Chapter Thirty Two

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The noise grated through me, drumming through my head and nagging at my mind. I closed my eyes, trying to drown it out. It would stop for a moment but then start up again. Tap, tap, tap. I repressed a groan and opened my eyes, glaring at its source.

"You wanna cut that out?" Andrea hissed, glaring at Axel who felt the need to fill the silence with irritating tapping. Andrea was apparently finding the noise equally as draining as myself. Axel shied away from the blonde's stare and drew into himself, ceasing all noise. I sighed through my nose. Thank you.

We weren't doing anything now but waiting. And it was agonising. Being forced to wait for the others only gave us all chance to think and after everything that had happened, thinking about our situation was surely torturing each and every one of us. But no one had the heart or energy to make conversation to distract each other.

Herschel and Axel still sat on the same bench as before, both tucked into their selves. Maggie sat beside her father, her head leaning against his shoulder with a distant look on her face. I could see that she clutched her father's hand tightly under the table and the father and daughter seemed comforted with the contact. Andrea stood with her back leaning against the wall beside the door, ready to open it when someone came back. She had her arms folded tightly and her expression was hard and thoughtful. If she was going for an intimidating look, she certainly had it cracked and I didn't blame Axel for shying away from the woman.

Lori, Sophia and I were sat together on the floor with our backs against the wall. Toby lay in front of us - I had completely (guiltily) forgotten about the dog in all the mess, but he made an appearance pretty quickly and I gathered the dog had hidden too in the chaos. He remained with us for comfort and I thought of how easily I could have lost my old friend and wouldn't have realised until it was too late. How could I have done that? Toby's ignorance was help as the dog held no grudge, though the thought still nagged in my brain. Toby was slowly losing contact with me now and was adapting amongst the group, usually seen with the children now. It was odd how I'd gone from being in the dog's presence every second of every day to forgetting his entire existence altogether. Shocking really.

I sat between Lori and Sophia, the latter leaning against my shoulder. I didn't want to look down at the girl incase I disturbed her, but I would put money (if money meant something anymore) that Sophia was asleep. I hoped she was, at least then she could be dreaming of something happy and nice, instead of worrying about the absence of her best friend. Lori had fixed her stare on the opposite wall, a blank expression on her face. One hand lay on her belly, whilst the other gripped my hand tightly for support.

The over-whelming physical contact had alarmed me at first but now I had grown used to it, I was happy for it. The warmth helped a little.

Nothing had been said in a long time - disregarding Andrea's comment - and I was getting worried for the others in the cell block and their inner turmoils. Though when I began to focus on this thought I was strayed away with worrying about the others still out in the prison.

No one must follow.

That had been Rick's order and we were so far sticking to it. Though it was getting increasingly harder. It was hard to remain safe and sound inside the cell block when the others were clearly not so safe and sound. It was hard just not doing anything even if it was following Rick's orders.

I thought of Daryl the most, I was unashamed to admit it now. Though I knew the hunter was more than capable, I still couldn't shake the image of him and Carl running down the corridor away from the herd of hungry walkers. The reassurance that Daryl would look after the pair of them was wearing off fast. Because surely he'd have brought them back by now? What if he's dead-

I didn't want to think of it, just the thought made me sick. Having seeing Allen and T-Dog already was enough. No more, please. But grief still over-whelmed me, still lingering from our fallen comrades, but also at the prospect of the other's demises. Daryl's demise.

I thought of my initial meeting with the hunter, his bitterness and untrustworthy nature. Then I thought of the way he and Toby bonded and how the dog created a bridge between Daryl and I. All the small talk we made that eventually grew to conversation. How the hunter slowly became used to it, no matter how much he said that he hated it. When Daryl had been the one to find me after the chaos at the farm he took care of me, and carried on taking care of me even now. How he seemed to accept me into the group long before most - disregarding Carol and Sophia - and had become my friend. The realisation of the connection with Merle that could have broke us, but brought us closer? His protectiveness that caused many arguments over the months. And the moment in the guard tower that just confused everything between us, the feelings I sometimes felt when Daryl was around, the way I thought about him sometimes. Friends didn't appear to act like that one with another; they most certainly didn't in the old world. But perhaps things had changed in this new world? Priorities certainly had so surely other things could have done too? But surely I wasn't so much of an idiot to piece things together.

