I was shivering against his chest watching his fingers pluck at the owl feathers. Squeezing my eyes, I tried to focus on everything but that awful crunching of a dead animal. Footsteps replaced the ghastly sound making me tense slightly. Daryl put a hand on my shoulder easing me as Carl stepped into the room and sat down placing two cans of dog food between his legs. My stomach growled as he twisted the cap off. Everyone was silent thinking how inhuman they had all become to survive. Living off dog food? Was this what it was coming too? Rick wouldn't have any of it as he stormed up to Carl knocking the cans out of his hands. A layer of fright fell over the room as Rick looked around begging for someone to believe that was wrong for us for wanting to eat dog food.

"Pst," T-Dog hissed nodding towards the window. Stray walkers were staggering close to the house. It wasn't safe here. I wasn't safe anywhere. Daryl grabbed me by the wrist as we piled sneakily out of the house not daring to let me go as we weaved through the walkers taking out the ones posing threats. We piled into the cars, me sliding behind Daryl on his motorbike, and then we were off in search of a new place to rest our heads.

Daryl had stopped in the middle of the road looking behind him to see the other cars slow down. "Why are we stopping?" I asked him as he helped me off the bike. Trees surrounded us for miles down the long stretch of road.

"Where is there to go." He looked around. "We need to figure out a plan on where we might be able to go. There's no immediate threat here." I nodded wanting nothing more than to curl up on a bed with a blanket and sleep until this thing was over. My stomach growled and his eyes flickered down to my stomach. "You hungry?"

"It's nothing." I told him placing a hand on my midriff.

He sighed. "You should have told me. I would have done something."

"Unless you have the power to create pizza there's not much you can do." I rolled my eyes giving him a reassuring smile.

"I'll find you something." He told me before walking off towards the group huddled around the car.

It was my turn to sigh as I watched him disappear in the discussion. I looked around spotting Carl staring down the road waiting for a hazard to appear. I trudged towards him finding best to make conversation in hard times. "It was a nice gesture you know. Finding food."

"Everyone went hungry. That's not nice." He kept his eyes ahead

I put my hand on his shoulder. "It's the thought that counts."

"Really? Because I don't think this is Christmas." He shrugged my hand off. "Now go find a situation to get yourself messed up in so Daryl will come rescue you."

"Excuse me?" I was taken aback by his sassy remark. I have never known him to be rude.

He glared. "Face it Rose, you're weak. You don't contribute. All you do is sit around waiting for Daryl to come back from actually doing something."

"Oh," was all I could say letting his honest words seep into my skin. "You sound just like Shane." He looked around the trees not daring break his hard stare. "It's okay Carl. I know you're angry with me for something and you're right I don't contribute. I'll try to change that." I said then stalked off to sit against the car. Maybe conversation was not the best thing after all.

"Are we going to be able to clear it?" I asked in a hushed whisper.

Daryl gave my hand a squeeze smiling. "Have a little faith." He pulled me in behind him as we ducked under the fence to get inside the small walkway of gravel. Walkers began to gather around the fence as the smell of human flesh wafted into their dead noses. Glenn sealed off our entrance, but before I could take it in Daryl's grip on my arm returned and we were running along the fence following Rick. I flinched every time a new walker pressed itself against the fence snarling at us. I tried to shake the feeling of fright but how could I deny my fears. Carl was right. Shane was right. I am weak. Even after possibly a year in this apocalypse I still haven't wrapped my head around it. I still have to look to Daryl for saving. Poor innocent Beth was stronger than me. What was wrong with my brain?

"We'll take the field by tonight." Rick told everybody as we stopped near one of the towers.

Hershel stepped forward. "How will we close the gate?"

"I'll do it." Glenn offered. "You guys cover me."

"No," Maggie shook her head. "Suicide run."

I was glancing around the group watching everyone's face when Rick gave them orders. They looked so...determined. Walkers were gathering while some remained inert in the field. Someone had to close that gate. Someone...I rolled my shoulders back shaking off that feeling building in my stomach. "I'll go for the gate," Rick groaned almost as everyone sprinted off to their designated jobs.

Daryl's hand was pulling me, but I dug my heels into the ground. This was my chance. "Rick," I called out. "I'll run for the gate."

Rick eyed Daryl who stood flabbergasted next to me. "Are you sure?"

"Are you sure! Absolutely not! Rose you're coming with me no question." Daryl exclaimed yanking on my arm.

I pulled at my arm but I knew he was stronger than me as his fingers dug into the skin on my arm. "Let me do this. I don't want to be scared anymore. I want to do something good for everybody."

