Chapter Twenty Two

"So, what's the plan then?" T-Dog asked warily, eyeing the fence into the grass compound of the prison. The entire group was gathered between the vehicles, waiting for the plan of action. Our presence has aroused a few of the walkers attention, but nothing too severe or what we couldn't handle. I was stood beside Sophia, her little hand hooked onto one of my belt loops while her other was in Carl's beside her. An adorable sight it had to be said, though I only just had to take on look on Sophia's tear stained face to wipe those thoughts away. She hadn't said much that day, no doubt her mind on her mother, but she refused to stay inside the RV when Lori offered her the option.

"We need to close those gates, Rick." Shane pointed out, gesturing to the gates at the opposite end of the grass compound. "So we're not overwhelmed. We may be able to take down these guys, but there will be more coming from the prison and if we ain't careful it will get nasty." Shane's words were taken note of and surprisingly helpful for a change. Perhaps the previous days events had softened the bigger man slightly.

"Right, well we need to send someone in to close them." Rick muttered glancing around. "You cleared the guard towers?" Daryl nodded when he looked his way. "We'll have a couple of scouts up in each of these three towers then to provide cover. The rest will help with distraction-"

"Wait, Rick." Lori cut in suddenly. "Who exactly will be the one going in there?" She eyed up her husband carefully and Rick stared back. There was a long moments silence as our leader thought the question over.

"I'll go?" Glenn cut in suddenly. "I'm the fastest, it would be easier." Maggie's face dropped as he uttered the words.

"No. You can't." She breathed between shaky breaths, her hand clutching his. "It's too dangerous."

"But it makes sense for me to go. I can get over there quicker. Like I said, I'm faster." Glenn told her, his voice quivering slightly.

"But you're better out here, where it's safe." Maggie urged, firmly. "You're good at shooting, you would be a better up in one of those towers." Glenn looked like he was about to protest but Rick cut in again.

"Maggie's right. You've got a good aim, I'll need you for scouting." Rick muttered. Glenn pondered the order for a moment before nodding. "T-Dog and Glenn will take scout in that tower," He pointed to one of the closer guard towers before turning to the other one and then glancing around the group. "Daryl and Shane up in that one." I saw Daryl's face tense but the hunter didn't say anything, not voicing his opinion of his chosen scouting partner. His said partner however, did had a few things to say.

"Ain't happening, Rick." Shane grunted. "I know where this is headin', you're gonna send yourself in to shut the gates and I ain't lettin' you take that responsibility. We need you out 'ere. You've got as good a shot as any, best job for you is scoutin'." Rick eyed his friend with a stony expression.

"And who would you suggest we send in then?" Rick demanded. I felt my stomach plummet as Shane's eyes swivelled towards myself and I raised an eyebrow.

"You're kidding, right?" I muttered when Shane shrugged.

"Out of us all, you seem to have the best luck at surviving." Shane pointed out. "You've spent a lot of time out in the forest alone, ain't you? I'm sure running through a field will be a doddle compared to what you have been through." I narrowed my eyes.

"You sure it ain't just your attempt to 'dispose of the traitor'?" I demanded, glaring. Shane matched my glare with his own and raised his upper lip in a snarl. Bastard, I thought.

"Enough." Rick cut in before Shane could retort. "Now, if Ruby doesn't want to do it-"

"I didn't say I wouldn't do it." I sighed, meeting Rick's eyes. I shrugged. "Guess I'll give it a go." Rick pondered for a moment before smiling slightly in gratitude.

"Alright, Ruby will close the gates. Glenn and T-Dog, Daryl and Shane-"

"Rick please-"

"Fine, Daryl and Herschel together, I will go with Shane. We'll provide cover from these three guard towers." He turned to the three other woman beside myself. "You'll try and lead as much of the walkers as you can away, distract them by rattling the fences, shout, do whatever you think. Give Ruby a chance to make it through the field but don't let them scratch at you. Kill any if you can, though do it without using bullets - we'll need to save as much as we can."

"What about Sophia and me, Dad?" Carl piped in quickly. I saw Lori tense slightly as Rick thought of his reply.

"You'll help your mother with the distraction." Lori's body relaxed and Rick met his wife's eyes briefly before turning to me.

"I'll need something to tie the fences up with." Rick nodded and made his way into the RV to get something for me. As he did, those scouting made their way towards their designated towers. Daryl hesitated, however, and made his way over towards me.

"What are ya doin'?" He almost growled, quiet enough for only myself to hear. "Ya tryin' to get yourself killed?" I sighed.

"I want to prove myself to Shane that I ain't some traitor." I explained.

"And proving yourself means ya gotta run through a walker infested field with a very high chance of dyin'?" I shrugged and smiled sadly. Daryl studied me for a moment before softening his features. "Ya don't have to prove yourself to that asshole." Daryl added, shaking his head.

