Walking Dead 1. The Start

**Intermission **

_Prologue_

Intermission, noun. Definition: a short interval allowing a rest between the acts of a play or parts of a performance; a period during which action temporarily ceases; an interval between periods of activity; an act of intermitting or the state of being intermitted; a period where contact is lost, a 'lapse' in contact; an inadvertent interruption in a broadcast in which there is no sound, a pause in communication.

Intermission; four syllables, twelve letters. An interval, a delay, dead air.

Life had become an intermission of sorts. Contact from other sides were missing, as if misplaced, but there were answers that came with the silence heard. She had known that this would happen when the final decision was made. She expected it, feared it. It had been a huge decision, such a life changing decision that, for Anna Carlisle, was one that was made with a heavy heart. She had told her colleagues that she didn't agree with their thoughts and decisions, that what they were doing was completely immoral and betraying towards all those who were alive. _They had laid their trust in us_, she had said, _and we're stabbing them in the back. _But her words were left hanging, and ignored. She had left work in the evening and walked home, her mind heavy with the images she had seen in the lengthy presentation. The excitement within the room was too hard to watch. She had never seen her colleagues as excited as they were, claiming that it would be best for the city of Atlanta, as well as other cities and countries all around the world, if they went ahead with the decisions and the five year long wait for the confirmation and the testing. It was all ready to go ahead, but like Anna, those that she worked with, the people that she saw every day and spent the majority of her days with, were unprepared for what was in stall for them.

The cure for the common cold, flu. But something had gone wrong. An ingredient had accidentally been added into the serum, and the test subjects were experiencing fever-like symptoms that turned severe, dangerous and life-threatening. Before they knew it - and before Anna could comprehend the situation - the test subjects succumbed to their symptoms. And a short time later, the world as they had known it was no more. The dead had come back to life. How and why, those were the questions that would remain unanswered.

Until now.

* * *

_Author's note: Got this idea after re-watching season one of The Walking Dead and immediately had to write it down. I'm very excited about it, and can't wait for the story to unfold. The prologue is short, and is an insight as to how I imagine the outbreak happened. The show will have relevance in this but I'm going to make it as original as possible. _

_ This is set in season three, right at the beginning, and before the group even knew about Woodbury and the Governor. This will be a Rick/OC fan fiction._

_ Please leave a comment as I'd love to know what you think!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own or hold any rights regarding The Walking Dead including the story lines or characters; living or dead. I do not take credit for this. I have no desire to make a profit from this, and am only doing this as a hobby. I do, however, take credit for my own OC Anna Carlisle, as well as the OC characters that will be appearing in this._


	2. Miles from Home

_Chapter One_

_Miles from Home_

In the months that came after the first initial outbreak, the world was quiet. The inhabitants of the city of Atlanta had dwindled down to almost nothing, with only a handful of survivors that could be accounted for. The Government had done their best to try and stabilise the threat of the enemy, but within the first few days of the epidemic, the army soon realised that the threat was greater than they had originally anticipated and been trained for. The dead were hungry and fresh, and being in the city, they were everywhere. Every direction they turned to, the dead were within reach, clawing and grabbing at the living. It was not a long time before the world became empty of all human existence, with the dead lurking at each corner. Some of the dead were killed and disposed of by the army and the refugee camps in and around the city were moved to the countryside with the assistance of the military. Whilst some made it - with the hope of a new, safer life filling their hearts and becoming a reality - some were, unfortunately, lost in the transition. As the outbreak rolled into its fifth month, all contact was lost and those who were in connection with the Government were left in the loop.

Anna Carlisle was one of those people. Her role as a biomedical scientist for the U.S. army had allowed her to travel the world, supervising and providing consultations with other scientists, administering tests on subjects, managing lab operations and conducting research on new medical tests deemed as important and imperative for the safety of America and the rest of the world. Originally being based in Washington, Anna Carlisle had made the trip to Atlanta just a month before the outbreak occurred to assist with a new test that could have potentially wiped out the common cold and flu. It was a colossal find, one that could shape the future and generations to come. A few of her colleagues had doubts, just like her own, but after the first observation, the test subject began to experience flu-like symptoms, whilst other test subjects immediately felt better. But what every medical professional and biomedical scientist feared had ultimately come true. The test subject's conditions worsened until their life came to an end. And what they did not know was the fact that someone who had access to the labs had added a dangerous and risky compound that would cause disastrous results on the tests, test subjects and the United States in general.

The condition of other countries was unknown, but Anna could only suggest that it had spread like wildfire. The lines of communication were open in the CDC, but no one was picking up on the other end. Her calls were being left unanswered and all that was left was to try and make it out on her own. The base in Washington was unlike the base in Atlanta. Washington had underground facilities where testing was conducted, but it was also the place where the answer, and the cure, was.

When and how she was going to get there was still in the planning. The scientists at Washington would be waiting for her; after all, she had a duty to inform them of the situation, of the loss of the people and their colleagues, as well as the serum and blood samples of those infected.

Anna woke as the sun rose in the distance, and stretched. She was vaguely aware of the cracking of her bones as she moved suddenly, the bones grazing against each other in protest. The night had been long and cold and the thin covering of her sleeping bag only brought her little comfort in the sense that the weather and seasons were changing quicker and faster than she expected them to. The upcoming arrival of autumn was not a welcome one, and could only mean the arrival of winter would soon be behind it. The need for shelter, a more promising and protective shelter was prominent and never far away from her mind; but she'd seen terrible things done by desperate people. She'd seen the extremes of what people would do just to have a roof over their head for the night, or food in the stomachs, or water in their system. She'd seen the survivalist in every single person she had come across, and even though she knew she was one of them, it still scared her to see the extent of harm they would commit just for those little things. Shelter was scarce, food was scarce and water was scarce… all tainted with the thought of death. She had decided not to drink from rivers and streams, unsure as to whether one of the dead - or a straggler, as she'd come to call them - had passed through it.

She rubbed her eyes, and ran a hand through her limp hair feeling the knots and matted hair. The thought of a shower or a nice, long and undisturbed bath was never too far from her mind, and she missed the freedom and safety the old world had brought. As her senses came back to her and the tiredness dissipated, she was able to hear the faint moans of the dead below her. She stole a glance from the roof of the school bus she was currently sitting on, and saw that there was only two stragglers stumbling around below her. It wasn't much of a threat, but the dead were unpredictable. She'd seen many times before when she saw other survivors faced with a handful of stragglers just how it took all of one second for the one straggler to get the upper hand and to wipe out the majority of the group. Anna, despite wanting to help and come to their aid, knew that it was better and safer for her to stand in the shadows.

Like a criminal, she had a price on her head. She held part of the answer in her bag. She needed to survive, and in order to survive, she had to let people die. As morbid as it sounded, Anna had to think of the cure.

She quickly packed up the small amount of belongings that she had, and ate a granola bar. She watched the stragglers as they bumped into one another. They were once a man and a woman - with careers, jobs, families, responsibility… their lives and future in front of them. And yet, here they were, grasping at her feet that dangled off the edge of the old school bus. They were animals, all evidence of human mannerisms diminished and gone.

After finishing her dry granola bar, she opened the hatch on the roof and climbed into the bus. She'd made sure that the doors and windows were locks, and even though spending the night inside the bus was ideal and attractive, she enjoyed sleeping outside. Camping had been one of her favourite things growing up, and the cool air made her sleepy. It was nice being outside, out in the open, with the stars twinkling in the sky above and the bright moon hanging in the sky.

She placed her bag on one of the seats and opened a window, whistling quietly to capture the stragglers attention. They quickly made their way around the large yellow vehicle towards the sound and she pulled out her large knife. Once they were close enough and within stabbing distance, she quickly drove the blade into their heads. The sound of the blade slicing into the mush that was now their brains caused Anna's stomach to churn. If there was anything that she would never get used to, it was that. The sound and the squelching…

Anna shook her head, and wiped her knife on her trouser leg. Her attire was nothing to be desire, whilst she was used to wearing army clothes, it wasn't as ideal as she had originally hoped for. The army trousers were ideal, however, with their tightness and ability to move swiftly and quickly in them. The jacket was ideal for the colder months and during the nights, but she had found a number of articles of clothing in an abandoned vehicle on the highway with neutral coloured jumpers that served their purpose. The boots, which never strayed too far from her feet, were comfortable and practical for the amount of walking she had to do.

The school bus was an ideal temporary home and she had checked the fuel meter as soon as she had come across it the night before, but the meter was empty. Another day of walking was on the agenda, but as long as she followed the map, she would hopefully make a dent in her journey. The journey to Washington was a long one, and the wait for the call in Atlanta didn't help with that. The hope of finding a vehicle was lessening as each day passed, and the rarity of a good, stable vehicle that worked efficiently was increasing as each day passed.

A few hours later, Anna still found herself walking. The roads were empty and walker free, which surprised Anna. Ever since she left the security of the CDC a month ago, she had seen at least a handful of stragglers every day. It was normal to see them, and it wasn't normal when you didn't. That's how the world was now. It was what it had come to. She had tried to prepare herself of when she would come across other living people, other survivors. Would she tell them that she could have the answer to all of this, the cure? Would she keep it from them, and wait until she knew them a little better? Or would she keep it to herself until she got to Washington?

But so far, she hadn't seen another human being for longer than ten minutes before stragglers came for them. And they had never seen her, never knowing that she was watching their deaths unfold in front of her. She was aware of them, and they never knew she existed.

Anna stopped, her eyes narrowing at the scene in front of her. Vehicles were scattered around the road; some crashed and some deserted. She glanced around at the edge of the woods, at the road up ahead, and at the vehicles. It was empty, no sign of life or of the dead. She took a hesitant step forward, pulling her gun out of the holster on her leg and inched closer, her body ready and poised. It was difficult to tell if anyone - living or dead - was around. She checked the vehicles, pulling open the doors as quietly as possible and checking the fuel meter. The majority of the vehicles were empty of gas, and she was about to give up when she counted the vehicles that she had checked and noticed that she had one more to check.

The exterior was chipped and worn but from a distance it looked as if it would be able to carry her for the miles it would take to travel to Washington. The fuel, however, was her main concern at that moment. She pulled open the door, wincing as it creaked in protest and froze as the noise echoed around the surrounding area. There was no movement, as she waited for a few moments, and she entered the vehicle by reaching to see the meter. There was little gas in it, but it wasn't enough to take her all the way to Washington. She put her gun away, and thought for a moment. It would definitely keep her safe for a while, and the back seat would be more comfortable to sleep on. It would serve her purpose; get her on the road and on the way to where she needed to be, and…

"Lost?"

A voice came from behind her and she stopped, frozen to the spot. She was in a position that was compromising, and one that she had vowed that she wouldn't get herself into if she ever came across other survivors. She took a deep breath, mentally cursing herself, and backed out of the vehicle. She turned slowly, her hand moving to her gun, and saw a lone man standing in front of her, with his hands on his hips.

He was taller, a lot taller than her, and his hair was short and brown, with a dusting of grey. He looked like a man of authority, the types she had seen daily in her job in the army. He was looking at her, with a smirk on his lips. She stood there for a moment, taking in the situation. There was no sign of a vehicle around which could only mean that he had walked out of the woods that surrounded them. She allowed her eyes to observe him, taking in the gun strapped to his hips and thigh. And the unmistakable feature of an eye patch.


	3. Hurt

_Chapter Two_

_Hurt_

The onslaught of bullets ricocheting around them had caused the three of them to find comfort and safety in an empty and looted pharmacy. Their breaths had hitched in their throats at the sound of the bullets piercing the thin plaster wall behind their trembling bodies. Sooner or later, they all noted, whoever was shooting like they had infinite ammo would run out of bullets and would be left with nothing to protect themselves. The number of shooters was a question in which they were unable to answer, and even Daryl found it difficult to identify the number of weapons being used.

Daryl huffed, fidgeting with his crossbow. The urge to go out there and fight for his group was increasing with every second that went by, but a little voice in his head automatically dismissed that thought. It would be suicide, he knew that. And there was no way that Rick or Glenn would allow him to do that. Compared to a gun and bullets, the crossbow didn't stand a chance. He didn't stand a chance.

Rick nudged him then, pointing towards the large domed mirror in the top corner of the back room that showed the shop front, as well as the direction the bullets were coming from. Daryl narrowed his eyes and saw that, despite the large amount of bullets making their way towards them, there were only two men who were behind the guns. Daryl stuck two digits up to Glenn who was facing them, as the sound of the guns stopping filled their ears.

"Stupid idiots," Daryl growled, loud enough for the two men to hear him. "Wasting bullets like there's no tomorrow. Don't they know there's an apocalypse going on?!"

The three men could hear cursing just a few yards away from them but made no attempt to move. The quieter they were then the better. The best thing for them to do was pretend to be dead, and so staying as silent as possible was important. At the moment they were in the best position. They could see the enemy, the enemy couldn't see them.

"We know ya there!" A voice, so rich of southern country, filled their ears. They made no move or any noise. "How many of ya?"

Daryl narrowed his eyes at Rick. Rick glanced back and shook his head.

"We have people out here," the man shouted again. "Don't do anything stupid."

Daryl scoffed and shook his head in disbelief. He was about to say something but Rick nudged him. Rick took a deep breath, and moved into a squat quietly.

"We mean you no harm," Rick shouted. "We're just trying to get supplies!"

Daryl motioned to Glenn to keep an eye on the mirror, and Glenn, understanding his instruction moved next to Daryl. Daryl moved into a squat, crossbow poised and ready. Rick, taking a deep breath and preparing himself mentally, stood, arms in the air, and watched as the two men raised their weapons at him.

"We mean you no harm," Rick repeated.

The two men were aged around twenty, nearly half of his own age. One was slightly taller than the other, more well-built. The shorter one had the attitude, and Rick surmised that he would be the problem, if there was one. The weapons in their hands were nearly as big as them and Rick could only assume that they had stumbled upon them. It would have been a lucky find for Rick and his group, knowing that weapons and ammunition were scarce at the prison now.

"What's your name?" Rick said to the taller man.

The man's eyes knitted together in confusion, and on a double glance of his name tag, glanced at Rick and nodded, uncertain. "Dean…?"

Rick nodded, his eyes narrowed. "We have women and children in our camp. Women and children who need us to provide for them. We mean you no harm, Dean."

'Dean' glanced towards the shorter man. The shorter man kept his gaze on Rick, his demeanour changing. His eyes were heavy and hard, as if he had nothing but death in his life.

Rick remained still, his eyes switching to both men. Daryl, on the other hand, was becoming restless. This whole waiting around and kissing ass wasn't working. He knew it. Rick knew it. Hell, even the walkers who heard the onslaught of bullets knew it. They were wasting time. The supply run was meant to be a quick affair, just an in and out job. This was something they prepared for, but when it actually happened, it was as if all the preparation had been for nothing.

"You got a camp?" 'Dean' asked, stepping forward. The shorter man, still unnamed and unknown to Rick, glared at him.

Rick nodded, slightly. "Yeah… just a small one. Mostly women and children."

"Yeah, you've already said that…" the shorter one said, and Rick heard the faint sound of a growl below him. He could sense Daryl becoming irritated and frustrated.

Rick had to think fast. Did he lie, and tell them that it was only him and a few other women and children back at the prison? Or, tell them about the family he had back at the prison, tell them the real reason as to why they were at the pharmacy? Either one wouldn't bode well with the shorter man, whereas 'Dean' would believe anything that he told him. They were young boys, in a world where they had to grow up faster than they wanted to, just like Carl. He had to think about his family, think about the threat the two men had on his family.

"Ya got room for a few others?" 'Dean' asked, his voice filled with hope.

Rick bit his lip. He thought back to when he and Hershel had been in a bar when the farm had been a safe place, and three men had walked in. They were sneaky, and shifty. Their words were empty, and their actions spoke volumes. He didn't trust them, and it was then that he realised that not all survivors were good people, that people were still as dangerous as they were before the outbreak.

But before he could answer, the short man had turned to 'Dean'.

"Are ya serious? We don't know him… for all we know he could be someone who kills people. And anyway… why do ya wanna leave?"

'Dean' shrugged. "I don't like it with him and his 'crew'. He has us out here killin' other survivors… where's the peace and harmony in that?"

"I don't like it either, but we're safe with him. We have a bed, food; water… so what if we have to kill some people? As long as I've got food in my belly and a pillow to rest my head, a little death never hurt anybody."

"We got the chance to get out of here, with other people; or on our own. We can still have that, just without the threat of death when we do something wrong…" 'Dean' whispered. "I ain't being funny but this could be our way out, Paul…"

"I ain't leavin'. Not after everything we've been through…"

'Dean' let out a sigh, turning back to Rick. "Ya got a place for one more?"

"Maybe… how many walkers have you killed?"

"Walkers?" 'Dean' asked. "We call them biters."

Paul gave a snort. "They still kill people though."

Rick nodded, "Yep. No matter what you call them, at the end of the day, they still rip our lives apart. But the same goes for humans… survivors like us. How many people have you killed?"

'Dean' shot Paul a nervous look and the shorter man shrugged. The shorter man spoke. "Enough… to stay safe, to keep what we have."

"He told us to do it though… I never wanted to kill people. Biters, yeah. But survivors… he made us do it."

And it all happened so quickly. The shorter man, identified as Paul had turned his gun towards 'Dean' and shot him dead, then turned his gun towards Rick and released the last bullet in the chamber, causing Rick to duck just as a bullet whizzed by his face, skimming him by just millimetres. He heard a grunt behind him and turned around, just as Daryl stood to his full height, crossbow aimed at the man, and discharged an arrow into the head of Paul. Daryl turned around to see Rick on the floor, covered in blood, his hands pressing down on Glenn's chest. He scrambled to the floor and added more pressure onto the wound, but the wound in Glenn's chest was still bleeding out, and no amount of pressure was able to stop the blood.


	4. Civilians

_Chapter Three_

_Civilians_

"Lost?" he repeated.

Anna stared at him, her eyes narrowing at him. She glanced around her discreetly, looking for a way out. She knew that situations like this one took planning; he might have other people in the woods with their guns aimed at her, or he might be the type of person who believed that he could handle her. She'd seen the same type in the army; they were strong, powerful and calculated. She could handle herself, having been trained in combat despite specialising in biomedical science. She knew how to use a weapon, identifying the many ways to kill a human with a gun without having to use a bullet. She was skilled, trained and capable of things another human might find hard to accept. If it came down to it, she could be dangerous.

Anna shrugged, shaking her head. "No. My group's around here."

He stared at her, his eyes dragging over her body, taking in her thin and toned body after many years of being in the army. She was short and tiny in comparison to her colleagues, but despite that, she was still able to keep up with the men. And she enjoyed it. She liked the routine, the control she had, and she enjoyed her work in biomedical science. She mostly worked alone or with one other scientist, and she enjoyed the freedom her work gave her as well as the opportunity to travel around to other countries. She made the impossible be possible.

"Oh?"

Anna gave a short nod. He was still standing there, eyes on her and a smirk playing on his lips. There were men - and women - in the old world and in the new world that were dangerous, untrustworthy and devious. It didn't matter, with the world in the state that it was in now, if you were good or bad. The good always died, and the bad prevailed. She'd seen it in the army; the weaker ones were thrown into the fire and the stronger ones climbed over their bodies and got to the top.

"That's funny…" he continued, stepping closer to her. "I've been trailing you for, what? The past mile… and…" he motioned the surrounding area with his arms. "I haven't seen one other survivor with you."

Anna narrowed her stare at him, a hint of a glare on her features. She didn't like him one bit. He made her feel uncomfortable. She smirked.

"It looks like I've got myself a stalker," she began, watching as a grimace formed on his face. "Which in this day and age is even creepier."

"You're funny," he said. "What's your name?"

There was movement behind her that caught her off-guard. She stole a glance and saw a heavy set man aiming a gun at her who seemed to have come out of the woods. Her hand was on her gun, ready for him to make the first move. She stared at the man in front of her, with the eye-patch, and bit her lip. She was trying to stall him for as long as possible, trying to devise a plan of how to get out without a scratch or a serious injury. The entirety of the man behind her with the gun aimed at her head was uncomforting but she was trained for this. She'd be able to get out of situations like this one.

"Anna."

He smiled and nodded. "Nice name. Means gracious and merciful, am I right? Are you forgiving, Anna?"

"Depends on what needs to be forgiven."

"I like her," he said to the man behind her. "She can stay."

"Stay?" Anna asked. "I have somewhere to be."

"No one has a place to be. Not anymore."

Anna furrowed her brow but dismissed his comment. "So, what's your name?"

"Philip."

"Hm… let me see," Anna began. "Philip means an idealistic nature; a desire for peace and harmony which can often cause friction with people; quite reserved and inclined to feel self-conscious sometimes despite striving to appear poised, confident and composed; quite secretive, which can make it hard to trust other people and open up to them; a desire to help others; a deeper appreciation of nature and the finer things in life; and if knowledge serves me right… a lover of horses."

Philip smirked, his eyes glowing with amusement. "You're good."

"So I've been told," Anna replied, raising her eyebrow. "Any skeletons hidden in your closet?"

The smirk was gone, and a blank expression etched across his face. His eyes burned into her as if trying to distinguish if she was able to see the secrets behind them. Anna stared at him, trying to read him. He was difficult to read, and he was a man who was able to hold in his feelings and keep them hidden. Was he like that before the outbreak or had the outbreak made him become this person? She knew he had secrets, everyone had secrets. Hell, even she had secrets.

"Wouldn't you like to know," he said, sneering slightly. The man that had been behind her moved to stand next to Philip. "So where's this place that you have to be?"

"Washington."

"Why?" Philip asked. "What's special about Washington?"

Anna shrugged, "Family."

"Ah… family… a foreign word in this world," Philip said, glancing at the man stood beside him. "Oh, how rude I am. This is Patrick… and the man behind you is Merle."

Before she knew it, the man named 'Merle' had crept up behind her and hit her on the head with his weapon. She fell to her knees, holding her head as a dull ache pierced through her pain barrier. She pulled her gun out and shot, hearing a faint thump as the body of Patrick dropped to the ground. She wasn't sure where she actually shot him and she wasn't able to see as Philip stormed towards her, blocking her view.

He grabbed her face and pulled hard so that she was looking at him. He spoke harshly. "One thing I didn't tell you… people call me The Governor. And one thing you don't do is anger me, got that?"

He threw her to the ground and walked away, leaving Merle to handle her. She moved her hand to her head and felt the wetness and slickness of blood. But she was unable to do anything as unconsciousness began to plague her senses. The last thing she saw before unconsciousness enveloped her into an unwelcome hug was the man identified to her as Merle being the only thing she could see. And then after a short moment, nothing but darkness.


	5. Young Blood

_Chapter Four_

_Young Blood_

The prison was unusually quiet, and the silence could only mean one thing; a supply run. With the fortnightly supply run came the dread and fear of something happening. The security that the prison offered was intense, and a feeling that neither of them wanted to be apart from. The decision to move to the prison was a huge one, with so many implications. But they had made it work as best they could, and once the obstacle of walkers in the grounds and within the walls of the once working prison were taken care of; they soon began to get used to the barriers that prevented the dead from entering their new home. It offered them the protection that, since the outbreak had rolled out onto the streets, they were unable to find at the Quarry and the farm, regrettably.

The departure from the farm was a hard one, but the horde of walkers that passed through it had made their decision for them. They had been on the road for three weeks before finding the prison, and all of them had looked to the sky and counted their blessings. Another night on the road, without the security of a functioning vehicle, was going to be hard. Space had become limited, as they soon found out that they were running out of fuel before they knew it, and had to leave vehicles - their temporary homes - behind. But the prison had been their home for longer than their time on the road, and three months later, they were still relishing in the fact that they had taken the chance and it had paid off.

Lori was sat outside, with the sun beating down on her face and she smiled as a soft breeze rolled over her. Her hand was rubbing her growing stomach protectively. It was moments like this one, when she felt a soft thump against her hand, which made it all worthwhile. The pregnancy was an easy one, and she was in her sixth month now. The baby was strong and healthy, according to Hershel, and the birth would be okay. As long as she rested, which was her downfall, she would be on the right track. The pregnancy had been a shock, but a good shock, and Rick, despite everything that had happened, had accepted it. There was still tension between the both of them but they tried to make it work for Carl. A few of the adults in the group could see that it was hard for the both of them, but made no comment. They knew it was hard, and would be hard. But for Carl, they put on a brave face and made it work.

She often found herself sitting outside, waiting for Rick to come back. She felt nervous, she always did whenever he left the prison to go on a supply run, but her fears were diminished whenever she saw their vehicle making its way towards the prison. And she realised that it would never go away. It was something that spouses felt, no matter how simply or complicated a supply run was. Something could go wrong or nothing at all. The best and only thing you could do was prepare for the worst and hope for the best, and that's what happened.

A door opened and closed behind her and she shielded her eyes from the sun and stole a glance. She could see Maggie walking towards her, with the same look of worry on her face.

"How long has it been?" Maggie asked as she came to sit next to Lori.

Lori glanced at her watch. "Three hours. They still have three hours left before the time they should be back."

Maggie nodded, picking the skin around her thumb with worry. Lori reached over and held the younger woman's hand. Maggie glanced up and gave a small, sad smile.

"It's going to be okay," Lori said. "They're going to be absolutely fine. They know what they're doing, okay?"

Maggie was quiet, and the two of them glanced out at the surrounding area. The scenery in front of them was beautiful, with the sunshine beating down on them and the trees turning from dark green to a soft orange. It was warm, with just a tiny bite of coldness in the air. It wasn't as beautiful as that of the farm but it would make do. In the world that they lived in now, tiny things that were deemed as insignificant in their previous life were now beautiful. The outbreak - or whatever happened - had made every day precious. The group had a new outlook on life, with every little worry from their life before meaning not meaning anything anymore. In a way, the dead roaming around had brought them peace. The stresses of modern life were no more; arguments about bills, jobs, etc. were of no importance now. Even though they had to face the stresses of finding food, no hospitals, and having to go on supply runs every fortnight, life was perfect. The dead, however, were easy to handle if they were taken care of every morning and every evening before dark. Apart from that, life was simple.

They watched Carol in the grounds, her foot pressing down on the spade and making a dent in the soil. Carl was helping her pull up the potatoes and onions, whilst Hershel stood and watched, occasionally informing Carl about the importance of growing your own vegetables. Carl's behaviour had somewhat improved in the past months, but there were still moments when he fought back, testing the barrier. Lori could only guess this was his body changing from the quiet little boy into the argumentative teenager. Being a youngster changing into a teenager in a changing world was hard. Rick advised Lori to keep her distance from him, and allow him to express his emotions by doing activities with other members of the group. That way he was able to become independent, and be able to come to her when he needed her.

She smiled and felt tears form in her eyes. She had never been an emotional person but now, with a baby growing inside her, her emotions were all over the place. Maggie glanced at her, and smiled.

"He's a good boy," Maggie said. "Growing up way too fast."

"It makes you forget," Lori started, wiping the tears from her eyes. "It's been so long since we've had normality in our lives, and he was so young when everything happened. It's strange looking at him and seeing how grown up he looks, and understand how quick he's had to grow up."

"It's the way it's supposed to be. One minute, Beth was this small baby that mom and dad brought home from the hospital, then the next she's a little girl with pigtails in her hair running through the fields… and now… I look at her and think how much she's grown up. She's sixteen, and I keep expecting to see the little perfect girl in daddy's arms," Maggie whispered, her eyes travelling to where Beth stood with Sophia. The two girls had become close over the past few weeks and it was nice to see them both spending time together and talking about things other than the dead. "How are things with you and Rick?"

"Getting there," Lori said, giving Maggie a reassuring smile. "It's not how it used to be… but it's better than what it was a few months ago."

"That's something though."

"I guess so," Lori nodded. "I'm not surprised though… what I did was wrong… and I should be grateful that he can still look at me."

A whistle caught their attention, and they looked just in time to see a vehicle, the one Rick, Daryl and Glenn had travelled in and had left just short of four hours ago, racing towards the gates. Maggie and Carol ran to the gates, and pulled them open, standing back and hiding their face from the loose gravel that the tires had kicked up. They quickly closed the gate and followed after the vehicle as it drove to the next set of gates, and the group caught up with them just as Daryl exited the driver's seat and opened the back door. Rick stepped out quickly and the two men pulled the body from the back seat. Maggie screamed as soon as she saw the blood covering Glenn's abdomen, and her hand flew over her hand as her eyes noticed the limpness in his body. Daryl picked him up, his body much lighter than he had expected and raced towards the entrance to the prison, following Hershel's instructions to take him straight to the infirmary.

Rick stayed back, in an attempt to comfort Maggie. She was inconsolable and her movements were that of a caged animal; pacing and painful cries erupting from her. Her legs gave way and she found herself losing balance and crashing to the ground, but Rick was there and guided her to the ground. She sobbed into him, grabbing his blood soaked shirt in her fists as the pain ran through her.

The question as to whether he was close to death was too unbearable to answer. She had seen Carl in the same state, but this somehow felt different.

"Was he bit?" Maggie whispered, her sobs subsiding but not that far away from becoming what they were.

Rick shook his head, his arms still around her. "No… he was shot. We came across two people, and one went crazy, shot his friend and shot at us… it hit Glenn…"

"Where?"

"In the chest," Rick whispered. "Near his heart."

Lori watched her husband comfort Maggie as best as he could. She had been in the same position Maggie was in now, when it was Shane coming to tell her about Rick being fatally shot, and it broke her heart to see the young girl break down and go through the same thing. The downside to the world they now lived in was the loss of the hospitals, all they had was faith, hope and the longing of a miracle.


	6. Quail

_Chapter Five_

_Quail_

The heaviness in her head welcomed her as soon as she began to regain consciousness; and the little snippets of what happened, although quite faded and hazy, only caused the pain in her head to worsen. She was lying on the floor, that much was certain, and the area around her was quiet, which she could only guess that she was in a room of some sort. Where and how she got there was still up for discussion. She rolled over so that she was lying on her back, and as her senses came back to her, she felt the ache in the left side of her body at being stuck in the same position for a long period of time. The taste of blood was evident, and she moved her arm slowly towards her head, her fingers touching the dried crusts of blood.

