Chapter Thirteen

Michonne was intently curious about the arrival of obnoxious Merle when I returned to her that day. I told her in hushed tones by the camp fire, all about the restrained man across camp and of everything I had witnessed that afternoon. The dark-skinned woman remained silent as I ran through the details, her dark eyes studying me and preying on every word. It was times like this, I wished I knew what my curious friend was thinking.

"How long does it usually take before they, er, you know," I stuttered awkwardly after finishing my story. Michonne raised an eyebrow and I swallowed hard. "How long does it take before they kill him?" I forced out. Michonne's expression tightened and she glanced over my shoulder towards the opposite side of camp.

"Your foul mouth friend will survive the night, I'm sure." She sighed finally, setting her eyes back to me. I nodded once before meeting her gaze again, defiantly.

"I'm not letting them kill him." I told her. Michonne didn't even look surprised.

"You don't know him." She pointed out, half-heartedly.

"That doesn't give them the right to torture him and beat him to death, like they did with Bo." I hissed back. Our conversation paused as Clare shuffled past us awkwardly. The blonde woman didn't make eye contact, though the pair of us watched her movements as she passed by and entered her tent. Once she was gone, we resumed our conversation. "When do we plan on leaving?"

"Soon." Michonne muttered. "But if you're wanting to bring an extra guest, then that means sooner." I nodded once.

"I can't leave him." I repeated again. "We've stood by for so long as they've raped, killed and terrorised people." I'd been fortunate enough not to witness any of these horrors for real; I haven't seen any of these people they were hurting, and have long past ignored their visits into camp to take women - thankful I have never been one of the unlucky few as Michonne's and my methods of 'keeping busy' usually did the trick. "But I've met him, Michonne. I've spoken to him. Merle is a real person, who they intend on murdering for their own pleasure. I can't just sit back now." Michonne studied me in silence for a few moments before averting her eyes past me again.

"We can use the van they brought him in for our getaway." She spoke up suddenly, nodding in the direction of the isolated white van. "None of the men use it or go near it anymore, I've noticed. We can pack our stuff in gradually and have it ready for when we want to leave. Interrogation will probably be nearly over by now and you'll be called over to clean up your friend, no doubt. Tell him that we plan to leave tomorrow evening, he won't be kept alive any longer than that. Distraction is our key if we want to get away without too much attention."

"And how do we intend to distract them?" I asked. Michonne thought a while.

"We need to draw the attention from the guards at the gate, so we can get out. The only way I can think of doing that is with the help of our undead friends on the outside." She glanced at me with a darkened expression. "On average, about five walkers come across our camp daily and are dispatched quietly with a knife or blunt object of some description. No guns; otherwise that'll draw attention."

"So, we shoot one of the dead, draw more to us and overrun the camp?" I asked, piecing together our plan. Michonne sighed.

"Figuratively, yes." She nodded. "We'll need to create an opening in the fence though so they can get in, though that'll have to be done sometime tomorrow. We'll set the ball rolling first, bring the dead in, then get your friend and make our escape."

"Sounds easy." I muttered. Michonne chuckled without humour.

"It never is though, is it?" She sighed.

The first night I spent in camp was something of a dream.

After having my stuff put in Carol's tent, I was fussed over by Sophia as she returned back from her visit to Carl. She told me about her friend and how he had been shot. The little girl didn't seem too upset though as Carl was recovering nicely now apparently and told me about how she couldn't wait for me to meet her friend. Sophia's mother helped me unpack, all the while chattering about her daughter, telling me stories from their past and thanking me several times in the middle of our conversations. I would constantly abolish her thanks, saying they weren't necessary though Carol didn't heed. She asked me a lot about myself, something that surprised me. Though while she didn't ask about my life since the outbreak, she asked me about it before. No one had ever done that, I had noted, and I felt a warm feeling inside me as I recounted some of my previous life's stories. It felt good to talk about it again and for the first time in a long time, I felt truly happy as I sat with the mother and daughter.