"Well, I want to prove myself to everyone else too." I told him. He shook his head.

"Ya already have when you brought Sophia home safely." He breathed. "No one would think differently of ya if ya backed down now." He muttered quickly when he noticed Rick had found the heavy looking chains I would be using to close the gate.

"I can't." I said, slightly unnerved by the intensity in Daryl's gaze. "I don't want you all to think I'm a coward-"

"I don't." Daryl cut in suddenly. There was a brief as Daryl and I merely stared at each other before he coughed and averted his gaze. "Ruby, please-"

"Ruby, here's what you can use to secure the gate." Rick appeared, handing me the item he had found within the RV. I smiled and nodded, feeling Daryl's gaze on me. "Lets get up those towers, Daryl." I turned back to Daryl and attempted to smile at the hunter. Daryl held my gaze for a brief moment before walking away abruptly without looking back. The action hurt a little and there was a horrible feeling in my stomach as I watched the hunter walk away from me. "You alright?" I turned back to Rick and nodded. "You don't have to-"

"I do." I nodded, firmly, wrapping the chains around my torso so I could move easier and grip my weapons. "Let's get started, shall we?" Rick smiled slightly and gripped my shoulder.

"Good luck." He said before making his way up the tower. I watched him go before making my way forward toward Lori, Andrea, Maggie and the children.

"We better get started on this distraction then." Andrea muttered, smiling sadly. "Good luck, Ruby." I smiled my thanks as Maggie and Carl repeated the bid of luck. Sophia held me tight for a moment, sniffing loudly and asking me to 'be careful'. When I promised her I would, she appeared mildy satisfied and joined Carl, following Maggie and Andrea away to get the attention of the walkers rattling at the fences. Starting the distraction. I turned to Lori.

"I'm closing the gate behind you." She explained with a small smile. I nodded and we walked over to the side gate that would lead me into the compound. "You alright?" She asked softly when she prepared herself to open the gate for me.

"I've felt better." I told her truthfully. Lori smiled sadly and gazed to something beside me. When I followed her gaze, I saw Toby by my side. I chuckled a little, realising that he would be joining me, and patted the dog's head. Gripping my gun, and after having a quick reassurance that my knife was in my pocket, I met Lori's gaze again.

"You ready?" She asked. When I nodded, she turned her gaze to something up above and gave the tower her husband was in a thumbs up. There was a moments pause. "Good luck." Then the gate was open and I was inside the compound. The gate was shut behind me.

I locked gaze with my target - the gates at the opposite end of the field - and I ran.

Sometimes I would have nightmares - who wouldn't, really?

The dead would haunt my dreams, much like they did while I was awake, though I would also be haunted by the echoing laughter of someone so very familiar to me.

Sometimes I would wake up in the house I was holding up in for the night, and hear something downstairs. However, Toby hadn't appeared to pick up on anything and still remained sound asleep. This would be strange - usually Toby would pick up on the minute of sounds. I would investigate with a weapon in hand and almost every time find the sickeningly familiar figure waiting for me in a dark room. I would recognise them immediately from their silhouette, not having needed to see their face.

"Miss me, darlin'?" A Southern drawl would ask, also mockingly. And my heart would leap.

However when I turn on the lights, instead of seeing my once firm companion, I would see only the essence of their being - not alive anymore, but now snarling, rotting, eyes hungry.

A dead version of my friend.

And this horrific version would always lunge for me, his teeth ripping into my flesh and tearing me apart. Then I would wake up and I would be alone once more.

I didn't acknowledge the others as I made my way through the grass compound. What I should have noted before I had agreed to this, was the number of walkers - there were a lot more than I had expected. Some around me would drop without warning though and I put it down to the scouts. Guns shots echoed out as the group were dispatching the walkers and I was fortunate enough not to have needed to use my gun yet.

Toby ran out ahead of me slightly and all of a sudden pounced on an approaching walker, sending it to the ground. Teeth teared into rotting flesh and I felt mildly sickened for a moment at Toby's massacre. I ploughed on though. My heart raced and I could see that I was making a good pace across the field.

That was until I tripped. Typical.

I fell face first into the ground, my face planting the grass. I lifted myself up quickly and turned onto my back. I shrieked a little in horror as a legless walker was infact the reason why I had tripped, having grabbed my ankle, and was crawling closer and snarling viciously. My gun had fallen a few paces behind me and I tried to scramble back to it.

All of a sudden though, there was a rush of air and the walker's existence was ended as an arrow bolt had pierced itself into its skull. I glanced briefly up at the tower Daryl was in and smiled slightly before scrambling to my feet. I was met by the sight of an unforgiving amount of walkers, some dropping as they were shot in the head, and yet some were still coming for me and were in the way of my heading. My gun lay discarded on the ground, lost between a group of the dead and I quickly got out my knife and impaled it into a walker close by. It dropped and I moved on.