_Caught off-guard… and there was a man… with an eye patch… and then another man… had his gun pointed at me… then another man… M… Merle?… a gun had gone off… Philip…_

Anna opened her eyes and found herself trying to focus on the white ceiling. Her eyes were blurry, and the chandelier on the ceiling was either moving or her mind was playing tricks on her. She tried to sit up, but as soon as she took her head off the floor, dizziness overwhelmed her. She shuffled towards the bed frame on her bottom, and rested against it, her head lolling backwards. As she regained control of her vision and the dizziness began to subside, she took a glance around the room. It was small, with a single bed, a bedside table, a practical cupboard and a little table near the window. The walls were white and the floor was a dark brown, with a cream rug near the door. The door, she squinted, had a several locks on the top part of the door, as if keeping something in or out. Her bag was situated on the table and she pulled herself up to the check the room for her weapons, but found nothing. She furrowed her brow and cursed.

The sound of the door being unlocked could be heard and she turned towards the door just as a woman just a little taller than her walked through. Anna watched as the woman turned back and nodded, and the man on the outside - watching the door - closed and locked it behind her. The woman offered her a small smile that spoke uncertainty, but Anna didn't move from where she was stood. Though unsteady on her feet, she didn't give the impression that she was vulnerable or at a weakness. She thought back to her army training; 'Despite how weak you are, whether you're bleeding, your limbs are hanging off or your guts are hanging out, you grin and bear it. The first sign of weakness you show to your enemy will allow them to get the upper hand. Never show your weakness, or you'll die.' The words of her army sergeant played through her mind and she bit her lip as the dull ache in her head persisted.

"I'm Lilly," the woman spoke up, her voice small and quiet, child-like. "I'm here to clean up your wounds."

Anna stared at her and immediately knew she was of no harm. Trusting her, however, was something that would be off the cards for the time being.

"Where am I?" Anna asked.

"You're at Woodbury," Lilly said, placing the medical box on the bed. "Philip and his men brought you in. They found you in a wreckage."

Anna furrowed her eyebrow and glanced at Lilly. "W-what?"

"You were in a wreckage when they came across you. You were unconscious. It was lucky they found you when they did, there was a huge horde of biters making their way to where you had crashed," Lilly answered, opening the box and getting out the essential bits.

Anna shook her head and held the table to steady herself. "No… no. That's not what happened…"

"You're confused. You hit your head pretty hard."

"I was hit… in the head by a man. Merle… yeah, Merle. He pistol whipped me. And…" Anna mumbled. "I was brought here. And my weapons are gone."

Lilly smiled, "Safety precaution. You'll be allowed them back when you're better, and able to stand up without needing to hold onto the table. Come on, I'll clean you up."

"I want to leave… as soon as you clean me up… I want to leave. Got that?" Anna demanded, angrily.

Lilly smiled and nodded. "I'll go speak with Philip. Tell him that you're better, and then you can leave. Okay? But first I need to clean your wound, before it gets infected."

Anna walked over to the bed slowly, her feet heavy as if made of wet sand. Lilly met her halfway and she dropped her defenses enough to be walked to the bed. Her eyes remained on the door as Lilly pulled on a pair of disposable gloves and pulled her auburn hair away from the wound. The wound was not as serious as she thought it was and despite there being a small amount of dried blood; there was only a miniature cut. It was tender to touch but Anna never moved as Lilly pressed her finger around the wound to ensure there wasn't a skull fracture. When she was happy that there wasn't a fracture, Lilly dipped a piece of cloth into a cup of water and gently placed it over the cut. She dabbed it on the skin and the dried blood was soon disappearing, faintly seeping into the cloth. Then she rubbed antibacterial gel onto a clean cloth and dabbed it again, surprised that the stinging didn't affect Anna, then she opened a small plaster and gently placed it on the wound.

"Finished?" Anna asked, and when Lilly nodded, she stood up and made her way towards her bag. "Thanks, by the way, for your hospitality. But I'd like to leave now."

Lilly was packing up the medical kit, and glanced over to her. "It's a good place here. Out there… it's horrible, but here? It's a good place. I'd stay, if I were you… get used to it, you know?"

Anna narrowed her eyes and shook her head. "No, thanks. I want to get away from here as quickly as I can. And if I were you, I'd get out too. Those men… they're dangerous."

"You were barely conscious. They're not bad people."

"I know what I saw. I know what they did to me. How many men came back with me?"

Lilly thought back to when Anna arrived just short of an hour ago, and noticed that they were a man down. Only Philip and Merle had come back. But he could've gotten bitten. The world was a scary place now.

"Two… Philip and Merle," Lilly stated.

"I'm right…" Anna nodded. "I shot Patrick, after Merle pistol whipped me. You have to believe me."

"He could've been bitten. You know what it's like out there. It's not the same anymore," Lilly began. "You were dazed… drifting in and out of consciousness."

"You're blindsided," Anna surmised. "You're involved with one of them. Merle? No. Philip. It's Philip, isn't it?"

The sound of the door unlocking halted their conversation, preventing Lilly from answering, but Anna already knew. Philip had cast a spell on Lilly. Compared to Philip, Lilly was naïve and trusting. The door opened and revealed the shape of the devil himself. Philip stepped inside and with a smile - one that Anna had seen so many times before - dismissed Lilly from the room without another word. Lilly cast one last glance towards Anna who gave her a knowing look. The door shut behind her and Anna was left alone in the room with Philip.

"I was so worried about you," Philip began. "The wreckage was bad."

Anna glared at Philip. He was standing at the doorway, blocking her exit. She glanced at the window, and thought about jumping out of it. It would hurt but she'd be able to get ahead of him and his henchmen. And without her weapons, what other choice did she have?

"You're full of bullshit."

Philip shook his head. "Language, missy. Don't bite the hand that feeds you."

"I'm leaving," Anna said. "Now."

Philip tipped his head to the side, and pouted slightly as if thinking of what to say. "But we haven't welcomed you to the group yet."

"You can shove your welcome up your a-"

She was cut off to a man entering the room. Bald head, stocky build, one hand… Merle. He smirked at her, and spoke to Philip quietly. She tried to narrow down her hearing and she heard snippets of it. _Trek… shelter… prison…_

Philip nodded and Merle departed the room. Anna folded her arms as he glanced at her. His eyes travelled over her body and she winced at the attention, he'd done it before…

"You can leave," Philip began. "But on one condition."

Anna exhaled. "What?"

Philip smirked. "You tell me what those blood samples are."

* * *

_Author's note: Thank you to everyone who has reviews, favourited, and are following this. I really appreciate it. Hope you like it!_


	7. Delicate

_Chapter Six_

_Delicate_

Glenn was stable, for the most part. He'd lost a substantial amount of blood, but for meantime, he was recovering. The duration of that recovery process was unknown, but as Hershel wiped the blood from his hands with a damp towel, he watched as the young man's breathing was shallow and laboured. He'd been brought back to the prison within the golden hour; a term in which gave its victims an hour before their chances of survival were slashed and divided by half. Rick and Daryl had done everything they could do: checked to make sure his airway was open and not obstructed by anything; ensured that he was breathing and even though he had short laboured breaths, he was still breathing; made sure that his circulation was satisfactory, and they had added pressure on his wound to make sure that the bleeding was beginning to cease; and checked to make sure that there was an exit wound, which they couldn't find. It had taken him a while to get the majority of the bullet pieces out of his chest, but he was grateful that there weren't many of them.

The infirmary was a quiet place, and a place where he would often come and visit. Since losing his leg, he was only able to walk certain distances and the infirmary was just a short walk away from Cell Block C, where they currently inhabited. He would bring a book, and open the windows, and the sense of freedom within the room was overwhelming to him. But one thing he was sure of, he never thought it would ever be used.

It was strange, seeing the man who his daughter was in love with and the man who loved her in return, to be on the table and bleeding out. His life had been just a grasp away, with it slowly becoming further and further away. It scared him to know that the life of the man who held his daughters heart was so vulnerable, and in his hands. He had banned Maggie from the infirmary, ensuring that someone was with her at all times whilst he did his best to work on Glenn. And with Daryl's help and support - of which he was grateful for - they were able to keep his body working, and keep him clinging to life.

"We'll take it in turns to stay with him during the day and night until he wakes up," Hershel said to Daryl as they cleaned him up and wiped the blood from his body. Daryl nodded.

"I'll speak with Rick," Daryl said. "When shall we move him to somewhere more comfortable?"

Hershel glanced at Glenn and bit his lip. He didn't want to sound morbid but Glenn's fate was in his own hands now. They had done all that they could, and now he needed to get better.

"We'll give him one night, and then move him to those beds over there," Hershel said, motioning towards the more comfortable beds on the opposite side of the room. "That way, if he… passes, then we won't have wasted another bed."

Daryl gave a curt nod, understanding completely what Hershel meant. "I'll go tell Maggie that she can see him."

Hershel nodded and turned back to Glenn. The door opened and he glanced to see Maggie enter the room quietly, her eyes never straying from Glenn's body. A soft sob escaped her mouth, and she stood at the end of the bare bed, as if fear had overwhelmed her and she was unable to venture closer to him.

"I'm scared, daddy."

Hershel's heart broke at her scared voice, and he was by her side as quickly as he could manage. He held her hand and with his other hand, he led her over to Glenn's bedside. She stood, despite her legs trembling beneath her, and she cried and cried. The emotion was too much, and her throat was soon sore from howling.

"It's okay…" he whispered. "Talk to him."

"Is he going to be okay? Is he going to live?"

He wanted to lie to his daughter, promise her that he'd get better and that the nightmare they were in was just a nightmare. That as soon as she woke up from a nap, he'd be fine. But she was no longer a child. He could no longer lie about a problem, and make it seem diminutive. She was able to see through everything that he said to her. She was an adult, and this wasn't just a nightmare.

"I don't know," Hershel whispered. "But that doesn't mean he's not going to pull through. He's strong, and he has a good chance."

Maggie nodded, and turned back to Glenn. She held his hand, and spoke to him like he was able to answer her. Hershel stayed close to her but didn't invade their space. He stared off into the distance wondering if he'd done enough for Glenn.

"I told him not to go," Maggie said, causing Hershel to look over at her. She was holding his hand, and staring at his fingers. "I told him to stay with me. I didn't want him to go out there."

"And that's normal… it's a harsh world out there."

"Was it selfish of me? Did I make this happen because I wanted him to stay with me?"

Hershel moved to where she was located, and wrapped an arm around her, protectively. "Of course not, sweetie. You have no say in what happens, and just because you wanted him to stay with you, doesn't mean you were a factor in what happened. I don't want you to blame yourself… you need to focus on Glenn."

"I know…" Maggie sighed. "I love him so much, daddy."

"I know you do, honey," Hershel said. "He's a good man."

But the answer as to whether Glenn would make this out alive, let alone the night, was uncertain. He couldn't answer that question. He had a good chance of recovering and surviving, but with the good came the bad and his chances were slim. His wound, despite how clean and not as fatal as he could have imagined, there was still the question of an infection. The infection would kill him, and with the pharmacy being off limits, Hershel had to think of other ways to ensure that Glenn was going to pull through.

Life was always uncertain but now it was like a game of Russian roulette. And unfortunately, that's what it all came down to, like it always did. Life and death came hand in hand, and in situations like this, you were blinded, and unsure of what hand you were given.


	8. Skeletons

_Chapter Seven_

_Skeletons_

Anna glanced down at her bag, the feeling of anger radiating through her body at the thought of a man like _him_ peeking through her private belongings. The only things that she had with her, the only things to her name, and he had the audacity to take a peek and be nosey. In a world where things meant nothing anymore, any little thing that should have been private and kept hidden was on full show. The mask that people gave in hope that individuals couldn't see the cracks that were appearing meant everything. To have that protection, portraying someone that was prepared for this world, to welcome it hand in hand and to think of the positives of the world being as it was. No one was prepared for a world like this one, and anyone who was or claimed to be was lying. Underneath they were scared. And people - survivors - like Philip was putting a front on, like a performer; underneath the façade and behind closed doors, they were still human.

She opened her bag, felt the coolness of the glass that contained the important blood samples, and turned to Philip. He had moved closer to her without her realising, and she felt a wave of anguish wash over her. He had a way of making her feel uncomfortable and awkward. She couldn't put her finger on why. It wasn't just the way he held himself, she was able to handle that, but it was something hidden, and she knew he was giving her hints just by the way he was looking at her but like a fish too full from bait, she couldn't grasp onto the hints he was dangling in front of her face.

There was something about him, with which she was going to find out.

"I'm testing myself for diabetes," Anna said.

His face features didn't move, as if he was thinking about what she was saying and trying to find truth in her words. She hoped that he would believe it. It wasn't true, but it was the only explanation as to why she had blood samples in her bag.

"Why?" Philip asked.

"My station in Washington will expect the tests once I get there. Six months worth of blood samples, and if there is no difference, then I'll be able to find by family," Anna began. "I'm unable to test them myself, just in case I taint them thus making them unreliable."

He stared at her, his eyes narrowing at her, before giving a slight nod. He moved over towards her, getting into her personal space and dropped his voice. "I was in the army once. It's a tough job. What do you specialise in?"

"Biomedical science," Anna stated, staring ahead.

"Ah… brainy work," he whispered, before moving away. "Well it was _lovely_ having you here. It's a shame you don't want to stick around, I'm sure we would have worked well together."

"Yes… it's truly unfortunate."

"You'll be able to retrieve your weapons once you leave here," Philip said, opening the door. "And we'll give you a vehicle, with enough fuel in it to make it to Washington."

"Thanks," Anna said. "I appreciate your _hospitality_."

With one last glance in her direction, he left the room, closing the door behind him. Anna breathed out, not realising that she was holding her breath as he left the room. She quickly rummaged through her back, finding six identical looking vials full of blood. She breathed a sigh of relief. They were in a box, all placed in separate spaces. She thought back to what Philip had said, '_able to retrieve your weapons… vehicle with enough fuel…'_.

She wanted to believe him. She truly did. But he unnerved her. What was it that made her uneasy?

She took her jacket out of her bag and pulled it on. She pressed her hand upon the pocket with her name on it, then slipped her arms through the arms of the her backpack and hauled it on. She made for the door, surprised that it opened as soon as she got close to it. Philip stood there, with _that _smile on his face and motioned for her to follow him. The man who was watching the door grinned at her but she offered him no inclination of a smile, or anything vaguely resembled a smile. She didn't trust anyone.

Philip could not be trusted. She thought back to when she first came across him; that unfortunate moment when she was looking at the gas metre and hadn't noticed his presence behind her. She thought back to the conversation they had; the moment the man - Patrick - had slipped out of the woods behind her with a gun aimed at her head; the test he had given her, and the one she had given him; then another man appearing behind her, the one without the hand; then the dull ache as Merle pistol-whipped her; the moment Philip had told her the nickname his group called him…

That was it. _The Governor. _He had already given her the answer, but her mind had been lost of all memories of the day. Did he think she wouldn't remember? Did he think he was getting away with it? Had he expected her to remember it, or expected that her head wound was a lot more serious than what it was? Had he expected her to wake up, despite leaving the medical examination until a few hours later?

She stared at the back of his head, and glared. She knew she couldn't do anything until she was safely out of where she was, and away from him. They walked down the stairs of the building they were in, and as he opened the door to the outside world, she was taken aback by the scent in the air.

The smell of death.

He turned around and stared at her, trying to find a hint of an expression but Anna, as hard as it was, remained expressionless and unreadable.

"Why don't you take a walk around," Philip said. "Take a look around."

Anna gave a small nod, as her feet carried her out into the middle of the road. She glanced sideways, noticing how the street was cut off from the real outside world as large barriers blocked off the roads. It reminded her of a small town in a movie she watched once, but for the life of her, she was unable to remember the name of it. It was a nice place, but there was something that made her feel unsettled. And with the smell of death in the air, it was a place she couldn't wait to leave.

She stared at the people around her; families walking together with the children talking energetically about something they had read in a book; old couples standing hand in hand as they looked at the flowers planted in window boxes of a pharmacy; young people standing around talking. She narrowed her eyes at looked at the corners of the small town, and caught the gaze of a woman who, like herself, was watching the people around her. She had long black braided hair, was of an African-American descent, and had a slim build. She wore a brown leather vest over a tank top, with leggings and tall black boots. A piece of material was in her hair, keeping her braids from falling into her face. And as Anna narrowed her gaze at her, she realised that some sort of weapon was attached to her back with a strap. A sword, or large blade of some sort.

The woman kept her gaze on her for just a moment longer than what Anna was comfortable with. She never backed down her stare, and watched as the woman took a hesitant step forward before walking towards her. Before she was able to come up to her, a blonde woman appeared out of nowhere and began talking to her. The woman's eyes occasionally glanced towards Anna, as if seeing she was still there.

Anna turned her attention towards Philip who was stopped also by a man with glasses. Anna narrowed her gaze at him and trying to read his lips, but she was too far away.

"You're new."

Anna turned around and found the woman standing next to her, her eyes bearing into her. She nodded.

"Not for long," Anna stated.

The woman scoffed. "No one leaves."

She was about to ask the woman what she meant but was cut off by the woman herself.

"You don't trust him," the woman analysed, to which Anna shook her head. "Me neither."

"Why don't you leave then?" Anna asked.

"I'm trying."

Philip came over then, his eyes on the vehicle being driven out of the small parking lot next to the large barriers. Anna turned to her left, not seeing the woman any more. He came towards her with a fixed smile on his face.

"Vehicle is ready. Your weapons will be given to you once you leave."

Anna nodded, and Philip began to walk away. She watched him walk towards the vehicle.

"There's something about him, isn't there?" The woman said behind her, causing her to jump in fright.

"You hit the nail on the head."

"Smell that in the air?" She asked, to which Anna nodded. "People in here seem to be immune to the smell of burning bodies."

A whistle could be heard in the distance, and the two women watched as Philip motioned for Anna to retrieve the vehicle.

"Be careful," she whispered.

Anna nodded, watching as Philip spoke again with a short man with glasses. "You too."

It reminded her of a film, _The Truman Show_. It looked as if it was all placed there, to make her believe that it was a perfect world, when in fact it was a total lie. Secrets and lies were hidden in the cracks.

"What's your name?" Anna asked. "I'm Anna."

"Michonne," the woman answered. Anna nodded in appreciation.

"Well, I hope you get out of here."

Michonne smirked, "You too."

Anna furrowed her brow but knew what the woman meant. She bid farewell and made her way towards the vehicle. A man was in the drivers seat, and drove towards the gates. The barriers were opened and he drove out slowly. She followed after Philip who was carrying her weapons and a bag full of her ammunition. The man got out of the car and left the door open, and Philip turned to her and handed her back her weapons. She took them, and half expected him to turn his gun on her and shoot her dead but when he didn't, she breathed a sigh of relief.

He took a step back, towards the gates. He waved at her, with that smug smile on his face, as she got into the vehicle. She pressed her foot down and soon she was driving away from the small town. She glanced in the rear view window and saw that the name of the town was painted on the metal barrier.

_Woodbury_.

She looked ahead and drove as fast as she could away from the town.

The Governor watched her drive away in the vehicle given to her. He turned to Merle and lowered his voice just for the bald man to hear. "Go after her and kill her. She knows too much."


	9. Mortality

_Chapter Eight_

_Mortality_

Mortality, plural. Definition: the state of being subject to death; the quality or condition of being mortal; the rate of failure or loss; mankind, humanity; certainty of death.

Death was always constant. The loss of life was always the same. The only difference was how and why a person died. The circumstances differed, and each person would die in different ways and for dissimilar reasons. But this world… changed that. Everyone was entitled to a noble death, to die in a dignified manner and be remembered as strong, powerful and influential. But death, now, was tainted with the prospect of becoming the very thing they tried to protect themselves from. Death was not that far away, and all of them would die sooner or later, but the question of what would happen when the last of them went down like a sinking ship was never far from their mind. The last remaining person was certain of their death; a bullet to the brain.

The fear of death would never disappear, and until their final moments, it would remain until the moment they took their last breath and the fear would dissipate and fade away with their soul.

Glenn was in abyss between life and death. It was a dark place, where day and night were the same, and the only light to guide him around was a tiny golden orb, similar to a flash light in pure darkness. He was able to hear people talking but it was echoed, and faded in and out like a broken radio. He could hear Maggie talking to someone… was it him? She was speaking slowly, almost inaudible. He tried to respond, but his cries and shouts were left unanswered. Her voice continued to echo around him as he moved around the space he was currently in.

His skin felt numb but electric at the same time. It was a strange feeling, one that he was sure he had never experienced before. His body felt light and weak despite the electricity coursing through his body.

The darkness turned into a shocking bright light, and Glenn shielded his face. It was like staring at the sun for longer than you should, and despite protecting himself from the intense brightness, Glenn found that even though his eyes were closed, all he could see was white. It lasted for a minute before the light darkened until it was a normal light.

Glenn opened his eyes and found that he was at the prison. The prison was empty, and the grounds outside were unoccupied of walkers. He called out names, hoping that someone would hear him and come out. But when no one came, a flutter of fear overwhelmed his heart. He walked over to the wall that bore his and Maggie's name and felt tears fill his eyes.

"Maggie!" He shouted, unaware of the person standing behind him.

"Glenn?"

At the call of his name, Glenn turned around and his mouth opened as the person smiled. Dale wore his fisherman's hat and had his beloved rifle hanging from his hand.

"Dale?" Glenn asked in disbelief. The older man nodded and narrowed his eyes in confusion.

"I wondered where you got to," Dale said, stepping closer toward him

"What are you doing here? What is this place?"

"What do you mean?" Dale asked. "Are you alright?"

"Where is everyone?" Glenn asked, franticly.

"Glenn… calm down," Dale said, reassuringly. "Everyone's inside… everything is okay."

"No it's not!" Glenn said. "You're dead!"

Dale laughed, shaking his head. "How can I be dead if I'm right here, talking to you?"

"You died…" Glenn said. "You were ripped open by a walker."

Dale's face fell and he narrowed his eyes at Glenn. Glenn remained looking at him, never once straying his eyes away from him.

"You're dead, Dale." Glenn said defiantly.

The sound of a door screeching open and shut caught Glenn's attention and he watched through the metal cage as pairs of legs ambled out of the prison and out into the courtyard. The faces of those who he thought he would never see again were in front of him; Ed, Amy, Dr. Jenner, Shane, Jacqui, Jim, Otis, Patricia and Jimmy. He scrunched in his face up and shook his head as it suddenly dawned on him. Dale went to stand in front of the line of people.

"No… no," Glenn said. "This can't be happening. No… I-I… No!"

"Glenn…" Shane came forward.

"No."

"You have to accept it," Shane said. "This is like we've never left. We're alive here. We've been given the chance to live in this new world… and when time comes for the others to arrive, it will be like how it was."

"No."

"The sooner you accept it, the sooner it will become normal."

There was a crackle of lightening in the distance, and Glenn turned towards the prison ground. He heard screams and the call of his name coming from the skies and the sky, once clear and neutral, turned dark and thunderous. Thick clouds appeared out of nowhere and another ear-splitting crackle of lightening shot through the sky.

"What's happening?" Glenn asked, turning back towards the group.

"What always happens when it's time," Dale whispered. "You're dying."

As Maggie stared at Glenn's face, so calm and peaceful, she held his hand tightly. She closed her eyes for a moment and gently placed a kiss on his hand.

"I love you," Maggie whispered. "I love you so much. Please, wake up."

Silence filled her ears and she stroked his face and smoothed his hair. She willed for him to open his eyes, say something or squeeze her hand… but she was happy that he was still breathing.

Then Glenn went into shock.


	10. Peril

_Author's note: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favourited and alerted this story. It really means a lot. Hope you enjoy! Also, let me know what you think!_

* * *

_Chapter Nine_

_Peril_

The chamber was empty. The bullets stripped from her gun and, on closer inspection, the bag given to her was filled with nothing but coins. She cursed under her breath and beat her hands against the steering wheel. Her knife, however, was the only weapon they had given to her. Not only was her gun empty of bullets and ammunition stolen, the vehicle she had been given only had enough gas to drive fifteen minutes down the road. She was in danger, and knowing what Philip - or the _Governor_ \- could be capable, she needed to move fast to get as far away from Woodbury as she was able to.

Knowing him he'd be after her, or have one of his men to follow her and dispose of her. There was no way he would have let her go that easily if he knew what she was capable of doing or had hidden intentions. The Governor was not a man who just let you leave and not do anything about it. She glanced in the rear view mirror, and thought for a moment. The road behind her was empty. The sky was becoming darker, the hours of daylight running out before she realised. It had been a long day, and she wasn't any closer to Washington. It had been a strange one and she furrowed her brow in confusion and frustration: Philip, or the Governor, had made her rethink about what was important about the world now. She'd seen the power that Philip exuded. The whole town fawned over him, respected him, and believe him when he told them that they were safe, protected and out of harms way. But something hung heavy in the air, and it wasn't the smell of burning bodies.

Michonne had agreed with her, which despite never meeting before, had sent a chill down Anna's spine. A woman she had no recollection of meeting, ever talking to or being introduced to, had seen the look on her face and identified the mistrust Anna had in him. And it was written all over Michonne's face. He had lied about her being in a wreckage, portraying a man who would do anything for another human being, when in fact, he was a liar and deceived those people who laid their trust in him.

She exited the vehicle, and pulled her bag out with her. Her eyes remained on the road she had just drove down before her vehicle spluttered to its death. She opened her bag, and pulled out her journal. She quickly scribbled in a small note on the current date and wrote: _Met a man who calls himself The Governor. The type of guy who would stab you in the back whilst laughing in your face. Has a town called Woodbury, doesn't feel right. Smell of burning bodies fill the air; humans or the dead? He lies; he told me that he found me in a wreckage with his men, when in fact he got one of his men, a man called Merle, to knock me out. I don't trust him._

She quickly threw the journal back in her bag, took out the map, slipped it back on and made for the woods. As her feet tread on the wood floor, she remembered one of her combat missions where she, and other soldiers, were blindfolded and driven to the middle of the woodland, in the middle of nowhere. All were placed in different areas and had to get back to the base before anyone else. They had nothing with them except for the clothes on their back. There were backpacks allocated around the woods that had a map, binoculars, a hunting knife, rope, and a packet of food to last them a week. She'd spent nights staring at the stars whilst tied to a tree to prevent her from falling out, and days staring at the blinding sun as she tracked and tried to make her way out of the woods. She'd gotten to a road, and spent the whole day following the tracks of an injured animal until she came across its dying body. It was a young deer, and on closer inspection, looked as if its leg had been hit by a speeding vehicle. The leg was ripped out of its joint and she did the only humane thing she could think of and ended its suffering. Once the deer was put out of its misery, she wiped her knife on her trousers and set out to find her way back.

She had arrived back first, seven days later, with her colleagues arriving back a day later. It had been a lucky find when she had come across the deer, as the deer tracks had led her onto the right path.

She glanced down at the map and saw that across from the woods, about three miles away, was a road that led to the road that she had been on before The Governor had stumbled across her. She decided that she probably should stay in the woods for the night, knowing that if he or his men were trailing her, they wouldn't assume she had headed into the woods, and continued to track the roads. She looked upwards towards the sky and saw that it was darkening quicker than expected, and surmised that she had about an hour of daylight left before night was upon her. She had to find some sort of shelter for the night, and had less than an hour to find it.

A twig snapping behind her caused her to stop. It was a distance away from her but the fact that she had heard it, the sound travelling to her ears, meant that something or someone was not that far away. Whether it was a straggler, an animal or a person - another survivor - was unknown. The world was a quiet place now, and the silence was welcomed in a way that had never been accepted before. Any sound signalled a threat now. The silence the world had been engulfed in was welcome, and spoke volumes. If the world was silent, and quiet, then it was safe. It was a strange transition but one that Anna was used to.

As quietly as she could, Anna made her way to the large tree in the centre of the surrounding area, and hid behind it. The vastness of the trunk swallowed up her body, and she pressed her back towards the sharpness of the bark. She strained to hear the sounds that the woodland had to offer. Nothing was untoward. And it was then that she heard it.

Heavy boots making their way through the woodland. Despite the sound of the boots on being loud, she was able to distinguish that it wasn't a straggler. Stragglers dragged their decaying bodies, as if their legs were giving way, and that all their strength went onto keeping themselves upwards and moving. The sounds of branches and leaves being walked through could be heard, and she held her breath. Pulling her knife out, she waited with bated breath.

Michonne was right. No one left Woodbury.

It all happened as quick as a flash, and before Anna knew it, she had caught a glimpse of the intruder and was tackling him to the ground. They both landed with a thud, and Anna wrestled with the man. The man squirmed underneath her and whilst wrestling with her, he was able to turn himself around. Anna furrowed her brow as Merle's face came into view. She pulled the knife up and put it to his throat.

"Why are you following me?"

"Girl, ya strong," Merle said, struggling underneath her. "I'll give ya that!"

"Why are you following me?" Anna repeated.

"If ya get off me, I'll tell ya."

Anna stared at him as he continued to struggle beneath her. He was older than her, by at least twenty years but there was something about him. She couldn't put her finger on it, but he wasn't like Philip. With Philip, he offered a cold side. One that, if crossed, you'd know about it. But Merle, he wasn't always cold. He had a good side.

Anna slowly got off of him, her narrowed stare being the only thing remaining on him. He got up, and brushed himself off. He tipped his head back and laughed. Anna raised an eyebrow. Her eyes flirted with the rifle laid upon the ground.

"Ya had me good there, girl."

"Don't call me girl."

Merle glanced at her and smirked. "Alrigh' sweetheart."

"Don't call me sweetheart, either."

"Jeez," Merle began. "Ya hard to please, ain't ya?"

"Not really," Anna said. "Just don't like assholes calling me names."

Merle chuckled, but Anna didn't return it. The friendly banter between them was never going to happen, and Merle knew that if he pushed it, he'd end up going back to Woodbury with a knife in his eye.

"You here to kill me?" Anna asked, cutting straight to the point. Merle was slightly taken aback at her smartness. The Governor had messed with the wrong one, he thought.

"Ya smart," Merle said. "And ya'd be correct."

"Are you like him?" Anna asked, and narrowed her eyes at him as if trying to figure out the answer for herself.

Merle shook his head, but gave no answer.

"I thought so. You don't seem to be the type of person to kill without a reason, unlike so many people in this world now. Why do you follow everything that he tells you to do? Scared?"

"I ain't scared of no one, _girl_."

"Looks it," Anna said, smirking. "You gonna kill me?"

