Chapter 15 - Daylight Haunting

Greene Farm

Tess woke at the crack of dawn with a plan in mind. After a restless night's sleep, she knew she needed to do something about it. Which sadly meant she wouldn't be able to go looking for Sophia today. But she reasoned that Rick should be back to full strength now and able to take over for her and Daryl would no doubt be back in the forest as soon as he woke up.

Quietly making her way towards the stables before anyone else in camp woke up, she tried to psych herself up for her second ever horse ride. Much to Tess' surprise, Maggie was already at the stalls tending to horses and the farm girl turned to her with a smile.

"You're up early!" She chirped, appearing much more rested than Tess felt.

"So are you." Tess replied.

"Animals gotta eat." Maggie shrugged and Tess counted four horses in the barn, each one happily munching on their breakfast. "And the horses love to wake up early."

"About that, I was actually hoping to borrow one if I could? I wanna go into town, get some supplies."

"Yeah? You know where to go?"

"I'm sure I can follow the signs." Tess shrugged and Maggie smiled and asked,

"Okay, yeah. You need a hand saddling up?" Tess laughed nervously,

"That would be great, thank you." Maggie grabbed a saddle and bridle and led Tess past one of the horses to a palomino one in the back.

"You don't wanna take Nervous Nelly, she'll jump at her own shadow and leave you in the dust." The women laughed and Tess felt thankful that Maggie was there to help her. Maggie walked into the stall and started tacking up the horse.

"Now don't laugh." She began, a serious look on her face. "This mare is named Cheese." Tess let out a snort.

"Cheese? Why Cheese?"

"Beth named her when she was little. Said she looked like the color of cheese." Tess stifled a laugh and with a downturned smile, she stroked the horse's mane, feeling a lot less intimidated.

"Okay, alright, I see it. Hi Cheese."

She was off to a shaky start getting Cheese to walk on. Maggie warned her that horses were able to sense fear and Tess wasn't entirely sure whether that was true or if Maggie was just pulling her leg. It took a little bit of coaxing but eventually Tess and Cheese were making their way up the highway and towards town.

"Yeah, you ain't so bad, are ya?" She cooed to the horse, feeling at ease atop it. Cheese was perfectly calm and easy to guide, just as Maggie had told her she would be. Tess wasn't confident enough to go any faster than a trot just yet but she felt in no hurry to get to her destination. Truth be told, she was quite enjoying being on her own right now.

She felt as if they had all practically been living on top of one another for the past few weeks and the sudden sense of freedom she had by going into town on her own was liberating. Tess guessed the horse had made many trips into town before, as it led itself along the path without much guidance.

The township was mostly just a long stretch of road lined with shops, with not many commercially developed side-streets. It was good and quiet and Tess felt confident that it was relatively safe. Slowing the horse and coming to a stop, Tess walked it to a lamp post, tethering its reins around the pole securely. Giving Cheese an appreciative pat on the neck, she took one last look around to check for walkers.

"I won't be far. Whinny if you need me." She joked, glad no one was around to hear her.

Tess' first stop was a small convenience store that was boarded up and appeared relatively untouched. She grabbed herself a tepid bottle of water from a warm fridge and drank from it greedily, discarding it on a shelf when she was done with it. She set another one aside in her backpack for later and also grabbed some snacks and tinned food for the group. With Carl in mind, Tess also snagged a couple chocolate bars, knowing he'd appreciate them.

Moving on from store number one, Tess ventured further down the street to the pharmacy, which was indicated to by the white and green cross sign that hung above the door.

—

Back at the farm, Daryl was covertly saddling Nervous Nelly, unaware of the horse's temperament.

—

To no surprise, the pharmacy was already well picked over, with very little left in the way of medical supplies. She stuffed her bag with a few bandages and antiseptic ointments that were left, figuring they'd probably be of use at some point. Looking overhead at the aisle signs, she located the vitamins section and hoped she'd be able to find what she was looking for.