Adrenaline coursed through me as I took out a few more walkers. When I reached my gun, I was thankful - using my knife was tiring to say the least - and I switched weapons. The gun by far was much more efficient and quick.

When I reached the gates, I shot the walkers that attempted to get through the gates before using my strength to shut the gates quickly. Those of the other side, rattled and snarled at me but I was safe when I had finally closed the gates. With shaky breath, I shrugged off the chain and began to secure them. It took my less time that the main ones had done and I breathed a sigh of relief when the padlocked closed securely and the grass compound was finally secure from the rest of the prison.

All of a sudden though, hands gripped my arms from behind and I smelt the sickening familiar smell of death. Followed by a snarl and the inevitability of what was about to happen. The monster bit down. I screamed.

I came across a man once. A living man. I was settling into an abandoned barn one night when he appeared, shotgun in hand. There was a tense moment as we both aimed our weapons at each other and Toby bared his teeth. I watched as the man narrowed his eyes, studying me over, before grunting and lowering his gun.

"You hungry, miss?" The older man muttered. I nodded, lowering my weapon and followed the man up the ladder onto the high level.

He didn't give me his name, told me he didn't trust people enough to give his name in this new world. I respected his choice and didn't give him my name either. He did however feed me and ask me questions about the outside world.

"I've been holding out in this barn for a while now." He told me. "Got enough supplies to last me a while." He nodded to his stash in the corner of the attic. The man then turned to me with a thoughtful expression. "You got a group?" I shook my head.

"Just me." I told him. "And the dog." I added, vaguely nodding to where Toby lay at my feet. He hummed and nodded, barely acknowledging the dog.

"I reckon it's best that way." He muttered. "If it's just yourself then you only gotta look after yourself. Survive a hell of a lot longer that way."

"Yes, but what's the point in living if all you're doing is surviving?" I challenged. The man paused and met my gaze briefly. He gave me a toothless grin and shrugged.

"You got me there, miss."

The man allowed me to spend the night in the barn, though told me I would have to be on my way in the morning. Again, I respected the man's wishes and told him I would leave first thing. I slept with mild comfort, though with slight wariness of my companion for the night. I kept an eye open as I slept.

When morning came, I thanked the man for his hospitality and he gave me a small bundle of food from his stash for my travels.

"Stay safe, miss."

And with that, Toby and I were on our way again. What could be certain was that spending the night with the nameless man had uplifted my spirits. He was a reminder that I wasn't alone in this cruel world. Living people were out there. I just had to find them.

It took me a mere moment to realise that while the walker had bitten down with its jaws, it had not pierced my skin. Hadn't even grazed it. Instead it had latched onto my jacket and I felt my heart lurch - I wasn't done just yet.

In a moment, I quickly shrugged myself out of my jacket and dropped to the floor. I turned on my back and stared up at the culprit that had tried to take a chunk out of me. Its teeth was still latched into my jacket but I was glad that was all it had latched onto. I fumbled for my gun as the walker attempted to go for me again and I took one clean shot at it through the head. It dropped with a thud and I felt myself become overwhelmed with exhaustion. That was far too close for my liking.

There was still a few walkers within the compound but I watched as they each dropped to the floor before my eyes, thanks to the scouts up high. I didn't move, merely watched on as the compound was cleared out, not really finding it within myself to get to my feet. I was still recovering from my close call.

When the final bullet rang out and the final walker dropped, there was a moment of silence. It echoed painfully and I sat back on my hands, turning to see Toby bounding over. I dodged his tongue as he attempted to lick my face. Recalling how previously he had just been ripping the walkers apart with his teeth, I wasn't sure I wanted his mouth near me right now. I settled for patting him of the head anyway. There was movement from the opposite side of the field and I saw the group gathering in the main compound before making their way inside and towards me.

When I saw the first figure running across the field towards me, I heaved myself to my feet. I recognised the tiny little figure immediately and stumbled forward to meet Sophia and her awaiting arms. She launched herself at me and cried a little into my shirt. This reaction stunned me for a moment and I swallowed hard, thinking of Carol briefly.

"It's alright." I tried to sooth, stroking her hair. "I'm alright." More figures were running towards me now, though I tensed a little when I saw weapons were trained in my direction. What was going on?

"Sophia, step away!" Shane's voice barked. He had his shotgun trained at my head and I shied back from the intense darkness in his gaze. In confusion, I looked around the rest of the group, who had stopped quite a distance away. I realised it wasn't just Shane who had a weapon raised at me.