Daryl Dixon was more than a friend to me.

Exactly what he was most certainly was the question. A question I had to pose on Daryl himself? If he didn't die before I could.

I hitched a sob in my throat and I had to pry my hand from Lori's to cover my mouth, quietening the noise so not to disturb Sophia. I didn't want to attract attention to myself and thankfully Lori's seemed to be the only one I had gathered. The woman eyed me curiously, with a look of concern in her gaze. Though she didn't question anything, I suppose she didn't have to. Lori studied me for a few moments before looking away.

"Someone needs to go look for them." She announced to us all, her voice dry from the lack of talking for so long. Nethertheless it was heard amongst the group and everyone turned to her. Sophia was the only one who didn't stir and I could conclude then that she was sleeping. A small positive.

"And who are you suggesting goes to look?" Andrea asked, raising an eyebrow. Lori shrugged.

"Anyone. I'll go if no one wants to volunteer, though you've all observed how bad I am when it comes to shooting." She muttered. "But we can't just sit here any longer, we need to do something."

"Rick said we had to wait-"

"I don't care." Lori shook her head, causing Andrea to scoff. She didn't argue anymore though and silence fell across the cell block as everyone glanced at each other. We certainly weren't the most able group, that was for sure.

"I'll go." I sighed, when no one stepped forward. I needed to do something. Feeling helpless was the worst feeling and being confined in the cell block was just agonising my thoughts.

"Me too." Andrea nodded. "Though I think everyone else should stay back, we don't need to split the group anymore than it already is." Everyone agreed with this and I gently shook Sophia awake. The girl blinked a few times before raising her head to look at me with sleepy eyes.

Lori promised to look after Sophia while we left and Maggie took over Andrea's position on the door. We quickly restocked our weapons before Andrea and I left the cell block, bidding a promise that'll we do our best to find the others. The sound of the door clanging and locking behind us rang out and I wasn't sure that the dark corridors were the preferred option anymore to the confinement.

At first, we had no particular heading, though we tried to stick to routes we knew. We headed to the showers, the infirmary, the kitchens though they all lead to nothing and the scarce amount of walkers was a worrying thought.

"I think we should head to the generator room." Andrea suggested. "I know Rick said not to, but something's obviously happened." I agreed with the woman and we attempted to navigate our way to the generator room - defying our leader's order.

The silence between Andrea and I felt like it needed to be filled. It seemed unusual that we were together and not talking about something or nothing, but perhaps the situation called for silence?

"How are you holding up?" Andrea asked, softly. I glanced at her figure beside me in the darkness and repressed a sigh.

"As well as everyone else, I suppose." I replied, swallowing back the bad memories.

"Not everyone had to see T-Dog and Allen all-" She cut herself off thankfully and I grimaced to myself.

"Don't suppose I'll forget in a hurry." I admitted. "But we have to concentrate on getting the others back for now. We can mourn later."

"Let's just hope there'll be no one else to mourn for." Andrea muttered. And I couldn't help but agree with her.

We carried on down the dismal corridors, avoiding walkers when we could, until we approached the heavy metal door that read the words; "KEEP OUT STAFF ONLY". It looked like we had found the right place but we hesitated before making a move. Listening outside for a moment, we heard no noise come from within. I rose my torch beam to Andrea's face to signal that we go inside on the count of three. Andrea nodded, cocking her gun and then braced the door.

...1

...2

...3

I went inside first, my weapon raised. I felt Andrea's presence behind me and heard the direct sound of her closing the door behind us. It had been a long time since I had been inside the generator room but it looked much the same as it did before. Though, as we had expected to find a confrontation between the men, we were completely surprised to find nothing. No one at all. I glanced at Andrea nervously.

"Where the hell are they?" She muttered, lowering her gun now that immediate threat wasn't around. We scanned the room in silence, to see if there was any evidence of the men being here at all. This was worrying. "Looks like they were here." Andrea announced, nodding to a mess of chairs and shelves that were scattered all over the floor at the back of the room. "Signs of a fight perhaps?" I shrugged before something caught my eye and I illuminated it with the beam of my torch.