Normally, if a person were having trouble sleeping as much as Tess was right now, they'd be looking for some type of benzodiazepine and with a vacant drugstore like this, it would be the perfect opportunity to steal prescription medication. Thinking about it, Tess wasn't even sure if it was considered stealing anymore. She wanted nothing more than to take that prescription medication right off the back shelf and have a dreamless sleep but she wasn't about to risk it.

After Tess was injured during her last deployment overseas, she had been given a series of opioids to combat the pain but after the pain stopped, the drug taking didn't. It became the only way she could operate and act like a normal, functioning member of society. She would rarely have panic attacks and when she did, she could stop them right away. She could sleep through the night without the fear of nightmares. It was like all the horrors she had ever experienced had never happened. But it wasn't sustainable.

Soon the drugs became less effective as her tolerance grew and she found herself spiraling further in the opposite direction. Thankfully, she had been able to get the help she needed before too much damage could be done. Nate had played a big role in her recovery and she owed him so much for that. Something she still hadn't come to terms with never being able to repay.

And so, she steered clear of prescription medication. Which really only left her with adaptogenic substances and vitamins and minerals. Tess found one that looked the most comprehensive and begrudgingly decided that would have to do. She gathered anything else she thought might come in handy and left the store to check on Cheese.

Cheese's tale was swishing in the air, swatting away flies and Tess smiled at her fondly. She'd never had a pet growing up and she thought about how nice it must have been for the Greene family to grow up with all the open space and animals they had now. She'd dreamed of a life like that once. Away from everyone and everything. Pure solitude. Nothing's stopping me from going out and claiming my own land now, Tess mused to herself as she untied the mare from the lamppost. Other than morals, I guess.

"Let's get you outta the sun." She spoke gently and led the horse further down the street toward a more sheltered area. The horse's hooves slowly clopping along the pavement was the only sound she could hear. The sun was overhead now, much to Tess' surprise. Her ride into town had taken longer than she expected but she was shocked just how fast the morning had flown by.

"You're probably thirsty, huh?" She asked the horse as they stood in the shade. Tess looked around for somewhere the horse could drink from but didn't have much luck.

"We'll find something, don't worry." She assured her as Cheese nudged her with her nose.

After tying the horse back up to the railing out the front of the barber shop they stood in front of, Tess walked back into the heat of the sunshine and further into town. Most of the stores that lined the street were of no interest to her. Coffee shops and odd little gift stores that sold everything from fishing bait to mugs with pistol handles and comedic underwear.

One store that caught her eye was a hunting and fishing store, like a small Cabela's. The front had been boarded up well but most of the boards were now broken and torn down. Tess pushed her way through the front door, shoving aside the broken timber and a series of shelves that had been wedged against the door. As she heaved her way through, she stumbled when it finally gave way.

The store had been ransacked. All of the firearms were gone as well as all the ammunition. Tess had hoped she'd at least be able to find something to bring back for the group to use but all she could turn up were empty boxes and shell casings. She felt disappointed but continued to have a thorough look throughout the store just in case.

A lot of the shelf stock had been discarded onto the floor and Tess had to rifle under broken shelves to find anything worth taking. She found a couple knives and she stashed a small one in her boot, a swiss army knife, which she pocketed and a small butane canister, which she left behind. She felt about ready to give up when she spied what looked like a taut string attached to an axle, hidden under a mound of other junk. Tess swept aside the other stuff and smiled enthusiastically at the item she had just found.

A red and black BlackOut NV-3 Compound Bow in perfect condition lay on the ground in front of her and she clutched it happily. She'd never shot a bow in her life but she was damn set on making it work. It was quieter and the chances of her running out of ammo was far lower than that of any firearm.

She'd admired Daryl's sensibility for his crossbow since she first met him and she felt inspired to become proficient and deadly with the bow. It had a quick release quiver with six arrows stored in it and Tess felt like she'd hit the jackpot. She happily left the store with her new belongings and decided today had been a success. It was time to head back to camp.

