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

A/N: And action!

Wake The Dead.

Usually when a gunshot was heard, common sense would send you running in the opposite direction. It wasn't that Daryl and Glenn didn't have common sense… But they were running full force towards the sound, frantic to find out the truth about the shot.

Rick was with Shane and that was all Daryl could think about. He hoped Rick was smart enough to pick up on all the obvious cues. Maybe he should have just been straight forward and told him that his best friend was a psychopath.

As they ran through the trees as fast as their feet could carry them, they could see a clearing up ahead. Daryl was just a few steps in front of Glenn and he could make out a figure lying on the ground.

"Rick!—" Daryl made it to his side first, Glenn walking around to take the opposite side. He could see the blood that soaked through Rick's shirt indicating that the gunshot they heard had been aimed at him. Daryl moved Rick's hand from the wound and bit his lip. Shane shot him. Shane had led him all the way out here by himself and took the shot. Shane had this all planned out. He'd frame Randall then make himself look like the hero. Bet he never thought about Daryl and Glenn finding him though. "Hey, hang in there. We'll get ya back to Hershel."

Rick slowly nodded, his eyes clamped shut as he held his hand back down over the gunshot wound to his abdomen. "Shane… He took off. I—I couldn't do it…"

Daryl placed his hand on Rick's shoulder to let him know he was there for him. He quickly glanced around to make sure Shane wasn't still lurking in the shadows somewhere. He knew firsthand that he was number two on Shane's shit list and he didn't need a surprise attack.

"Help me get him back up and on his feet. Then I want you to make a run for it back to the house and round everyone up. Let them know what's going on and stay away from Shane if you see him," Daryl ordered. He grabbed Rick from under his arm as Glenn did the same and they hoisted the man back to his feet. Rick's breathing picked up a bit as his face scrunched together in pain. Daryl pulled his arm around the back of his neck and held his wrist while he grabbed his side with his free arm to make sure he was secure. "Alright, I got him. Now go!"

Glenn nodded and took off running towards the house. It was then that Daryl looked out and really noticed how far away they truly were. He cursed under his breath. He could only hope that Rick would last that long.

"I knew he was trying to kill me… I could just tell… The look—the look in his eyes…" Rick muttered.

"Yeah, but he didn't succeed. And he ain't goin' to," Daryl reassured him. If Shane was to make another appearance, Daryl wouldn't think twice about killing the man. He already didn't like him. But shooting Rick? Actually going through with the crazy? That was drawing the line.

"But I couldn't kill him. He pointed that gun at me and I couldn't even raise mine."

Daryl noticed Rick still had the Colt Python hanging in its holster at his hip. Shane shot him down completely unarmed. That didn't really surprise him though. "Makes you the better man in this situation."

"You know, this is how it all started. I was shot on the job, fell into a coma. I woke up to this world." It was like the confessions just kept spilling from Rick. Daryl wasn't sure if he just wanted to talk, if he thought he was dying, or if all the blabbing made him concentrate on something other than his pain.

"I bet that was one hell of a wakeup call," Daryl mumbled. "How're ya doing now?"

"Holding up," Rick breathed. He stopped for a moment, making Daryl stop with him. And Daryl waited to continue walking until Rick took the first step. They were moving at a slow pace but it was manageable. As long as Rick didn't pass out on him, he'd be able to get him back to the house safely. Then Hershel could fix him up and they could deal with Shane.

Daryl was ripped from his thoughts as he heard a familiar growl nearby. He felt as though his heart stopped. He was afraid to turn around, fearing that there were walkers closing in on them. He hoped that maybe he was just hearing things. But when he forced himself to look back he thought for sure they were going to be torn to shreds within minutes. There was a whole damn herd of walkers spewing out from every direction. Where they were even coming from was beyond Daryl. All he knew was that they were entirely outnumbered and Rick was rendered useless in warding them off.

"Shit…" Daryl's mind raced. How could he get Rick back to safety and make it out of all this?

"Just leave me. You can make it back." Rick's voice cracked, his hand still gripping the wound.

