Well, here we are, the final update of my once a day for a week schedule. I've enjoyed it, but the schedule is back to normal now!! Thank you all so much for your support, and your comments, love you all and I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!! See you all on the 30th xx

Daryl groaned. He arched his back, stretched his arms over his head before he sat up. He rolled his neck a little, and rubbed his eyes. That thin sleepingbag on wooden floors just wasn't cutting it anymore. He felt the morning chill and grabbed his thick, winter coat he'd been using for some extra layers in the night. He wrapped it around himself and stood up. He stepped over a sleeping Lori, and a sleeping T-dog, a sleeping Sophia and a sleeping Glenn. He wanted to go check on his sleeping baby sister.

He looked to where she'd made her nest, but, she wasn't there. None of her stuff was either. Daryl figured she'd made an early start on packing up, so, he stepped over everyone again and made it to the hall. He saw Rick guarding the front door, and Maggie guarding the back door. Daryl went out the front, passing Rick and looking around. "Brooks out here?"

Rick furrowed his eyebrows. "No."

Daryl ran around the small house to where he saw Maggie, sitting on the porch step. Gun by her side, elbows on her knees and tired head in her hands. "Ya seen Brooks?"

"No, I've only been on shift two hours though." Maggie responded.

Daryl felt his heart drop. "Brooks!" He screamed out, running back around to the front of the house. "Brooks! Brooks!"

"What's going on?" Rick asked, standing up.

Daryl ran a hand down his face. "What do you think, man?" He shouted. "All 'er damn stuff's gone and I can't find 'er! Brooks!"

"Alright, let's not panic. She'll be around here somewhere." Rick insisted as the front door opened and out ran Sophia, Cam and Merle.

"Why are you shouting for Brooks?" Sophia asked, cold and scared.

"I can't find 'er!" Daryl yelled. Not at Sophia, just in general.

Merle scoffed. "Well, she wouldn't have just run away, man. She's probably just takin' a leak." 

"With all 'er stuff?" Daryl shouted back in retaliation. "Brooks!"

"Brooks!" Merle joined in, sudden realisation hitting him where it hurt.

Two walkers left the forest, Daryl grabbed a rock and threw it at one of them. He was so angry, and his force was so strong, the rock went straight through the rotting walker's head. Cam simply ran at the other one with his knife and took it down, easily. They all had a lot of experience with walkers by now.

Rick was beginning to panic. He had another child missing. First, on the highway, Sophia and Chris had gone missing. Sophia made it back, Chris didn't. He couldn't lose Brooks like he lost Chris, he didn't want to blame himself for another child's death.

Carol ran out of the house with a bit of paper in her hand. "I know what happened."

/-----------\

Two days, Rick had said. Daryl and Merle angrily protested, but Rick said that the group would move on in two days. It wasn't safe to stay in that old, rotting cabin any longer, especially not in the middle of winter with Lori's pregnancy and Hershel's age. Merle and Daryl silently agreed to stay behind if they didn't have answers within the two days, even if it meant seperating from their group.

Both men knew that if this was Carl or Sophia (again) then the group would be there until they had answers. Nobody would leave, because everybody's heart would ache with worry. Not for Brooks though, nobody really cared enough about her to risk their lives.

Daryl and Merle had a bit of a trail, but the biblical rain from the night before had ruined that. So, they just had to use their wits and get into their little sister's head. Both men stopped when they could no longer track the already faded trail. 

"Where would she go from here?" Carl asked, wrapped up in his winter warm wear.

Merle bit his bottom lip, looking around. He found the direction that had the least trees, most resembling a path. "This way." He said, turning the group slightly South-East.

"You're sure?" Cam asked, worry chewing at him.

Merle nodded. "Her subconscious would see it as the clearest and safest path. She'd have gone this way. She's alone and scared, she'd go for the safest option."

"Why are we even going after her? She clearly didn't want to be followed." Carol stated.

Daryl scoffed, turning to the woman. "Because she's a little girl! She was sick of bein' bullied is all! She doesn't know what she wants! As soon as I get my hands on 'er, I ain't ever lettin' 'er out of my sight again!"

Rick put his hand on Daryl's shoulder, and pushed him forward and away from Carol. He also changed the topic of conversation. "How'd you know about that subconscious stuff?"

Merle shrugged. "Read it in a book somewhere."

"You read a lot?" Hershel asked.

"When I was a kid." Merle responded.

Lori nodded. "What books did you like to read?"

Merle shrugged. "What's this? Twenty questions? Damn. Let's just find the kid and move on. The more time we spend chit chatting like old hags at bingo the more time she's out 'ere all alone!" He couldn't help but raise his voice, which successfully silenced the whole group.

/----------\

Once the path took them to a road that Brooks hadn't seen in the dark, they were confident. Merle even started to run. What's at the end of roads? Houses. And what would a scared, alone ten year old girl do to be safe? Go in a house.

So, Merle ran and he ran. He needed to get to her and quickly. He just knew that he needed too. Everyone felt compelled to run with him, they were all anxious to see Brooks alive and well... So, that they could move away from the scary forest, of course. Nobody wanted to stay there for two days. Nobody wished her dead, not even Carol, that was just in the moment grief talking.

Merle stopped in his tracks when he saw the house. Burning. Sophia gasped. "Oh my god!"