—

In the shallows of the rocky creek bed, at the bottom of the ragged ravine, Daryl lay face down in the water. He hurt all over but a distinct sharp pain was most noticeable in his lower torso. He groaned miserably. Damn horse. One of his arrows had pierced through his back during his brutal descent down the tree-covered ridge.

Mother fucka', he seethed to himself as he propped himself up. The twisting motion of him sitting up had sent searing pain through his body and he grit his teeth in a bid to stifle his discomfort. He tore the sleeves from his wet shirt and fashioned a tourniquet of sorts around himself to hold the arrow in place.

Daryl struggled back up to his feet, cursing as he went and grabbed a large stick to help support him on his way up. He'd lost his hold on his crossbow as he fell and using the same stick, he sifted through the water, searching for it. The doll of Sophia's that he'd found was thankfully still securely fastened under his belt. Every time he moved he grimaced and cursed the good-for-nothing horse that bucked him off.

After finally dredging up his crossbow, he shook it dry as well as he could and looked up at the daunting scale of the embankment he would need to climb in order to escape the ravine. Loose earth, scraggly roots and sparse footholds made it look like a perilous endeavor but there was no other way out. Hobbling over to the ridge, Daryl willed himself to climb. Stretching to pull himself up the hill, he was quick to lose his grip, in pain and weak, and he tumbled back down towards the water.

—

Tess and Cheese slowly made their way back to the Greene farm, enjoying the last lot of peace and quiet they may get for a long time. It was mid-afternoon and while it was still very sunny, there was a cool breeze in the air. They would be nearing winter soon and Tess sincerely hoped they wouldn't still be sleeping in tents by then.

As they journeyed further into rural life, Tess kept her eyes peeled for a well or trough to let the horse drink and stopped in the first field she found one in. Sitting on the edge of the water trough as Cheese drank, Tess stared up at the clouds and watched the world go by. She'd always loved looking at the sky, an untouchable facet of life that was always there. Rain or shine, day or night, Tess found comfort in knowing that no matter where she was in the world, they all lived under the same sky.

—

Bloody and bruised, Daryl lay on his back, groggily staring up at the sky, half conscious. A shadowy figure hovered over him and he blinked dizzily, trying to see straight.

"Why don't you pull that arrow out, dummy? You could bind your wound better." A gruff and recognizable voice scolded him from above. As Daryl's vision returned, he saw his brother, Merle, looking down on him with the perpetual look of mirth and chagrin.

"Merle." Daryl groaned uncomfortably, unsure how his brother had found him here and now of all places.

"What's going on here? You taking a siesta or something?" His brother taunted him.

"A shitty day, bro."

"Like me to get you a pillow? Maybe rub your feet?" Merle baited and Daryl felt like hurling a rock at him if he could.

"Screw you."

"Huh-uh. You're the one screwed from the looks of it." The older man scoffed and paced in front of him.

"All them years I spent trying to make a man of you, this is what I get? Look at you. Lying in the dirt like a used rubber. You're gonna' die out here, little brother. And for what?"

"A girl."

"Not that G.I. Jane wanna-be you been swoonin' over." Merle tsked and Daryl felt sick to his stomach with embarrassment.

"They lost a little girl."

"So you got a thing for little girls now?"

"Shut up."

"'Cause I noticed you ain't out looking for old Merle no more." He reprimanded him and the guilt Daryl had suppressed came ebbing back.

"Tried like hell to find you, bro."

"Like hell you did. You split, man. Lit out first chance you got."

"You lit out." Daryl argued, "All you had to do was wait. We went back for you. Rick and I, we did right by you."

"This the same Rick that cuffed me to the rooftop in the first place? Forced me to cut off my own hand? This him we're talking about here? You his bitch now?" Daryl glared daggers at his brother, wishing he would just shut up. It was then that he noticed that Merle still had his right hand.

"I ain't nobody's bitch." Daryl groaned, trying to find the strength to stand up and rid himself of this hallucination.