"No."

"Disobeying an order from your boss? That's going to cost you, big time."

Merle shrugged. "Don't have to tell him that I let ya go. Can say that I killed ya, watched as the life left ya. As long as ya stay away from Woodbury, ya just a memory to us all."

"How lovely," Anna said. "Really, I'm touched."

"Ya should be. He's out to get ya. He'll have my balls on the chopping board if he knew I let ya go," Merle joked, despite him knowing that if The Governor ever found out that he hadn't disposed of Anna the way he wanted him to, he'd be in deep trouble. "But, I don't know why he wants ya dead. Ya eyes give so much away, girl."

Anna let the 'girl' name go, but she froze at his comment. It was true; a person could be the toughest person in the world, but one thing that would give them away would be their eyes. The pain, the suffering, the love for people and fear were all evident in their eyes. Eyes were the windows to the soul, no doubt about it.

"Ya've seen things we ain't seen," Merle continued. "Ya were in the army?"

"Still am," Anna said, quietly.

Merle nodded, and extended his arm out to her. "It's a pleasure. I was in the army, too."

She hesitated for a moment but then extended her arm out, and shook his hand. "If the circumstances were different then I'd hug you."

"Ha!" Merle chuckled. "Not many women could resist these charms. I miss them banging down my do-"

But before Merle could finish his sentence, a loud scream pierced through the surrounding woods like a crack of lightening. And the both of them set off at a speed towards the sound.


	11. Lost

_Chapter Ten_

_Lost_

The hordes of walkers had come out of nowhere, surrounding her as if she was a vulnerable animal and the dead were predators. Predators would surround hunt their prey, catching its scent and tracking it, often attacking it to weaken the animal. Once they had the prey surrounded, they would then either kill the prey or take it back to the area they were inhabiting then kill it. Once the killing was over, with the predator getting the upper hand with two sharp teeth to the throat, the predator would then devour the lifeless form of the prey. She had learned about it when she was home schooled by her mother.

_Mommy._

She had only ever been away from her mother a handful of times, before and after the dead started rising, and she had never liked the idea of being too far away from her mom. Sophia was a nervous child, and worried about things that were out of her control. She could only assume that she had inherited it from her mother, Carol, as her father was the opposite. He was laid-back and didn't care about what the world threw at him. He was selfish in the sense that he only thought of himself, as long as he was fine then that was all that mattered. It was a long time since they had left the Quarry and she had last seen him. Her mother had told her that he was gone, that he was no longer alive, and Sophia was surprised that she wasn't affected by his death.

The moans were getting louder and the decaying faces of the dead were just inches away. She didn't have a weapon, she couldn't protect herself. She was going to die. As tears filled her eyes, she tried to look for a gap between their legs but they were closing in on her. Sophia turned around looking at the faces of the dead; each one of them had a story, a family, and had hope that the world would be restored, just like she had.

She took a deep, shaky breath in, closed her eyes and thought of her mother.

* * *

She had left them for five minutes. Carl had suggested playing a board game to take their mind off of Glenn just for a little while. She had agreed, and Carol had gone to collect the board game from the cell that was used as storage of the things that had been collected over the past few weeks. She was gone for less than five minutes, and when she had come back to the main area, the children were gone. Her initial thought was that the two of them were playing a game of hide and seek, but something was wrong. Sophia's doll, the one given to her by the daughter of the Morales family and which never strayed too far from her, was lying atop the table they had been sat at.

A sob escaped her mouth, and she called out their names. But she never heard them giggle, or move about, hidden by the thick concrete walls. She searched for them, checking every cell just in case they had sharpened up their hiding skills. But when she was welcomed with empty cells, she made her way out, as quickly as her feet would take her, and she ran towards Lori and Rick who were talking near the first set of gates. Her feet felt heavy, her head felt fuzzy and she felt sick. Lori turned towards her with a furrowed brow and asked her if she was okay.

"The children…" she began. "They've gone." "What do you mean they've gone?" Lori asked. Rick placed his hands on his hips, as he took in the scared tone of Carol.

"We were talking, and then Carl suggested we play a board game to get our mind off of Glenn. So I went to get it, and when I came back, they were gone. Sophia's doll was lying on the table, she never leaves anywhere without it," Carol sobbed, clinging onto the doll. "They must be around here somewhere. They know the dangers of stepping outside," Rick said, whistling over towards Daryl who was coming out of the infirmary, and took off to speak with him.

"We'll look around the prison for them, they can't have gone off that far," Lori said, although she knew what Carl was like. He never listened to her and often went on little adventures without her knowing, only to be found by T-Dog or Daryl on his way back to the main area of the prison.

"We'll find them," Lori whispered, despite knowing the answer already. It was only a matter of time before something fatal would happen. And the shift in the atmosphere seemed to confirm her fears.

* * *

She thought of her mother, and of all the times when she felt scared and woke up screaming after a nightmare to find her mother by her side, enveloping her into a protective and reassuring hug. Before the dead started walking, she spent the majority of her time with her mom, and she enjoyed it. She was a shy child, and always needed her mother to be close to her in order for her to feel safe. And when the dead became undead, her fears of being away from her mother amplified and became an irrational fear. It was dangerous, straying too far away from family. And in this new world, the harsh reality of that was happening now.

She should never have listened to Carl, when he suggested going out and finding the plant he'd overheard Hershel talking about with Rick and Daryl that would help Glenn. She should never have agreed to venture out of the prison, and into the big bad world. It was not made her scared little girls, like herself. She only wanted to help Glenn, but she'd fallen behind Carl and he was nowhere to be seen. Her knee stung, and she could only guess that she had ripped her leggings. She heard more footsteps and she assumed that more had joined them, ready to rip her open. A sob escaped her mouth and she waited. A distance away, she could hear subtle thuds but when nothing happened she clamped her eyes shut even tighter. She didn't want to see the monsters that were going to take her away from her mother.

A yelp filled her ears, and she shuddered as it came from behind her. There was a crack, as if something had been hit, and she opened her eyes just a little bit. As soon as she opened her eyes, another thud sounded, as something dropped the ground. A soft gasp left her mouth.

"Sophia?" A gruff voice, one that seemed familiar to her, filled her ears. "That you?"

She kept her eyes shut, and shivered with fear. She heard a woman speaking just a little distance away from her, and found her voice soothing and calm. It was like her mothers, but there was a hint of an accent that she was unsure of.

"Hey… Sophia?" The woman whispered, inching closer towards her. "That's a pretty name. I wish I had a name like that."

Silence filled her ears, and she questioned whether what she was hearing was real or her imagination. Her mother always told her that she had an imagination unlike many others, where worlds could be created and worlds could be torn apart.

"It's alright," the woman said. "You're safe now, Sophia."

Sophia felt her fear disappear, as soon as she felt gentle almost timid hands wrap themselves around her small wrists in an attempt to reassure her. A thumb was stroking the inside of her wrist. She slowly opened her eyes, and saw, as the sun was fading in the distance, a woman surrounded by a halo of light.


	12. Still

Author's note: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favourited and alerted this story. It means a lot! I apologise for the delay, that old thing called life got in the way.

* * *

_Chapter Eleven_

_Still_

Hershel bolted into the room as soon as he had heard Maggie scream, and found that Glenn's condition had deteriorated to a point where his future was uncertain. He'd been able to extract the fragments of the bullet, but no matter what he did, Glenn wouldn't respond to his attempts to keep him stable. He moved over to the table that Glenn was laid upon and found that his face was pale and cold to touch. His breathing was rapid, as if he had just run a marathon. Something wasn't right, and Hershel could only guess what was happening.

"You need to keep him flat," Hershel said to Maggie. His daughter stared at him with wide eyes. "Don't let him move his head."

As Maggie held Glenn down and tried to keep his head still, Hershel checked his mouth for vomit or blood. He felt his heart sank as a small trickle of blood came from the left side of his mouth.

"We need to put him on his side," Hershel said. "Grab those blankets over there while I hold him down, and fold them up."

"Daddy, what's happening to him?" Maggie asked, fear coating her words. She moved from the bed and raced back with the blankets, folding them up as she made her way back.

Hershel remained silent, unable to get the words out. It was difficult to even think about, let alone say out loud. As soon as he said it out loud, it would make it real, and he didn't want to upset Maggie further, for she was young and in love with the man who was currently losing his fight for survival.

"Daddy!"

Hershel glanced at his daughter, who was desperate and sad, and bit his lip. "He's gone into shock."

That was all Hershel had to say as Maggie nodded, wiping away her tears and taking a deep breath. He stared at her, and it was as if she knew. She was staring at Glenn, and Hershel could only assume that she was either telling him to keep fighting or was saying her goodbyes. Glenn was not in a good position, where his life was hanging by a thread. Extracting the fragments of the bullet was the easy part, keeping Glenn alive and breathing was the tricky and hardest part of all. It was all up to Glenn now. Was he well enough to keep clinging onto the sinking ship?

They moved his head to the side, and waited.

"Check his mouth for blood," Hershel said, and Maggie nodded and checked.

"There's a little bit of blood."

Hershel nodded, and with clean hands, pulled back the bandage that was on Glenn's chest. The bleeding had stopped hours before, but the whiteness of the bandage was dotted with blood. The wound looked good, despite the rawness of the skin, but there was blood seeping out of the wound.

"We're going to need to stop the flow of blood," Hershel began, apply pressure to the wound.

The both of them worked on Glenn, ensuring that enough pressure was being put onto the wound without causing him harm. The bleeding started to slow down.

Hershel glanced at Maggie. "Check that cabinet for medicine. If there's any Dopamine, grab that."

Maggie searched the cabinet but to no success. She moved towards the drawers, checking the labels as she scanned through it. She found three vials of Dopamine, among other medicines.

"Bring it over," Hershel said, then pointed towards a drawer next to him. "There should be needles somewhere in that drawer."

As Maggie brought over the vials of Dopamine and unused needles, Hershel quickly opened the needle packet and injected the vial, sucking up the liquid and tapping the side of the needle. The needle pierced Glenn's thin and pale skin, and he waited. After a few moments, Glenn's body became still. Hershel checked to see if the young man was breathing, and breathed a sigh of relief when he felt a faint exhale of warm breath on his cheek.

"Dopamine will allow his blood pressure to increase, as well as the blood being pumped around his heart. It will keep him out of the woods for a while," Hershel explained. "We'll add pressure if we need to but the Dopamine should help him more than we can at the moment."

Maggie nodded, and Hershel could tell that she wasn't listening to him. Her eyes were fixed on Glenn, as silent tears fell from her eyes and landed, like raindrops, upon Glenn's bare arms. She knew that there was only so much they could do to help Glenn, but how many times would be enough? His body was weak, and they didn't have the equipment needed to keep him alive. She knew that there was only one thing to do, and that was to pray. She had lost faith, but it was all she had now. She needed to pray and wait; for him to wake, or for him to take his last breath.


	13. Foundling

Author's Note: Apologies for the huge delay, life got in the way!

* * *

_Chapter Twelve_

_Foundling_

She was just a little girl, with short brown hair that rested just under her ears, and was pale, almost sickly. The expression on her face was one that would remain with Anna until she took her last breath. The girl was terrified and shaking with fear, like a small puppy terrified of the big world outside. She felt a tug at her own heart, and saw the resemblance between the little girl and herself when she was at that age. A haunting image of a lost little girl, but unlike the memory of her being lost, Sophia had been found.

The scene that had unfolded in front of them had terrified her: a young girl surrounded by the dead, and hungrily grasping at her. As Merle and herself had fought against the dead, talking both sides in order to protect the little girl, Anna had believed that they were too late. The girl had to have been bitten, but she was smart. She remained quiet, despite emotion and fear coursing through her young body.

"Sophia?" Merle had said, causing Anna to glance at him with a furrowed brow. "That you?"

Merle looked as if he had seen a ghost, and she quickly assumed that he must have known her. How, was the question on her lips. Was she a member of Woodbury? She remained silent however, watching as the girl shivered with uncontrollable shock and fear. The little girl - Sophia - kept her eyes closed.

"Do you know her?" Anna whispered to Merle. He tore his eyes away from the little girl and nodded. He was afraid that if he looked back in the direction of Sophia that he would find that she was a figment of his imagination, that the scream he had heard was just a whisper in the wind.

Anna glanced back at Sophia, and approached her slowly. She didn't want to startle her. That was the last thing she wanted to do. She knelt down in front of the girl so that she was at the same level of height.

"Hey... Sophia?" Anna whispered, to which the little girl slowly nodded. "That's a pretty name. I wish I had a name like that."

Sophia never made a sound, and despite the small nod that the girl had made, Merle feared he was still imagining it all. Anna glanced back at him and shrugged, seeing the fear in his eyes.

"It's alright," Anna continued. "You're safe now, Sophia."

She reached for the little girl, and gently wrapped her hand around Sophia's wrist. Sophia was trapped in fear, and the only way to bring her out of the abyss of irrational fear was to bring her back manually. The stroking of her wrist was something that Anna would do when her own fears got the better of her, it was soothing and comforting. It was at that moment in which Sophia opened her eyes, and green whirlpools met her own blue ones.

"Hey..." Anna whispered gently.

"Hi..." Sophia replied, her voice small and quivering with anxiety.

"You had us scared for the second time there," Anna smirked, and a hint of a smile formed on Sophia's face.

Sophia glanced at the man standing awkwardly behind Anna and her eyes grew wide. She hadn't seen him in months, when he had travelled into the city of Atlanta with other group members. He never came back, and was never spoken about again. She could see the pain in Daryl's eyes whenever he mentioned his brothers name, but he held it together. She was good at reading people, just like her mother.

"Merle?" Sophia asked, to which Merle nodded with a small smirk.

Sophia smiled with tears in her eyes as her eyes skimmed across his face. It was the only familiar face she knew, and for that, she was grateful. She wanted to run up to him and throw her arms around him, but she knew what Merle could be like. She was always told to stay away from him as he was deemed irresponsible and rude.

"It's been a long time, ain't it, sweetheart?" Merle said. Sophia nodded. "Why ya in the woods? Where's ya mom?"

"She's at the prison," Sophia sobbed. "I should never have followed after him."

Merle furrowed his brow. The prison had been the one that had been brought up in the conversation he and Phillip had spoken about. It wasn't that far from Woodbury, and from the look of it, it seemed empty. Was this the same one Sophia spoke about? Merle frowned.

"What prison?"

Anna was the one who spoke, and he found that he had lost his voice. Was his brother at the prison? Was Daryl alive? She stepped forward, hobbling slightly as he remembered that she had injured her leg tackling a Biter that was closing in on Sophia from behind. She was covered in blood, and didn't seem fazed by it.

Sophia pointed towards the endless abyss of woodland. Anna followed her pointing finger and sighed. Merle bit his lip and ran a hand through his short hair. He needed to get back to Woodbury, and the sky was darkening. Anna glanced at him and nodded, as if she knew what he was thinking. He didn't want to leave, but he had no choice. The Governor would be sending his men out to search for him.

"Sophia," Merle said softly, bending down to her height. "I'm gonna leave ya in the safe hands of Anna, okay? She's real nice and will keep ya safe. She's gonna take ya back to the prison, and I need ya to go with her, okay?"

"Aren't you coming?" Sophia whispered. Merle shook his head.

"I'm gonna be right behind ya, okay?" said Merle, offering a reassuring smile. "I need ya to do a few things then I'll be with ya, yeah?"

Sophia nodded and slipped her hand into Anna's, who gently jumped at the feeling. Merle smiled but never ushered a word. He could see from the way Anna's body tensed up that she was uncomfortable around children, just like he was.

"Tell me one thing, Sophia," Merle began, to which she nodded. "Is my brother alive?"

There was a moment before Sophia grinned and nodded. "Yeah, he's at the prison."

Merle gave a wobbly smile and his eyes became glassy. He stood up, ruffling her hair. "Thank you..."

He turned to Anna and handed her his rifle. "Ya gonna need this. I saw him take ya ammunition. Don't shoot-"

"Unless I need to. Got it."

"The prison ain't far from here. Thirty minutes or so. Keep going left, until ya come to a ditch of water and a small bridge. You protect her with ya life, got that?"

Anna gave a stern nod. Merle gave one last nod towards Anna, and a wink in Sophia's direction, before turning around and disappearing through the thick branches. Once he was gone, Anna felt a flutter of fear in her heart. She wasn't used to being around children. Even though she was a young child many years ago, it had been just her. She was an only child. That was all she needed, the one person she trusted was herself.

They walked, in silence, for ten minutes. The fading sunlight was something Anna was beginning to feel uncomfortable with. She was fine with it, as she was used to it, but the girl... Sophia, was not. She could feel the little girl shaking as the sounds of things unknown within the woods crept out into the darkness.

Anna was on guard, with the rifle that Merle had given to her in her hand and aimed at the darkness. She glanced down at the girl. "So... Why are you out here in the woods?"

"I can't remember," mumbled Sophia, giving a little yelp as a crow cawed in the distance.

"We'll get you back," Anna replied. "I prom-"

The click of a handgun behind them brought Anna to a halt. She felt the little girl cling to her and she raised the rifle into the air. Anna tried to keep her breathing under control, but there was always that tiny shiver that ran down her back at the thought of being taken out and shot without seeing the face of the person pulling the trigger.

With Sophia held close to her body with her eyes closed, she turned around slowly whilst holding her breath. But what she didn't expect to see was a young boy holding the gun and wearing a sheriff's hat.


	14. Maim

Author's note: I apologise profusely for the delay! Here is the next chapter - hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think, I love to read your reviews!

* * *

_Chapter Thirteen_

_Maim_

The sound of the gun cocking unsettled her. There had been many times when she had ended up with a gun pointed at her head, where she had stared death in the face and where visions of her corpse, bleeding from a bullet to the brain and her eyes, lifeless and dull, staring towards the sky. But most of the time, apart from two previous times when she had believed that her life was indeed over, she was able to brush away the fears that plagued her heart and mind and images of her dead body flashing before her eyes, and have a laugh with her training officer. But now... It was different. And there was no sugar coating it.

She had vowed to Merle that she would protect Sophia with her life and take her back to the prison. Back to her _momma_. She never went back on her promises, but she had failed.

The fear of it being Philip - _The Governor _\- clasped desperately at her heart, and she hoped with all her heart that he hadn't found her. Had they followed Merle? Was it in fact Merle? Was he lying to her and had the intention to kill her all along?

Sophia held Anna's hand tightly, and shook with fear. Anna, no matter how many times she had been in this position, was scared. She tried to remain as calm as possible, mostly for the little girl's sake. She pulled the girl to her tightly, and raised her spare hand which held the rifle. It was too dark to see who it was but the fear that prickled her skin seemed to lessen. It wasn't The Governor, his henchmen or Merle. That was for sure. It was, however, someone she didn't expect to see. There was no way to tell, whoever it was, but she was sure that it was a child.

"Get away from her." The voice of a young boy filled Anna's ears. It wasn't the fact that it was a child who had cocked their gun that unsettled her, but of the lack of emotion in his voice.

She narrowed her eyes at the boy, as Sophia opened her eyes and let out a small gasp. At this, Anna scanned the surrounding woods for any stragglers but found none. But as Sophia's shaking stopped, Anna glanced down at the young girl. Sophia pulled her arms from around Anna's waist and slipped her hand into the older woman's. Anna was shocked but she assumed that Sophia, at least, had some trust in her.

"Carl! Put the gun down. She's not bad!" Sophia was talking but the boy kept his gun aimed at her.

"You don't know that."

"I do! She saved me! She's good!" Sophia exclaimed. "She promised to take me home to momma!"

Carl eyes Anna, and she tried to remain silent. In situations like this one, she had learned, that the best thing to do was to stay quiet until it was time to plead for your life. It felt like forever before he gave a short nod.

Anna exhaled. She lowered her arm. "Thank you, Carl."

Carl tipped his head in acknowledgement, and Sophia released Anna's hand and ran towards the young boy. She threw herself at him and wrapped her arms around him. He accepted the gun but kept his gaze fixed on Anna. Anna looked around her, aware of Carl's gaze boring into her, and ran a hand through her sweaty hair.

"We should get back now," Sophia whispered. "She's taking us home. Back to momma."

Carl nodded, and with Sophia's hand in his, began making his way towards Anna. She was standing near the bushes. When they came to her side, she kept still. Carl was about to say something to hurry her up, when he heard it too. There was rustling, and slow, almost inaudible footsteps in the distance. Anna glanced at Carl and they both nodded. Almost in sync, they took a step back and raised their weapons.

She knew he could handle himself, but Sophia...

There was no time to think as a straggler forced himself through the thick bushes. Anna lowered her rifle and pulled out her knife, stepping forward and plunging the sharp blade into the skull of the straggler. A squelching sound filled her senses. Its moaning came to an end, and she pushed it away, and it landed on the ground with a thud.

Anna threw a look towards Carl and he smirked. She could handle herself. But his smirk faltered as more moaning could be heard in the same direction as where the straggler came from.

The dead came thick and fast, pushing themselves through the bushes. Some fell, landing in a heap on the ground and the others stumbled over them. They were hungry, their eyes greedily flicking between the three living humans. Their hands grasped at the air, trying to claw at their skin. Sophia screamed.

Carl and Anna worked together, shielding Sophia as much as they could. Anna forcibly stabbed the dead in the head. _One, two, three_. And Carl fired his weapon, the silencer enabling him to make the kills without any noise. He was unaware of the amount of bullets that remained in the chamber but when the gun clicked, he glanced worriedly at Anna. She had heard the click, and just as she was about to throw her rifle at Carl, a straggler fell on top of her. She fell to the ground in a heap, and pain reverberated throughout her body. The straggler was strong and she was taken aback at the force it had on her as it held her down. She closed her eyes and tilted her head to the side as blood dripped from its mouth and landed on her face.

She heard it first, from a distance... a whoosh.

Something had sliced through the air and before she could comprehend what was happening, the straggler fell limp on top of her.

She pushed it off her and stood. Her balance was unstable, her breathing erratic, and she shook from head to toe. She felt the warmth of the blood on her face and tried to wipe it off, but no matter what she did, the thickness of the black liquid prevented her from doing so. Her face and neck was covered in blood. She was sure none of it had seeped into her mouth and eyes. She wasn't bit. There was no burning sensation on her skin which was a good sign. Her eyes then narrowed on the straggler that laid on the ground, an arrow protruding from its head.

It was then that she took a moment to survey her surroundings. Stragglers adorned the woodland floor, black blood seeping into the ground. Her eyes travelled over towards the children, who both stared bewildered at her as blood dripped off her face. Standing behind the children were two men. She blinked, unsure as to whether her eyes were playing tricks on her. A man stood close to the boy, a hand resting on Carl's shoulder, and his eyes watching her closely. The other man, however, had his crossbow raised and aimed at her head. He was staring at her intensely and she felt uncomfortable under his gaze.

"Stay back," he growled.

"I'm not bit..." she whispered, her voice failing her.

"Any get into your eyes?" The other man asked, to which she shook her head. "Mouth?" She shook her head again.

But as she stared at Sophia, and saw the fear in the little girl's eyes, she realised that she didn't know if any straggler blood had gotten into her system.

She just had to hope. It was the only thing she had left.


	15. Fall from Grace

_Chapter Fourteen_

_Fall from Grace_

Merle felt a cold shiver run down his spine as Woodbury came into sight. Martinez stood from his seat and motioned for the lights to be turned on, and before Merle knew it, a spotlight shone down on him, illuminating him. He squinted at the shocking and intrusive light, and raised his arms into the air. It wasn't long before Martinez was joined by two other figures: The Governor and Milton. Glasses, as Merle liked to call him, was talking to The Governor but the latter was staring intensely at Merle, and not listening to what the former was saying to him.

Merle offered a smirk which turned into a sneer, and The Governor nodded and sneered back. As Merle made his way up and into Woodbury, The Governor never took his eyes off him.

He was bloody, with fresh blood on his hands and arms that glistened in the artificial light. He was sweating, as if he had just run a marathon.

"How did it go?" The Governor asked, with his hands in his pockets. Milton stopped talking, being cut off. He narrowed his eyes towards Philip then to Merle who had noticed that Milton was no longer important for the time being.

"She was a tough'un," Merle began. "She could fight, I'll give her that."

"Could…" The Governor repeated. "She dead?"

"Dead as a dodo."

The Governor nodded thoughtfully. Merle waited and watched as his leader pondered for a moment. He flicked his eyes back to Milton who scrutinised The Governor with betrayed eyes.

"Time to celebrate!" The Governor spoke then and Merle nodded. "Wash her blood off then come to my apartment. I'll open the new bottle of whiskey."

Merle nodded and climbed down the ladder. As he walked towards his apartment, he felt the intense sensation of being watched, and knew that it was The Governor watching him. He shook the feeling away, like he had so many times before and quickly made his way to his apartment.

Woodbury, as safe as it was, had turned into a circus. The first time he was brought back, he felt at home, which for Merle was a huge thing. Merle never felt at home, but he had a role to fill and a game face to put on. He wasn't always a bad guy, and tonight had proved it. Woodbury had changed into a place he didn't recognise. The Governor had changed. And there were eyes and ears everywhere. He could no longer tell anyone anything, knowing that it would go back to The Governor. The boss.

His apartment was small but he liked it. He didn't like a lot of things but this… was his. The apartment consisted of an open plan living room and kitchen, with a bedroom off to the left and the bathroom, an en-suite, off the bedroom. There were brick walls exposed all through the apartment except the bathroom which had white tiles adorning the walls.

He found himself in the bathroom, leaning against the sink. He stared at himself in the mirror. Streaks of blood marked his face like scars, and his eyes, blue and cold, stared back at him. The biter blood helped win his case.

He had done a good thing. He had done a good thing, kept a good person alive. But still, he felt guilty at the thought of betraying Philip. He had to stand up to The Governor. If no one else did, then he had to.

* * *

The Governor was waiting for him. As soon as his knuckles made contact with the hard wooden door, the door opened to reveal The Governor, a glass of whiskey in his hand. Merle stepped into the apartment and took the whiskey that was offered. The Governor watched him for a moment, but Merle remained calm.

"So," Philip began, taking a seat at the dining table. He motioned for Merle to take a seat, to which the redneck complied.

"Good whiskey," Merle offered, licking the bitter and sweet liquor off his lips. It had been months since he had last tasted a good whiskey. In this new world, being drunk with the dead just yards away wasn't a particular favoured idea, but since being at Woodbury for six months, he was able to enjoy the feeling of alcohol streaming through his system and having no care in the world. It was a rare thing, for him and the residents of Woodbury to enjoy a good drink, but when it happened, he missed the old world.

He had people, families and children to protect, all the while trying to pretend that he was strong. He wasn't strong. When The Governor had come across him, he was near death. He was ill with a fever, and he thought that death was waiting for him. He was hours from death when The Governor found him by the side of the road, too weak to carry on, and hallucinating. Philip had taken him to Woodbury and he was able to get the help he needed, and six months down the line, he was fit and well. He had never felt better. He knew what it felt to be a dead man, where death was the next journey, but he fought back. There was still a fight within him. And he knew; only Merle could kill Merle. It had always been that way.

"A vintage," The Governor tipped his glass forward, admiring the burnt orange liquid in the glass. "You can never beat a good whiskey."

They sat in silence for a moment, relishing the taste of the sweet liquor on their tongues. Merle watched Philip out of the corner of his eye, taking in the eye-patch that adorned his face. They had both been through the wars, what with his missing hand. They were similar, in that sense. But Merle knew they were so different. The Governor had changed, and become harder. Merle had lost everything in the world, and when he stared death in the face, he realised that he had been given another chance to change and live as good a life as he could.

"I wanted to speak with you," The Governor said, turning to Merle. "Without Milton and Martinez."

"Right."

"About Anna."

Merle nodded, and The Governor sat forward to pour himself another drink. He tipped the bottle in Merle's direction and the redneck extended his arm out and held the glass as Philip poured the whiskey. The Governor placed the bottled on the table and sat back.

"Tell me what happened," he said, his eyes flicking from the liquid in his glass to Merle who stared at him. "I want to know."

Merle was taken aback. He knew The Governor didn't like her but to know 'how' she died and wanting details was unsettling. He grinned, ignoring the sickening feeling in his stomach.

"Saw the vehicle she'd left in by the side of the road. The engine was still warm so I guessed that she'd gone in the woods. Saw some signs, and it wasn't long before I found her. She was sat on the ground," Merle said. "Must'a broken a nail or somethin'."

The Governor smirked, and Merle continued. "She knocked the riddle out my hand, and I punched her. She fell to the ground. She fought back. A little fire cracker. Really wanted to live. I had to stab her. Over and over until she stopped movin'. Made sure she was dead _dead_."

"Nice…" The Governor chuckled.

"The bad thing is," Merle said. "Couldn't find my rifle."

The Governor nodded. "We'll get you another one. At least she's dead. One less problem to deal with."

Merle agreed. The Governor stood and walked over to the drinks cabinet. Merle narrowed his eyes at him, and swallowed the remaining bit of whiskey from his glass. He began to feel uncomfortable. The fact that The Governor was quiet throughout the whole exchange was unsettling.

"Here," Philip said. "For your hard work."

Merle looked up and saw The Governor walking towards him, in his hands was a bottle of whiskey. Merle was surprised, and opened his mouth to speak, but Philip cut him off.

"I want you to do something for me again," he spoke. "Just a little thing."

"Okay," said Merle.

The Governor hesitated for a moment, taking a seat and placing the unopened bottle of whiskey down on the table. He looked up at Merle and with a sinister expression in his eye, said. "I want you to show me her body."


	16. Sirens

_Chapter Fifteen_

_Sirens_

There was always something about death that Anna found amusing. Death was always certain, no matter the extremes that people went to prolong life and prevent death. And people all over the world tried their best to hide age and keep it at bay, but no one could stop it from happening. No one could stop death from knocking on their door. Life was a cruel game of fate. Some people lived until their body was too old to see another day and others were taken before their time. Before you take your first breath, your death is sealed. The apocalypse, or outbreak, whatever you wanted to call it, made the duration of life even more short. Life was full of twists and obstacles, but death... death was always in the plan.

And in Anna's case, she never realised how much she wanted to live - to beat this world - more than when she was heaving behind a tree just in case it helped with preventing the onset of the infection, with a man holding a crossbow at her head. Today, she surmised, was not her lucky day.

