Chapter 53 - Wicked Hath Come

Funeral Home

"Do you think whoever lives here would let us stay?"

Daryl had been far too distracted by his own thoughts that when Beth asked him the question, he only half-heard her. He was busy thinking about what he was going to do. Where would he go from here to find Tess? Where could he go from here to find her?

"Huh?" He squinted at the young, blonde-haired girl in front of him. Beth smiled down at her food - crackers and jam and a bag of dried fruit.

"I just mean, whoever lives here clearly cares enough about the dead to look after them… Maybe they wouldn't mind some living company." She shrugged.

"We ain't stayin'." Daryl told her firmly, "This is a roof for the night, nothin' more."

"But why? It's safe here-"

"Safe?" Daryl stopped spinning the jar of pigs feet on the table, "All those dead bodies you're so fond of don't say safe to me."

"Why would we leave?" Beth argued, no longer interested in her dinner. "You said it yourself, for all we know, everyone else could be dead-"

"They ain't dead! Not Maggie, not Glenn or Rick. None of 'em."

Beth grew quiet and withdrawn for a moment as she took her time mulling something over. Daryl waited, eyeing her skeptically as she chose her next words carefully.

"I know you wish it was her here and not me…" She began quietly, "And that's okay. But Daryl, you don't know where Tess is… Neither of us do. How are you supposed to find her? How do you even know if she's alive…?"

That was something he didn't know. Daryl didn't want to admit it but he'd been battling with that question since he'd left Tess behind at the prison. He didn't know where to begin or where to look. Daryl felt a disconcerting sense of helplessness that bordered on despair. Beth looked to him for answers but he had none to provide, only more questions and doubt came to mind.

He could feel himself becoming upset, not used to being directionless, it was a frightful kind of desperation that left him in a panic. He wasn't the type of person to stop just because things got hard. Daryl always persisted. He always found a way out. Found a solution. An answer. There was never a situation too difficult that he couldn't overcome; until now.

Daryl jerked his chair away from the table as he stood up and left the room. The weight of Beth's gaze was becoming far too heavy and he had to get out from under it. He felt pressured to provide answers he didn't have and he couldn't lie, she'd see right through him. Not only was he struggling to come up with options but he wasn't even sure that he was right… Maybe they were all alone?

Sliding into an open casket and becoming swaddled in the plush white clouds of pillow, Daryl found momentary peace. He closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief, embracing the comfort of the gentle padding. Better than any bed he'd ever had, except for perhaps the bed in the cabin but that had been enjoyable for reasons other than comfort…

Daryl flung his arm over his face, covering his eyes with the pit of his elbow, and groaned. The last thing he needed right now was to reminisce on the memories of those nights. They weren't productive or helpful, they just made him ache in more places than one.

Without hesitation, Daryl's hand found the chain around his neck and he pulled it free from his vest. His fist clenched around the metal tags - the only tangible token he had of the woman that loved him. He shifted around in the coffin, trying to rid himself of those untoward thoughts by reminding himself that he was currently lying in a box, destined to be buried in the ground. It was enough to bring him back to reality.

Beth had missed Daryl's groan of frustration but she did witness, what she thought was, his attempt to get comfortable in the wooden box. She assumed he hadn't heard her come into the room because he froze when she apologized.

"I'm sorry for what I said before…" Beth took a seat and waited patiently for Daryl's response.

He lay still, holding his breath and, for a split second, imagined what it would be like to be dead. Then, when his chest started to burn, he breathed again and sat up, leaving his legs to hang over the edge of the casket.

Tiredly, he stared at Beth. He didn't have the energy to argue or berate her; he wasn't even particularly angry anyway. Mostly, he felt depressed. He'd felt despondent for the majority of his life but this… this was something different.

"I shouldn't have said what I said, I'm sorry." Beth reiterated when he didn't respond, "If anyone would make it out, it would be her."

Daryl's gaze shifted to the floor as Beth regarded him with intrigue. She'd never seen him look so dejected. Even when he'd returned to the prison after the Woodbury incident, he'd at least seemed somewhat hopeful. Her eyes settled on the chain around his neck and she smiled sadly.

"Do you love her?" She asked innocently, not sure what she was expecting in the way of an answer.

For a long time, Daryl didn't respond. He didn't know how to. Even if he did love Tess, it didn't feel right confessing that to anyone else other than her first. Only, maybe, he'd never get the opportunity. It wasn't guaranteed. Perhaps this would be the only chance he'd have to talk about it…?

