DISCLAIMER: I do not own any part of The Walking Dead. This is for entertainment purposes only.

A/N: I just want to bring to everyone's attention that this is not going to be a Caryl story. I have quite a few ideas for this, it's just a matter of getting there! I'm getting impatient myself, ha! But I'm trying to keep it interesting without skipping around too much in the meantime. OCs will come eventually, I promise! Hopefully sooner rather than later!

Call It Karma.

Daryl hadn't realized it at the time, but he must have fallen asleep after he crashed in the tent. He had only stirred once he heard Carol's voice, gently calling out to him.

"What'd ya want?" Daryl grumbled loud enough for her to hear from where he lay.

"Why don't you come get something to eat? Andrea and Amy caught some fish earlier and they fried them up for everyone."

Daryl sighed. He was hungry, he'd give her that. But he didn't really want to move. His body not only ached but now it was stiff from laying still all that time, however long he had been asleep. He forced himself to roll over and get to his feet before slowly exiting the tent to come face to face with Carol. She looked concerned as her eyes searched him from head to toe making him feel rather uncomfortable.

"I'm fine," Daryl shot at her. "And don't you be sayin' a word 'bout any of that."

"…Okay" Carol nodded. She pulled her thin sweater tighter around her frame before she turned on her heels and headed back towards the campfire. It was a bit darker out now as evening had dawned on them. The fire seemed to glow, illuminating everyone's face that sat near it.

Daryl trudged over towards the group as everyone took a turn glancing over at him. When he looked over at them in return, he noticed they broke their stare and carried on with whatever they were doing previously. It was like they had fallen silent at the sight of him, like he was some damn murderer on the run. But shortly after he could hear the forks clinging against their plates as they continued to eat.

Daryl went ahead a fixed himself a small plate of the fish with a meager helping of whatever canned beans they had opened. Though he was hunger, it didn't sound too appetizing. He debated going back to his tent now that Merle was gone and he could just enjoy the peace of it all. But he decided he'd just stake out a place around the fire among the others. Okay, part of it was because he really didn't want to keep making trips back and forth. Though he wasn't sure why that would matter because he already had his plans brewing in his head for the next day or two.

"Nice of you to join us," Dale commented.

"Yeah, don't get used to it…" Daryl muttered. He stabbed his fork into a piece of fish and looked it over before eating it. It wasn't too bad actually.

The awkward silence was slowly filled by low chatter among everyone as they seemed to section off into their own little cliques. Lori refused to give Daryl an eye contact as she stayed focused on Shane at her side. Carl sat opposite of Shane next to his mom as he managed a glance at Daryl from across the fire. The kid smiled at him with the corner of his mouth just barely raised. Whatever that mischievous grin was supposed to mean was beyond Daryl.

Carol and Sophia were with the group tonight, leaving Ed by himself at their little tent site much like he and Merle had set up. Apparently Ed didn't want to be too close to the group either. Daryl could picture him and Merle getting along quite well. They were both of the same obnoxious nature—and that was putting it lightly. Regardless, it was nice to see Sophia and Carol get away from him for a while.

"So do you have any big plans? I mean, are you going to go hunting?" Amy spoke up now as she set her empty plate on the ground in front of her. Her words apparently grabbed everyone's attention as their eyes were then all trained on Daryl, waiting for a response.

"Actually, yeah. Was plannin' on headin' out tomorrow morning for a couple days or so. See what I can find and bring back." And try to keep myself sane.

"You think that's such a good idea?" Carol questioned.

Daryl immediately shot a glare at her. If she was going to open her mouth, there would be hell to pay. These people didn't need to know anything about Merle or himself, or where their relationship stood. As far as anyone was concerned, they're brothers and that's that. It wasn't anybody's business that Merle went off the deep end again. Except things may not go so smoothly for the members of the group who were currently stuck with him. It wouldn't take long to figure out.

"Not worried about a few walkers." Daryl finally managed a response.

"She's got a point, man. You don't know what's out there. Could run across anything," Shane warned.

"Ain't nothing out there besides a few walkers at best and hopefully a damn deer or two." Daryl glanced down at his now empty plate. He was apparently more hungry than he had originally thought, having already scarf what little bit he had down. "Bring some real food back if I can find one."

