Hey guys, hope you enjoy!
Please comment/vote as you go, I love hearing from you!

<><><><><>

Jo

The air horn suddenly burst out through the trees. I froze, trying to pinpoint which way the noise was coming from. I fought the realization that it was coming from home. I tried to get my brain to come to another conclusion but there was no denying it. I whirled around to face Morgan. Our faces were matching masks of horror and confusion. The noise echoed through the trees so loudly it made me want to cover my ears.

"Is that-?" I started to ask but my voice dropped off.

Morgan nodded before I had finished.

"Coming from home," I finished in horror and without another word the two of us tore off through the woods at a dead run. All pain was forgotten. Nothing mattered but getting back home and making that noise stop. It was so loud I had no doubt it was already pulling the horde back towards us. Back towards home.

I turned my entire focus to setting one foot in front of the other. I leapt and dodged around trees and through the underbrush. Branches whipped across my face and snarled my hair but I didn't slow. I had to get home. I didn't wait for Morgan but he managed to keep up nonetheless. He ran quietly just off my shoulder, his staff in hand.

As we darted out of the woods, my brain couldn't seem to make sense of what it was seeing. A semi truck had crashed into the wall and it's horn was blaring nonstop. Without hesitating I ran for the semi truck. I jerked open the passenger door. There was a walker inside and I could hear Spencer yelling somewhere nearby. I pulled myself up into the cab. The walker wasn't able to turn itself to attack me before I slammed my kukri through it's skull. The walker collapsed in my hands and I shoved it back out the open door I had come through. I threw myself across the seat and flipped the switch for the horn. This close, the sudden silence left my ears ringing as I fought to catch my breath.

Spencer stood in the open driver's door his knife shaking in his hand. It looked as though he had been standing there for a while. At least long enough he should have taken care of the Walker himself.

"What's going on?" I demanded, my voice came out more sharply than I had intended but there was no excuse for the delay in killing the walker and turning off the horn.

Spencer looked up at me in shock as though he just realized I was there. His eyes ran over my body and he took half a step back. I knew what I looked like with my knives strapped to me and splattered with Walker gore.

Spencer's voice trembled and he wouldn't meet my eyes as he spoke. "Someone, a group, they got inside the walls. They're killing people."

"We need to get in there," I said glancing back down below me to where Morgan stood.

Morgan nodded grimly, tightening his grip on his staff.

I looked back across the seat to Spencer who still hadn't moved. "You coming?" I asked.

He flinched and his eyes suddenly met mine. I could see shame swimming in his eyes as well as something else, maybe shock.

"Hide," I commanded briskly and I turned away from him. I jumped out of the truck, landing lightly on my feet in front of Morgan.

"Your arm," Morgan said as we jogged around toward the gate.

I frowned, the gate was open, wide open, at least five feet. You didn't need to open the gate that wide for just a handful of people. I slowed as we walked through it, preparing myself in case they had set up a lookout. When no one came I jerked the gate shut behind us. It was loud, and we would hear it opening again.

"It won't matter once it starts," I muttered, uncertain and uncaring if he heard me.

He did, because he glanced at me with something like very much like pity. I scowled at him in response. I didn't need or want his pity.

We jogged around the corner and slowed. There was a man chopping a corpse into pieces in the middle of the road. When he saw us he stopped. He was filthy and looked like he lived on the road. He smiled at us and it was an aggressive show of rotting teeth. When he saw he had our attention he swung the ax around easily. He was big, over six feet and judging by the ease in which he moved the ax he was strong. I needed to keep this man at a distance. I would be in trouble if he got his hands on me.

"Quick?" the man asked twirling the ax. "Or slow?"

Morgan stepped forward so he was closer to the man, as though he were going to protect me. Man was he barking up the wrong tree. But it had its uses. The man wasn't paying any attention to me now. Instead, he was focused on the man with the staff in front of him. I slowly raised my hand and drew a throwing knife.

"Leave," Morgan commanded. "Please."

The man's eyes glossed over me briefly and I saw him quickly disregard me. This surprised me and made me classify him as being either stupid or crazy. Yes I was small and a female, but I was covered in gore and my full arsenal of knives was on display.

"Gonna be slow," the man informed Morgan regretfully.