She heaved one last time and the granola bar she had eaten that morning made its way out. She coughed, her hand resting against the tree, and wiped her mouth. Her leg was sore and she stood slowly, trying to put her weight onto her good leg.

Her gaze turned to the man holding the crossbow, and eyed him. She smirked, though the darkness prevented him from seeing her.

"I'm surprised you haven't shot me in the head yet."

"Don't tempt me," the man sneered.

"But I know you won't," Anna countered. She was buying as much time as she could. She knew the longer she kept talking, the more she provoked the man, the more adrenaline she would have in her body. The anticipation of turning or being shot would allow the outcome to her situation to become clearer. Adrenaline was key; it was the answer to her questions, and to the tests and experiments she had conducted in the first few weeks of the outbreak at the CDC. The more adrenaline a person had in their body at the time of ingestion or after being bitten by the dead, the quicker the individual turned.

"Whatever," he said. "Just keep ya mouth shut. Do us both a favour."

"You want to know how I know?" Anna pushed. It felt as if she was prodding a sleeping bear with a stick or taunting a cornered animal. Sooner or later, they were going to attack.

"Not really," he growled.

"I'm going to tell you anyway..." Anna replied.

"Now that's a surprise."

"Because you would've done it already. As soon as you had the chance."

He narrowed his eyes at her, and shook his head. "Ya don't know me. Who's to say I won't?"

The other man appeared then, followed by the two children. He exchanged a look with the crossbow wielding guy and nodded. He turned his attention then to Anna. "The children have told me that you helped them. That you saved Sophia's life."

Anna nodded. "Anyone would've done the same."

The comment burned her mouth, knowing that the man she had met earlier - The Governor - was not a man who would probably help a child who was lost in the woods. She watched the man's expression change slightly, a frown forming on his face.

"No, they wouldn't," he replied. "I'm Rick. And this is Daryl."

Anna glanced at Daryl and wasn't surprised that he kept his crossbow aimed at her.

"Is it true?" Rick asked then, causing Anna to glance back at him. "Sophia told me that you were with Merle?"

At this, Daryl turned to Rick in shock. The mention of his brother's name was bittersweet. Daryl turned back to Anna who was glancing between both men, and advanced towards her. His footing was quick as, before Anna could realise what was going on, he had his hand around her throat tightly and had backed her against the tree. She had backed up too quickly, her leg twisting. She fought back, her hands on his shoulders trying to push him away from her. He was strong, a lot stronger than she thought he would be.

"Ya know Merle?" Daryl growled, the vibration of his words radiating through his body and making contact with her skin. She kept calm, her eyes searching his with the same intensity that was pouring from his.

"Daryl!" Rick's voice could be heard but it didn't seem to stir the man.

"Answer me!" Daryl sneered, forcing her further back against the tree.

"I'll tell you if you..." Anna began, her hands tightening around his shoulders. "If you let me go!"

Daryl stared at her for a moment, as if weighing in his options. He backed away, and the air that she was struggling to get burned her lungs. She heaved for a moment, taking deep breaths. She placed her hand around her throat, over the top of his fading touch.

"Well?" Daryl pushed.

"I met him today. That's it," Anna answered. "We're not exchanging birthday or Christmas cards yet unfortunately."

Daryl spat on the ground near her feet, the anger still coursing through his veins.

"So, you're the brother he spoke about," Anna acknowledged. "Anyone ever told you that you're very alike."

"Anyone told ya to shut ya mouth before?" Daryl countered. "Ya playin' happy families now?"

Anna smirked. "Yep. Very alike."

"Ya don't know nothin' about me."

"Daryl," Rick warned. "This ain't the time nor the place."

"Good a time as any," Daryl said, his gaze still fixed on Anna.

"This ain't the time nor the place," Rick repeated. "Got that?"

Rick's voice was thick with authority, and Daryl turned his attention on Rick. After a few moments, Daryl nodded and retreated away from them and over to the children.

Rick turned to Anna. "The children both speak highly of you. Especially Sophia."

Anna nodded, acknowledging Rick's words. The young girl was staring the both of them.

"We have a place," Rick continued.

"A prison?" Anna asked, to which Rick's demeanour changed slightly. He placed his hands on his hips and nodded slowly. "Sophia mentioned it to Merle. I overheard."

"Right..." Rick said. "You know which one?"

"No idea. I don't really know my way around. The tours suck here."

Rick smirked and nodded. "Where were you headed?"

"Washington," Anna said. "Family."

Rick's eyes softened. "We can get your leg checked out, give you a bed to sleep in, some food and water. One night, then you go on your way. Got that?"

Anna stared at him and nodded.

"You got anything to ask me?"

"He ever this friendly?" Anna asked. Rick smirked.

"Anything?" Rick asked.

Anna shook her head, to which Rick nodded. He moved over to where Daryl stood, and the children made their way to the woman.

"I wish Daryl was nicer to you," Sophia whispered sadly. "He isn't like this."

"It's fine," Anna replied, her voice small.

"It's not," Carl said. "He's treating you like an enemy."

Anna kept quiet. She knew that she had to warn Rick about Philip and his alter ego, The Governor. It would be the right thing to do, and maybe Carl was right. If Daryl was treating her like an enemy, then maybe the knowledge of a potential threat and the boss of his brother could allow them to see her in a better light.

It wasn't long before they set out to travel back to the prison. Sophia and Carl walked alongside them, with the little girl's hand in her own, with Rick at the front and leading them back, and Daryl at the back, no doubt with his crossbow pointed to the back of her head. The prison was nearer than she thought, but the pain in her leg made it near impossible to keep walking for longer than a few yards at a time. Her strides were beginning to slow down until she was shuffling. She was grateful to Sophia who kept hold of her hand and slowed when she needed to rest for a moment.

She heard the tutting and mumbling coming from behind but she ignored him. All she kept thinking as she moved one foot in front of the other slowly was that she would be on the road before she knew it. She would go to Washington, back to her colleagues and this would just be a memory.

The prison soon came into view, and she felt a flutter in the pit of her stomach. It was like thick, dark and stormy clouds parting to reveal the long awaited sunshine.

She had nothing to lose, and maybe a lot to gain. She just had to play her cards right.

* * *

_Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who have reviewed and put this story in their alerts. It really means a lot! Let me know what you think as I love to hear from you! _


	17. Stranger

_Chapter Sixteen_

_Stranger_

The night had grown much colder than Carol had anticipated, but she came to the conclusion that her senses were heightened due to the fact that her body was in a state of shock and fear. Her heart felt heavier than it had done some few hours ago and the not knowing whether Sophia or Carl were safe weighed heavily upon her scarred heart. She had taken to sitting outside, her eyes desperately and frantically searching the cusp of the woodland that Rick and Daryl had been swallowed into an hour ago. They had still yet to come out which to Carol was neither a good or bad sign. She could only justify why they hadn't come back yet and that was that they had either found them and had stumbled across the dead or that they were on their way back.

She worried about Sophia every single minute of the day, but it was only when they were separated that Carol understood the true meaning of unconditional love. Sophia had been the only child that she was going to have, and she was a sweet little girl, reminding Carol of herself at times. Ed had meant well when they had first married but even though she missed him sometimes, the love for her daughter outweighed the love she had for Ed. As soon as Sophia had graced their life, Carol had found that she had begun to fall out of love with him. When he had died, she felt sadness but she felt relief as well, knowing that he was never going to lay a finger on her or her daughter. She had tried to protect Sophia from the hands of her father but he was a strong man, especially when alcohol fuelled his veins. Now, she was given another chance, and she just hoped that she had not ruined it or failed her beloved daughter.

Every time she glanced towards the edge of the forage, and no movement had been made, she felt her heart break even more.

Sophia was the only thing she had left in this world that belonged to her. The group had quickly become her family and she loved, respected and admired every single one of them. If anything had happened to her then, in Carol's case, there was no point of living. She lived for her daughter, and Sophia - still so small and innocent in a world plagued with monsters - would never understand the amount of love she had for her. Sophia was the reason as to why Carol never gave up at the hands of Ed. Sophia was the reason Carol woke up in the morning. Sophia was the reason for Carol to realise that when everything is lost, the only thing she needed was love, and the tight grasp of her daughters hand in her own. It would have been so easy to give up but Sophia was her lifeline.

A door shut in the distance and Carol turned to look. Lori waddled slowly towards her, her hand caressing her bump gently. It wouldn't be long before another member would be joining the group. They had found safety in a place that kept prisoners away from normal society, and now it was the only thing keeping them protected from the dead.

"I brought you this," Lori said, joining Carol on the chairs they had found in the gym. "Thought you might be cold."

"Thanks," Carol whispered, wrapping the thick blanket around her.

"Still no sign of them?"

Carol shook her head and Lori nodded. Lori felt the same fear creep into her heart that Carol felt but she knew that Carl had the tendency to trail off by himself most of the time, not particularly caring about the dangers that hid in the shadows. He was a young boy and he wanted adventure. No matter how many times Lori had told him to stay inside, she would always bet that within five minutes of their argument, he would be venturing outside out of sight of everyone.

"They'll find them," Lori said. "I know they will."

"How can you be so sure?"

"It's Rick and Daryl out there. They won't give up looking for them."

Carol sighed. "I'm not worried about them finding Sophia and Carl. I'm worried about…"

Lori turned to Carol when she fell silent. "What?"

Carol felt the tears that she had tried so hard to keep away begin to fill her eyes and a lump formed in her throat. "That… she'll be one of them."

"It's completely understandable," Lori whispered, budging closer towards Carol. She brought an arm over Carol's shoulders and gently rubbed it the way a mother would do to a child that had fallen over. "This world… no matter how many times we try and convince ourselves that we're used to it… we'll never be used to it."

"But Sophia… she's too young to understand."

"Sophia's a smart kid. She knows the dangers of the world we now live in. I have a feeling that they went out in hope of finding something that could help Glenn. Carl… even though we're different… we still care about people and if I wasn't pregnant, I would be out there, too, trying to find something to help Glenn," Lori said. "Rick and Daryl _will_ find them. I can feel it in my heart."

Carol sobbed and nodded, trying to convince herself that what Lori was saying was true. Lori continued to reassure Carol but the fear within her own heart was beginning to increase. Carl would not have been stupid enough to leave the confines of the prison with a young girl just for the fun of it, if he had left, there had to be a reason. Lori hoped that there had been a reason for them leaving the prison but she wasn't so sure.

Movement towards the woods caught her eye and she stood up. Carol stood and asked her what was wrong.

"Have you got binoculars?" Lori asked, to which Carol nodded and passed them to her. Lori took them and peered through them, her eyes aiming towards the moving of the plants at the edge of the forage. She bit her lip as she watched and hoped that it wasn't walkers.

"What is it?" Carol asked, her voice tight.

"I don't know…" Lori said, her eyes narrowing.

The forage was swept aside and what she witnessed sent shivers down her spine. Daryl came into sight, his crossbow poised in his hands. He turned back and that was when she saw them. Carl and Sophia were holding hands and keeping close to Daryl. The panic rose within her as she realised that Rick was nowhere to be seen.

"They're back," Lori whispered. "Sophia and Carl are here!"

Carol yelped and allowed the tears to make their way down her cheeks, as she made her way towards them. Lori remained where she was, her eyes searching frantically for her husband. It felt like a lifetime but the leaves began to rustle again and it felt as though all her Christmases had come at once at the sight of Rick escaping the cover of the woods. Her eyes narrowed towards him and she watched as he turned back, his arm reaching towards something.

An arm snaked its way around his forearm as if in support, and he stayed there until a woman, dirty with blood and grime, came through the woods after him. She found herself moving towards them, knowing that they would enter the way they exited, through the hole cut in the fence, and made her way down.

Rick watched Lori's face for a moment, searching for any expression that caused bells to sound in his head. She stared back at him, as if telepathically telling him that Glenn's condition hadn't changed since they had left. Her gaze moved towards the woman, and her eyes travelled down towards the leg that the woman was favoring.

"What happened?" Lori asked.

"We'll tell you everything once we get inside," Rick said. "She needs her leg treating."

Carol enveloped Sophia as soon as the girl had re-entered the safe confines of the prison. The young girl started crying. Lori glanced at Carl and bit her lip, before moving forward and pulling him towards her. She noticed the look Daryl and Rick shared and she narrowed her eyes at them. Rick caught the look on her face and nodded, knowing that he would have to explain everything.

Lori glanced at the girl and saw something in her eyes that she couldn't explain.


	18. Scarred

_Chapter Seventeen _

_Scarred_

The infirmary was quiet when Anna entered. Her eyes immediately fell on the bed being used by a young man. A woman was sat by his side, holding his hand and stroking his face affectionately. A large bandage was wrapped around his chest, and the pinkish tone of blood underneath didn't go unnoticed with Anna. It took her a moment to realise that she had stopped walking and was staring blankly at the young couple. It was only when she felt someone push her forward and saw that it had been Daryl that she hobbled further into the room. An older gentleman with a friendly face and kind eyes came forward to stand in front of her.

He stared at her intensely as if he was trying to sum up whether or not she was a threat to them all or not. It wasn't long before a small smile etched across his face and a tip of the head had her moving towards one of the spare beds.

"I'm Hershel," the older man said when she got to the bed, her leg causing her more pain that she was comfortable with.

"Anna."

Hershel nodded and glanced towards Rick and Daryl who were stood blocking her exit. Daryl held his crossbow close to him and Rick stood with his hands on his hips.

"She found Sophia and Carl," Rick explained. "In the woods. A walker took her down and she fell on her leg."

"Ah," Hershel said, moving towards Anna. He saw her flinch but didn't draw attention to it. "Let's get you up on that bed. Can you get up on your own?"

"I'll try," Anna said, quietly. Her movements were slow and painful; her entire leg throbbed and sent shockwaves throughout her body even when she had remained still. It didn't help with the fact that her head ached from what happened earlier in the day. Her body was exhausted, and all she wanted to do was leave and get as far away from the prison and Woodbury as possible. If she had to lie about the extent of her injuries and tell them that she was fine and didn't need any medical help then she would. She sat back on the bed, shuffling backwards and pulling her injured leg onto the hard cushion. She rolled up her pant leg.

The bruised skin caught her eye, and it was only then that she realised that her kneecap was swollen. Hershel moved forward and inspected it. He was silent as he hovered a hand over it, aware that it would be sore to touch. He glanced up at Anna who stared back at him with no emotion on her face.

"Is it sore?" He asked.

She shrugged. "I've had worse pain."

The comment made him stare at her for a moment, and he nodded. "I'm going to have to touch it. The bruising would suggest that you have a fractured patella from the force of your fall. All your weight landed on your patella and it's fractured."

She closed her eyes briefly as if trying to digest the information. Hershel threw a look over towards Daryl and Rick who remained silent.

"There's not much we can do about it, other than having you rest for a few days until it's better. It's important that you don't overuse your knee," Hershel explained. "We can give you pain relief but it's quite limited or we can search for a leg brace for you."

"Thanks," Anna said.

"No worries," Hershel said. He drew his eyes down to her thin t-shirt and saw that, covered by her arm; a large blood-red stain had appeared and seeped through the fabric. He couldn't remember if it had been there when he had first seen her but he was intrigued.

Anna seemed to have picked up his curiosity and glanced down at the blood mark.

"May I have a look?" Hershel prompted.

Anna nodded, and swung her legs around the bed and stood rather unsteadily. Hershel called for someone to support her and Rick came forward, taking her arm like he had on their journey back, and supported her. She pulled her top over her head, feeling the itchiness of the rash on her back.

The thorns had pierced her skin and not only had the poison from the spines made contact with her skin, but it had gone under the skin and had spread so that it covered the majority of her stomach and on closer inspection was crawling towards her chest and back.

"Have you scratched it?" Hershel inquired, to which Anna shrugged.

"I can't remember," she answered. He nodded and moved towards the cabinet and pulled on adhesive gloves.

"Is it sore?" Hershel asked, touching the delicate skin of her hip. Anna nodded.

"It looks like you've come into contact with poison ivy," Hershel said, his gloved fingers gliding across the bumpy eruptions. "When you came into contact with the thorns, it released something called urushiol. We can only expect blisters to surface within a few hours or a few days. We'll give you some ointment and see if it helps."

Daryl felt the anger run through his veins as he saw the scars adorn her back, like a tapestry pattern. He could see that some scars were larger and deeper than others, but even the smallest ones were still noticeable against the candlelit room. The silvery lines were angry, and he felt his own scars begin to tingle. The marking of a belt buckle, the noticeable shape, was imprinted into her shoulder as if it had been melted into it but most of it was hidden by the sports bra that she wore. He looked away, catching Rick's eye and he understood that Rick had seen them as well. The scars adorned the whole of her back, and could even be seen going below her heavy trousers, as well as marking the backs of her arms.

Hershel stood and moved away from them, leaving her in the company of Rick and Daryl. They remained quiet not because they had nothing to say but rather because they had so many questions for her. What was she doing in the woods in the first place? Why was she alone? The uncomfortable silence was lessened when Hershel came back carrying a tube of ointment.

He followed Anna's eye and noticed that she was looking over towards Glenn and Maggie. His eyes automatically fell on his daughter and the man she loved, and his heart ached.

"It's been a long day," he said, trying to fill the silence. Anna turned to him and narrowed her eyes at him.

"What's happened?" Anna inquired.

"Glenn…" Hershel began, but the horrible realisation of their situation hit him and he found that he was unable to continue.

Rick had released Anna from his grip as she rested against the bed. He stepped forward and placed a reassuring hand upon the shoulder of the older man.

"We went on a supply run and he was shot," Rick said. "It's serious."

"I'm very sorry," Anna replied.

"It doesn't look good and even though I don't like thinking about it, there's nowhere to go to escape from it," Hershel added. "My daughter, Maggie… she loves him. He's a good man."

"The good guys always fall first," Anna whispered.

"I still have faith in this world, like everyone else. But sometimes, I feel like that nobody is answering my prayers."

"Sometimes just believing in something that we can't see gives us the strength to carry on. It's the knowing that you've done everything that you can and still having faith that makes us believe that something is there," Anna said. "I've never been much of a believer of fate but to think that I've gotten this far has made me reconsider."

Rick watched her intensely, noticing the quiver in her chin and thought of it as a crack in her armour. Daryl was still stood away from them but he had seen it too.

Hershel nodded sadly. "Your leg needs to be lifted during the night. The rash should go in a few days. I'll check in tomorrow morning." And with that, Hershel turned to leave. It had been the first time he admitted that he was losing faith in the world that he was knew. It pained him to think that for many years he had put his faith into something that when the time came for it when he needed salvation and help, there was no one to turn to and no one was answering his calls.

Anna hobbled over to her bag, and pulled out a t-shirt. Her hands skimmed the vials of blood and she took a deep breath.

"What would you suggest?"

Hershel's voice filled her ears and she turned back. The sadness in his eyes spoke a thousand words.

"Have you done everything possible?" asked Anna.

"Yes," Hershel nodded sadly.

"Then don't give up."

"Even when the odds are against you?" Hershel asked.

Anna nodded. "That's when you fight harder."

Hershel found some comfort in his words and he offered a small grateful smile. He turned around and moved towards Maggie and Glenn, and allowed her words to replay in his mind.

Anna pulled on the spare white tee self-consciously, aware that Rick and Daryl were still standing where they had been. She opened the tube of ointment and dabbed it on and winced. Rick moved forward towards her, his eyes on her open bag. Anna noticed his interest in her backpack.

"Take a look," Anna said.

"You sure?" Rick asked.

"You've been good to me," Anna shrugged. "I have nothing to hide."

He pulled the backpack open even further and took a look inside. Daryl had come forward to take a look. The journal was the first thing they noticed, then the vials of blood. Daryl took the vials out, whilst Rick thumbed through the journal. Numbers, words and drawn images welcomed him.

"Be careful with those," Anna said to Daryl. He glanced at her then down at the vials and nodded.

"Who are you?" Rick requested.

"My name is Anna Carlisle," Anna began. "I am a Biomedical Scientist for the United States Army. I was stationed at the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention before and after the first initial outbreak."

The two men stared at her in disbelief.

"Ya lyin'," Daryl said.

"My badge is in the front pocket of my backpack."

Rick pulled out the badge that adorned her information and picture. He glanced at Daryl.

"Did you know Edwin Jenner?" Rick asked.

"Yes, I do," Anna replied. "He's a colleague of mine."

"_Was_," Daryl put in.

"Excuse me?" Anna responded, brows furrowing in confusion.

"He blew himself up, along with a few of our group," answered Rick.

"What?" Anna countered.

"Ya deaf?" Daryl asked.

"No… you must be mistaken," Anna said, defiantly. "Edwin Jenner is alive!"

"Alive in spirit, I guess. But he's probably all over Atlanta with the force of the explosion," Daryl joked.

Anna narrowed her eyes at Daryl until Rick took over.

"He's telling the truth," Rick said. "He was going to blow the place up… and he was going to take us with him. He convinced him to let us go, to give us a chance to beat this world. When did you last see him?"

Anna shook her head, trying to remember. "A few weeks ago. I left my post to go to Washington."

Hershel had re-joined them, and looked at Anna with inquisitive eyes. "How come?" he asked.

Anna tipped her head towards the vials in Daryl's hands. "The vials of blood, I hope, are the answer to all our questions."

"What?" The three men asked at the same time.

"If I'm right…" Anna started. "I have the cure."


	19. Risk

_Chapter Eighteen_

_Risk_

The three men all stared at her in disbelief, their mouths hanging open and their eyes narrowed. Maggie had left Glenn's side and had come forward, unsure as to whether she had heard Anna correctly. She had been listening in to their conversation and she was sure the young woman had said what she thought she had said, although as the woman's words replayed through her mind, they soon became fuzzy and uncertain.

"The cure?" Maggie's Southern drawl caught Anna's attention and the woman glanced at her. Maggie took a moment to take in her appearance; she looked to be the same age as her, with her brownish hair was matted and fell just past her shoulder limply. She was shorter than Maggie, but only just, and her body lean. A layer of dirt and blood covered her skin, but her eyes startled her. The intense stare was something that a lot of people, before the outbreak, had made comments about. Her eyes reminded them of a wolf, the piercing and penetrating stare, and would often unsettle those around her.

"Yes," Anna replied, softly.

"Bullshit!" Daryl retorted. "If ya had the cure, ya wouldn't be telling us!"

"If you didn't have a man dying, I wouldn't be telling you," Anna said. "But he is dying and I'm telling you."

"Why?" Maggie asked. "Why are you telling us?"

"What I'm trying to say is…" Anna said, picking her words carefully. "He doesn't have to die."

The four of them all exchanged glances. Maggie glanced behind her at Glenn lying on the bed, his body still and breathing much shallower than it had been. Hershel sensed his daughters building emotion and rested a hand on her shoulder, supportively. Anna glanced at the loving father and daughter moment and quickly turned away.

"And it works?" Maggie asked, her voice heavy with emotion.

Anna swallowed the lump in her throat, and took a moment to answer. "…Yes."

"Again, bullshit. Ya hesitated," Daryl seethed. "It don't work. She's lyin'."

"Let's hear her out before we jump to conclusions," Hershel said curtly.

"She's gettin' ya hopes up," Daryl said before he fell quiet.

Anna took the journal from Rick, and started scanning through it. Diagrams and writing filled the majority of the pages and it took a moment for Anna to reach the page she needed.

"This is classified," Anna began. "No one should have access to this apart from myself."

She reached her hand out to Hershel, and he took the journal without ushering a word.

"It should have all the information you're looking for," Anna said. She watched him read the information etched into the page, his eyes rereading the words she had written over and over trying to understand it.

"What happened to Test Subject Three?" Hershel inquired.

"Test Subject Three had disclosed to me that she had no bites to her body or ingested blood. Except… she had failed to disclose to me that she had in fact been scratched. The experiment failed and… she turned."

Four pairs of eyes stared at her, as if urging for her to continue. She ran a hand through her matted hair.

"The vials of blood contain plasma, which treat certain conditions. By extracting the plasma from healthy and unhealthy participants, we were able to create a new type of blood," Anna sighed. "We manipulated it further by exposing it to certain proteins, which 'cure' people of certain disorders and illnesses. When you give blood, we're able to extract and isolate vital ingredients in your plasma, which are then used as treatments that could save the lives of many people suffering from burns, shock, trauma."

"But?" Hershel urged her.

"There's only one problem," Anna replied.

"And what's that?" Rick asked.

"It's only ever worked on one person before."

"Who?" Daryl asked.

"There's too much at stake," Anna began. "I shouldn't have told you."

"Wait," Hershel said. "Tell us."

Anna took a deep breath. "The patient – in your case, Glenn – has to be moments from death."

"What?" Maggie asked, her voice tight with shock.

"It's risky," Anna whispered. "We can either be too early or too late."

"Please, explain…" Maggie urged. "Please."

"Your body is trying to survive and the heart is trying its best to keep fighting. In Glenn's case, he's fighting against his own body. I've seen it many times before. With Glenn… his body has already gone into shock, which means that he has a thirty percent chance of coming out of this alive. Breathing, but his brain may have been starved of oxygen. He's dying," Anna answered. "He could die tonight, tomorrow, in a weeks' time. But he's not going to pull through."

"And?" Daryl urged, impatiently.

"If I were to do it, it would have to be times right to the second."

"But?" Rick asked. He knew all too well that with silver linings like the one he was being told about, came consequences.

"It has to be done when he's taking his last breath," Anna said, moving towards the bed. She watched the foursome as the information soaked in, sadness overwhelming them. They all glanced towards Glenn, their eyes falling on his weak body. She was right and they knew it.

"What?" Maggie cried.

"When the body is moments from death, it, in a way, resets itself. The red and white blood cells are on the lookout for a threat, and when they find none, the brain sends a signal to the heart telling it to stop beating. That moment… is the best time to do it. By expelling the plasma into the bloodstream, it sends the red and white blood cells straight to it and they will begin to fight it. However…" Anna explained. "The modified plasma is too powerful for them. It will attach itself to them and he will go into shock. Shock is good, and we need that to happen. It means that his body is fighting back."

"And then?" Maggie pushed.

"We wait for him to wake up."

"You say that it's worked before," Hershel thought back. He watched as she took a moment to compose herself. She nodded. "Who?"

"Do it," Maggie interrupted. "You have to."

"Are ya out of ya mind?" Daryl interjected angrily. "We don't know the girl!"

"Daryl… I know he's going to die. I know that I'm never going to be able to hold him again, hear his voice…" Maggie said, tears falling from her eyes. "He's weak. His breathing is shallow. We have no other choice!"

"Rick?" Daryl turned to the leader who was watching Anna.

"We have no other choice," Rick agreed with Maggie. "Answer Hershel's question."

Anna retrieved the journal from Hershel. Her fingers skimmed through the pages, her eyes fixed on the dates scrawled at the top of the page. Her eyes fell on the date she needed, and then opened the journal further. She passed it back to Hershel.

His eyes skimmed the page, until he saw what he needed to see. He had been sure of it, but when she had skipped past his question, he was uncertain. But the truth was staring back at him. Hershel glanced at Anna and nodded. He passed it to Rick and pointed towards the extract that adorned different handwriting to that of Anna.

_'__Test Subject Nineteen was taken ill in the early hours of this morning. The patient had no visible bite marks, scratches and had not ingested infected blood. It is unknown as to how the patient became ill. _

_We have attached an IV to her, in an attempt to cleanse her body, but unfortunately the patient's illness is worsening and her condition is deteriorating. We do not know what to do other than sit, wait and watch as nature takes its course. _

_Test Subject Nineteen is a young woman, aged twenty-six. She has scar tissue that adorns her abdomen, back, arms and thighs, all of which were established at least fifteen years ago. We know that it is not a cause._

_Test Subject Nin-_

_It is Anna Carlisle. A Biomedical Scientist for the US Army. _

_She is one of us._

_It doesn't look good.'_


	20. Orders

_Chapter Nineteen_

_Orders_

Merle stared at the ceiling as the first signs of a new morning began to descend on Woodbury. The sunlight peeped through the gap in the blind, casting a golden haze around the room, and Merle could faintly hear the sounds of birds tweeting in the distance. Life at Woodbury was good, and even though Merle was appreciative of being allowed to have stayed in the small town for a few months, it had started to wear him down more than he realised. Merle rubbed his tired eyes, all hopes of sleep gone for another night.

It had become a normal thing for Merle; he would find himself spending hours tossing and turning and trying to fall asleep and when he finally found himself falling into a light sleep, it was morning and someone was banging on his door. Merle had allowed himself to open his eyes at the place he called home, and when alarm bells had started to ring loudly in his mind, he knew that he needed to acknowledge his surroundings. Everything that Merle had loved about Woodbury had become sour and it left a bitter taste in his mouth. It was only when he had first laid eyes on Anna that he knew she meant something. The army clothes were a huge indicator but it was also the way she presented herself that spoke volumes for him. The Governor had perhaps overlooked the stance in which she held herself in, and the way her eyes roamed around the room and observed the people in the room. She had been trained to analyse body language, to know a threat when it was right in front of her and to acknowledge her escape before she even laid eyes on anyone.

He could tell that she spent many years in the army, and The Governor, which Merle hated to say it, had probably messed with the wrong person. There was only so many times that The Governor could manipulate others, and this had been the wrong time.

A knock on the door stirred Merle from his thoughts, and he grunted as he slipped out of bed. He made his way towards the door, and opened it. Brandon, a young teenager who had been assigned to make wake up calls, was stood at his door. The boy jumped at the sudden force of the door opening.

"The Governor told me to tell you that..." Brandon took a moment to catch his breath. "He's expecting you."

"Thanks..." Merle said, to which the young boy nodded and walked away slowly. Merle shut the door and his mind immediately started racing.

It wasn't before long that Merle was dressed and was making his way towards The Governor's apartment. He was aware of the curtain being pulled aside and he could feel the cold stare of The Governor boring into him. He shook it off and made a mental note to keep calm.

Before Merle could even knock on the door, the door opened and The Governor appeared. The man took a moment to observe Merle before a huge, fake smile etched across his face.

"Ah, Merle! Come in, come in!"

Merle entered the apartment, noticing that the two of them weren't alone. Milton was sat on the couch notebook in hand, and Martinez was stood next to the window with his arms crossed.

"I was just telling the guys that something has popped up that can't be avoided and I'm unable to go with you today," The Governor announced. "It's such a shame."