"Are you fucking nuts? I ain't leaving you here to be ripped apart!" Daryl retorted.

"You'll never make it if you keep dragging me along and you can't take them all on by yourself."

Daryl was beginning to get frustrated at Rick's words. He wasn't about to leave Rick behind but he wasn't about to just give up either. He'd figure something out. Somehow…

"Hang on—" Daryl released his hold on Rick and lowered him down to his knees gently. He still had his crossbow strapped across his back but he figured his knife was better equipped for this. His eyes scanned the area as he tried to count the encircling herd, losing count after fifteen. They just seemed to keep coming.

Daryl drove his knife into the nearest walker's head as it was beginning to close in. He took it down with no problem as he moved onto the next one, repeating the procedure. He ran back to the other side of Rick and quickly grabbed the walker that was about six feet away from the injured man. It bared its rotten teeth and tried to push itself forward but Daryl brought the knife down into its head and dropped it flat on the ground. He quickly wiped his hand off on his pant leg so he could get a better grip on the knife.

Daryl had the knife stabbed into the next walker's head just as he felt a hand gripping at the back of his shirt. He froze for a moment before he felt another hand grab onto his left arm and when he looked down he felt his stomach roil. It was decayed flesh and he could see a hint of bone under the skin. He fumbled to pull the knife free, panicked, until he heard a gunshot. Blood splatter followed as he could feel it hit the back of his neck, cringing. He finally yanked the knife out of the walker's head and turned to see Rick back on his feet, revolver in hand.

In Daryl's eyes, there was no time for thanks. They were quickly becoming swarmed, boxed in like wounded animals. Daryl slid the crossbow off his shoulder and pulled the trigger on a walker with another headshot just as Rick shot one closing in on him. Rick was fighting through the pain a lot better than Daryl could have ever imagined. Adrenaline had to be playing a major role.

Just as Daryl made his way back over to Rick's side, practically back to back, more gunshots rang out.

"Rick!—Daryl!" They both looked over just in time to see Alex and Andrew running to the rescue.

"We heard the gunshots and came running," Alex explained briefly. "Glenn told us what happened."

"We'll hold off the walkers. Get Rick back to the house," Andrew demanded as he took down another walker.

Daryl didn't hesitate. He knew there was no point in arguing and he'd just have to put a little faith in the two men as he assisted Rick once more, heading for the house. There was a bit of a gap between them and Andrew, Alex, and the walkers before Daryl noticed Glenn and T-Dog running out to meet them.

"How's he doing?" Glenn asked, his voice full of panic. He glanced behind them and took note of all the walkers. "Holy shit—"

"Yeah… Kind of what I was thinkin'," Daryl muttered.

With T-Dog on Rick's other side and Glenn keeping an eye out for walkers, they managed to finally make it back to the house. Lori was screaming her husband's name, tears streaming down her face as she ran towards them. Hershel followed in pursuit as he was already aware of the situation.

"Bring him up this way and get him inside. We'll have better lighting in there," Hershel ushered them along as Daryl swapped places with Glenn.

"Oh, my God—You're saying that Shane did this?" Lori's eyes were wide with fear, staring at Daryl for a confirmation. She made to follow after the men who were assisting Rick but Daryl lightly grabbed her by her arm to stop her.

"Where is he?" Daryl questioned. He had already scanned the area over and didn't see Shane among the group. He assumed half of the group was inside still.

Lori shook her head, her mouth agape. "He… he never came this way. None of us have seen him since you all left for the woods."

Daryl released Lori's arm and bit his tongue. It still didn't keep him from lashing out though. "What do ya mean he never came this way?—Then where the hell'd he go!" As if the walkers weren't bad enough, now they had to worry about Shane being somewhere out there in the night, armed?

Carol and Skyler came rushing out of the house in that instant, the screen door slamming shut behind them. They had fear written clear as day across their faces, even close to tears.

"The kids are gone!" Carol shrieked. "They were upstairs and I—we—"

"What? Carl?—" Lori quickly turned to face the women. She looked like she was about to collapse. She had just learned that Shane shot Rick, Shane was nowhere to be found, and now Carl was missing.