"You're a joke is what you are, playing errand boy to a bunch of pansy-asses, niggers and democrats." Merle kicked him in the leg and laughed. "You're nothing but a freak to them. Redneck trash. That's all you are. They're laughing at you behind your back. You know that, don't you? I got a little news for you, son. One of these days, they're gonna scrape you off their heels like you was dogshit. Hey!" Merle kicked him in the leg again and Daryl winced, trying to pull away from him.

"They ain't your kin, your blood. Hell, you had any damn nuts in that sack of yours, you'd go back there and shoot your pal Rick in the face for me."

Daryl didn't want to listen to a word his brother, hallucination or not, had to say. He didn't want to believe that anything he was saying was true. That everybody in the group thought of him as a redneck loser.

"Now you listen to me." Merle told him sternly. "Ain't nobody ever gonna care about you except me, little brother. Ain't nobody ever will. Come on, get up on your feet before I have to kick your teeth in." He scolded him, proceeding to kick him in the leg some more. "Let's go. Come on."

As Daryl's hallucination of Merle faded away and his vision cleared, the nudging at his foot and leg continued. He looked down, confused and his heart jumped when he saw a walker pawing at his boot, attempting to claim its next meal. Daryl reared back and swiftly kicked it off of him. He clambered to regain the stick he had earlier and bashed in the skull of the walker that was still slowly pursuing him.

Before Daryl could begin to relax, a second walker emerged from the brush and Daryl had to make a decision quickly. This one was bigger and would put up more of a fight. With a deep breath and gritted teeth, Daryl yanked the bolt out of his wounded torso, his last and final one, and loaded it into his crossbow. His vision was still a little shaky but years of practice and muscle memory made quick work of his final foe; ending it with an arrow between the eyes.

—

Tess slowly rode down the driveway to the Greene Farm. It was late afternoon now and she was looking forward to unloading her gear that had been weighing heavily on her back all day. She waved hello to Dale, who was currently sitting atop the RV on watch, as she approached.

"Hey! So that's where you've been all day!" He called out to her and nodded, letting him know she'd be back once she returned the horse to its stall. Carrying on, she spotted Carol who was heading out from the farmhouse and she hopped down from the horse quickly to talk to her.

"Carol, hey! You got a sec?"

"Of course. What can I do for you?" Carol smiled warmly despite the sad look in her eyes.

"I got us some more food from town, where do you normally store it? RV?" Tess asked, uncertainly. Carol beamed excitedly,

"Oh! I can take that right now if you like? I was just about to cook dinner. Would you like to join me?" Tess balked at the offer, trying to recall the last time she'd ever cooked a proper meal.

"Uh, MRE's are kinda the height of my culinary expertise so maybe it's best if I steer clear." She admitted and Carol laughed lightly, nodding in agreement. Tess handed her over the tins of food she'd found and Carol accepted them appreciatively.

"Okay, fair enough. We'll see you at dinner then." She gave her a parting smile and continued on towards camp.

Tess continued on foot with Cheese, leading the mare back to stables. She untacked the horse and hung the saddle and bridle back up where she'd seen Maggie take it from this morning. She also noticed that some food had already been left for her and guessed that one of the Greene's must have already done their evening rounds.

She found a brush in a bucket and brushed Cheese down, giving her a final whisper of thanks and allowed her to eat her food in peace. As she exited the stalls, Tess noticed another horse was also missing from the barn. Nervous Nelly. I guess maybe Maggie took her out? Tess shrugged, not really paying it any mind and left the stalls to catch up with Dale.

—

"Please, don't feed the birds." Mocked Daryl's hallucination as he gazed up at a pair of screeching birds circling overhead. He had made it two thirds of the way up the cliff and could feel his energy waning. The irritating commentary from his brother wasn't helping him much either. "What's the matter, Darlina? That all you got in you?" He ridiculed him and Daryl scowled at the awful nickname Merle had bullied him with since childhood. "Throw away that purse and climb!"

"I liked it better when you was missin'." He growled testily but Merle only laughed.

"Come on, don't be like that. I'm on your side." Daryl snorted, not believing a word that came out of his mouth.

