setting: episode 7 "When The Dead Come Knocking"

Damnation

Chapter 28 - Red Riding Hood

When they returned to their cell block they found it empty. They had no idea where Carl, Oscar, Beth, Herschel and the baby were, but they assumed that they were outside.
Daryl carried Carol to her cell whereas Connor opened all the doors for them and made sure that there were no walkers anywhere. The hunter placed the unconscious woman on her bed and for a second both men just looked at her.

"Wow, I gotta be honest, I didn't think she was gonna make it" Connor muttered and Daryl snorted.

"Well I didn't think so" he grunted and knelt down to have a closer look at Carol, to check for any bites or injuries.
Connor just watched him for a while.

"Looks like yer flower worked this time" he muttered and Daryl tried to get her to drink something from the water bottle they had brought.
Carol still wasn't really there, but she was alive and that was all that mattered.

"Yeah, I knew she was gonna make it. I could feel it. She's tougher than she looks. We all are."

"Didn't sound too optimistic just a sec ago when you nearly fucking stabbed me" Connor retorted and Daryl turned his head to look at his friend for a while.

Of course, he regretted his outburst now, but how Connor could be like that even after they had found Carol alive was beyond him.

"I didn't mean to stab you, alright? Don't tell me you didn't do any shit when you were angry" he just muttered and looked at Carol again.

"She needs food and more water. Been in there for two days" he muttered and then got up to head for the cell in which they kept their supplies.

Connor just looked at Carol for a second, then he followed his friend to help him with the food.

Somehow the Irishman's remark still made Daryl angry. He hated himself for losing his shit all the time, especially whenever Connor was around. The past couple of days they had spent either fighting or being incredibly condependent, and he hated that. Considering that they had not been like this when it had been just the two of them. He let go of the food after a moment and got up to face his friend, who was getting some things from the upper bed.

"Look, 'm sorry about what happened during the last couple of days. Shit just hit the van and you know how I am when it's about Carol, and kids like Sophia. And sometimes you just annoy the crap outta me. I'm trying my best to keep my shit together, but sometimes you just gotta leave me alone when I ask you to. Cos I do when you ask me. You asshole matter to me, and I didn't save your sorry ass and spent the last couple of months with you for nothing. So if we wanna make this shit work then you gotta fucking start accepting my rules and I don't need t'stab you. Alright?"

Connor just looked at him for a while, then he nudged his shoulder with a gentle chuckle.

"It's alright. I was just shitting you. I think we both know that yer not really fighting me but yer massive crush on me."

Daryl frowned angrily and shook him off.

"What? Are yah insane?"

Connor grinned and turned around again to get some food.

"Come on, don't think I didn't see all the looks yer giving me. And don't think I didn't hear what ye said t'me when you thought I was dead.
You got a serious crush on me, ye can admit it, Darylena."

"Yeah, dream on."

Connor chuckled even more and watched his friend sort some of the supplies.

"And hey."

Daryl turned around to look at him.

"Thanks fer what you did. Y'know. This morning. Couldn't have done this shit without you to be honest."

Daryl just looked at Connor, and after a while a slight smirk broke through.

"Well, you need someone to kick your ass."

Connor grinned and was about to say something to that, but Daryl walked past him and was faster.

"Hence the stab today."

"Oh fuck you."

Carol woke up again after a while, and they gave her water and food to give her some strength. Both Daryl and Connor knew that they still needed Herschel to check on her, which was why the Irishman decided to look for the old man. He was on his way to the hall when he could hear how the doors to the building were opened.

"Carl, get a blanket. Beth, water and a towel" he heard Rick say and started running to see what was going on.

When he entered the hall he could see the policeman, his son, Herschel and his daughter and how they made their way down the stairs to the tables.
What surprised him even more than the fact that Rick was back again was the sight of a half-conscious woman he was caring.

"What the...Who the fuck is this?" the Irishman asked and pointed at her when their leader lay her on the ground.
He could see how Beth was struggling to hold the little baby and help the woman, so he approached Herschel's daughter and reached out.

"Give her here, 'n go and help yer Da and Rick with the other one" he muttered and Beth looked at him in surprise, but when her father nodded she gave the Irishman the newborn. The little girl was still sleeping, and although the whole situation was pretty chaotic at the moment he still had to smile when he got to hold her. Connor approached Rick, who was pouring some water over the unconscious woman.