The man ran forward, swinging the ax. Morgan stepped forward in a tight controlled way to meet him, but my knife had already left my hand. It landed in the man's forehead and the body dropped. Another one of them ran up to us, and I whirled, already drawing another knife.

"Jo!" Carol's voice called out. "Jo! It's me!"

I pulled up and frowned. Carol was dressed like one of them in dirty clothes with the hood pulled up and a bandana over her face. She had camouflaged herself.

Morgan whirled to me. "I could have stopped him," he said in shock as he looked from me to the corpse.

"Are the other's back?" Carol completely ignored Morgan, keeping her attention focused on me.

"No," I responded, shaking my head. "It's happening now."

"They're doing it now?" Carol gasped.

"We had to," I responded gravely. "The quarry opened. We had no choice."

Carol nodded, she pulled my knife and handed it back to me then dipped her fingers in the man's blood and painted a W on her forehead. "These people don't have guns," she informed me, still ignoring Morgan. I glanced back and forth between the two of them wondering what was going on. I hadn't noticed any tension between them earlier but there clearly was some now.

"I could have stopped him," Morgan repeated, this time with more intensity.

Carol still didn't acknowledge Morgan. "If they had guns they'd be using them," she told me.

I nodded, and looked around, taking in the wreckage that had already happened after such a short amount of time. There was blood and bodies everywhere.

"Did you hear me?" Morgan asked taking a deliberate step towards me.

He wasn't trying to be intimidating but it didn't feel that way inside my head. I pointed at him with one of my knives. "You don't want to do that," I warned Morgan. I could feel the intensity in my eyes and knew no matter how hard I tried there was no way I was going to be able to pull it back in even if I wanted to. I needed it now, I couldn't afford to be weak right now.

Morgan swallowed but didn't say anything. Instead he studies me warily like he was going to figure me out.

I turned to Carol. "Then we need to get to the armory before they do."

She nodded. "If we keep moving this might work."

"You don't have to kill people," Morgan said in a quiet but firm voice.

Carol whirled on him her face pulled down in disgust. "Of course you do."

"Carol!" he exclaimed. "You don't like it."

Carol froze at his words, her eyes wide and vulnerable for a second. And then that second was gone and she shook her head in disgust. She climbed to her feet. "I need to get to the armory and I need your help," she told Morgan. Then she pulled the bandana back up over her face.

"You guys go," I said as I heard a scream from somewhere off towards the houses.

"Save who you can, kill as many as possible," Carol commanded.

I smirked. "It's what I do best," I said and I turned to go. I hesitated and stopped for a moment. "Carl and Judith?" I asked.

Carol turned to me and there was a glimmer of something in her eyes. "Carl has a rifle and is locked in the house with her."

I nodded, but took off in that direction first. Before I could help anyone else I needed to make sure Rick's family was safe. My family was safe.

I came across another man a block up. He was dipping his fingers in the blood of one of the women who lived here, painting it across his forehead. He hadn't seen me yet and I didn't break stride as I threw a knife. It landed in the base of his skull and he dropped over the woman's body. I barely hesitated as I pulled my knife free as I ran by.

I rounded the turn to the house and spotted Carl and Jessie's oldest son. Carl was fighting with one of the men in the street. Carl had an automatic rifle and the man had a hold on the muzzle and was trying to pull it away from him. Carl finally managed to fire a shot killing the man.

"Carl!" I called running towards him.

Profound relief flooded his eyes and he pulled me into a hug when I got close. "Dad?" he asked hopefully.

I shook my head. "He's still out there."

Carl pulled back looking down at me. It was a strange time to notice Carl had grown taller than me. He frowned at my arm. "What happened?" he asked.

I glanced down at the blood soaked bandage. "Civi's," I forced myself to joke shaking my head. I didn't want to worry the kids.

"Friendly fire?" he asked in surprise.

I nodded. "Trying to save his life."

"Who?" Carl asked, sounding a little angry.

"Carter," I told him, rolling my eyes. Then I sobered. "He didn't make it."

Carl didn't look too sad to hear Carter was gone. He just nodded and turned his attention back to the street. He kept the rifle up and swept the street. I looked up at the house. Enid was standing on the porch a hand gun in her hand. I turned to face Jessie's kid. "Get inside, he can protect you."

