How could Daryl say everything will be alright?

Nell couldn't sleep last night. All she could think about was Dale.
One moment he was here and the next he was dead.

Like Ollie.

Like Mom.

Even daddy.

How is Nell supposed to stay strong if this is the world she lives in?
She can't become close to anybody. Can't trust anybody. Can't become friends with anybody.
Then she won't be sad when people die.

Daddy was right.

Friends give you trust and trust gets you killed.
Dale was friends with everyone.

That night, staring at the roof of her gloomy tent, Nell made two promises to herself.

One, she will never ever let anyone see her cry again like she did that day.

And two, she will never get close to anyone ever again.
Not Maggie.
Not Beth.
Not Daryl.
Nobody.

• • •

Hershel is finally letting Rick's group move into the farmhouse.
Nell assumes that includes her, too.

She crawls into her tent and picks up her sleeping bag, her knife, and Snuggles. She places all her belongings onto the ground beside her tent. Then, she removes the pegs of her tent and folds it up to move inside.

Nell puts her knife in the back pocket of her jeans, picks up her tent with her left hand, and carries her sleeping bag in her right hand with Snuggles tucked beneath her arm.
It is a lot to carry and Nell can barely see with her tent blocking half of her view.

As she makes her way to the farmhouse, she notices everyone is very busy, like usual.
Shane is doing something on the windmill, T-dog is moving boxes of things into the farmhouse, and Maggie is walking across the field to Nell.

"Hey little lady, ya look like ya could use some help with that," Maggie says to Nell, and holds her arms out, waiting for Nell to give her one of the many things she is carrying.

Nell shakes her head and walks past Maggie, remembering what she promised herself last night.

She doesn't look back to see Maggie's reaction to her strange gesture. She continues walking to the farmhouse with her arms full of everything she owns.

Nell puts her stuff down in a corner of the living room, not knowing where else to put it.
She doesn't expect to be the one to get a couch or a bed.

Nell leaves the farmhouse and sees Lori frantically running towards the shed.

"What's wrong?" Lori quickly asks.
Everyone is gathered near the shed, looking scared and confused.
Nell sure is confused.

"Randall's missing," Glenn says.

"Missing? How?" Lori asks again, more concerned this time.

Nell slowly walks across the grass in the direction of the shed. She doesn't want people to talk to her or notice her.

It can't be good that Randall's missing. He's either dead or busy killing someone else.

Nell's heart speeds up in fear. She remembers the time when Randall lunged at her and Carl in the shed.
He was about to hurt her.
What if he would try to do that again?

"How long's he been gone?" Hershel asks, joining the group of worried adults.

"The cuffs are still hooked, he must've slipped em'," Rick says, walking out of the shed.

Nell quietly joins the back of the group, just close enough to hear what everyone is saying.

"Is that possible?" Carol asks in a soft tone.

"It is if you've got nothing to lose," Andrea says loudly, walking out of the shed right after Rick.

"The door was secured from the outside," Hershel states, closing the old wooden shed door.

Everyone looks at each other in disbelief and anger.
Did Randall escape? How?

Then all of a sudden, Shane emerges from the woods.
"Rick! Rick!" He shouts. His face and his chest are covered in blood.

"What happened?" Lori yells.

"He's armed!" Shane shouts back, speed-walking over to the group. "He's got my gun!"

"Are you okay?" Carl asks in his high-pitched, squeaky voice.
He is wearing that sheriff's hat that he never takes off.
It probably reeks.

"I'm fine. The little bastard just snuck up on me. He clocked me in the face," Shane says angrily.

"Alright, Hershel, T-dog, get everybody back in the house," Rick says, throwing his arm in the direction of the farmhouse. "Glenn, Daryl, come with us."

"I'm gonna need that gun," Shane says, marching towards T-dog.

"Just let him go," Carol suggests. "That was the plan, wasn't it? To just let him go?"

"The plan was the cut him loose far away from here, not on our front step with a gun," Rick says sternly and walks away from the group with Shane, Daryl, and Glenn at his side.

"Don't go out there, you know what can happen!" Carol shouts after them, attempting to change their minds.
It doesn't work.

"Get everybody back in the house. Lock all the doors and stay put!" Rick shouts before disappearing into the woods with his minions following close behind.

"Let's go, back in the house!" Lori yells at the group, following her husband's orders.

Everyone starts running towards the farmhouse and Nell feels a hand on her back, pushing her along.
She turns around to see Maggie running behind her to make sure she doesn't fall behind.

Nell shakes her shoulders in an attempt to make Maggie go away. Maggie furrows her eyebrows slightly in confusion.
Then, Nell suddenly stops running. She wants to show her that nobody is in control of her and she can do whatever she wants.
Nell can take care of herself. She didn't need anyone to look after her.

Maggie sighs once she notices that Nell stopped running.
"Hey kid, is everything alright?" Maggie says, walking back to Nell.

Nell doesn't say anything.

"You've been actin' a bit strange recently," Maggie states with a look of concern on her face.

"Just leave me alone!" Nell yells and then runs past Maggie, into the farmhouse.