Everyone stared in shock for a second, before Merle screamed. "No!" He began running towards the house, but Rick grabbed him and pulled him back. "Let me go, you son of a bitch! I need to go and get 'er!"

"We don't even know if she's in there, you want me to lose you too!" Daryl shouted, accidentally letting that wall he put up slip, ever so slightly. Just as Merle fought out of Rick's grip there was a loud bang. Most people flinched, squatted for the ground, screamed and ducked for cover behind trees, but not Merle or Daryl. They had flinched, sure, but they stood there in shock as they watched the wood fly everywhere. "I bet she wasn't even in there." Daryl stated with a scared and wavering voice.

However, just as Merle was about to agree... Something landed by his feet. Both Merle and Daryl looked down to see a pair of pink glasses. The lenses were both broken now, sure, but they matched the pair that Brooks was so excited to find the day before. "No." Merle muttered, falling to his knees. "No!" His voice came out loud and desperate.

Daryl took a few steps back, covering his face with the inside of his elbow as he turned away from everyone. Hot tears filled his blue eyes as a high pitched sob left his lips, before he crumbled into a tree and grabbed onto it. He still tried to keep his back to everyone, but Cam ran up to him and forced him into a hug. Daryl tried to fight his way out of it, but eventually just gave up and leaned onto him. He screamed into Cam's neck, but the screams turned into loud sobs.

Carl had turned to Lori and started loudly crying. It was the first and last bit of affection he gave his mother all winter, but he clung to her for dear life. Sobbing loudly. Lori held him, watching the house with a heavy heart. Tears didn't brim her eyes, but it was a sad scene. Sophia did the same, but she had turned to Beth, the two girls cried into each other and held onto each other. 

Maggie, Glenn, T-dog and Hershel watched the house burn in shock. Tears pricked Maggie's eyes as she turned to Glenn and hugged him tightly. She cried quietly, but her heart wasn't broken, she wouldn't spent much time grieving, because that winter was just too scary to get distracted for too long. Glenn, Hershel and T-dog pitied the girl and her family, but they weren't all too upset - after all, they didn't know her that well.

Rick put his hand over his face as he looked down. He reminded himself that he was the leader, and he had to keep strong. However, that didn't stop his body from shaking with quiet as he subtly cried and he stood there accepting the fact he'd failed yet another member of his group. Carol, stood in shock. Guilt ate her up as she didn't know how to react, so she just stood there, staring at what remained of the burning house.

Cam, despite holding Daryl, was crying himself. He failed another child, first Jack Peters and now Brooks Dixon. His heart was heavy as he held onto Daryl for support, and hell, dear life.

Merle was on his knees. He held her glasses in his hands as he screamed, and as he sobbed. He didn't care that his image was being ruined. All he cared about was Brooks, or lack there of. He was blaming himself, how could he not see her leave? How could he not see she was in pain? How could he not see that she needed him more than she needed anyone else in the world?

/----------\

Ten minutes had gone by. Daryl had forced himself out of Cam's grip, and was sitting on the floor. His back against a tree with his head in his hands. He was managing to hide his tears, but that didn't mean his agony had gone away. Sophia was sitting next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. Tears still slipped down her face, but quietly.

Merle, however, was still sobbing on the ground. He hadn't let up. He was screaming and attracting walkers that his friends had to fight off. Rick put his hand on Merle's shoulder. "We have to go." He said, his own voice hoarse from grief. "It's not safe."

Merle stood up, shoving Rick away. "What the hell do you know about not safe, man, huh? She's dead! Don't you get that? Brooks is dead! What am I supposed to do now, huh? What the hell do I do?" Merle screamed.

Carol stepped forward. "You can't blame yourself, Merle. It was her choic-."

"Stop it, mom!" Sophia yelled, not being able to take it anymore. Everyone looked at her in shock as she stood up, trying to wipe the tears but more fell. "She wanted me to keep it a secret, but I can't anymore! I won't have you disrespecting her even though she's... She's dead!" 

"Keep what a secret, Sophia?" Hershel asked.

Sophia let out another sob. "Her making noise under that car wasn't her fault. It was Chris'. He was fighting her, trying to get her out onto the road in front of the walkers. That's why I left my cover too early, I was trying to protect her! And she didn't say anything because she was a good person who wanted to make sure your image of your son wasn't ruined! But Chris was a bad person and I don't care if he's dead, I'll say it! He was a bad person, who tried to kill Brooks twice! It's not her fault that he died, but it is your fault that she's dead now!"

Carol took a couple steps back, leaning against a tree. Slowly, her shaking hand went to her mouth. Carol shook her head, swallowing down a sob. "No. No, that's not possible."

"It is, mom." Sophia stated.

Carol let out a cry. "My baby boy was a lot of things but murderous wasn't one of them! He was twelve!" 

"And Brooks was ten!" Merle shouted. "Your psychotic fuckin' son got what he deserved if he really tried killin' my girl!" 

"Don't talk about him that way." Carol cried, grabbing onto her head. It was too hard for her to accept that Chris was really how they were saying. She knew he had his issues, but attempted murder? "Brooks did this to herself, Chris didn't ask for-"

"Stop it!" Merle interrupted. "Stop passin' on the blame to a sweet, innocent ten year old girl who never did anythin' to hurt you! She was a good girl and you ruined that!"

Carol let out a sob. "No! No, I can't have- no, God, please!"

"Just accept it, Carol! You killed my damn daughter!"