The kid looked back and forth from Enid to Carl and shook his head, his eyes glistening with tears. "No," and he took off running down the street.

I sighed and shook my head. I leveled a look at Carl and arched a brow but he just shrugged. I couldn't believe I was stuck babysitting the emo brat.

"Carl come on!" Enid said, her voice high with tension.

Carl glanced at me and I nodded. "Keep your sister safe," I warned.

"With my life," he promised, then he ran back up the steps into the house. "Stay safe!" He called to me as he closed the door and I was suddenly reminded of Daryl. I hoped the air horn hadn't caused trouble on his end.

I jogged after Ron. He made it two houses down before I had to save him. A man came barreling towards him with a hatchet. I threw the knife in my right hand.

In my defense, I was tired and in pain. The knife clipped his neck but he went down tackling Ron's legs. Ron sprawled across the ground and whirled around to face me, his eyes wide with fear.

"Get inside," I commanded.

He struggled to his feet and scrambled up the steps and into his house.

I ran at the man and kicked him in the temple. He flopped back onto the ground groaning. I snatched up my knife and finished the job. I flinched as the first trickles of warm blood touched my skin. I froze for a moment and looked down at my red hands. It wasn't supposed to be warm. I swallowed back any emotions I may have been feeling as screams sounded around me.

I turned in time to see one of them fire a pistol. I turned and ran back between the houses so I could get behind him. I flipped off the knife again and this time it struck home in the base of the skull. I ran towards the body. I knelt down and pulled my knife out, shoving the pistol into the waistband of my jeans.

Elsewhere I heard gun shots. I turned in that direction, thinking of the others, and that was what nearly got me killed.

I heard a war cry and whirled just in time to see a machete fly past my temple. I felt the wind of it. I jumped back, whirling away so I could keep my balance. I drew the hunting knife with my left and nearly screamed in pain but I was still in motion. I kicked out at the person's knee, aiming the heavy heel of my boot at the side of the knee cap. They screamed in pain and there was another cry as someone came from behind.

The only thing that kept me alive was the fact that he didn't have a weapon. He wrapped his arms around me pulling me back against his chest. The stench of him made me want to gag. He pinned my arms at my sides.

"You're feisty," he breathed in my ear and I really did gag over the stench of rot coming from his mouth. "You're one of us, a predator, a wolf," and he laughed.

I whipped my head backwards as hard as I could, catching him full in the face. He howled in pain as blood spurted but he didn't fully release me. I slammed my heel down on his instep and whipped around using all of my strength to rip myself clear and slammed my knife into his temple. It lodged there, I had used too much force. I swore.

His buddy was already moving back towards me with his machete. I had the hunting knife in my left. I wasn't the best throw with my left on the best of days with the hunting knife. I kicked out, aiming for his other knee but he caught the leg. This was what made the living so much more dangerous to fight. They learned.

He swung down towards my leg with his machete and I flung myself up, pushing off of him and kicked with the other leg. I wasn't strong enough to get very high, but it knocked him back, forcing him to release me. I flopped onto my back, landing like a sack of potatoes.

I gasped as the wind was knocked out of me but I couldn't stop. I reached desperately for another knife with my right. I pulled the last one from under my left arm and threw it from the flat of my back. It landed in his neck. Blood spurted and he gurgled telling me I hit his windpipe.

"Jo!" I heard someone scream my name. "Jo!" they shrieked again and there was a gunshot. The man collapsed on the ground. Maggie ran up to me, she knelt next to me. "Jo?" she asked, her eyes tearing up.

I sucked in my first breath since I landed and coughed. "I didn't know you cared," it was meant to sound caviler but the coughing between every word put a damper on that.

She snorted and pulled me to my feet. "Are you?" she started to asked, but I waved her off and coughed again.

"Just the arm," I said motioning towards the bandage.

She nodded.

I bent at the waist and continued to suck in air. Maggie bent over the two men and gathered my knives. She had to put her foot on the one to pull my knife out of the temple. The throwing knives just weren't meant for that much power. I made a mental note for the future.

Maggie wiped off my blades and handed them back to me.

"Thanks," I said, trying to flash her a reassuring smile. She nodded gravely looking all around us.

"Is it over?" I asked frowning. I didn't hear any more screaming.

Maggie nodded. "I think so."