"Where do you suppose that leads?" I wondered, frowning at an ajar door at the back corner. Andrea met my gaze with a thoughtful look.

"We should take a look." She nodded.

"Lets turn the power back on first, so we're not running about in the dark anymore and those at the cell block can watch the monitors." I suggested.

When Andrea agreed, we proceeded to tackle the job or turning the power back on. It was a hefty job that was confused us with various dials and switches, but when the lights in the room flickered on and the room began to murmur with a buzzing noise, it felt as if the prison had come back to life again. It eased the tension.

We approached the door at the back of the room, hesitant to where it led to having not seen it before. Andrea led the way through the threshold and we were then heading down a claustrophobic corridor that was only barely lit up with the beam of the bulbs above our heads. There was damp, rotting smell that surprisingly wasn't tinged with death like we were used to. There was a faint drip, drip noise which we couldn't quite place but seemed to put us on edge as we crept quietly down the trail.

"Do you hear that?" Andrea murmured, suddenly, halting her movements. We listened for a moment until my ears picked up on what she was hearing.

"Footsteps." I muttered back, glancing behind us to make sure we weren't being followed, before following Andrea who had picked up the pace.

Which way the footsteps were coming from seemed hard to distinguish but with each step we took, they appeared to get closer. It seemed as if they were coming towards us. Andrea halted again when the corridor was turned in a corner and the footsteps were most definitely close now. The blonde glanced back at me and jutted with her head in the direction of the corner. I swallowed hard before nodding.

In a sharp motion, I had lunged around the corner with my gun out in front of me with every intention to pull the trigger if necessary.

"Woah, don't shoot!" A voice cried. The dim bulbs didn't quite light up their face so Andrea raised her torch so we could see their identity.

I heard a growl from the woman behind me when Andrew's surprised face was illuminated and she jumped forward to snatch the gun from his hand before he could react. He looked like he'd been through the works and I took a guess that perhaps Shane had been the culprit behind his state. His face was bruised and battered, his body hunched over and apparently not fairing much better. I would have pitied the man if I hadn't have remembered that he was the reason T-Dog and Allen were dead and the group was broken throughout the prison.

"You fucking asshole." Andrea hissed. I didn't lower my weapon and I saw the man glance nervously between us before swallowing down hard, which looked painful to do so. Good.

"Please, I didn't do anything-"

"Save it, we know you're behind all this." Andrea cut in. "You've done this to us and you better give us one good reason for Ruby not to put a bullet in your head right now."

"You can't kill me!" Andrew begged, glancing between us and grimacing at the barrel of my gun. "The sheriff wouldn't want you to kill me!" At the mention of our leader, Andrea appeared to hesitate.

"Where are they?" I demanded in her silence. "Where are Rick and Shane?" Andrew looked nervous again and took a step back. "You better stay where you are." I warned, keeping my words slow and dangerous. Andrew stopped in his tracks.

"I'll show you!" Andrew quickly announced. "I'll take you to them!" I glanced at Andrea, taking in her pensive expression, before she nodded stiffly.

"C'mon." I shoved Andrew roughly forward, my gun still trained to the back of his head. He staggered a little, nearly tripping over his feet, but picked himself up and began to lead the way, limping.

"So this was your big elaborate plan then?" Andrea asked, dryly. "Let walkers loose throughout the prison and hope we were all killed off?" There was a pause before Andrew answered.

"Pretty much." He muttered in reply. Andrea scoffed.

"Surely you've been with us long enough to know that a few walkers aren't going to break our group." I swallowed hard, keeping my mouth shut as Andrea blabbered on in an attempt to piss Andrew off, ignoring the fact that a 'few walkers' had broken our group. "We've found the others and everyone is safe and sound back in the cell block, so it looks like your plan went to shit." It was Andrew's turn to scoff and he glanced over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow and smug expression.

"If everyone is safe and sound, why did they send you two out to come find the sheriff and his deputy? Surely they'd send the redneck or one of the black fellas as they're clearly more able than the pair of you? That is, if they truly are 'safe and sound'?" Andrea appeared to be stunned by his quick observation and didn't answer. Andrew's face only widened with a smirk at this. "Just what I thought."