Amy shuddered at his words, obviously wrapped up in thinking about Bambi. Of course now was not the time to be imagining any sort of fictional character. If they were going to survive—if he was going to survive—he'd need to find some source of food and there really wasn't much better than deer. It would last for a while and it would be better than eating some stray canned food from God knows where.

"Your call." Shane hunched over and rested his arms across his knees.

And Daryl had done just that. The next morning he woke up before anyone else, grabbed his crossbow, made sure he had his knife with him on his belt, and left. He hadn't thought much about it, but really the hunt would do him some good. First of all, it would keep him up and moving—distracted from any thoughts that could hit him. And second, it gave him the space and distance to put between himself and the others, especially with his side still protesting in pain. He had gotten a decent look at the injury before he headed out noticing the bruise that ran along over top of his ribs. At least it wasn't visible and nobody could question him while he was out and alone in the middle of the woods.

He managed to spot a deer hours ago, stalking it and waiting for just the right time to strike. He had already wrangled up a couple squirrels, proving to be a much easier target and not as skittish as the doe he had his eyes on. All it took was one wrong step, snapping a small twig beneath his foot. That doe raised its head up and looked right at him before it took off in a flash.

Damn it!

Daryl huffed and tossed the squirrels against the closest tree. Apparently he was in dire need of brushing up on his hunting skills. He used to be so much more agile in the woods, creeping along so silently as if he was a natural born ninja or some shit. Nature was not having it.

He continued to walk through the woods, nabbing a few more squirrels for the collection. As the hours passed he found himself feeling more and more at a loss. It was harder than hell to find a damn deer, where did they all go? He'd been tracking what he thought was a deer only for the tracks to get tangled up in a mess. They disappeared all together.

The sun was setting fairly quickly as Daryl knew he'd have to seek high ground for the night. He was most likely a couple miles or more out by now from the campsite hunting for game. He'd go ahead and settle down for the night before he got too wrapped up in trying to tame the wild. And with that, he managed to climb up into a tree, cursing under his breath the entire time as his side screamed out in pain from the movement and brushing against the rough bark. He finally settled on a branch that was high enough to be out of reach and thick enough to hold his weight with no problem. He hung his crossbow up on a nearby branch and tossed the rope that dangled with the squirrels next to it. He grinned to himself at his little set up as he propped his back up against the trunk of the tree and got some shut-eye.

When Daryl had awoke the next morning, he was happy to see that he was still in the tree. Falling from this height wouldn't exactly feel too great so he was thankful he was able to stay firmly planted where he was.

He had carefully climbed back down from the tree with the string of squirrels and crossbow before he was back on the move again. This time he was lucky because he spotted a deer right off hand. He was able to sink a couple good shots into it, piercing it with two of his bolts. It wouldn't be long until he could finally claim it as his and drag it back to the camp. All he had to do was follow its tracks.

Of course by the time he figured he was getting close, he could hear quite the ruckus through the trees and brush. Like a handful of people were beating something to a pulp. When he was able to cut through the clearing he realized what had happened as he had at least half of the group from camp staring him down with weapons raised.

Shane sighed as he lowered his shotgun. Everyone else lowered their weapons as well and turned back to the disaster spilled out in front of them.

"Son of a bitch—" Daryl cursed out loud. "That was my damn deer!" The deer had been chewed on by a walker that now lay decapitated thanks to the group and he kicked the walker's body out of frustration. Nobody said a word as he shook his head and turned his attention back to the deer. "Think we can still salvage it? Maybe just cut around this here?" He motioned towards the hole that was now apparent from the walker having a light snack.

"I would not risk that," Shane shifted the shotgun above his head and rested it behind his neck.

Daryl sighed and began to retrieve the bolts that he had fired. "Damn shame. Woulda been nice for a change. Got some squirrel at least…"

At that moment, the walker's head had reanimated, snapping its jaw. Amy and Andrea were repulsed by the movement and headed back through the trees to camp. Daryl shook his head. These people apparently knew nothing about these things. They weren't vampires… There was no need to separate the head from the body.