"She told me she did- does." He apprehensively confessed.

"Really?" Beth chirped excitedly, "When?"

"Just before I let her go."

"But you told her you did too, right?"

Her confident smile slowly fell with every second the hollow silence lingered between them.

"Right, Daryl…?"

His expression was downcast and somber and it told Beth all she needed to know, which lead her to probe him with her next question,

"Did you not say anything?"

"I wasn't exactly expecting it." Daryl retorted, unhappy with being grilled by someone less than half his age about his personal life.

"Well, have you thought about what you'll say when you see her again?"

No. Daryl still had no idea.

—

Something about this place felt familiar.

Like Tess had been here before.

She vaguely recognized the park she stood in - the swing set with the cracked and peeling yellow lacquer that squeaked as it swung. The merry-go-round that spun of its own volition and the seesaw which teetered as though gravity couldn't make its mind up.

A tall clock tower loomed overhead and Tess could hear every movement of its long, thin hand counting down the seconds - tick, tick, tick, tick. She found herself mesmerized by the ticking and by the time she looked away again, it was dark.

Hadn't it just been daytime when she looked up?

All the arms on the clock had moved and hours had passed since she'd arrived here.

Now, the swings hung motionlessly, the merry-go-round idled gloomily and the seesaw sat unmoving, all seemingly turned off with the sun and becoming menacingly stagnant in the moonless night.

This too felt familiar.

It wasn't the first time she'd stood alone in this park, late at night, waiting.

Tess felt her palms begin to sweat and her heart rate picked up at a thunderous pace as the panic set in. She'd been forgotten or abandoned, only she didn't realize that yet. The only thoughts she could muster were ones telling her to wait. Stand here and wait - for what? For who? She didn't know. All she knew was that she didn't know where else to go.

From here, the world was far too big and scary for her to wander off on her own. Anything beyond the park was unknown territory. Even now, at her grown age, she dared not risk going into the unknown.

From the depths of the dark beyond, bright flashing lights, red and blue, shone in the distance. Quickly they approached, casting an eerie glow on her surroundings. Just as quickly, they stopped at the boundary of the park and moments later, a car door slammed-

Tess awoke in a panic, jolting upright to face a walker hungrily pawing at the rear window of the hatchback. It must've spotted her while she was tossing in her sleep. Now that she was awake, it was trying more desperately to get to her and alerting other walkers around it to her presence. Tess gripped the shaft of her bow on instinct, drawing it closer to her person as though it granted her any security.

The vehicle was struck on the passenger side by a growing pack of walkers and Tess gasped in fright when the car rattled. She tried to calm down, telling herself she was safe, but the numbers of undead only continued to multiply. The entire rear end of the car was swarmed with ravenous bodies, clawing and banging on the window.

Her heart hammered in her throat as the car began to rock on its wheels. Tess quickly grabbed her backpack in preparation to leave. She slowly edged backward towards the front seats when a heavy thump hit the back window and the glass cracked on impact. With a frightened gasp, Tess tumbled over the center console and lost hold of her backpack as it got caught on the shifter. In her desperation to leave, she didn't bother to unhook it and fled out the driver's door with just her bow in hand, leaving her arrows in the confines of her backpack.

Tess swerved a walker that reached for her, its hand pawing at her shoulder as she began to run toward the trees on the other side of the road. She heard the sounds of their scuffling feet and hungry growls following after her and she pushed herself to move as quickly as she could on her leg. It was still dark out but the air was cool and dewy like early morning - it had to be dawn soon.

A low hanging branch, thin and sharp like the clock hand from her dream, struck her in the face as she ran past without seeing it. It slashed her cheek and Tess lurched in surprise. The gradual slope she'd been running down suddenly declined dramatically and her brief stumble caused her to fall completely. Without pause, Tess tumbled down the hill, hitting roots and rocks. Somewhere along the way, she lost her grip on her bow and left it stranded in a bush. Tess tried to grasp something, anything, in order to get herself to stop. She tried burying her hands and feet into the dirt to slow herself down and she clawed up chunks of soil that was still damp from the downpour.

Tess eventually rolled to a stop near the end of the embankment, her hands finally finding purchase on a deeply rooted shrub. With a face full of dirt, Tess lay still, unable to move while she recollected her bearings. Her head was swimming, dizzy from all the knocks and spinning. Miraculously, nothing felt broken but her leg did hurt something awful and the tips of her fingers ached where dirt and all sorts of debris had gotten trapped under her fingernails.

