♤

We all sat around the fire, my sling was now off but Hershel told me I still had to be careful.

Daryl had joined us for breakfast which today consisted of scrambled egg of which I was not so keen, after having Charlie, my body rejected egg, even the smell was enough to make me vomit.

It was ironic because Charlie loved egg.

As we sat around eating, I kept glancing over to Daryl without him noticing. I wasn't sure why, but for some reason, my eyes were drawn to him.

Glenn stood up and looked around at us all, "Um, guys, so..." He hesitated, "The barn's full of walkers..." He announced.

Everyone's eyes went wide with panic.

Immediately we all ran over to the barn, Charlie's hand in mine as Shane peered through the gaps in the wood.

"You cannot tell me you're all right with this" Shane growled as he paced around.

Rick shook his head, "No, I'm not, but we're guests here. This isn't our land."

"God, this is our lives, man!" Shane retorted. 

Shane shook his head and looked at Rick desperately. "It ain't right. Not remotely. We've either got to go in there, we've got to make things right, or we've just got to go. Now we have been talking about Fort Benning for a long time."

"We can't go!" Rick snapped.

"Why, Rick? Why?"

Carol stepped forward and looked at Shane, "Because my daughter is still out there"

"Okay. Okay, I think it's time that we all start to just consider the other possibility--" Shane began before being cut off by Rick,

"--Shane, we're not leaving Sophia behind"

Daryl stepped forward, "I'm close to finding this girl. I just found her damn doll two days ago"

Shane let out an exasperated laugh, "You found her doll, Daryl. That's what you did. You found a doll"

Daryl glared at Shane for a moment before shouting and pacing forward, "You don't know what the hell you're talking about"

"I'm just saying what needs to be said. You get a good lead, it's in the first 48 hours" Shane yelled over Daryl's annoyed chunters and Ricks snarls.

"Shane, stop" Rick pleaded.

Shane shook his head and continued, "Let me tell you something else, man. If she was alive out there and saw you coming, all methed out with your buck knife, and geek ears around your neck, she would run in the other direction"

This angered Daryl and he began launching himself towards Shane, but Rick stopped him, pulling him back as I began shouting at Shane. I pushed Charlie out of the way and stepped in front of Daryl as the group got between the pair of them.

Shane began walking away as Rick spoke, "Let me speak to Hershel, figure this out"

"What are you gonna figure out?" Shane yelled again.

Rick began to explain, "If we're gonna stay, if we're gonna clear this barn, I have to talk him into it. This is his land."

Dale stepped forward, "Hershel sees those things in there as people, sick people, his wife, his stepson"

"You knew?"

Dale nodded, "Yesterday, I talked to Hershel"

Shane growled lowly, "And you waited the night?"

"I thought we could survive one more night and we did!" Dale scoffed, explaining himself. "I wanted to wait til this morning to say something but Glenn wanted to be the one"

"That man is crazy Rick, if Hershel thinks those things are alive or not"

The groans disturbed us all, getting louder as the pounded on the door to be let out. Daryl pushed Charlie and I behind him as we all began backing away.

Everyone headed back to camp,  but Shane stayed behind to watch it.

The group was scattered around the farm. I watched as Daryl stormed out of the horse barn and headed back to his tent which was pitched further away than the others.

"Charlie, sweetie, I'm just off to speak to Daryl. Stay here" Charlie nodded and continued to play with his new action figures.

As I reached Daryl's tent, I could hear him groaning in pain as I wandered in, "Daryl.." I called out as I peered in.

He had his shirt off, tending to his wound. I spotted some marks on his back, scars, they coated his back.

Grunting, as he turned around, "The Hell you want?" He snapped.

"Your wound, it's bleeding again," I noted the blood which was flooding the bandages.

"It's fine" Daryl muttered, batting my hand away as I tried to take a closer look.

I snarled, "No Daryl, it's not! It's bleeding"

He grabbed my wrist and turned to look at me. His eyes hard. "Let me help" I whispered.

"I don't want you here," He growled.

Tearing my hand away, "Daryl," I started as he looked at me, almost lost, "It's okay..It's okay" I hummed quietly as I placed a hand on his cheek.  "I have them too"

His face changed as I slowly pulled up my shirt, exposing my torso.

There were a few scars of different shapes littered around it and one burn mark which was the largest, from the corner of my right hip, up towards my belly button. Slowly, I unbuttoned my jeans and pulled them down slightly to show him the full extent of the burn.

I watched as his eyes traced my stomach, examining each scar, in that moment, his anger faded and he understood that we held more similarities than differences.

After a few moments, I pulled my shirt down and fastened my jeans back up. "I know how it feels for someone you love to mark you like that, now, let me help you" I whispered, my breath hitting his neck as he looked down at the ground.

We didn't speak as I removed the old bandages. Soaking a cloth in water, I began dabbing on the wound, the cloth quickly staining red. "What happened? What'd he do to you to burn you?" He asked as he watched me.

"A lighter, he held me by my neck against the kitchen wall, pulled out his lighter and held it against my skin..I had to tend to it myself, he said if I went to hospital he'd kill me" I admitted, not looking at Daryl as I rinsed the cloth once more.

As I pressed the cloth against the wound again, Daryl placed his hand over mine, "I'm sorry for shouting and grabbing you. I would never do anything to hurt you or Charlie" He voice was soft as we looked at each other.

"I know"