"Rick, who's this? Where did ye get her from all of a sudden? Was she in one of those other cell blocks?"

Their leader shook his head and tried to wake her up with gentle pats to her cheek.

"No, she turned up by the fences, caring baby formula and supplies. She's not coming in the cell blocks" he answered and put her weapon, a white katana, on the ground.

"Woah, what te fuck, is that a katana?"

The woman suddenly startled awake and looked at them in surprise. As soon as Beth was done with the whole running around and getting things she approached the Irishman again to get the baby back, and Connor used the opportunity to get closer to their new arrival.

"A woman who turns up with the shit we need? Right on our doorstep? With a fucking samurai sword? What te hell?"

He turned his head and looked at Herschel and Beth with a frown.

"Didn't Maggie and Glenn say that they wanted to go 'n look fer that stuff?"

The old man looked at the small basket with the supplies and nodded, now seemingly worried now.

"Hey hey hey! Look at me! Look at me" they heard Rick say and turned their heads again to see what was going on.

The woman was now wide awake and looked at all of them, until she fixed her eyes on Rick, who was kneeling next to her.

"Who are you?" he asked and she was still panting heavily. After a couple of seconds she reached out for katana.

Connor was faster than her. He placed a foot on the weapon and dragged it away.

"Woah woah woah, now, easy there, woman. Just answer the question" he muttered and knelt down to get her sword.

He had only been close to this sort of weapon once, and he was sure that if his brother was here then he would have a field day. He took it and pulled it out of its sheath, just a couple of inches of course, to take a look at it. The blade was incredibly sharp, so he nodded with a grin on his face and whistled approvingly.

"Holy shit. Where did you get this thing from? Fucking awesome that is."

The woman was fighting Rick's grip and glared at the Irishman, and the glint in her eyes was so intense and fierce that Connor put the katana back in, pretending that nothing had happened.

"Listen, we're not gonna hurt you, unless you try something stupid first, all right?" the policeman muttered and tried to calm the woman down.

"Rick?" they heard Daryl say behind them and turned around.

Daryl was entering the hall with a confused frown.

"Who the hell is this?"

Rick looked at her again.

"You wanna tell us your name?" he asked but didn't get an answer.

Daryl looked at Connor.

"Did you tell 'em?"

The Irishman shook his head.

"Obviously didn't get the chance yet."

"Tell me what?" Rick asked after staring at the woman for a while.

The longer she just looked back at them the more the whole group couldn't help but wonder if she could even understand them.

"Come on in here. You're gonna wanna see this" Daryl muttered then and Rick got up with a sigh.

"Go ahead. Carl, get the bag. Connor, keep the weapon, make sure it's safe and sound" he ordered and the Irishman nodded.

"Aye" he said but didn't follow them right away.

He approached the woman and looked at her. Connor asked her if she could understand them and what her name was in Spanish, French, Russian and even Italian, but she just looked at him, the expression on her face not changing at all. The Irishman snorted.

"Either she's dumb as a post or she's got a perfect poker face" he observed and turned around when he Rick called for him.

The whole group was on their way out of the hall, and after looking at the woman once more he decided to follow them.

Daryl raised an eyebrow when he came closer.

"What were yah prattling about?"

Connor hit his chest gently and walked past his friend, who followed him.

"That, my dear friend, is called multilingualism. Spanish, French, Russian, Italian. I know shit."

The hunter snorted and they both stopped walking when they noticed that Rick wasn't behind them.
Their leader was still standing by the door and looked at the woman on the ground.

"The doors are all locked. You'll be safe here. And we can treat that" he informed her and pointed at her leg.

The woman looked around and sighed angrily.

"I didn't ask for your help" she muttered and Connor raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Wow. It's alive!"

"Doesn't matter. Can't let you leave" Rick told her and finally left the hall as well.

Connor closed the door behind their leader and looked at the injured woman on the ground for a second, wondering who she was and how she had found their prison. The Irishman sighed and moved away from the grille door to follow the rest of the group, and when he reached them he could see how the others greeted Carol. Daryl was leaning against the door frame, and when he saw Connor he couldn't hold back a proud smile. Because they had made it. He had made it. For a couple of minutes he had thought that he had lost both his friends in those dark corridors, but here they were, Connor and Carol, all safe and sound.