She raised her head to check the hill for any walkers but her sudden downfall appeared to be her saving grace and she was no longer being followed. Feeling marginally relieved, Tess crawled to her feet with a groan. Life really loved to continue to kick her while she was down. She didn't have much energy to climb back up the hill but she knew she'd lost her bow on her way down and she'd be damned if she parted with the only thing she had that was a part of Daryl.

Grumbling to herself to get it together, Tess fumbled her way up the slope, searching for her missing item. She hoped it wasn't broken - the last thing she wanted was to be without the one thing Daryl had gifted her. The bow gave her comfort. Although it was up to her to protect herself using it, having it with her felt like having a part of Daryl along with her too. For that, she was incredibly grateful and it made her determined to find it again.

"Where the hell…?" Tess muttered under her breath as she ran her hands through the brush. If the sun could hurry up and rise already, she'd really appreciate it.

She cautiously stepped through the dense blanketing of plants until she kicked something that felt firm but also lightweight. Tess rifled through the long, tangled grass and found her bow. Only, the string had snapped and the two halves hung limply from either end. With a regretful sigh, Tess untied the broken strands and discarded them beside her. At least it was repairable damage but it did leave her feeling a bit guilty and a little less protected.

Looking down from where she'd climbed, Tess started her precarious trek back to the bottom of the hill.

—

It all happened so fast.

One moment, they were sitting in the parlor, quietly contemplating a reunion that was long overdue. The next, they were running for their lives.

As walkers invaded the funeral home, Daryl forced Beth to escape through the window and began to lure the dead away in order to give her the time to flee. They kept coming in droves, one after the other, multiplying in haste like they'd been intentionally set upon them. Daryl fought them off, trying desperately to not get cornered. As soon as he had an opportunity to escape the house, he took it and ran out into the graveyard.

In the cold, dark of night, Daryl urgently searched for Beth. He tried to catch a glimpse of her blonde hair but all he found was her backpack, discarded on the ground. Nervously, he picked it up and scanned the area around him. Over on the road, he spotted the bright tail lights of a vehicle pulling away - on the rear window, a white cross had been painted. Daryl threw Beth's bag to the ground and took off after it.

He ran until his lungs gave out and then he walked. When he regained the strength, he started to run again and he continued to alternate his pace until he physically couldn't any longer and he was forced to his knees. Daryl collapsed on the blacktop, caught at a crossroads with no stamina to continue going. He was so far behind the car now that he had no idea where it had turned.

He'd lost it and in doing so, he'd lost Beth too.

—

Carl counted himself pretty lucky - after everything they'd been through, after all life had thrown him, he still had his dad and now, he had Michonne too. Walking along the dirt road, a few yards ahead of his companions, he tried not to think about all those they'd lost. His mom, Shane, all their friends and the home they'd built for themselves… his sister. He felt worse of all about Judith. His dad never said anything about it but he knew he did too, Carl could see it on his face.

Ever since they'd fled the prison, something about his dad felt different. He couldn't quite place what it was. At first, he'd been depressed, broken, and Carl hadn't the patience to deal with it. He'd been wallowing himself and didn't have the capacity for handling anyone else's sadness, he was still barely a teenager after all. Now, something felt… changed. It was like he had a newfound clarity. The world was a terrible place and terrible things had to be done to survive it. It was a reality his dad had tried to avoid for as long as possible but he'd accepted it now.

Carl didn't know what that meant for him or them but he knew he wouldn't have to worry about it, his dad always made sure of that.

He did hope that this wouldn't be all that was destined for them though - the three of them moving from place to place, searching for safety. Glancing over his shoulder before following the path around a bend, he looked to his dad and Michonne. They were conversing quietly, still hiding conversations from him that they thought he was too young to hear. Carl had given up on trying to push his way into those conversations, if they wanted to include him, they would. He'd quickly found out anyway that the burdens they had to bear were far bigger than him. He'd stick to being naive while he could, at least for time being while he sorted through his own internal strife.

Carl tried to remember what life was like before all this - before he had to worry about being eaten alive or getting killed on his own doorstep. He wasn't quite sure if he remembered. It made him think about his mom and how she'd tried so hard to provide him with some semblance of normalcy while living on the farm, maintaining his routine of school work and chores. He didn't resent her for it, he missed her too much for that, but even now, he still didn't see what the point in it was.