"Yeah? Since when?"

"Hell, since the day you were born, Baby Brother. Somebody had to look after your worthless ass."

"You never took care of me." Daryl bit back, fed up with the lies. "You talk a big game but you was never there. Hell, you ain't even here now. Some things never change." Merle glared down at him menacingly.

"Well, I'll tell you what, I'm as real as your chupacabra."

"I know what I saw."

"And I'm sure them shrooms you ate had nothing to do with it, right?" Merle jeered and Daryl gripped tightly onto the roots he was holding, forcing himself not to throw a punch at an apparition.

"You'd best shut the hell up." He warned him.

"Or what? You're gonna come up here and shut my mouth for me? His brother looked at him expectantly. "Well, come on and do it then, if you think you're man enough. Hey, kick off them damn high heels and climb, son!"

Daryl tried to pull himself up further, making it a few feet away from the summit before collapsing against the side of the hill again in exhaustion. Merle scoffed disdainfully,

"You know what? If I were you, I'd take a pause for the cause, brother. 'Cause I just don't think you're gonna make it to the top. Come on, little brother." Merle's encouragement was insincere and Daryl swatted away his outstretched hand to get him to stop. He'd die on this hill before admitting he needed his brother's help.

As he glanced up to tell him to get lost, he nearly fell back down again in shock. Merle was gone but a hand was still offered to him for help.

"Tess?" He panted, short of breath and at a loss for words. He had no idea how on earth she'd managed to find him here or if she was even real but her presence was certainly a lot less hostile than Merle's. She just looked down at him confused, like she couldn't quite understand what he was doing and why he wasn't moving. She knelt down on one knee and leant over further, giving him a better opportunity to grab hold of her hand. Her expression changed, becoming more determined and Daryl was so delirious that he still wasn't certain whether she was real or not.

"Time to go." She told him, her tone impassive but not cold.

Daryl reached out and took her hand.

—

"Looks like your trip into town today was a winner!" Dale exclaimed as Tess climbed the ladder to the roof of the RV. She had tossed her backpack into her tent while passing but had kept her new bow slung over her shoulder, excited to show it to someone.

"I ain't ever shot a bow in my life but you're never too old to learn, right?" She laughed and took a seat next to Dale.

"Too right you are!"

"You wanna give it a go?" She offered Dale the bow to hold but he shook his head vigorously.

"God no, I'm too old. But you're a spring chicken though." Tess chuckled softly. She certainly didn't feel like a spring chicken.

"A fall chicken, maybe."

"You go all the way into town just for that?"

"No, this was just a bonus. I got some more food and medicine, a few bandages and knives; stuff like that."

"Good to enjoy some peace and quiet after the week you've had." Dale looked at her knowingly and Tess was unable to disagree.

"Should I feel guilty for wanting some alone time?" Tess asked, starting to feel like maybe she had been selfish with her time today. Especially after just grilling Daryl for accusing her for giving up on Sophia. But she reasoned that she was no good to anybody if she couldn't sleep.

"Don't. You may as well while we're settled." Dale shrugged. "Besides, Rick and Shane were back out there today. So were Andrea and T-Dog, even took Jimmy with 'em too."

"Hershel was okay with that?" Tess asked, surprised.

"Well, no. I don't believe the young lad even bothered to ask."

"Sounds like he fits right in then." She laughed and Dale smiled genially, very much in agreement.

"Hey, Dale! I can take over for you now." An unmistakable voice shouted from the ground below. Tess peered over the edge and saw Andrea climbing up to join them. Anger bubbled in her stomach at the sight of the blonde woman and she did her best not to scowl straight away.

"Are you sure you want to-?"

"Dale. I'm sure. I know how to handle a gun." Andrea retorted sharply and Tess bit her tongue, sick of her petulant attitude. Dale reluctantly got to his feet and handed her the rifle, looking at her warily. Andrea clearly felt like owning a handgun qualified her as a marksman.

"You coming down, Tess?" Dale asked as he began to descend the ladder.

