them in the air.

I caught them. "Damn right I am."

Getting closer to the door, I sped up my pace. That's when I remembered the reason for all the bullshit that had happened these last couple of days. Just as my hand made contact against the door, I asked Merle, "Is the Governor dead?"

A pause. One that made me involuntarily tense up.

"As a doornail."

My shoulders sagged in relief. I elbowed his arm when he started snickering. "You asshole," I growled.

"Thought I was a dumbass."

I glared at his smirking face. "I may be ready to fall asleep for the next ten years, but I can still kick your ass. And I'd have fun doing it."

He was laughing loudly now. "Oh, come on, boss. I gotta get my kicks somehow." His laughter died down, and he said, "Some bumps in the road, and nothin' was easy, but we got the job done. We'll show you the body later." Before I could thank him, he lightly kicked the door with his boot. "Now open the damned thing."

It was such a natural movement, shoving the key into the lock. I felt the clunk it made through my fingers, just as it did so many other times wandering through this facility. I clipped the key ring to my belt, not wanting to ever get rid of them again. I opened the door.

The C Block common area had changed a little. More shelving, supplies, and more seating areas. Someone even managed to find a moth-eaten recliner, which was currently being occupied by Michonne. The rest of the group was gathered around a table. They were all there – Glenn, Maggie, Rick, T-Dog, everyone – staring down at something and muttering to each other.

There was also a set of angel wings facing me, with the crossbow draped over his shoulder.

I put my hand on the railing and tried to see his face from this angle, but it seemed like his hair had grown another inch, almost covering his eyes completely. It reminded me of when I met him during my first go-round, when he had all that long dark hair that he refused to ever keep out of his face.

I stopped halfway down the staircase, seeing what they were all engrossed by. There were maps on the table, and I could now hear what they were saying.

"So, Merle found a set of her tracks by this creek bed," Rick explained, and penciled things down. "And then here…and then she suddenly veers more north."

Daryl jabbed a finger against the map. "Then her trail runs cold right before Atlanta. Them fuckin' guards disappeared, too."

"Either way," Glenn said. "It's progress."

I gripped the railing tighter. They…

…They had decided to start looking for me…

When people describe that warm, fuzzy, relieved feeling of coming home after a long day, I always thought it was such a wishy-washy cliché. Was that what this was? Because there was a jarring hitch in my throat. An abrupt wave of emotion that was so damn foreign to me.

I shook my head quickly, hoping the sensation would go away just so I could greet everyone. I was still frozen on the stairs, and was now able to take in the many faces that suddenly looked in my direction. Eyes widened, smiles grew, and many of them walked away from the map in my direction. From the chair, Michonne was grinning amusedly at everyone.

Daryl was the last one to notice, still hunched over the map with absolute focus.

I opened my mouth. God, it sounded so strangled and raspy, and my exhausted lungs spasmed with the noise, but my chirp still managed to echo through the room.

His head snapped up, back straightening so he wasn't leaning over the table anymore. And when he saw which direction everyone was facing, he spun around so quickly that he had to shove his hand against the table to keep from tripping.

Through his darkening bangs, his blue eyes landed on mine. His chest heaved with his breathing, and a relieved smile lit up his face.

I couldn't help myself. I ditched everything on those steps. My bow, my pack, my quiver, anything that could get in the way as I almost stumbled down those stairs. The crossbow clattered loudly when Daryl discarded it on a table. Before I could even get to the last step, a set of arms caught me in a vice, and goddamn if it wasn't the best feeling in the world!

I flung my own arms around his neck as he lifted me clear off the ground, taking all of my weight as I sagged against him. I pressed my face into his neck, inhaling the scent of that leather vest. His face was buried in my hair, his chin tucked over one of my shoulders. I could feel him breathing heavily, and his grip didn't ease up until he let out a steadier one.

Gradually, he lowered my feet back to the floor, and we pulled back enough to take a good look at each other. There were dark circles under his eyes that could rival my own. And I knew he was taking note of how bad mine probably looked as he stroked a thumb against my upper cheek. He used his other hand to swipe away my hair to get a better look at me.

We didn't speak with words. Just our eyes and our touches.

My face heated up when I realized we still had one hell of an audience. There were only two people absent. Rick had made himself scarce, but I saw him smiling earlier, practically from ear to ear. Michonne also left the room, not having as much of a connection with me to want to stay.

T-Dog was the first to come forward, raising his knuckles. "Man," he chuckled, bumping our fists together. "You got no idea how much we've missed you."

"Hey," Glenn suddenly exclaimed. "Is there a bullet in her ribs this time?"

I chuckled. "Y'all can rest easy." My eyes landed on Hershel. "No sutures today. Sorry."

He was grinning. "And no sprained knees, I hope."

"Nope," I said, individually flexing my legs a little. "But they sure do feel like concrete right now." I took a serious look around. "Do not ever let me terrorize the village again." They laughed at that. And then I added, "At least for the next twenty-four hours or so. Then I'll be back to tormenting the masses."

We all chatted for a while. It was mostly me catching them up on everything I got up to, and how I kept those soldiers on a leash the way that I did. I let them know about Carol, too. As one could imagine, that got a dramatic reaction from all of them, desperate to know where she was. I told them she knew about the prison, but that she wanted to make her own way in this world. It was a hard thing for them to grasp, which was understandable. I had to repeat myself quite a few times to assure them that it was her sane choice.

It almost made me falter, realizing how alike Carol and I were in that regard. Even though I was home now, I knew that I would need to get outside these walls again soon. If only for a hunting trip, or a supply run that would hopefully be more routine than the last one.

I stood there, in the center of the common room, just catching up with everyone. Daryl's arm was snug around my waist, keeping me tight against his side. At some point, I felt myself sway, just enough to accidentally push against him. It was such a slight motion, but he noticed it.

He snapped his gaze worriedly to mine. The tightening in my chest came back as he spoke, and it was crazy how a single and surprisingly familiar question could cause that. "Y'alright," he asked, his thumb stroking against my ribs.

I swallowed back the emotion simply to answer him. "Yeah. Just tired. And – Hey, Maggie, can you toss me my backpack? I got some jerky in there that I need to devour. It's the expensive kind, too."

"Hell no," Daryl suddenly protested. Next thing I knew, his arm was steering me in the direction of the table with the maps. He shoved it all aside, and his other arm didn't leave me until I sat down. "Ain't gonna eat no jerky after everythin' you just had to do." He pointed to a hot plate, one that was hooked up to a car battery and had a pot simmering on it. "Got some stew goin'. Merle shot some rabbits yesterday. Don't move, I'll get you a bowl."

I licked my lips. "Haven't had rabbit in ages. I can get it myself, though."

He was almost scowling at me. "Sit back down. You ain't liftin' a finger. You should see how you look."

On the other end of the room, Merle laughed. "Jesus, brother. You sure know how to charm your girl."

"Shut up, Merle," Daryl and I grumbled at him in unison.

He kept snickering. "Hey, hey. Don't be spoilin' her too much now. She's already a pain in our asses."

When that miraculously got a few chuckles from everyone else in the room, I turned in my seat to flip him off. I would've loved to have come up with a snappy remark, but I didn't feel the need. Either I was way too happy to be surrounded by these sons of bitches…Or I was way more tired than I thought.

While Daryl poured out some stew, I crossed my arms on the table and laid my head down on them. Though the food smelled heavenly, my eyelids fell shut.

…And I was out like a light, ready for some much needed actual rest.