Daryl kept his hand pressed firmly over Michonne's mouth, and she bit at his fingers occasionally. If they had had any hope of keeping this night's encounter a secret, she had certainly ruined that. Daryl didn't realize that the quietest woman he'd ever met was able to transform into the loudest person he'd ever met just by having an orgasm.

Even after he settled beside her, both of them panting furiously, he kept his hand firmly pressed against her mouth. She mumbled something. He lifted his hand.

"Can't breathe." She whispered, gasping for a little extra air.

"Sorry." Daryl whispered. "You didn't tell me you were a screamer…you also didn't tell me you were a biter."

"You didn't tell me you were actually good at this." Michonne said, curling herself up against him and pulling his arm around her like she was covering herself with a blanket. "If I'd have known that I would have waited out another round or two at the pharmacy." She added.

Daryl kissed her shoulder. He didn't say anything, but she felt him smile. He had surprised her, and she knew that he was silently congratulating himself right now.

Daryl wasn't sure what the protocol for this kind of event was. Was he supposed to go back to his perch, or was he free to spend the night here? Michonne's body felt so warm against his, in contrast to the cool prison air, and he didn't want to go. He hesitated a few more minutes. Finally, her rhythmic breathing told him that she had gone to sleep, there with his arm around her. He sighed and put his own head down, thankful that he wasn't going anywhere.

11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111

"Everybody! Everybody! Walkers! Now!" Rick's yelling echoed through the prison. Daryl woke up, slightly, still groggy from sleep.

"Man, what the fuck you yellin' about?" He called out, still not fully awake.

"Walkers! Walkers! We need everybody!" Rick yelled again. Daryl jumped then, realizing in his foggy haze what was going on.

"It's too damn early in the morning." Daryl said to no one as he crawled over Michonne, shaking her awake. That was the thing about Walkers, they had no respect for normal schedules.

Everyone scrambled around, dressing and arming themselves, oblivious to Rick's frantic behavior. Daryl was one of the first to join Rick near the doors. When he opened them, slightly, he took out the first two Walkers that were trying to get in the crack. Then, noticing his comrades behind him, he pushed the doors fully open.

What Daryl found when he opened the door was not at all what he expected. What he expected was the traditional twenty or so Walkers that normally came through with a herd, pushing through some weak entry point in the patched up fence. What he actually saw was the largest herd that he had seen since they'd been on the farm.

Daryl pulled the door shut quickly and turned around.

"We're fucked." He said to everyone gathering there. He looked around at the group. Everyone would be fighting today except Hershel and Judith. They needed everyone. Daryl looked at them all, some of them still sleepy looking. The five newest members to the group had come from Woodbury, and Daryl realized he didn't even know their names. They were all going out there together into what Daryl could only describe as a sea of Walkers. Daryl's stomach sunk a little. Some of them weren't going to make it. Some of these faces would never be staring back at him again.

"We've got no choice." Rick said. There were easily 100 Walkers in the courtyard. He knew that it didn't look good, but they had no choice. Sasha and Tyreese were already out there, already fighting. What were they going to do? Cower in the prison?

Daryl sighed. He cast a quick glance at Michonne, saying a silent prayer that neither of them would get overrun. He'd have traded the whole rest of the group for that not to happen…he felt guilty thinking it, but it was true. He'd have sacrificed them all if it had guaranteed they'd make it through. He had never been as happy as he was moments before Rick had woken them up and it wasn't fair to think that he may never be that happy again.

Daryl put his crossbow on his back and took out his knife. It was going to be hand to hand combat until they thinned the herd a little.

1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111

Outside was chaos. It was impossible to see where anyone was. It was impossible to focus on anything other than the hoards of Walkers rushing toward each of them. Michonne had never seen so many Walkers together. She was almost dizzy from trying to keep turning in all directions, trying to keep every side covered at the same time.

Daryl was fighting side by side with one of the new guys. He had decided that if they made it out alive, he was going to find out what that guy's name was. The new guy was pretty good with a knife.

Rick felt like he could hardly keep up with the Walkers. They just kept coming. He wanted to know if they were making progress, how many were left, but he couldn't take his focus off his immediate surroundings to find out.

After what seemed like an eternity, Glenn stabbed a Walker and didn't have another coming toward him. He froze for a minute, turning in all directions. Even though he'd been fighting the whole time, he felt like this was the first time he'd seen the courtyard today. It was like everything was coming into focus now. Everybody was spread out, each fighting in their own area. A dozen Walkers were about all that was left. Well, ten…He thought as he watched Michonne take two down suddenly.

Daryl was out of breath, but all the Walkers were down. What was even more exciting was that he could see Michonne wandering around the other side of the courtyard, stabbing some of them that apparently hadn't been fully dead. They had made it. From the looks of it, everyone had made it, although the piles of Walkers everywhere would have easily concealed anyone that had been taken down.

Michonne saw Glenn trotting off to check the status of the fence. She found Daryl and, without saying anything, quickly kissed him.