A smile grew on his face as he recalled the scolding he'd gotten when his mom found out that someone else had been writing the answers to his math problems in his workbook. He'd never dobbed in Tess for that but he suspected his mother likely knew. Even as a kid, he sensed they had a contentious relationship, though he still didn't understand why. He always thought it a great shame that they never got along, though he knew, towards the end, his mom had started to push a lot of people away and for that, he was sad. He wished he'd been older then. Understood more. Maybe then, she wouldn't have felt so alone.

Loneliness was something he'd come to know a lot of lately. While he was forever grateful for the company of his father and Michonne, it was difficult feeling like an entire part of his family was missing. Tess, Daryl, Carol, Maggie, Glenn, all the people he felt had in some way raised him too. They'd all lived so closely for so long that not having them nearby felt wrong.

His parents hadn't raised him to be overly religious, he'd be christened, he knew that, but church every Sunday had never been their thing. His dad being sheriff's deputy made that difficult. Nonetheless, Carl prayed every night before he fell asleep and every morning when he woke up that they'd find someone. That today would be the day that they'd reunite with their friends and family.

And it seemed, that today of all days, his prayer had been answered.

He noticed the car first, an abandoned SUV sitting by the roadside. Its blue paint was beginning to rust and peel away. The front grill had fallen off and one of the back tires had blown out. In the shade of the vehicle, he saw someone lying there, against the passenger door.

Carl recognized that face…

"Dad!"

—

Tess had wandered aimlessly for hours, stumbling through the forest well into the early morning until the sun was above her. She had to keep moving, even if her body didn't want to. It protested with every step. Her tumble down the hill had quickly caught up with her and she was in pain and fatigued to the point of concern. But she had to keep going.

She knew there was still a chance that some of those walkers from the night before would catch up to her. Stopping to rest was too much of a risk and so she forced herself to forge ahead, no matter how much she suffered because of it. Exhausted and delirious, Tess found herself jumping at shadows. She needed water and rest, neither of which did she see herself getting any time soon. Even her adrenaline was gone now. All she was operating on was sheer will and determination but she could feel that waning too.

Her efforts to continue felt pointless and as she stepped out of the shelter of the forest and into the baking heat, she knew she wouldn't last long. The long dirt road stretched on for miles ahead of her, further than she could see. The narrow end of the horizon blistered and rippled, making waves that blurred the Earth and sky into one and as she walked closer, the further it moved away from her. She could likely walk all day and never meet her destination - whatever that was…

At her first sign of shelter, Tess took to it without hesitation. The rusted out SUV would do, if only she could get inside. She tried the handle on the driver's door first, then both rear doors but had no success. With the last of her energy, she tugged at the passenger door fruitlessly before slumping to the ground; her unstrung bow discarded in the dust beside her.

She sat there in its shadow, telling herself she'd sit for just a moment. After a few short minutes, she'd convinced herself to stay for a moment longer and eventually there was nothing she could do to encourage herself to move on. Tess remained in the shade, drifting in and out of consciousness until her exhaustion won and she fell into a dreamless sleep.

It felt like only seconds from when she closed her eyes to when she woke again. She was jarred into consciousness by the sound of someone shouting. Her heart hammered in her chest as she came to with a start and her blurry eyes tried to make sense of the scene in front of her. Someone, just an indistinguishable figure, ran towards her and Tess toppled over onto her side, anticipating an attack. Whoever it was registered her panic and slowed but Tess already had her knife in hand and was pulling herself up against the side of the car to stand.

"Carl!" She heard a man shout - she knew that southern inflection all too well…

Tess blinked and her vision started to clear.

"Carl?" She muttered and her hand slipped on the door, causing her to stagger and she dropped to the ground again.

"I'm sorry…" The knife fell from her hand as she realized who she'd raised it to and she felt Carl crush her in a hug which she returned with great relief.

"You're alive." Carl rejoiced, mumbling into her shoulder as he held back tears.

"I'm so glad you're okay." Tess held him to her tightly, afraid to let go.

"Tess?" Rick spoke with a stunned whisper and Carl finally pulled away.

She looked up at the sheriff and saw Michonne beside him. Rick looked worse for wear and Tess briefly wondered what she looked like to them… terrible, no doubt. Carl helped her to her feet and she met both her friends with a hug. They held one another longer than normal, each of them taking the time to process being reunited and the onset of fear for what happened to the rest of them.