Merle narrowed his gaze at the man. He was making it sound like they had plans to go out for a drink rather than trying to find the body of a woman that Merle had been ordered to kill but had in fact spared. The Governor had the gift of making things sound quite reasonable when in fact his intentions were so not clear.

"Martinez and Milton had offered to go along which I'm extremely grateful for," The Governor added. "It shouldn't take too long though, should it Merle?"

Merle shook his head. "Nope."

"Alright... then you better hit the road!" The Governor clapped his hands together in excitement.

The three men made a start to leave.

"Oh, and last thing boys..." The Governor began. "Bring back her head."

_Bring back her head_.

The four words raced through Merle's mind as if they were on a loop, and each time they did, he winced at the hatred in The Governor's voice. The man was like an excited puppy awaiting a treat for its good behaviour. Merle knew he had a small window of time before his secret would come out, and he was thinking of ways in which he would be able to cover his tracks. As long as he kept to the monologue he had conjured up, he would be fine.

The buildings whizzed by the window at such a fast speed that Merle remembered a time where we would go out in his banged up car and drive the hours away, with the whole world whizzing by his window. He smiled at the memory and felt an ache in his heart. Merle wasn't a sensitive soul, but even he felt sadness when he thought of the old world. The world had changed and even though the remaining inhabitants were free from the strains of life that consisted of jobs, money and relationships. Merle felt that they were still chained up with responsibilities, the fear of life and death, and the uncertainty of the future. It was the same as before, except the remaining inhabitants of the world were being chased by the decaying dead.

_Who would've thought it? _Merle thought. Bastards were always trying to tear him apart in the old world and now... they were still wanting a piece of him.

The world should have looked beautiful with the freedom that the remaining survivors had, but the world, in Merle's opinion, had become bleak.

Merle found himself thinking of Anna and Sophia at that moment. Sophia was alive... and so was Daryl. He always knew that Daryl would still be standing in a world like this one, regardless of any situation that the younger brother found himself in. But Merle, being the protective older brother, still had doubts. Daryl, other than himself, was a strong son of a bitch but the end of the world had put an end date on everyone. No one lived forever, and everyone, even Daryl, would die. Was it really true that, when the time came for it, everyone... the last one standing would still turn into one of those things? Would it start all over again?

_Unless the son of a bitch had the guts to put an end to it, _Merle thought bitterly.

His brother was alive. His brother... his little brother Daryl who he had watched grow up from the timid and shy little boy who followed his fathers orders to the fearless and thoughtful man that protected those he cared about. His brother... who was living at the prison that he had come across many times before.

He had been so close to his brother, and yet he was so far. The Governor had plans. The man always had plans that, on the surface, looked to benefit the whole of Woodbury but Merle knew a bastard when he saw one and The Governor... well, he stuck out like a sore thumb. The majority of inhabitants of Woodbury were blind sided by his generosity but there were a handful of people, Merle was sure of it, who could see through his lies and knew that The Governor only did things to benefit The Governor. He made people believe that they were his main priority but they weren't. They never were and never would be. The Governor wanted power and he had a whole lot of it.

Martinez coughed, catching his attention, and the redneck glanced towards the driver and watched him for a moment. The idea of Woodbury had been brilliant when Merle had been taken in all those months ago, with the promise of a salvation. As soon as he had entered the safety of Woodbury and his health and well being began to improve enough for him to truly acknowledge how great a place like Woodbury was in a world where all hope had been lost. But like everything, there was always a 'but'. And it wasn't before long that cracks soon began to appear and the foundation began to wither and flake away, and it was at that moment that Merle knew that all was not what it seemed.

The Governor was keeping a secret that everyone seemed to be oblivious to. It was written all over his face.

"How far to go?" Martinez said. Merle squinted out the window.

"Just another mile," Merle replied. "After the big sign."

Merle's eyes lifted towards the rear view mirror to where Milton was sat in the centre of the back seat, his hand moving furiously as he scribbled away in his notebook. The man was always either writing away or running after The Governor like a lost puppy.

"Ya drawin' dirty pictures there, Milton?" Merle joked, causing a chuckle to escape the man sitting next to him. "Ya lookin' a little flushed, and maybe broken a sweat."

"Unfortunately, Merle, I'm not," Milton answered, his hand ceasing for a moment.

"That's a shame," Merle replied. "I imagine you to be quite the horn-dog, Milty."

Milton pushed his glasses up his nose and thought for a moment. Merle could almost see the hamster running furiously on the wheel inside Milton's brain.

"My name is not Milty..." Milton replied. "It's Milton. And I'll have you know that I am taking notes of our journey."

"Boring!" Merle replied, feigning a yawn.

"Why do you always write stuff down?" Martinez interjected.

"Someone has to," Milton replied. "When the world is restored, future generations will be able to look back on this and know about the work that we did."

"Future generations won't be around," Merle said. "Hate to break it to ya, Milty. We're all gonna die. There ain't no cure."

"There has to be," Milton argued. "There has to be something or someone out there who knows something."

"Well there ain't," Merle said, shutting down the argument. "Write that down and maybe ya'll start to believe it."

Milton quietened then, and Merle could see the fear in the man's eyes. The subject of death without finding out if there was a cure or a chance to reverse the damage had dawned on the man at some point but Milton was adamant that someone had the answers to every question he had. And maybe, it was the hope that there were answers or maybe it was the thought that by doing something, the answers would appear out of nowhere and he would be one step closer to finding out the truth.

"Whatever makes ya sleep at night, eh, Milton?" Merle said, to which the man glanced at him and nodded. "Maybe ya will find the answers. Anything seems possible now that the dead roam the world. I bet no one could picture that up."

"Very true," Milton mumbled.

The three men fell into a comfortable silence and Merle bit his lip. He believed Milton when he said that someone somewhere had to know the answers. There was no doubt in his mind that someone had the cure, was working on the cure or was curing people. There had to be.

Merle smirked. "So, Milty... ever seen a naked wom-"

His voice trailed off as he sat up in his seat. The vehicle came to a halt too, and Milton glanced up at the sudden jerk of the vehicle as well as the silence that rang in his ears, and it was then that he saw it.

Three people stood in the middle of the road, guns aimed at the now stationary vehicle.


	21. Partition

_Chapter Twenty_

_Partition_

_**Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta**_

_**One year ago**_

The CDC had grown quieter over the past few months, even more so than anyone could have imagined. The number of people within the establishment had dwindled down to just a handful, and many of Anna's colleagues had decided to travel back home and see out the outbreak with their families. No one knew how long the outbreak would last, whether it be an overnight affair or a monthly event, and those who knew the ins and outs of the whole thing believed that it would be best if they left to see their family and ensure that their family was safe and well. It had been several months since the outbreak had been broadcast all over the United States, and what was believed to have been a small outbreak that was only supposed to last the best part of two weeks had snowballed into something indescribable, and into something that no one, not even Anna, had expected.

Anna had been sceptical regarding the outbreak before it had been put into stone, believing that it was the wrong thing to do and should never have happened. The cure for the common cold had been difficult to comprehend, and the initial cause for the outbreak was a simple injection of artificial Influenza in a willing participant. The experiments conducted would allow the CDC to gain information regarding the signs and symptoms of the common cold, and get an insight of what actually happens to the human body. The participant experienced the normal symptoms of flu and after two weeks, they became better and was allowed home. But something had gone wrong. A few days later, the CDC were contacted by the local police force claiming a woman who had been reported to have bitten a neighbour and had been thought to have rabies. It was only when the woman was detained and brought to the CDC that it was realised that the woman had been the participant.

Sarah Williams was twenty-three, was married and had been healthy her entire life. It was a shock to all scientists involved when they realised that something had gone wrong with the testing. The infection had escalated into something that no one could have prepared for, and before they knew it, the world had become almost a shadow of its former self. The infection had spread like wildfire, all due to an undisclosed victim who had been infected by Sarah. Three months later, Sarah remained in quarantine, in the hope that the CDC were able to understand why she had become the way she was, and understand a way in which they could reverse the effects before the entire population was wiped out.

But months down the line, the CDC was no closer to finding answers.

Anna yawned as she walked into the medical room. It was another morning where the CDC was quiet, and only a few employees remained but they all made the most of it. The night had been a restless one for Anna, as she woke a number of times sweating despite being in air conditioned room. Her body felt heavy and sluggish but she had just put it down as being tired and stressed about the whole situation. A familiar red head caught her eye and she smiled.

"Hello Abraham!" Anna said to the man who was seated on the bench.

"Anna," Abraham replied with a nod of the head.

"So, I've been given instructions to do a blood test on you," Anna responded, looking at his file. "Unfortunately it's mandatory."

"That's a shame."

"But it will be over before you know it," Anna reassured him. "I promise."

"How's patient X?" Abraham inquired, taking his mind off the blood test.

Anna looked up at him from the file and she shrugged. "Not good. She's not responsive. Every time we try and speak with her, she tries to bite us."

"Any news about the outside world?"

Anna again shrugged. "Still looking worse than ever. But that makes your blood test even more important. The sooner we find some sort of cure, everything will be okay. Hopefully."

"Do you really think so?" Abraham asked, seeing the doubt in Anna's eyes.

"I hope so," Anna replied. "I really do."

Anna walked over towards the metal tray and pulled it over towards Abraham. She saw him pale as his eyes clapped on the needles.

"This will only take a few seconds," Anna said, as she began to prepare the needle and vial for the blood. "Abraham… don't tell me you're scared of a little needle."

Abraham ran a hand through his red hair and rolled his eyes. "Of course not. A little thing like that? Nope."

A look of panic flashed across Abraham's face as Anna applied the gloves. She picked up the tourniquet and moved towards him.

"It's just a tiny pinch," Anna said, wrapping the tourniquet around his arm and tightening it. She tapped the skin to allow the vein to rise. "My mom would tell me a story to make me less nervous about having blood taken. I would always be so petrified, but it always worked."

"Oh yeah?" Abraham said, his voice hoarse.

"Yeah," Anna said, taking a seat in front of Abraham. "She told me of a girl who was fearless. She lived in the woods amongst the animals. They welcomed her like she was their own. They respected her, knowing that when the time came for it, she would show them that she was capable of protecting, not only herself, but also them. She allowed them to make a choice as to whether they would stand with her and protect the woods from intruders, or fight against her…" there was a pause. "And there we go!"

Abraham glanced down at his arm and then at the vial of blood in Anna's hand. His eyes widened in shock.

"You…" he began to say but he was speechless.

"All you needed was your mind to be taken off the needle, and once I had your full attention," Anna said. "It was quite easy. Just keep this pressed down on your arm for a moment."

Anna moved towards the fridge and placed the blood into a wooden block. She turned around and stared at Abraham. "We'll have your test results soon," she continued.

"And what happened to the girl?" Abraham asked.

Anna smirked. "You'll have to have another blood test to find out."

Dizziness overwhelmed her at that moment, and she found that she had to hold onto the desk to keep herself standing. Abraham had closed the gap between them and was holding her up with his strength. He searched her eyes worriedly, and saw that she had paled and beads of sweat had appeared on her face.

"I'm fine," Anna whispered, her mouth dry. "I'm fine."

"You're not," Abraham responded. "I'll call the doctor."

"Abraham, I'm fine, honestly." Anna said shortly. "I just need to sit do-"

Abraham caught Anna in his arms as she fell unconscious. Her eyes shut and her mouth was parted slightly. Fear rattled in his chest and he laid her down on the cool floor before raising the alarm.

* * *

_**Prison, Georgia**_

_**Present Day**_

"Do you really think she's telling the truth?" Lori asked, her hand caressing her ever-growing bump. Rick, along with Daryl and Maggie had made the short journey towards the cell block and had gathered the group together to discuss the revelation they had just discovered. The news had come as a shock to them all, but as some were intrigued, some had reservations. It was only natural for them, with everything they had gone through the past few weeks, with the deaths of their friends, it was easier to question everything than to make the mistake of believing everything that was said without seeing some proof.

"She's from the US Army," Rick replied. "She wouldn't lie to us."

Rick acknowledged the scoff coming from the hunter next to him and chose to ignore it for the moment. He took a moment to glance at the faces of the people who had become like a family to him in such a short amount of time.

"I believe her," Maggie said. "It's the only chance we've got."

"It isn't," Lori replied. "Glenn's strong. He'll pull through this."

"He's weak, Lori," Maggie said tearfully. "His body is weak. He's malnourished and dehydrated… we all are. His body is unable to continue fighting and it's really only a matter of time."

The sudden realisation came to a shock to them all and they took a moment to think about Glenn, their failing friend. Death was a constant thing that no one was able to escape no matter how hard they tried to fight it off. It was scary to think that they stared death in the face each day, and yet it was still the thing they were petrified of and had nightmares about.

Carol hugged Sophia closer to her body, and her eyes fell on Daryl. He was staring at the ground. "Daryl… what do you think?"

"Think it's a load of horse shit," Daryl responded, his eyes never leaving the floor.

T-Dog chuckled. "Don't hold back, Daryl."

"Is there any proof that it will work?" Lori asked, turning to Rick. "I mean, it's such a big risk."

Rick stared at her and nodded. A collection of gasps filled the quiet room.

"There's proof?" Carol asked.

"A cure?" Axel interjected.

"Looks like it," Rick began. "Anna… she was incredibly poorly. Her health was failing and death was an hour… a day… a week away. Her colleagues took the chance… and I guess, the rest is history. We found her in the woods with Sophia and Carl. She was on her way to Washington."

"Washington?" T-Dog asked.

"It's where her facility is," Maggie responded. "Where salvation is, hopefully."

"I believe her," Carl interjected, causing everyone to look at him in shock.

"You do?" Rick furrowed his brow at his son. Carl nodded.

"She could've killed Sophia and me. But she didn't," Carl explained. "She protected us."

"So… what will it be?" Rick asked. "Do we take the chance? He's not going to make it if we don't try."

"Chances like this… don't come around that often," Maggie said. "And even less in the world we live in now. Glenn has a lifeline all thanks to Anna. We have to take the chance, if we don't, we're going to lose him. And I love him too much to not do anything. So please… _please,_ just trust her."

* * *

_**Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta**_

_**One year ago**_

Anna's world had become dark, where the occasional light were strobes that would appear every now and then like the light of a lighthouse trying to pierce through the fog at night. There were times where she would be aware that people were close, but their voices sounded like an old mix tape that kept falling silent and she would only be able to hear certain words. Her body was heavy, and her brain struggled to push her through the thick darkness. Her memory was weak, and for the life of her, she couldn't remember anything.

Her state of consciousness was failing her, and she knew it. There were three levels of consciousness that she was aware of. The first was where she was able to remember little details. Abraham… blood… worrying eyes… then darkness. The second was where she struggled to remember anything; who she was… where she was… why the world was dark… the strobes of light. The third was where she struggled to even become conscious, it was like being locked in a box and being forgotten. No matter how hard she tried to fight, it became harder and harder as she became much weaker.

Where was she? How had she come to be here? Was she dead? Is this what death was like?

She wasn't sure, confusion began to set in.

Then she saw him. The man who beat her down to build himself up. The man who would speak with his fists. The man who blamed her for the death of her mother. The man who beat her to within an inch of her life. She could only remember anger radiating from him.

He was right in front of her bearing a look of admiration and love, and one that she didn't recognise.

Her father.

* * *

_**The Infirmary**_

_**Present Day**_

"How long will it take for him… to wake up?" Hershel inquired. "If it's successful?"

"It could vary. It's difficult to really distinguish a time frame. It took me a few weeks before I was okay enough to sit up, walk, etc. Glenn may be different, he could wake up straight away or it could take a few days to maybe a few weeks or months," Anna replied.

Hershel nodded thoughtfully. "You became ill, is that right?"

"I did," Anna said. "They believed it to be normal influenza, but it wasn't. We were unable to test for it properly, so we don't know why I became ill in the first place."

"We?"

"Jenner and myself. We spent two weeks after my recovery trying to figure out why it happened but we never found the answer. It was at that point where I had to leave the CDC in order to find a colleague of mine. He had left to retrieve some medical supplies for me."

"And did you find him?" Hershel inquired. He watched Anna for a moment, taking in the sadness in her eyes. She shook her head sadly.

"There was no sign of him," Anna replied quietly.

The door to the infirmary opened at that moment, and people that Anna had never seen before appeared in the doorway. Daryl, Rick and Maggie came forward, with the latter moving towards Glenn automatically. Anna's eyes fell on the leader of the group who was glancing at his son stood next to him. His eyes moved to her and his eyes searched hers.

"We've all spoken and debated about it," he began. "And we've decided that we have no other choice but to try it. It worked for you, and we know that it may not work for Glenn but it's the only chance we have."

Anna glanced at the man stood next to Rick who had kept his eyes on the ground, his head shaking almost in disbelief. She nodded.

"I can't promise anything," Anna began. "I wish I could. I wish I could promise you that he will wake up, that he will even survive the night, but I can't. It might work, it might not, and if it does, then he's a very lucky man."

"There ain't no such thing as luck in this world, lady," the hunter retorted.

"But we can still try and believe in it, can't we?" Anna asked.

"No point. If there was luck in this world, the man upstairs would've answered our prayers and changed the world back to how it was," he replied shortly. "But he ain't there."

"Guys, please," Rick interjected. "This isn't the time nor the place."

Daryl scoffed. Anna nodded and moved towards the table where the vials of blood were sat upon.

"Is there anything we can do?" Maggie asked, her hand in Glenn's.

Anna shook her head sadly, "All we can do is wait."


	22. Lamb to Slaughter

_Chapter Twenty-One_

_Lamb to Slaughter_

Merle narrowed his accusing gaze towards the three people standing in front of their vehicle, and took note of the heavy set rifles fixed in their hands and aimed towards them. He heard Milton gasp from behind him as he attempted to grasp onto the situation they now found themselves in. He ran his tongue along his lips as his mind raced; trying to come up with a way of not only getting himself out of the situation but also Milton and Martinez. He threw a look towards Martinez who, as if sensing Merle's change in attention, caught his eye. They both knew situations like this one, where their lives could potentially be in danger and in the hands of other people, the outcome they planned for and wanted didn't always work out that way. Merle had been on the other side of this situation more times than he could count, and it was never a nice feeling, despite Merle being who he was, having to be in charge of the outcome. The Governor was emotionless, and awfully powerful and more often than not, his men always left the scene with blood on their hands. He was like a bull, and didn't care who got in his way. Merle could identify with him a lot, and seeing himself in The Governor more than he would have liked.

The outbreak, the end of the world, the apocalypse... whatever you wanted to call it had softened Merle. He thought it would've hardened him, and he would continue to do what he did before the dead started eating people. But he was different. He had changed, and it scared him. He always thought, since being separated from his brother for so long that the remaining people living on this world and trying to survive this monstrosity of a society deserved to live. They were living this world just like he was, and they deserved to not have that second chance taken away from them because of a power hungry man. They were all in the same boat and might as well all try to keep that boat steady in the rough waters, Merle had thought.

He knew that there were people much worse than The Governor out in the world possibly destroying foundations people tried to build back up, killing a group of people for a weapon or for the chance to eat that night, raping women and taking children away from their families. People had always been monsters, but the world as it was now, was a world he wished he didn't ever have to see in his lifetime. He had done bad things in his life, had made the wrong choices and been punished for what he had done, but Merle wasn't a bad guy. He knew that. His parents worked so hard to try and make his life as normal as possible especially with his father being in and out of jail all through his life, and his mother working all hours in the day to put a meal on the table in the evening. When Daryl was born, his father had recently been thrown back in jail for beating a guy senseless and running. It was tough, having to see his mother trying to support him and his newborn brother. He'd fallen in with the bad crowd at that point, obtaining drugs and selling them for money to help provide for his family and to keep the strain off his mother. It was only when he was caught nearly six months later that he realised that it hadn't been the best decision of his. He didn't have the opportunities that many kids had, and he did what he had to do, and that was his best. His mother, although disappointment, was grateful that her son was trying to help her when the system wouldn't.

"What do we do?" Milton asked, his voice low and eyes wide. His heart was racing and his palms were sweaty.

"We see what they want and when they least expect it, we get the upper-hand," Martinez said, to which Merle rolled his eyes.

"That ain't gonna work," Merle said. "Ya see those weapons? There ain't no way we're gonna get the 'upper-hand' with those."

Martinez bit his lip in anger. The Governor had always told him and his other men that if a threat is presenting to you, you take them down even if their intention isn't to cause harm. You take them down and take everything from them.

"And then what? All have a group cuddle and cry over the world we've lost?" Martinez scoffed.

"If that's what you wanna do then feel free, brother. Ain't no one here stopping you from hugging it out with strangers," Merle retorted. "Just follow my lead and we'll be on our way with them waving at us in the rear view mirrors."

Merle was the first to exit the vehicle, his home made hand instrument shutting the door behind him with a bang. He was aware of the attention he was receiving from the three strangers. He eyed the tall red head, his eyes scanning over wide shoulders and hard chest and arms that met him, before his attention wavered towards the next man who stood nearly as tall as the first man. He was holding a gun, aimed at his heart and Merle knew that they meant business. He took the opportunity to glance at the woman stood with them, her weapon, too, pointed in his direction. He lifted his hand in the air, to show that he meant no harm, just as two doors closing behind him filled his ears.

As Martinez followed the lead and exited the vehicle behind Merle, Martinez rolled his eyes as he watched Merle go to stand in front of the three strangers. Milton followed behind him. Merle glanced towards Milton who had paled and was quivering like a small dog in a light breeze. He turned his attention towards the three people standing before him, their weapons staying poised on them. He saw that their attention moved towards his home made bayonet and smirked. It always surprised people. It was an icebreaker, of sorts.

"Pretty sweet, huh?" Merle smirked, waving his arm around.

"Don't move," the red head said, harshly.

"You move, we shoot," the woman finished.

Martinez came to stand next to Merle, ignoring the orders of the trio. Merle smirked. _Boy got balls_, he thought. He could sense Milton stood behind him, nervousness radiating from the man. It was unnerving to know that Milton hadn't been trained in combat during his time at Woodbury, that The Governor kept him close like a lap dog and didn't feel that it was necessary to train him for situations like this one or any that involved him being in danger of the undead.

"We want your vehicle," the red head said. "And we're gonna take it. If you try and stop us, we'll shoot you all dead."

"Well... that ain't going to happen," Merle countered.

"Why do you need our vehicle?" Milton intervened, stepping forward with his notebook.

"Reasons," the red head said.

"That's all?" Merle asked. "Ya want our vehicle and won't give us an explanation. I've no idea why we aren't just throwing ya the keys right now."

"Alright, asshole," the red head countered. "The name's Abraham, this is Rosita and he's Morgan."

"Merle," said Merle, pointing to himself. "Martinez," he said, pointing towards Martinez who gripped his weapon tightly. "And four eyes is Milton."

"My wife..." Morgan began. "We need your vehicle. Ours was ambushed by walkers. We only just made it out alive."

Abraham threw a look of disgust towards Morgan as the man explained to the others why they needed a vehicle. The less they knew, the better. He understand, been taught even, in his years in the army that telling anyone information that is sacred to you and those around you about something was just as worse as

"Your wife, what?" Martinez spoke.

Morgan glanced at Abraham who stared at him for a moment, before he nodded allowing him to tell them.

"We were ambushed. We barely made it out alive. My wife, she... she was bitten. We need your vehicle to take her to safety," Morgan explained.

"Ya wife's bitten?" Merle asked. "Ya do realise that's a death sentence. She ain't gonna make it."

"Where is she?" Milton asked.

"We left her..."

"That's thoughtful of you..." Merle commented under his breath.

"...with my son and Eugene," Morgan continued, ignoring Merle's snide comment.

"How many are in your group?" Martinez asked.

"Six," Rosita said. "We did have others but they didn't make it."

"And where do ya think ya'll be going to find 'safety'?" Merle asked. "It's just 'cos there's no safe parts around here any more or have ya been living under a rock for the past year?"

Morgan narrowed his eyes in disgust towards Merle and ignored his comment once more. The one person who needed him the most was sick, and would die if he didn't fulfill his promise to her. If he didn't get her help, he wouldn't be able to live with himself knowing that he let her down. It would forever be on his conscious: losing her because he was too late.

"We need your vehicle, or she's not going to make it."

"She ain't gonna make it no matter what ya do," Merle countered.

"But we have to try."

"It ain't gonna change anything. She's got a death sentence. Might as well kiss her sorry ass goodbye."

Morgan saw red. He lunged towards Merle with such venom that Abraham only just caught him before Morgan's fist made contact with Merle's face. Abraham pulled Morgan back with ease despite the man trying to push him out of the way and get to Merle.

"Hit a nerve, did I?" Merle sniggered.

"That's my wife you're talking about. The mother of my son..." Morgan said bitterly. "Don't you have a wife or girlfriend that you care about, that you would do absolutely anything for?"

"Nope, I'm free and single," Merle said, directing a wink in Rosita's direction. Rosita looked towards Abraham who was seething.

"We can take you back with us," Milton intervened, hoping that his suggestion would bring some comfort and hope.

Martinez and Merle both glanced towards Milton with narrowed eyes. Milton stepped forward, ignoring them both.

"We have shelter, food, water, and a doctor who would see your wife and give her the best care she can," Milton said. "You don't have to stay. You can leave anytime. But your wife... this could save her. Ignore everything that's been said here, between you and him, and think about your wife for a moment. What chance does she have staying out here, when she could be getting treatment within the hour?"

Morgan glanced towards Abraham who met his gaze. He turned back towards Milton. "Okay, we'll go."

"What are you doing?! We haven't discussed it yet," Abraham hissed.

"It's my wife," Morgan said. "If it was Rosita, you'd do the same."

Abraham glanced towards Rosita who turned her attention towards the ground. Abraham thought for a moment. Something within him knew that going with them would end in disaster, that it would be the wrong decision for them to make so quickly. But Jenny needed help, and it couldn't wait. He was sure that she wouldn't make this. She'd been bitten, the infection would be taking hold soon, and time was running out.

"Okay." Abraham said. "Just until Jenny is better, and then we leave."

Milton nodded. Martinez threw a look towards Merle.

_Like a lamb to slaughter._


	23. Little Things

_Chapter Twenty-Two_

_Little Things_

"Will he ever wake up?"

Anna looked towards Maggie, who was staring at Glenn as he laid on the bed, and had his hand in her own. Anna felt her own heart break as she saw the sadness etched across Maggie's face. She had never been in a situation where she had a friend or family member be in such a dangerous situation where life was hanging in the balance. She had always vowed to herself to never get too close to someone. Her childhood had not been pleasant, and love wasn't something that she had ever experienced before, so having people she cared about were few and far between. There was only Abraham, when she thought about it, who she cared about and she knew he cared about her. She didn't allow people to get close to her, and she with them. It was a foreign concept to her, almost unnatural. It was nice, and quite refreshing, to see other people interact with others, and see what kind of relationship people had with each other. The world as it was now was a dangerous place but some people had found comfort and love. In the most darkest of times, Anna thought, people found light.

"It's possible," Anna replied. "And I know that you want me to say yes, and tell you that he's definitely going to survive, but I can't promise you that. Which is horrible because I can see how much you care about him."

"I was horrible to him," Maggie began. "In the beginning when we met. Him and the group, they came to stay at the farm where I grew up. He liked me instantly which was weird. I just thought he was wanting some comfort but he was persistent with his affection and I didn't know what to do. He never got bored. He wanted to get to know me, for me. He wanted to talk about different things. He was nice."

"You love him."

It was more of a statement than a question, and Maggie nodded.

"I do," Maggie said, smiling softly. "I've never loved anyone in my life but Glenn... he's special. He cares about everyone, and he never gives up. If it seems impossible, he'll find a way to make it possible. He doesn't deserve this. He deserves to live. He would want to live, and someone's actions have made that impossible."

Anna watched as Maggie began to cry, tears filling her eyes and sliding down her cheeks. Anna reached over towards Maggie and gently squeezed her hand. It pained her to see Maggie so upset, and despite only knowing her for a short time, she could see that Maggie was a good person. She truly cared about Glenn, and she loved him. Glenn's chances weren't good, and without a hospital, those chances were slashed even more. There was a limited opportunity, and even then, it may not even work.

"I need something to distract me," Maggie said. "When did you last eat?"

Anna thought for a moment to her last meal, which was a granola bar a few days ago. "A few days ago, I think."

"You think?" Maggie asked. "I'll go see if we have anything."

"You don't have to," Anna replied.

"You haven't eaten," Maggie said, standing from her chair. She leaned over and placed a small kiss on Glenn's cheek. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Anna watched Maggie leave and she listened out as Maggie's footsteps moved away from the infirmary. Anna turned her attention to the unconscious man. Glenn had so much to live for: he had a girl that loved and adored him; and he had friends who had his back and would die for him. The people who had done this to him had caused so much heartache amongst the group that every single one of them felt lost as to what they could do to help. For Anna, she wasn't part of the group. She was a stranger, an outcast. She didn't belong within the group, and she had to act cautiously. Coming across The Governor the way she did had unsettled her to no end, and the fact that he had been violent towards her so early on with Merle, it had confirmed her fears that people were too far gone. She understood that The Governor was possibly only protecting himself and his group, but there was no threat; she hadn't pointed her weapon at him, she hadn't made any threats towards him, and yet he still felt the need to attack her in the way they did. There must've been a reason why, or maybe it was just a mistake. Whatever it was, didn't bode well with her. She was cautious of the group. Rick and the others could potentially be trying to keep up appearances, when they had hidden agendas underneath all the natural hostility. Did they have a hidden agenda? Was she just on edge and believing that everyone she would meet now was the same as The Governor?

A dull ache spread across her head and she winced in pain. She closed her eyes for a moment, breathing through the ache and hoping that it would disappear just as quickly as it appeared. She had been experiencing it for a short time, just over the last few hours, and she knew that it was from another injury that she had picked up from her meeting with The Governor. She reached her hand up to the back of her head and pressed a finger against her scalp. She winced. Lilly, who she had met at Woodbury, had sorted the wound out but that had been a few hours since she had it taken care of. Anna pulled the plaster off and felt the cool air circulate around the wound. She moved towards her backpack, and pulled out the first aid kit she had taken from the CDC months before.

"How did you get that?"

A voice behind her caused her to spin around and her eyes focussed on the man standing in the door frame. Rick watched her as she looked at him for a moment, almost analysing him, before she resumed what she was doing. She opened the kit and brought out the alcohol gel she had found weeks after leaving the CDC, and squeezed a reasonable amount onto a cotton pad.