Once we were done, Carol led Sophia and I around camp. For my purpose it was to introduce me properly to everyone, and it was a tour for both our purposes to show us around the area that would house us. I also learned the names on the unnamed members in the camp 'meeting'. The two youngest of the women were Maggie and Beth; Herschel's daughters. Maggie was the oldest and the more confident, while Beth remained slightly timid and spoke in soft voices. Maggie animatedly welcomed me to camp, then went on to tell Sophia how her mother had told them so much about her. They were pleasant girls who were very polite to us and were more than happy to stop and talk for a while before they carried on to do some farm work. The remaining woman was Patricia, who had a slightly sad expression, though was more than happy to bid us greetings. Carol didn't stop by the woman for very long, telling us that the woman was still in a state of mourning and preferred to be left alone. I didn't want to ask anymore and we left the woman to her thoughts. The boy was Jimmy, a friend - or perhaps boyfriend - of Beth's and we didn't get a chance to speak properly to him as he was on his way out to the fields to also carry out some duties. He waved to us though as we passed.

They were all friendly enough, I noted, besides Shane of course. It was different from my previous camp, there was no suspicious vibe radiating from this group. There were probably more suspicious of me than I was of them. It was different though. In a good way.

Toby had taken to following Daryl around and I had not seen the dog since the hunter led me to Carol's tent, after handing me my bags with a nod. The presence of people and the lack of canine was an odd feeling. At first I was slightly unnerved by the unfamiliarity, but Sophia's constant appearance was a set reassurance and I was grateful for the young girl and her beaming attitude. Her mood didn't waver once and her happiness was certainly infectious.

It was the first night in a long time I had slept on something comfortable and it was by far the best night sleep I had had since the start of the outbreak. I half expected to wake up and to be lying in an uncomfortable tree somewhere, with only Toby as my company, having dreamt it all. Instead though I woke up to the calming sounds of my tent mates' steady breathing as they slept through the night with the blissful thought that they were together again. I couldn't help but stare around in daze for a while, wondering if I was truly lying beside them, in this new place.

At first, I wasn't quite sure what to even do. Outside the tent there was a calm and distant chatter beyond the sleepy breathing. Realising there were others up and outside, I felt hesitant at first to leave. But thinking over all the greetings I had had the day before, I didn't consider these people as a threat just yet. Unable to remain in the tent any longer, I got myself up. As quietly as I could, I dressed myself in some other clothes that Lori had given to me and left the tent just as quietly, hoping not to disturb Sophia and her mother.

The morning air hit me immediately and I gazed around the camp with wonder. It was unlike the previous camp in every form, so peaceful in every way - looks and atmosphere. Tents were bustled together too and there were no sectioned off gender coordination. The campfire in the middle and the washing line hanging between the trees gave the place an almost homey feel. It must have been early that morning as the only people awake, beside myself, were T-Dog and Andrea who were by the RV, the former climbing down from the ladder.

After zipping the tent up behind me, I walked further into camp and towards my fellow conscious people. Andrea had climbed up the ladder once T-Dog had gotten down and had waved off the dark-skinned man, taking a seat on the deck chair placed on the roof. The man, himself, was making his way towards me, yawning and stretching as he did. I hadn't had much of a chance to interact with the man the day before, but from what I could gather from Sophia's stories and observing him the little I did, he was a pleasant man who seemed very fun loving. I eyed the bandage on his arm as I approached him, curious as to what it was for.

"Good morning." I said once he reached me, keeping my tone polite and friendly as I couldn't be completely sure of particular man's attitude myself yet, only going off instincts and other's stories. So far my categories had two extremes; Asshole (Shane) and Nice Guy (Rick). The other men I had spoken to had probably fallen somewhere in between; Daryl was an anomaly however, who was currently off my scale and in the 'Haven't the foggiest' section.

"It would be a 'good' morning if I was actually able to get some sleep last night. Goddamn watch shifts. It'll be alright if I ain't had to take Daryl's too; the redneck owes me big time!" T-Dog muttered, rubbing a hand over his bald head and yawning. He glanced at me for a brief moment before clearing his throat. "You sleep well?" I nodded, taking note of his forced pleasantries, though was grateful for his efforts. He seemed nice enough.

