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Andrea burst out of her door both of them racing around to the front. Carol felt her heart leap into her mouth seeing the man laying on the ground groaning. Blood was on him and the sight was enough to spur into action. Andrea was gripping her knife pulling it her eyes wide. Seeing what she was going to do Carol caught her wrist shaking her head.

"He's alive." Carol's voice was hoarse. "Where did he come from!"

Both women looked down when his head lolled to the side and he mumbled and groaned trying to move. Andrea looked at her and motioned down the road both women feeling anxiety climb into their throats. Carol moved to him and tore her over-shirt off pushing it against the cut she could see on his head. He hissed and pulled away but she grabbed a hold of him holding him in place. He didn't fight it and that alone worried her and she looked around again seeing the walkers moving closer.

"We can't just leave him here." Andrea spoke quickly.

A garbled groan passed his lips and he coughed blood hitting the ground, "...hurrt..hiaa" He sputtered his eyes unfocused looking around.

"Shh...shhh we got you" Carol soothed pushing his hair back from his eyes. "Try not to move, we'll help you." His eyes closed and Carol felt her heart jump into her throat for a second before she felt for a pulse.

Both women studied him and Andrea made a face. Carol looked at her a second before she picked up the stuff he'd dropped when Andrea hit him with the vehicle. Carol followed her eyes and swallowed at the herd that was moving towards him. Nodding her head and straightening her shoulders she moved back to the vehicle and jerked the back doors open and started shoving things out of the way. Andrea was standing guard over him already knowing what Carol was doing. Once the seat was cleared Carol walked back around as Andrea took down a walker that had got to close out of ahead of the oncoming herd.

Carol leaned down lightly pushing his shoulder seeing if he'd come around. When he didn't move Carol looked up and Andrea slid her knife into a sheath and her gun into the holster. Grasping him by his shoulders they moved him into a setting position and his body tensed, coiling tight like a spring, Carol tightened her hold on him. Andrea and her heaved again but he didn't move. The groans of walkers started getting louder and Carol felt panic hit her. They had to get going but they couldn't leave this man here. They were the reason he was hurt. They couldn't just leave a man laying only to be killed brutally.

"Stopppp." His voice came out a mumbled groan and he turned his head his face downcast.

Andrea gripped his bicep tightly, "We need you to move, NOW!"

His head swung around and Carol watched as bright blue eyes focused momentarily seeing past her. The man grunted and he was rising to his feet unsteadily leaning heavily into her with Andrea grabbing him to help balance.

"I have to go..I hav-needs me" His words cut out as his head started lolling and his weight went slack against Carol. The steps of walkers felt like they were right on her back and Carol wrapped her arms around the man tightly. He felt like lead weight settling against her and she swallowed at the effort it was taking to keep him up.

Carol grunted when his full weight dropped into her but she refused to let him go. Shuffling steps had her and Andrea moving him to the back seat. Groans of walkers chasing them as he fell against the vehicle heavily. Andrea balanced him and Carol spun at the reaching hand and slammed the knife through the bottom of the jaw ignoring the sickly spray of putrid blood misting her. More walkers were moving out ahead nearing them and Carol growled spinning back around with what time they had left. With a concentrated effort he was maneuvered into the backseat. Both women panted but moved fast getting back into the front reversing away just as the herd got to them. Nasty rotted and torn hands slapped against the vehicle before they were completely out of reach. Carol's heart was in her throat threatening to beat out of mouth and take her life with it.

Andrea was driving like the devil himself was on their heels and Carol gripped the seatbelt tight. Looking into the backseat at the man sprawled out Carol swallowed and shook her head. Where the hell had he come from? Carol's eyes slid past him to the bow that was with him and her eyes widened seeing the bolts there.

"Andrea I think this is the man that was in the store." Carol spoke quickly.

Andrea shot her a look and then her eyes went into the rearview mirror looking at him, "Not just that Carol."

Carol studied her and raised a brow, "What are you talking about?"

"This is the man me and Shane seen." Andrea replied.

"From the road? The one that caught you all?" Carol couldn't help the hysterical bubble of laughter that welled up. "Really?"

Andrea scowled and her face reddened, "Yes!"

Carol looked back at him and then laughed again shaking her head. "That was a close call."

"Too close."

Hershel leaned over the man as Carol hovered in the door way. The man had yet to wake up since he'd passed back out and Carol felt guilt well up in her for the damage too him. If he died because of them then his blood was on her and Andrea's hands. If this was for sure the man from the story he'd meant no harm. In fact he'd slipped away before they could even try to speak to him. He was skittish and they'd damn near ran him completely over.