"Daryl…?" Tess asked Rick when they pulled away. Rick shook his head,

"I thought he'd have been with you." He told her and her heart sank.

"No… I've been alone."

"Are you okay?" Rick observed the cut on her cheek and the dark circles under her eyes, along with the way she held her weight on only one leg and the dark bruises that wrapped around her arms.

"Okay enough."

—

Daryl was starting to think he'd made a mistake. To be fair, he'd made a few of those lately, but this… this was definitely the wrong choice to make, even if it had been his only available one at the time. The group of men he walked with reminded him of the type of men even Merle didn't put up with and that made his skin crawl. They were deadbeats and losers, drifters and aggressors, with loyalty borne from a need for violence and greed.

They weren't the kind of men Daryl wished to associate himself with. That wasn't him.

But what choice did he have?

They surrounded him while he wallowed. Like a wounded animal, they'd cornered him, cowering. They were likely to kill him if he hadn't fought back and he'd done just that, earning the unwelcome respect of the man who called himself Joe. Now, he lingered at the back of the pack, following along as the group searched for the people that had killed their friends. Two men on two separate occasions, so he was told. Unlikely to be the same man but they'd find them and kill them both all the same. Daryl didn't want any part of it.

"How you gonna find 'em?" Daryl asked Joe when he told him what they were doing.

"Ain't all that hard to track if you know where to look." Joe looked at him like he'd asked a stupid question and Daryl bit his tongue. "We know the son of a bitch that killed Lou, all's we gotta do is find 'em. For Colt, well we got a lead."

Daryl raised an eyebrow curiously but didn't ask what it was. The less he knew, the better, he figured. He didn't want to get roped into all of this. He wasn't one of them, he wasn't a part of their group. Daryl was simply along for the ride until he could jump ship.

"They can't be more than a day ahead of us, if that." Harley, Colter's brother, grunted, "We'll find 'em."

For the sake of whoever had killed these two men, Daryl hoped the scent would grow cold. These people didn't strike him as the type to kill someone quickly. They'd do it slowly, enjoying it, doing God knows what else while they did it. His stomach turned at the thought and for once he was glad that neither Tess nor Beth were with him. He wouldn't want either of them to cross paths with these men. He'd sooner kill himself than let that happen.

They walked for hours, following one of the dirt paths that converged at the crossroads he'd been found at. He didn't care to talk to anyone else or try to find out more about these people they were tracking. Without asking, Joe had told him of a place called Terminus and how he thought the assailants might be heading there. Daryl had asked about this place but Joe said it was nothing but a pipedream. A hoax made of false promises.

"I'll tell you what it is, it's a lie. Ain't no sanctuary for all. Think they'll welcome guys like you and me with open arms?"

So, Daryl never cared to ask any more of it.

Very quickly he learned about the group's rule of claiming. Quite literally claiming what they wanted, killed and found. If you didn't vocalize your claim, it wasn't yours. Daryl despised this way of life but reminded himself it was only temporary. He could pretend to be one of them for a short while in order to get by; he had to.

As the afternoon sun began to heat up and Daryl started wishing for water, they spotted a vehicle stranded on the road ahead. No doubt it had been sitting there for months, perhaps longer, but the shattered rear window looked recent, with glass still laying in the dirt below. The group approached cautiously and Daryl hung back, waiting to move on again. One vehicle, abandoned long ago, would hardly have anything worth his interest inside…

"Well, would you look at that!" Tony, Joe's right-hand man, pulled a navy blue rucksack from the Chevy and tossed it at Harley. "Looks like we got the trail of your man."

Well, Daryl did find that interesting. He stepped closer to get a better look and saw Harley crouched with his own backpack on the ground beside the blue one. He was searching for something and when Daryl finally saw what it was he was trying to corroborate, his heart stopped.

Peeking out of the top of the rucksack were five long arrows, each fletched with white feathers and a single red feather. Daryl's hands knew those arrows. He recognized them all too well. He made them for Tess and now they were in the hands of men who terrified him. Harley pulled out a single, identical arrow from his own bag - the arrow head was bloodied and the wood tarnished. It had been used and Daryl's stomach sunk further than he thought humanly possible.

"What'd I tell ya, Daryl, huh?" Joe approached him on the left, "Ain't all that hard to track if you just know where to look."

