"Carl, stop!" I snap, trying to keep Rick up as we walk.

Carl ignores me as he powers ahead. Rick's voice sounds gritty as he speaks "Carl!" Carl stops at his dad's voice "We need to stay together. We got to find a place with food, supplies."

Carl looks at Rick completely pissed. Rick puts his hand on Carl's shoulder "Hey, we're gonna be…"

Rick can't finish the sentence, what can he say? That we will be okay. No we won't. We'll survive but we won't be okay. I've lost Daryl, Andy and Nessa all in the space of a couple of hours. Hershel is dead. Judith too. Hell maybe everyone is dead! I didn't see anything by the end.

"Gwen, let's go" Rick says.

It wasn't till now I noticed Carl had moved away and Rick's arm was back around my neck. We keep going until I see a building in the distance.

"Hey, look. Maybe we can find some food in there" I say a little too optimistically that Carl gives me a strange look.

As we enter the parking lot my eyes fall to the fallen motorcycle and the tears build up in my eyes. Daryl. I cough and shake it off. I let go of Rick as we approach the door. I don't feel great about him going in there.

"Wait outside, okay? Keep watch." Rick says to Carl

"You keep watch. You can barely stand. I'm not gonna let you go in there alone." Carl says with an attitude

"Excuse me?" Rick challenges.

Carl sighs impatiently "We've done this before. I'm gonna help you clear it. You should just let me do it myself."

"Carl, enough. Do not talk to your dad like that." I snap at the kid then look at Rick "Both of you stay here. I'll go in and clear it.

"You're not going in alone" Carl says

"Carl…" I start but the boy cuts me off

"You promised to treat me like a man, remember? I promised Daryl I would look after you!" Carl says desperately.

I stare at the boy dumbstruck. When did that conversation happen? Daryl… God, I don't know how I'm going to cope.

I look at Rick and nod "He can handle it"

Rick nods "Let's go"

Rick pushes the door open quickly to avoid any surprises. Our gun are up as we search the area in perfect formation. Like we hadn't been behind the safety that was the walls of the prison this whole time. It's one of those skills that never leave you.

It's a diner of some sort. An apparently empty one. But a diner means food… unless its been totally cleared out. Rick goes one way, I go another and Carl in another. I check the bathrooms. Nothing in either.

"Kitchen's clear" I hear Rick say from the other side if the diner.

"Bathrooms are too" I say and walk towards the door Carl is standing in.

Someone has created a barricade in here. Tables and chairs piled high but no person to speak of. That is until I hear the distinctive breathing of a walker and sigh. Another one bites the dust. How long was he here I wonder? Did he know about us? Doubt it. My suspicions are confirmed as a walker staggers out from the door behind the barricade. My eyes are drawn to the food on the shelves, not a lot of food but more than we have.

"That might be all that's left" Rick says, indicating to the food on the shelves.

"Better than nothing" I reply.

"I can get it from here." Carl says lifting his gun

"No. No, it's weak. I'll draw it out." He picks up a hatchet that was lying on a table on top of a note. "Stay back." Rick says

I look at what the note says as Carl picks it up 'Please do what I couldn't- Joe Jr.'

Carl and I exchange a look and shake our heads. Coward. Rick pulls away the chairs from the barricade and steps back. The walker walks forward, becoming more animated. Rick impales the hatchet into the walker's skull but he is too weak and it doesn't fully penetrate the skull. He struggles to get the hatchet back out and as I step forward to finish the job with my knife, Carl lifts his gun and shoots the walker in the head. Rick looks pissed as the walker goes down.

"I said not to." Rick says to Carl

"You couldn't do it with the axe" Carl snaps back

"I had it!" Rick defends "Every bullet counts. What if you needed that one later?"

"Right, okay enough. I'm getting pretty fucking sick of this pish. Rick, go check out the kitchen. Carl help me with this stuff" I say impatiently. Rick opens his mouth to protest but I just lift my hand towards the door "Go"

Rick nods and limps out. Carl climbs over the barricade and holds his hand out for me. I smile gently and take the offered hand and climb over. There are crisps and jars of pickles and jam.