"You better shut the hell up."

"Or what, blondie?" Andrew challenged. "You need me to find your friends."

"Yes, but we don't need all of you." I muttered. "You keep quiet or I'll shoot you somewhere that isn't fatal but will sure as hell hurt." My tone must have been firm enough as Andrew didn't make another remark. I silently congratulated myself for this.

As we carried on down the corridor, a distant echo of voices could be heard and I knew we were getting closer. When we turned a corner, we were met with another door that was ajar and where the voices appeared to be coming from. Andrea took the lead from Andrew, making her way towards the door to open it quietly. I had to shove Andrew forward again as he had stopped, which he sent me a glare for when he nearly tripped again. I didn't repress a smirk and this only appeared to piss the man off further.

The room we came out into appeared to be the garage for the prison. Various vehicles were parked in rows, mostly buses that were probably used to move prisoners about in when the prison was in use. We hadn't been in this room before and there was a moment as we admired it for it's scale. It was so big. Though we were soon grounded with the echoing sounds of voices in the room.

"-the hell are we still talking for? Shoot me if you're gonna!" It sounded like Big Tiny; deep with a hint of murderous flare in there.

The three of us carried on further in but stayed at a safe distance as we saw the three men together in middle of the room. They hadn't seen us yet as they appeared to be too focused on each other, so we were able to observe them and their interaction with mild ease. Big Tiny held a gun to Rick's head though appeared to be reluctant to pull the trigger as he had the barrel of Shane's shotgun directed at his. The standoff we had walked in on appeared to be the climatic point of the men's confrontation as each one looked badly beaten, like Andrew did.

"Because I don't care one bit for putting a bullet in your friend's head." Big Tiny growled and Rick scoffed at this, not looking the least bit phased by the gun in his face.

"How about ya lower ya gun and I lower mine?" Shane tried to bargain, his voice a growl. "We'll talk this out-"

"We've done enough talking." Big Tiny muttered, eyeing Shane silently before smirking. "This is your chance to get what you want." He paused, glancing at Rick briefly, who looked confused. "He's unarmed and I'll step down so you can do it." The last comment took Shane back for a moment.

"What the fuck you talking about?" He hissed, a little too forcefully. "Do what?" Big Tiny must have caught this as his smirk only grew.

"Kill him." Big Tiny paused, allowing his statement to sink in. Rick remained still, eyeing his friend intently. "Isn't that what you want? Get rid of what's standing in your way to what you want? C'mon, it's pretty obvious you want to fuck his wife-"

"You just shut the hell up-"

"You sick and tired of following his orders? Watching him play happy family with the lady and the kid?" The brief lower of Shane's shotgun didn't go amiss by anyone. "That baby; are you sure it's really his?"

The silence in the room was sickening and Shane's lack of reply spoke so many unwanted volumes. The man seemed confused on where he stood now, what he was meant to be doing. Big Tiny's simple words appeared to have struck a cord with Shane, or perhaps had enlightened so many insecurities that were already burning within him. Which ever it was, it had put Rick in a compromising position now as Shane looked very much unable to do anything anymore as he was stunned by the prisoner's words.

"Shane," Rick spoke, his voice firm considering the situation he was in. "Shoot him." The order in the man's voice was so strong and it seemed to mean so many more unspoken terms. The fall out from that order could distinguish Shane's place in this world. His loyalty.

For someone who seemed so very willing to pull the trigger before, Shane's hesitation was a startling difference and it didn't seem to bode well with Rick. Big Tiny chuckled darkly when Shane's shotgun lowered slowly and I knew then someone had to act or Rick's life would pay the price.

I shoved Andrew aside for a third time, though succeeded in managing to push the kid to the ground. Ignoring Andrea, I marched forward towards the three men. I saw Big Tiny's intentions and I had to act now. When my presence had gotten noticed, it was too late for any of them to react. I had aimed and pulled the trigger.

Bang.

My gunshot echoed across the walls and there was a brief pause before a body fell to the ground with a dull thud. The two men left standing stared down at it in shock for a moment, taking in the sudden turn-out of the situation in silence. Suddenly though, I was tackled to the ground.