Rick held up his pistol, though his face was soft, upset almost. I frowned and glanced towards where Andrea, T-Dog and Glenn all had their guns trained on me, the former with tears in her eyes. What was going on?

"Guys?" I breathed, prying Sophia's arms from around me, noticing how they stiffened at Sophia's contact with me. "Is there are reason as to why you are pointing your guns at me?"

"Cos we saw."Shane hissed before anyone else could. I frowned in confusion.

"Saw what?" I demanded through gritted teeth. Sophia sniffed loudly.

"You were bit." She said through tears. "You're gonna turn into one of them. I've just lost Momma and now I'm going to lose you too." I frowned, opening my mouth wordlessly, unsure as to what to say.

"Sophia, come away, sweetie." Lori urged the girl softly. Sophia shook her head and gripped my hand tighter, so tight it was painful.

"But I wasn't bit." I told them, simply. They didn't look convinced though.

"Don't play that shit, we saw that walker get you from behind." Shane growled. I glared at the man and pulled my hand from Sophia's before walking over to the walker that had apparently 'bitten' me. I pulled my jacket from its dead dead grip and threw it to the man.

"It just caught my jacket, I managed to get away before it bit me." I muttered. To prove a point, I turned around and lifted up my hair to show them that the back of my shirt was still in tact and that there was evidently no bite marks. When I turned back to face the group, Glenn, T-Dog and Rick were all lowering their weapons. Andrea had already lowered hers and was smiling at me with relief. Shane was a bit more hesitant and examined the jacket before sending me one last glare and lowering his gun.

"Well, that's enough excitement for one day." Glenn muttered, breaking the silence, and looking around. "What we gonna do with all the bodies?" His question had broken the tense air between us all and Rick went into leader mode again, completely forgetting the previous exchange.

"We'll bring in the vehicles and we'll gather up all the bodies in a pile. We gotta burn them but I'd rather we did that outside of the prison." He began, glancing around. "We'll pile them in the entrance compound for now."

"It's nearly dark, Rick." Lori reminded her husband. "What will we do afterwards?"

"We'll leave the rest of the prison for tomorrow. Once we've gathered up all the bodies, we'll rest up for the night. I'll need a couple of people to just scout the perimeter of this compound once more while the rest of us are moving bodies, just to make sure it's secure."

"You mind if I take the scouting job?" I asked. "I think I've had too much close contact with walkers today." Rick nodded and gazed around the group before meeting gaze with Daryl.

"You help her." He told the hunter, who merely nodded. "Lets get this done quick." With that the group dispersed, some heading to the gates to bring in the vehicles as some prepared to move the scattered bodies. Sophia hugged me one last time before joining Carl and Lori. Leaving me the job of scouting with Daryl. I gazed at the man as he approached me, his eyes on the walker at my feet - the one that had tried to bite me. Once he was about a metre away, he raised his gaze to mine.

"Thought ya were a goner." He muttered. "Saw the walker attack ya from behind. I tried to kill it but my arrows didn't reach far enough." I smiled slightly.

"I appreciate the gesture." I attempted to lighten the mood, though Daryl's hard expression didn't waver. "Thank you for saving my life anyway." Meaning the legless walker that had tripped me. Daryl's expression still showed no emotion and I tensed back a little at his scrutiny.

"Thought ya weren't trying to get yourself killed?" He stated, monotone. I snorted.

"It wasn't intentional, I assure you." I realised then that I was still shaking from the close encounter. The thoughts that ran through my mind as I felt its grip on me were enough to make me sick. I couldn't even describe how I had felt when I realised that it hadn't bitten through to my skin. "Were you worried?" I asked before I could stop myself. I tensed as Daryl narrowed his eyes, my cheeks reddening slightly, and there was a few long moments of silence with us merely staring at each other. All of a sudden, Daryl averted his gaze and had turned to look at the walker that had tried to kill me again. I studied his hard expression, it was almost of pure loathing, and I physically flinched when Daryl raised his crossbow and shot an arrow though the walker's skull at close range without a moments hesitation or a warning.

"Just to make sure." He muttered, pulling his arrow bolt out of the walkers skull and walking away from me, towards the gate to make sure it was secure no doubt. I stared down at the walker again - pretty certain it was very much dead before Daryl had made sure it was - before stumbling away from it and trailing after Daryl to make sure the fence of the compound was safe for the night.

A fire was made and the group gathered around it when all the work was done. All the bodies had been piled in the main compound and Daryl and I had made sure the perimeter was secure. Now all the work was done for the day, everyone was trying to find warmth, comfort, just something good after the days we had had before us. Not a word was spoken between us, though the silence was mutual and full of understanding. No words needed to be spoken as the silence spoke full meaning of our losses.

We were in mourning.