Daryl's heart thudded painfully in his chest as he tried to think. This man that these people were after, was Tess. He didn't want to think about why she'd had to kill Harley's brother… he thought he might throw up.

"It's just some arrows." Daryl deflected, attempting to sound disinterested.

"They match don't they?" Harley snapped irritably.

"I don't know 'bout you but I ain't seen many arrows with feathers from a Northern Cardinal. That's what it is ain't it?" Joe plucked one of the arrows from the bag and examined it closely before handing it to Daryl.

A shiver ran down Daryl's spine as he held it between his fingers. The last time he'd handled these, he'd been bundling them up in the towel, thinking about how on earth he was going to give these to Tess. At least this was, in the worst possible way, reassurance that Tess had made it out of the prison alive; Daryl was comforted by that.

Now, he was conflicted. Did he help track her down and hope to get to her before these men did or did he do everything he could to try to throw them off her scent in hopes that they'd never find her? He hadn't liked the thought of what they would do to the man they were envisioning to find but liked it even less now that he'd come to learn who it was they were truly after. It scared him and he thought it best that they never crossed paths with Tess, even if it meant waiting longer to see her again.

"No bow?" Daryl peered over at the car curiously and Tony shook his head,

"Nah, just the bag."

"So, our guilty man gets jumped while havin' a nap and takes off without his kit?" Mused Joe as he began to look around for more traces of Tess.

"Bonehead move." Dan chuckled and Daryl glowered at him with disgust.

He was hardly one to talk about expert decision making by the looks of him. Daryl looked at him and saw nothing but a fat sewer rat. Hiding in the shit and piss of society, only to make his way out on top at the end of it all and think himself to be some sort of hardened survivor. He'd known men like him before and he hadn't liked them then either.

"Over there." Joe pointed towards the edge of the forest on the opposite side of the road. The near knee-high brush had been trampled and squashed. "Looks like they took off that way; biters too. Best keep an ear out, can't have been long ago."

The group trailed along after Joe as he detoured into the trees and Daryl followed behind nervously as a terrible dread leeched onto him, threatening to bleed him dry.

He thought about killing them. Picking them off, one by one. Five walkers he could manage just fine but five men, all with ranged weapons, would be difficult and he didn't like his odds. Even if he did manage to kill a few, he'd never get them all and then they'd just kill him, torture him maybe, and then continue on their quest in search of Tess, killing her too. He didn't want that. He couldn't let that happen.

He'd get to her first. He needed to.

He'd save her. He had to.

The forest was dense and overgrown, unmanaged and left to run wild. Daryl imagined Tess sprinting through here, trying to get away and his heart wrenched. He never should have left her. By the tracks he could see, the pack of walkers on her tail had been large, with her footprints largely unseen. She had to have been ahead of them because they continued on for some time until the herd seemingly stopped and dispersed. But one set of tracks continued towards the bank where they suddenly disappeared.

"Seems like old mate took a tumble down the hill."

Joe and Harley leaned over the embankment and assessed the terrain - it was steep but climbable.

"Come on then." Joe huffed and led them down.

Daryl's nerves twisted painfully in his gut as he followed. It crossed his mind that he might just find her here, dead at the bottom of the hill, and he didn't know if he'd be able to hold himself together if he did. He tried to prepare himself for that very moment but he knew nothing would ever prepare him for that if and when that day came.

Tracking the disturbance in the foliage, trying to spot any sign of blood, Daryl saw claw marks in the dirt where Tess had fruitlessly grasped at the ground in an attempt to slow herself. Grass and soil had been ripped up and displaced and he envisioned her falling, afraid and injured. He felt useless. A sorry excuse for a partner if he ever was to be one. It shouldn't have gone like this. He was supposed to find her. He'd promised her so. He never intended to leave Tess alone like this; he'd told himself, never again.

In his astute effort to scour the terrain, he found himself stopping. Something long and thin and off-white stuck out in the green grass and he knelt to see what it was. Daryl picked up two strands of thick, frayed cord and felt all his ends start to fray just like it.

"What'cha got there, Fresh Meat?" Dan addressed him before Daryl could even attempt to hide his discovery. The rotund man snatched the torn bowstring from his hand and squinted at it in assessment.

"Looks like our man's without a bow now too, huh? Should make for easy pickin's."