"You bitch!" Andrew cried, flinging me onto my back and throwing himself on top of me, pinning me there. His hands clutched my throat tightly in a death grip and I choked to breath. Flailing, I tried to reach my gun that had fallen but I couldn't focus on where it was as my energy began to drain and I could only see Andrew's disturbingly angry face glaring down at me.

Bang.

Another gunshot rang out and suddenly I could breath again. I choked and coughed to regain normality and I felt someone heave the deadweight off me. Andrea stood there looking down and helped me to my feet, though she didn't seem to be the one who'd pull the triggle on Andrew. I glanced as the kid's body just in time as Rick took another shot at the man's head - for good measure. He did the same to Big Tiny too and I was surprised at how calm he seemed.

The remaining person still alive - Shane - appeared have remained in the same spot and stared at the commotion going on with a distant look. I eyed the man curiously as I regained my breath and suddenly felt fearful around him.

"Are you alright?" Rick asked, approaching Andrea and me, the question more directed to myself, but we both nodded regardless.

"Are you?" Andrea asked. Rick's face darkened for a moment and he nodded once.

"I'm fine." He muttered. "Did you find the others?"

"T-Dog and Allen are dead." I told him. "I brought Sasha back, but Tyreese and Glenn continued to look for Carl and Daryl. They weren't back before we left."

"But they may be there now." Andrea added, hope in her voice. Rick nodded stiffly.

"When this is over, we'll arrange for T-Dog and Allen to be buried with the others." He muttered, looking saddened for a moment at the thought of the missing members. "We better head back."

We agreed and Andrea was instructed to lead the way. The action of our leaving seemed to alert Shane back into reality again and the man began to follow the blonde out. He paused beside Rick before he did.

"Close call back there, man, huh?" He tried in an attempt of cheerfulness, though it seemed too forced to be real. Rick didn't reply, merely stared his friend down hard. Shane swallowed, backing off and walking away without another word. Rick watched him go before turning his attention to me.

"Thanks for having my back." He said, urging us to follow the other two into the corridor, and keeping his tone quiet enough for just the two of us to hear.

"Thanks for having mine. And it didn't look like Shane was doing a great job at having yours so thought I might step in." I muttered. Rick hummed in agreement and I glanced up to see him glaring at the back of Shane's head.

The remainder of the walk back to the cell block was in silence and the tension between everyone was bitter. I willed for us all to get back to the cell block so the tension would at least lift a little and we could focus on another matter at hand, rather than Shane's reluctance to step to Rick's aid - which almost cost the leader his life.

"He's like a wrecking ball, destroying everything in his path. He's heading somewhere and when he finally collides with his destination-

He's going to break something."

Lori's words - almost a warning it seemed - echoed in my mind and her statement appeared to hit very close to home now. I eyed the man in front, his long strides that didn't hold that same confidence anymore, and wondered what the hell had happened to him.

"What you see of him, what you know to be 'Shane', isn't him. That's not who I remember him to be."

Well, if that isn't Shane then who the hell was it?

Our arrival at the cell block was met with relief from those in there. Lori greeted her husband with so much love it over-whelmed us all for a moment. She held him and didn't appear to want to let go, which caused me to smile a little, despite our situation. The rest looked very pleased with our return and the group gathered around the leader to hear what he had to say. What surprised me the most was when Tyreese and Glenn appeared and I had a flicker of hope that they had found Daryl and Carl.

Though neither of them were anywhere to be seen.

Just taking in Lori's face - though rejoiced at the return of her husband, it was still breaking at the absence of her child - told me that they hadn't come back with Glenn and Tyreese. I bit back the flow of tears that threatened to break the dams and stepped to Sophia's side to clutch her little hand in mine.

"Rick, are you alright? You look so-" Lori studied her husband's appearance, taking in his battered face that was layered with blood, dirt and sweat. Rick stared back evenly, not batting an eye at his wife's concern. He still had that dark look in his eye that worried me. "We'll get Herschel to look over you-"

"That won't be necessary." Rick shot her down, shaking his head. Lori clamped her lips together tightly before nodding and taking a step back from her husband. Rick eyed her for a moment before turning to face the rest of the group. "We found Big Tiny and Andrew." He announced to us all.

