"The whole thing is quite hopeless, so it's no good worrying about tomorrow. It probably won't come."
- J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

It was already dark when Rick, Daryl, Glenn and T-Dog got close to where the camp was settled. They had had luck with the guns but all that was left of Merle was his hand. Daryl was devastated, he shed a tear or two but composed himself soon after, but that didn't mean losing his brother didn't deeply hurt him.

They all stopped dead in their tracks when they heard people screaming and gunshots. The four of them then sprinted to the camp where they found a horrible sight.

The camp had been invaded by the dead. They had killed and attempted to eat a few of the members of the group but at the moment they couldn't be sure who was alive, who wasn't and who was alive but had been bitten.

Daryl wasted no time to use one of the guns they had gotten from Atlanta and killing one of those things Rick took one of the rifles he had brought back as well and started to shoot, just as Daryl.

Everything was a complete chaos. There were women screaming, kids crying, men shooting and the dead trying to have dinner.

They weren't sure how many of those things had invaded camp but eventually they all were killed. Carl ran crying to his dad, who wrapped him tightly in his arms.

Carol held Sophia as the young girl cried in her arms. The rest were still looking for more walkers, their weapons ready just in case.

"Cici?" Glenn asked, looking around, noticing she wasn't around. "Where is she?"

"Where the hell is she?" Daryl shouted and demanded for the answer since Glenn kept asking and no one seemed to even put attention to him.

"She's in the RV, I think," Teresa replied.

Teresa and Oliver had come back earlier today, around lunch time. They had brought some canned food and useful things, like toilet paper and soap.

Glenn ran inside the RV to check if she was there. He couldn't explain how happy and relieved he was when he saw her, lying on the couch but soon after that, those feelings vanished when he saw a bloody bandage wrapped around her head. He fear she had been bitten and he felt hot tears filling his eyes. He ran out of the RV and went straight to Carol.

"What happened?"

"I don't know," she cried, thinking he was talking about the camp being invaded.

Everyone looked at Glenn, tears were threatening to fall out of his dark brown eyes and she was shouting at Carol, who still had a shaking Sophia in her arms.

All of the people there thought there was someone dead inside the RV and by Glenn's reaction and him storming right to Carol it could only meant Cecilia.

Rick was busy with Carl and Lori, who wouldn't stop crying and shaking, T-Dog had an arm wrapped around Jacqui and the others also were around their relatives, holding them closely and comforting them so Daryl noticed he was the only one with no one to protect so he slowly made his way inside the RV, he spotted a young blonde girl lying unconscious on the couch. He noticed the bandage as well and thought the same as Glenn, she had been bitten but it was a strange place to be bitten, maybe she was just scratched and he also wondered why she had a bandage, the attack only happened minutes ago, maybe she was attacked earlier today and no one could put her down.

Daryl showed no emotions towards the group but he did care and hated when someone was killed, and he felt deeply sadden to lose someone so young and brave-hearted as Cecilia.

Slowly he walked out of the RV to find the scene hadn't changed that much, Glenn had knelt in front of Carol, still demanding for answers.

"What happened to her?"

"She wasn't bitten, if that's what you think," Oliver spoke and suddenly everyone felt relieved, especially Glenn and Daryl. "She only had a concussion."

"So, this girl can escape from a city infested with geeks without a single injury and she gets a concussion by staying at camp?" Glenn exclaimed, chuckling to himself, mostly out of relief she wasn't bitten or anything.

"I think she should tell you what happened," Teresa said, noticing everyone had their attention on them. Glenn just nodded. "Not us."

Cecilia's POV

I woke up feeling really disorientated. My eyesight was blurry and I had a killing headache. I sat up to only make it all worse.

"Shit," I murmured, closing my eyes again and putting a hand over the bridge of my nose.

I noticed it was night time and everything was so quiet, it must be really late. I also noticed I wasn't in a tent, by the way this looks, I could only be in Dale's RV, but where is he?

I stood up, grunting. I felt really dizzy and I stumbled but I found my balance and got out of the RV. The scene in front of me was not something I would ever expect. There were bodies everywhere, geeks and members of our group. I watched in sorrow, fearing the worst. Did everyone die?

My answer was answered when I heard a woman's cries. It was Andrea. I approached her quickly, she looked up at me in absolute fear, thinking I was one of those creatures, she pointed her gun at me but lowered it when she realized it was just me.

"What happened?" I asked, she just cried.