"Poor thing fought her way to a cell. Must have passed out. Dehydrated" he told the others and looked at Rick and Carol, who were hugging each other.

The Irishman smiled back at him and nodded approvingly, then he watched how she greeted Lori's baby for the very first time. The mood changed when Carol realized that Lori was dead, and much to their surprise not only she started crying, but also Rick. Connor had enough because it made him feel guilty again, so he walked away to leave them to their mourning and greeting the baby. He walked over to the stairs that led to the upper cells, and when he sat down and looked to the door to the hall he could see the injured woman there, how she watched them and clung to the door.

It made him frown, because he seriously didn't know what to think. Somehow this reminded him of the whole Randall scenario from almost a year ago. Last time Rick had brought an injured stranger to their group's hideout the whole thing had escalated, with Daryl torturing their "prisoner" and him almost shooting him in the head. He hated how they couldn't trust anyone anymore. Back in the old days it had been pretty much the same, but nowadays it was even worse. And this time the whole thing was way harder. The woman looked dangerous and strong, especially since she had been caring a katana. Her whole presence screamed survivor and fighter at him, and he did not like that. Not at all. Not because he didn't want women to be fighters, quite the opposite.

He just didn't like the idea of having a strong and independent stranger with them, especially when she was giving them all these hostile looks. Connor didn't want to imagine what could happen. He didn't want it to end with torture and them killing her just to make her shut up about their location, but Rick was right. They couldn't let her leave. They couldn't risk her telling others about them. Only god knew what kind of other people she knew, maybe even people like he and Daryl had come across just two days ago. But at the same time there was no way he would let anyone kill her, or even touch her, because there was one rule that still mattered to him, their father's rule, their family's rule. No women. No children. End of story.

He sighed and lit a cigarette, then he decided to take a closer look at her weapon again.

"What do yah think?" he heard Daryl say and looked up.

The hunter stood by the railing, with both his arms folded. He eyed the woman just as skeptically. Connor shrugged and moved his fingers through his hair.

"I don't know, man."

Both men just watched her for a while, then Daryl pointed at the katana in Connor's hands.

"That hers?"

The Irishman nodded and put his cigarette back in his mouth.

"Aye. Pretty much trumps yer crossbow on the coolness scale now."

The hunter chuckled.

"Shut up."

Connor sighed.

"I don't know. Whole thing's pretty fucking weird. I mean when I look at her I see a woman who can take care af herself and who doesn't take shit from anyone.
She's like you, but with tits."

Daryl snorted louder than intended.

"Bullshit."

Connor grinned at him.

"Are ye jealous?"

Daryl smirked back.

"Maybe you just got a serious crush on her."

The Irishman started laughing.

"Why, cos she's you but with tits?"

The hunter kicked him hard.

"Shut up and concentrate" he demanded and his friend chuckled. He blew out some smoke and looked at her again.

"No, but the shit I don't get: Why would she come here? With formula. Why would she know about a baby being here? And why would she bring it to us.
Sounds a bit too much Little Red Riding Hood if ye ask me."

Daryl frowned.

"Little Red what?"

Connor turned his head and looked at him in disbelief.

"Ye don't know Little Red Riding Hood."

"No?"

"You know shit about roses and Native Americans, but ye don't know Little Red Riding Hood."

The hunter growled and nudged him angrily.

"It's cos I ain't from the end of the rainbow. Get to the point."

"It's a fairy tale. Ma taught us German with that. Anyway, there's this little chick with a red cape or some shit like that, and she's also carrying a small basket with food.
I don't really know how the story goes anymore, but I remember that people get eaten and the whole story ends real fucking bloody."

Daryl snorted.

"Well ain't your mother lovely to tell you stuff like that."

"Shut it. I just mean that we should be careful. God knows what she did to Maggie and Glenn.
Can't be some coincidence that she turns up with the stuff our people went looking for."

Daryl looked up when he saw how the others got out of Carol's cell and headed for the hall again.

The hunter nudged his friend and started walking as well.

"Better find out then, come on" he demanded, and Connor put his cigarette out to get up as well.

When they got back to the hall they found the woman sitting on one of their chairs.

"We can tend that wound for you. Give you a little food and water and then send you on your way" Rick told her and Connor looked at him with a frown.