"Better than I have done in a long time." I told him honestly. "I'd rather do a watch shift all night than have to sleep in a tree again." He let out an honest chuckle at this.

"I wouldn't hold your breath." With that, the black man announced his departure to bed and left, patting me on the shoulder as he passed in a friendly manner. Now alone, I made my way towards the campfire, set on waiting for the others to wake up. My attention was caught though by a whistle.

"Hey, Saint Ruby." The blonde on top of the RV hollered. I glanced up and she motioned for me to come up. Hesitantly, I wandered over to the RV and scaled the ladder, carefully, as not to wake whoever rested within it.

Andrea's eyes were staring out across Herschel's fields, sipping a cup of something steaming as she did. Unsure what to do, I wandered closer to where she was sat, taking short steps. Once I was a bit closer, Andrea gestured to the floor beside her and I sat down. Silence passed between us as the blonde offered me whatever she was drinking (which I declined) and the pair of us stared out beyond the farm.

"I'm Andrea by the way," The blonde piped up suddenly. I glanced at her with a raised eyebrow. "I haven't formerly introduced myself yet." I chuckled a little and shrugged. Like T-Dog, I hadn't seen the woman much the day before and had only really got Sophia's stories and my brief observations to go off. I couldn't quite place the woman beside me, though was eager to interact and learn more.

"When I was with Sophia she gave me detailed accounts of all your 'adventures' together before we found you all. I practically felt like I knew the lot of you already." Andrea chuckled and a large smile appeared on her lips.

"What you did," She began carefully. "Well, I admire you for it." She glanced at me and I was unsure how to reply to it. Andrea must have noticed this and laughed again. "I'm sure you're sick of people thanking you already, aren't you?"

"There isn't any need to thank me. Like I said, it was what anyone would have done." I shrugged, though Andrea didn't look so convinced.

"You'd hope so, wouldn't you? But times have changed. People have changed. Sophia was lucky to run into you and not someone else." Ain't that the truth, I couldn't help but agree. Images of the boss and all the men blared in my mind and I chewed my bottom lip. "You been alone all this time then?" I glanced up at the blonde, noticing her averted gaze but tense jaw. I was mildly curious about her.

"All this time?" I muttered. She smiled slightly.

"Since the outbreak." She elaborated. I nodded once and thought for a moment. Should I tell her about the other camp? Daryl seemed adamant for me only to tell Rick about it and I heeded to the hunter's choice.

"Um, no." I began slowly. "At first it was my sister, myself and a man called Laurent. He looked after us and we held up in an abandoned gas station for a few weeks. There were some, um, mix ups and we got separated." There was a long pause between us before Andrea sighed.

"I know what it's like to lose a sister too." She piped up suddenly, her tone emotionless. "She was younger than me and full of life," The ghost of a smile on her lips was clear that Andrea was reminiscing memories. I didn't have the heart to correct her and tell her that my sister was actually alive. "We were never really close growing up, but after all this shit happened, I knew I could never leave her." Her words struck me and I physically felt sick. I could never leave her - Wasn't that what I had done? The realisation for what I had actually done hadn't really dawned on me until now. "I'm her big sister, you know, gotta protect her, keep her safe." Protect her, keep her safe. I was going to vomit. "She died in my arms and there was nothing I could do to save her." A single tear ran down Andrea's cheek and her eyes glazed over and I imagined she was thinking about that particular moment.

"What is her name?" I asked, weakly, unable to keep silent in fear of getting lost in my own turmoil. I wanted to leave the grieving woman and run as fast as I could to find Jessica. There wasn't a moment after I had left the camp that I had really thought about the impact of my leaving. Now, though, was another feeling altogether.

I had betrayed her. Yes, she was a fool acting as she did but she was my sister and I should have looked after her. I should have tried harder, fought for her. I was weak. I left her behind and ran like the coward I was. And I hadn't really thought about it until now. Did that make me selfish?