—

Rick decided they'd stay where they were for camp tonight. There was still plenty of daylight left when Carl had found Tess but he could see how she struggled to stand, let alone walk and so decided it would be best to let her rest. Tess didn't argue, she was all too happy to be resting with someone to look out for her. After some water and a small offering of food, Tess laid down to sleep, feeling safe for the first time in days.

By the time she woke again, it was dark. Night had fallen and a small, smoldering fire burned at their camp. Rick and Michonne were both still awake and Tess made her way over to them, leaving Carl in the car (earlier, Rick had managed to shimmy open one of the doors, giving them a place to sleep).

"Hey," Rick greeted her softly, "how're you feeling?"

Tess seated herself opposite them.

"Better. Thank you for letting me rest, we can move on again in the morning."

"You don't have to thank us, Tess, nothing's changed."

"No, I know but still, thank you." She smiled at them appreciatively, grateful for their company and friendship.

"What happened with The Governor?" Tess asked after a beat. "Is he dead?"

"He's dead." Michonne confirmed and Tess breathed a sigh of relief. It was a short lived, phyrric victory but a victory nonetheless.

"Good riddance. I'm glad you're all okay. Did, um… did either of you see anyone leave with the kids?"

Rick bowed his head solemnly and Tess took his silence as his answer. No. They hadn't. Rick didn't know what had come of his daughter. Poor baby Judith, only months old. Tess watched as Rick's fingers tangled together into anxious knots and she regretted ever saying anything.

"Someone got them out Rick, I promise." She assured him and he just nodded and hoped she was right.

"So you've been alone all this time?" Michonne looked at her curiously and Tess nodded.

"I stayed for as long as I could and I tried to get to Daryl but it was too dangerous. I had to leave."

"What happened to your bow?" Michonne nodded at Tess' stringless weapon laying with the rest of their belongings beside her.

"That's… kind of a long story. I ended up falling down a hill and it broke. Luckily it was just the string."

"You fell down a hill?"

"Like I said, long story."

"Have you seen the signs for Terminus?" Rick spoke suddenly, his voice sounding ominous and far away, like he was trapped in a memory or thought.

"Wh-? No." Tess blinked rapidly, "What's Terminus?"

"A sanctuary for all. Or so they say."

"Could be long gone." Michonne interjected.

"Could be." Nodded Rick, "Or it could be a chance."

"You want to trust a sign on the road?" Tess raised an eyebrow, skeptically.

"I think others might." Replied Rick, "Our friends might be thinking the same thing."

"I don't know about this, Rick… Think about it, we weren't advertising. Any community wanting to keep their people safe, aren't just going to let anyone in."

"We're not just anyone. We ain't like the rest."

"No, I know. I'm not saying that. I'm just recommending that we exercise some caution here, that's all."

"We will, I promise."

"Okay, then I trust you."

"First sign of trouble and we'll leave." Michonne reaffirmed and Rick nodded in agreement.

"I won't put Carl in danger or any of my family."

Tess smiled at Rick from across the dwindling campfire. His sentiment was touching and it felt good to know that she had friends – family – that were watching her back. She opened her mouth to say something when a series of shadowy figures appeared in the dark. On instinct, she dove for her bow.

"Well, wasn't that just touchin'?" A gruff, older voice mocked them as someone yanked Carl from the backseat of the car. "Oh dearie me, you screwed up asshole."

Tess watched as a man approached Rick from behind, eyeing him menacingly, like he knew him. Four others circled around them, all heavily armed and equally ruthless looking. She didn't like their odds.

"You hear me? You screwed up." A gun was pressed to the back of Rick's head. "Today is a day of reckoning, sir. Restitution."

Michonne locked eyes with her and she tentatively shook her head at Tess' hand still firmly clutching her bow. She knew it was useless but she'd frozen in shock and found herself incapable of letting go. One of the men witnessed the subtle interaction and lifted his rifle to point it in her face.

"Don't go gettin' any ideas, yeah? Why don't you just throw that over here before you hurt yourself?"

Reluctantly, Tess righted herself and tossed the useless wooden limb to his feet, feeling like she was abandoning hope along with it. As the man came closer to pick it up, Tess was able to see his face more clearly and she thought he looked familiar somehow. He crouched and grabbed the bow, scrutinizing it with a scowl.

"What'cha doin' with a bow without a string, huh?" He remarked with a dark look her way.

Tess bit her tongue and refused to answer, watching instead as he grew frustrated with her silence and pulled forth something from his backpack.

