Hey guys, here's another update! I hope you enjoy it! Sorry it was a really tough one for me to write so it took a few days for me to get it out. 

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Jo

I circled the perimeter twice before I was satisfied we were safe. Now that the adrenaline was burning off I was starting to feel sore and achy. My arm felt like it was on fire and my head was pounding from headbutting that jerk earlier. I reached up to rub my temples and paused, looking down at my hands. I wrinkled my nose and scrubbed them off on my jeans. 

I ended up back at the main gate. Maggie and Deanna were there, standing at the bars staring out at the empty road and speaking quietly together. I didn't feel like talking so I moved to the lookout platform. I climbed up the ladder. I had never been on gate duty so I had never been up here before. I stepped up the the fence and rested my elbows on top of it, clasping my hands together. 

I tried to think how much time had passed. I glanced up at the sun but I hadn't paid enough attention to it when I left the group at the side of the road. Either way it would be hours before Daryl, Abraham and Sasha were back. They had to go twenty miles at the speed of the horde which at best would be five miles an hour. Four hours plus the drive time back and assuming there was no trouble. I rubbed at my eyes, it had been a long day. 

The look out platform gave me a clear view down the road and of the surrounding tree lines. It was a beautiful day, I realized, standing up there with the sun beating down on me. I turned my face to the sun and closed my eyes, letting it warm my skin. It took me a second to realize my hands were trembling. I opened my eyes and looked down at them. I tried not to think about what could have happened if Morgan and I hadn't come back when we did. In dealing with the issue in the quarry we had left Alexandria vulnerable leaving hardly any fighters behind to defend our home. It was pretty obvious to me those men had been watching and waiting for a chance like this. 

Movement in the woods below me drew me out of my thoughts. I drew my gun. I clicked off safety but kept it pointed down just in case. I sucked in a breath and waited, anticipating more of those people to appear out of the woods and attack us. It wasn't another enemy however, Michonne and Heath stumbled out of the woods, jogging towards the main gate. I looked down where Maggie and Deanna stood still engrossed in their conversation.

"Open the gate," I called down to them. My voice was hoarse and I had to clear my throat and repeat myself before they heard me. Maggie jerked the gate open as I hurried down the ladder. I jogged over to where Michonne and Maggie were embracing. I nodded to Michonne so she would know I was happy to see her.

"What's going on?" I breathed.

Michonne quickly explained everything that happened with her and Glenn in the woods. How Rick had sent them off with the people from Alexandria while Rick went off alone to use the RV to draw the herd back to Sasha, Abraham and Daryl. How they had fought to get back here ahead of the herd. How they had lost people. Deanna sucked in a breath and looked a little ill. 

"Michonne," Maggie said firmly, drawing Michonne's attention to her. "Where's Glenn?"  

Michonne's face fell and she bit her lip nervously. "The town was overrun, Glenn split off with Nicholas. He had this idea that if he lit a fire it would stop the walkers from coming here. I tried to go instead...I wanted to," Michonne mashed her lips into a grim line and I could tell she truly believed she should have been the one to go. She looked away from Maggie, as though she couldn't look her in the eyes when she spoke the next  piece. "The fire never got lit. We had to keep going. I'm so sorry," Michonne said taking Maggie's hand. "He said if he got stuck he would find a way to send a signal."

"A signal?" Maggie asked.

Michonne nodded, though she looked grim.

Maggie frowned as she considered Michonne's words. I wished I was better at words and could think of something reassuring to say. Glenn was strong, he was more than capable, but I didn't like the fact that his only back up was Nicholas. Nicholas had come through at the tractor supply place earlier that day, but one show of bravery couldn't undo years of habit. 

I licked my lips trying to come up with something comforting to say. I was saved from that horror by someone screaming outside the gate. 

"Open the gate!!"

I whirled towards the voice and time seemed to slow down. Walkers snarls reached my ears and my whole body froze when I saw what looked like half the horde coming towards us. Rick was running at it's lead, soaked through with sweat.

"Open the gate now!" he screamed. His voice was hoarse and he was stumbling with exhaustion. The herd was closing in around him, some coming out of the trees to block his way. He wasn't going to make it on his own. 

"Maggie get the gate," I ordered, she ran forward to comply. "Michonne," I called and I heard the zing of her unsheathing her katana. Deanna shirked back away from us, stumbling away from the gate. I didn't care, it was one less person we would have to save today. 