I got even closer to her and noticed she was crying over a body, Amy's body, which was covered in blood. She had been bitten on the neck and the arm.

"Andrea, I'm so sorry," I said softly, feeling my eyes filling with tears. "Are you okay? Were you bitten?"

"No," she choked out.

I wanted to stay with her but I wasn't sure if she needed company or just some space. I wasn't feeling well. I actually felt really tired and confused and still really disorientated, especially after what I found.

"I'm going to bed, if you need anything you know where to find me," I told her and walked to my tent.

I unzipped the tent and as soon as I did I could see a figure inside, sitting up in a second and pointing their weapon at me. I froze in place, holding my breath. What is it with everybody pointing their guns at me?

"Damn it, Cecilia!" the person exclaimed at me, by his southern accent I could tell it was Daryl, it was his tent so it was obvious he was in there, I just didn't assume he had come back already.

"I'm sorry," I muttered. "Can I come in?"

"Whatever," he muttered in his sleepy voice and lied down again.

I took off my shoes and left them outside the tent, I zipped it after I had stepped inside of it. I quietly tip-toed to my sleeping bag and lied down without saying another word.

"Did you find Merle?" I asked, not being able to keep my mouth shut. I hoped he had fallen back asleep and I actually thought he was, because he said nothing for a while.

"No," he said simply in an annoyed tone.

"I'm sorry."

"The bastard cut his fucking hand." Now his voice became angry. "I guess only Merle can kill Merle."

I was in shock, I really didn't expect what Daryl was telling me. I actually didn't even expect Daryl to be telling me this, he usually doesn't talk to anyone and if he does he keeps his sentences short.

"And what happened to you? You missed all the fun," Daryl said sarcastically.

I turned around on my other side to face him but I was met by his back. I sighed, trying to remember what had happened but I wasn't quite sure.

"I don't know to be honest. I just woke up and don't really remember much," I told him. "I remember I was by the lake and there was an argument but that's it."

"Everyone thought you were bit or scratched," he told me, I was really surprised we were having such a long and nice conversation. "Glenn almost shit his pants."

I chuckled. "I can imagine."

Then he turned around, facing me. He grabbed his flashlight and pointed it at my face, making me go blind for a couple of seconds, I closed them quickly, feeling my headache getting slightly worse. "Hey!"

"What happened?" he asked again not even apologizing for what he just did. He almost looked concerned.

"I don't remember," I said shrugging, as he kept looking at my injury on my right side of the head, just next to my eye.

Then he turned to look at the other side of my face, around my cheek. He lifted his free hand and softly touched it.

"Ouch!" I flinched back, only noticing now how much it hurt.

"You got a bruise there," he simply stated. "It's turning purple."

I got a quick flashback of my father hitting my mum and then of me running to him but not more than that.

"I'm going to ask Jacqui tomorrow," I said, knowing that I couldn't ask Andrea and much less Amy about what had happened and I didn't really want to ask my mother.

I could tell Daryl wanted to keep interrogating me but really, I couldn't remember. He believed me so he just turned off the flashlight, left it on the floor next to him and rested his head again but this time he didn't turn around.

"Good-night, Daryl." I rested my head as well and closed my eyes, maybe tomorrow would be better.

"Night." I heard Daryl muttering in a such really low tone that I wasn't sure if he really said it or it was just my imagination.

The next morning was a really sad view. People were stabbing the dead in the head just to make sure they were really dead or weren't going to turn before carrying them to the fire, while Andrea hadn't moved from her sister's side.

I spotted Sophia and flashed her a big smile, she smiled back but I could tell it hadn't reached her eyes, she was terrified of what had happened last night. I guess I was lucky I wasn't awake to witness it and that nothing had gotten to me.

I saw Jacqui just outside of her tent, she looked sick from the view in front of her. I walked to her, wanting answers.

"Good morning, Jacqui," I said with a small smile on my lips.

"Hello, Cici," she said in a monotone voice.

"I, uh, I don't know if this is a good time but I don't remember what happened to me yesterday when we were doing the laundry and you are the only one I can ask."

"It's okay." She sighed. She patted the place next to her, indicating me to sit there. I obliged and sat there, waiting for her answer.

"I remember we were washing the clothes and my father was being a dick, as usual. Andrea was arguing with him, right?" She nodded. "I don't remember much after that."

"Ed was taking Carol away, we all tried to stop her from going with him. He slapped her. You ran to him and pushed him, he got so angry he slapped you very hard," she told me. "You lost your balance and fell. Your head landed on a big rock, you were unconscious and you were bleeding a lot."

