Walking Dead 1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to The Walking Dead, AMC or anyone/anything else. This is purely for entertainment purposes and is fiction created by me. This story does not reflect the actual series and doesn't claim to be anything but me having a bit of extra time on my hands getting the mental dialogue from my make believe stories in my head on paper (or computer that is). Any and all original characters created by me are not and do not resemble any known person(s). If you have any concerns or questions about what I've written please contact me and I will be happy to discuss anything. I'm a reasonable person.**

*******This story picks up right were my other story "Safe Haven" left off. If you haven't read "Safe Haven" then you will probably be kind of confused. I encourage you to read the other story first, trust me…it's worth the read…..at least that's what people tell me….****I hope you like it! Happy Reading!  
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**Nightshade Hollow**

**Chapter 1**

Everyone was packing up camp, getting ready to roll out. Rick had no idea where they would end up but one thing was for sure. They had to get out of there. Too many bad memories were there. Rick felt like the group was falling apart. Shane, Andrea and Eve were at each others' throats the night before. A time when everyone should've been leaning on one another and focusing on Carol and Sophia. Rick couldn't help but feel slightly guilty that no one could stop Carol. He wondered if maybe they should've handled things differently with Sophia. Would it have made any difference? Would it have really stopped Carol from taking her own life?

Then there was Daryl. Rick was worried most about him. He was afraid Daryl was a loose cannon. Ready to blow any moment. Would he be a danger to the rest of the group? Could they still count on him if they needed his help? These were all questions he couldn't help but ask. The rest of the group were having their own concerns as well. Everyone was whispering about the fire he set, just reinforcing that everyone thinks he is unstable. He clearly wasn't handling Carol or Sophia's death well and everything with Eve to top it off.

And Eve….Rick shook his head just thinking about her. She certainly could be useful, being a medic and all but there seemed to be one problem after another since she came into their camp. The constant bickering between her and Andrea was getting out of control. Daryl clearly wanted nothing to do with her so now there was another conflict. The only person besides Daryl that she initially seemed to get along with was Carol, now Carol was gone.

Rick didn't even know what to think about Shane and Eve. Their wild accusations they threw at each other the night before were completely unexpected and the timing couldn't have been worse. He knew at some point he would need to get to the bottom of it. His head was swimming with all his concerns.

Lori came up behind Rick and wrapped her arms around his waist. "You ready to go? I think everyone is all packed up."

Rick turned around to face Lori and wrapped his arms around her. She had tears in her eyes. Rick figured most of the camp would be that way too for quite some time. Losing Carol and Sophia was a difficult blow to everyone. Rick kissed Lori on the forehead and led her to the car.

They had been on the road for about three hours when Dale started beeping the horn on the RV. He pulled off to the side of the road and everyone else stopped. Daryl rode up last on his motorcycle. Everyone had stepped out of their vehicles to stretch their legs. Everyone but Eve, she remained on the RV. She had her head against the window. She didn't feel like being around anyone at that moment. She didn't bother looking at anyone but she could still hear what they were saying.

"What the hell are we stoppin' for?" Daryl asked. "We're in the middle of fuckin' nowhere!"

Dale hopped off the RV "We're stopping because I'm low on gas…gas that I wasn't low on yesterday! How do you think that happened Daryl?" he asked sarcastically.

Rick stepped closer to Daryl "Oh you've got to be kidding me...…it didn't even occur to me last night how you got that blaze going so fast!"

"So?" Daryl raised both his arms in the air then dropping them back down by his sides slapping the sides of his legs with his hands. Daryl knew what he did was wrong. He just didn't care. He didn't want to feel anything anymore and if that meant destroying everything that meant something to him, then he would do it.

The others began to mumble under their breaths.

"Alright…alright just let me think for a second." Rick said "Let's take a look at the map and see what we are close to. Maybe there is somewhere we can camp out for a few days, maybe find some more gas and other supplies.

Rick and Shane went through the map and discovered they were near a small town.

"Ok, everybody sit tight, Glen and I are going to scout on up ahead and make sure the town is safe. We'll be back as soon as we can. If it's safe, we all go in." Rick said.

Rick and Glen hopped in Rick's car and they drove off. Lori and Carl got on the RV.

Carl ran to the back and hopped on the bed. Lori sat down near Eve. Eve didn't bother looking at her. Lori could see Eve's eyes were red and swollen from crying. She didn't look like she had slept at all.

"If you want to get some rest in the back, I can have Carl come up here with me." Lori told her.

Eve just shook her head no and continued to stare out the window.

Lori debated whether or not she should say anything else to Eve. There were many unanswered questions. Lori remembered how Shane had treated her back at the CDC so she couldn't help but wonder if there was some truth to what Eve was claiming last night. Lori felt torn, all she wanted to do was get somewhere safe and grieve for Carol and Sophia. She didn't want to deal with anything else. Seeing the dramatic change in Eve's behavior, and how closed off she was, Lori knew she couldn't ignore it.

"Eve…I want to ask you about what you said about Shane last night…." Lori said.

Eve just sat there in silence.

Lori leaned in closer to Eve "Listen…I know you probably don't want to talk about it but I need you to tell me the truth of what happened."

Lori waited patiently for a response. Eve just remained silent, staring out the window.

Lori lowered her head and took a deep breath. She knew then that Eve wasn't going to say a word, at least not then. She decided to bring the matter up with Rick later, it was too serious of an issue to ignore.


	2. Chapter 2

**Nightshade Hollow**

**Chapter 2**

Glen and Rick arrived back a short time later and gave everyone the green light to go into the town.

When they pulled into the town, they drove through the main area past what used to be stores and offices. They headed down one of the side streets and turned down a long driveway with a concrete wall surrounding the property. A building was set back a ways but still visible from the street. They pulled up in front of the large building, possibly some kind of home or old hospital. It wasn't your typical looking building and seemed out of place in such a small town. Everyone stepped out of their vehicles.

"Good Lord Rick…could you have picked a bigger place?" Dale remarked.

"Or maybe one a little creepier" Andrea remarked.

Glen stepped in front of everyone to address them. "Yeah but look at it! It's amazing. And most importantly it's boarded up…..that means there are no walkers in there! Come on…isn't it cool?"

Everyone had a skeptical look on their face as they listened to Glen.

Shane put his hands on his hips. "I don't know man…how do we know there aren't a bunch of walkers all barricaded up in there?"

"Just look at it" Glen said excitedly, he was grinning from ear to ear. "Look how overgrown it is, it's even boarded up from the inside. You're not going to board up something from the inside if there are a bunch of walkers in there. This had to have been abandoned long before the outbreak!"

Rick stepped forward next to Glen facing the group "I know it looks overwhelming but if about half of us go in and take a tactical approach, we can clear the building, making sure it's safe. And I think we would all welcome being in a building that's secure for a change rather than being out in the open. Looking at all the buildings around here this one looks the most secure. Plus with the nights getting cooler it wouldn't hurt for us to have a more structured shelter."

Rick waited for a response but no one said a word, they were all just staring at the building.

Finally Rick got impatient "Now come on, It's only for a few days. At least until we figure out a game plan of what's next. If we're going to do this let's do it, Lori you stay here with Dale, Glen and Carl. Shane, Andrea, Daryl and Eve, grab a firearm. Let's get ready."

Andrea began to tear up "I can't…..I can't right now…." Andrea walked away and got on the RV. She couldn't get over the fact that Carol had used her gun. She wasn't ready to pick one back up.

"Alright then, it's the four of us." Rick dreaded the thought of going in with the three of them but he didn't see much of a choice. All he could hope was that the three of them didn't kill each other. He knew Daryl and Shane could handle themselves with gun and if Eve handled a gun like she did a bow and arrow then these were the best shots of the group.

"Do you know how to use one of these?" Rick asked Eve.

"Do I?…..Really Rick? My father wanted a son remember? If he taught me how to use a bow and arrow don't you think he taught me how to shoot?"

Eve picked up one of the guns off the trunk of Rick's vehicle, dropped out the magazine, checked the cartridges, then popped it back in with a click and racked one in the chamber.

"Well alright then…." Rick replied. "Listen up….I know the three of you don't care much for each other at the moment but let's save the fighting for later and try to work together here."

Rick, Shane, Daryl and Eve walked up to the front of building. The men had a couple of crowbars and that they jammed in the window frame between the boards and the window sill. Rick and Shane pried with the crowbars as Daryl kicked in the boards. It took quite a few tries for them to break through but they finally did. Rick and Shane stepped in first followed by Daryl and Eve.

Rick and Daryl each had flashlights. Fortunately for them Dale had a few of those flashlights that don't require batteries that you crank the handle to get it to work. He had a few lanterns like that as well which were starting to prove to be more than handy. Both Rick and Daryl were carrying shotguns while Shane and Eve had pistols. All were at attention with their weapons ready to fire if needed.

There was a large dual staircase at the entrance of the building leading to the second floor. Behind the staircase was a wide long hallway that seemed to run the depth of the house. There were multiple areas of scaffolding set up. From first appearances, the house appeared gutted as if in the middle of renovations.

"What do you think happened here? Some rich guy buy this expensive fixer upper and then run out of money in the middle of it?" Shane whispered.

"I don't know and right now I don't really care, let's secure this area, we'll move starting towards the right, everybody stay close." Rick whispered back.

The group started to head to the doorway on the right when Rick motioned for Eve and Daryl to hold off and he and Shane got on either side of the door frame. Shane watched towards the long hallway behind the stairs as Rick quietly entered the room. Eve and Daryl followed behind. They quickly walked down the length of the room. Rick stopped at a doorway on the back left side of the room. He quickly glanced around the door frame, seeing it was clear he moved over to the opposite side of the door frame. Daryl crept up and positioned himself where Rick originally stood at the doorway. Eve covered the back. Shane was back at the original entrance halfway in their room and halfway into the front corridor. Shane nodded his head to signal it was still clear. Daryl peeked around the doorway and entered the room. Rick followed after him and they cleared the next room the same way as the previous. That room appeared to be what would've been a kitchen, again gutted for renovations. At the end of the kitchen, there was an area that could be used as a sun room. It was surrounded by windows that were boarded up. There was another doorway at the end that lead out into the great hall area on the backside of the large stairwell, creating a giant circle for them. Rick motioned for Eve and Daryl to head back down to the front side of the stairs. They quickly went down the great hall and over to the side opposite the first room again positioning themselves on either side of the door frame. Rick and Shane stayed back near the back side of the kitchen and crossed over the great hall straight across to another doorway. They continued searching from room to room meeting in the center between the front and rear of the house.

"Alright…downstairs is clear, let's move upstairs. Shane, come with me we'll take the west side. Daryl-Eve you two take the east side. We'll meet in the middle. Watch your backs".

Daryl and Eve moved through the east side of the second floor clearing each room as they went. They met up with Shane and Rick in the middle of the level.

"There's nothing here. Come on, let's get the others and set up camp." Rick said.

"Hey….There's an attic space on the east side, I passed it as we were going through. I'm going to check it out to be on the safe side." Daryl told Rick

"Well take Eve with you…." Rick advised him.

"No I'm good on my own." Daryl replied.

"You're not going alone Daryl….no arguments." Rick told him.

Daryl rolled his eyes and headed down the hallway with Eve closely behind.


	3. Chapter 3

**Nightshade Hollow**

**Chapter 3**

Daryl and Eve walked over near the back stairwell to a small door. They had checked the door earlier and discovered it locked. Daryl took out a hunting knife and pried the door open at the lock. He went in first and Eve followed closely behind. They went up a narrow staircase which opened up into a larger space. It was a big open space that ran the entire length of the house. They walked the length of it and back just to make sure the area was clear. Daryl was about to head back down the stairs when Eve finally spoke to him.

"Daryl wait….." Eve's voice was shaky. "please talk to me….."