"And what has become of them?" Herschel asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"They're dead." Rick stated, bluntly. "When Daryl and Carl are found and we secure the prison back, we'll go and retrieve the bodies of T-Dog and Allen; give them a proper burial with the others." Tyreese nodded his thanks when he met the leader's gaze. "We'll burn Andrew's and Big Tiny's bodies with the rest of the walkers." His tone seem to strike terror throughout the group for a moment and there was a few awkward glances shared between us all. Rick ignored them if he noticed them and merely marched past us all and made his way up onto the higher landing, toward the security room.

"Where are you going?" Lori asked, faintly.

"To see if I can find my son." Rick called back. Lori trailed after him as did Herschel and Maggie. The rest of us remained down below, unsure of what to do now. In a moment, everyone dispersed and settled with doing what they could do to wait for the remaining members of the group to be found - in whatever state they may be in.

I stood back and observed Shane as his gaze followed the direction in which Rick and Lori had just gone in. There didn't appear to be anything malicious or evil about the gaze, but it was something that made me unusually uncomfortable. And considering what had just taken place before, I felt off with the man now and wondered why Rick hadn't questioned Shane on his actions before.

Because he had more important things to think about.

Carl's safety was obviously the priority for him now and as soon as he was safe and sound, Rick probably wouldn't be bringing up what happened with Shane until afterwards. I reminded myself, however, to keep an eye on Shane as there was something in his eyes that I just didn't like.

I drifted off back to my cell to sit on the bed. The day had been an exhausting one and I felt unsure if I could cope with anything else thrown at me. Toby kept me company, sat at the door, but the presence of the dog didn't feel as normal as it did usually. It didn't feel right having the dog with me at all. I had grown so used to seeing the dog by another's side, that with Toby now with me, it just didn't feel right.

I didn't want to think too much about the possibility of Carl and Daryl not returning back to us, but for some reason my brain thought that thinking about those we'd lost would be a better topic to consider.

Dale. He was the first person we'd lost. That day long ago when the farm was ambushed. I remembered the light leaving his eyes as I tried to stop the wound in his neck bleeding out, Andrea's frantic cries booming next to me with the blur of battle in the background. He was such a loss, such a blow. I tried to imagine his presence amongst the prison, his wistful wisdom and intellectual thinking. I wondered where his place would have been regarding the issues we had faced. The prisoners? Tyreese and his group's arrival? The deaths of Ben and Billy? The events of today? I was surprised with the lack of sadness I felt when I thought about Dale and realised that a long time had passed and now I could look back and consider the short time I knew him as happy memories. Which I suppose would have been what he would have wanted.

Patricia, Jimmy and Beth. The latter was the worst, listening to her begging before I ran, still echoed in my head even now. Her fear, her terror. Sometimes I wondered if I should have done more for her, but I knew then and I knew now that there was nothing I could have possibly have done without putting us both into danger. The thought of what they did to her sickened me, she was too innocent and I couldn't understand the minds of those monsters. I never had done. My only hope now was that Beth - and everyone else that had passed on - were in a better place.

Carol. Her last smile, her final words. I'd like to have thought I had done what she hoped regarding her daughter and everything that drove me forward to look after Sophia derived from the promise I made her before she died. She didn't deserve to die, but her final moments were so calm and so serine that I was thankful she didn't suffer. Carol had easily welcomed me into hers and Sophia's little family, she had trusted me from the word go and never seemed to doubt me. Even when she perhaps should have. She was a wondrous woman. One who I was determind to make proud.

T-Dog. He could now be added to the list of those lost, along with Allen and his family. The prisoners I purposely discounted; they weren't our people and would be burnt along with the dead. By Rick's orders, they didn't deserve to be buried properly and instead disposed of along side the monsters that tried to kill us daily. While the idea was uncomfortable, no one seemed to want to question it. Not after everything that had happened before of those men.

I wondered how many more, over time, would be added to the list of the fallen. How many would fall to the cruelty of the new world? Would we all make it? None of us? Would Sophia? Rick? Lori? Would I? Surely there had to be hope for us somewhere. Surely there was somewhere where life could grow again. Perhaps we had found it and the prison was something to prosper from, we just had to bounce back from this blow. Or maybe there was another place out there in the world for us, just waiting to be found.