"I don't remember that."

"Your father didn't give a shit, he kept trying to take Carol away. Shane got to him and hit the shit out of him while Lori came and eventually managed to stop the bleeding. Shane carried you back to camp and Dale told him to leave you on his RV, so we could keep an eye on you. An injury in the head is not something you can take lightly," she told me. "Dale, Lori and Morales's wife watched over you all day."

"What about my mum?" I asked and I could tell she started to feel uncomfortable right after I asked.

"She... she went with Ed," she said coldly. "To take care of that asshole."

I heard a branch snapping behind me and when I turned around I saw none other than Daryl Dixon. He looked really pissed. Our eyes met for a second before he stormed away muttering, "I'm going to kill him."

"That won't be necessary," Jacqui called, obviously hearing Daryl as well.

"What do you mean?" I asked confused. "Because Shane beat him?"

"He's dead," she told me. "He was killed last night."

I stared at her in complete shock. I felt a small stab in my heart, he was my father after all. But that almost unbearable sadness you feel when someone is gone forever didn't last long, but I was a bit sad, I admit that.

I don't really remember when was the last time I felt something else other than fear, hatred and resentment towards that man. He didn't deserve my tears.

"I'm sorry," Jacqui told me. I just shook my head and stood up, I was a bit affected but I'm sure I won't be missing him for long.

I walked away and noticed everyone looking at me, I felt really uncomfortable. I wondered why they were watching me like this. Was it because of my father? If so, why weren't they looking at Sophia as well?

"What happened to your face?" I heard a voice behind me, I turned around and saw Carl. Maybe that's why they were all staring at me, my injury and the bruise.

"I, uh, I fell on a rock," I said quickly.

"What about that bruise?"

"It must have been the fall as well," I lied quickly.

"But it's on the other side of your face," he said being a a bit confused.

"Carl!" Lori exclaimed, walking to us. "Don't be rude!"

"It's okay," I told her. "He's just worried about me," I said, not knowing if he was worried or just curious.

"Are you okay?" she asked me.

"My head hurts a bit and I'm a bit confused but I'm good."

"You should eat something, you haven't eaten in almost a whole day."

"I'm not really that hungry," I told her, looking around me and seeing all those bodies.

"I understand." She nodded. "If you need anything you can ask me, okay?"

"Okay, thank you!"

I smiled at her and turned around to keep going to the lake when Jacqui started screaming and everyone gathered around.

"A walker got him! A walker bit Jim!" Jacqui shouted.

"I'm okay, I'm okay," Jim repeated weakly, trying to convince us of it but T-Dog grabbed him from behind, making him dropped the shovel he was holding and Daryl quickly approached him and lifted his shirt, revealing a bite. "I'm okay, I'm okay!"

I felt extremely sad, we were going to lose another member of our group. Once you are bit or scratched there is no turning back, there is no cure, at least not yet.

Everyone walked away from Jim so they could discuss what to do with him. Daryl obviously said we should kill him.

"I say we put a pickaxe in his head and the dead girl's and be done with it," Daryl told us.
"Is that what you'd want if it were you?" Shane asked.

"Yeah, and I'd thank you while you did it."
"I hate to say it, I never thought I would but maybe Daryl's right."
"Jim's not a monster, Dale, or some rabid dog. He's sick. A sick man. We start down that road, where do we draw the line?" Rick spoke up.

"The line's pretty clear," Daryl said. "Zero tolerance for walkers or them to be."
"What if we can get him help? I heard the CDC was working on a cure," Rick said.
"I heard that too. Heard a lot of things before the world went to hell," Shane told us.
"What if the CDC is still up and running?" Rick argued.

"Man, that is a stretch right there," Shane said, shaking his head.
"Why? If there's any government left, any structure at all, they'd protect the CDC at all costs, wouldn't they? I think it's our best shot."

Rick and Shane continued to argue, Rick wanted to go to the CDC and Shane wanted to go to Fort Benning, while Daryl just wanted to end Jim's life.

"You go looking for aspirin, do what you need to do. Someone needs to have some balls to take care of this damn problem!" Daryl exclaimed as he ran towards Jim, with a pickaxe in his hands.

"Daryl no! Stop please!" I exclaimed, running after him, just as everybody else.

I share the same belief as Daryl, it's cruel but it's a lost cause. But I disagree about killing him like this, we should at least wait.