"You recognize this?" In his hand he thrust forward one of her arrows. It had a bloodied head and damaged fletching. Tess couldn't stop her eyes from widening in surprise. Yes, she did recognize it and she suddenly realized how much trouble she was in store for.

"Harley-" The rugged, older man, who still had his gun pressed to the back of Rick's head, tried to interrupt.

"Did you kill my brother?" Harley hissed at her and Tess pierced him with a steely gaze, unwilling to show fear.

"You're going to have to be more specific." She replied and to her surprise, he laughed. Dangerously, as a warning.

At the same time he ordered her to get up, Tess heard-

"Joe!" And her heart stopped. Without a shadow of a doubt, she knew that voice.

Daryl appeared out of the darkness and her eyes found his and all time seemed to stop. She wanted to run to him and the look of relief on his face made her want to cry when it turned to concern and fear. He knew they were in danger and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

"Hold up. Just, hold up." Daryl held his hands out in an attempt to diffuse the situation but Joe wasn't interested in mediation.

"You ain't gon' tell us not to get some justice here, Daryl. These here two killed our men, so we got nothin' to talk about. Harley, do what you have to."

Harley stalked around her and pressed the barrel of his gun into her back.

"Move." He shoved her and she staggered forward but thankfully caught herself before she fell.

Tess looked over at Daryl and began walking. Harley was guiding her towards the edge of the forest and she knew Daryl would try to stop him but doing so would endanger them all - they couldn't fight back, not like this. She shook her head ever so slightly and allowed herself to be ushered away.

She had two options. Stall for time or try to get the upper hand. In her current condition, the latter was unlikely and he could probably see that from the way she limped too. Stalling would be risky. There was no telling how he'd react but what choice did she have? Stumbling through the pitch black, she hoped her smart mouth wouldn't get her killed.

"You got a problem with an audience or something?" She quipped facetiously.

"Huh?" Grunted Harley.

"Does it hinder your performance, I mean. That's why you're bringing me out here, right? To stick it to me before you stick it to me?"

"Why? You gettin' excited?" He leered and Tess felt her lip curl up in disgust.

"Yeah, like a pig in shit. I'm sure you're a grower, not a shower. Though, it is cold out tonight so-"

Tess' face slammed into the side of a tree as she was shoved from behind. She felt pain in her ribs as the barrel of Harley's rifle was driven into her side and as she tried to move away, she felt him press into her. His hot breath brushed her neck and she recoiled in disgust.

"You've got one hell of a lip on you, girl."

"I'm just getting started." Tess muttered fiercely, her face squashed against the tree, making it difficult to speak.

"Yeah? Why don't you show me what else it can do?"

Harley grabbed her by the shoulder and yanked her around before quickly slamming her back against the tree trunk. He gripped her face with one hand and squeezed her cheeks painfully before forcing himself on her. Tess screwed her face up in repulsion and shoved him away, swinging at his face and clipping him on the chin as he drew back.

He clutched his jaw and laughed. Her punch had been unimpressive and she knew he hadn't seen it as much of a deterrent.

"You've got some fight in you. I like that."

Tess caught a flicker of movement over his shoulder and a smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth.

"Then you're gonna love him."

Harley spun on his heel and Daryl's machete buried into the side of his face before he could even open his mouth. Tess watched on as Daryl struck again, landing a killing blow to the top of his head and he fell to the ground in a heap. The machete fell from Daryl's hand and he turned to her and he looked at her like she was all he'd ever known - wondrous and grateful.

Tess bridged the gap to meet him, desperate and yearning, and when his hands found her face, the world fell away. Every terrible moment of separation, forgotten. All the pain and suffering, left behind. She had been waiting for him for what felt like an eternity and Daryl had endured it all to get back to her. His head dropped to rest against hers and he breathed her in as she fell into his arms.

He found her, just as promised. He saved her, like he always did. His fingers scrunched the hair at the back of her head and she felt him kiss her forehead - it burned just as it had the first time and she loved every slow second of it. She loved him. She loved him and had told him and yet he still held her. It was all she needed and would ever need.

Maybe it lasted minutes, or maybe hours, with Daryl cradling her, fearful to let go. His relief was infinite. Limitless. All his heartache and pain ebbed away as she took it from him, freeing him of this abysmal existence. With Tess in his arms, he felt whole. Only the edges of him were frayed now. The gaping center of his loss was now filled. He had her again and it helped to make up for all his other losses.