"Maggie's not here," Anna said.

"I know," Rick said. "I saw her in the corridor. She told me she was getting you some food. Answer me. How did you get that?"

"Is it bad?" Anna asked, applying the soaked pad onto the back of her head. She bit her lip as the alcohol made contact with the wound.

"Quite," Rick said. "How did you get it?"

"Oh, you know... a bar fight," Anna said, a smirk on her face.

"No, really. How did you get it?" Rick asked.

Anna kept the pad to her head as she glanced over at Rick. He had his hands placed on his hips, and his brow was furrowed.

"Wrong place, wrong time, I guess," Anna replied.

"Where were you before this?"

"On my own," Anna said. "Have been for months since the CDC."

"Who did this to you?" Rick asked.

Anna glanced towards the doorway, to ensure that no one was going to come in. She placed the pad down on the counter. "I came across some people. Merle was one of them. He did this to me. According to them, they had been trailing me for the past mile or so. There was a guy there who called himself The Governor."

Rick raised an eyebrow. "The Governor?"

"Yeah," Anna said. "After they did this, they took me to a place called Woodbury. Let's just say, that place isn't for the faint hearted. He allowed me to leave, and as he was getting me a vehicle, I met this woman. Michonne. She asked me if I could smell something and I could... it was everywhere. I can still smell it on me. You can never really get over the smell of burning flesh."

Anna couldn't understand why she was telling Rick everything that happened. Usually with strangers, she was quite cautious with giving out information, knowing that they would possibly use it against her at some point. She watched as Rick tried to digest the information that she had just given him, and wondered whether continuing was the right thing to do.

"They burned people?" Rick asked.

"Possibly," Anna said. "I didn't stay long enough to find out."

"How did you get in the woods with Merle? Sophia said that Merle was there," Rick asked, stepping forward into the room. His gaze flicked towards Glenn, unmoving in the bed, and looked back at her. Anna saw the pain in his eyes, knowing that his friend's life was hanging by a thread.

"He let me leave, which caused alarm bells to ring in my head. The way he was with me... unnerved me. He had attacked me for no reason, took me to Woodbury and then just let me leave. It still doesn't make sense to me," Anna said. "I left as fast as I could, but the vehicle he had given me had broken down about a few miles out. The weapons he had taken from me had been emptied. He'd ordered Merle to follow me and kill me."

"Are you sure?" Rick asked.

Anna nodded. "Merle told me."

Rick shook his head, finding it difficult to comprehend the new information. "Do you think he would've?"

"I don't know," Anna answered. "We heard a scream in the distance, and we both ran towards it. And here we are."

"We have to tell Daryl about this," Rick said. "He should know."

Anna nodded. "Is he going to believe me?"

"Maybe," Rick replied. "Maybe not."

"Do you believe me?" Anna asked, her eyes narrowing towards the man.

Rick gave a small but curt nod. "I do. I don't know why, and I don't know if I should... but I do."

"There's one thing that I should tell you," Anna said.

"What?"

"When I was in the room... where I was being treated for this," Anna said, pointing to the wound on her head. "I heard Merle and The Governor say something. And I think you should know."

Rick furrowed his brow and narrowed his eyes at Anna. He motioned for her to continue.

"They mentioned something about a prison. Is this the only prison around here?"

"There's another one across state," Rick replied.

"They were talking about tombs," Anna said. "And biters, and a prison. I couldn't pick anything else up, but I'm guessing the prison they were talking about was this one."

"How far is Woodbury from here?"

"It's not far from here," Anna replied, turning back towards the first aid kit. She pulled a plaster out of the box.

Rick became silent and thought for a moment. A potential threat wasn't what the group needed. They had lost everything at the farm, and they had found the prison when they had all given up hope of ever finding safety again. The world had changed quicker than anyone could have anticipated, and the prison had given them a place they could call home. When they'd lost everything, they'd realised just how important it was to have a base, and a place where they could be safe. As soon as they had moved in with the little belongings they had with them, they soon found comfort in knowing that they were safe. The fences acted as a barrier that protected them from the dead, and even though they still had people be on watch during the night just to be safe than sorry, they were able to sleep at night. The prison had become a home to them, and the thought of them all leaving the prison behind or having someone want the prison for themselves was terrifying.

A noise behind them brought Anna and Rick back to reality, and they both turned almost in sync towards the sound.

Glenn's breathing had become increasingly and dangerously laboured. His skin had paled, and a bead of sweat had formed across his forehead. His limbs began to flail, acting on impulse. As Rick moved towards him, Anna moved towards the vials of blood and looked for a needle in the drawers. She pulled out the drawers and scanned through the utensils littered in the drawers. She found a collection of syringes and hypodermic needles in the same drawer, and she scanned for one long enough for her to inject the blood into him. She needed one that would allow the blood to get straight into his system, and the only way she could think of was to inject it straight into his heart. She grabbed a handful and moved towards Rick.

As Rick held Glenn down, she readied the needle and blood. She glanced at Rick who glanced back at her with fearful eyes. Glenn's movements had ceased, and his breathing was shallow. Rick gave her a small nod, knowing that it was time. She took a deep breath.

"I'm putting it into his heart," Anna said. "It's the only way to guarantee that it could work better than in his veins."

"Do what you have to do," Rick said.

She lifted her arm up and, with strength and force on her side, she forced the needle through Glenn's chest, just next to the bandage that Hershel had applied to his chest, which caused his body to react in shock. His body rose from the trolley, and he gasped for breath as Anna injected the blood into his heart. As soon as the blood disappeared from the vial, she pulled it out with force and Glenn's body crashed back down. Anna and Rick watched Glenn as his body convulsed for a moment, as the blood began to pulse throughout his body. The convulsing came to an end, and Glenn stilled.

"What do we do now?" Rick asked.

"I don't know," Anna said, and Rick nodded, his eyes moving back towards Glenn. He looked as though he was in a deep sleep, with his breathing, despite what had just occurred, slow and laboured. He was breathing, that was the first step to his recovery, and when Rick was sure that Glenn's breathing would slow down until it stopped completely, Glenn proved him wrong and continued to fill his lungs with air.

The twosome didn't seem to have to wait too long for a sign from the unconscious man. Glenn brought his hand up to his face and rested it upon his cheek for a moment. Rick and Anna glanced at each other, both waiting with bated breath. Rick felt his heart quicken as he saw the man who had quickly become his friend begin to move his face.

The door behind them opened, and Anna turned to see Maggie standing in the doorway with a bowl of oatmeal. Her eyes were instantly on Glenn. Tears formed in her eyes as she saw him move. Her heart jumped into her throat as she watched him rub his face almost sleepily, and she placed the oatmeal upon the counter that surrounded the entire room, and moved towards him. She brought her hand up to his face and stroked his cheek gently, and as she stared at the man she had mentally said goodbye to, her broken heart began to fix itself when he opened his eyes slowly to meet her gaze.


	24. Ingenuity

_Chapter Twenty-Three_

_Ingenuity_

The news of Glenn waking up circulated throughout the prison like wildfire. Rick exited the infirmary, leaving Anna and Maggie with a now conscious Glenn, and made his way to the cell block his family and friends had made home for themselves. He couldn't shake the smile off his face, knowing that his friend was alive and awake. His condition was still serious, and he required a lot of rest to re-cooperate and gather his strength, but the entire group would understand and pick up his role. As long as the group worked together, they were invincible. Rick knew that that wasn't true: none of them were invincible, and he knew that anything could happen to any of them, but he believed that when they were together whether it be within the prison grounds or in the woods, they worked like a brand new vehicle. Everyone had a role, and together, they worked well. They understood each others strengths and weaknesses, and worked to ensure that those with weaknesses and it was one of their strengths, they supported them. As the group dynamic changed, which it did most of the time, they evolved.

He came to the cell block and opened the door. The sound of chatter filled his ears, and he smiled when he saw that Carl and Sophia were sitting on the ground and on top of blankets. They were deep in conversation, and talking about one of their shared interests: games. The children before him were no longer children, and it scared him to know that their childhood and their innocence had been taken away from them. They would grow up into resentful adults; not resentful towards him, Lori or Carol, but resentful to the world. The world was supposed to be theirs, where they were supposed to go to university, fall in love, exchanged vows with the person they loved, have a family of their own and then grow old. Life for them would forever be changed, and even if the world did somehow restore itself, and humanity began to thrive, it still wouldn't give them the opportunities the adults within the group had. It pained him to know that they would have to run from danger for the rest of their lives, and would eventually turn into one of them. At the end of it all, they didn't get to choose.

At the sound of the door closing behind him, all eyes turned to him. Lori came out of the cell with her hand placed upon her growing bump; Hershel and Beth were sat on the stairs that led to the other cells; T-Dog was sat in his cell cleaning his weapon; and Carol and Daryl were talking near the stairs. They all simultaneously stood up, afraid that Rick's appearance brought bad news. They had all been thinking about life without Glenn, and neither of them were able to. He was such an essential part to the group that life without him scared them. But they knew that as time went on, and days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months, and months turned into years, that the group dynamic would change. Some would die, some would leave, and others may join the group. The world had changed, and so they had to change with the world.

"He's awake," Rick said, his words bringing comfort and happiness to each individual. He watched as they all hugged amongst each other, knowing that the reason why their smiles were so bright was because each of them shared a special and separate memory with Glenn. Glenn, to them, wasn't just a friend. He was a brother, an uncle, a brother-in-law and a son-in-law. He meant the world to every single person within the group, and his survival meant the world to them.

"How is he?" Lori asked, stepping forward to wrap her arms around Rick. Rick welcomed the hug, and as he wrapped his arms around her, he felt her bump touch his stomach. It made him uneasy, knowing that the paternity of the child was questioned. He wanted nothing more than to be the father of Lori's unborn child, and he knew that he kept his distance regarding the journey that couples go through when they're expecting a child. He should've been excited about the new arrival and addition to the group, but he wasn't. It was horrible to think that his wife, who he had loved for so long and who had given him the greatest gift possible in the shape of their first born, had been with another man. And not just another man but his best friend, Shane. What if Shane was the father of the baby? What if the baby was just a constant reminder of that? Would he accept the baby as his own, knowing that Lori would need him more than ever once the child was born? He wasn't sure.

"He's weak, but he's awake," Rick answered. "I was speaking with Anna in the infirmary when he took a turn for the worst. Thankfully Maggie wasn't there and was getting Anna some food. He was struggling for air, and he was starting to go into shock, and Anna took initiative and quickly injected him... in the heart."

"What?" Lori asked, her eyes narrowing. Rick watched as the group's attention became focused on him even more.

"It was the only way we could ensure that it would get into his system before the inevitable happened," Rick replied.

"She was right to do so," Hershel said. "She's smart. Not many people know to do that."

Rick nodded at the older man. "She didn't want to waste time and look for a vein. He went into shock, which Anna said would be expected due to the new blood being added to his system. And then he opened his eyes."

"What will happen now?" Carl interjected, an unrelenting smile on his face.

"He'll stay in the infirmary for a few weeks or until he's ready to move around," Rick said. "His recovery is going to be slow, and without a hospital, he's going to need us all to help him out. But it looks good. He's awake, and that's all that matters."

"Can we go see him?" Carl and Sophia said in unison.

"Soon," Rick replied. "Let's allow him to wake up properly. He's slightly confused at the moment, but we'll go see him once he's ready."

Rick left the cell block at that moment, leaving the remaining members of the group to excitedly prepare to see Glenn. He walked down the corridor towards the infirmary and came to a stop when he saw Anna sat outside on one of the chairs eating from the bowl of oatmeal. She was eating slowly, oblivious to the fact that she had company.

She was grateful for the portion of oatmeal that Maggie had given her. She hadn't eaten much over the past few weeks, and her stomach, although it had decreased in size over time, no longer had a dull rumble every time there was a moment of silence. She knew that this would be the last proper meal she would have for the next few weeks as she made her way to Washington, and she was savouring every last spoonful of it. Once the last spoonful of it had entered her mouth, she placed the bowl onto the chair beside her, and pulled her backpack up from the floor. She pulled her journal and pen out, and allowed her backpack to fall gracefully onto the floor.

Anna began writing. She needed to write not only for Washington to know what she had gotten up to for the past few months since leaving the CDC, she had to write for herself. She needed to remember things, whether it be how many people she saw that day, what she had eaten, what had happened to her, or any dangers that arose. It had become almost compulsory to write things down, and it had quickly become a comfort to her. She would sit at the end of the day, before the sun disappeared, and she would write about anything she wanted. Usually it was just her rambling on, with the journal becoming a friend to her over the time she had started doing it, but she didn't care if parts of it didn't make sense upon later reading.

"I know you're there," Anna said, finishing up her writing. She had only made a quick note about what had happened with Glenn. She didn't elaborate with the fact that she had used some of the blood she was supposed to take to Washington with her. No one would know. If it meant Glenn's safety and the group's safety, the Washington base didn't need to know.

Rick came out of the shadow. "You're good."

Anna placed the journal and pen back into her backpack. Rick came forward and took a seat on the row of chairs opposite her. "I thought that they should have a moment together. I couldn't take being the third wheel for much longer."

Rick smirked and nodded. "Thank you."

Anna shrugged. "He did it all."

"But if it wasn't for you, being in the woods and finding Sophia and Carl, and taking that chance with Glenn... we would be saying goodbye to all three of them."

Anna redirected her gaze from Rick to her hands, where she was picking the skin from around her thumb. "It's okay."

"You're leaving, aren't you?" Rick asked, seeing all her belongings lined up in front of her.

Anna glanced down at what Rick was motioning towards and kicked herself. She thought she was being discreet. Anna nodded. "I have to get to Washington."

Rick nodded. He wanted to approach the subject of her staying with the group but he knew she would decline the offer. He didn't give out offers to join the group to just anyone. They had to prove themselves to him and the others, and Anna had proved herself to them all. She had brought Glenn back from the brink of death with a possible cure. She was important to the group. She could potentially give the group answers to the questions they all had.

"You can stay," Rick said, cursing himself for asking. "Here. At the prison. We have room for you. You'd be a great asset to this group."

Anna stared at him for a moment. She could see the desperation in his face. Did they need her more than they had originally thought? Did she need them more than she initially thought? It was tempting. The group worked well together, from what Maggie had told her. They were good people, she knew that. She could see that as soon as she got to the prison and saw everyone. They were good people, and the world needed that.

"I have to get to-" Anna began but was cut off.

"Washington," Rick said. "We could help each other."

"Can I think about it?" Anna asked. "It's not a yes, but it's not a no. It's just... I'm not used to being around others."

"That's okay. As long as you think about it," Rick said. "Stay here for a few days, get a decent nights sleep, and see how it goes."

Anna gave him a nod. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Is there any possible way I could freshen up a little?" Anna asked. "You always know you should when you can start to smell yourself."

Rick smirked and released a husky chuckle. "Sure. We have showers just down there," he said, pointing down the corridor. "There's towels already in there."

"Thank you," Anna said, standing up and applying her backpack to her body.

"It's okay," Rick said. "I should warn you though. The water is only warm for five minutes, and then it gets shockingly cold."

Anna smirked and nodded. "Noted."

Rick watched as Anna walked down the corridor towards the showers.

The rest of the day was spent with the group spending time with Glenn. Once Maggie had left the infirmary, and made her way towards the cell block, the group split into twos to visit Glenn. The excitement within the group had reached its peak at being able to see their friend. To them, he looked pale and sickly but compared to how he was, when he was brought back to the prison after the incident, he looked a lot better. For Maggie, it was nice to hear his voice again. She didn't realise just how much his voice calmed her and made her feel better, it was like her comfort blanket.

Anna was sat in the cell block, watching as it was Carl's and Sophia's turn to see Glenn. They had sat with her when she came back from the showers, and they had played a few card games as the rest of the group went to see Glenn. Their visit had been kept last which meant that Glenn, in Maggie's words, could prepare for their excited hugs and squeals of delight. It was nice to see how the children cared about Glenn. To them, he was like a brother to them. They were able to go to him and speak about anything that was worrying them, and Glenn was the mediator, speaking for the children around the adults.

She absentmindedly reached for the back of her head, and thought for a moment. When she had been in the shower, she had found that her scalp had healed which had caused her to panic slightly. She had never known a wound to heal at such an accelerated speed before. Some people healed quicker than others, but she was more of the latter. She bruised like a peach. She thought of the possibilities that could've caused it to happen and maybe Lilly, the woman who had patched her up at Woodbury, had stitched her up to a high standard to the point where the wound had healed. But it was only a few hours ago when Rick had entered the infirmary and asked her about the wound, and she was pretty sure that it looked bad and the wound was still there. The confusion began to set in.

The other thing she could think of, which had been plaguing her mind for an hour or so, was the blood that had been injected into her when she was ill at the CDC, and the same blood that she had given to Glenn just a few hours ago. Would that have any effect on her body, causing her to heal quicker than she had anticipated? And if so, would Glenn experience the same? She knew that she would have to watch out for Glenn's wound, which would mean that she would have to stay with the group for a few more days to keep an eye out on Glenn.

Her attention was brought back to reality when Carl and Sophia re-entered the cell block, bright smiles etched across their faces. They made their way towards her, which caused the majority of the group to watch them with furrowed brows. They came to a stop in front of her.

"Glenn wants to meet you," Sophia said, happily.

"He said he wants to put a face to a name," Carl added.

Anna glanced over at Rick who was stood with Hershel. He nodded, with a soft smile on his face. She stood from the bench and made her way towards the infirmary, aware of the eyes boring into her as she made her exit from the cell block. The walk to the infirmary was a relatively short one, but for Anna, in this moment, it seemed like it was the longest walk of her life. She came to the doors to the infirmary, and took a deep breath. She pushed open the door and was welcomed to Glenn sat up in bed, with a fresh bandage wrapped around his chest and protecting his wound from potential invisible threats in the air.

"Hey," Glenn whispered, his voice hoarse and croaky.

"Hi," Anna responded. "How are you feeling?"

"Good, I'm good," Glenn said. "I've heard a lot about you."

"I've heard a lot about you too," Anna smiled softly.

"The kids speak highly of you," Glenn said. "They said that you took all the walkers down with your bare hands."

"That's a slight exaggeration," Anna chuckled gently.

"I thought it was," Glenn replied, smirking. "You can't beat their imagination. They're good kids, funny as hell."

"I can imagine," Anna said.

"I should thank you," Glenn said, coughing. He winced as he pulled his stitches. "For taking the chance you did. You saw the opportunity and you took it, so thank you. I really mean it."

"No worries," Anna said. "Everyone deserves a second chance, and your time wasn't up."

"Rick mentioned something about you staying here, and that you're thinking about it," Glenn replied. "We could help you get to Washington. For what you've done for us, we'll help you get there."

It was an offer that caused fear to grasp her heart. These people... the people she met the night before would help her in a way unlike anyone had ever helped her. Rick and Glenn had obviously spoken about repaying her, by helping her get to Washington, for what she did. It was a big reward, but it was one that left her on edge, and one she hardly deserved. All it was was she was in the right place at the right time. Unlike what happened with The Governor, she was actually welcomed into the group with the promise that she could help Glenn. She had helped him, and now, they were willing to help her without a second thought.

An uneasy feeling washed over her and she swallowed the bile that rose to her throat. People who got too close to her always got hurt. She was cursed.


	25. Ascendancy

_Chapter Twenty-Four_

_Ascendancy_

It was in the moment when Abraham entered Woodbury that he knew he had walked into a trap. All it took was a gut feeling, and the hairs on the back of his neck to rise to know when to not trust something. He trusted his gut feeling, he had to. It had proved him right more times than he could physically count and he trusted it to no end. There had been so many times in the past when he had dodged a dangerous situation by the a fingertip and it had been his gut feeling warning him. As he glanced around at Woodbury, the place that promised salvation and hope, he knew that his gut feeling in that moment was right. He couldn't trust the place or anyone in it. He moved his attention towards Rosita who was looking around at the old buildings with a smile on her face. It had been the first time in a long time that they had seen a town that was thriving with people and stories but for Abraham, he knew that it was giving the impression of being an ideal place to live when in fact it was a façade. He wondered what went on behind doors.

A tall man about the same height as Abraham stepped forward, and stopped in front of the new arrivals. Abraham gave him a once over, his eyes scanning across every little detail that Abraham could see. He had an eye patch covering his right eye, his fists were tightly clenched together to the point his knuckles were turning white, and his gaze in his remaining eye focussed on Merle who was stood to the left of Abraham. Milton stepped forward, whispering something to the man to which the man nodded.

"Come with me," Milton said. "Let's get your wife to the nurse."

Morgan, Jenny and Duane all made to follow behind Milton. The man who had walked up to them made a sound that stopped them.

"The boy stays with us," he said.

Abraham furrowed his brow but remained silent. He watched as Jenny gave Duane a weak kiss upon the forehead and glanced over at him.

"We'll look after him," Abraham said. Morgan gave him an appreciative nod of the head, before they followed Milton towards the nurse. Rosita stepped forward and rested an arm over Duane's shoulders.

"The name is The Governor," he said. "I know you've met Merle, Martinez and Milton here."

"I'm Rosita," Rosita replied. "This is Duane, and Abraham."

"Before you fully enter Woodbury, your weapons will be taken from you," The Governor said.

Before he or Rosita could protest, The Governor raised a hand up to prevent them from talking. He continued. "It's a safety precaution that everyone has to abide by. We, as Woodbury, prefer a no weapon rule. The guards as you see around us are the only ones who have weapons, and if I'm being totally honest, I trust them with my life. Once the introductory process is over, you may request for your weapons to be returned to you which will be taken to a board of people and left for them to decide."

"Are you on that board?" Abraham spoke up.

"I am, yes," he said.

Abraham smirked and nodded. "Thought so."

"You may want to act reasonably and treat me with some respect, because if you didn't know already, I'm the leader of this place," he said. "Martinez will show you to the rooms where you can get cleaned up. We don't want you to scare the children here. They're scared enough with what's going on over the fence."

"Thank you," Rosita said, following Martinez. Morgan kept close to Rosita as they made their way to the check in rooms.

Abraham, however, remained where was. He was unsure about the guy, and his gut feeling was unavoidable. It was like a warning signal. The man standing before him watched him cautiously, noticing the way the red head looked at him. He was making a mental note of every little detail of him, and he knew exactly what he was doing. He'd seen it before, a few days ago. It angered him to know that there were people in this world who would raise an eyebrow at him and Woodbury, whereas other people, like Rosita, would fall for the façade that Woodbury gave hook, line and sinker. It amused him knowing the fact that people were so desperation for salvation, for a place to feel safe, that they would welcome any given place in the hope that it would give them everything they wanted.

"Another thing," The Governor said. Rosita and Duane came to a halt, and turned to The Governor. Her eyes flicked towards Abraham, and saw the stern look etched across his face. "Welcome to Woodbury."

The Governor walked away from the small group at that moment, and Abraham watched him leave. He turned towards Rosita who explored his face for any emotion. He shook his head gently, and Rosita nodded. Martinez began walking in the direction of the admission building and the trio followed after him. Once Martinez had left and had left the three of them to settle in as much as they could, Abraham turned to Rosita.

"This place..." he began. "I don't trust it."

"What's not to trust?" Rosita countered.

"Let's see," Abraham began. "The leader of this place calls himself 'The Governor'. He has a real name, and he chooses to call himself that. And everything, I don't know what it is, but it doesn't feel right. We need to leave."

"Okay..." Rosita said. "Let's just see how the next few days go. Morgan and Jenny need us. Duane needs us. If we just up and leave, where will that leave us? On the road with nothing. We've been doing that for so long now, Abraham. We've been trying to find a place like this for months now, and we haven't found it. Until now. We need Jenny to get better, and until then, we can't leave here."

"As soon as she's better, we leave," Abraham ordered. "I'm gonna go for a walk. See what goes on around here."

Abraham found himself walking around Woodbury with narrowed eyes and questions entering his mind. He was on edge as he walked by various people deep in conversation. He captured snippets of their conversations and found that they weren't too important to take a mental note of. Woodbury was a quaint town which would've thrived before the outbreak.

He wanted to trust this place. He didn't just have to think about himself, he had other people who needed him to make good decisions that would benefit them and keep them safe. They had made a mistake, and Jenny was hurt. He knew he should've listened to Rosita when she had told him to go the other way, but he was sure it was that way. He had been wrong, and Jenny paid the price. Over the past few weeks when he had stumbled across Morgan, Jenny and Duane, they had quickly become friends. He didn't trust a lot of people, but they were good people and just wanted the best for their son: a roof over his head. He wanted to help them as much as possible.

"You shouldn't be out here."

A voice behind him caught his attention and his footing came to a halt. He turned slightly, and observed the person who had interrupted his walk. A woman with long dreadlocks stood there, her eyes boring into him. He closed his eyes for a moment, cursing himself for thinking that he was able to get so far into Woodbury without catching the attention of one of the guards on duty.

"Are you going to tell him?" Abraham asked, to which the woman shook her head.

"Why would I tell _him_?" she asked. "The least he knows, the better."

"You a guard?"

"Nope," she said, stepping closer to him. "I'm Michonne."

"Abraham," he replied.

"You don't trust this place, do you?" Michonne asked. "I saw you when you entered. There was a girl who had the same look on her face. Army girl."

"Oh yeah?" Abraham asked, furrowing his brow.

"Yeah," Michonne replied. She motioned towards his attire. "You're in the army, right?"

"Yes ma'am," Abraham said. "What's her name?"

"Anna," Michonne replied, confusion etched across her face as she watched Abraham's eyes grow wide. He took a deep breath. "You know her or something?"

"She was a colleague of mine," Abraham replied. "Is she still here? What happened to her?

Michonne shook her head. "I think they killed her."


	26. Ambiguity

_Chapter Twenty-Five_

_Ambiguity_

It was planned later than evening for Anna to show the group where Woodbury was. Rick had told Daryl and T-Dog about the possibility of having someone coming to them and wanting to claim the prison as their own. Daryl and T-Dog had shared the same feeling of wanting to protect the prison with everything in their might, knowing just how hard it was for them to find it. They had spent months on the road, living day to day, and trying to keep the group protected from outside threats. Living outside for so long, they had grown accustomed to always being on guard. Any sounds and any movements on the outside automatically made them on edge, knowing that the protection of the group was essential and the most important. The most important thing was that they were kept safe and away from any type of danger from the living or the dead. Rick knew he had to tell the group about the potential threat to the prison and to their home, and he knew he had to tell them soon. He didn't know when Anna would decide to leave the prison, but he knew when she did leave, they would be one person down.

He had decided to tell them when Anna had gone to see Glenn. With her out of the way when he told them, he knew Daryl wouldn't fly off the handle and direct his anger towards her. He would be able to calm him down before Anna came back to the cell block. He knew that Daryl's anger was only there because he cared for the group more than he had originally anticipated and realised. And Anna was vital to them. She had information that they needed, and he couldn't afford Daryl's anger to cause her to leave before they could find out more about Woodbury, The Governor and the plans she had overheard. Rick hoped, with everything he had, that it wasn't their prison she had heard The Governor talking about.

"Ya sure ya can trust this girl?" Daryl said, bitterly.

"Yes," Rick said. "I do."

"It's funny that she shows up out the blue in the woods with my brother. Claims to only have met him the same day and that he pistol whipped her," Daryl explained. "Then she tells ya that she overheard The Governor and Merle talk about a prison. Ya sure she ain't with them and this is her game plan all along?"

"It's likely," T-Dog said. "She could be in on the plan. They use her as bait to gather information about this place and about us, and then before we know it, the whole of Woodbury swarms our asses and takes this place."

"I don't think she's lying," Rick said. "I saw it in her eyes. I'm good at reading people. I know when someone's lying to me or telling the truth. She's telling the truth."

"So ya don't think she'd give us up if it meant she got away?" Daryl asked, pacing back and forth.

Rick shook his head. "She told us. If she was in with the whole plan, would she really tell me? She felt the need to do so. That's all I need to know she's a good person."

The sound of the door creaking open behind them caused them to quieten, and they watched as Anna entered the cell block. She glanced towards them, taking in their demeanour. Rick stared at her, searching her eyes. T-Dog was looking at her, not giving much away. Daryl narrowed his eyes at her intensely and shook his head. She furrowed her brow and walked towards the two children who were calling for her to join them with their game.

Rick kept his gaze upon Anna as she sat down at the table and started shuffling the cards that Carl had given her. He smiled at the exchange. It was nice to see Carl have someone new to talk to and hang out with. He seemed to really like her, as did Sophia. They had begun to care for her, and he was sure that Anna had begun to care for them.

"If something does happen, and she's in with them," Daryl warned. "Ya better hold me back because I'll be gunning for her."

"Understood," Rick said. "But I know it won't come to that."

It was a few hours later when Rick found Anna standing outside. She was staring up at the sky as the stars above her twinkled brightly in the darkness. She was leaning against the wall, just next to the door. She jumped when she saw Rick exit the door and turn towards her.

"You scared me," Anna said, breathing deeply.

"Sorry," Rick said. "I wasn't sure if anyone was out here. Everything okay?"

Anna nodded in the darkness. "Yeah."

"Are you sure?" Rick asked, knowing from her short answer that she was anything but okay.

"Yeah," Anna repeated. She knew that it was an opportunity to be honest, and tell him about the fear that prickled at her skin. A part of her knew that once she left the prison, she wouldn't have to worry about The Governor or the prison. It wouldn't be her problem anymore. She wouldn't have to care about any of the group. But she did. It was hard to admit that she had grown to care for the group in such a short space of time. She didn't know why. She wasn't necessarily a people person, and preferred her own company to the company of others.

"Okay," Rick said, knowing that he shouldn't push it any further. "I told Daryl and T-Dog about what you told me earlier."

"Right," Anna said. The missing puzzle pieces began to fall into place and knowing that Rick must've told them before she re-entered the cell block after speaking with Glenn from the way Daryl had looked at her.

"And I was wondering if you would speak to us about it more," Rick said. "Fill in any blanks that I'm missing."

"Sure," Anna said. "No problem."

"Can I ask you something?" Rick asked, debating whether or not to truly ask her. Daryl had put the doubt in his mind after giving him valid points regarding the way they were introduced to Anna. It did cause alarm bells to ring in his head, and he had to find out.