Luckily Rick took out his gun and pointed it at Daryl before he could do anything too erratic.

"We don't kill the living," he stated.
"That's funny," Daryl said sarcastically "Coming from a man who just put a gun to my head."
"We may disagree on some things, not on this. You put it down. Go on," Shane told Daryl, who threw the pickaxe furiously.
After that Rick took Jim inside the RV in case Daryl or anyone else tried to kill him. Poor man, he must be feeling awful plus there's people who want him dead.

I realized the argument wouldn't be over yet but I'm just a girl so no matter what I think they won't even consider it so I resumed my walk to the lake. I just wanted to get away from this... cemetery, but even before reaching the woods I saw my mother, standing right next to Daryl. She was holding a pickaxe and started to stab a corpse repeatedly as she cried, I could only assume that half-eaten body was what it was left of my father. Daryl looked at my mother and I could tell he was unsure if he should intervene and stop her or not. But she eventually stopped but she kept on crying.

She turned to look away from the body, right in my direction. She tried to stop crying but she couldn't, I would have gone to comfort her but after I was told she went with my father after the incident in the lake and not with me when I was unconscious, I couldn't help but be really upset at her.

So, I just walked away from her, from there.

"Hey, where the hell do you think you are going?"

"Away," I answered simply.

"You can't!" Daryl exclaimed. "Look what happened last night, are you stupid or something?"

"What do you care? Just leave me alone!" I said raising my voice a bit and glaring at him. "I can take care of myself."

"Yeah, I can see that," he said sarcastically, probably referring to my head injury and bruise.

"What's your problem?" I asked getting pretty annoyed by him.

"Can't you see it's dangerous out there?"

"I just need to be alone for a while," I almost yelled at him.

"You know what? Whatever, I don't give a damn!" He stormed away from me, leaving me feeling so angry, not just at him but at everything.

After my argument with Daryl I wasn't in the mood to go to the lake anymore but I didn't want to give him the satisfaction so I walked there. As I approached the shore, I noticed dark blood on some of the rocks, my blood. It was quite a lot, probably that's why I had felt so light headed since the incident. I shuddered at the sight, so I moved away.

I sat by the shore, took off my shoes and put my feet in the water. It was cold but nice, it was relaxing. But my alone time didn't last more than ten minutes.

"Daryl said you would be here," Rick told me. "We are about to bury the dead people."

"I don't want to go," I simply said, looking back at the lake.

"I understand it must be hard to lose your dad," he said sympathetically. "It's hard to lose family but..."

"He's not my family," I interrupted him. "Yeah, he may be my blood and all that but he's not family, not after everything he has done to me, to us."

"Okay." He nodded. "If you don't want to go, could you at least go back to the camp? I would feel better knowing you were there and not here by yourself."
"I walked on a street infested with those things, I made it out! Why everyone assumes I can't take care of myself?"

"It's dangerous, we can't be alone anymore! We have to be cautious! You were one of the first people I met from this group and I would be really sad if something happened to you," he told me with sincerity. "Once the funeral is over and if someone wants to make you company then that's fine, you can come back here but for now please go back."

I sighed and stood up. "I just wanted some time alone, I guess you can't have that anymore."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay," I said. I grabbed my shoes and put them back on. "I might ask Teresa and Oliver to come with me later."

"Who are they?" he asked me as we started to walk back to camp.

"My best friends, I met Teresa first. Oliver is her boyfriend," I informed him. "We used to share an apartment before all of this crap happened."

"In Atlanta?"

"No, in New York," I said with a small smile.

"What are you all doing here then?"

"It was my grandfather's birthday, my mother made me come. She claimed this could be his last birthday and that I should go, problem was that she has been claiming the same thing for the last eight years or so," I said with a small chuckle. "But I guess this time she was right, I can't imagine how he can be alive now."

"I'm sorry,"

"It's okay, I have gotten used to the idea."

"Are you sure you don't want to come?"

"Pretty sure, now I guess I'll just go to my tent and maybe rest or something," I told him with a shrug of my shoulders.

Rick nodded at me and then gave me something quickly, a small silver gun. "Just in case," he said before walking to the graves Jim dug the day before, or that's what I was told, I was unconscious when he did it.

Hello guys! What do you think of the chapter?
And what are your opinions of what happened to the Episode of this week? I won't tell exactly what because I don't want to spoil it to the people who haven't watched it!
Personally, I think they just want to scare us and he's alright :)