I pulled my kukri and hunting knife and ran out. My left arm was burning with pain, but it didn't matter. It only meant it was slightly slower than normal. I took the right side of the road so I could lead with my uninjured arm. Michonne followed my lead without question stepping to the left. Together we cut down Walkers coming towards us keeping a path clear for Rick to the gate. 

I wanted to kill each and every one of them, but I fought to maintain control. I didn't need them dead, I needed to get Rick inside the fence. I kicked them back and ducked around them, causing them to stumble and fall. I slashed with my kukri and stabbed with the hunting knife. Every time I stabbed I could feel fresh blood sliding down my arm. The walkers around me growled with excitement, drawn by the fresh blood. 

I whirled slashing at another with my kukri. My arms were shaking with exhaustion, but I forced myself to keep moving. I had been through worse than this. Michonne was depending on me not to let any by me where they could flank her and Rick wouldn't make it if I failed. I pushed on, stabbing out at another. I tried to stay in control but as the number of Walkers at my feet grew and the snarls of the oncoming herd grew louder I let myself let go and focus a little more. But with that came the knowledge that there were too many. The walkers numbers were too great and I wasn't going to make it out here. I was hurt and already tired, I had only moments before all of us were overwhelmed. Just as I was sure one of us was going to go down I heard the slap of Rick's cowboy boots run behind me. 

"Jo!" he gasped. I turned in time to see him run through the gate and Michonne beginning to back towards it, her eyes on me. She wasn't going to leave me out here but we needed to go. Now. 

I continued to fight as I backed up, refusing to leave any that I could kill. As soon as I was through the gate Michonne slammed it shut. The herd surged against the bars, reminding me of a flood. Only instead of water it was Walkers. They reached through the bars trying to get at me and I couldn't look away. 

"Jo," Rick's voice was sharp but then he gasped and coughed. I turned to see Rick, collapsed against the side of the wall. He was shaking and gasping for breath. His entire shirt and his hair were soaked with sweat. 

Maggie was squatted next to him, holding a bottle of water. "Just sip it," she instructed in a quiet voice.

Rick nodded and took the bottle from her, coughing again, but his eyes were on me. He ran his eyes to my arm and he frowned. I looked down where the blood had run all the way down my arm and had coated my knife. "You need to get looked at." 

I looked down at it in more curiosity than anything and nodded. I did. 

Behind me Michonne pulled the tarp to obscure the view of the walkers fighting to get at us.

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Daryl

"All right," Sasha's voice came through the walkie.

I reached up and pressed the button. "That's twenty?" I asked.

"It will be. Highway 642 is a mile ahead, we gotta put distance between ourselves and them before the turn off." Sasha instructed like I hadn't been there when we made the plan.

"So floor it," Abraham ordered.

"All right," I replied. "Try to keep up." I turned the throttle and it felt like I could breathe again. We were headed back. It took us hours to get this far, but that was going slow. If I ran it wide open I could be home in less than half an hour. 

"Daryl have you looked at this car," Sasha chuckled but there was a warning in her voice. I think she knew how badly I wanted to get home. "Believe me, we want to get back there too."

I led the way, slowing only to take the turn onto 642. We were driving through a small town when gunfire exploded around us. I couldn't tell who was doing it or where the hell it was coming from. I bent low over the handle bars and swerved to make myself a smaller target. Behind me I heard bullets hitting the car. 

I swerved as a car pulled in front of me with a guy pointing a rifle out the window. I tried to turn but the bike lost traction and skidded then went down. I rolled clear, my arm and hip burned as I slid across the pavement. My whole body ached and I had no idea where Abraham and Sasha were. 

More gunshots echoed around me and I forced myself to push past the pain. I strained as I picked my bike back up and prayed it would restart. It did. I gunned the motor and took off down the street. When I glanced back over my shoulder I was being chased by two cats with more guys firing at me. I weaved between two dumpsters filled with walkers trying to loose them.

I heard at least on of the cars skid out before I had a clear shot into the woods. I pulled off to the side as quick as possible and killed the engine. I waited for the SUV to roll past before I drove down side road. The road changed into a path with soft dirt and eventually disappeared all together. I would be easy to find if they had a tracker, but it was a risk I had to take. 