Daryl stood with his back to her. He turned his head to the side, cracking his neck. He took a deep breath "I don't have nothing to say to you…"

Eve stepped forward and reached out to him. Daryl felt her touch his arm and he jerked away, turning to face her.

Daryl's eyes were cold as he stared at her. She had never seen him look that way towards her before. Eve tried to fight it but the tears started to come. "Daryl…..I'm so sorry" Eve felt like there was so much to say sorry for. Sorry for Carol, for Sophia, for what Shane said around the campfire. She didn't want Daryl to push her further away.

Daryl started to raise his voice, his face turned red with anger "You're sorry? I don't want your pity! I just want you to leave me the hell alone. "

"Please Daryl, it's not pity…don't shut me out! You're not giving me a chance…." Eve pleaded with him.

Before she could finish what she was saying Daryl cut her off "YOU LIED TO ME! I TRUSTED YOU!"

Eve just stood there stunned. Daryl went on like flood gates had opened. "SOPHIA'S DEAD! CAROL IS DEAD! AND IT'S ALL MY….. THIS ISN'T JUST ABOUT YOU. YOU WERE JUST THE LAST STRAW! I'M DONE! WHY DON'T YOU GO CRYING TO SHANE OR WHOEVER ELSE YOU FEEL LIKE?"

"Daryl I'm trying to think of you but you won't let me help you, you're just shutting me out. I didn't mean to lie to you. It's not that simple…." Eve tried to keep her voice calm but she wanted to scream back at Daryl. She didn't understand why he wouldn't even hear her out.

Daryl began to pace back and forth. He was trying to calm himself down. He was tired, tired of Eve looking all teary eyed at him, tired of her wanting to talk, tired of hurting. He just wanted to be left alone.

"Daryl can you honestly….honestly tell me that you don't want anything to do with me?"

Daryl walked closer to her without hesitation. "Yes….nothing" Daryl turned and walked out of the attic.

Daryl's last words were so calm and cold it was eerie. Like it was nothing for him to say. There wasn't an ounce of emotion in his voice. Eve burst out in tears. It was the first time she let herself cry freely without trying to hold it back.


	4. Chapter 4

**Nightshade Hollow**

**Chapter 4**

Eve sat on the floor of the attic. Tears steadily streaming down her face. She kept thinking she would be able to stop but every time she tried to move they just came even harder. Eve heard someone coming up the stairs. As much as she knew it wouldn't be she prayed it was Daryl.

Rick and Lori walked up the steps and into the attic. They saw Eve just sitting on floor, crying. She was leaning on one hand and the other covered her eyes. Her head was hanging low. She had taken her hair down from her usual ponytail so her hair was hanging down, hiding her face. Rick and Lori sat down on either side of her. Lori gently rested her hand on Eve's back and just waited for the crying to lessen.

Rick spoke softly to Eve "I wish I had some grand words of wisdom but I don't. I know your hurting. We're all hurting, for a variety of reasons. I can't sit here and tell you Daryl's going to come around because I honestly don't know. He's quite unpredictable. But what I do know is the more you go to Daryl, the more he will pull away. Give him some space. Give him a chance to process all that's happened. Maybe then he can get his head on straight. I don't doubt you care about him and I don't doubt that he cares for you. Watching Daryl with you this whole time you've been with us, I've never seen him like that with anyone. He's just all mixed up right now."

Eve sat there listening to Rick. Her heart was breaking for Daryl. It was also breaking for Carol, the only real friend she felt like she had in the camp besides him. She wanted to grieve with him. She wanted him to wrap his arms around her. She longed to be with him. And now, he was just gone. She didn't know how she was going to get through it all.

"There's something else we want to talk to you about Eve, I know this isn't good timing but I think it's important to address sooner than later…if you're up to it." Lori stated and waited for a response from Eve.

She sat there with her head down, sniffling, but the tears had subsided for the time being. She felt emotionally drained and exhausted. Finally she lifted her head and looked at Lori. Lori could see the tears welling back up in her eyes as her chin quivered. Eve raised her hand to her chin to stop it. Eve nodded her head yes and began wiping her tears away.

"Take however much time you need…but I want you to tell me what happened back at your camp with Shane. I need you to tell me the truth, no matter what it is. Do you understand?" Rick asked.

Eve took a deep breath and released it. She told Rick and Lori everything, how she was dreaming about Daryl, what Shane did in the van, her reaction to him, her jumping out of the car and Shane saving her from the walker. Both of them sat there quietly and listened to her. Lori's stomach turned just listening to her. She knew what Eve was saying was true. She had seen first hand how Shane could be at the CDC, a detail though she neglected to tell Rick. Once Eve was finished she pulled her hair back and fastened it. She was trying to get back to some sense of normalcy instead of the weeping blob she had turned into. Eve hated being that way. She was normally stronger than that.

"That's what happened but I don't think it really matters anymore." Eve told both of them.

Rick sighed "Eve, it does matter…..we need to respect each other. There's no way we can work together if we don't. I will talk to Shane about this. If anything else happens, please just come to me…..you know you can always come to Lori or myself if there is something you need, right?"

Eve nodded her head yes. Rick and Lori stood up and Rick reached out his hand to help her up. Eve took his hand and they left the attic.

Eve, Rick and Lori walked back towards the front of the house to the first floor. They entered the room off to the side that they searched first. Rick had told everyone to set up camp in there. He figured since it was the only room that didn't have the fireplace boarded up that it would best for them all to stay there. If it got too cold at night they could start up a fire for warmth. Plus since they were only planning on being there for a few days, just long enough to find some more gas and supplies, he didn't want people spreading out all over the building. With the nights starting to get cold, it reminded him that winter was closer than they thought and in a bit they would be needing warmer clothes.

Everyone had found their own little area in the room. It was a large enough room that all of them could easily spread out and not be too close to each other. Eve thought Daryl must've been relieved with this. She found a spot near the corner for herself and laid out her sleeping bag. There was still plenty of day left but with the building boarded up as it was, not letting in sunlight made it feel much later. Dale made sure everyone had either a lantern or a flashlight so nobody would be caught off guard in the dark.

Dale and Glen went searching for cars to see if there were any they could siphon gas from to fill up all their tanks. They were also tasked to see how many places should be searched later for supplies and what kind of conditions the store buildings seemed to be in.

Rick encouraged everyone to always have someone with them at all times but he knew it was falling on deaf ears.

Daryl couldn't stand the thought of being cooped up with everyone so he decided to go out behind the building and see what the grounds were like. He grabbed his crossbow and headed out. During his walk he came upon an old broken down greenhouse. It seemed everything on this property was broken down. He could see the main building from the greenhouse and noticed how well the whole thing was boarded up. He started to think about the farm house and how Eve had done such a great job boarding up the downstairs when they were there. He stopped himself from going any further. He didn't want to waste his time thinking of Eve or their time in that house. Besides, he destroyed that house. Just like whatever was between them had been destroyed. Daryl walked to the backside of greenhouse and a short distance away he saw a weeded, overgrown area. Something caught his eye and he turned his head. There they were, almost if mocking him, two delicate pure white flowers with golden centers. Daryl rushed over to them, crumbling both and ripping them to shreds in his hands.

"Damn Cherokee Rose….." he mumbled. He felt like he couldn't get away from anything. Every where he turned there was something. He didn't think he could stay around these people much longer. If he did he felt like he was going to lose his mind. He just wanted to be left alone so he walked further into town.


	5. Chapter 5

**Nightshade Hollow**

**Chapter 5**

Daryl was walking down the main strip of town. He could see Dale and Glen walking back towards the house. He was glad they hadn't noticed him. Daryl thought the town was strangely quiet. All the stores seemed to be fairly stocked full of merchandise which he thought was odd, this being the end of the world and all and people desperate to survive. How did this town appear to be so untouched. Only a few of the store fronts had cracked windows. A few of them were boarded up but otherwise it look relatively unscathed. Another thing that didn't sit right with him was that there was no dead anywhere. No dead people and no dead walkers not a single one. Everywhere else they had been there was at least some kind of sign there had been. There were empty cars but they were all either in parking lots or parked neatly against the curb. It was almost as if the outbreak didn't happen in this small town, just that everyone vanished. Daryl suddenly had a bad feeling. Things were too quiet in this town.

It was late by the time Daryl headed back. His first impulse was to tell Rick about his observations of the town but when it came down to it he just stayed quiet. He figured there was no point. These people needed to start fending for themselves so if they hadn't noticed and weren't worried then why he should be for them. He wouldn't be sticking around much longer anyways.

Daryl picked the far corner in the back of the room to call his own for the night. He didn't bother speaking to anyone, he just laid on the floor with his back to everyone. Eve could see Daryl from her spot in the room. She just laid there watching him. Everyone else was sitting together listening to Dale and Glen describe the stores in town. Eve overheard Rick mention that he wanted Glen and Eve to return in the am and gather what supplies were needed.

She thought about the last night she spent with Daryl. She was exhausted and upset and brushed off Daryl. He had wanted to show her something. She never even knew what it was that he wanted to show her. She wondered if it was the house. Not that it mattered now, the house was destroyed. It made her feel sick to her stomach just thinking about it. The more she thought about that house the angrier she was at Daryl for destroying it. If Daryl didn't want anything to do with her then she would make herself not want to have anything to do with him. She'd just have to learn to block her feelings for him out. Besides, he made it look so easy, why couldn't she do the same? _Tomorrow will be a new day- tomorrow will be a fresh start, _Eve thought to herself.

The next morning Daryl got up and walked out back towards the greenhouse to take a piss. He started to head back in when he heard the voices of Rick and Shane. They apparently had come outside after he did but they didn't notice he was there. He shielded himself with a tree nearby as to not be seen but still in earshot.

"Shane I'm just asking you to tell me your version of what happened. I listened to her, now I'm going to listen to you." Rick told him

"I can't believe this brother! What are you trying to accuse me of? How long have we known each other? Who are you going to believe? Man, she was all over me! I shouldn't have to explain myself, you know me!" Shane snapped back at him.

"I'm not accusing you of anything, I'm just asking you to tell me what happened. That's all!"

"Well what the fuck did she tell you? What did she say?" Shane asked.

Rick just stared at Shane a moment, he took a deep breath and ran his hand down his mouth and chin. "Alright….." Rick went on to tell Shane verbatim what Eve had told him in the attic. After he was done, Shane put his hands on his hips and looked towards his feet almost as if he was ashamed of himself. Shane looked up to the sky and released a deep breath.

"Look….I thought she wanted it…..she claimed later she had been dreaming about Daryl Dixon, which for the life of me I will never understand, but I think she just got cold feet is all…..I didn't force myself on her. I didn't" Shane told him.

Rick was about to respond when he heard a noise next to him. Both Shane and Rick looked to the side and Daryl swung his right fist at Shane catching him with a right hook across the chin. Shane dropped to the ground. Daryl jumped on top of him and started punching him repeatedly. Rick grabbed Daryl in a head lock and took him to the ground laying on top of him to keep him down. Shane got back to his feet.

"THAT SHIT BAG SUCKER PUNCHED ME, LET HIM GO RICK! COME ON DARYL, WHY DON'T YOU FIGHT ME LIKE A REAL MAN, NOT SNEAK UP ON ME LIKE A FUCKING GIRL!" Shane yelled at Daryl.

"I OUTTA FUCKIN' KILL YOU!" Daryl shouted back at him. "GET OFF ME RICK!"

"SHANE JUST GET OUT OF HERE, IT'S NOT WORTH IT! JUST GET OUT OF HERE" Rick yelled back at Shane as he struggled to keep Daryl down.

Shane paced for a moment then leaned down towards Daryl. "You're not fucking worth it you piece of shit!" Shane turned and went back inside.

Rick kept Daryl pinned with his arm behind his back. He pinned him in a way his police training had taught him to take down a criminal that was fighting regardless of size or strength.