He didn't know what their leader was on about.
Just a second ago he had said that they couldn't let her leave, and even he knew that they couldn't let her leave like that.

"But you're gonna have to tell us how you found us, and why you were carrying formula" Rick went on and Connor looked at Daryl, but his friend was looking at the woman through narrowed eyes. She just looked at Rick, obviously not feeling intimidated at all.

"The supplies were dropped by a young Asian guy with a pretty girl" she told them and Connor frowned.

"Glenn and Maggie?" he asked and then looked at Herschel, who looked even more worried.

"Didn't catch their names" the woman growled and glared at him.

"What happened?" Rick went on and she looked at him again.

"Were they attacked?" Herschel asked in horror and tried to approach her, but Connor walked over to him to hold him back and steady.

"Easy there old man, we got it under control" he tried to calm him down and looked at the others.

"They were taken" she went on and Maggie's father widened his eyes.

"Taken? By who?" Rick asked and leaned down to look her in the eye.

"By the same son of a bitch who shot me."

Connor frowned.

"Who says yer telling the truth. What if ye tried t'knock them out with yer bigass sword and they shot you?"

She gave him a death glare.

"I'm telling the truth."

Rick approached her.

"You tell us what really happened. Now!" he demanded and suddenly grabbed her injured leg.

The woman startled and got up.

"Don't you ever touch me again!"

Connor reacted just as fast and darted forward to pull their leader back.

"Rick! She's injured, and a woman. Get a fucking hold of yerself" he demanded.

He had already seen it coming. This really was like the Randall incident all over again, only that this time it was Rick himself who decided to use pain as instrument to get to the truth. He got even more furious when Daryl drew his crossbow and pointed it at her.

"You better start talking. You're gonna have a much bigger problem than a gunshot wound" his friend growled and Connor let go of Rick to lunge out at the crossbow.

"And yer gonna have a much bigger problem if you don't put this fucking thing down!" he spat and looked at the two members of his group.

"What the fuck is wrong with ye people?! Can't we just have a civilized conversation fer once? The chick is wounded and unarmed, and you asshole started this whole fight, not her!" he yelled and glared at Rick for a second, who just looked at him. Then the Irishman turned his head to look at Daryl.

"Now put the thing down."

The hunter narrowed his eyes and kept looking at her, then he lowered his weapon with a growl.
Connor turned around to look at the woman, who just glared at him, maybe even more furious than Daryl.

"I don't need your help" she growled, but the Irishman shrugged.

"Oh wow, ye hurt my feelings. You really gave it t'me, last of the samurai. Welcome to fucking kindergarten here! Boys and girls, might as well start pulling each other's hair instead of having a civilized conversation. Well fuck you, all of you! This ain't about any of us in this room, it's about Glenn and Maggie, and we all know.." he growled and turned around to look at Rick and Daryl.

He pointed at the woman and got even more furious.

"..that we need this chick to help us find them! Now everybody get yer shit t'gether!"

Everyone fell quiet and Connor sighed.

"Well, thank you" he muttered and turned his head to look at her.

"Now, where are our people?"

She just looked at him through narrowed eyes.

"Go find them yourself."

Connor raised an eyebrow and just looked at her.

"Really" he said and snorted.

"Then tell me, why the fuck did ye come here? Bring us shit we need fer our kids, huh? Out of the goodness of yer heart? Just felt like giving out baskets and presents without saying a word like Santa Clause and disappear through the fucking chimney again?"

The woman looked at the other two men for a while, then he looked back at him.
For a couple of minutes it looked like she wasn't going to say anything, and Connor shook his head.

"Alright. I give up. Leave it to officer friendly here" he said and was about to turn around to leave. Then the woman started talking.

"There's a town. Woodbury."

Connor stopped walking and turned around to look at her again.

"About 75 survivors" she went on and leaned against the table.

"I think they were taken there."

Rick frowned.

"A whole town?"

"It's run by this guy who calls himself the Governor. Pretty boy, charming, Jim Jones type."

Connor snorted.

"What kinda stupid name is that. Sounds like straight from the porn shelf."

Daryl looked at his friend with a frown, then he looked back at the woman.

"He got muscle?" he asked and she nodded.

"Paramilitary wannabes. They have armed sentries on every wall."

Rick approached her with a frown.

"You know a way in?"