"I think I saw some bottled water in a fridge behind the counter." I say and climb over the barricade.

"I'll come with you" Carl says protectively.

I smile "Carl, honey. I'm a big girl. I can open a fridge door all by myself"

He looks down with a hint of a blush "But thank you anyway." I tell him and walk off.

I lift myself onto the counter and peer over the edge to see if there are any surprises waiting for me. Satisfied there is not, I fling my legs around and slide off the edge. I was right. There are a few bottles of water at the back of the small fridge. I grab them and slide back over the counter.

"Kitchen wasn't empty after all. My haul. You?" I hear Rick say

"I win" Carl replies

"Where's Gwen?" Rick asks in a panic

"I'm right here, relax before you burst a blood vessel" I say from behind him.

I hold up the water "I got water. Let me clean your face"

Rick looks relieved when he turns to look at me "No, we need to move on"

"Fine, get an infection" I huff and drop the water into the cloth bag Rick has in his hand "Let's go then"

We come across some railroad tracks and just beyond them lies a housing estate. I look around. It's quiet here. It'll do. I look at Rick and he nods. Carl has powered ahead again.

"Hey, Hey!" Rick calls after Carl.

Carl stops right in front of one of the houses "That ones as good as any" Rick says

Carl rolls his eyes earning a thump across the head "Watch that attitude" I say calmly.

Carl pulls out his gun and walks towards the house. I mimic his movements. We reach the door and wait for Rick to pull out his gun.

"Quick and quiet. We have to clear it before sundown" Rick whispers

I nod and I open the door quickly and move inside. After a sweep of the hall I turn to Rick "I'm gonna check upstairs" I say quietly and head up the steps slowly. The lower levels have clearly been turned upside down but its fine up here. I check each room carefully until I hear Carl yell.

"Hey, asshole! Hey, shitface! – Hey"

"Watch your mouth!" Rick shouts back.

I bolt down the stairs quickly "What the fuck do you think you are doing?" I snap at the boy.

"That's how Daryl does it" Carl says

"You're not Daryl" I reply a little more harshly than I intended. I sigh "It's not just the dead we have to worry about anymore. What if a group of hostile people walk by and heard you shouting?"

Carl looks away from me "Yeah, you're right."

Rick looks positively shocked at his son's different attitudes between him and me. Carl walks passed me and up the stairs "It's clear up there" I say after him.

"Just having a look around" He replies

I nod and follow Rick into the kitchen. He is looking through drawers and is collecting knives. "Rick, please sit down so I can look at your wounds"

"I'm okay" He replies

I sigh "Rick, have you looked at yourself. You are not fine now sit before I make you"

Rick sits on a chair and I pull the water out the bag he placed on the table. I pull a cloth off of the kitchen counter and pour water over it.

"We should save that for drinking" Rick protests.

"Won't do you any good if you die from an infection now will it?" I says and dap at his face gently.

He winces as the water enters his cuts "Gwen, I'm sorry"

"For?" I ask confused

"The prison" He replies.

"You did nothing wrong" I tell him firmly "The governor did. I'm the one who should have reinforced those fences. It was always on the list but then things just got out of hand, especially with me. Then the illness hit and everything just went belly up from there."

"You did everything you could for the prison. I… I should've done more" Rick says

"You earned that break you took. You wanted us to be able to live and eat off the land that way we would never have to worry about food again. Remind me how that is a bad thing?" I say.

"You lost Daryl" He says quietly.

My hand drops from his face. "Don't, please." I sit back against the kitchen cupboard behind me "I know he is alive. Andy and Nessa too. I have too. I have to keep that hope that we will bump into each other. If Daryl is alive he will look for me."

Rick nods "I know."

I stand up "As for the rest of them… They're resilient. They know how to handle themselves. They will survive and if we're lucky. One day we will cross paths again but for now it is me, you and Carl and we have to protect each other"