For lack of something better to do I followed Maggie. I pulled up when she stepped outside the gate and beckoned Deanna and Spencer out of the white house where they had hidden.

Deanna's eyes were wide as she looked me over. I knew what I looked like. I was wearing my jeans, boots and a tight black t-shirt all sprayed with gore under my shoulder harness. My hands were stained red halfway up my forearms.

"Jo," she muttered under her breath and it was like she was seeing me for the very first time. She shook her head as though she couldn't believe it.

I turned away. "We need to check the wall," I said and started down the line, ignoring the pangs of hurt in my chest. I just couldn't be happy. First I didn't want to be feared, then I did, well now I was, and I was a freak again.

In that moment I missed my family. Not my blood family, I never would have wanted them to see me like this. As much as Tommy loved me, he never would have understood this. But I missed my new family. Rick, Daryl, Michonne, Carl, Abraham...I didn't feel like I had been broken with them. They didn't seem to see me as anything less. They accepted me for who I was and celebrated my strengths. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, hoping everyone made it through this safely.

Maggie and Deanna led the way around the wall. Spencer settled in to walk silently beside me, staring at the ground. After some time he seemed to finally work up the nerve to speak.

"What happened today," he said quietly. "Is that what it's like out there?"

I didn't bother looking at him. I was studying the wall, making sure there was no further danger or damage. "Pretty much," I replied flippantly.

"How do you-" he started to say and he had to stop, though he couldn't meet my eyes. "How do you live, knowing that's the world?" His voice broke with emotion.

I snorted and shook my head. I could explain it to him for an hour and I didn't think he would ever get it. He couldn't get it because he had never lived it. He never had to. And he never would, because we were here now to protect him.

"This group," I said motioning towards Maggie. "Daryl..." I pinched my lips. I didn't like talking about my relationship with him with others. It was private. "Just...make sure you got something worth dying for." I said and I walked away.

A walker snarled up ahead. I stepped forward and flipped off a knife, landing it in it's temple. I stalked around Deanna and Maggie and jerked it out of the body.

"We're still here," Maggie told Deanna.

Deanna looked down at the mangled remains of one of her people. "Not all of us." Deanna looked so broken. I wasn't sure if she and her son were going to survive this.

Maggie's mouth thinned into a grim line. She glanced at me and offered me a small smile before turning back to Deanna. Deanna was necessary to run this place right now, I didn't envy Maggie the job of keeping her on the straight and narrow.

I stalked away, intending to patrol the community for any others that may have turned into walkers. I had policed my kills, but I wasn't sure how well the other's had done and I wasn't inclined to trust.

"Jo," I heard someone call behind me.

I turned to face Deanna and Maggie. Deanna offered me a small, sad smile. "I would very much like the opportunity to meet you properly sometime."

I smirked and shook my head before stalking away. Behind me I heard Maggie let out a soft chuckle.

<><><><><>

Daryl

The air horn had stopped for a few minutes, but I still hadn't heard anything over the walkie. It was nearly impossible to hear nothing over the sound of the horde and my bike.

"Rick!" I called into the walkie.

"I'm here," Rick's voice crackled with static but I could hear him running.

"What the hell's going on back there?" I demanded.

I hadn't heard anything from Jo in ages. She had a walkie and she had been in contact with Rick right from the beginning.

"Half of them broke off."

Rick's words went over me like ice water. "They're headed towards Alexandria."

Abraham's voice came through. "Towards you?" he asked.

"We ran ahead. Morgan and Jo are ahead of us. Should be back by now. There's a horn or something. Loud, coming from the east. It's not stopping," Rick called through the walkie.

"Imma gas it up, turn back," I offered, my heart was pounding in my chest. Jo wasn't with the group. Rick had sent her off with his new friend. Morgan seemed alright and had saved me and Aaron but I didn't know him. Hell, Rick didn't even know him, not really.

"We have it, you keep going." Rick commanded.

I shook my head even though he couldn't see it. "They're gonna need our help."

"Gotta keep the herd moving," Rick snarled back angry I was arguing with him.

"Not if it's going down we don't," I argued back. If half that herd was headed to Alexandria and Rick had sent Jo back, she was going to be trapped inside those walls with a whole group of civilians.

"Then the rest of the herd turns around, the bad back there gets worse."