I only made it a little way before I slowed and both myself and my bike collapse to the ground. This whole area had been burnt up at some point. The trees and underbrush were all black and the ground was covered in ash. A snarl to my left made me flinch but when I looked, the walker couldn't move and it's face was encased in a helmet. I sighed and flopped back down, feeling the pain radiate through my body. 

I couldn't just lay here though. I needed to get up before those assholes with guns came back. I forced myself to my feet and picked my bike up, pushing it deeper into the forest where I would have more cover. It was heavy and I was exhausted. It rolled down a small slope and I lost control. It fell on it's side and I half collapsed after it. I wasn't sure if I would be able to pick it up again. 

I reached down to the walkie. "Sasha, Abraham you there?" I called. There was no response, just static. I looked down and noticed I had blood dripping off my fingertips. I struggled to peal my jacket off, wincing in pain as I moved my left arm. I tossed my jacket back towards my bike and stole myself before I looked at my arm. It wasn't as bad as I thought, my jacket had taken most of the damage, but I needed to bandage it. 

I bent over my bike and pulled the pack off the back to I could stop the bleeding. I heard movement behind me in the trees. I whirled but didn't see anything. I pulled the strap from the bag across my body and snatched up my crossbow. I grabbed the remains of charred branches and used them to hide my bike and I set off through the trees. I wasn't going to sit on my ass and let someone attack me. Even hurt I was better in the woods than most any one. I crept through the charred wasteland. 

When I was close I slowed and whipped around the final tree. Two women startled to their feet, holding their hands up above their heads.

"You found us okay?" the first woman said, her voice breaking over her fear. "Here we are," then something changed in her face. "We earned what we took," she ground out the last words viciously like I should know what they meant.

 Her eyes flickered over my shoulder and I turned just in time to see something coming at me. There was an explosion of pain in my head and everything went black.

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Jo

Rick and I returned to the house together. We both cleaned the blood off of us and Carol bandaged my arm. "You should probably have stitches," she said frowning down at it. 

I glanced down at her bandaging job. So far no blood had seeped through and I shrugged. She rolled her eyes. "You're as bad as he is," she muttered under her breath as she turned and threw away the soiled bandages and washed her hands. 

"I'll take that as a compliment," I joked lightly. Carol shook her head. Rick came in from the living room, holding Judith against his chest. 

"What happened?" he asked. 

Carol told the story, from the beginning since she had been here. I filled in where I could and with pieces of my own experiences with them. 

"They must a been watching us," Rick said thoughtfully. "Waiting for the right time." 

I nodded taking a bite of the casserole Carol had somehow managed to make despite everything that had happened. Rick glanced out the window. "We should get back out there, people are scared." 

I took another bite. "They should be," I said glancing up at him. 

Rick arched a brow and I shook my head. "Rick, it was like shooting fish in a barrel. If Carol, Morgan and I hadn't been here..." I shrugged. 

Rick nodded. "Yeah," he ran a hand over his face. "Come on," he called to me. 

I wasn't sure why I was the one who had to go with him. It seemed like I did the opposite of making people feel better, but I wasn't going to leave Rick to deal with these people by himself. We didn't make it far before we found some of the people gathered near the wall. They looked fearful, like a herd of deer ready to bolt at the first hint of movement. The were all silent as they listened to the snarls and growls coming from the herd on the other side. 

As Rick and I approached they all looked warily from one of us to the other. They all looked so scared I was glad we had taken the time to clean up. Rick walked around to the front of the group, but I stood at the back so I could watch them. "You can hear it, some of you saw it. They got back here. Half of them. Still enough to surround us, twenty deep," Rick paced in front of the group. I felt bad for him. He was exhausted and barely recovered, but he still had to stand strong. "Look I know you're scared. You haven't seen anything like this, you haven't been through anything like this. But we're safe for now." He reassured everyone. "The panel the truck hit seems intact, we'll reinforced it just in case. Either way, the wall's gonna hold together. Can you?" he looked over the group, taking time to look each and every one of them in the face. At last he met my gaze where I was standing at the back of the group. "The others," he began. "They're gonna be back."

"They're gonna be back," Rosita agreed, nodding, though she didn't look like she believed it. Her eyes were red and she looked like she had been crying. 