"Amy." Andrea replied, wiping her tears away and smiling at me with a watery smile. "What about yours?" I swallowed the lump in my throat, my throat suddenly restricted.

"Jessica." I managed and Andrea nodded. Her expression had changed now from when she first cast her eyes on me; her gaze was softer now, with more understanding. I hated the feeling in my stomach and was all but ready to throw up over the side of the RV.

"You'll fit in here fine," She stated suddenly, her voice growing in strength again as she tried to change topic. "Daryl seems to trust you and that's good enough for most of us." She didn't need to elaborate on the most - Shane was by far untrusting of me. "I will warn you though, because of your gender, you'll be expected to help with the domestic issues." I raised an eyebrow, confused at her slightly harsh tone, though I gathered it probably wasn't directed at me. I didn't like her statement immediately, remembering what that was like in my old camp. Women doing the domestic duties, while the man did other things.

"Meaning?" I probed. Andrea glanced over her shoulder at camp before turning back to me.

"Meaning, Lady Grimes will expect you to help her with the cooking, cleaning and various other pointless chores. Because you're a woman, for obvious reasons, you're not allowed to do any 'masculine' jobs such as keeping watch." She waved her hands about and smiled dryly at me, I raised my eyebrow. Yet another camp who expected me to cook and clean for them - no, I wasn't having that. While I didn't have anything against Lori, I couldn't help but feel a slight bitterness towards the woman as Andrea spoke. It wasn't a personal thing, though the memories of before were still strong.

"And if I refuse?" I asked, bluntly. Andrea turned to me and smirked. She let out a strong chuckle and swigged at her drink, finishing its contents.

"Then I think you and I will get on just fine."

The hours were agonisingly painful and more drawn out than normal. Activity in camp was quieter than usual and our sectioned off side had been, surprisingly, left alone for a good long time. I put it down to the interrogation going on across the way. I waited by the camp fire to be summoned by one of the men, a basket of medicine, food, water and bandages beside me to attend to Merle when I needed to. I was no doctor, though Michonne had given me a run through of what to check when I was eventually needed again before she had scooted off to prepare for our 'departure' tomorrow evening.

Finally the looming sight of a masculine figure approached our side of camp and I kept my gaze down as they drew nearer, staring into the fire in silence. A shadow stood over me and I finally looked up in acknowledgement. It was an unnamed man, but one I had recognised on my rounds between the tents. His expression was stony and hard, no hint of a smile. I raised an eyebrow in question, though already knew what he wanted.

"Come with me." He grunted, already turning away and heading back the way he came. I obliged, gathering the basket in my arms and following.

Merle was in the same tent he was in before and there was a group of five men outside the flaps. I was told to call if I required anything or needed their 'help' with the prisoner, which I only just managed to restrain a snort at. A deck of cards was between them on the table they sat at as well as a few cans of beer - they would be amused for a while, I could tell. With a sigh, I entered the flaps of the tent and let the sounds of their obnoxious laughter become nothing but mere background noise.

My 'patient' lay with his back to me in the middle of the dingy tent. After placing my basket down, I crawled over slowly and carefully to Merle's still body. When I placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, the gruff man turned over and snarled in my direction, causing me to shy away. Upon sight of me though, his face softened and the man let out a loud sigh before settling on his back.

"Thought ya were one of 'em." Merle muttered as an explanation. I assumed that was the window of acceptance I needed and set to work cleaning him up. There were fresh bruises and cuts on his body now, though thankfully after a few look-overs, none seemed fatal.

"What did you tell them?" I asked, focusing my attention on his stump of an arm - apparently that had taken a large amount of the beating though I was unsure how. It was bleeding again and all my work cleaning it before had definitely gone to waste. Merle grimaced upon my touch, but didn't yank his arm out of my grip.

"Ain't got nothin' to tell, I told ya." He grumbled. "Wanted to know who I had been travellin' with, didn't believe ol' Merle had been on his own. Kept yapping on 'bout other survivors. Told 'im to go to hell." I snorted at this despite myself.