"GET THE FUCK OFF ME!" Daryl yelled.

"Not until you calm down. Calm down Daryl and I will let you up." Rick told him.

Daryl struggled for a few more minutes cussing and yelling at Rick but finally got tired of struggling.

"Fine! I'm calm, now get off me God damn it!"

Rick got off of Daryl but didn't give him much space, concerned he would fly off the handle again.

"Daryl listen….." Rick started to say

"No you listen, screw ya'll, screw all of ya'll. I'm outta here. I can't take all ya'lls bitchin' and whining anymore. I'm leaving this place. I'm DONE!" Daryl threw his hands up in the air and walked off towards the house. He grabbed his crossbow from inside and then left, headed down the road.

Daryl had walked towards the opposite side of town. He fumed thinking about Shane with his hands all over Eve. He would've strangled Shane if Rick had given him the chance. The more he thought of it, the more angry he got and not just because of Shane but because of Eve. He couldn't stop thinking about her and that's all he wanted to do. That combined with the death of Carol and Sophia was eating away at him. He just wanted to forget. He stopped walking for a moment and just stood in the middle of the road. He took a long deep breath. He had to forget. He had to get away from them. While standing there he was distracted by what he thought was some kind of mechanical hum and was trying to tell where it was coming from. He could see a small path heading into a wood line. He decided to follow that path to see where it led. He walked on the path through the wooded area. The further he followed the path it lead him to another clearing and opened up to an old bridge. Once closer he could tell it was an old rusted trestle bridge. There appeared to be more buildings on the opposite side of the bridge partially hidden by overgrown debris. Near where he was standing there was an equally rusted old warehouse. It too was partially hidden by the over grown foliage around it. It was a two story building and the closer he got to it, the better he could hear the hum. He recognized that hum. It was the hum of a generator. The building had power. He wondered what else had power in that area. He raised his crossbow and started to slowly walk around the building.

"Help me….I need help…..please…." A woman cried out.

Daryl saw a woman running towards him from the other side of the building, her clothes were torn and tattered. She had medium length blond hair and she looked like someone had worked her over.

"Where did you come from? Who are you?" Daryl looked at her suspiciously as he asked.

"Oh please…help me…it was awful….you have to protect me." The woman tried to grab Daryl by the arms and dropped to her knees, beginning to cry.

Daryl jerked away from her and stepped backwards a step.

"Please….." The woman pleaded with him.

Daryl took a step closer towards her his crossbow still raised and looked at her confused. He started to reach for her with one hand to help her up.

The woman looked up at him, looking past him.

The woman rose to her feet and gave Daryl a devilish smile.


	6. Chapter 6

**Nightshade Hollow**

**Chapter 6**

Eve woke up and noticed the only other person in the room was Lori. Eve slowly sat up wiping the sleep from her eyes. She had slept hard that night which was something she tended to do when really upset. The way some people can't sleep when something terrible happens, Eve was the opposite, almost narcoleptic she would joke with people.

Eve saw Lori sitting on the floor writing something. Eve's movement caught Lori's eye.

"Oh you're awake…good." Lori remarked

"Where is everyone? What time is it?" Eve asked.

"Oh everyone is just doing odds and ends of things and it's only about 9:30. I think most everyone was up at 8:00. Don't worry, you haven't missed anything. I told everyone to be quiet and to let you sleep. I thought you needed it." Lori softly smiled at her.

Eve grabbed her boots and fixed her pony tail. She was dying to take a shower. In fact, she could soak in a tub for a week and probably still not feel clean.

"Nothing like the end of the world to interfere with your daily hygene rituals." Eve joked.

"Tell me about it….." Lori said as she widened her eyes and laughed a little. "On a serious note, Rick is planning on sending you with Glen for supplies today. I'm just making a list of sizes and suggestions of stuff to look out for, hope you don't mind."

Eve shook her head no. She got up and walked over to where Lori was sitting and sat down beside her. She glanced around the room again.

"Daryl was up and gone from the room before anyone else was awake." Lori told Eve.

Eve looked back at Lori shrugging her shoulders "Oh…..well….I don't care…" she knew her act wasn't very convincing. It was less for Lori and more for herself.

Eve thought about what she told herself last night. It was a new day and she was starting fresh. These were people she needed to make more of an effort to get a long with and she needed to accept the fact that Daryl didn't want anything to do with her. Daryl…she missed sleeping with him last night. She always felt safe in his arms. _Stop it….you'll never get over him if you keep torturing yourself by thinking about being with him! Snap out of it Eve. You need to focus on surviving." _she told herself.

"I'm glad you told Rick and I about Shane…I know it's difficult but it was the right thing to do." Lori told her.

"I am sorry…." Lori went on to say.

"Why are you sorry?" Eve asked "It's not like you had anything to do with it. Besides…. you should've seen his face when I grabbed him by the nuts. I don't think we will be having a repeat incident!"

"Stop it….." Lori said as she reached her had up to cover her mouth to keep from laughing.

Both Lori and Eve looked at each other and laughed. Lori began to wish she had made more of an effort to be nicer to Eve sooner.

"You know…..Shane wasn't always like the way he is now. There was a time where he was kind and supportive. He would do anything for a friend. I think this whole ordeal has just changed him. I guess it's his survival mode or something. He's much more cold and impulsive than before and hot headed. I don't know what to think sometimes. "

"Well….I think this whole thing has probably changed all of us in some way, I guess there's just no way to avoid it. I guess it either brings out the best or brings out the worst in people." Eve replied.

Both Eve and Lori were distracted by a commotion in the doorway. Shane came stomping in with Rick close behind.

"THAT'S IT, HE HAS TO GO. THAT DAMN ASSHOLE HAS ME BLEEDING!" Shane yelled as he held his hand to his cheek.

Eve could see a red mark on his chin as well.

"Shane, just try to calm down, let's not make any rash decisions, everyone is on edge right now." Rick put his hand on Shane's shoulder trying to calm him down.

"RASH DECISIONS? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? LOOK AROUND MAN! HE'S OUT OF CONTROL, HE'S A DANGER TO ALL OF US." Shane yelled. He then leaned in close to Rick and lowered his voice almost to a whisper.

"Do you really want a man like that around your wife and son?" Shane stared Rick in the eye as he asked.

Rick didn't respond, he directed his attention to Eve. 'Eve, would you please take a look and see if he needs stitches or something…." Rick shook his head and walked over to Lori motioning for her to follow him. They walked over to the other end of the room and were whispering to one another.

Shane paced back and forth for a moment and then looked at Eve. Eve wasn't thrilled to be patching up Shane. _You can't let your personal feelings interfere with providing aide to someone. That's what you were trained to do. However, if you are unable to be as gentle as you normally are then sometimes that's just unavoidable. _Eve thought to herself. She got up and grabbed her medical bag and told him to sit down. He sat down on the floor and she knelt down next to him. She began looking at the wound on his cheek. It was just a slight laceration on his cheek nothing that required stitches. Eve found some medical adhesive and began to glue it shut to keep the dirt out and to stop the bleeding.

"So…you want to tell me what this is all about?" Eve asked. Not out of concern for Shane but out of sheer curiosity.

Shane cut his eyes towards her but didn't look her in the face "Your damn boyfriend is what…..he fuckin' sucker punched me…that damn piece of shit!"

Eve paused for a moment and just looked at Shane "Well what did you say to him?"

"I didn't say shit….he's just nuts!" Shane replied,

Eve finished tending to his wound and tried hard not to smile but could feel it creeping out.

"What are you smirkin' at?" Shane asked her.

"Oh nothing….nothing at all….." Eve replied. She stood up and began walking over towards Rick and Lori. She smiled to herself thinking it wasn't rocket science with Daryl and Shane. There was only one reason right now that would provoke Daryl to knock the shit out of Shane and Eve knew exactly what that reason was.

_Don't care anything about me huh? Alright Daryl Dixon, have it your way for now but at some point you will have to stop running away from your own feelings._ Eve thought to herself.

"Well he's as good as new." Eve told Rick.

"Alright, then you and Glen head into town and hit the stores for supplies." Rick said as Lori handed her the list she made. "Be careful, watch your backs. Things may appear safe here but we don't want to completely let our guard down."

Eve nodded her head yes and went to find Glen.


	7. Chapter 7

**Nightshade Hollow**

**Chapter 7**

Glen and Eve found an unlocked window on the backside of one of the stores.

"Well Eve since you're smaller than me, I think you should go in first." Glen said as he waved her towards the window.

"Why should I go first? You're the one they are always calling Walker Bait!" Eve smirked back.

"Eve….we're wasting time arguing here….. this town gives me the creeps….will you just go?" Glen whined.

"I thought you loved this place…I mean you were the one all in love with the building we're staying in….oh look it's great, oh look I love it, come on everybody, come inside..." Eve said mockingly.

"Well…that was different….I just don't know about this place anymore. I kind of felt like Dale and I were being watched yesterday when we were out here looking around. Do you ever get that feeling? " Glen asked.

Eve shot him a look like _you've got to be kidding me_. " Last time I checked, this whole world has turned creepy but someone spying on us…..no"

"Nevermind…. come on let's do this." Glen said.

"Fine…give me a boost." Eve put her bow on crossways across her chest and around her back, she reached up grabbing the window sill. Glen squatted slightly, interlocking his fingers for her to use as a step and gave her a lift.

Eve leaned her head in, not seeing anyone, brought up her knee and straddled the window sill. She leaned her head back out the window towards Glen.

"Ok Glen looks clear. Remind me though when we get back to the house that I help you put on your big boy pants."

Eve ducked back in and climbed the rest of the way in. She quickly turned back around and stuck her head out the window. "Oh and by the way…..I'm not _that _much smaller than you." She turned and went back inside.

"….help you put on your big boy pants, I'm not much smaller than you" Glen mumbled to himself and rolled his eyes. He tossed their empty backpacks inside along with an empty large duffel bag. He jumped up and pulled himself inside.

The store was like a small town Army Navy type store. Eve and Glen began to fill their backpacks with pants, long sleeve shirts, sweatshirts and sweaters. Eve found some more crank style flash lights and a lantern. She also grabbed a bunch of thick coats in a variety of sizes. Glen was stuffing different size boots in his backpack. His backpack was almost too full to zip up.

"Glen, come here, I need the duffel bag for us to carry these coats back."

Glen walked over to where Eve was and they squatted down to the floor. Glen held the bag open while she shoved all the coats in.

"I don't think we'll be able to carry much more. We have a good amount of stuff here and we don't want to be too greedy in case another group passes through needing supplies." Eve said to Glen as she leaned forward practically laying on the bag, grunting as she tried to zip it.

Glen stood up and started walking away from her. "Hey check it out…dare you to a game of darts…" Glen, smiling, pointed to a dart board that was hanging on the wall with a bunch of darts stuck to it. Eve turned her head to look while laying over the duffle bag and something caught her eye.

Eve's eyes widened and she quickly sat up. "Stop Glen…." Glen kept walking towards the board "Come on it will be fun!" he said

"DON'T MOVE…..STOP WALKING….JUST STAY STILL!" Eve screamed at him.

Glen froze, not moving a muscle; he slowly started to turn his head towards Eve.

"Just don't move for a second…" Eve looked around on the floor. "Ok now just take one…I mean one….step backwards, slowly, don't worry about turning around"

Glen followed her orders as she crawled over to him on the floor.

"Squat down here with me." Eve said.

Glen squatted down next to her "What the hell is going on?" Glen asked.

"Look…." Eve said as she pointed to a wire stretched across the floor raised about a foot.

"I don't see anything" Glen said. Eve pulled out one of the flashlights they found, cranked it and shined the flashlight forward, parallel to the floor.

"What the hell is that?" Glen asked. He could see the light hitting a wire. Without thinking he reached for it.