Daryl closed the gap between him and Skyler, "Leah? Leah's gone?"

Skyler placed a hand over her mouth and the other over her stomach. She looked like she could be sick. "They were all upstairs last we knew. We never heard them leave but they're not here."

"You people couldn't keep an eye on them?!" Daryl jabbed his finger towards the house, glaring at Skyler then at Carol. "For fuck's sake!"

"I—I think I overheard them talking earlier. Something about the barn?" Amy spoke up, her voice shaky.

Daryl switched his gaze to the young blonde, her pale eyes staring back at him. "You best pray you're right." He didn't even give it any thought, he just bolted for the barn. He could hear a couple people yell out to him but there was no way he was stopping. He had to find Leah. And hell, he had to find Carl and Sophia—again.

Daryl unsheathed the knife from off his belt and took out two walkers near the barn door before he could get inside. The dead were closing in fast and he was running out of time. "Leah!" He tried calling out to her, his eyes searching. A walker that had made it into the barn turned to him at that moment and he drove the blade through its head before it could even really make a move. He was pissed first of all, and he was scared. He didn't see any sign of the kids and walkers were already getting inside the barn.

"Daryl?" He looked up to see Leah slightly leaning over the edge of the second story. "Daryl—I'm sorry!" Her voice was shaky and he could tell that she was close to tears.

"Just stay there! Wait for my call." Daryl felt a wave of relief wash over him as the worst thoughts that he could imagine vanished. He turned back around to face the walkers. They were stumbling in through the door with their arms outstretched and gurgling. They were headed straight for Daryl assuming that he was an easy prey, but that's where they thought wrong.

Daryl slid the crossbow off his shoulder and immediately took aim, shooting one down, reloading, then shooting another. "Start climbing down!" He shouted back to the kids having double checked to make sure the barn was clear. The walkers were mostly piling up at the door now but Daryl didn't plan on letting them slide passed.

Once Leah, Carl, and Sophia were all behind him, he made an attempt to exit the barn. It seemed like all of the walkers were distracted by the others who were now shooting, the gunshots evident. But a figure suddenly popped up in the doorway causing each and every one of them to jump. Daryl had immediately readied his knife and Sophia let out a high pitched scream before they realized who it was.

"Jesus Christ…" Daryl sighed, staring back at Andrew. "You tryin'a get yourself killed?"

"Trying to save your asses," Andrew retorted. "Come on!" He ushered them out of the barn and Daryl allowed the kids to all go first before he and Andrew followed behind.

"Where's Alex?" Daryl questioned. He noticed he was missing and already had a sinking feeling.

"Got bit. Walker got him by the arm. Saved my life, gave me enough time to make a run for it while he kept fighting 'em off," Andrew briefly explained. He seemed a bit perturbed but was holding himself together pretty well.

Daryl quickly glanced behind them and noticed that Alex was nowhere to be seen. He must have already gone down. He couldn't work up any sort of reply to Andrew in the moment. All he could think about was how goofy that guy was, and friggin' Spongebob Squarepants. Maybe that was a good thing. At least it was a positive memory of him…

"Sophia!" Carol gasped, running out to her daughter as they approached the group. She wrapped her up into a hug just as Lori was doing the same to Carl, her face tear stained.

Skyler ran to Leah and quickly hugged her, kissing her on the forehead. Then she made her way over to Daryl and hugged him. Daryl wasn't expecting that, let alone the kiss she planted on his cheek making him flinch. The close contact made him feel uncomfortable as his face began to feel a bit warm.

"Thank you," Skyler whispered near his ear before she let go of him and took a few steps back. Daryl forced himself to nod before he looked back at Leah to make sure she was okay.

Glenn emerged from the house with Maggie right behind him. "We've gotta go. Lori, Carl—get to the RV. T-Dog and Hershel are gonna get Rick."

Lori had her hands rested on Carl's shoulders as she nodded her head in response. She took Carl's hand and ran towards the RV with Glenn and Maggie. Maggie quickly grabbed Beth and pulled her along.