"In a bit." She told him, still seated beside the lawn chair, bow in hand, beside Andrea who had now taken a seat. Dale nodded uneasily and left the two women alone.

Andrea didn't say a word to Tess as she looked out over the farm. For once she felt superior, in charge and more powerful. She knew what she was doing, or at least she believed she did and she wasn't about to let anyone think differently. She was however made a little uncomfortable by Tess still sitting beside her. She couldn't help but notice the new piece of equipment she handled and she began to feel envious again. As if Tess could read her mind, she began to twist her hands around the bow riser.

In actual fact, Tess was actually just thinking about how best to broach the subject of Andrea's gossip without coming across like a bitch. Every scenario she ran through her head didn't really pan out well and she debated whether it was really even worth it. But then who's to say she'd stop at just Daryl when it came to spreading lies? The last thing she needed was everything thinking she'd jumped on the first man she could and she certainly didn't need to be adding to Shane's inflated ego. Tess finally decided to bite the bullet and cut straight to the chase. No point beating around the bush.

"Just so you know, I have never and have zero interest in ever sleeping with Shane." All the color drained from Andrea's face so quickly that Tess could have laughed.

"I'm an equal opportunist, so next time you decide to talk about me behind my back, you best make sure you know what you're talking about." She warned her, stoically and chills ran down Andrea's spine. Yet, she didn't apologize, something which didn't go unrecognized by Tess. She contemplated whether Andrea really even felt guilty or if she was just embarrassed that she'd been caught out.

Nonetheless, Tess had said her piece and made it abundantly clear that they'd have issues if it ever happened again in the future. She looked over at the blonde woman sadly and tried to express that she wasn't being hateful.

"I want to be your friend, Andrea. I am realizing that you and I may have gotten off on the wrong foot to begin with and for some reason you dislike me but I'm willing to put that behind us if you are?" Tess looked at her expectantly, genuinely wanting things to work out between them. They lived together for Christ's sake. It would be uncomfortable for the both of them if they continued on this way. Andrea looked out across the field despondently, unresponsive and Tess sighed inwardly. She felt like she was shouting into the void.

She thought about leaving when Andrea suddenly jumped up to her feet, rifle raised and looking down the scope toward the forest. Tess anxiously got to her feet, slinging her bow over her shoulder to get a better look at what Andrea was seeing.

"Walker. Walker!" She cried, her hands trembling under the weight of the gun.

"Just the one?" Tess asked her, moving to the other side of the camping chair to grab the binoculars. Andrea's shouts had drawn the attention of the rest of the group and Rick came running over.

"I bet I can nail it from here." She stated boldly, lining up her sight.

"Don't!" Tess and Rick cried in unison. The figure was still too far away for Tess to see in the binoculars (which weren't very good) but she could see that it was swaying as it moved, much like a walker.

"No, no, Andrea. Put the gun down." Rick instructed firmly but Andrea ignored him, determined to prove her worth. Tess desperately wished for the binoculars to focus.

"You'd best let us handle this." Shane declared, ax in hand quickly storming towards the field.

"Shane, hold up. Hershel wants to deal with walkers." Begged Rick, not wanting to vex their host any further.

Hershel was already upset with him over one of the horses being taken without their consent and the fact that Jimmy had joined them in their hunt for Sophia today as well. Rick felt like they were on thin ice and their welcome was hanging on by a thread. He bolted after Shane as he took off into the field, Glenn and T-Dog hot on his heels. Tess desperately watched as the figure came more and more into view. It was ragged looking and unkempt, slightly slouched and loping towards the four men that raced towards it.

"Andrea don't pull that trigger, the guys have got it handled." Yet Andrea still kept her rifle up but moved a few feet away from her and out of reach.

"I got this." Andrea claimed, steadfast and unyielding. As the five figures came to a stop, no one moving to take down the would-be-walker, Tess made one last desperate attempt to focus the binoculars. In the field, she could finally see Daryl, looking like death but alive all the same.