"Carol I need an extra set of hands here." Hershel's voice was tired, "He has a nice size cut on him here and I need you to keep him steady in case he comes around."

Carol moved into the room and Hershel directed her to the head of the bed. He motioned her to take a seat and then he had the man's head in her lap rolled to the side. Carol swallowed at the amount of blood in his hair and around his neck. His shirt was soaked and he was covered in blood from walkers. He'd been in a fight for his life before they ran into him.

"He's lucky." Hershel spoke quietly. "When he comes back around we need to keep him awake. Other than this he's just going to be sore and bruised up pretty good."

"He coughed blood up." Carol spoke quietly.

Hershel looked up at her and frowned, "Yes I seen the blood around his mouth. I already looked at that." His voice wasn't worried so Carol forced her anxiety away.

He didn't elaborate and Carol didn't press him on the matter. Andrea appeared at the cell door with Rick in tow and the man moved into the cell. He looked the man over and then looked at her. Carol realized her fingers were threaded through his hair and felt her face heat up. Andrea grinned at her and looked to Rick.

"You remember me mentioning seeing a man when me and Shane went out to search for Sophia?" Andrea stepped closer to the bed handing Hershel a wet rag, "He said his name was Mac- this is him."

Rick tilted his head and studied the man and looked to Carol, "Has he said anything?"

"No, he tried when we still there but he blacked out before I could make sense of it." Carol's voice was sad. She hated to see anyone hurt or in pain and this man was no different. "Also Rick," Carol started and bit her lip, "I think this is the man that was in the store with us."

Rick's eyes widened fractionally, "You think he's a danger?"

"No." Carol spoke firmly, "If he'd wanted to hurt us he could have then but he instead left without conflict."

Rick nodded at her words. He scrubbed his hands over his face, "He isn't to be left alone till we can figure out what's going on or what to do with him."

Andrea growled and looked at him, "What do you mean do with him?" Her voice came out like a shot, "He isn't a dog Rick!"

Hershel cleared his throat, "Might I suggest something?" When all eyes went to him he gave a tired smile, "He's hurt, he's around strangers, and in a new place all of them are going to be stressful when he comes around. The less people bombarding him when he finally does come around the better he's isn't going to feeling to good. I suggest just handcuffing him to the bed and that way we know he isn't going anywhere till we can talk to him."

Rick nodded and Andrea's arms crossed over her chest, "So leashing him?"

Rick rounded on her, "Its that or he's locked in the cell!" his voice came out with no room for argument.

Andrea followed Rick out of the cell the pair snapping at each other. Carol grinned at Hershel use to the pair arguing. Hershel shook his head at her and smiled before his eyes went to the man below as he stood.

"You done the right thing helping this man Carol. Things have a way of coming back to us when we put good back into the world." He turned towards the door as his words settled in her chest causing her heart to thunder, "We need all the good we can get."

Carol nodded as he slipped away and looked up as Rick slipped back in his cuffs in hand. The man Andrea identified as Mac was cuffed his arm stretched above him pulling a groan from deep in chest. Both Carol and Rick stilled but nothing else came about and he stayed limp on the bed.

"You staying here?" Rick kneeled looking up at her. His eyes lost the edge that had took them over most of the day. "Heard what Hershel said."

Carol smiled at him and nodded, "Could you imagine waking up alone handcuffed to a bed in a strange place...especially with the world the way it is now?"

Rick smiled at her, "If I said yes would you think less of me?"

Carol laughed and shook her head. Despite how hard things had been in the beginning and the loss of her daughter on the highway Rick had come to be like a brother to her. She knew he truly felt horrible for her daughter getting lost out there. Carol didn't blame him though. She did at first but time had taken that from her when she seen how hard he'd looked for her daughter, seen how it eat at him. Rick stepped up with Andrea and helped her when she was ready to just give up. Andrea helped her to see that Sophia was still out there and always would be until she was found. Rick helped her learn to fight and take care of herself. Both had given her strength and in turn formed a small family within the group.

Carol hummed in her throat and Rick chuckled, "He's right you know...you two done the right thing."

Rick stood and disappeared as night fell. Carol looked back down at the man her fingers ruffling his hair. Grabbing up the wet rag still on the sink she started cleaning the blood from his face and neck. His hair was another story all its own with the blood now dry in it, running the rag over it softly so as to not disturb the sutures she worked the blood away. He groaned softly every now and then but otherwise was still. Carol's eyes went to the small tattoo on the inside of his bicep and her finger traced it lightly as she silently tried to figure him out.

"Who are you?" Carol whispered down to him her hand resting on his throat feeling his pulse against her fingers.