I revved my engine as my mind tripped over all the possibilities. None of them were good for Jo or Carol or Carl or Little Ass Kicker.

"Daryl!" Rick's voice came through sharp and clear.

"Yeah, I heard you," I growled back irritably.

I revved the engine again and dropped my hand back onto my handlebars and grit my teeth.

I drove another few minutes but it felt like hours. I pulled closer to the car.

"Hey we gone five miles out yet?" I called into the open window.

"Give or take some yardage," Abraham agreed. "You got a reason for asking?"

"Next intersection we're gonna spin around and go back," I called loudly.

"The plan is to go fifteen more," Sasha argued.

I hated it was Sasha and Abraham. They were the two people in the group other than Jo most likely to fight with me on something like this. Everyone else woulda just followed my lead.

"Yeah, I'm gonna change that. Five's gonna have to work."

Abraham didn't look convinced. "The magic number's twenty. That's the mission. That's making sure they're off munching on infirm raccoons the rest of their undead lives instead of any of us. That includes Little Sister back there," Abraham added, giving me a pointed look.

I grit my teeth again. I wouldn't ever understand why Jo was such good friends with him.

Sasha leaned across the seat so she could look me in the eye. "You want to go, we can't stop you. But without you, they could stop us," she said jerking her head backwards towards the herd behind the car.

I revved the engine again in frustration and looked back at the road. She was right, but damnit I couldn't leave them back there. There wasn't anyone to watch Jo's back. I didn't trust Morgan, and everyone else would assume she was good enough to fight on her own. Hell, she would assume that. And she would do it. As much as she doubted herself I knew she would endanger herself to save those idiots back there.

A sign advertising Alexandria went by. I ground my teeth and glanced back at Sasha who was watching me, a wary expression on her face. Sasha and me had done a lot of runs together back in the day and by now she knew me pretty well. I saw the second she realized what I was about to do.

"Naw," I said shaking my head. "I got faith in you," and I gunned the engine before I could hear what they called after me.

I ran it as fast as I dared so I wouldn't waste gas. I hadn't opened her up before, not like this. I only wished I was doing it for fun and not to get back home. I was halfway there when the walkie hissed again.

"Daryl?" it was Rick's voice. My heart sank.

"I'm here," I called loudly to be heard over the roar of the engine.

"Won't be long now, they're almost here. I'll get them going your way again," Rick promised.

I slowed, backing off on the throttle only a small bit.

"How 'bout that Daryl?" Sasha's smug voice came through next. "He's gonna be coming our way."

There was another few moments of silence as I debated what to do. Then Rick's voice came again. "There's gun fire from back home," he reported.

I felt like I was going to puke. I couldn't leave it, knowing Jo and the others were in danger. We had every capable fighter out here.

"We gotta sit with it and hope they can handle it. I think they can," Rick said encouraging but I knew him well enough to not believe him. "They have to." He said resolutely. "We keep going forward for them. Can't turn back because we're afraid."

I slowed even more.

"We ain't afraid." Abraham's voice came through and I wished I was with him so I could punch him.

"We're doing this for them. Going back now before it's done that'd be for us," Part of me wondered if Rick already knew I had turned around. Like he knew I wouldn't be able to stand it. Hell, he should understand better than anybody his kids were back there.

"The herd has to be almost here."

There was a hiss from the walkie but no one said anything. Then I heard gunshots.

"Rick?" I called. When there was no answer I called again. "Rick!"

I gunned the engine heading towards where I knew Rick's last position was. I squeezed the braked and jerked the bike to a stop on the side of the road. "Rick!" I yelled into the walkie. "Jo!?" I tried, my heart in my throat that the gunshots were from home. She wouldn't use a gun, not unless she got desperate.

I hung my head and gripped the handlebars, feeling the leather of my gloves bite into my skin. I didn't know what to do. I tried to think about what Jo would do. But she hadn't wanted to split up in the first place...not at first...not until she told me they needed her more than I did.

I let out a shuddering breath.

I peeled out as I turned the bike around. The tires squealed and the engine whined in protest. Neither Abraham nor Sasha said anything when I turned in front of them at the next cross street.

<><><><><>

Hey guys I hope you enjoyed this one! A very action-y chapter for sure! Please comment/ vote! I so appreciate all of your continued support you guys are what makes this story happen!