Our group had taken a substantial blow from the attack on the farm but we had made it through somehow and found each other in the madness. A glimpse of hope had arisen in the darkness when Daryl and I had stumbled across this prison. Though it would take time, countless ideas had arisen since we had secured ourselves within the compound. We could start a life here, build ourselves and our humanity again. It would take time, but we could make it work. Because we were strong. And everything the group as a whole had been through, it would have to take something immensely strong to break us.

I pondered over that a moment, glancing around the group with a frown. Toby lay closely beside me and I absently ran my fingers through his fur as I thought about the situation we had found ourselves in. Though we hadn't been with the group around us long, the idea of leaving had long passed since the first day I had arrived. The faces that stared into the fire had become familiar to me now and the thought made me smile slightly. It was a strange feeling to be sat here. While at the farm, I was around them all, I still felt like the outside, the tourist. Now, things seemed a little different. There seemed to have been a shift in the air and I suddenly felt more welcomed into the group. It was strange to be a part of something again, part of a companionship like this. Strange, but good.

"This reminds me when you'd take us camping in summer." Maggie spoke suddenly in a soft, wistful tone. Eyes turned to the remaining Greene daughter, though her gaze only stared into the fire. There was a communal confusion amongst the group, though judging by the soft expression on Herschel's face, the old farmer had understood his daughter's words.

"We'd sit around a campfire at night and look up at the stars." Herschel nodded. "Then I'd tell you kids ghost stories and you'd spend all night giggling to yourselves in the tent even after I'd told you girls to go to sleep." Maggie smiled. "I was never very good at telling ghost stories though." Chuckles erupted from the group.

"Naww, you were Daddy." Maggie grinned. "I'd have to sneak into Beth's room for weeks after camping to stay up with her until she went to sleep because she was so scared." There was a stony silent as Beth's name was mentioned. Maggie's grin flattered a little and Herschel looked down into the fire again, his expression sad.

"Where did you go camping at?" Carl asked suddenly, before the mood went truly low. Maggie raised her gaze and met the young boy's expectant one.

"Only in one of the fields on the farm." She grinned back, glancing at Herschel. "You didn't want to take us too far, did you, Dad?" Herschel chuckled.

"I couldn't leave my farm over night." He pointed out. "Otis would run riot." Maggie rolled her eyes and leant her head against her father's shoulder, curling herself into him with a small smile on her face. It was a nice sight, though their sad expressions couldn't be ignored.

"I've only ever been camping once." Carl carried on. "And that was a disaster." Rick looked suddenly sheepish and met his wife's smiling gaze. "Dad set the tent on fire."

"By accident!" Rick defended himself over the laughter.

"Oh, man, I remember when the whole thing went up." Shane chuckled, shaky his head. "I've never seen something catch so quickly alight as your tent did that night."

"How did it catch on fire exactly?" Glenn asked, hesitantly. Rick shook his head and scratched the back of his head, almost in shame. His partner, however, wasn't about to let him slide. He smirked devilishly at Rick and the leader smiled back. It was the first time I'd seen such a nice exchange between the two, I realised. It was almost like a glimpse into their past, I realised. Back when they were partners once more.

"Rick decided it would be a good idea to put the lighter fluid next to the camp fire, with the lid off." Shane told the group, grinning from ear to ear. "One minute we're all sat there, happy days, the next Rick knocks the damn tub over and boom! The whole thing explodes in our faces and the tent's on fire."

"I lost a whole lotta clothes that camping trip." Lori added, smiling. Carl met Sophia's gaze and the pair grinned at each other. Seeing the smile on Sophia's face brought one onto my own. It was nice to see her smiling again after hearing about her mother. And it wasn't just them either that were enjoying the tale. The mood around the camp fire had lifted immensely with the mere activity of telling simple memories to one another.

"Thought cops were supposed to 'ave more common sense." Daryl muttered, raising an eyebrow at Rick. Rick sent the hunter a playful glare, which Daryl seemed a little shocked to received. I put this down to Daryl perhaps not being used to being teased by the sheriff as he quickly ducked his gaze.

"He had enough common sense to keep his belongings in my tent, which did not burn down." Shane added. "Lori's stuff however was another story."

An innocent look was passed between Shane and Lori then, a look that was surpassed by most as Carl then went into lengthily details about how Shane and Rick had to put out the tent fire and how at one point, Rick's pants caught fire, subsequently leading onto Rick removing his pants.

While the others listened intently, laughing appropriately, to Carl's tale I observed Lori and Shane from my position opposite them across the campfire. They merely gazed at each other, eyes locked, their expressions fixed solely on each other. It was as if no one else existed in that minute amount of time between them. It was gone in an instant however, as Lori's expression turned sour and she shook her head once before turning away from Shane's gaze and focusing her attention on her son's story. For a brief moment hers and my eyes met and I attempted to smile at the woman, not wanting any bad feelings between us anymore. I was surprised when she returned the smile warmly.