"I can imagine he didn't take that well." I mused. Merle chuckled darkly.

"Ya got yourself a fuck up for a leader, I'll tell ya that, girlie." There was a long stretch of silence between us both as I worked silently and Merle lay there contently. Apparently torture had worn this man out as his voice didn't quite hold the same venom it had done before. Or perhaps he was just softening to me.

"Tomorrow." I said finally, wiping my hands free of blood on my trousers. Merle titled his head towards me and narrowed his eyes.

"What?"

"That's when we're getting out of here; tomorrow." Merle was silent for a few long moments, eyes judging me suspiciously.

"We?" His voice didn't seem very convinced.

"Myself and another. We've planned a way out and I'm offering you a chance to come with us."

"Let me ask ya summit, sugar. How the fuck do I trust ya? How do I not know this is some elaborate game you weirdoes are playin' on me?" Merle demanded with a snarl. I raised an eyebrow and sighed.

"Surely this would just be a pointless exercise?" I retorted, evenly. "I am telling you now because this is going to be the only chance you have of getting out alive. The boss won't keep you for too long, I guarantee you that. We leave tomorrow because that's how long you've got left before-"

"Before I'm killed?" Merle finished coolly. I shrugged in reply and raised an eyebrow in question. "How the fuck ya wind up in this whole situation then if you're so against all this shit?"

"I came here with two others, not knowing what was actually going on. I found out too late on and I'm trapped here like you. Only unlike you, I have the capability of getting out of here without help." I paused for a moment, debating whether to throw a snide remark his way or whether it would be a bad idea. Though I wasn't about to show this man he could continue making those remarks and get away with them if he was going to come with Michonne and I. "And I have both my hands." I decided to go for it.

Merle's eyes darkened, probably due to my final remark, but he said nothing. Merely stared at me with a stony expression and scanned my face for any lies in my words. I remained neutral and waited for the brute's verdict. Silently, I urged him to make the right one. I didn't know him, and to be honest he wasn't my favourite person in the world, but I didn't want him to die. Not when he was so helpless and unable to make his own decisions. That was the difference between Jessica and Merle; Jessica had the capability of freedom, and yet she chose against it. That was why I needed to save Merle.

Finally, after a few long drawn out seconds, Merle grumbled something inaudible and sighed.

"What brainstorm ya got planned then, sugar? How you reckon you'll get us out of this?" I smiled in triumph at the redneck's acceptation.

"All you need to know is, that when the time comes you got to be ready to run. We've got us a getaway vehicle and the plan will be in motion by the morning. When the time comes, I don't want any questions or arguments, you come with us and we move out quickly. Understood?"

"Sir, yes, sir." Merle muttered. "Any chance I get to kill any of these fuckers in the getaway." I frowned at him and shook my head.

"No." I said, firmly. "You don't do anything but listen to us, got that? You're not ruining this chance of freedom. Once we're away from camp, feel free to do whatever you please but until then; you're gonna listen. That's how this is going to work." Merle raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Feisty bitch, ain't ya." I sighed with a roll of my eyes, but hummed with satisfaction at the contentment of his understanding. The feeling of freedom was getting closer and closer by the second.

It was like the outside world wasn't happening on the Greene Farm. I hadn't seen a walker for days, weeks now. Life continued on peacefully and it was something of a dream to me.

I was finally introduced to Carl, as the boy was finally allowed out of the farmhouse, having recovered enough to walk after being shot. Sophia was adamant for me to meet him and Carl seemed excited to meet me when I came across the twelve year old. Recalling both his parents, I could see the resemblance there. He held himself strong like his father, though his expression appeared to hold his mother's soft features. I didn't tell him this though, keeping it to myself. The pair fussed over me for a good few hours, before diverting their attention else where and being genuinely happy in each other's company. I smiled fondly at them as I sat on a bench on the porch of the farmhouse, just content with the day.