Rick looked at her with something a little like pity. "Daryl, Abraham, Sasha, they have vehicles. They're gonna lead them away just like the others. And that will clear the way for Glenn and Nicholas to walk back through the front gate after. They know what they are doing, and we know what we need to do. We keep noise to a minimum, pull the blinds at night. Even better, keep the lights out. Try to keep this place as quiet as a graveyard until they move on."

"This place is a graveyard," one of the woman said, her voice breaking.

Rick's eyes settled on her and he nodded. There was nothing to say to that. So many of their people had died today. For many this was the first glimpse of the real world they had ever had. 

"The quarry broke open," Aaron stepped up, his voice even louder and stronger than Rick's. "And those walkers were heading this way. All of them. The plan that Rick put into place stopped that from happening. He got half of them away." Aaron looked down and pinched his lips together before he continued. When he lifted his eyes back to the group there was shame in his eyes. "I was out there recruiting with Daryl. I wanted to try to get into a canary and scavenge but Daryl wanted to keep looking for people. We did what I wanted," he exhaled. "And we wound up in a trap set by those people. I lost my pack. They must have followed out tracks. Those people who attacked us...they found their way back here because of me."

Daryl had left out the bit about leaving one of their packs behind. At the time it hadn't seemed important, but now, looking at the destruction around us, it had been everything. 

Deanna turned and walked away.

There was an uncomfortable silence, but I didn't think anyone blamed Aaron, or they shouldn't. It wasn't his fault. He and Daryl had barely escaped with their lives. 

When the other's started to notice Deanna leaving Rick spoke up, trying to draw their attention back to him. "There will be more to talk about," he said and his eyes were on Morgan.

"Deanna?" Tobin called after her and every one in the group turned to face her. "Deanna?" Tobin called louder, but she didn't stop. She trudged away, her shoulders hunched in defeat.

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Daryl

When i first started to wake up my head was spinning. whatever they hit me with they did a good job of it. I forced myself to hold still. If they knew I was awake they might hit me again and I was already hurt real bad. I couldn't fight if I was hurt. 

"Probably just another soldier. Probably hates him too," a man's voice was saying. I tried to focus on it, I hadn't seen a man. He musta been the one who hit me, but trying to pay attention was suddenly real hard and black showed at the edges of my eyes. I blinked to clear it, but my eyes didn't open again. 

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Jo

After Rick's little speech I went around to start collecting the dead. I was walking back from the pile near the cemetery when I spotted a group of Alexandrians gathered out front of the pantry. They all looked mad and Olivia was standing in the doorway defensively. I slowed 

"But I can't even make two meals out of this," a woman was saying.

Olivia looked frazzled. "The soups and sauces can be stretched out with some extra water."

"What difference does that make if we'll be dead tomorrow?" Another woman demanded, stepping forward aggressively.

"We have to ration now," Olivia said firmly and it sounded like it was the hundredth time she had said it.

"I can't," a man said stepping forward into her space. "I can't spend whatever time I have left watching my family starve," and he shoved past her.

"Wait!" Olivia cried.

"I'm sorry," he said and the others all shoved past her.

I glanced down the street and Deanna just stood there watching it happen. Olivia shared a look with her but Deanna didn't do anything. I shook my head in disgust. 

I couldn't sit by and watch them tear themselves apart, not when this kind of behavior was going to hurt us too. I marched into the pantry. Olivia's eyes widened as I past her, but I ignored her. "Hey!" I snapped.

Everyone hesitated.

"Stop," I ordered everyone. "This stuff is for everyone. We need to make it last if we are gonna survive."

The man who had shove Olivia shook his head in disgust. "Yeah you know all about surviving don't you? Why the hell should be listen to you? You don't care whether we live or die."

"Yeah," I replied calmly. I stared him down, letting him really see me. "I do. I know a lot about surviving. And this," I snapped pointing to the people raiding the shelves. "This is not  what surviving looks like, this is what defeat looks like. You want to raid the pantry and start a free for all, that's fine by my. I'll be the last one standing I can promise you that," I snarled out the words and the man in front of me squirmed under my intensity. "But when you look back, wondering where it all went wrong...right here," I said pointing my finger down at the ground. "This moment."

The man looked away from me, unable to meet my gaze, but he weighed the can goods in his hands. He took a deep breath and slowly started putting them back on the shelves. The others followed suit. I stepped off to the side as they all fired out. When the last one passed me I turned to walk away.

"Wait!" Olivia called.

I turned back, exhaling in frustration as she jogged up to me.