"The place is secure from walkers, but we could slip our way through."

"How'd you know how to get here?" Rick asked her.

"They mentioned a prison. Said which direction it was in, that it was a straight shot."

Daryl and Connor looked at each other, both chewing on their lips with a frown.
They didn't like this new information, this new town. Not at all.

Whereas Herschel took care of the woman's injury and Carl kept watch the others all gathered around the stairs to discuss how they should handle the situation. Carol had placed herself right next to Connor. He was sitting on the stairs, completely lost in thoughts, his fist pressed to his closed mouth. Carol had the baby in her arms, and when the little bundle hiccupped again the Irishman turned his head to look at her with a smirk on his face. Carol was rocking the child gently.

"Well, at least she got some sorta Ma now" the Irishman noticed and took the girls tiny hand to shake it gently.

He needed something to distract himself from all the mess he had just witnessed, and the little baby girl was the perfect bringer of joy in that regard.

"Just imagine her growing up with us dudes" he muttered and chuckled.

Just thinking about the whole scenario made him both laugh and angry. He didn't like the idea of a guy like the new Rick raising something so innocent like her, especially after what he had seen him do to the woman. Carol smiled and looked at the baby as well.

"Lori wanted me to look after her. Should she ever..." she trailed off and sighed. Connor turned his head and looked at the others.

"Aye" he muttered but didn't feel like talking anymore.

Axel and Oscar, who had returned by now, joined the discussion, and the latter was the first to speak up.

"How do you know we can trust her?" he asked and looked at them.

The Irishman sighed.

"Well, it doesn't matter. Ye saw the basket and pretty much everything indicates that she really met them and saw how this dude took 'em. I think she told us the truth.
Half of it at least. Think we made it pretty clear that she can't really fuck with us" he growled and looked at Daryl and Rick.

The policeman ignored him completely, but Daryl seemed to be a bit sorry at least.

Beth nodded and stepped forward.

"This is Maggie and Glenn. Why are we even debating?"

"We ain't. I'll go after them" Daryl spoke up and Connor nodded.

"Aye. Me, too."

Rick put his hands on his hips and sighed.

"Well, this place sounds pretty secure. Connor, you're good with the walkers, but those are real people we are talking about. They're smarter than walkers.
More dangerous. You can't go alone. Remember what happened last time you two went out there? We don't need you to get ambushed again."

Daryl sighed and Connor mumbled "Well, guess yer right there".

"I'll go with them" Beth offered and Axel stepped forward.

"Me, too."

Daryl snorted.

"Yeah, sure."

Connor rubbed the back of his head and smirked.

"Definitely would be interesting t'watch" he murmured and chuckled.

Oscar shifted then.

"Well, then I'm in."

Both Connor and Daryl fell quiet then. They were obviously alright with the idea of someone so strong and large being with them.
Rick looked at the group for a while, then he shook his head.

"We can't take the whole group with us. We need someone to watch over the others. The baby, Carol. Herschel. Protect the prison from intruders if need be.
Herschel, Carl, Carol and Beth will stay here, watch over Carl's little sister. Connor, you stay here and keep an eye on them. Daryl, Oscar, Axel, you come with me.
Your chance to prove yourself" Rick said to the blonde prisoner and Connor got up.

"Woah, woah woah, Rick. You can't seriously take 'im with ye on a mission like that. What if there's walkers out there, surrounding ye like the herd back on the farm?You need me out there. And you need my gun power in case they start shooting at ye. Besides, there's no way yer splitting me and Daryl up. As much as I like yer kids, I ain't no fucking babysitter. I'm a fighter."

Daryl chewed on his lower lip and shifted a bit, then he looked at Rick.

"I think he's right. Ain't no way I'm relying on some nervous freak with a mustache I don't even know. "

"Hey! I just wanna help." Axel interrupted him and looked at Rick.

"You follow me?"

Daryl looked at the prisoner for a moment, then he looked at Rick again.

"We need people we know we can count on. I mean I get you wanna give this guy a chance t'prove himself like Oscar did, but ain't gotta be on a mission like this.
Besides, he knows this prison better than Connor. In case people need to make run for it."

Their leader looked at them for a little bit longer, then he sighed and started walking.

"Alright. Connor, you come with us. Daryl, Oscar, let's go. Axel, you stay back. Help the others."