"Of course," Anna replied.

"Are you in with The Governor?" Rick asked.

Anna knew it would be brought up sooner or later. She was confused when Rick hadn't asked her straight after she told him about what she had overheard. It would've been the first question to come out of her mouth if it was her with a group and a stranger.

"I'm not," Anna said, wholeheartedly. "But I don't think you believe me."

"I just... have doubts," Rick replied. "It does seem like a set up. You with Merle. Merle with The Governor."

"It's totally understandable," Anna replied. "But I'm not with The Governor. I had the _pleasure_ of meeting him but I'm not in his group."

"How many walkers have you killed?"

Rick's question sounded in the darkness and Anna glanced towards him. She narrowed her gaze at him, wondering if it was to see if she was a potential threat to him and his group.

"Too many to count," Anna responded, automatically.

"How many people have you killed?" Rick asked, acknowledging her first answer.

"None."

"Why?" Rick asked, finally.

"To put a stop to this all," Anna answered. "To keep fighting."

"Would you show us where Woodbury is?" Rick asked, his eyes flicking towards the open door. He watched as Lori tentatively took a step into view, her hand caressing her bump. She watched him for a moment, and he could feel her gaze still on him when he redirected his gaze to Anna.

"Of course," she replied. "But, are you sure?"

"Yeah," he replied. "We need to know what we're dealing with. If they are talking about this prison, we need to prepare for whatever comes our way."

Anna nodded, her stomach dropping. "On foot?"

"Yeah."

"Okay," Anna said. "But one thing though."

"What?"

"If anything happens," Anna began. "Don't go back."

As night truly descended over the prison, Carl and Sophia offered to show Anna to a cell. After her talk with Rick, the group decided to allow Anna into their cell block for the night so that she could have a bed to sleep in. As Carl and Sophia lead Anna up to the spare cells, Rick told the group about the plan he had in mind. They disagreed with him at first, telling him that it wasn't the right time. With one man down, the group were vulnerable. As Rick argued that with they might have been one man down, but they had Anna on their side. He trusted her, which for him, was all that mattered. He trusted the group, but as the months rolled on after the outbreak, he found it difficult to trust others that approached the group. He wanted to believe that Anna was being truthful and honest with him, and he wouldn't know for sure until the next day when they would come face to face with Woodbury. He made sure to tell them that if Anna was lying, if everything she had told him was a lie, that he would handle it.

Anna sat on the bed in the cell she had chosen, and stared at the wall. She was exhausted. She hadn't felt it until now, and her body was starting to fail. All she wanted to do was to lay down and close her eyes, allowing sleep to welcome her and allow her to drift off. After the long months of being on the road, spending hours walking to her next pit stop, and then having broken spells of sleep as she kept watch during the night to ensure the dead hadn't stumbled close to where she had set up home for the night. But the figure outside the cell door prevented her from finding comfort in her temporary room.

Daryl filled the doorway with his crossbow that hung over his shoulder. She glanced over at him and stared at him in the darkness, the moon behind him casting a golden light around him. She could sense his eyes boring into her.

"If I find out ya been lying to us," Daryl began, his voice low and husky. "I'll have no choice but to put an arrow between ya eyes." And with that, he was gone.

Anna's gaze remained on the empty doorway. She heard by the tone in his words that he truly meant it.


	27. Impact

_Chapter Twenty-Six_

_Impact_

The morning arrived much sooner than Anna had anticipated. Sleep had welcomed her as soon as her rested upon the pillow, and dreams of a better life were soon to greet her. Her sleep was broken during the night at various hours, and even though it was quality sleep in between her waking up suddenly and slumbering that made her feel truly rested. She was aware, in the early hours of the morning, of movement outside of her cell, and the moon had allowed the shadowy figure to be projected onto the sheet attached to the cell door. She noticed the crossbow attached to the person's shoulder and understood that it had been Daryl. The first few times of him appearing in front of her cell, she was sure that he was going to kill her when everyone was sleeping. He only had to put a pillow over her face and to be ready for a struggle as she fought for her life. But after it kept happening during the night, she understood that if he was going to do anything, he would've done it sooner.

She pulled herself out of bed and stretched, feeling the bones in her back crack in protest from the months of sleeping rough. The urge to slip back into bed was tempting but she knew that getting comfortable would be a bad idea. Anna stood and reapplied the clothes she had taken off, noticing the slight chill in the air. She checked her watch and found that it was just after six in the morning and the sky was still dark outside. She was used to waking up at this time, for her day began early enough so that she didn't lose too many hours in the day. She had always been an early bird, and with thanks to her career in the army, she was able to keep the schedule and routine that had been implemented into her life from a young age. Routine had always been important for her, and it was hard in the world now to continue such a routine when everything else had fallen through. She had to be strict with herself, and be lazy when it came from getting to point A to point B. She needed to wake at a certain time; eat at a certain time; rest at a certain time; find shelter for the night at a certain time. Everything in her life had to be planned for her to know what she was doing and where she stood in a world where boundaries meant nothing anymore. She had nothing left in the world, apart from her routine, and she wasn't going to give it up easily.

She gathered her belongings she had laid out and packed them into her bag. Pulling open the cell door as quietly as she could, acknowledging the soft snores coming from the cells around and beneath her, she moved downstairs to the main area that the group resided in and made her way to the rounded table that had once served as a resting place for prisoners. She noticed the door to the small courtyard was open, and feeling the uncertainty swirl around her stomach, she made her way towards the open door. The cool air instantly enveloped her and she felt her body tense at the sudden change in the air. It was growing colder which meant that her travels to Washington would be much harder on foot than she had originally thought. It would mean finding a vehicle substantial enough to take her all the way to Washington, and finding enough gas that would actually get her there. She looked around at the courtyard and found Rick sitting on the ground with his eyes closed.

She moved towards him, and coughed gently to gain his attention. She succeeded when his eyes flickered open at her. A soft smile etched across his face and she moved closer towards him. Taking a seat near him, she laid her bag on the ground.

"Did you sleep well?" Rick asked, his voice husky.

"Like a baby," she replied, failing to mention that Daryl had remained outside her cell for most of the night. Rick probably knew that Daryl didn't trust her and knew that the man was going to keep a watchful eye on her.

"Good," Rick nodded. "When was the last time you slept in a bed?"

Anna thought for a moment. The fact that she had to even think about it was startling to her. "A long time ago, probably a few weeks before the outbreak."

"Wow," Rick exclaimed. "That's a long time. Could you get used to it again?"

Anna smirked. "Probably."

A comfortable silence surrounded them and they both took a moment to appreciate the birds tweeting in the distance. The sun was coming up in the distance, casting away the darkness slowly.

"You've got a good place here, Rick," Anna commented, allowing her eyes to sweep over the prison grounds. She noticed the makeshift farm in the distance, a walk away from them, and she smiled. They had made it work here. They had found refuge in one of the places nobody thought would work. They had made themselves a home. And it was beautiful. She had only been with them for a short period of time, and yet she had seen how well they worked together, how much of a team they all were, and how much of a family they were. They had made it work in a world where all hope was lost, but they had come out on top and were living with security and protection from the threats outside.

"You have it good here," Anna spoke, careful of her words. "The Governor... he will take away everything you love. I know men like him. He won't stop until he gets what he wants."

Rick remained silent with his eyes cast upon the approaching daylight. He would often wake before everyone else, or when Daryl or T-Dog came off watch and called for him, and he would find himself come to sit outside in the darkness for an hour before the sun came up. He would think of the life he led before the outbreak, as well as the mistakes he had made, or the plans he and the group had made, and he would think of the people they had lost over time. He would think about his situation with Lori and try to figure out what the best thing to do was, whether he should stick by her and forget about all the hurt she had caused him. He still loved her, and would never stop loving her, but she had cheated on him and it pained him to know that whilst they believed he was dead, she had found comfort in Shane. He understood that she thought he was dead, but it hurt more to know that his wife and best friend had been together. The person who was supposed to protect her in this world had betrayed him and the child she was carrying, the child that should've been theirs, could potentially be Shane's. After Carl, they had tried again for a child knowing they wanted a brother or sister for Carl, and when it didn't happen when Carl reached the age of eleven, they believed that a second child just wasn't meant to be. And even though Shane wasn't in the picture anymore, with the group deciding it was best for him to go to Fort Benning like he had wanted to do for a long time, he was still very much around; in jokes that Carl told, or in Lori's eyes when she stroked her growing stomach. Carl had taken his departure incredibly hard which was understandable, especially for him to have been left without a father for months after the world fell apart, and having to find that father figure in Shane. He liked the peace that dusk brought. It was peaceful. It always made his mind clear.

"I don't want you to put these people in danger," Anna said, watching as the sky began to brighten.

"Are you in with The Governor?" Rick asked once more. Anna remembered his questions from the night before.

"I am not," Anna responded.

Rick glanced at her and searched her eyes. He believed her. Deep down, he believed her words. The sky was lit up with pinkish and gold tones, and it was only then that he noticed that she had two different coloured eyes: one eye was blue and the other was green.

"Your eyes..." Rick began.

Anna smiled and nodded. "Heterochromia iridium."

"I've never met anyone who has it," Rick replied.

"And now you have," Anna smirked.

Rick smiled, and they both fell into a comfortable silence. Rick thought about the plans for the day, and their journey to Woodbury. Travelling anywhere made him nervous, especially when The Governor potentially wanted the prison as his own. There was so much to fight for, they had found themselves a home when the world became bleak and to have that be ripped from them, he knew what he had to do. He wouldn't go down without a fight. They wouldn't go down without a fight. They had the advantage, with Anna telling them of what The Governor had planned for them. And he believed her. There weren't many people in the world he trusted now but she was one of them. She wouldn't lie about something like that. She wouldn't have protected Sophia and Carl in the woods if she wasn't a good person. She wouldn't have saved Glenn if she wasn't a good person. He knew that he could trust whatever Anna told him, but he knew that the others were finding it difficult to trust her. She came out of nowhere, had found Sophia and Carl, and had saved Glenn. To anyone else but Rick, that sounded as if it had been planned all along. He wanted the others to trust her just like he had but so much had happened to make the group uncertain of others. So much had happened with other people that it made it hard for them to trust anyone they didn't know, and Rick understood that they were grateful for Glenn's well-being. Without Anna, his next few days would've been bleak and full of goodbye's as his body would've begun to shut down. But now, he was able to look forward to the future, and to not have his life cut short. Glenn would eternally be grateful to Anna, and Rick respected that.

He knew he was giving Anna a hard time. But he knew that she would prove herself to him with every test he put her through. Her intentions were clear, he just had to make the others see that.

"You're leaving, aren't you?" Rick asked, knowing the answer before Anna had to say it.

"I'll show you Woodbury," Anna began. "And then I'm going to set off."

"Washington..." Rick replied, more of a statement than a question. Anna nodded regardless.

"I just want to thank for giving me a place to sleep for the last few days," Anna said. "I really appreciate it. You're all good people. Keep fighting, never give up, okay?"

Rick turned to look at Anna, his eyes furrowed. "Thank you for what you did to Glenn. Without that, he wouldn't be here. Whenever you're around here, you've got a place to stay."

Anna smirked and let out a soft chuckle. "Thanks."

As the sun began to shine down on the prison, life within the prison began to stir and the group began to wake from their slumber. Rick left Anna shortly after their conversation to see Carl and Lori. Anna remained outside, her eyes scanning the immediate area, hearing the buzz of chatter inside the prison behind her. She heard footsteps behind her and turned slowly to see Carol make her way towards her. The older woman kept her eyes upon the ground, before she gazed towards Anna. A soft smile etched across her face.

"Rick told me you're leaving us today," Carol spoke softly, and Anna nodded. "Are you sure you don't want to stay with us? Sophia will be sad to know that you're leaving us."

Anna offered a sad smile, and bit her lip. "Any other circumstance, I would stay in a heartbeat. But I have to go."

Carol nodded. "When were you thinking of leaving?"

"When everyone comes back to the prison, I'm going to carry on," Anna explained.

"I better give you this," Carol said, extending her arm toward Anna. "Sophia wanted me to give this to you, but she was hoping you'd stay."

Anna glanced at the small box in Carol's hand, and furrowed her brow. "That's very sweet of her," Anna said, taking the box in her hand.

"Open it..."

Anna lifted the box lid and smiled sadly. Tears stung her eyes and threatened to fall. The necklace twinkled brightly in the sunshine. It was beautiful. It was a locket necklace adorned with a Lapis Lazuli matrix stone. Anna never wore jewelery and was never able to find her own style. But this... she loved it.

"We found it a few weeks after the outbreak, and Sophia, she wanted to wait until she was older to wear it. But she wanted to give it to you," Carol explained.

"It's beautiful, thank you," Anna smiled, tears in her eyes.

"She's also written you a letter," Carol said, pointing towards the folded note underneath the necklace. "You can read it whenever you want."

"Thank you," Anna smiled. "It means so much, you have no idea."

"May I?" Carol asked, opening her arms. It took a moment for Anna to realise what Carol was referring to but nodded. She wrapped her arms around Anna, enveloping her in a motherly hug. Anna wrapped her own arms around Carol, and felt as the older woman give her a squeeze before whispering in her ear: "Thank you... for finding Sophia. And for bringing her back to me."

Carol released Anna from the hug and wiped the tears that had fallen.

"I should go," Carol said. "Breakfast is nearly ready. Are you joining us?"

Anna nodded. "I'll be there in a minute."

Carol nodded before making her way back inside. As soon as the woman was out of sight, Anna breathed out a shaky breath and felt the tears that had been threatening to fall begin to slide down her cheeks. She didn't know what upset her the most; the generosity of a young girl who had made Anna feel emotions she hadn't felt in so long, or the fact that a mother had thanked her for bringing her daughter back to her. She believed it to be both. She took a deep breath and wiped the tears from her cheeks, and made her way back inside.

Once breakfast was finished and everyone had been fed, Rick ordered for them to get ready and to make their way out to the vehicles. He believed that it was better for them to travel in vehicles so that they didn't spend the majority of the time on foot walking towards Woodbury. If they needed to make a quick getaway, they had the vehicles to rely on rather than their own stamina. It was decided that Rick and T-Dog would travel in one vehicle and Daryl and Anna would travel in the other. Daryl had requested that he be able to keep an eye on Anna, and if she tried anything, he would be able to handle it. Rick explained to Daryl that she wouldn't try anything but Daryl refused to change his mind. As Anna collected her belongings and said goodbye to the group, Daryl took a moment to watch her. He noticed how upset Sophia and Carl were at the thought of this being the last time they would ever see her. It pained him to see the children upset, as he always made sure they were okay, and that they weren't upset or scared.

"Come on," he huffed, causing Anna to turn around and look at him. She nodded, and said goodbye one last time to everyone. He led the way outside, and she followed after him. She entered the vehicle before him, and he gave one last nod towards the group before getting in, and starting the engine. They were to drive behind Rick and T-Dog, with Anna giving the leader directions towards Woodbury. She had spent her breakfast drawing out a route towards Woodbury using the map that Rick had given her. It was an hours drive to where they would leave the vehicles to go on foot.

"We ain't gonna be ambushed by ya buddy, are we?" Daryl accused. Anna smirked.

"You would love that, wouldn't you? To prove that you were right all along," Anna hit back. "Unfortunately for you, I'm not 'buddies' with him so you can pull your finger away from the trigger."

"I want to believe ya, I do. But ya don't give off the whole 'trust me' vibe," Daryl responded.

Anna shrugged. "It's kept me alive this long."

Daryl glanced towards Anna, his eyebrows furrowed. "What do ya mean?"

"If people don't trust you, it makes it easier to leave. If people trust you, it's much harder to leave," Anna explained. "It's the same with love."

"Is that so?"

Anna nodded. "Yep. We're human beings with emotions. Some lock them away like ourselves," Anna analysed. "Whereas some wear their hearts on their sleeves. There's no right or wrong. We can only go through life being a robot for so long. You care about those people a lot, more than you'd care to admit. And that's absolutely fine. It's good. It shows that they trust you and you trust them. It also shows that they love you and you love them."

"Right," Daryl said. "An' you've known us for what? Three days? Ya don't know nothing."

"What if one of them was to die now. You wouldn't be sad?" Anna asked. She stared at Daryl, watching as his face was unmoving except for his jaw clenching.

"We've lost people before," Daryl replied.

"And how did that feel?" Anna pushed. "Were you upset? I doubt that you were ecstatic."

"Can ya be quiet?"

"Sure," Anna replied, turning her attention to the scenery outside the window. The rest of the journey was silent, except for the occasional radio conversation between themselves and Rick.

It wasn't long before they reached the point where they had to leave the vehicles, and to carry on the rest of the journey on foot. It was essential that the vehicles wouldn't be seen by anyone, and thanks to Daryl, he ensured that they were hidden in the large bushes. Anna took the lead, and gave the map to the others who trailed behind her. They were walking through the woods, close to the road so that if there was a vehicle coming their way, they wouldn't be seen by anyone. She knew where she was and she knew how close Woodbury was. Her stomach was in knots as she remembered what had happened there. She felt sick, but she didn't want anyone to see how pale she had become. Woodbury was a place in which she never wanted to visit again. The stench of death being one of the reasons, and The Governor being the other.

"One thing," Anna said, coming to a stop. She turned to the others. "You'll be able to smell it, okay?"

"Smell what?" Daryl asked.

"You'll know." And with that, Anna continued walking ahead. The sooner they were there, the sooner they could leave, and the sooner she would be on her way to Washington. Daryl didn't question her any further, but soon enough, he could smell it. The smell of death hung heavily in the air, but it wasn't just the smell of death that he could sense. It was the scent of burning flesh.

They all came to a stop. He glanced towards Rick and T-Dog who had both smelled it too. He stared at Anna who seemed unfazed by the smell.

"I'm not going much further," Anna said, adamant with her decision. Truthfully, Daryl didn't blame her. "Up there, just past the tree line, you'll see Woodbury."

They all followed the direction of her pointed hand, and saw what was Woodbury. The area was a sizable place, that had been cordoned off by a large fence that wrapped itself around the buildings inside. Barracks could be seen up ahead and people with weapons walked on the platforms that had been built against the fences on the inside of the walls. Walkers were up ahead, and it wasn't long before the sound of gunshots could be heard as they managed the walkers stumbling towards them.

"The smell..." T-Dog murmured. Anna nodded.

"I'm pretty sure they find people on their drives, promise them a home and then... eat them," Anna whispered. She noticed the horrified looks on the faces of the three men. "It would seem the normal thing to do in a world where food is scarce. But there's always a problem with that. Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy."

"What's that?" Daryl inquired.

"It's infallibly lethal. I did a study on it a few years ago. Cannibals... develop Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy which is basically defined by a traffic jam of bent out of shape proteins, or prions, in the brain. The prions degrade neurological functions, which causes the symptoms of Kuru to occur in those who eat human meat, such as tremors, loss of balance, and headaches. There was an epidemic in Papua New Guinea which peaked in the fifties but it slowly declined over the next few decades. Once human meat is continuously consumed over a certain period of time, the incubation period ranges from a few years but as soon as symptoms begin to show in someone, they usually only have a few months or years to live," Anna explained. "It can also be found in animal flesh that contains an infected protein."

"Mad Cow Disease?" Rick asked.

"Precisely," Anna nodded.

"Let's get out of here," Rick exclaimed, to which the rest of them nodded, agreeing that they had seen and smelled enough. As they made their way back to the vehicles, Rick turned to Anna and thanked her.

"No worries," Anna replied. "At least you know now where they're based and how dangerous they are."

Rick nodded. "Once we get back to the prison, the vehicle you and Daryl have rode in is yours. To get you to Washington."

"Thank you," Anna replied, grateful to Rick for allowing her journey to become a little easier with the approaching Fall and Winter.

The vehicles soon came into view, and the group separated once more. Rick and T-Dog in one vehicle, and Daryl and Anna in the other. The journey back to the prison was quiet on both parts, and there was no communication between the two vehicles. Anna was mostly lost in her own thoughts, of being back on the road and on the way to Washington. She was three days behind her own schedule but with a vehicle now, she was able to quickly catch up.

"I wanna apologise," Daryl said, breaking the silence. "For everything. Thanks for all ya done for them."

"You didn't have to apologise," Anna replied. "I completely understand. It's good to not trust people sometimes."

"I hope ya get what ya want in Washington," Daryl responded.

Anna smirked. She resumed looking out of the window. Something didn't feel right. She could see the vehicle in front of her that contained Rick and T-Dog. It was at a distance in front but she could still see them up ahead. Anna moved in her seat and looked in the rear view mirror, her heart dropping as she could see a vehicle in the distance speeding up towards them.

"We're being followed," Anna said, to which Daryl looked in the mirror.

"Shit," Daryl cursed. He reached for the walkie talkie, but it happened all of a sudden. The vehicle sped up so that it was driving alongside Anna and Daryl. And the driver swerved their own vehicle into Anna's side of the car, causing their vehicle to become unsteady on the road. Anna stole an urgent glance towards the driver and saw the unmistakeable feature of an eye patch on the man. She cursed.

"It's him," was all Anna could say before the bulky vehicle smashed into them once more, sending the vehicle to swerve off the road despite Daryl's controlled driving, and to hurtle down the large hill covered in thick trees and crash at the bottom of the hill.

* * *

_Author's Note: I've slightly changed the storyline in this chapter. Shane is still alive, but the group have no idea where is. I've finally worked through my writer's block with this story and have the next few chapters written! Please read and reply, it would mean so much to know your thoughts on this, and it will also give me the confidence to write more! Thank you, and hope you enjoy the chapter!_


	28. Hunted

_Author's Note: Thank you for the response to the previous chapter! Please read and review, I love reading your thoughts and opinions on my work! Let me know what you think!_

* * *

_Chapter Twenty-Seven_

_Hunted_

Her world had become dark as soon as the vehicle came to a landing in a big heap from the considerable drop. The vehicle had rolled several times and both her and Daryl had held onto anything they could as they prepared for the impact of the drop both physically and mentally. As her consciousness came back to her in waves, she remembered holding her breath as if about to dive into a vessel of water as her stomach began to flip with anxiety. All sense and feeling had been knocked out of her momentarily and she believed, for a moment, that she had died. It wasn't until the taste of blood, from where her teeth had bit into her bottom lip, overwhelmed her mouth that she knew she was still alive. It took a few moments for her sight to come back to her, and she slowly glanced around at her surroundings. The seatbelt dug into her left side and it was only then that she realised that she was hanging upside down, and the seatbelt was the only thing holding her up from falling. She tried to remember what had happened, and with her brain fuzzy, she could recollect driving back to the prison with Daryl. Rick and T-Dog were in the vehicle ahead. And she was leaving. And then... a vehicle had come out of nowhere, and then the next minute, she was here. Hanging above the ground. Hanging above Daryl.

Daryl.

She quickly turned her attention towards the hunter and saw that he was hunched over, his entire body slumped over. He wasn't moving, and his eyes were closed. She stared at him for a moment, checking for any signs of life coming from the man. Cuts etched across his face from the impact of the crash, and she noticed a cut across his nose from where his face must've hit the steering wheel. Her hearing came back slowly, and she clasped her hands over her ears as the noises around her startled her. She could hear voices up ahead and she wondered if Rick and T-Dog had driven back towards them, wondering where they had gone or if they had heard the crash. She tried to look, but she couldn't see through the trees. Smoke filled the air, and she looked towards the bonnet of the car. That wasn't a good sign. She needed to get her and Daryl out of the vehicle just in case something happened. She thought of the vehicle that had crashed into them, she was sure there was detail she should be remembering, but her mind was cloudy. She winced as the seatbelt dug into her side more as she moved slightly.

"I'm going to get you out of here, Daryl," Anna whispered, her voice croaky. She took a deep breath and raised her hand to hold the handle above the door, then using the strength of the seat belt to her advantage, she held onto the material tightly as she kicked the front window with full force. It took three kicks for her to fully smash it, and she watched as the glass shattered and fell outwards and down the bonnet. She needed to get Daryl out of the vehicle, and even though she was strong, in the state she was in, she knew that she wasn't strong enough to lift him up and pull him out of her window.

Keeping her hand grasped around the handle above the vehicle door, she undid her seatbelt as gently as possible, knowing as soon as it released her, she would most likely fall downwards and onto the unconscious Daryl. She used her weakened body strength to hold herself up, as the seatbelt loosened around her abdomen. She felt the sudden change in gravity, and as carefully as she could, she moved slowly towards Daryl. She climbed out of the vehicle, knowing that it would be better to check on him if she wasn't in the vehicle. She opened his eyes, and saw that his pupils were dilated. She then checked the pulse in his neck, reaching under his slumped body. She waited for a moment, searching for the pulsing she wanted to hear. It took a while for her to feel it and she knew that it was much duller than she was hoping.

The voices above them grew louder and she waited. They were unclear, but she distinguished that they came from three males. She wondered if it was Rick and T-Dog but she had no clue who the third voice belonged to. It didn't sound like anyone she knew, and the other voices, she concluded, were voices she had once heard before.

The flashback of the vehicle crashing into them came back to her, and she closed her eyes as she remembered who was in the vehicle. She had seen him before the last smash of their vehicle into their own had made them swerve off the road. It was him. It had to be.

It was The Governor.

She turned her attention back onto Daryl, and reached inside to undo his seatbelt. She took a deep breath knowing that she was going to have to use her strength to pull him out of the vehicle, and even though she knew that it was only going to hurt her body further, she also knew she didn't have much of a choice. She couldn't leave him. She wouldn't leave him. Even though they didn't agree with a few things, she wasn't just going to leave him behind to fend for himself. She wasn't like that. She knelt down, and reached back inside the vehicle, allowing both arms to reach under his armpits. She wasn't sure if he had any internal bleeding and if he did, she didn't want to chance it worsening by pulling him out by his abdomen. She closed her eyes and pulled with all her might. He was much heavier than she had originally realised, and it took most of her strength to move him out of where he had landed. As soon as she lifted him up slightly and moved backwards, his body followed with her strength. Pain ripped through her body and she tried to breathe through it, knowing that once he was out of the vehicle, she would be able to check where the pain was coming from.

Hooting above her caught her attention but she continued to pull Daryl out. Fear prickled at her skin as she acknowledged that whoever was above them wasn't Rick or T-Dog. The sense of urgency began to push itself into the forefront of her mind and she knew that she had to tackle the situation she found herself in as a survivor. Daryl's legs became free at that moment and she was able to pull him out with ease, and she, as quietly as she could, pulled him out onto the ground. She allowed his body to slump down once more as she moved towards the vehicle, retrieving her bag from the foot well.

She moved towards Daryl, and rested her backpack on the floor next to him. She rummaged through her bag until she came across a small pack. She unzipped the bag and pulled out the syringe. She tried to wake Daryl once more but he was unmoving. Anna took a deep breath and pulled Daryl's arm out towards her, pulling the top off the syringe. She pierced the needle into his arm and injected the liquid in the syringe into his arm quickly. As she pulled the needle out of his arm, she placed her hand over his mouth and looked at her watch. She counted down from ten, and as soon as she got to one, she felt the warm breath of Daryl make contact with the inside of her hand. She kept her hand firmly over his mouth and he fought with her for a moment. Anna raised her free hand and placed her finger in front of her mouth. His eyes searched hers and she tipped her head towards road above them. He nodded and she released her hand from his mouth. She waited as his body got used to the adrenalin that coursed through his body.

"Adrenaline," Anna whispered. "You weren't waking up. We need to get out of here."

"Who are they?"

"The Governor," was all Anna said to Daryl, and he nodded. He stood up slowly, and moved back towards the vehicle. Anna was applying her backpack when Daryl came back over to her with his crossbow.

"What's the plan?" Daryl asked.

"We get away from here," Anna said. "We go through the woods, see what clearing we get to. I'm hoping they don't come after us."

"And what if they do?"

Anna thought for a moment. "I haven't thought of that yet."

Daryl nodded. He winced as he touched his face. He pulled his hand away from his face and saw blood on his fingers.

"It looks broken," Anna said. "We'll rest up soon and I'll take care of it."

Daryl nodded once more, and without another word, the twosome made their way through the woods. They were careful not to tread on anything on the woodland floor that would cause a sound. They couldn't afford The Governor and whoever he was with to hear them, no matter how loud or insignificant the sound was. Anna lead the way, and Daryl found it strange to be the one following her. He was always so used to taking the lead when it came to walking through the woods. She was checking all the places he was checking, and her footing was careful and thought out just like his own. They worked in silence, both of them making signals for the other. They were aware of the sounds behind them, and even though they both wanted to get away from them as quickly as possible, they didn't want to run into the dead. That was the last thing they wanted.

It was half an hour later when Anna came to a stop. She turned towards Daryl and slipped her backpack off. She knelt down on the ground and pulled her backpack open.

"How's that leg of yours?" Anna asked, pulling out the first aid kit. She opened it and pulled out a gauze and alcohol gel, waiting for an answer from the hunter.

"What?"

"I heard the weakness in your footing," Anna said bluntly. She stood and moved towards him. He allowed her to come into his personal space and even though all he wanted to do was push her away, he knew that it was best for her to check out his face. She pressed gently onto his nose, and he cursed silently.

"I thought so," Anna said, dabbing the open wound with some gauze. "It's broken."

"That's the least of my worries," Daryl croaked.

"Keep pressing this gauze onto it. I've put alcohol gel on it which will help with making sure the wound is clean," Anna said, passing the gauze to him. "Just hold still."

Daryl closed his eyes and he felt as she rested a hand upon his shoulder. The other hand reached up to his face where she placed her thumb and forefinger around his nose, and holding his breath, she forced his broken nose back into place. He cursed over and over again. She smirked at him.

"Let me look at that leg," Anna said.

"Am fine."

"Daryl," Anna pushed.

"I said I'm fine!" Daryl hissed.

Anna narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm not being funny but I don't want you to hold me up. Because that's what's going to happen if you don't let me look at your leg. I hear you moaning in pain behind me. Let me look at your leg. That's all I'm asking."

Daryl kept his gaze upon her for a moment before sighing. "Fine."

"Sit," Anna ordered. Daryl sat down on the fallen log and watched as Anna pulled up his trouser leg, hissing in pain as she did. "Shit," she murmured, to which Daryl glanced down at what she was looking at. His entire right leg was bruised, from the kneecap all the way down to his ankle. Anna pressed a finger into his calf which only made him wince and curse even more, and she nodded.