"It's curious how a child's mind works, isn't it?" A wistful voice spoke suddenly. I glanced up to set eyes on Dale, who was stood beside the bench with a plate of food in his hands. He smiled down at me and handed me the food. I accepted it with a smile.

I knew to the camp I was still someone new. I wasn't the same outsider that I started off to be, but there was still a gap between myself and them. Though I noted that this gap was closing as the days grew on and I was glad of it; I was certainly sick of being lonely.

Upon my interactions, I had learnt more about each member of the group, more than what I had learnt from Sophia's tales and adventures. The dynamics in this camp were completely different to my previous. There was something there that Laurent and the others didn't have. While the other group were just together, existing along side each other because they had to. With Sophia's group, it was more because they wanted to. There was a bond between them, perhaps a family like bond. I knew from the looks in their eyes and from what they had told me, that they had been through a lot and that had made them stronger.

From my position on the sidelines, I could truly admire the group and its togetherness. It made me have optimism for the future and I felt myself becoming more like what I was before the outbreak each day. My trust was coming back and nowadays I actually felt like I had something to smile for. The people around me were to blame for this.

Dale remained with me for a while, telling me a story about when he was younger. I listened with interest, thankful for his company. I had grown to admire Dale and enjoy the stories he told me. His wise and all knowing nature sometimes reminded me of how my father was. His relationship with Andrea was also a fresh sight to see and I was glad the blonde had someone like Dale watching over her, especially after the pain she was obviously feeling from the loss of her sister. While she sometimes didn't like Dale's attention, I knew that deep down she appreciated it, and despite all her words, Dale never gave up once. He held strong and he truly was an admirable guy, I decided.

The older man was called away though by Glenn to help with RV, which appeared to be constantly broken, and he left me alone with my thoughts again. I was soon joined though by the older of Herschel's daughters, Maggie, who came bearing two glasses of lemonade. I was thankful for all their consideration and pleasantries. With Herschel and his family though, my interactions with them were similar to Sophia's group's interactions with the Greene family. I realised that Rick and the others were just and so getting to know the Greene family, just as I was, so it was nice not to be completely out of loop when it came to some of the people around me.

"That really is a nice sight." Maggie stated, sitting down beside me and handing me one of the glasses. Her voice was twanged with her heavy accent and I followed her gaze back to where Sophia and Carl were playing. "I always loved children."

"Never thought about having your own?" I asked with a slight smile. Maggie chuckled a little.

"You kidding? Daddy would kill me." She giggled. "No marriage; no children."

"At least you're still young, still have prospects of marriage. How old are you, twenty?"

"Twenty two actually." She turned her head towards me for a moment and glanced me up and down. I briefly become slightly self-conscious and waited for the young girl to say something. "You ain't too old yourself though."

"Grand old age of thirty three." I muttered, sipping my drink. Maggie raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I'm sure we could find a single older hunk around here somewhere for you." I snorted.

"So, just discounting Glenn then?" I retorted, good-humour-like.

Apparently though, my comment wasn't quite the humour that sat with Maggie. She gave me a wary smile and averted her eyes instantly over to something, like her gaze was drawn away. I followed her gaze with my own to set eyes on the RV across camp, where a certain Asian youngest was working. Maggie's expression was certainly something I had seen before, one I perhaps had myself when I was her age. I smirked to myself but made no comment on the matter; whatever was occurring between the pair of them was most definitely not known to camp and it was likely that was how it was intended to be. I wasn't about to ruin any friendship I had with girl beside me anytime soon, so decided to attempt a subject change onto a different topic.

After my talk with Andrea on my first day in camp, my domestic chores was something left to be desired and I knew I was constantly the hot topic on Lori's lips. I knew she did not like my lack of appearance for duties such as cooking and washing, though I continued to be pleasant with the woman, hoping she would pass over these bad feelings she must have had towards me. I offered to help clean farm equipment and had even taken watch a few times - usually with someone else, as the camp didn't quite trust me enough alone at the moment. I was also useful with Sophia and Carl and had the pair of them thrusted upon me when their mothers (and father in Carl's case) were busy. I helped them with their 'lessons', and generally just babysat them and kept them out of trouble. I hoped it would be enough for Lori, once she got over my lack of cleaning and cooking, as I didn't really feel up for explaining myself to the woman just yet.