The kiss wasn't really a kiss as much as it was a peck, but Daryl knew what it meant. It was also the first time that she had kissed him in front of anyone else, but he doubted that anyone out there had noticed it. Everyone was too busy surveying the damage and trying to figure out how they were going to burn this hoard.

"We're down two." Tyreese said as everyone started gathering near the doors for further instructions. "Susan and Mike."

Susan and Mike…two of the nameless people to Daryl. He hadn't known their names, but it was still a little sad to know that Susan and Mike were gone. From the look on Sasha's face, Susan and Mike must have been good people. Daryl was a little sorry that he hadn't gotten to know them.

"I'll help you bury them." He offered to Tyreese. Tyreese looked relieved and thanked him.

"That's fine, you two bury them. I'm going to help Glenn with the fence. Everyone else, get started burning the Walkers." Rick barked. Everyone silently went to their jobs.

111111111111111111111111111111111111111111

Rick had called a table meeting. That meant no women and no children. The only exception was Carol, who didn't have any opinions anyway or didn't voice them. She semi-attended table meetings by serving coffee to the men.

Carol was fully aware that Rick only let her into his super private "club" because he thought she didn't have an opinion on anything. The truth was that she had plenty of opinions, but she knew that Rick wouldn't listen to them, so why should she bother voicing them? Besides, what Rick wasn't aware of was the fact that she worked at these meetings like a spy. She'd serve them all like some kind of hostess if that's what it took to keep the women really informed about what happened instead of just accepting whatever watered down version of the truth Rick decided to fabricate for them because of "their sensitive natures".

1111111111111111111111111111111111

"I just thought the fuckers were hibernating." Daryl said.

"No, this wasn't an accident." Rick said. When they had gone to repair the fence, what they had found was surprising. In the distance there were six semi trucks with their trailers open. One entire section of the fence had been cut out. "He's been storing up Walkers to release on us. He turned them loose because he thought they would overpower us."

"They almost did." Tyreese offered. "Look, he's a sick man. He stored up Walkers before, but I would have never thought he would have managed to gather a herd that big.

"That's why we ain't seen hardly none in weeks. I bet he was the one that cleaned that town out. No damn wonder there weren't no Walkers there, the Governor rounded 'em up."

"So what do we do?" Glenn asked. "Do you think he'll be back?"

"Oh, he'll be back. No doubt about it. He'll be back and there's no telling what he'll have up his sleeve." Rick sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was getting a headache and after the day's events he wasn't really in the mood for the fight he was about to have with the group. "There's only one thing we can do…"

"Shoot him in the fuckin' head?" Daryl said.

"We could, but we can't get close enough to him. He's got the advantage on us. We're like sitting ducks here and we don't even know where he is anymore." Rick said. No one was in the best of moods tonight, that much was clear. "He can pick us off one by one, and he knows it. He's going to keep hitting us until there's no one left."

"So we find him and we kill him." Daryl said.

"The next time he sends one of his toadies waving the white flag and wanting to negotiate, we have to give him Michonne." Rick said.

"Like hell we are!" Daryl said, slamming his hand angrily on the table. Carol jumped at the sound and found herself backing up into a corner.

"Daryl, I know you've got some little thing going for her right now, but you've got to think about the good of the group. You really want all of us to risk our lives everyday just for Michonne? Are you really prepared to see all of us die like those two people today when we could solve this?"

"If I'm not wrong, Michonne was out there fightin' today just as much as you were." Daryl said. "Michonne's done just as much as anyone else in this group. What makes you think the Governor would leave us alone anyway? He's been so straightforward and trustworthy."

"It's a risk, but it might be our only shot." Rick said.

Everyone at the table was glancing nervously between the two men. They had been good friends through most of this, but it looked like something was breaking down now. It was clear that Rick thought he had the best idea, and it was also clear that Daryl wasn't going to agree.

"Fuck that, man! Rick, the Governor killed over half his "army". You saw what he did to Andrea. We've got some of his town here and a whole bunch of others ran off to try to make it on their own. He's probably only got eight men left, seven maybe 'cause I killed that asshole in the woods. Have you become such a pansy that you're going to bow down to eight men?"

"They were eight men with over a hundred Walkers that attacked us at dawn." Rick said.

"And we killed over a hundred Walkers." Daryl countered.

"We lost two people." Rick said.

"We lose people all the time, that's what happens in this world now. People get eaten by Walkers. Hell, that's just natural, but do you realize what he would do to Michonne? That's not natural and I'm not going to let it happen. When he sends another one of his guys with the white flag asking if we want to give up, do you know what we're going to do?"

Rick just looked at Daryl, but his look showed that he wanted Daryl to continue.

"We're going to shoot him in the fuckin' face." Daryl said. "I'm tired of this bullshit with the Governor. Until he's dead none of us are safe. Even if you handed over Michonne. None of us are safe!"

In Daryl's opinion the topic was closed. No one in the room said anything or even moved. Daryl stood up and walked out of the room.