When I turned to Shane, I saw that his expression had turned emotionless and he didn't appear to be listening to Carl's story anymore, and was instead staring intently into the fire. I didn't want to know what thoughts were going through that man's mind right now.

"Wait a minute, ya only ever been campin' once?" Daryl muttered, talking to Carl, and apparently recovered now. The boy shrugged. "Merle 'nd I used to go campin' all the bloody time. Where we lived had a lot of forests. Some days Merle would pitch up home 'nd say we were campin' for a few days 'nd that would be it. Merle taught me how to hunt when we went campin'. Reckon I was only 'bout twelve when he taught me how to use a crossbow."

"Twelve?" Sophia and Carl asked in unison. It was as if their minds worked in sync and I knew immediately what the two twelve year olds were thinking.

"Don't even think about it." Lori said simply when Carl turned to her. A pout fell on the boy's lips. I was surprised when Sophia turned her gaze to me, an expectant look on her face. I was taken back by the love and intensity behind her eyes but reminded myself that I had obviously been named Sophia's unofficial guardian for now. I wasn't sure whether to be happy about this or sad. Though studying Sophia, I still could see her own sadness lingering in her gaze, as she no doubt wished she was asking permission from someone else right now, not myself. Thinking of Carol, I swallowed hard.

"Don't look at me like that." I muttered, trying to think appropriately. "I bet you couldn't even hold the crossbow up for more than five seconds anyway." Sophia's brows burrowed in a challenge and she turned to Daryl. The hunter smirked and passed his crossbow over to the little girl. As soon as he dropped his grip from the weapon and Sophia had sole custody of it, her arms buckled under the sudden weight and it landed on the floor with a thud. "Told you so." I was rewarded with a pouted glare.

"You mind if I ask who Merle is?" Maggie asked, suddenly. There was a moments pause and I realised that the Greene's obviously didn't know about Merle Dixon. The group probably assumed I didn't either and I glanced briefly at Daryl's tense face before turning my attention to Toby, who had seemingly fallen asleep due to the warmth of the campfire and my hand absently stroking him.

"Nah, I don't mind." Daryl shrugged. "He's my brother." He reached back across the group and retrieved his crossbow from Sophia, tucking it safely next to him.

"You lost him too?" Maggie asked, sincerely, her expression sad. Daryl shook his head and met my gaze briefly.

"There was a mix up in Atlanta." Rick piped up suddenly. "We ended up leaving him behind." Confusion fell across Herschel's and Maggie's faces, while my gaze turned to the fire, thoughts on my old companion. I willed myself not to think too hard as the memories got quite painful though I couldn't dull out the echoing obnoxious laughter.

"I don't understand." Herschel said, gaze darting between Daryl and Rick.

"My brother was an asshole, Rick handcuffed him to a roof cos he was a threat to the group." He paused, eyes lingering on T-Dog before turning back to the fire. T-Dog shifted uncomfortably and I saw a look of guilt flash across the man's face. "There was a complication 'nd he got left behind." I glanced again at T-Dog across the fire and saw the big man tense slightly.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Maggie breathed, swallowing down hard. Daryl shook his head before scoffing.

"My brother ain't dead." He told her. "Cut his own hand off to save himself but he ain't dead. He's out there alive. We'll find him one day."

"I'll remember to crack out the champagne when that day comes." Shane muttered, meeting Daryl's glare across the fire. "Face it Daryl, there's a very high chance Merle died from blood loss. He cut off his own hand for Christ's sake! That ain't the sort of liability you need in a world like this, man. I reckon it's time you face the facts; your brother is dead. He probably didn't even make it out of Atlanta."

"He ain't dead." Daryl hissed, fists clenching as he glared at the burly man.

"He's isn't." I added suddenly, cutting Shane off from whatever snotty retort he was going to fire at Daryl. Eyed turned to me again and I sighed.

"And you would know that, how?" Shane demanded. It was odd how the mood had changed so rapidly from mellow to confrontational. We had one man to thank for that!

"Because he was one of the two people I escaped with from my previous group." I explained bluntly. "I can assure you he was alive and well and not dying from blood loss. I daresay his handicap has no effect to his capability to survive." I smiled when Daryl met my gaze, in an attempt to tell him I 'had his back'. The hunter didn't return it and I gathered he was still pissed from Shane's outburst. Or my apparent suicidal bid.

"Another secret you've been keeping-"

"It's not a secret you needed to know." I cut Shane off again. "The only person who needed to know was Daryl and I told him. End of story." The mood tensed slightly as silence drew on after my words. I urged for the light mood from before to return, it was so refreshing compared to what we were used to. What we were used to were Shane's bickering and confrontations. I didn't want to end the night like this, not after the days we had been having.