"What?" Daryl asked, noticing the look on her face.

"You have hematoma," Anna said. "It's not warm to touch which is a good sign."

"What does it mean if it's warm?" asked Daryl.

"It means there's an infection in your soft tissue," Anna explained. "It should be okay, but let me know if you feel it become warm or itchy, okay?"

Daryl nodded. Anna pulled him from his seat. At that moment, a gunshot echoed throughout the woods. Both Anna and Daryl turned in the direction of where the gunshot had come from, and waited for a moment. They glanced at each other and nodded. It had come from the direction they had just come from which meant that whoever it came from was close. Anna reapplied her backpack.

"You ready to go?" Anna asked, to which Daryl nodded. They moved forward, with Anna allowing Daryl to take the lead. She ignored the pain in her abdomen as she kept her gun poised in her hands.

The sky was beginning to darken as they went further into the woods, and Anna glanced at her watch. It was just after noon which meant that it was too early for it to be going dark, which meant only one thing. The weather was against them. The dark clouds above them seemed to portray how they were feeling as they trudged through bushes that pricked at their skin, Anna felt the beginning of rain upon her skin. It wasn't long before the sky grew even darker, casting them in an unwanted shadow, and the sounds of a thunderstorm in the distance filled their ears. They continued walking, knowing that the more footwork they did early on didn't mean they would have to do it in the storm.

Another gunshot rang through the air but this time neither of them stopped. It was close, and both of them knew that.

Anna glanced behind her and she was sure she saw movement through the thick brush, but she wasn't sure if it was her mind playing tricks on her.

"Ya know where we are?" Daryl asked from in front.

"No idea," Anna answered. The rain began to fall heavily at that moment and she knew she had to use that to her advantage. Rain covered up tracks, and washed away any evidence of life within the woods. "Wait," she said, to which Daryl stopped. Anna tipped her head towards the left and they began to walk in that direction for a while, aware that the change in direction would hopefully throw off The Governor who was following behind them.

As their pace quickened, another gunshot filled the sky and they noticed that it was in the direction far away from them. That could only mean one thing: they were following what they thought was the way they went. Daryl glanced towards Anna and smirked. Anna truly felt like she had gotten an upper hand on the situation, but that was until-

"You can only hide for so long..." a voice rang out close to them.

Daryl stopped and pulled Anna towards him as he lifted his crossbow in the direction of where the voice had come from. Anna searched the trees for movement, knowing she should've trusted her mind earlier.

"Tell your lover boy that he can't protect you forever..." the voice called out much closer now.

Anna brought the gun up, her eyes searching the trees intensely.

"I knew you weren't dead..." he shouted. "I KNEW IT! So it was a surprise for me to see you near Woodbury. I was hoping you were handing yourself in to me. It would've made it so much easier but not nearly as much fun as this is."

Daryl glanced towards Anna. He aimed his crossbow towards the sound of the voice. He had to think fast.

"That's why seeing you today made me so excited," The Governor spoke. "Because I know that I'm going to enjoy squeezing the life out of you."

Daryl turned to Anna, and quietly as possible, he whispered: "Run."

Anna didn't need to be told twice, and the two of them raced through the trees quickly. They both ignored their injuries as they ploughed through the woods, willing for their legs to continue to carry them further away from The Governor and his intentions. Daryl heard out for any signs of them closing in on them, but he couldn't hear anything. The rain was coming down now which prevented them both from listening out for any signs.

They came to a stop, their lungs burning.

"They're hunting us," Daryl whispered. Anna clenched her jaw and closed her eyes tightly.

"Go," Anna said.

"What?"

"Go," Anna repeated. "He only wants me. You should go. Go back to the prison and forget about all of this. Tell them that I left. Tell them that I went to Washington."

"I ain't leaving ya," Daryl said, adamant.

"I'm not dragging you into this," Anna said. "He wants me. He'll go through you to get to me. You still have time to get out of here before he comes."

"No."

"Please," Anna pleaded. "This isn't your fight."

Daryl shook his fight. "No, it ain't. But he's made it mine. And I ain't leaving ya. Ya got me out of that vehicle. Ya could've left me but you didn't. Others would've left me there but you didn't."

"Daryl..."

"End of story," Daryl said. "Come. He could'a caught up with us."

Anna nodded and offered a grateful smile to Daryl. He reciprocated it, and they continued onwards. It wasn't long before they came to a clearing. Anna wasn't sure if it was her mind playing tricks on her again but vehicle came into view.

"Ya see it?" Daryl asked, to which Anna nodded. "Let's check it out."

She believed it was too good to be true, that they were able to get away from The Governor. Being on foot was only good for so long, and when they needed to get away from danger, it was probably the worst idea. With The Governor being so close, and closing in on them with every second that passed by, they knew a vehicle was what they needed.

But a loud crack sounded next to her as an object was swung from the sides of the clearing, and connected with Daryl's face. Daryl fell to the ground in a heap.

"We meet again," The Governor's voice echoed around her.

It was too good to be true


	29. Volatile

_Chapter Twenty-Eight_

_Volatile_

Philip Blake wasn't always a man looking for revenge.

Philip Blake was a normal man once, with a wife, a daughter, and a dead end job. He had a plain and mediocre life once. He wanted so much more from his life, but his wife was happy with their situation. He hated her for it, and cursed her every day for waving him off to work as she stayed home as he worked for the money to keep their mediocre house above their heads. He had always wanted a family, and despite his difficult childhood and upbringing, he was happy when his daughter Penny came along. He was finally able to be a father to her, unlike his own. He never spoke about his childhood to anyone, not even his wife. He knew that she would look at him differently, wondering how he was so normal after everything that happened. So he stayed silent, and just worked his fingers to the bone for the little income he brought in. It was enough to keep the roof over their heads, and enough to put food on the table, but it was never enough to spend on a holiday. He always wanted to go on holiday and experience life for everything it had to offer, but that only happened in his dreams.

Under the façade of the normal working man was a man who hated the world. He hated his colleagues who would boast about their pay rises when he was on the same wage as when he started within the company; he hated his wife for never wanting more from life; he hated his father for inflicting so much damage upon him; and he hated his brother for trying to stand up for Philip when Philip was too young to understand that his father hurting him was wrong.

But there was one thing in his life that he didn't hate. His daughter. The only good thing that came out of a relationship that had been rushed.

Philip and his wife had only been seeing each other for the best part of two months when they found out she was expecting. It had been a shock to them both, with Philip proposing to Angela a few nights after their pregnancy was confirmed. He saw it as a way of starting fresh. This was his child growing in Angela's stomach, this wasn't just nothing. He didn't want to make the same mistakes his parents made with him, he wanted to be there for their child and do everything in his power to ensure their childhood was full of love, hope and fun.

And he was happy, for the most part. He became a father to a bouncing baby girl who they called Penny and he fell in love with Angela for giving him such a precious gift. He saw a future, which seemed almost unbearable before. Every day was special with Penny and he loved every single moment he spent with her. He loved teaching her how to talk and walk; he loved showing her right from wrong; he loved teaching her how to play soccer; he loved teaching her how to draw; and he loved the moments they shared together when he would tell a joke and she would laugh so hard tears would escape from her eyes. He loved her. And they were so close, that the thought of her being away from made him feel sick. He loved reading her stories at bedtime, and watching as his little person drifted off to sleep. He even missed her when she was asleep. When he would have to go on business trips and leave Penny at home for a few days were the moments in which he appreciated his plain and mediocre life. For one, he was able to spend it with a beautiful little person called Penny, and two, he knew that their reunion would be extra special. He always looked forward to coming home to her and being able to squeeze her and tell her how much he missed her.

And then the unthinkable happened, and his whole world crumbled around him.

His wife and daughter were gone.

They had been taken away from him in the blink of an eye. It didn't seem real when he opened the door to the police, thinking it was his daughter ringing the doorbell. Angela and Penny had gone out to get some pizza and ice cream after school for dinner, and he had come home to an empty house looking forward to their end of week treat. He didn't believe it for a moment, thinking that it was some cruel joke. But the police had explained to him again that the driver of the vehicle that had crashed into their own vehicle had been intoxicated and was driving home from the bar when he lost control of the vehicle and he drove head first into his wife and daughter. The driver had been drinking all day and had been so intoxicated that he was able to walk away from the crash unscathed, not realising that his actions had caused another man to lose everything.

He no longer had his daughter to hug at the end of a hard day at work; he no longer had his daughter to tell him about her day at school; he no longer had his daughter to remind him to find the good things in life. He just didn't understand why it happened to him.

The driver was acquitted due to unknown reasons and he was able to walk free. He didn't have to pay for taking his wife and child away. He didn't have to live each day knowing that he had lost the most important people in his life. He didn't wake up in the middle of the night believing that Penny was crying in her sleep from a nightmare only to walk into her room and see a bed that hadn't been slept in for months. He didn't have to wake up each day and contemplate ending everything and joining them.

Philip became bitter to everyone around him. He didn't care if people were offended with his words. He didn't care if he was called into his bosses office after receiving complaints. He just didn't care. Everything in his life had been taken away from him and no one but him was paying for it.

He would often check up on the man who killed his wife and daughter. He would often follow him as he made his way around town. The man would never recognise him. He was biding his time, but he know that one day, he was going to his own revenge and nothing was going to stand in his way. And Philip allowed his name to burn in his mind.

_Michael Carlisle._

* * *

The devil can disguise himself as many things, and this time, it disguised himself as Philip Blake.

After the death of his wife and daughter caused his life to spiral out of control, the outbreak was the only thing that made the monster rear its ugly head. He had always known The Governor was his alter ego and he felt powerful. He was ruthless. He was a man on a mission. He was obsessed with protecting the people he cared about most, and in the outbreak, that was seen as a heroic thing to do. But deep down, Philip hated heroes. His brother tried to be a hero when he tried to stand up for Philip against their father who was beating Philip senseless, but his brother's attempts were futile. He portrayed a man who cared about other people but underneath it all and behind closed doors, he was only using them for his own protection.

He had a charm about him that men respected and women admired. He captured the attention of every single woman he came into contact with and he enjoyed it. Relished in it even. They didn't know that he enjoyed slaughtering innocent people looking for salvation. They didn't know that he enjoyed welcoming survivors into Woodbury only for them to be escorted down to the tombs where they would be put to death and be served up to the other residents as dinner. No one suspected a thing, and it made him feel invincible.

He never made enemies but when he saw her through the trees that day, he couldn't believe his luck. He had to look twice to make sure that it was really her, and he even had to pull out the newspaper clipping he always kept in his shirt pocket to verify it. He thought it was fate, but he wasn't a big believer in it. He had finally found the reason why Michael had been acquitted. His daughter, the army brat. Her grainy picture in the newspaper had imprinted itself onto his brain as Michael had used her as an excuse. Philip didn't know how that was even possible but it happened.

The temptation to smash her brains in was hard to dismiss when she stood a few metres in front of him, completely oblivious to who he was. She was probably completely oblivious to her own role in getting her father off a huge prison term. She had a similar relationship with her father as he had with his own. And he knew that Merle hadn't killed her that day. The man couldn't lie for toffee. He saw it written all over his face, and he noticed the way Merle avoided eye contact with him. He hadn't fulfilled his orders, and he was biding his time in finding the best way to punish Merle.

He had sent scouts out every hour to look for her. He was hoping that she had gotten away, left Woodbury in her rear view mirror because she didn't know the sort of danger she would be in when he found her again. So when he was radioed by one of the scouts on the wall who had noticed suspicious activity in the tree line, he had a gut feeling that it was her. He was hoping that it was her. And when he saw her talking to a man with a crossbow as they got back into their vehicle, he knew that it was his lucky day. He had followed them and caused them to swerve off the road. He wanted her to be vulnerable. He wanted her to be fearing for her life in the woods. He wanted to feel like she was being hunted. And he got just that.

And seeing her standing in front of him again, her eyes searching the unconscious body of her friend, he saw fear etch across her face.

"We meet again," he said, sarcastically.

Anna's gaze flicked towards him for a moment as she searched his eyes, and then flicked back down to the man on the ground.

"I thought you'd be smarter than that," The Governor said. "To fall for that trick is just stupid."

Anna refused to look at him. He smirked at that fact.

"I like to call it a mirage," he continued, referring to the vehicle. "_Look at me_."

When Anna refused to look at him once more, he charged towards her. She held her stance and never once faltered when he closed the gap between them. He noticed the height difference at that moment. She was used to this. It happened occasionally that it became a daily habit of her father's to try and make her feel small and insignificant. She had learned the trick of standing tall, and not backing down. It was then that she looked at him, and she saw the hate in his eyes.

"I guess you're wondering why I'm standing in front of you ri-" The Governor was cut off, as Anna spoke.

"I'm wondering why you just knocked my friend out cold," Anna said. "For no apparent reason."

"Let me speak," The Governor hissed.

Anna smirked and never glanced away. "Go on."

"There is a reason for it," The Governor. "All of which will soon be revealed."

The Governor indicated to Martinez to step forward, and Anna watched as the man picked Daryl up like he was a rag doll and slung him over his shoulder.

"Where are you taking him?!" Anna said, angrily. She stepped forward but was stopped by The Governor who in turn stepped in front of her, blocking her from seeing Daryl. "You better step out of my way..."

"Or what?!" The Governor asked, bending down so he was eye level with her. "OR WHAT?!"

Anna's jaw clenched as she stared into The Governor's eyes. Her eyes narrowed at him, as anger coursed through her body. Her eye flinched with anger, which only made The Governor smirk.

"Don't worry, _honey_," The Governor said. "You're going with him."

And with that, The Governor swung his arm with force so that his fist collided with her face. She fell to the ground ungracefully as blood from her bust lip began to stain her skin. He bent down next to her and let out a chuckle as her eyes refused to open. If it was this easy, he would've done it sooner.

The drive back to Woodbury didn't seem to take too long, and as nightfall descended over the small town, they were able to go unnoticed. The streets were empty and their plans to take their newly found captives down to the tombs went smoothly. The Governor even made a joke to Martinez who smirked in return. Knowing that some of the inhabitants of Woodbury were quite nosy, he didn't want to linger in the tombs for too long and to draw suspicion to where he and Martinez went. He made sure they were strapped to two chairs which were back to back, with their hands tied around a pole. They were still unconscious and he put his faith into Martinez to watch the door, until he found someone else to relieve him from his duty.

He wanted to make sure his plans were all ready.

It was nearly time for the main act to begin, and he couldn't wait to get the revenge he had been waiting for, for so long.


	30. In Action

_Chapter Twenty-Nine_

_Into Action_

"They're not following behind us."

Rick glanced towards the rear view mirror as T-Dog's voice filled the once quiet vehicle. The trip to Woodbury had been a success with the plan going without a hitch so far. It was a big journey for the group to have two vehicles with limited gas and with the majority of the groups weapons in the back seat, it was also tough for those left at the prison as the threat of someone being after Anna was playing on all of their minds. Rick had promised that they would be back within a couple of hours, if everything went to plan. Lori had been unsure about her husband's words even though they once reassured her. Part of her wanted to tell her husband how she felt about them travelling with a stranger on a potential hunch that came from the stranger's mouth. She wanted to trust Anna, and all the words that she confided in Rick, but part of her didn't believe her. Rick was adamant that he was going to check it out, and he promised his wife that if Anna was lying, then they were able to take care of it before they returned to the prison. A feeling of uncertainty enveloped Rick like cold water being poured down his back.

"You think it's her doing this?" T-Dog asked. "I had a bad feeling about her."

"I don't know," Rick replied. "I hope not, for her sake. I'll try and get hold of them."

He pressed the button on the side of the radio, and spoke. "Where are you, Daryl?"

When crackling was the only thing that answered them, Rick threw a glance in T-Dog's direction. T-Dog pulled over to the side of the road.

"Can you hear me, Daryl?" Rick continued, his voice cracking with worry. When crackling was their only response once more, he rubbed his chin in frustration.

"Shall we go back and see if we can spot the vehicle? They could've broken down. We're running on fumes as it is, so it's possible," T-Dog questioned. It was likely that they had just broken down, Rick thought. But surely, if they had broken down and that be the only reason as to why they weren't following behind the vehicle, why weren't they responding to his calls to them?

"I don't feel good about this," Rick sighed.

"You think she's attacked him?" T-Dog asked, turning the vehicle around and driving back the way they came.

"I'm not sure. I'm not going back on my word. I know she was telling me the truth about what she told us. She's not working with them," Rick replied, the words tasting bitter in his mouth. "If I were to guess, and I have a bad feeling about this, but he may have found her."

"Or she could've fought with Daryl. Told this Governor guy where she was, and bam," T-Dog thought out loud.

"But why tell us about the town being full of cannibals? Why tell us all that information if this was her plan all along?"

"To scare us," T-Dog replied. "To let us know what we're doing with and what we'll be dealing with once she sets us up."

Rick fell silent for a moment. The feeling that Anna had potentially lied to him and fed him lies was something that weighed heavily with him. He had trusted her. She had saved Glenn's life, and protected Carl and Sophia after finding them in the woods. He trusted her but the whole situation seemed planned. He hoped the feeling in his stomach was wrong, and she was being truthful to them. Trust was all they had, and once that was gone, the world became much harder to comprehend properly.

The roads were empty as they made their way back to where they had been. Both men shook their heads as all traces of their vehicle was gone from the roads, leaving nothing but miles and miles of greenery and land to be the only thing they could see.

"Daryl… Anna… where are you? Can you hear me?"

* * *

_"__Daryl… Anna… where are you? Can you hear me?"_

A voice came over the radio he had thrown onto his desk a few moments before, and he eyed it with curiosity. He allowed the voice to trail off, a hint of worry echoed in the man's voice. He took a seat at his desk, and lifted the radio to look at it closely. It was a simple black radio, but on the back of it was painted words with nail polish. The words 'Cell Block B' had been painted on the back of the radio and he pursed his lips together in thought.

The apartment fell into silence once the voice clicked off. They were nearby in the vicinity, which made The Governor smirk in delight. The urge to make their rounds again and collect was high but if he wanted his plan to work, he would have to wait for they would come to him. Mindless souls always did. They fell for the authority façade he put on. He was just like them, no clue of what happened to the world and no clue of what was going to happen but for the most part, he could pretend to be a friend to them all. More people on his side to do his dirty work. He had already made them eat their own without them knowing, and he wondered what else they would do if he promised them more.

Anna and Daryl had been taken to the tombs without causing a stir in the town. The tombs were situated at the back of Woodbury where the biter fights were usually held, which was a good few miles away from the residents which meant that their plan was working and in action. Merle, Martinez and Milton had brought back a handful of survivors that wasn't part of the plan, which had in turn, rumbled Merle. Merle had lied to him, which didn't sit well with The Governor. Liars had to pay. He had spoken to Martinez in a quiet corner about the plan he had, and the plans he had for Merle, and by the look of disgust that descended upon Martinez' face made him understand that his plan was brilliant.

And with that, Merle was also in the tombs situated next to his brother and the woman he lied about killing. He had a part to play in the plan. The leading part in fact.

It was nearly show time, and the excitement was beginning to kick in.

A knock at the door pulled him from his thoughts. He called out for them to enter his apartment, and replaced the sadistic smirk with a sincere one as soon as his eyes laid on Andrea. She smiled back at him, and entered the apartment.

"Hey," Andrea said, sweetly.

Philip had to stop himself from rolling his eyes at the sickly sweet voice she was putting on for him. "Hey, darlin'. Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to come see you, see how you are…" Andrea said, making her way further into the room. "Thank you for last night."

He watched as she smirked at him and traced her finger upon the surface of his desk. "Well, thank _you _for last night. You did all the work," he said, standing up to his full height which was at least a foot and a half taller than her. "I wanted to see you. I need your help."

"Oh yeah, with what?" Andrea asked.

"We have a few arrivals here at Woodbury, and let's just say, they're not the nicest of people, let me tell you. Could you make sure that you go nowhere near the tombs? I wouldn't want you to get hurt," Philip said, watching as Andrea took in the information without nothing but a nod.

"Sure," Andrea said. "But why did you bring them back if they're not nice people?"

"You know me, I want to try and save as many people as I can," Philip said.

"You can't save everybody," Andrea responded. She placed a kiss on Philip's cheek. "I have to go. I'm meeting up with Michonne. She seems to have made friends finally."

"Oh yeah? Finally taken her guard down has she?"

"Looks like it," Andrea smirked.

"Who's she getting friendly with?" Philip asked, his interest getting the better of him.

"A guy called Abraham, I think," Andrea replied. "He seems nice!"

"Oh good," he replied through gritted teeth.

* * *

Consciousness returned to Anna like a slap in the face and she took a deep intake of breath as her lungs struggled with the musty surroundings she found herself in. A tightness around her throat restricted her from getting as much air into her system as she had wanted, and she struggled for a moment, realising that the more she struggled the less air she was getting. Her hands were tied behind her back which left her without the tools to release whatever was around her neck. She wasn't sure what it was but it was unrelenting.

Something behind her groaned in pain, and grabbed her hands.

"_Stop… moving…_" a voice came from behind her. "_Can't… breathe…"_

She stopped struggling for a moment, and it was then that she understood the severity of the situation that she found herself in. Tied to a beam in the middle of a dark and dusty room by their abdomens and necks were her and Daryl.

"Daryl…" she croaked, to which he squeezed her hands.

"Try… not… to… talk…" Daryl croaked in response. The tightness around her neck was easing off slightly as both of them worked together to find a position where they both had enough room to breathe.

"How long have you been awake?" Anna asked.

"About an hour, or at least I think an hour," Daryl said. "I tried to wake ya but ya were in deep there. Do ya know where we are?"

"Woodbury," Anna responded. "Do you smell that?"

"Nah," Daryl said. "Think that son of a bitch broke my nose."

"Do you remember anything?"

"Just someone came out of the woods and knocked me out," Daryl said, to which Anna nodded gently.

"The Governor drove us off the road," Anna retold the story from the fragmented memories she had. "Then hunted us down in the woods."

"We have to try and get out of here," Daryl said, after a few moments of taking in what happened to them.

"I wouldn't be surprised if they took all of our weapons from us," Anna said. "He's not dumb."

The twosome fell into silence as they both thought of ways to get out of the predicament they found themselves in.

"We can't do anything that causes too much strain on our necks," Anna whispered.

"Ya have an idea?"

"Yes… no…" Anna whispered. "Maybe. It will hurt us more than anything."

"What is it?" Daryl asked.

"Wiring… in my bra," Anna said. "If I'm able to take it out, we'll have something we can saw the rope with."

"Do it," said Daryl. "We gotta try, ain't we?"

"Are you sure?" Anna said. It's going to hurt."

"It's better to try something that ain't gonna work than not try it," Daryl replied.

"Very philosophical," Anna smirked gently.

"Shut up," Daryl said, rolling his eyes.

"Okay… I'll try and be as gentle as possible…" Anna whispered, waiting for Daryl to respond to her. When he didn't, she understood that this was way of telling her to go ahead.

She rested her head and neck against the beam, allowing Daryl to have as much room with the rope around his throat as possible, and manoeuvred her arms so that she could try to budge the ropes around her abdomen so that they could roll up slightly. When the rope didn't budge, she moved her hand and found the hem of her top, where she moved her hand upwards towards where her bra was. It was a tight area, with the ropes tied tightly against her chest. She felt the rope burn against her hands, as she moved her hand to where the wire was. Thankfully, her bras were old and needed replacing which meant that the wire was threatening to come out of the barrier that once protected the delicate flesh of cleavage from the stabbing and sore prodding of the wires. She scratched with her finger nails, feeling the burn against her sore fingertips as it wore her nail down. It took longer than she had anticipated but as soon as the metal wire popped out of the material, she took a deep breath.

Pulling her hand out from under the ropes, she was quick to move it behind her. She felt around her neck, finding Daryl's in the process from the way he squirmed and caused the rope to tighten against her windpipe. He moved back to where he was, allowing her to gather breath. She found an opening which gave them enough room to work with.

"Hold this end," Anna said, feeling Daryl's hand touch hers gently as he searched for what she was talking about. He took it, and she reached the other end with her other hand. "Let's saw the rope. Be careful, it may set alight from the friction."

"Ah great," Daryl mumbled. They worked together in silence, notifying each other when they were able to smell smoke coming from the rope so that they were able to stop.

The rope fell from their necks and fell loosely around their chest. They swallowed as much air as they could, grateful they didn't have to struggle too much knowing that it was constricting.

As they made work on the ropes around the chest, they were aware of the voice above them. Dust fell from above them as heavy boots walked above them, but it didn't cause their sawing to falter. The ropes were becoming looser as they continued sawing the rope separately. Daryl did the majority of the sawing, knowing from the winces coming from Anna signified an undeclared and unknown injury.

He froze. The heavy boots that were once above him were now outside the door of the room they were in. He cursed under his breath.

"We have to hurry, Daryl," Anna whispered. Daryl followed her order, and continued to cut at the rope with the makeshift knife.

The sound of the door creaking open sounded and Daryl felt the footsteps from heavy boots vibrate the floor underneath him. The door closed behind the person in the room with them, but the room was too dark for Anna to see who it was. The only light came from gaps in the ceiling that was obviously the floor for whatever was above them.

With the streaks of light coming through, she held her breath as the person knelt down in front of her.

The eye patch. The sadistic grin. The hatred radiating from him. It was him.

"Got ya."


	31. Breaking

_Author's Note: _This chapter is quite a short one but the ending is quite heavy. Hope you enjoy this chapter, and let me know what you think! I love reading your thoughts on this, and criticism - good or bad - is always welcome!

* * *

_Chapter Thirty_

_Breaking_

"Got ya."

The Governor remained knelt in front of Anna, his eyes searching her face and noticing that she was looking at anywhere but him. He smirked, liking the fact that he unsettled her so much. He turned his attention to the rope hat was once around her neck but was now in a heap in her lap. He closed his eyes for a moment in frustration, feeling his anger begin to course through his veins. He took a deep breath, before opening his eyes again, maintaining the composure he was used to showing. Fake it 'til you make it, was his motto. And in situations like this, he had to keep his composure when all he wanted to do was beat her senseless.

"Y'know, that makes me mad..." He said, pointing towards the loose ropes in her lap. "Not gonna talk, huh?"

Anna moved her gaze from the door onto him. His face was emotionless but his eyes bore into her like he knew all of her secrets. He unsettled her; he had done so much to her that the thought of him being in front of her - so close to her face - made her uncomfortable. And the fact that he was so close to her face made her skin crawl. Anna narrowed her eyes at him, remaining as calm as she could even though she was screaming in her mind. Not answering him seemed to rile him up and it was then that she saw him crack, his whole posture became tense and his face was seething. She tried to keep calm and collected but she had angered him to the point that she was unsure of his actions afterwards. He stared at her for a moment, before his fist collided with her face.

The shock of his fist cracking her across the face made her body lurch forward slightly, causing the ropes to dig into her chest from the sudden movement thus causing Daryl's body to be pulled back towards her. The pressure on his chest was unbearable, but he knew that Anna couldn't control the lurch forward.

"Ya don't know who ya messing with, Gov..." Daryl hissed. "Ya hit her one more time, and ya'll have me to answer to, got that?"

"When you're tied up?"

"When I get out of this, ya gonna have hell to pay."

"Ooh, threatening me. Don't worry, your turn's coming once I'm done with her."

As The Governor finished his sentence, Anna began to laugh to herself. Her whole head ached from the sudden hit, and her teeth felt weird. She could taste blood coming from the cut on her lip. The laughing seemed to unsettle The Governor as his attention moved away from Daryl who was struggling against the restraints and onto Anna who had now sat up and was leaning back against the beam. Blood dribbled down her chin from the busted lip he had made. Her cheek was red from where he had cracked her. He watched as she continued to laugh. Her whole head felt as if it was on fire. Then the laughing stopped, and the room they were in was quiet.

"What do you want?" Anna asked bitterly.

"The thing is... If I tell you now then the surprise won't really be much of a surprise now, will it?"

"Why don't you just enlighten me?"

The Governor smirked. "You'd like that, wouldn't you? Well I'm not. You just have to wait and see," The Governor paused. "Anyway, I've got other things planned before the big surprise."

The Governor moved towards the door and knocked twice. Anna watched as the door opened after a couple of seconds and a man she barely recognised entered the room. He was the same height as Daryl, with short hair and a muscular build. He was carrying something in his hand. She noticed the look shared between both men, as well as the small nod coming from the newcomer. She watched as he threw something over to The Governor who caught it with no trouble, and then as both of them advanced towards her and Daryl. They struggled as something was placed over both of their heads, obscuring their senses. Both put up a fight as they were cut from the beam. Anna felt herself being lifted from the ground, and put over someone's shoulder. She heard as Daryl's yelling and shouting moved further into the distance, before a loud noise could be heard as the door shut behind them.

She didn't know where she was being taken, but it wasn't a long journey. And before she knew it she was in a different room. It was colder, lighter, and dirtier than the other room. She was thrown onto the floor where she crashed into a heap, pain reverberating throughout her body. The wind had been knocked out of her, but before she could do something, the sheet was pulled from her head.

The Governor's sickening smirk was the first thing that met her. "It's just you and me now."

* * *

It was dark when he awoke, and it took a few moments for him to acknowledge where he was. The pain came to him quickly, and he touched his face as gently as he could. Wherever he touched stung despite his gentle touch. He took note of other ailments he hadn't had before; his ribs were likely broken from how he was finding it difficult to breathe, his stomach hurt from where he had been kicked repeatedly. He had been moved into a different place, his arm was upwards and handcuffed to the radiator.

It was then that he heard it. The muffled sobbing coming from across the room. He squinted into the darkness, and saw a figure curled up with their back towards him.

"Anna?" He whispered. The sobbing stopped as soon as they heard his voice. They were silent for a moment.

"Yeah..." Anna whispered.

"Ya okay?" Daryl cursed himself for even asking when he knew she was anything but.

"Yeah, fine."

"He hurt ya." It was more of a statement than a question, and it tasted bitter in his mouth. Her silence spoke a thousand words, and he closed his eyes and tried not to think of what she had to go through but his mind was racing. He had hurt her in a way that he couldn't explain, and it made him angry to think that The Governor thought he could do something like that and think he could get away with it.

"I don't want to talk about it, Daryl."


End file.

Walking Dead, Angst, Romance