"DON'T" Eve yelled, but it was too late. Eve shot out her arm to her side in front of Glen, like a mother does to a child in the front seat of a car to brace them when slamming on the breaks. Eve pushed him as she leaned back and a gust of wind blew past their faces.

Two large boards swung down out of the ceiling where tiles were missing. Attached to the boards were sharp stakes that made a loud crack when they slapped together.

Eve and Glen watched the boards swing back and forth until they came to a stop. Both sitting on the floor with their eyes wide and mouths open.

Glen started to breathe faster almost hyperventilating "WHAT THE FUCK? HOW DID YOU KNOW?"

"I didn't…I just knew it was a trip wire and nothing good could be attached to it." Eve replied.

"Holy crap!….it could've killed me!" Glen still in shock just staring at it.

Eve slowly stood up looking at the contraption. She looked back at Glen.

"I guess it's not just walkers we need to be worried about." She said.


	8. Chapter 8

**Nightshade Hollow**

**Chapter 8  
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_Daryl opened his eyes and found himself inside a barn. He slowly stood up and brushed the hay from his clothes, confused to where he was and how he got there. His clothes were fresh and clean with only slight stains on the knees, not the usual overly-worn dirty ones he had grown used to. He could hear the faint sounds of birds singing and felt a slight cross breeze flowing through the barn. _

_He walked outside, taking a minute for his eyes to adjust to the brightness of the sun. Then he could see it. He was facing the rear of a large farm house. He knew this house. He slowly walked around to the front, never taking his eyes off of it. _

_Once in front he saw it had a large red door and all the windows were open. There were white sheer curtains hanging from the inside blowing in the breeze. Daryl slowly walked up the porch steps, noticing one of the boards creek when he stepped on it. _

_Daryl slowly reached for the door, grabbing the knob to give it a turn. He could hear the knob click as he turned it all the way and gently pushed on the door. The door freely opened. _

_Daryl stepped inside looking all around. The curtains dancing in front of the windows as he passed the dining room on his left and living room on his right. Immediately in front of him was a staircase that led upstairs and a hallway that ran next to it. At the end of the hallway was a back door. He could see a portion of the barn in the distance._

_Daryl continued down the hallway which led to the kitchen. The kitchen opened up to the right and Daryl turned the corner following it. The air smelled of cinnamon and cloves. He saw a woman standing next to the sink with her back towards him. She had long raven hair and it was gathered gently in the back to keep the hair out of her face as she worked._

_He continued to step closer to her slowly, watching her as she chopped vegetables on a wooden cutting board. She had an emerald green sundress on that hit right above her knee. It clung to her sides and flowed out slightly from her waist. One of the thin straps on her bare shoulders had slid down her arm and just hung there. Daryl stepped closer until he was standing right behind her. His heart began to pound faster. He didn't need to see her face to know who she was. He started to reach for her to touch her shoulder…._

"Wake up sleeping beauty!" he heard a voice call out to him.

Daryl struggled to open his eyes feeling a sharp pain at the back of his head. Once he was able to focus he found himself on the floor of a warehouse.

"Well, it's about time…..I was starting to think Frank popped you a little too hard on the head." a woman stated.

Daryl slowly sat up and saw three people standing before him, a woman with black hair, the blond woman he had seen before and the large man he assumed was referred to as Frank.

He thought for a moment trying to remember the last thing he could. He closed his eyes…..the woman with blond hair came to him for help. He remembered how strangely she smiled at him…..that was the last thing he could remember. He reached to touch the back of his head and could feel a huge knot, he cringed when he felt it from the pain.

The woman with black hair stood in the center between the other two. She was dressed in tight black pants with a fitted black shirt. She had black heeled boots that came up to her mid calf. She squatted next to Daryl and leaned in close to him. She had black hair that hit at her shoulders, which she wore down. Her eyes looked large in part by the dark make-up that encircled them. She was attractive although she looked cold and menacing.

"So why don't we start with some pleasantries? My name is Belladonna. What do they call you?"

Daryl felt a throbbing in his head. He didn't know who these people were or what games they were playing. He was hesitant to answer any of their questions but he did anyways.

"Daryl….."

'Well Daryl, I find it strange how everyone else in your camp seems to be going places in pairs and then here you are all by yourself….why is that?" Belladonna asked.

Daryl just stared at her face for a moment. Something about this woman gave him the chills. As calm and nice as she was pretending to be to him, he knew that's exactly what it was….pretending. Daryl looked down at the floor.

"Aw Daryl…..why so glum?" Belladonna asked him as lifted his chin with her hand to look back in his eyes. "Is there no one that cares what happens to you?" she asked.

Daryl jerked his face away. The sudden movement made his head pound even worse. He started to glance around the room looking for a his crossbow but didn't see it.

"Looking for your weapon Daryl? Now that's not playing very nice." Belladonna stood back up. "Patience Daryl, if you prove to be someone we can trust, I will happily give it back to you. But for now…..I'm holding it for safe keeping. In the meantime, why don't you come with me, there are some things I would like to show you." She turned and started to walk away.

Daryl rose to his feet and as soon as he did, the room started to spin and everything went black. Daryl fell back against the wall and dropped to the floor. He lay there unconscious.

Belladonna turned back around and stared at Daryl for a moment. She turned to Frank "Now you really need to learn your own strength. He's useless to me unconscious. " she scolded him.

Belladonna then turned to the blond woman. "Rachel, stay here with him until he wakes up again. When he wakes up, make him feel welcome…..then bring him over the bridge to me. He needs to believe he can trust us." she turned and exited the building with Frank following behind her. Once outside she turned to Frank. "Now go back and see what else you can find out about his group. I need to know how many there are and what weapons they have before we can do anything. But try not to screw up this time and be sure to stay out of sight."


	9. Chapter 9

**Nightshade Hollow**

**Chapter 9**

"Eve what are you doing? Let's get out of here!" Glen frantically said to her.

"Just hang on a sec, I want to see something." Eve told him. She had climbed up on top of a shelf behind the cash register counter.

"How do you know there's not another one of these things in here and with the wrong turn we're done for?" Glen asked.

"Because I'm being careful and observant before I step anywhere or move anything. And I'm also smart enough not to pull on a wire that's somewhere it doesn't belong." Eve replied.

Glen hung his head, feeling stupid for what he had done. He kept looking around the store worried that something else was going to happen. "Eve, come on…it's not safe, we need to go back and warn the others."

Eve shined her flashlight into the large vent that was on the wall above the shelves. After she did so, she held the flashlight between her teeth and started to unscrew the bolts to remove the grate.

"Ok, now I really don't like what you are doing. You need to stop! We need to leave….if you aren't coming I'm going to leave with out you." Glen said sternly.

Eve carefully dropped the grate to the floor and removed the flashlight from her mouth. She turned her head to look at Glen. "Fine, then go but I'm going to stay here and check out the store next door. All the store suites of this building look like they share one large ventilation system. I'm going to see if the other store has a rig like that one or if this was just some redneck's version of a security system."

"We don't have time for all this….you can't go inspecting all the stores, it's too dangerous! What if whoever set this trap is on their way back?" Glen asked her.

"I'm not searching all of them, just the one next door. I just want to look. This is important." she replied.

"Getting back to the others in one piece is what's important." Glen snipped back.

"Give me 5 minutes….I'll crawl fast." Eve gave him a little smile. She knew this probably wasn't the smartest thing she had ever done but she had to see if there were other traps. If there was then she figured it would be safe to assume that all the stores had them. If they had been in the store that long then five more minutes wouldn't make a difference…..at least she hoped not.

Eve drew the pistol from her waistband and crawled into the vent. Glen reached down and picked up her bow from the top of the duffel bag for protection. He looked at it a moment, then set it back down and drew the pistol from his waistband.

"Why do I feel like this is the beginning of some bad horror movie?" Glen asked himself.

.

Both Glen and Eve ran as fast as they could with both backpacks and the duffel bag towards their camp. The sun was beginning to set and they didn't want to be caught out there after dark.

"You know…we could run…..a lot faster…if we weren't….carrying all this shit!" Glen said, he struggled to speak while running.

"I'm not leaving all this shit behind!…..not after all that…." Eve responded back to him.

They both ran up onto the porch and up to the window. They pushed the board out of the way that was propped up against the inside and climbed inside with all their stuff.

Both exhausted, they dragged the bags into the room. Dale was sitting in there with Carl playing cards.

"Where is everybody?" Eve asked out of breath. She bent over bracing her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. Glen had plopped down on the floor laying on top of the duffel bag resting his hand on his chest trying to breath deeply.

"What's gotten into you two? Why so out of breath?" Dale asked

Andrea came in on the tale end behind Eve, walked past her and shot her a dirty look, then turned to Dale.

"Guess she moved on to the next one to throw herself at" Andrea said.

Without warning, Eve grabbed Andrea by the shoulders and slammed her into the wall. Eve held her there by pushing her body against hers. Andrea was so shocked by it she didn't hardly move.

"Just keep pushing me….." Eve snapped at her, glaring.

And before Dale or Glen could react, as quickly as it started, it was over. Eve back away from the wall releasing Andrea.

Andrea just stood there shocked.

Rick walked into the room, seeing Andrea leaning against the wall looking stunned, he knew something was up. "What's going on?"

Eve turned to him "Nothing…..but we need to talk to you."

Both Dale and Glen just stood there with their jaws dropped unable to speak. Glen shook his head as if to snap himself out of it and spoke up "Um….yeah, there's a problem…."

Dale rushed over to Andrea to see if she was ok and she angrily shrugged him off. Her face was red from embarrassment.

Rick stood before them with his hands on his hips. "What kind of problem?"

"A big one…..so big I almost soiled myself…." Glen remarked.

Shane and Lori came into the room "What's going on?" Shane asked.

Eve directed her attention to Rick and went on to describe their experience at the store with the death trap left for them.

"But that doesn't make sense….there's no one else here." Lori stated, wide eyed.

"Mom?….." Carl ran over to his mother, wrapping his arms around her waste.

Dale removed his hat and clutched it between his hands. "My God…."

"That's not all…I think all the building are rigged on the inside somehow with some sort of booby trap in each one. There was another contraption set up in the ceiling of the store next to it as well. If you didn't stand underneath it and look up you wouldn't notice it. It just appeared to be an area with no ceiling tiles from an angle. If we had come in through the front of the store instead of the back and tripped the wire when we first started to go for things I don't think our chances of standing here now would be very good." Eve told them as they all listened to her intently.

"Now just hold on a minute…..Let's think this through. Why would somebody start booby trapping the town?" Rick tried to calm everyone down.

"They would if they knew we would be going for supplies and had lost their mind. We'd walk right into their trap." Shane replied.

"Who would want to do that?" Glen asked.

"I can think of one person off the top of my head…..that's our boy Daryl…." Shane stated.

"What?" Eve asked shocked

Rick turned around and looked at Shane skeptically.

"Don't give me that look Rick….you saw how he flew off the handle this morning…with all that's gone on, he's lost it….it's as simple as that, that's why we haven't seen him since." Shane said.

Rick directed his attention back to Eve. "After the incident this morning Daryl stormed off saying he was leaving and made it sound as if he was separating from us." Rick said

"Wait…what?…did he say he wasn't coming back?" Eve's voice became quieter. She felt a knot in her stomach.

"He didn't come out and say he wasn't coming back but he implied that he was done with all of us and didn't intend to stay. I haven't seen him since and usually no matter how mad he is, he has come back by now. But considering the amount of time he's been gone…" Rick looked at her like he didn't want to continue on.

Eve could feel the color drain out of her face_. _Eve walked past Rick and the others to think for a moment. She had her back to them as they continued to talk.

"So you think Daryl is doing this? You think Daryl is trying to kill us?" Andrea asked Shane, looking worried.