"You don't need to prove yourself Rose." His lip was quivering downward.

I placed my other hand atop of his. "I'm doing this for myself Daryl. Let me do this."

He groaned before grabbing my face and leaning down to kiss my forehead. "I love you, ya idiot." Then he sprinted off.

"I'll watch your back." Rick told me standing by the fence with Lori. I nodded trying to get all distractions from my mind. I closed my eyes breathing deeply. One…two…three…Lori had opened the gate and Rick and I piled out both crouched trying to get to the gate without being seen. Gun shots echoed around us as the group picked off the strays in the field. My grip tightened in the locks as I sprinted up the gravel hill rushing to close the gate and be done with this. Rick stopped taking out a walker behind us as my fingers fumbled to open the locks. I grabbed the side of the gate shaking the whole way and yanked it closed kicking a walker down as it appear in the path of the closing gate. I locked both sides before stepping away beaming at myself. Rick didn't give me any basking time as he grabbed my wrist and pulled me towards the tower. He didn't release me until we reached the top.

"I can't believe I did that." I leaned against the railing of the tower. "I have such an adrenaline rush."

Rick loaded his gun chuckling lightly at me. "I'm proud of you Rose that was really brave of you. What made you do it?"

"Carl." I glanced sideways at him. "He told me I was weak. That I didn't contribute."

"I'll talk to him." he gritted his teeth pulling the trigger taking out a walker.

I shook my head. "No don't. I'm not mad at him, he was right. I am weak. He actually kind of helped me."

"Little help…" I trailed off staring up at him from the bottom of the tipped over truck. He held out his hand to me as I stepped up onto one of the tires and pulled me up. "Thanks." I held out the bowl of meat to him.

Daryl took is eagerly hungry from the day's work. "Did you eat?"

"Yeah. Of course I did." I nodded sticking my hands in the back of my pockets looking around the clear field.

"You're lying." He spoke softly swallowing the contents in his full mouth. "Why aren't you eating? I thought you were hungry?"

"Lori's eating for two she needs more, and Hershel's old he needs my portions too." I explained to him.

He reached out and grabbed my hand trailing his fingers up the length of arm giving me goosebumps along my body. "You need the nutrition Rose. If you keep this portion shit up you won't be able to run, you'd pass out." he sighed squeezing my shoulder lightly. "You're getting all bony." The frown on his face deepened.

I smiled leaning into his hand when it touched upon my cheek. "Don't worry once we get some of the food in here and there a lot I'll be eating more because we won't have to ration as much." I pulled away. "I think I need a haircut too." I told him raking my fingers through my hair that now reached my tailbone.

Daryl grabbed my two hands slowly leading me to lie next to him on the truck. We were both on our backs staring at the dark sky twinkling with little specks of star light. "It's beautiful ain't it."

"I guess." I trailed off turning over to press my head to his chest mesmerizing myself with the sound of his heartbeat. "Lori's almost due. I'm scared."

"It's going to be loud," He responded. "A walker alarm."

"Do you think it's best for them to be bringing a baby up in an environment like this?" I asked.

He shook his head. "No, but what choice do they have."

I sighed thinking of all the possibilities of what they could have done. I had never been for abortion kind of person, but this was different. Bringing up an innocent baby in a dark, damaged world like this where it may not be able to get food or possibly defend itself. "Do you think once this is over we could have a baby, me and you?" I asked suddenly. Maybe I shouldn't have brought it up but no woman can deny the need for a child. His silence answered me that he was still afraid of committing especially when it meant along the lines of a family. I had never heard much of Daryl's family before the walkers came but I could infer it wasn't so great. I knew he had Merle, but it seemed like Merle was always gone, getting in trouble with the law. He never spoke much of his parents, but perhaps his father was gone most of the time too. From what I recall when we first spoke he said his dad was off with some waitress while he was lost in the woods. Perhaps his home life was something Daryl was not too fond of speaking about.

"Why don't we get over apocalypse, then I'll think about it." He spoke monotony.

I could not drop it. "Would you want to have a child in the future though? When the situation is right?"

He coughed awkwardly. "Maybe I don't know Rose I don't really want to talk about this."

"Okay." I replied sharply plunging us both in silence.

Rose finally grew some balls ;)

Thanks everyone for reading this

It means a lot to me

I would appreciate it if I could get some more feed back on what you all are feeling about this story? What's your opinion? What do you want to see in the future? What you guess will happen? I love stuff like that.

Lot's of Love xoxo- Kate 3

You all mean the world to me :)