When he passed Carol he put a hand on her shoulder.

"Keep an eye on him" he muttered and headed for the door.

Daryl opened the trunk lit of their Hyundai to get their bags, supplies and weapons inside the car.
Connor was standing right next to him, and together they checked everything once more.

"You got the flash bangs and tear gas. I got the rifles, ammo and pistols. Never know what you're gonna need."

The Irishman nodded and put the bags inside.

"Aye. Better go out with a bang than with a poof."

Daryl turned around to check where Rick was and raised an eyebrow when he saw how Carl was trying to carry a heavy bag to the car as well.
The hunter took it with a snort and put it in the trunk.

"Hey, don't you worry about your old man. 'm gonna make sure he and the stupid leprechaun ain't gonna bash their heads in" he muttered and nudged the boy's shoulder.

Ever since they had decided to leave Rick's son had looked worried, and now that Connor was still a bit pissed he thought that it was his job to cheer the kid up a bit.
Connor looked up when he heard his nickname and hit Daryl.

"Eh" he complained and Carl grinned.

The Irishman nudged the boy as well and smirked.

"Come on now. Look after yer sister. Yer the boss here now."

Carl nodded and turned around to search for his father.
When the boy made his way back to the cell block Daryl could no longer hold back a remark on what had happened inside the prison just minutes ago.

"Seriously, though. What's all this about? First you go all "I don't trust this chick" on me, then you stab us in the back?" the hunter muttered and sorted the supplies and weapons. Connor sighed and looked up to look where Rick was.

"I just didn't want us ta get into another Randall situation here."

Daryl snorted and looked at his friend with a frown.

"Randall situation? Chick sure is a whole lotta more dangerous with her bigass sword."

"Well aye. Let's get back t'her and torture the shit outta her, then. And while we're at it, might as well kill her cos she looks dangerous."

The younger of the two growled.

"Herschel fixed her leg. Didn't he. We saved her ass and let her in. Don't go all sissy on me again. I don't need this shit all the time."

Connor sighed and searched his own bag.

"Yeah, whatever."

They were quiet for a while, and Daryl watched how Connor put his leg holsters on and put his two guns in them.
He sighed when he could feel the tension between them, that they were literally just about to fight again because of the woman and the way Rick and he had treated her.

"What do you think 'bout this whole Woodbury thing?" he murmured and tried to change the subject.

The Irishman shrugged and wrapped his jacket around his hips.

"75 survivors with guns and barricades sounds a bit out of our league t'be honest. Especially now that we heard what kinda fucked up people run around there.
Could be old people's home all over again."

Daryl snorted and closed the hatchback.

"Only difference this time is that ain't no one gonna capture me. We go in there, get Glenn and Maggie and get the hell outta there again. As simple as that."

Connor, Daryl and the woman were sitting in the backseat. Rick was driving the car and Oscar sat on the passenger seat next to him, and now that the whole planning part was over it was quiet inside the vehicle. Although the Irishman was still a bit pissed he just wanted people to talk, especially now that everybody was so tense because of the strange woman. She was sitting between him and Daryl, and after looking at her from time to time the blonde decided to talk.

"So what's yer name then?" he asked.

The woman wouldn't look at him, and she wouldn't give him an answer.

The Irishman sighed and shifted a bit.

"Well, 'm Connor, that fuckface over there's Daryl, this is Oscar and Rick" he told her and the policeman eyed him in the rear view mirror.

The woman still wouldn't talk.

"Where are ye from then and how did ye survive this shit? Yer sure look tough fer a woman."

She turned her head and looked at him with a frown. Connor expected her to finally say something, but she just glared at him in a way that even made him feel uncomfortable.

"Well, I just mean..'s nice ta see strong and independent women with balls and shit. Sure is a nice thing. And af course.."

"Connor" Daryl growled and the Irishman looked at him with a frown.

"What?"

"Shut up" the hunter muttered with an annoyed look on his face.

"Oh fuck you. I was just trying t'break the ice."

Daryl didn't say anything and stared out of the window to his left.
The older of the two watched his friend and the woman for a second, then he snorted and looked in the other direction.

"Well fuck me, she really is the female version of you" he muttered and looked out of the window.

After a couple of minutes of driving he looked at them again.

"Good lord, will ye two ever shut up?" he asked and both the woman and Daryl gave him a death glare.