"You're damn straight that's what I'm saying! He's the only person unaccounted for that knew we were going for supplies today. You said it yourself, there's nobody else here Rick. It's the only logical explanation. We need to just leave his ass here and be done with him. Staying here another minute isn't worth the risk." Shane started getting riled up.

"Now Shane calm down, let's just look at this for a second…." Rick didn't really know what he wanted to say, but the problem was what Shane was saying wasn't completely unbelievable either.

Eve turned around facing the group "Have you all lost your mind? Daryl would never try to hurt us, especially like that. Glen and I could've been killed. Talk all you want about how hot headed Daryl is but he wouldn't do that! This is obviously the doings of someone else. Besides there is no way Daryl could've rigged those get ups in one day. That took some serious work."

"Well then who then? There's no one else here!" Shane barked back.

"Clearly there is someone else here and doesn't want people walking in and taking their shit!" Eve started to raise her voice.

"Then where are they? Why would they even let us come in the town in the first place? Why wasn't this place rigged? You're so convinced it's not Daryl, then explain all that!"

"There's nothing here to take for one thing and maybe they don't want anyone passing through to know they are here. I don't know. But what I do know is that it's not Daryl."

Rick shook his head "Daryl was of control this morning. That combined with everything that has happened over the last few days, I don't know what he is or isn't capable of at this point. He may _have _just lost it."

"FINALLY you listen to reason Rick!" Shane replied.

"Now hold on a sec….I'm not finished. Daryl is missing, he is unstable but he may have put himself in a more vulnerable position because of it. If there are others out there they could've used that to their advantage." Rick stated.

Eve was getting frustrated. She didn't want to stand around talking about it. "What's wrong with you people? You're so quick to turn your back on him. After all he does for all of you? I've known him a fraction of the time and I know he wouldn't be capable of that. But you know what, fine, think what you want to think, I'll go find him my damn self and prove you all wrong!" Eve walked over to the duffel bag where Rick kept the guns and pulled out a rifle and began loading it.

"Eve, hold on a minute, I'm not saying he is behind this or helping to do this. But considering how well Daryl can handle himself, I can't help but be seriously concerned with whatever it is we are dealing with." Rick told her.

Eve just ignored him and checked the pistol in her waistband.

Rick grabbed her by the arm as she turned and started to walk out. "Now stop! I can't let you go out there. Not like this!"

"Well I'm not staying here and doing nothing while you all plot against him. He could be injured for all we know out there. Someone could have him, we need to help him. If you all won't help me I'll do it myself." Eve jerked her arm away from him.

Lori rushed over to Eve and put her hand on her shoulder.

"Please Eve just listen to Rick. If Daryl is out there being held against his will by someone then don't you think if they could get the better of Daryl of all people that there's no way you could be a match for them alone?" Lori pleaded with her.

Eve stared at her a moment. She knew what Lori was saying was right. Daryl Dixon could handle himself better than anyone she knew. She started to feel a little embarrassed for acting like she was going to go in and save the day.

"Well I can't just do nothing." she told Lori.

"I know…..I know…..and no one is asking you to do that, but this is something we need to figure out how to handle together. We need to stick together. Rick will come up with a plan." Lori told her.

Rick felt the weight of the world on his shoulders. He knew Lori meant well with what she said but he wasn't even sure where to begin. They had fallen into a false sense of security in this town and now they may be suffering the consequences of that. "Lori's right….if anything is going to be done, then we need to do it as a group, it's the only way if Daryl is in danger to be able to help him."

"I'm not doing shit for him! Hell he's the one doing all this! We need to protect ourselves from him. All we would be doing is walking right into his trap!." Shane replied

'I agree with Shane….." Andrea replied as she stood next to him.

Dale held his head low and stepped closer to Shane and Andrea "I'm sorry Rick, but I have to say I'm with them on this one. Even if other people are responsible, how do we know Daryl hasn't discovered he fits in better with them , joined forces and that's why he hasn't returned to warn us?"

Glen looked back and forth towards Dale, Andrea and Shane on one side and Lori, Rick and Eve on the other. "Why do I always feel like I'm in the middle?" Glen replied as he shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know….I don't know what to think!"

But there they all were, the room divided.


	10. Chapter 10

**Nightshade Hollow**

**Chapter 10**

_Daryl found himself frantically running through the woods. "SOPHIA? WHERE ARE YOU?" he called out to her._

"_Daryl…..I'm here…..help me…." He heard Sophia's small voice cry out._

_Daryl stopped in his tracks and began to look around. He found himself spinning in a circle trying to figure out which direction the voice came from. He stopped when he saw Carol standing before him. _

_Her eyes were glassy and he could see the bullet hole in the side of her head. Blood steadily streamed down her cheek from it. Her face was gray and her lips were a pale blue._

"_You promised to find her Daryl…You promised to bring her back to me." Carol softly spoke to him._

"_I'm close…..I know it…." Daryl's heart ached at the site of her._

"…_..Not close enough…" Carol spoke sternly. _

Daryl woke up, his heart was racing, he was breathing heavy and sweating. He was laying on his back staring up at the ceiling. Suddenly the blond woman, Rachel, was leaning over top of him.

"Aw…bad dream? Rachel quickly straddled Daryl and started running her hands up his chest. "Why don't you let me make it all better?" She leaned in to kiss Daryl.

Daryl pushed her off of him and quickly sat up. The sudden movement caused his head to throb.

Rachel, looked cross and began to pout. "You don't like me? You're no fun!" She crossed her arms and just stared at Daryl.

Daryl stood up, steadying himself against the wall. Rachel crawled on her knees closer to him and knelt upright before him. She tried to undo his pants. "Come on….it will be fun…" she laughed.

"Stop…." Daryl pushed her away. He didn't want this woman anywhere near him. Daryl thought for sure she was a nut case.

"FINE!…...Follow me…." Rachel got up and started to walk to the door of the warehouse. She turned to see if Daryl was following her. Daryl just stood against the wall.

"I said follow me…"

Daryl followed the woman outside the warehouse. He could see it was the same building he had seen before Frank knocked him out. The sun was beginning to set. He followed the woman across rusted trestle bridge. He thought of just heading in the opposite direction since it was just the woman who was there but decided he wanted to know who these people were at what they wanted. Not to mention he also needed to get his crossbow back.

On the other side of the bridge they headed down a slight hill. At the bottom of the hill was a dirt road that ran through the center of a small cluster of homes. About six small homes all together. Daryl could see where construction of others had begun but was incomplete.

They entered the first house on the left. They entered into the living room of the house which in turn led into the dining room area. There was a large wooden table in the center of the dining room and Daryl saw Belladonna sitting at the table. Daryl could smell something cooking in the kitchen. The smell of the food made him realize how long it had been since he had eaten anything. He was starving. He noticed the house had electricity and started to wonder how but then heard the faint hum of a generator. The same sound he heard near the warehouse. Rachel exited into the kitchen.

"Daryl, you are finally awake. Sorry about the blow to the head but you do what you have to do to protect your own….right?" she asked "Please…..sit down." she pointed to the chair to her right. Daryl slowly walked up and sat down.

Belladonna stood up and walked closer to his chair leaning against the table. "Do I make you nervous Daryl?" she asked.

"No…." Daryl furrowed his brow. He started to slowly look around the room to get a better feel of his surroundings.

"Get up and look around if you want….you are free to do as you wish" she told him.

"So does that mean I can leave?" Daryl asked her.

"Certainly if that's what you really want." Belladonna told him.

"Give me my crossbow and I'll be on my way." Daryl demanded.

Belladonna walked away from Daryl and over to a closet. Opening the door, she reached in to retrieve something. She came back to Daryl and handed him his crossbow. He started to take it from her but she held onto it.

"You could stay you know, have something to eat, get a decent night's rest in a real bed for a change…." she told him.

"I'll pass…." Daryl replied and started to leave. As he passed by Belladonna, she turned to watch him exit.

"Although I don't understand your hurry to go back to a group of people who don't even care you are gone."

Daryl stopped with his back to her. He wondered if there was in fact any truth to what she had said. He destroyed what he had with Eve. He had failed Carol and Sophia. He was fighting with everyone in the group. Did they care he was gone? Did they even notice?

"I know if my people were fighting with each other and one stormed off, not seen all day then didn't return at night…..I would be out searching for them….not one person from your group has come looking for you…..not a single one of them…..not one." Belladonna prepared her best "concerned" look. She bit the inside of her cheek in anticipation.

"How the hell do you know?" Daryl turned back towards her and asked. "What the hell do you know about my group?"

"We keep ourselves informed. Frank saw you before. He actually followed you from your group this morning. That's how he came upon you outside the warehouse with Rachel. How's your hand feel? I hear those were some punches you threw this morning."

Daryl flexed his hand, feeling the bruising around his knuckles…Shane…..he had stormed off after he hit him. These people were watching them.

"Like I said Daryl, you are in such a hurry to get back to a group who hasn't shown an ounce of concern for you. I, on the other hand, am offering you a place to sleep, something to eat and I'm not asking you for anything in return. Just try one night, if you still feel the same in the morning then return to them then." Belladonna stood there waiting for Daryl's response.

Daryl stood there. Belladonna's word echoed through his head. His head ached, his whole body ached. He never thought he'd long for sleeping in a real bed even just for one night so much. He did have his crossbow, she wasn't forcing him to stay. He didn't feel like he could return to the group anyways. Not after everything. At this point what did he really have to lose?

"Alright…just one night." Daryl replied, his stomach growled.

Belladonna gave him a sly smile "Sit down, I will get you something to eat….."


	11. Chapter 11

**Nightshade Hollow**

**Chapter 11**

Shane shook his head while watching Rick and Eve talk. He stepped further away out of their earshot with Dale and Andrea following. They formed a small circle and began to discuss the new revelations.

"This is crazy, even if somebody grabbed Daryl, this is different than looking for someone lost in the woods. Defending yourself from a walker is pretty straight forward. We're fortunate they don't move too fast and we know what will put them down. We could be dealing with who knows how many other people and we have no idea what their backgrounds are and what they are capable of." Dale told both of them

"Well Daryl can handle himself and he's never wanted any help from anyone, if he's in trouble I'm sure he could get out of it and if for some reason he can't well…..I just think it's crazy to all risk our lives for him. I think we should cut our losses and just get out of here." Andrea said.

"Look…..if we decide to do that we will have to wait until the morning anyways, it wouldn't be safe to leave at night. Let me see if I can talk to Rick some more, maybe in private away from Eve he will come around. I have to try for Lori and Carl's sake." Shane stepped out into the hallway to think.

Dale walked back over to Carl and engaged him in a game of cards while still trying to keep an eye out to what Rick and Eve were saying.

Andrea followed Shane into the hallway.

"Shane…..wait….do you really think Daryl is behind all this or do you think there are other people here in this town?" Andrea's face had her concern written all over it.

"I don't know what to think. But I wouldn't put it past Daryl to flip his lid and go postal on everyone. Eve did have a point, there's no way he could've rigged all those contraptions by himself in that amount of time so that confirms that there are others here.

What kind of person leaves a trap like that? I understand protecting yours at all costs but that's just taking it to a different level. What concerns me is how do we know Daryl was even taken, he could've run into these people and finally found others he could relate to. Like it was home sweet home. Without being able to answer that, I see know reason to endanger everyone's lives trying to find him." Shane told her.

Lori, Rick and Eve were a short distance from Dale and Carl in the room. Eve could tell Dale was trying to eavesdrop but she didn't care if he heard what she said or not. It was Rick that was trying to be discreet.

"This is going to be difficult. Shane is going to fight us the whole way with this." Rick said.

Lori looked at Rick concerned "So what's our solution? I don't want either one of you to endanger yourselves on some kind of suicide mission to save Daryl. I want to help Daryl but how are the three of us going to do that?"