"Andrea, don't!" She screamed, dropping the binoculars unceremoniously and leaping towards the other woman. The crack of the rifle firing rang out before she could reach her and a cold sweat and sense of panic washed over her and she yelled senselessly, tearing the rifle from Andrea's hands.

Andrea stepped back in shock as the men in the field began to shout back at them and Tess stared down the scope desperately, hoping Andrea had missed but she couldn't see Daryl standing anymore. She felt like being sick. Tess rapidly took apart the rifle and shoved the pieces back into Andrea's arms.

"Shit for brains! You just shot Daryl!" She screeched at her, not caring how she made Andrea feel. Tess leapt down from the roof and hurried over to the gate leading into the paddock where the men were carrying back Daryl's limp body. He was slumped over and blood seeped from his head and Tess couldn't tell if he was just unconscious or if Andrea had actually killed him.

"Is he dead?" She asked desperately as Andrea raced up behind her pleading to know as well.

"Unconscious. She just grazed him." Rick told them thankfully but gave Andrea a look of disappointment. Tess finally released the breath she'd been holding and shoved past the other woman, following them up to the house.

Hershel met them halfway, having been drawn out by the gunshot and demanded to know what was going on. At the sight of Daryl's unconscious body being carried towards him, he rushed them into the house but it was clear he was unhappy about the situation. Shane and Rick lowered Daryl on the bed and Tess watched on, anxiously picking at her fingernails. Not only was he bleeding from the head but he also had an open wound in his abdomen.

"Guy's isn't this Sophia's?" T-Dog spoke up, picking up a small, dirty doll. Tess recognized it as the one she'd pulled from the Peletiers tent back at the quarry. Daryl regained consciousness while Hershel began to tend to his more serious wound. He looked around the room, his vision cloudy but he saw T-Dog holding up Sophia's doll.

"Found it washed up on the creek bed. She must have dropped it crossing there somewhere. Cuts the grip almost in half." His voice was hoarse and raspy but he sounded hopeful. "Yeah, you're welcome." He quipped, groaning as Hershel prodded at his abdomen.

Glenn, T-Dog and Shane left the room, leaving Tess and Rick to watch over with concern.

"How's he looking?" Rick asked their resident doctor.

"I had no idea we'd be going through the antibiotics so quickly." Hershel fretted, having finally cleaned Daryl's stomach wound and was beginning to sew him up.

Tess recalled the antiseptic cream she'd found earlier today and ducked out of the room without a word, running back to her tent to grab it. She discarded the bow she was still carrying and dumped the contents of her backpack onto the floor of her tent. She didn't bother cleaning up her mess when she finally found the tube of cream and raced back to the house to offer it to Hershel.

Rick was gone from the room when she got back and Hershel was just finishing wrapping Daryl's abdomen.

"Hershel, I have this." She proffered the tube to him and he raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"I guess it's a good thing Maggie leant you our other horse today." He told her and took the cream from her, examining the label.

"No point removing this bandage now but when we need to change the dressing we can use it there, then." He told her, making quick work of cleaning and sewing up Daryl's head wound before using the antiseptic cream on the injury.

Daryl was still awake but Tess wasn't entirely sure if he was present. He didn't look at either of them and had a glazed over look in his eyes. Slowly, they dropped closed and he fell unconscious again.

"Done about all we can right now. He needs some rest." Hershel spoke quietly, moving to leave the room but stopped when Tess didn't move with him. He looked at the young woman and saw her distress. He hadn't known them to be a couple and didn't think they were but he knew that look, even if she didn't.

"Keep an eye on him if you like. Just in case." He told her gently and Tess nodded absently, taking a seat under the window.

Tess couldn't stop thinking about how Daryl of all people had ended up in such a terrible condition. He was the most resourceful of any of them, at least in her opinion. What the hell happened for him to wind up this way?

She berated herself for her inaction, wishing she'd ripped the rifle out of Andrea's hands sooner. Tess directed all her anger and fear towards terrible thoughts of Andrea, cursing her in her head over and over. Her arrogance and ego nearly got Daryl killed. Thank God she was a terrible shot.

