It'd been a week since I had that dream and I haven't felt safe since. It was like every single fear and repressed memory I ever had came flooding back all at once. It was like someone was watching me every second of the day, but I had no idea who and where they were. I hadn't felt this kind of uneasiness since my mom died in a car crash a few years before the outbreak; it terrified me.

Merle's been trying to help me through this shit show the best he can, but I can tell he's struggling; I'm unpredictable, I'm a ticking time bomb. Who knows what's gonna set me off next? All I know is that if I were him, I wouldn't even wanna listen to me. I wouldn't have even gone near me in the first place.

I peered up from the notebook a girl named Beth had given me, placing my pen in the crease as Merle sauntered into the cell. He leaned against the wall.

"You ready to go," he asked me.

"Where," I questioned, slowly.

"Gonna scout out some places to shack up."

"What do you mean?" I stood up, becoming increasingly alarmed at the worst case scenario. "Are we getting kicked out? Are they kicking us out?"

"No! No, they ain't kickin' us out. Don't get yer panties in a twist," Merle scoffed. "We'll come back after we're done. It won't take that long," he promised me before turning around and leaving. I hurried after him. We walked outside and saw Daryl waiting for us in the prison yard next to a truck. I felt a rush of annoyance, yet nervousness, pour over my body. Why the hell was he coming with? When I reached the truck, Daryl opened my door. I gave him a weird look, surprised at his action.

"Just gonna stand there or what," he spat, his eyes lowering into a glare. I held my tongue, shooting him back a glare before I climbed into the truck and slammed my door shut with force. I put my seatbelt on just as Daryl started the vehicle, rolling out of the prison grounds and onto the road. I leaned against the window, allowing my mind to drift into unknown territory. I was rudely interrupted by Merle snickering. My eyes shifted to the rearview mirror to see Daryl who had a small smirk on his lips. I glared at him through the mirror even though he couldn't see me do so. I closed my eyes in annoyance to pass the time, accidentally falling asleep.

I woke when Daryl slammed on the breaks, my face almost hitting the back of the driver's seat.

"Rise and shine, Red," Merle howled with excitement as he jumped out of the truck. I groaned as I rubbed my shoulder that I slept on weirdly. I gazed up at the sky which was slowly turning into night.

"Where are we," I wondered as I stumbled out of the truck, wandering behind Merle and Daryl.

"'Bout fifteen minutes out, not too far," Merle responded, leading us onto a trail. I caught Daryl's eyes flickering over my face. I quickly glanced at him, shrugging off the anxious feeling that sat in my stomach. A school revealed itself through the trees. Merle became ecstatic. "Jackpot," he smiled, taking out his gun and hustling down the hill. Daryl and I followed his lead, cautiously opening the doors to enter the school.

It was quiet inside, provoking suspicion in all of us. I stayed glued to my spot as I looked down the never-ending hallway. I could feel the fear rising in my throat while I recalled the gunshots, the man bounding down the halls in all black from my dream. I swallowed it back down before Merle swiftly moved ahead of us.

"Where're ya goin'," Daryl hissed. Merle stopped and turned around.

"I know this school has a second level by the height of it," he smirked. "And I'm gonna check it out."

"I'll come with," I spoke up, beginning to walk towards him. He shook his head at me disapprovingly.

"I can get it," he said, stopping me dead in my tracks. I sighed angrily. I didn't wanna be left alone with Daryl. Merle wandered off before either of us could even protest, leaving us in the company of each other. Daryl scoffed before pushing open a pair of doors that led to a pool. I followed behind him, the both of us sneaking through the last set of doors ready to kill but discovering that the pool deck was empty. I gazed over the water.

"It's still blue," I whispered in disbelief.

"Someone must be here already," Daryl grumbled, lowering his crossbow. He wandered around the deck, looking inside a few storage closets for anything of use. I crouched down at the edge of the pool, sticking my fingers in the water. I breathed in the odd scent of chlorine while I swirled the water around. I noticed Daryl staring at me with a watchful eye as he sifted through a bin of snorkels and flippers. The water was so clear. I wondered what it felt like to dive in and let it pull you down to the bottom, sinking into the dark, unable to hear a sound...

A loud crash caused me to spring up from my twisted thoughts. It came from the girl's locker room which happened to be closer to Daryl rather than me. The both of us scurried over to the door. I pulled it open when Daryl nodded at me to do so. I released a biter onto the pool deck. He swiftly shot it as it snapped its jaw, barely taking more than five steps out. I closed the door and he retrieved his arrow, blood squirting up at me onto my shirt. I sighed in annoyance. I spun around, walking over to the stack of towels in the corner. I scrubbed at the blood droplets on my shirt, smearing them into various directions. I could feel Daryl watching me; it felt like two hot laser beams fixed on me. It made me feel anxious, but I tried to ignore it.

"You're makin' it worse," he mumbled, his urge to speak surprising me.

"I know," I huffed, throwing the towel to the ground with disappointment. I felt my face become red at the feeling of the two hot laser beams on my face again. I strived to keep my focus on the ground, away from him. Daryl hesitated before saying anything else.

"How was Merle back at that place you're from?"