"C'mon, people. It's gotta be the brain. Don't y'all know nothing?" Daryl shot it with a bolt and retrieved it before leaving everyone standing around, dumbfounded. He had learned that first day that it had to be the brain, otherwise the bastards just kept coming.

As Daryl walked through the camp, he called out for Merle. He was obviously back since the others were. He caught a look on Andrea's face that he couldn't quite place before Shane was calling him.

"Now, hold up a minute, Daryl. Need to talk to you." Shane placed his hands on his hips as he closed in the gap between them, Daryl waiting for him to start talking.

"About what?" Daryl eyed him suspiciously, his eyes darting around at the others for a moment. Now he could tell whatever it was, it wasn't going to be good. They all had that look about them.

"About Merle," Shane began. "There was a problem in Atlanta."

"He dead?" Daryl started pacing without even realizing it, never taking his eyes off of Shane. What was he suppose to think? Everyone else was accounted for—only Merle was missing.

"We're not sure," Shane replied. He ducked his head down but Daryl knew better than that. Shane didn't give a damn. It was all just an act put on to make him look like the good guy.

"Either he is or he ain't!" Daryl raised his voice. Then another man spoke up. A man he didn't recognize from any previous day.

"There's no easy way to say this so I'll just go ahead…" the man stepped forward.

"Who're you?" Daryl switched his glare from Shane to the man.

"Rick Grimes."

"Rick Grimes?" Daryl spat his name with distaste. "You got something you wanna tell me?"

"Your brother was a danger and a threat to us all. So I handcuffed him to a roof, hooked him to a piece of metal. He's still there."

Daryl began to pace again, rubbing the side of his head. "Let me process this… You're saying you handcuffed my brother to a roof? And you left him there?"

This Rick Grimes had the nerve to mutter a small "yes" in response. And that was all it took in that moment to set Daryl off. He threw the damn squirrels and charged at Rick before Shane flat out tackled him. Once he hit the ground, he pulled the knife from the sheath on his belt and got back to his feet swinging. He didn't pay any attention to anyone else and what they may or may not have been saying. All he knew was that he wasn't about to let this guy get away with abandoning Merle on a roof.

But Rick had grabbed him by the wrist and was able to disarm him, tossing the knife aside as he felt Shane grab his arms momentarily before he felt Shane's arm collapse around his neck, trapping him in a chokehold. He immediately tried to pull free and quickly realized that Shane had the upper hand.

"You best let me go!" Daryl shouted, fighting against Shane.

"Nah, I think it's better if I don't," Shane replied. He tightened his grip all the while Daryl still tried to thrash about and get free.

"Chokehold's illegal—" Daryl grumbled.

"Yeah, you can file a complaint…" Shane muttered in response. He had complete control of the situation as he lowered him to the ground on his knees. "C'mon, now. I can keep this up all day."

Daryl didn't pick up on anything that Rick had to say to him after that. He watched his lips move as words came pouring out but he refused to listen. This entire situation was nothing but a crock of bullshit. Of course Merle wasn't going to play nice—had they not gathered that already from the past 48 hours?

Shane finally let up, releasing his hold on Daryl's neck as he fell forward and caught himself. Once again he found the pain starting to flare up as he remained stationary for a moment before slowly getting back to his feet.

"Hell with all y'all!" Daryl yelled. "Just tell me where he is so I can go get him…" He knew damn well that if Merle was even still there—if he was even still alive—there'd be hell to pay. The sooner Daryl could go out and try to find him, the better. Merle would still be pissed though.

After having a group discussion about whether it was worth risking lives to go back into Atlanta for Merle and a bag of guns, they were finally there. Daryl got the feeling that they were doing it more for the guns than anything. And maybe because Rick couldn't deal with the guilt. Other than that, it seemed pretty clear that no one wanted to even bother trying to go back for Merle. Hell, Daryl was about to go by himself but Rick, T-Dog, and Glenn decided to give in.

T-Dog had just clipped the chain off as Daryl kicked the door open, running for where he assumed they left Merle, calling out to him. Of course he was the first one to reach the other side of the roof that was blocked from his view. And part of him wished he hadn't been.