"The three of us aren't…..Lori you're staying here with Carl, if things go bad I want you and Carl to have a shot to get out of here. What we need to do is get Glen on board. He just needs some persuading. He's always been good at logistics. We could use his help." Rick said.

Eve bit her lip "Do you think he will come around or do you think he will side will Shane?" she asked.

"I don't know but Glen isn't afraid to take a chance when he believes in what he is doing. I'll try talking to him one on one and see if that makes a difference. In the meantime, Eve, since you and Glen were last in town why don't you start sketching out a map as best you can remember so we can at least have something to use for strategy. I'm going to try talking to Shane and the others again. I'd feel better about all this if they were on board. Right now, I don't see how we're going to be able to pull anything off with just the two of us. Then try and get some sleep. We can't do anything in the dark. We'll start first thing tomorrow and come up with a plan." Rick turned and walked over to Glen. He put his hand on his back and led him to the other side of the room.

"Eve…..I'm sorry…." Lori rested her hand on her shoulder.

"Don't be Daryl is fine….we just have to find him…you need to focus on Carl and keeping him safe." Eve started to leave to get something to draw on.

"I'll try talking to Dale….maybe he will listen to me" Lori told her. Eve nodded her head and walked away. Lori stood there wondering if they were all about to make a grave mistake.


	12. Chapter 12

**Nightshade Hollow**

**Chapter 12**

_Daryl found himself standing in the hallway near the staircase in the farm house. He watched as gasoline dripped down the staircase from step to step. He dropped the gas can that he was holding in his hand and started to back away. He backed to the front door and stepped onto the porch. He stood there, standing in the doorway just staring inside the house. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a match. Striking it on the door frame it flashed a orange glow and the flame danced on the stick before him. Daryl began to back up as he tossed the match into the house. Daryl ran from the porch and once on the ground he turned to look back. The hallway ignited at the drop of the match. Daryl watched the orange and yellow flames chase each other around the house until it was fully engulfed. Then suddenly, Daryl saw Eve standing in the doorway._

"_Eve?…" Daryl started to run back towards the house as Eve closed the door, causing him to lose site of her. Before he could get to the door, a large ball of flame burst from the front door knocking Daryl back down the stairs onto the ground. Daryl was stunned in disbelief._

"_You destroyed it!" Daryl turned his head to see who was speaking to him. It was Carol. He was speechless. She just stared at him a moment. Then Carol looked back at the fire. He could see it's reflection in her eyes. "Sophia and I weren't painful enough for you? You had to go and ruin everything?"_

Daryl shot up straight up in the bed. He was sweating and took a deep breath to try and calm himself down. He laid back down staring at the ceiling. He had ruined everything. Eve stood there in front of him in the attic begging for a chance to make things right with him and he wouldn't even listen to her. He stood there and told her to her face that he didn't care anything about her. Daryl couldn't forget the way she looked at him. It was if he could see her heart breaking before him. How could he be so cruel her to? She would never forgive him. Daryl could feel the tears welling up in his eyes. He rolled to his side and closed his eyes.

Belladonna stood in the doorway of Daryl's room but out of his line of sight. She wondered what he was dreaming about. There was no question Daryl was troubled. She could read him like a book. He almost made it too easy. Tomorrow she would use him to get what she wanted and then his usefulness would be gone. Belladonna exited the house and met the others in the roadway. There was Frank and Rachel, but also one other man.

"We have Daryl where we want him, I'm confident he will tell us exactly how many weapons they have. Once he does that, we'll have no use for him. We certainly can't use him to draw the others in. They've proven he means nothing to them. We just have to get rid of the other two stronger men and the others will be easily taken. The old man is useless and the Asian shouldn't be much of a threat. We will show these people just like we did the others it's survival of the fittest in this town. You don't come into someone else's town, stealing their gas and supplies without consequences. They will see it as the biggest mistake of their lives…and their last."

"What about the women and the boy?" one the men asked.

"The only two I want left alive are the mother and the boy. We could use the boy here, mold him into one of us. We'll just keep the mother around to make sure he listens. At least for now. Go back and keep an eye on them. As soon as you see an opportunity, take the boy and the mother. Rachel, get rid of at least one of the other women to start. We will lure the rest and kill them here." Belladonna instructed.

Belladonna started to go back into the house but stopped short and turned around "I want all those guns."


	13. Chapter 13

**Nightshade Hollow**

**Chapter 13**

_Daryl found himself standing in the hallway right before it opened up into the kitchen. His heart began to race and his breathing increased as he turned the corner. He could see Eve standing next to the sink with her back towards him. Eve turned her head, looking over her shoulder at him._

_Eve smiled slightly when she saw him….._

Daryl woke up startled. Disoriented, it took him a moment to release where he was. He should've never stayed there and he knew it. He was wasting time. He got up and grabbed his crossbow from the chair next to the bed.

Daryl started to head towards the door when he heard Belladonna's voice.

"Where do you think you are going? You haven't had breakfast yet." she said

"I'm not hungry, I need to leave." he replied as he turned to look at her.

"But I thought we could talk some more this morning, what's your hurry?" she asked.

"I don't know who you are or what you really want, but I have a camp to get back to." Daryl heard the door creek open behind him. Daryl turned to look at who had entered and as he did, his jaw was met by Frank's fist.

Daryl stumbled to the floor as he lost grip of his crossbow. He turned and tried to reach for it but Belladonna's hands were already on it. Daryl stayed on the floor as he looked up to her. She pointed the crossbow at his head. Frank hovered above him waiting for Belladonna's instructions on what to do next.

"Now Daryl, you are making this far more difficult than I had hoped." she told him.

Daryl slowly started to rise to his feet.

"Oh I don't think so, the time for playing nice has passed, lay back on the floor on your stomach. Keep your arms out." she instructed him.

Daryl hesitantly complied with her orders. He felt like a fool. His head had been swirling from everything that had happened with everyone, not to mention the blow to the head from Frank, wasn't allowing him to think clearly but now he was. He wondered though if it was too little too late.

"What do you want?" Daryl asked.

"Frank, go and get the boy now…..we need to speed things up a bit since Daryl here isn't going to be as cooperative and useful as I expected." Belladonna instructed Frank, he turned and left the house.

_The boy_, Daryl thought to himself…..she could only be talking about Carl. Daryl's stomached turned at the thought of another mother being separated from her child and again he had done nothing to stop this.

"Leave them alone" Daryl snarled at her.

"Am I hitting a soft spot there Daryl? Well, that's just too bad I'm afraid. See I initially hoped that when we grabbed you that we could separate the others and take them out as they searched for you. You see, you slightly have us outnumbered so we have to be smart about this. The problem was…..no one cared you were gone! What are the odds, out of all the people in your group, we grab the one person that no one cares about!" Belladonna laughed as she spoke.

Daryl closed his eyes, her words made his heart ache even more than it already did.

"Why are you doing this? Why not just let us leave if you don't want us here?" Daryl asked.

"What…..and have you tell others you run into of our town so they can steal the rest of our supplies? Our numbers have diminished greatly. There used to be many more of us. Now there are only four of us left. We had heard the news of what was happening around the world. We didn't want to take a chance of having an infection in our town. As soon as people started getting sick, we started getting rid of them. Why do you think there are no walkers in this town? Every now and then one or two might turn up but for the most part, we are pretty secluded. Then as time went on, it was one thing after another, some people just left, some killed themselves, a few others got sick and had to be put down. The next thing I knew it was just the four of us. Now we are protecting ourselves at all costs." Belladonna told him.

"So you just murder whoever gets in your way?" Daryl asked. He started to realize, this wasn't a group of people trying to survive, this was a group of people that were insane.

"Murder is such a harsh word Daryl….but enough of all this chatter. Where are all the guns in your group and how many are there?" She asked him.

"….I'm not telling you a damn thing." Daryl told her.

Belladonna's light hearted demeanor quickly changed to anger. "I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS NOW!….you make me very angry Daryl."

Belladonna aimed Daryl's crossbow and fired. The arrow cut through Daryl's thigh and entered into the floor beneath him pinning his leg to the floor. Daryl cringed as the pain radiated through his body.

"That should hold you until I get back, I'm not done with you yet." Belladonna marched out of the house and slammed the door.

Daryl lay on the floor in agony. Every move he tried to make just caused the pain to be worse. He started to sweat. Daryl struggled to undo his belt and pulled his belt from the loops of his pants. He wrapped it around his thigh just above the wound and drew the belt as tight as he could. He reached around and grabbed hold of the end of the arrow sticking out of the back of his leg. He knew pulling the arrow back through would cause even more damage but there was no way to dislodge it from the floor and pull it forward. Daryl took multiple deep breaths before doing anything. On his last breath, he held it. Daryl pulled with all his might and felt his leg release from the floor as a sharp pain shot through his thigh. Daryl felt as if he would vomit. He tried to breath through it. He let go of the arrow, still lodged in his thigh. He had only been able to pull it about halfway through. He felt the blood running down the front of his thigh. He knew he had to act quickly. The belt wasn't acting as a good tourniquet. Daryl tightened the belt again as best he could and grabbed the back of the arrow and pulled it the rest of the way out. Daryl felt himself become light headed and struggled to keep from passing out. He crawled back into the bedroom and pulled the sheet off the bed. He ripped the sheet in multiple strips and wrapped his wound as tightly as he could. By this time, Daryl was drenched in sweat and out of breath. He had to exit that house without being seen. He crawled over to the window and peered out the front of the house. He could see Belladonna outside speaking with another man he hadn't seen before. Daryl pushed himself up to standing and limped his way to the back of the house, steadying himself against the wall as he did. There was a back door. He cracked open the back door and didn't see anyone. He slipped out and positioned himself at the corner of the house and peered around just enough to see. He could still see Belladonna talking to the other man.


	14. Chapter 14

**Nightshade Hollow**

**Chapter 14**

Andrea had stepped out back near the greenhouse. She had armed herself with her pistol. It was the first time she had been able to pick it back up since Carol shot herself with it. Andrea still felt a tremendous amount of guilt concerning Carol but at the same time understood how Carol felt. She had felt like doing the same thing plenty of times since she had woken up in the nightmare of a world. She just didn't have the nerve she guessed. Shane had told her to pack up her things, that they would be leaving that morning to head towards Fort Benning. Shane had wanted to go there for quite some time to see if there was some kind of sanctuary there. Although she didn't like Eve or Daryl, the fact that the entire group was divided couldn't help but make her feel it was just one more form of a loss. She was tired of there being so much loss around her. Andrea felt someone pull the weapon from her waistband. She quickly turned around reaching her hands back to brace herself on the ground. She looked up to see a blond woman pointing her gun at her, smiling.

"Aw….so sad?" Rachel asked her mockingly.

Andrea just stared in fear at the woman. She had a wild look in her eyes. The woman didn't have to utter another word for Andrea to know she was out of her mind.

"Don't worry, I will make it quick." Rachel smiled as she cocked the hammer of the gun.

"STOP!" Andrea heard someone shout, as she turned her head she saw Eve pointing her gun at the woman. The woman quickly turned on Eve pointing her gun back at her. Andrea looked back up to the woman and saw the crazed smile on her face turn to hatred and anger. Andrea saw her pull the trigger as she heard two shots rang out.

.

.

Lori and Rick had been arguing inside the room where they had all been staying. Shane was standing a short distance away with Dale. Glen was packing up all their belongings with Carl's help.

"I have to know you are safe." Rick told her.

"I'm not leaving you here! I'm not leaving without you!" Lori told Rick as she fought back her own tears. Lori turned to Shane and Dale "Please…..you guys can't do this….we can't separate now. Shane, Rick is your partner, he needs you now more than ever! Don't let him do this alone."