"You going with them?" Maggie asked suddenly, nodding to the direction of the gathering group. I glanced over to them.

I knew that Rick was leading out a group to practise shooting further down the road from the farm, and though I had been encouraged to go by Andrea, I never had. Laurent had taught me how to shoot and though the prospect of going with them tempted me, I never felt inclined to go. Perhaps soon, but not now.

"Not today." I replied, watching as the group assembled the needed guns. Today it was Rick, Shane, T-Dog, Andrea, Beth, Patricia and Jimmy that were going; leaving Daryl, Dale and Glenn as the necessary 'man power' on the farm. Lori and Carol could also be seen in the middle of camp, hanging out clothes on the thin string that hung between the trees, their children seated nearby, playing and the object of Maggie's and my previous attention. Herschel was probably in the house somewhere as he was nowhere to be seen. "Aren't you?" Maggie shrugged, eyes wandering back to the RV.

"Not today." She repeated, smirking at me. I raised an eyebrow in reply, not wanting to ask about the meaning behind her sudden mischievous smile.

Soon, the Greene girl rose from her seat beside me and took my empty glass from me, stating she was going to go 'stretch her legs'. She wandered off inside to dump the glasses before she came back out, giving me a smile over her shoulder, and wandering around the house. I watched as she passed near the RV and caught the eye of Glenn, who watched as she strolled by. She passed without a word and out of sight behind the side of the chicken coop. With amusement, I watched as the Asian boy came up with some elaborate excuse for Dale, who looked far from convinced, before skipping away 'conspicuously' towards the direction Maggie had disappeared towards.

Sly.

I snorted to myself before rising from the bench myself and deciding a walk would do me good. I left the porch of the farmhouse and made my way into camp, not sure where I intended to go, just as long as I didn't have to join the two other women and their duties.

Walking without real meaning, I found myself further out of the middle of camp and onto the outskirts. It was there, by the tent pitched up slightly away from the rest, that I found Daryl Dixon with Toby at his feet. The hunter was sat with his back against a tree and a pile of stick beside him. Closer up, I saw that he was fashioning himself more arrow bolts with the aid of his knife, his crossbow not too far away either.

Toby's ears perked up as I approached, which was enough to alert Daryl of my presence. He glanced up and met my gaze for a brief moment before averting it back to the job in hand. I took this as the invitation I needed and sat myself down beside the German Shepherd. Toby nuzzled his nose against my hand in greeting and I smiled slightly.

"Ya know, your mutt really needs to learn a thing or two about personal space." Daryl muttered suddenly. I chuckled a little at this.

"He likes you." I shrugged. "I can't help it if he's affectionate." The hunter grumbled something about 'dumb animal' then got back to his work silently.

Daryl Dixon was certainly a mystery to say the least. Like myself, there was a gap between him and group, though his was much more questionable. Upon observation, I noticed that the hunter prided himself with being alone. Interactions with everyone wasn't a usual thing and he didn't quite hold any strong relationships with anyone but his crossbow, it seemed. Despite this, there was certainly some respect there for his leader, Rick, and definitely a softness for Sophia and Carol. I had seen the hunter make racial slurs directed towards Glenn and T-Dog, which was usually passed over or made out to be more of a pet name rather than an insult. Something intrigued me about the Dixon man and something was definitely familiar. Alarm bells were still ringing but I still could not put my finger on the familiarity that was there.

"Can ya cook?" Daryl asked suddenly, bringing my attention back to reality. I glanced at the man with a frown. "Only I never seen you cookin'." I chuckled a little, remembering how observant the man, himself, was.

"According to Andrea, Lori expects all women to help with domestic duties such as the one her and Carol are doing right now." I glanced at the pair, who appeared to be gossiping about something or other. "I don't see why my gender demands a certain duty from me and are therefore acting against it. I've had enough of cleaning and cooking from the last group and I'd prefer to not think about all that again." Daryl nodded once, but didn't look up.