"No—NO!" Daryl practically dropped his crossbow. Merle was gone. All that was left was his hand, an old hacksaw, and the dangling bloody handcuff. The son of a bitch cut off his own damn hand.

Daryl paced back and forth trying to keep himself together. All he could do was stare at the scene displayed before him. But this? This was apparently the cherry on top. This was like he had just stepped into his own personal Hell. And for the first time since everything that had happened, tears had not only threatened to flow over, but they did. He was actually crying as he couldn't help but pace and keep repeating "no, no, no".

This was his breaking point. This is where he drew the line and it had become too much. He lost Elena, he lost Leah, and now Merle. He had nothing left. It was his idea to begin with, joining this group. And look what became of it. It served him right. He should have just stuck with Merle, he should have listened. If he could, he'd take back everything bad he had ever said about his brother. And he didn't care anymore—all he wanted was to have Merle back. Someone familiar, someone he knows, his family. He never meant any of those things he may have said out loud or thought to himself—he was just mad.

Daryl wiped the back of his hand across his face to hide the evidence that he had finally cracked. He gripped the crossbow in his hands tight as he whipped around and immediately pointed it at T-Dog. It was his fault after all, his and Rick's. He had dropped the key and left him there. Rick had cuffed him. They were both fucking guilty and it was their fault.

As Daryl walked closer to T-Dog with the crossbow still raised, he shot him the deadliest glare he could work up. All he had to do was pull that trigger and he'd be dead. But he wasn't sure he could just kill someone that easily, even under the circumstances.

He could see Rick from the corner of his eye step forward now, the Colt Python revolver raised at his head. Rick cocked the hammer on the gun as Glenn stayed back.

"Put it down, Daryl," Rick threatened.

Daryl stayed put for a moment, keeping the crossbow aimed and his glare locked onto T-Dog. But no matter how pissed off he was, he couldn't do it. He couldn't pull the trigger and kill the man. It wasn't going to change anything. So he hesitantly dropped the weapon back down at his side and shot a look at Rick.

"I oughta put a bolt through both of your damn heads," Daryl mumbled.

"I'm sorry, man. I never would have thought he'd… do that…" T-Dog grimaced at Merle's hand.

The fact that Merle had cut off his own hand truly didn't surprise Daryl. If that man wanted something, he'd get it one way or another. Merle was the toughest son of a bitch he'd ever known. He never took any shit from anyone. He was probably his own worst enemy.

Daryl just had to tell himself that Merle was okay wherever the hell he was. He apparently made it obvious that he didn't want to be found, not sticking around. Besides, nobody could kill Merle but Merle.

They had followed the slight blood trail that Merle had left and ended up coming short in the long run. There was no evidence of which way he went and where he could have possibly gone. So Daryl had to give up, though it was the last thing he wanted to do. He just backed Glenn up so that he could run out in the street to grab the bag of guns and head back to meet up with Rick and T-Dog. Not only did Glenn grab the guns but he grabbed that damn sheriff hat as well.

Once they made their way back towards where they parked the moving van, they realized it was gone. Daryl figured it had to of been Merle—who else? So they were left having to walk back to the quarry.

The group was just ahead now, Daryl being able to make out the figures around the campfire. He noticed Amy was standing by the RV in that moment. But something caught his eye. And he'd be damned if that wasn't a walker coming up beside Amy out of her line of sight.

"Look out!—" Daryl shouted, throwing his crossbow up to aim. He wasn't sure if he'd make it on time but it was worth a shot. He really wasn't in the mood to lose anyone else, even if he barely knew these people. Not to mention, he didn't owe them a damn thing.

If things start to get too tedious, let me know. Sorry if it seems like I'm skipping around a lot. I'm trying to speed up the process and get to the OCs a little faster. And I'm actually a bit excited for this to progress.

I do want to say that nothing in any of my stories are completely set in stone. If there's something that you're hoping/wanting to see, let me know by leaving a review or sending me a PM. Maybe I'll incorporate your idea. And of course, I'll give credit where it's due.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and for any of you who have made this a favorite or are following. It means a LOT. Especially reviews. So thank you guys. xoxo