"You know what, I can safely say I've never been camping." T-Dog spoke suddenly and I smiled as the man attempted to keep the conversation going. Thankful for it.

"Honestly?" Daryl asked in disbelief. T-Dog still held a little guilt in his gaze as he turned to the hunter, but Daryl raised his eyebrow in question and it seemed to ease T-Dog a little. The man smiled.

"Me neither." Glenn admitted, shrugging. "Don't really get the appeal."

"I think it's romantic." Maggie smiled softly, meeting Glenn's gaze. At this, Glenn seemed to stutter over his words as Maggie continued to stare boldly at him, an exchange that didn't go unnoticed. Herschel coughed abruptly and Glenn's face reddened comically, causing the group to chuckle at his expense. Even Maggie grinned in amusement to Glenn's reaction. The tension in the air was lifted slightly.

Stories were thrown about the camp fire as each person contributed somehow. It was a nice evening, the nicest in a long time. It wasn't before long though that Rick announced that we should go get some rest for tomorrow's big push into the prison. Sleeping arrangements were planned out immediately. It was decided that Lori, the children, Maggie and Herschel would take rest in the RV. It was also intently decided that Glenn would not take rest in the RV and would take rest quite a distance away in the back of the red Chevrolet with T-Dog. Shane and Rick took rest in the front seats of the RV, squashed quite amusingly uncomfortably together, while Andrea and myself took the green Hyundai. Daryl was on first watch and Toby appeared to want to join him, paddling after the hunter when he left.

I wasn't so keen on the idea of sleeping in the back of the Hyundai, though took the chance of rest immediately and got inside beside my blonde friend. We folded seats and pushed the chairs forward to accommodate ourselves before wrapping ourselves up in the blankets that had been provided for us. I sighed when I had finally gotten myself mildly comfortable.

"I still can't get over that we're inside a prison." Andrea muttered. I chuckled a little.

"Cells and jumpsuits is what we can look forward to." I added. Andrea hummed in agreement.

"Can't say I'd complain though." She sighed. "Anything's better than what we've been through."

"Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes." Right before me stood Laurent and I wasn't surprised by his appearance. What I was surprised at was his physical being. He looked a mess. His face looked thoroughly battered, a black bruise over his right eye and his lip split. "Who'd you pick a fight with? You look terrible." I muttered, eyeing up Laurent's shaking posture, it seemed his ribs had taken a battering as well. His eyes narrowed and he sat himself beside me. With shaky breaths he turned to me.

"A new guy in camp." He explained. "Fancies himself as a hard man. Thinks he's better than the rules." I raised an eyebrow. "Got a little cocky and I found myself in a brawl with the man."

"Is this one of those moments when you say 'you should see the other guy'?" I asked, eyeing his injuries. Laurent chuckled darkly.

"You wouldn't want to see the other guy." He replied. "Weren't a right lot left recognisable of him after the Governor had his turn."

It seemed as if I had just drifted off to sleep when the car shook suddenly as Andrea opened the door. I groaned tiredly and glanced out the windows - it was still dark out.

"Where are you going?" I asked, lazily. Andrea jumped out of the car and turned to me.

"My turn on watch." She explained before smiling and leaving. I groaned in frustration at having been woken up and closed my eyes again, urging myself to drift off to sleep. The car shook as someone got inside and the door shut softly. The was a moment of silence and suddenly a familiar scent tickled my nose. A familiar scent of a particular hunter. I opened my eyes and sure enough saw Daryl lying in Andrea's place. What concerned me then was how on earth I had recognised Daryl's smell.

"Ya asleep?" Daryl muttered quietly.

"Yes." I replied, earning myself a chuckle from the hunter. As of a sudden, something wet licked my face and for one horrifying moment, I thought it was Daryl. Jumping in shock, I grasped forward and thankfully latched onto some fur. Sighing in relief, I was glad to focus on Toby's form as the dog loomed over me. I shied away from his tongue though, grimacing at the memories of where it had been that day. Quickly, I wiped my face.

"I cleaned his mouth, don't worry." Daryl piped up suddenly. Glancing at the form beside me, I frowned. "Well, I did the best I could." I nodded, despite him probably not being able to see me. I grumbled to myself before lying back, allowing Toby to settle beside me with his head in my lap.

"You still mad at me for almost getting killed?" I asked finally, unsure about the silence. "Cos if you ask me, I think it's a silly thing to get mad at me for."

"Ya would." Daryl replied softly, and I could hear the smile in his voice. This only made me frown though I let the subject drop.

"I'm sorry about what Shane was saying about Merle to you before." I said, quietly. "He's an ass." Daryl snorted.