"Gotta warn ya though, Olive Oil ain't too happy about your lack of cooperation. Carol don't mind at all, but Lori just won't let it go. She's havin' the same trouble with Andrea too and those two had a bit of a bust up a while back. I expect the same is headin' your way too."

"Thanks for the heads up." I muttered, not sure I liked the idea of starting an argument with the woman so soon since I'd arrived. Daryl smirked and finally met my gaze.

"Not sayin' I don't agree with ya though." He said. With a jab of a finger, he gestured in the direction of where Carl and Sophia were playing. "Heard her 'nd Rick arguing over Carl before. Apparently the kid wants to learn how to shoot. Lori is havin' none of it. Still holdin' onto her pathetic excuse 'bout him still bein' a child. What use is him bein' a child if a geek has him cornered and he ain't know how to shoot it?" I shuddered a little at the thought. "Can't shoot cos he's a kid, have to cook cos ya a woman. Swear that woman needs to sort out her priorities cos hers are fucked."

I laughed at Daryl's words, loud enough to draw attention to Sophia and Carl. The pair of them bounded over in a hurry, with playful expressions on their faces.

"Can we play with Toby?" Sophia asked once they reached us. Upon the sound of his name, Toby's head perked up. I shrugged.

"Sure, go right ahead." The pair grinned and ushered Toby to follow them. Without too much coaxing, the dog got to his feet with a grumble and bounded after the two children, who were laughing with glee. I watched them go before turning back to Daryl, whose gaze was also watching the children. "Don't you just wish that sometimes you were still a kid? Without any hassle or worry?" Daryl turned back to me with an expression I couldn't quite place before averting his eyes again.

"Nothing is ever that simple though is it?" Daryl murmured, almost too quiet for me to hear. I frowned a little and opened my mouth to speak when Daryl cut me off. "I heard Rick talkin' to Herschel 'bout your group before."

"They ain't my group." I stated quickly. Daryl ignored my comment.

"Rick doesn't think this area is safe anymore and he reckons they should send out patrols to look for the group so we can monitor where they are."

"Isn't that dangerous?" I asked, glancing over to the kids and back to the hunter again.

"Course it is. But we're in equally as much danger now not knowing where they are. Ya said yourself that they could be close by."

"But they could have gone by now." I piped up quickly. Daryl stopped what he was doing and met my gaze.

"Could?" He repeated. "You ain't sure and that's the point. They're out there and that's all that matters." Silence drew out again and I sighed.

"And what does Rick propose we do if we find them?"

"Like I said, monitor their location. Though no doubt if he informs the group, Rambo will have other ideas." I didn't need to work out who Rambo was. "The ass will want to take a different approach, which will probably be an attack on the other group. An approach that will get a lot, if not all, of us killed." Daryl let me process this, going back to his bolt making, and I sighed again, running a hand through my hair and glancing around camp.

I knew the bliss was too good to be true.

"And what did Herschel have to say in this discussion?" I probed finally, turning back to Daryl. I was met with his steady gaze again as he paused in his work once more.

"He wants us off the farm."

(Author's Note): I recently updated this chapter, which was previously a much more shorter version of this one for those of you who have read it. I decided that I should probably do something about the length as it was far too short, so I've deleted the previous chapter and extended it. Still a bit of a filler, but I hope you all still enjoy it! Sorry for the late update, but I've been very busy and thankfully summer is here and I can crack on with some writing!

I've planned this story quite a bit more, though I'd love to know any of your ideas. What do you want to happen to Merle/Michonne? How will their escape from The Boss's gang go down? Any interactions between Daryl and Ruby that you'd all like to see? How do you think Ruby's dynamics with the members of the group so far are going?

Thanks very much for the reviews, and apologises again for the my tardiness. You're all awesome and I'd be grateful to hear from you again. Until next time, which fingers crossed will be soon!