Shane looked into the Lori's eyes and could see how desperate she was. "This has gone on long enough Lori…I'm sorry, but I can't support this….not this time, we're leaving and if Rick wants to stay with Eve and Glen and look for Daryl, that's on him. I will gladly keep you and Carl safe but I'm not doing it here." Shane told her.

Lori turned back to Rick "Rick…..please…." she was at a loss for words.

Rick wrapped his arms around her "Please Lori, try to understand, I just want you and Carl to be safe….I promise, nothing will stop me from coming back to you. We will find Daryl and we will catch up with you all down the road. I know we can do this. But I need you to trust me."

Before anyone could say anything else, they heard two gunshots coming from the rear of the house.

"Dale, take Lori and Carl to the RV, get ready to head out. Glen, finish packing up the supplies. Shane come with me. Let's find out what the hell just happened." Rick and Shane ran towards the back.

Dale grabbed Lori by the arm and led her and Carl to the RV.

"Dale please…." Lori pleaded with Dale.

"Now it's no use Lori, this is what's best for you and Carl." Dale opened the door to the RV as Lori and Carl climbed aboard. Lori turned around in attempt to say one last word to Dale when she saw a large man step behind Dale. Lori's eyes widened "DALE!"

Dale started to turn but Frank struck him in the head. Dale fell to the ground. Lori grabbed Carl and pulled him close.

"Get down and come with me." Frank ordered them.

Lori stood there frozen, not knowing what to do.

The man reached forward and pulled Carl from her grasp "I said come with me….make a sound and I'll kill the boy."

"Mom!" Carl cried out.

Lori tried to hang on to Carl but the man was too strong. Lori stepped down and the man pulled Lori and Carl down the road towards the bridge. Lori looked back and saw Dale's body just lying in the street. She looked back at the house not knowing if she would ever see Rick again.


	15. Chapter 15

**Nightshade Hollow**

**Chapter 15**

Rick and Shane ran out back and saw an unknown blond woman and Eve laying on the ground and Andrea rising to her feet. She looked stunned.

Shane rushed over to the woman on the ground and removed the gun from her hand. She stared up at the sky wide eyed and lifeless. She had a bullet wound to her chest. Shane turned back to Andrea, seeing the fear in her face he pulled her close. She wrapped her arms around his waist. They both looked over and saw Rick squatting next to Eve.

"Oh my God….is she dead?" Andrea asked as she and Shane walked closer.

Eve slowly sat up, clutching her left arm, Andrea could see the blood seeping through her fingers. "Sorry to disappoint you…..it's just a graze."

"Are you sure you're alright?" Rick asked her.

"I'm fine" she replied.

Rick looked up towards Shane, his arm was around Andrea. Both Shane and Rick's faces grew concerned.

"Lori….." Rick jumped to his feet and he and Shane took off towards the front of the house.

Eve picked up her gun from the ground and started to stand. Andrea reached under her arm to help her up.

"Can I help you bandage that?" Andrea asked and motioned towards her wound.

Eve cautiously looked at Andrea "Actually…..I could use the help."

"You could've let her kill me." Andrea stated.

"What kind of person would I be if I did that? I'll do what I can to help anyone….whether I like them or not. " she replied

"You're right…..I'm sorry."

Eve nodded and they both headed back inside.

.

Rick and Shane were helping Dale back inside as Andrea was finishing wrapping Eve's arm.

"I'm sorry Rick…I didn't even see what hit me." Dale told him.

"What happened to Dale?" Eve jumped up and rushed over to him, helping Glen sit him down.

"Lori and Carl are gone…Shane and I are going after them." Rick announced.

Rick headed to the duffel bag of guns and started to arm himself, handing off some of the weapons to Shane.

"Well I'm coming with you, they could need help or we could find Daryl." Eve told him.

"We still don't know Daryl doesn't have anything to do with this!" Shane said.

"You still won't get off that? There's no way and you know it." Eve replied.

"STOP BOTH OF YOU! I'M DONE WITH ALL THIS! I DON'T CARE WHO HAS THEM, ALL I CARE ABOUT IS GETTING THEM BACK!" Rick yelled.

Everyone stared at one another in silence. Rick calmed himself and spoke again.

"Eve, you need to stay here and take care of Dale, he took a hard hit to the head. Glen, Andrea, the two of you stay here with them. Shane and I are the only ones going and that's final. I can't risk anyone else getting in the way. That's final."

Aggravated, Eve turned back to Dale and started to tend to his wound.

Rick and Shane, armed, headed out.

Glen went back to rounding up all their belongings and packing them up in the RV.

Andrea just watched Eve as she worked on Dale.

"OW! You're lacking a bit in the bedside manner there…." Dale complained.

Dale looked at Andrea, he was surprised at how quiet she was. "Andrea what's wrong?" Dale asked.

"Eve…..what else does Dale need?" Andrea asked.

"Nothing really…..the blow didn't break the skin. He just has a big knot back there. We don't have any ice to reduce the swelling so he is just going to have to deal with a headache for awhile. Someone just needs to keep an eye on him though for the next 24 hours, making sure he doesn't start to feel worse." Eve replied. She looked discourage and frustrated.

"Just go….I will keep an eye on him. Leave us a few guns and by the time you all get back we will be packed up and ready to get out of this town." Andrea told her.

Eve looked at her a moment. Andrea didn't have to tell her twice. Eve started to get up when Glen came rushing back in. He had a huge smile on his face.

"You won't believe who just showed up." Glen remarked.

Glen looked back towards the door and in walked Maggie and T-Dog.

"Who's this?" T-Dog asked while pointing at Eve.

"There's no time for formalities, she's with us, that's all you need to know. We've got to catch up with Rick and Shane and help them find the others. I'll explain it all along the way." Glen replied.

"I'll stay here with Dale, the two of us will be fine." Andrea stated.

Eve handed her and Dale both a gun as the others grabbed one each for themselves along with extra ammunition. The headed down the road in the same direction that Rick and Shane left.


	16. Chapter 16

**Nightshade Hollow**

**Chapter 16**

Daryl watched from behind the house as Lori and Carl were led in front of Belladonna. Lori looked scared but kept Carl close to her.

"How touching really….." Belladonna replied.

"What do you want from us?" Lori asked her.

"Well to be honest, I really don't want anything from you….but I have to keep you around to keep this young one cooperative now don't I?"

"Split them up for now….tie them both up then meet me on the other side of the bridge. It's time to get rid of the others." Belladonna told Frank and the other man. Frank grabbed Lori and the other grabbed Carl taking them to separate houses. Daryl watched as they took Lori to the house next to the one he had been in.

Daryl crept around to the front of the house, still struggling to walk but made sure to keep out of Belladonna's site. Daryl could hear Lori screaming at Frank to let her go then he could hear a commotion in the house. Daryl rushed in the front door, the adrenaline dulling the pain in his leg and as he did he saw Frank punching Lori. She tried her best to shield herself with her arms from his blows. Daryl grabbed Frank in a head lock and pulled him off her. Frank pulled a knife from a sheath on his belt and sliced Daryl's arm forcing Daryl to released him. He turned to lunge at Daryl with the knife when Lori picked up a chair and swung it at his head as hard as she could. Frank dropped to his knees, dropping the knife on the floor. Daryl charged him, knocking him on his back and began punching him with his fist of the uninjured arm. Lori grabbed the knife from the floor as Frank punched Daryl in the wound on his thigh. Daryl doubled over in pain, enabling Frank to push him off of him. Frank wrapped his hands around Daryl's neck and began choking him. Lori charged Frank and plunged the knife into his back. He yelled out, falling off to the side, releasing Daryl. Lori stared at him wide eyed as Frank lay motionless on the floor. Daryl grabbed his bleeding arm and applied pressure to try and stop the bleeding. He struggled to crawl closer to Lori. She turned and looked at him. She reached down and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tight.

"Daryl Dixon I've never been so happy to see you in my life!" she replied.

Daryl, stunned, didn't know how to respond. Lori released him and seeing him bleeding ripped a strip of fabric from one of the curtains and wrapped up his arm.

"That should hold you until Eve can take a look at it. I need your help getting Carl back."

Lori helped Daryl to his feet and assisted him walking over to the door. They paused to check outside but didn't see anyone. Quickly they headed outside and to the house across the road. They stepped up on the front porch and pushed the door open. Carl was sitting in the dining room, tied to a chair.

"CARL!" Lori cried out as she rushed over to him and began to untie him. Daryl kept an eye on door to make sure no one came. Daryl looked up the road towards the bridge and didn't see a sign of anyone. He didn't know if that made him more relieved or worried. Lori rushed back over to the door with Carl and tucked herself back under Daryl's arm.

"Come on, let's get you back before they return." Lori told Daryl.

"Lori, you should take Carl and get out of here, I'll take care of myself." Daryl told her.

"No offense Daryl, but you don't look like you've done a very good job so far. After all this, you're coming with us. No arguments." Lori told him.

Daryl, Lori and Carl cautiously headed towards the bridge.


	17. Chapter 17

**Nightshade Hollow**

**Chapter 17**

Shane and Rick had just started to cross the bridge when they came upon Belladonna and the other man on the opposite side. The four of them stood there a moment and stared at one another. Shane and Rick took aim towards the two and started to approach them. Belladonna and the man with her walked to the center of the bridge. The man was pointing Daryl's crossbow at them. They were standing about 10 feet from one another.

"We have your people, if you don't want anything to happen to them you will turn over all your weapons to us." Belladonna told both Rick and Shane.

"I'm not giving you a damn thing and I've come to take back my family." Rick replied.

Rick could see Lori, Daryl and Carl approaching the bridge from behind them.

"LORI? CARL?" Rick called out to them and started to run past Belladonna and the other man. As he did, Belladonna shouted at the man next to her.

"SHOOT HIM!" she screamed!

The man pointed Daryl's crossbow at Rick but before he could pull the trigger, Shane shot him first. The man dropped like a ton of bricks on the bridge. Belladonna looked in shock at Shane. Her blood boiled.

"FRANK? WHERE ARE YOU?" she called out.

Rick wrapped his arms around Lori and Carl as Daryl approached Belladonna from behind still leaving a few feet between them.

"He won't be able to help you." Daryl told her. Belladonna turned to look at him.

About that time Eve, Glen, T-Dog and Maggie approached the bridge. When Eve saw Daryl she began to run down the bridge.

"DARYL?" Eve called out to him.

Belladonna noticed the relief in Daryl's eyes when he laid eyes on Eve. Belladonna wasn't ready for this to end without a fight. As Eve got closer, Belladonna charged her, knocking into her and knocking them both down close to the edge of the bridge. Both Eve and Belladonna rolled off the side.

Lori screamed as Eve rolled off out of sight and Daryl lunged for the edge of the bridge. When he leaned over he could see Eve hanging on to the ledge but she was losing her grip fast. Belladonna held on to one of her ankles attempting to pull her off. Daryl reached down and grabbed her with his good arm but struggled to hang on to her. Eve lost her grip from the ledge and was only holding on to Daryl.

"I can't hold her!" Daryl yelled as he felt Eve slowly starting to slip from his hand, his other arm useless from the knife wound.

Shane laid on the bridge next to Daryl reaching over and grabbing one of Eve's wrists hanging on to her. He reached down with the other and tried pulling her up but the added struggle and weight of Belladonna was making it more difficult. Shane held on to her arm as tightly as he could.

"Rick….we need some help here." Shane called out.

Eve tried to kick Belladonna lose from her ankle with no luck. She wiggled her ankle and using her other foot pushed her boot off causing Belladonna to fall to the rocks below still clinging onto her boot. Eve looked down and could see her lifeless body laying across the rocks, a steady stream of blood pouring from her head. There was no question she didn't survive the fall.

Rick helped pull Eve back up as Glen, Maggie and T-Dog rushed over.

Once they had everyone safe. Rick looked at Daryl.