"Yeah he is." He agreed. "But it's alright. I know he's just full of piss 'nd wind. He's just another dumb, air-headed cop. I know Merle's out there somewhere, just gotta wait for the bastard to come find me." A pause. "Us." I smiled at this.

"And I'm sure he'll make some grand entrance, he's the kinda person who'd like that."

"Yeah, he'll be all dramatic 'bout it, make a right show 'nd dance." I listened to the sound of Daryl's voice, so full of admiration for his missing brother, and yet with a hint of sadness. Before I knew what I was doing, I had reached across the back seat Daryl and I shared and found Daryl's hand. I held it tightly and gave it a squeeze, taking note of Daryl flinching when I touched him.

"Merle will be alright, Daryl." I told him, hoping my voice was strong enough to fill Daryl with hope. Despite his words, I knew there was doubt in Daryl. Doubt of his brother's survival. The love for his brother was evident even just through the tone of the hunter's voice.

"He did right by ya, didn't he?" Daryl asked suddenly, his voice shaking a little from nerves. I wasn't sure whether it was the topic or the fact I was holding his hand. "It's just, Merle ain't really got such a great history when it comes to women. He didn't hurt ya or-"

"No." I quickly confirmed. "No, Merle never hurt me. He called me a few names, got a bit angry at times and shouted, but he never hurt me." I paused and sighed. "Perhaps it takes a world like this that can change a man like Merle?" Daryl was silent for a moment, contemplating my words. Suddenly though, Daryl gripped my hand back and returned with a squeeze of my hand. The action stunned me for a moment.

"Maybe." He agreed. "Hopefully." Another drawn out silence. "Those people ya were with," I couldn't help but flinch at the memories. "Did they ever- ya know- did they ever hurt ya?"

"Not like they did the other women." I admitted. "Michonne and I remained anonymous to the men, we were good at keeping ourselves busy when they came over. They didn't like to interrupt our work, especially when it was for their gain. I know if I didn't have Michonne I probably would have turned out just like the rest of the women." There was an eerie pause from Daryl and I heard him trying to control his breathing. "I thought I told you this before?"

"Ya did, but I just wanted to make sure." I frowned and was about to continue the subject when Daryl abruptly changed it. "So ya Sophia's new momma now." I winced at this.

"I'm not her momma, I can't replace Carol." I told him quietly. No one could replace Carol in Sophia's eyes. "But I'll look after her and I won't let anything hurt her as long as I live. Or at least I'll try to. I promised Carol that at least."

"I can imagine ya done more for that little girl than she's used to." I remembered briefly that Carol had said something like that about Daryl in comparison to Sophia's father.

"Nothing can compare to her mother's love." I reminded him. "I can't compare to her mother's love." Daryl squeezed my hand again.

"Ya don't have to, ya just gotta keep doin' what ya doin' 'nd I know everythin' will be alright. Sophia will be alright." I sighed and pulled my hand away from Daryl's to curl up under the blanket. My hand felt cold with the absence of his hand.

"I sincerely hope you're right."

(Author's Note): Hello all! Sorry this update took longer than expected, been a busy bee again! :) Thank you for the support from the previous chapter. I appreciate all your words and comments very much!

I did intend to rush the action on a bit and have them clear out the cell block etc but I realised that rushing it for the sake of it wasn't really my style. I know that my story may be dragging and apologises for the lack of Daryl/Ruby romance but I want to establish things first rather than jump right in - I hate that about some stories on here. Hopefully you can see the growing relationship between the pair now, but hopefully still within Daryl's character. Let me know how you think Daryl/Ruby's relationship is progressing. Too slow for you? Too fast? Just right? Hate them? Love them? :)

Still undecided about the prisoners. I know most of you will be expecting their appearance but I'm unsure how I'm gonna play them out. I have two different versions of the prisoners to go off as the Tv series and the comics base them all quite differently. I'm not up for making any up - I like the ones that have been established already and I feel I've already added enough OC to this story already. Though if there is a particular prisoner or verison of prisoners (comic/tv) that you guys prefer please say, I'd like to know where everyone is standing.

Mid season finale soon! Lucky Americans get to watch it tonight, whilst us from the UK have to wait until friday! For those American readers, I beg you not to give too many spoilers to me after watching it today if you are kind enough to leave a review. I can't even begin to express how excited I am to see how the last episode plays out (I'm hoping for some Daryl/Merle action) but sad to see it end for a while. Roll on February!

And for anyone who enjoys watching fanvids of this show, or just love Walking Dead in general, there's a link on my profile of a video on youtube called 'The Walking Dead-Goodbye'. I would recommend it to every single one of you, it's a beautiful piece of work that really displays all emotions throughout the three seasons so far. Give it a watch and I promise you won't regret it! :)

Thanks again for the support and fingers crossed I'll have an update up ASAP.