She couldn't help but feel like they were dropping like flies. First Sophia, then Carl, now Daryl. Who would be next? It seemed like they couldn't go a week without losing someone and she didn't know if her sanity could take much more of it. Tess chewed at her nails anxiously, not stopping when it started to hurt.

She felt guilty for not having gone with Daryl to look for Sophia again today. Perhaps if she had, he wouldn't be lying in this bed right now. Or perhaps they'd both be laid up. It would remain unknown. Daryl groaned in his sleep and Tess shot to her feet, thinking he was waking but he was just shifting, rolling further onto his side. As he did so, it exposed his back to her and she was surprised to see lacerations.

Deep lacerations that were scarred and looked years old. Tess found herself looking at them sadly, wondering who could have done such a thing. It then occurred to her that Daryl would probably be mortified if he knew that she'd seen and she walked back to the chair. She did her best to get comfortable but just spent the entire night gazing out the window, waiting for things to get better.

—

When morning came around, Daryl woke, finally feeling coherent and a hundred percent lucid. He wasn't entirely sure what he had said last night or even if any of that conversation had actually happened but he was aware that he had been bandaged up and he hoped Hershel had been the one to do it. Slowly, he tried to push himself up into a seated position but groaned when it became too painful and lay back down, miserably.

"Hey, you're awake." Tess stood up, not having noticed that he had awoken. Daryl froze, unaware that he wasn't alone and glanced over at Tess who was looking at him with the same look of concern as his hallucination had. It made him second guess whether he was seeing things again.

"You actually here?" He rasped hesitantly, causing her frown to deepen.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" She shrugged, confused as to why he thought she wouldn't care enough to be checking on him. She thought she'd made it clear that she wasn't angry with him. Maybe he thought that because she had chosen to go into town on her own yesterday instead that she didn't want to be around him?

"You scared the shit out of me." She told him honestly and Daryl didn't know what to say.

"Didn't shoot myself in the head, did I?" He grumbled unhappily and tried to sit up again. Tess rushed to his side and tried to assist him but he pushed her away, not wanting her to see more of him and Tess recoiled, hurt.

"I'm just trying to help." She told him meekly, tired and feeling a little insulted. Daryl scowled out of habit and snapped back,

"Don't need your help." He huffed and lay back down, accepting he wouldn't be getting up anytime soon.

Tess stepped back, looking down at Daryl, unable to understand what she'd done to make him so upset with her. Ashamed, he faced away from her, and tried not to think about the hurt look on her face. Feeling confused and upset, Tess left the room, giving Daryl the space he clearly wanted. As she exited the house, she ran into Carol who had been on her way to see her, wanting to check how Daryl was doing.

"Hey! You okay? How's Daryl doing?" The older woman asked, her brow furrowed as she took in the look on Tess' face.

"He's awake." Was all she grumbled in reply before heading back to her tent.

Carol watched her leave, confused and speculating what could have happened to make her so upset. She entered the room where Daryl had been put and gave him a disappointed look only a mother could give.

"What did you do?"

"I was looking for your daughter, that's what." Daryl grouched. Why was she giving him a hard time all of a sudden? It was her kid he'd nearly died looking for.

"That's not what I'm talking about, Daryl. What did you say to Tess?" She replied, her tone even but obviously unhappy. He hadn't been expecting that and quickly grew defensive.

"She was in here treatin' me like a baby. Told her to get lost." He responded, hoping Carol would drop it but the woman just sighed.

"Whatever she was doing, I'm sure it wasn't that. You should cut her some slack, she's been here, sitting in that chair, all night." Carol told him, pointing at the armchair beneath the window and Daryl felt like an asshole.

"You scared her. Scared all of us." She continued tenderly, trying to express just how important he was to them all. "I don't know where to begin to thank you for all you've done to find my daughter. You don't know how much it means to me. But please don't get yourself killed along the way." Carol let him be and Daryl lay silent, hating himself.