"Where are the others?" Rick asked.

"There are no others" Daryl replied.

"I don't understand…..that doesn't make sense." Rick questioned Daryl.

"Rick, let's worry about the details later, Daryl needs Eve to fix him up, he's got quite a few wounds that need looking after." Lori told Rick.

"Alright, let's help him back to the RV then." Rick said.

"I have a better idea, let's bring the supplies to him, we can take him back to one of the houses. They all have power. The light will be better there." Lori told him.

"Well you can't drive the RV across this bridge, it's not safe enough but I do know another way down into that valley. If ya'll come with me back to get Dale, I'll show you the way." Maggie explained.


	18. Chapter 18

**Nightshade Hollow**

**Chapter 18**

They were all sitting in the living room of the house where Daryl initially stayed the night. Eve had Daryl laying on top of the table tending his wounds. He needed quite a few stitches. Luckily she hadn't used the ones she had for the more minor wounds before since she wasn't even sure she would have enough for Daryl's arm. It was a nasty gash.

"Well T-Dog, it's about time you decided to show up and help." Shane jokingly remarked.

"Hey I got him here as fast as I could. It was hard enough keeping him hidden at the farm until his infection could clear up enough to be back on the road. You should be thanking me for putting up with him for so long. Keeping him hidden from Hershel was quite the feat I must add!" Maggie remarked.

"Besides, you guys said you were heading a few miles down the road to continue looking for Sophia. Then when we didn't find you we assumed you headed on to Ft. Benning but after heading that way we discovered the road was blocked so we started to back track and look for you all. We sure as hell wouldn't have found you if it hadn't been for that damn RV sitting out in the road." T-Dog told them.

"Yeah and the only reason I even knew to check here is because my mom and I always came to this town every year to visit her cousin. Otherwise I wouldn't have known to even check this way!" Maggie explained.

"Speaking of Sophia, where's Carol? And why didn't you stay closer by Hershel's like we planned?" T-Dog asked.

Sorrow fell over all the faces of the group. Finally Lori spoke up and explained what happened with them. Maggie started to cry as Glen put his arm around her to comfort her. T-Dog bowed his head, not knowing what else to say.

"Honestly T-Dog, I have to apologize, we didn't mean to leave you, we just needed to get out of there, it was too difficult to stay in that spot." Rick replied.

"Nah man, it's cool, I get it…." T-Dog stated.

Glen leaned forward from where he was sitting "You know what I don't understand? I don't get how four people on their own could cause so much destruction in one town. They set all those traps in the stores and had us all freaking out. I would've never guessed it was only four people doing all that."

"Those people were insane, who knows what exactly happened before it ended up just being the four of them. If it hadn't been for Daryl coming in to help me when he did I don't know what would've happened. I don't know if there is a reasonable explanation for what they did and how they did it. How do you explain crazy?" Lori asked.

"I guess we are all learning more and more that only a few can have a big impact." Andrea added.

Rick looked over at Shane and Andrea.

"So Rick, where do we all go from here. Just this morning we were all about to go our separate ways, a part of me wonders if that's not still a good idea." Shane said as he glanced over towards Eve and Daryl.

"Listen Shane and everyone for that matter, I know we've had many differences lately. There's been more fighting between each of us. I'm not saying all our problems can just be swept under the rug. I know we have a lot of things we need to work out but one thing I do know for sure is that we operate better as a group. There is a better chance of us all surviving if we can stick together. We have to find a way to get along and work things out. How we do that? Well right now I don't know. I do know regardless of our personal feelings towards one another that I have no doubt when push comes to shove that we all in the end will look out for each other. I think that was proven today. Is there anyone that disagrees with that?" Rick asked

The room was silent.

"Now we know the dangers don't just lie with the walkers, it lies with other people as well. Our motto of not killing the living no matter how good the intentions, has been proven impossible. As much as I hate the fact that lives were taken today, I don't see where we were given any other choice. We have a safe place here now for the time being with power and a fair amount of supplies. I say we take advantage of all this and allow everyone a chance to heal before we move on or come up with a new plan of action. I think we all need to do a bit of healing and not just from being bruised and battered." Rick told them.

Lori elbowed Rick and pointed towards Eve and Daryl. Eve was steadily stitching up Daryl's arm.

"I think they especially need some time to themselves." Lori whispered.

Rick nodded his head in agreement. He motioned for everyone to leave the house. They all stepped out onto the porch.

"We'll take care of any bodies that need burying in the morning. I think everyone should get their rest. There's plenty of room between these homes and the RV for everyone to have a decent night's sleep. We'll take turns keeping watch of the area on top of the RV as usual. T-Dog can we welcome you back into taking first shift?" Rick asked.

"Yeah I got it." T-Dog laughed to himself as he climbed up top the RV with a rifle.

"I can relieve him in a few hours and take second shift." Dale replied as he headed to the RV to sleep.

Maggie turned to Glen "Maybe at first light you can take me back to Hershel's before he sends the calvary out looking for me. I'm going to have some explaining to do in the morning but I do need to go back. At least now I know exactly where you are and it's not too far that I can't see you often." The two of them headed off towards one of the empty houses.

Rick, Lori and Carl, headed to another. "So what do you think is really going to happen with the group? Do you think we will all stick together?" Lori asked Rick.

"I have no idea. There's been a lot of change in everyone, it's getting harder and harder to know what to expect from some. It also seems like the people you first expected the least from are now ones that you begin expecting the most from. I think we've underestimated everyone's ability one way or another. I guess only time will tell." Rick replied

Shane put his arm around Andrea "I guess we need to stake a claim on one of these houses as well, at least for the time being." he told her.

"Are you content in staying here with everyone?" Andrea asked.

"I don't know...I still have mixed feelings about everything. I'm not convinced anymore that Rick needs to be leading this group. I know Daryl risked his life for Lori and Carl but I'm not 100% convinced he's someone I can trust. I just don't know. As far as Eve goes, I felt like I owed her something...you know for what she did for you. I guess since we aren't in immediate danger, taking at least a few days to think on it all won't hurt anything." Shane told her.

"Yeah...I know what you mean...I kind of saw Eve in a different light myself, I guess. She's still not my favorite person but I do owe her." Andrea replied.

Shane nodded his head. "I guess that answers that...at least for now."


	19. Chapter 19

**Nightshade Hollow**

**Chapter 19**

Eve was steadily working on Daryl and didn't notice everyone else had left the house. She was about done wrapping all his wounds when she noticed they were alone.

"Where did everybody go?" She asked.

"They all left, everyone's tired I guess. Sounds like they want to stay here for awhile now that the threat is gone. At least until something else can be figured out." Daryl told her.

"Ok, well you are almost as good as new." Eve told him. "I'll go get you some more clothes." Eve got up and exited out towards the RV. Eve had to cut off Daryl's blood soaked shirt, there was no salvaging it, and cut off his pants to get to his leg wound just leaving him in his boxers. He had wanted to crack some kind of joke to her about it but didn't have it in him. Daryl slowly sat up as he waited for her to return. She entered back in the house carrying more clothes.

"Don't even try walking on your own with that leg." she told him.

Daryl only half smiled. Just the thought of trying to walk on his own hurt, she wouldn't be getting any arguments from him. "Don't worry, I know how you are with all those shots!" he replied.

"Come on, I will help you to the bed." Eve told him as he leaned on her and he hobbled his way with her to the bedroom.

Daryl slowly climbed into bed trying as little as possible to move his injured leg and arm.

"Do you want help with your clothes?" Eve asked

"No, they can wait until the morning." Daryl told her.

"Ok….well I'll be back in the morning to check on your wounds and give you another round of antibiotics and pain meds. Try to get some rest." Eve said.

He just stared at her not saying a word. There was so much Eve wanted to say to him but she had been so focused on patching him up, not to mention everyone else had been around, she hadn't had a chance to really say anything at all. Now she felt awkward trying to bring anything up. So much had happened but at the bridge as broken down as Daryl was he still tried to save her. Most people in as much pain as he was in wouldn't have been able to make it over to the side to reach her, let alone hang on to her until someone else could come help. She wondered what he was thinking. He really hadn't said anything to her either except to answer whatever questions she asked.

Eve started to walk towards the doorway.

"Wait…." Daryl said to her.

Eve stopped at the doorway and turned around to look at Daryl.

"I don't…...want you to go" Daryl told her.

It pained him to even speak to her. He felt like he didn't have the right to say or ask her for anything. Even with feeling that way he didn't want to spend another minute without her.

Eve didn't know what to think of him wanting her to stay. She wasn't sure what he even meant by it. She slowly walked back over to the bed and sat next to him on the edge.

"Do you need me to do something else for you?" she asked.

Daryl just nodded his head yes and looked down as if he was ashamed of himself. He didn't say anything.

Eve waited a moment to see if he would tell her what he needed but he just sat there in silence.

"Daryl I'm not a mind reader. You'll need to tell me what you need." she told him.

Daryl took a deep breath. He wasn't even sure what he wanted to say to her. He reached over and took her hand and just held onto her.

Eve looked down at her hand and back up to him. Tears started to well up in her eyes. Her heart raced as all the thoughts and feelings for him rushed through her mind.

Daryl kept telling himself to say something over and over but he was almost too afraid to utter a sound. He didn't know what to say or where to begin. Finally he mustered up the courage to speak.

"I don't know how you can stand to be around me...everything I touch I ruin." he whispered to her.

A tear ran down Eve's cheek. Daryl looked into her eyes and saw that she was crying. He let go of her hand and reached up, gently brushing the tears from her face. Knowing he was making her cry just made him feel that much worse. He hung his head back down.

Eve moved closer to him and cupped his face in her hands making him look at her "Daryl, you haven't ruined anything. You can't keep blaming yourself for things you don't have any control over. You did everything you could for Carol and Sophia and Carol knew that. She wasn't thinking straight. It hurts me too that she is gone but I know it hurts you more. It's ok to be upset about it but you have to stop blaming yourself. It's not your fault. If I have to remind you of that everyday then I will. You had every right to be angry with me, I shouldn't have kept anything from you. I swear I won't ever keep anything from you again."

"But the house..." Daryl replied.

"The house is gone...there's nothing that can be done to change that but it was just a house. It _was_ just a house Daryl. It doesn't matter where we are. I just don't want to be without you." she told him.

Wrapping his good arm around her, Daryl pulled her closer and kissed her. Eve wrapped both arms around him and held him close.

Daryl gently pulled away from her and started to speak. "I'm sorry..."

Eve covered Daryl's mouth with her hand. "Stop it! I don't want to hear anymore of that from you!" She smiled softly at him. "What I do need is for you to lay in that bed and get better, are we understood?" Eve said as she uncovered his mouth.

"Yes ma'am" he replied as he smiled back at her. He couldn't remember the last time he had smiled. He scooted himself down in the bed as best he could, hurting with every move.

Careful not to bump any of his wounds, Eve climbed across Daryl and curled up next to him. She lay next to him with his good arm wrapped around her and her arm wrapped around his waist. She laid her head just under his chin and he kissed her forehead. Eve finally felt a sense of peace again laying in Daryl's arms. Daryl knew he needed her, no matter how much he thought he didn't deserve her, he wouldn't let her go again and would protect her at any cost.

******Author's note: Thanks again to all who took the time to read my story! Are you all saying FINALLY? Poor Daryl, I think I tortured him enough for a series but I hope it was worth it all in the end. I really enjoyed reading everyone's comments and I hope you will continue to read my future stories. Although it won't be the same I hope you all love any new characters I create as much as I heard you all say you loved Eve! It especially meant a lot to me that you loved her so much because I patterned her actions and responses a great deal after myself and how I would respond in her shoes so I'm feeling very loved by all of you at the moment! Thanks again for taking the time! ~LSWASP**


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Walking Dead, Romance, Suspense