Walkers were beginning to close in around the house as Andrew, Olivia, Jimmy, and Andrea were trying to shoot them. The gunfire wasn't making things any better though. If anything, it was drawing them closer.

"Go, go, go! We don't have time!" T-Dog yelled at everyone as he now emerged from the house helping Hershel support Rick. "The farm is gone! We have to go!"

It was complete chaos. With it being night and walkers everywhere, it was hard to really tell what was going on. There were a few screams as everyone started to make a run for the vehicles, getting separated from the group. Daryl kept a firm grip on Leah's hand as he led her over to the others with Skyler by his side. He caught a glimpse of T-Dog hopping into Otis' truck with Olivia and Amy.

"Andrew!" Daryl called out to the man, making him stop and turn back. "Take Leah with you. Keep her safe."

"No—Daryl—" Leah's eyes widened in fear as she gripped his hand tighter.

"Listen to me, you'll be okay. We'll all be okay. I can't take you with me on the Triumph, alright? Andrew will keep an eye on ya until we meet back up." Daryl gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before he kissed her on top of her head.

"I got her," Andrew nodded. He placed a hand on Leah's back and led her towards the Hyundai where Lucas, Carol, and Sophia were in sight.

"Alright, c'mon," Daryl led Skyler to the motorcycle, bashing a walker upside the head with the crossbow in the process.

By the time everyone had made it back to the highway where they had left the supplies for Sophia, it was like a happy reunion. Everyone was jumping out of their vehicles and hugging each other thankful to be alive. Leah immediately ran to Skyler and Daryl as they joined the group. It didn't seem like one person got out of that mess without being covered in walker blood to some extent. Everyone was exhausted.

"Andrea?" Amy's voice cracked as she searched for her sister among everyone.

"We're missing people…" Maggie was the first to point it out. "Where are Jimmy and Patricia?"

"And Andrea and Alex," Lucas glanced around. He took a hold of Amy's hand to try and keep her calm.

"Maybe they're in a different car? Maybe they're not here yet?" Glenn scratched the back of his neck.

Andrew shook his head, "Alex isn't coming back."

"I saw Jimmy get attacked…" Olivia mumbled. She felt bad that there was nothing she could do.

Beth gripped onto Maggie for support at Olivia's words as she choked out, "Patricia didn't make it either. A walker got her just before… before she could…"

"I think I saw Andrea go down too," Carol whispered, hugging Sophia close as she bowed her head in sympathy.

"We have to go back!" Amy blurted, shaking her head and wiping her face free of tears. "We have to! My sister—"

Daryl was about to speak up, to volunteer to go back. It was still possible that Andrea could be alive. Carol's words weren't very reassuring, not as much as the others. But Hershel emerged from the RV with his hands covered in blood and he felt his stomach drop at the sight. Rick.

"We can't risk it. We need everyone here, no more splitting up. Our group is weak enough as it is," Hershel spoke. He pulled a rag from his back pocket and tried to wipe his hands clean. Lori and Carl had yet to exit the RV. Carl didn't even know what happened, he just had to stumble upon the news that his dad had been shot.

"How's Rick?" Daryl stepped forward a bit. Curiosity and panic was eating away at him now.

"He's stable. The bullet went through clean, no fragments." Hershel didn't provide much detail but it was enough to put Daryl at ease.

"We need to keep moving. We can set up camp somewhere. We can't risk that herd of walkers coming this direction." T-Dog folded his arms in front of his chest.

"But my sister's still out there!" Amy cried. Lucas pulled her against his chest now. He was the only one who could begin to settle her down as he rubbed her back.

T-Dog sighed, "We won't go far."

Nobody wanted to leave Andrea behind but T-Dog had a point. They had to make sure they weren't at risk of that same herd of walkers finding them again. Their losses were great enough. So Andrea might still be alive out there, as well as Shane. No one knew where either of them were. Odds are they were dead or long gone, having made an escape from the farm. There was no telling now unless they ran into each other. Daryl could only hope that Shane went down with the others they lost to the walkers.