Connor chuckled and turned his head again. He was just about to say something when the woman shifted.

"There. Pull over right there" she suddenly said to Rick and pointed at something in front of them.

Both Rick and Oscar tried to make out whatever she was pointing at, but nothing could be seen. The policeman still stopped the car by the side of the road.

"They have patrols. We're better off on foot" she informed them and Rick opened the door with a nod.

Everybody got out of the car to have a look around and Connor frowned.

"Welcome to the middle of fucking nowhere" he muttered and eyed the tree lines to their left and right.

There was only one female walker following them, but other than that there was absolutely nothing. No living people, no dead people. It was quiet.
Maybe even a bit too quiet for his liking. Daryl went around the car to open the trunk, and whereas Connor eyed their surroundings Rick looked up at the sky.

"How far? Night's coming" he observed and walked behind the car as well to get the bags.

"It's a mile. Maybe two" the woman said and adjusted her katana.

Connor finally made his way to the back of the car to get a bag and some weapons as well.
Daryl's crossbow was lying on one of the duffel bags, and before his friend got the chance to take it he grabbed it with a smirk on his face.

"How 'bout I take that?"

The hunter snorted and grabbed it.

"Yah wish."

Connor chuckled.

"There's a shitton of other weapons. Ye could try something new" he said and pointed at a shotgun, which Rick grabbed then.

"Dream on" Daryl growled and started walking after the woman and Oscar.

The female walker was still staggering after them, but they ignored her completely.

They entered the wood and followed a small dirt road. The woman and Oscar were having the lead, and Connor and Daryl were behind them.
The Irishman looked up at the sky and tree tops and inhaled with a smirk on his face.

"Is it weird that I like being outside again? Even after all this running around fer months through the winter and after the shit back in Griffin?
Nice t'see something green again. Prison fences and walls are fucking depressing and gray. No matter how good they work on walkers. Way too Hoag."

Daryl just snorted. Of course he loved being outside. Of course he loved the woods and nature. And maybe he really missed their hunts and searching the woods and other locations. But that didn't change the fact that he also loved being inside some building that was actually secure and walker-proof. Not to mention how much he liked being with this group. He turned his head to look at Connor, who was eyeing their surroundings with a smile on his face. Every once in a while he had completely forgotten about his friend's criminal past, about the fact that Connor had been inside a prison before the dead had started walking.

"How long have yah actually been in prison before this shit happened?" he asked and Connor shrugged.

"Couple of months. Maybe a month in hospital, then we got our cell. Got in there in November, got out in June."

He snickered and looked at Daryl.

"And believe me, our prison here is a full five star compared to the Hoag. And by our prison I mean the shithole including the walkers. Ye can't imagine life inside a max security prison. The absolute fucking worst. The people. Unbelievable shitheads. Murph and I took out about eight of 'em. Certainly wasn't enough. I hope those bastards died bloody when the virus hit Boston."

"Well what about the staff? I thought all those prison guards and cops helped you and liked your shit?" the hunter asked with a confused frown and the Irishman snorted.

"Certainly not all of 'em."

Rick passed them then and both men fell quiet. For a moment no one said anything, simply because both friends were expecting orders from their leader.
He kept walking right next to Daryl, and after a moment he spoke without looking at them.

"I heard what you two did for me, for my baby. Going on a run, getting the formula to save her life while I was...working things out" Rick said and looked at Connor.

"Thank you for helping me there."

He then turned his head to look at Daryl.

"Both of you."

The hunter looked at him with a shrug.

"It's what we do."

Connor nodded.

"Aye."

It was quiet for a while, and when Rick stayed with both of them. Connor smirked at the policeman then.

"Besides, yer daughter is a real princess. We just had to."

Daryl rolled his eyes and looked at him.

"Not this crap again."

The Irishman frowned.

"What?"

"The whole princess thing. That's fucking gay. Good lord."

Rick chuckled.

"Carl told me that you call her little ass-kicker."

"Damn right I do."

Connor looked at Rick.

"And that name's bullshit, aye? Tell him. Yer her father, you gotta say."

The policeman smiled and looked down.

"We named her Judith. After Carl's third grade teacher."

"Judith. Judy. Jude. Aye. That's a nice name. Well done."

"Still an ass-kicker" Daryl muttered and both Rick and Connor chuckled.