"Thank you," she said sincerely reaching out and grabbing my hand.

I stiffened under her hand and looked down at where she touched me. She followed my gaze ad her eyes widened and she jerked her hand back. "Just-" she started and took a steadying breath. "Hold on," she said. I nodded and she ran back inside.

"Here!" she called jogging back to me. She has huffing after such a short time. She had a walkie and she shoved it into my hands.

I frowned down at it. 

She looked from me to the walkie and then she hesitated. "I-I know that Daryl has one...out there," she said in a quiet voice. "And you used to..." she pushed her glasses back up her nose nervously. "I know he's out there and that you two..." she stopped then and couldn't seem to meet my eyes. 

There weren't words for how deeply her actions touched me. "I gave mine to Nicholas," I said in a quiet voice, looking down at the walkie in my hand. 

She nodded as though she knew that, though I wasn't sure how. 

"You should keep that," she said closing my hand over the walkie. "I know he's probably out of range now, but..."

"Thank you," I told her sincerely.

She offered a gentle smile of understanding and nodded.

I turned and started walking away from the pantry, the walkie on my hip. When I stepped out Deanna was there, watching me. She didn't look as lost as she did before. Instead she was studying me, as though she had never seen me before. I wonder if she would ever stop looking at me like that.

I dipped my chin to her and she gave me a gentle smile. I started walking down the street when I heard her voice call after me. "Thank you!" she called suddenly.

I looked up at her. Her eyes seemed clearer and she was looking at me with genuine sincerity.  I didn't know how to respond so I just nodded. I hadn't done it for her, but for everyone. 

I was almost home when I heard a shriek. I sighed. Would today never end? I jogged ahead until I saw a small group gathered outside one of the houses. Jessie stood on the porch a knife in hand. I pulled a throwing knife and made sure I had a clear shot, not to interfere but just to be ready in case she got into trouble. She took a deep breath and opened the door just wide enough for a walk to stick it's head out. She stabbed forward with her knife, catching the woman through the eye. The walker collapsed at her feet. 

When she turned towards the small group the people from Alexandria were watching her, covering their mouths and shaking their heads in shock. "I used to not want to see...the way things are. It's not that I couldn't, it's that I...I didn't want to. But this is what life looks like now. We have to see it. We have to fight it. If we don't fight, we die." and she walked down the steps without looking back. 

The others watched her go. When she passed me she looked down and noticed the knife in my hand. She paused and touched my arm. "Thank you," she told me.

I looked down at the knife, "you didn't need me."

"No," she said, shaking her blond hair out of her face. "Ron told me about what happened with those men...thank you for saving him."

I nodded slowly, feeling uncomfortable as some of the others turned to face us. I did not enjoy this kind of attention from the people who had already made it clear they feared me. 

Jessie looked back at them. "She saved my son." She called loudly to the group. "She was here for us when those men attacked and she risked her life. Even though she was injured she fought them and saved Ron. You act like she's the enemy, but she isn't. She's what we should aspire to be. She's a survivor."

The others merely stared at us. I tensed when Jessie turned to me and gave me a hug. "Thank you," she said again. 

I nodded and then I slipped away, embarrassed by the attention. 

The walkie at my waist crackled. "Daryl, Sasha, Abraham do you copy?" My heart dropped as I heard Rick's voice and not the southern drawl I had been hoping for. I changed course. Instead of heading home I went to the wall to wait and watch. 

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Daryl

When I stirred again things were clearer, and I forced myself to keep still. It was night now, and there was a small fire burning. I could smell the wood burning.

"You know how to use one?" a woman's voice asked.

The man was handling my crossbow. "Yeah, never like using them to hunt," he was saying.

I blinked and it took longer than it should have for my eyes to open again. I was hurt, bad. My stomach heaved at the changes in light. 

"This is the last day we gotta live like this," the woman was promising another smaller woman. They looked plenty desperate, it shouldn't be hard for me to get the drop on them. I just needed to be able to move. My whole body felt sluggish and heavy, like it wouldn't respond right. 

I blinked again and my eyes wouldn't reopen.

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Hey guys. I hope you enjoyed the update! It was a little tricky for me to write. I hate when Jo and Daryl are separated! But, this gives Jo a chance to settle into Alexandria a little more. I will get them back together as quickly as possible! 

Please comment/vote!