Michonne and Merle. I wondered how far they'd gotten. They were strong, the both of them. I didn't want to doubt their survival as I believed they were out there somewhere. Sometimes I convinced myself that we'd come across them one day, but other days I'd remind myself of how big the world actually is. And with the new threats, the chances were running slim. I still held onto hope though. I hoped that one day I'd see my old friends once more.

"What are you thinking about?" A voice asked and I looked towards the door. Sophia stood hesitantly in the doorway, as if wary to come in. I smiled faintly and beckoned her inside. This was her cell too after all, silly. She crawled onto the bottom bunk beside me and curled up into my side. I welcomed her warmth and for a while we sat in almost content silence. "Are you thinking about Carl and Daryl?" She questioned, softly. I thought for a moment.

"I think we all are." I replied with a sigh. "But they'll be fine."

"Because Daryl won't let anything happen to either of them, right?" I paused again. I knew Daryl wouldn't let anything happen to Carl, though I was unsure as to where his own safety was concerned.

"I know he'll do his best to bring them back safely." I answered, feeling rubbish about my answer, but Sophia seemed to accept it.

"Why aren't we looking for them?" Sophia asked suddenly after a long moment's silence.

"Rick and Lori are looking for them now on the monitors. It's safer than leaving the cell block when there's walkers still in the corridors. When they find them, we can go get them." I told her, unsure if I truly thought that staying in the cell block, safe, was a better decision than actively looking for Daryl and Carl. Rick apparently thought so, so until he changed his mind, I'd abide by his orders. Like a good soldier.

"I hope they're alright." Sophia murmured, quietly, followed by a sniff. I had a suspicion she was crying but instead of questioning her on it, I ignored it. I knew she needed the moment to let things out without me pushing and proding her.

She was worried for her best friend. And I would be there for her in this desperate time. A desperate time for all of us.

"Ruby?" Sophia asked, timidly, her voice sounding hoarse.

"Yeah?" I prompted softly. There was a hesitant pause before she continued.

"You won't ever leave me, will you?" She breathed, barely audible. I froze at the question, completely taken back for a moment. I wasn't expecting that at all.

There was a twinge of fear in the girl's voice, as if she was expecting the refusal and it made my heart ache that she was expecting it. Sometimes I would look at Sophia and all I would see would be a child filled with broken hopes and empty happiness. I hated seeing that and wanted to rid her of her pain, if I could. I couldn't begin to fathom where Sophia's pain came from, though Daryl had mentioned a thing or two about her father - Ed, I think he called him - being a complete ass. 'Ass' being a delicate word to use. Then gathering all I could from what Sophia spoke about her late father, it didn't take a genius to piece together that Sophia was potentially the product of an abusive parent. So was Daryl (and Merle too). But there was something so lost in Sophia compared to the Dixon brothers, something that didn't hold a spark of life like they did. And that worried me. Worried me sick.

"Never." I vowed to the girl, firmly. "I won't ever leave you." I felt even more determind than ever to keep that promise too.

"Thank you." Sophia murmured quietly, her voice seemingly sleepy. Knowing how easily Sophia could fall asleep, I knew it was only a matter of mere seconds before the girl succumbed to the power of exhaustion and I willed the girl to get some rest. She needed it. Though as she drifted off into her peaceful slumber, she muttered something to me before she finally reached unconsciousness. I couldn't quite make out what she was saying, so I strained to listen, only catching the last couple of words. "…love you."

(Author's Note): Yeah, so this is a shorter chapter than the last, but it's a quick update so hopefully that'll make up for it! Not as much action as before, though we've resolved Big Tiny/Andrew conflict! Hopefully you're all glad at how it turned out? And I suppose Shane's actions have sparked up some suspicions? Any ideas on what you think'll happen regarding him?

Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter, and I'm sorry to keep the suspence on Daryl/Carl going! You'll all have to continue suffering! Please tell me what you think of this chapter, it'll mean a great deal and so I know if you guys are still enjoying/reading my story. :) Thanks again and I'll update ASAP.