Stampedes of frantic footsteps thundered on outside the cell. I opened my eyes to the noise, the bright hot Georgia sun hitting my retinas. I pushed myself up off the mattress and peered outside. People armed with weapons breezed past in a rush to get outside. I stumbled out of bed towards my pants that laid bunched up on the ground. Daryl stirred, rubbing his eyes as he woke. I quickly pulled on my pants and wandered out into the steady stream of residents. I looked around in confusion, watching them barrel past me. A woman came right towards me, bumping into me. I stumbled back, watching as she continued on without saying a word. It was like I had never even been there.

Fear was spread across everyone's faces while they jogged. A few were even looking around for their loved ones in the mess. What was going on? I turned around to see Daryl with his crossbow slung over his shoulder, my sword in his hand and a large gun equipped with a scope in his other.

"What's going on," I asked him nervously. He shrugged in response.

"Dunno. Here." He tossed the gun to me. My heart began to race as it flew my direction. I clumsily threw my hands out but caught it just in time. I almost dropped it; it was heavier than I expected. "Just in case." I eyed him suspiciously as I took my sword from his possession, sliding it onto my body.

"I hope it's not anything too serious," I muttered, Daryl sauntering towards me. He stopped a few inches away, gazing down at me. He could sense my anxiety, my fear.

"Hey." His warm fingertips brushed over the top of my hand. I wiggled mine to sneakily wrap them around his hand. "We ain't ashes." His calm eyes gazed into mine. I looked down at my feet. Daryl's free hand was quick to fly to my chin, lifting my head back up. "Whatever happens out there, we'll be okay. I'll be with you the whole time, alright? You trust me," he asked, his thumb lightly brushing over a short stint of my jawline to soothe me. I nodded, shivering at the contact. I longed to be closer to him again just like I had wished a while ago. The feeling never went away. When Daryl retreated, he left me breathless. It was like he took my ability to breathe with him every single time he backed away. "C'mon," he chided, gently brushing past me. I ever so reluctantly followed after him out into the sticky heat.

The scene my eyes landed on outside the comforting walls of the prison startled me, my heart leaping at the overwhelming presence. People were lining up against the fence, dropping to their knees and aiming their weapons out into the yard at the thing sitting outside the fence. Daryl grabbed my hand and quickly pulled me towards an open space in the fence next to Carl.

"Don't look," Daryl whispered to me. "Don't look." My eyes nervously darted around. He pulled me down to my knees, my body nestling in next to his.

"Why?" I feared to look out at what sat ahead, anxious tears filling my eyes. "Why?"

"Shhh," he hushed me, putting his finger to his lips. "Put the gun up." I stared at him blankly, my breathing quickening as I grew more and more terrified by the second. "Put the gun up," he repeated. I obeyed him, raising the gun and resting it on top of one of the chain links in the fence. I peered through the scope; this move was a mistake. I could feel my insides start to creep up my throat, threatening to escape my body. My whole body felt light, like my soul completely abandoned me. Daryl gazed over at me just in time to see my lip quiver. My father stood on top of a tank, his hands on his hips, two others sitting on either side of him. He had an army, guns, and hostages. My chest hurt, a large weight-like feeling crushing my ribs. I tried to breathe steadily but failed miserably.

"I— I can't—"

"Shhh," Daryl hushed me again, giving me a worried yet reassuring glance. I looked at him. He was focusing on every move my dad made, his finger resting on the trigger. I turned back, staring down at the gun in my hands. Tears made my vision into a lake, water dripping down onto the weapon. My hands shook. Here I was, holding a gun in front of the man who's annihilated me, my mother. I closed my eyes and bowed my head to let out a small shaky sob. I reluctantly lowered myself towards the scope, once again peering through it. Rick stood not too far away from him, talking. I couldn't hear a word they were saying, everything I heard sounding like we were underwater my head swirled so badly.

My father now stood next to Hershel who had his hands tied behind his back, a sword to his neck. The silver glinted in the sunlight. I could feel myself on the verge of blacking out. I shook it away, shaking my head. My finger settled on the trigger. My heart pounded against my ribcage. With one shot, I could start a war. With one shot, I could get us all killed. With one shot, I could kill my dad. Just one pull.

His face was contorted in a menacing, vicious way. It sent chills all throughout my body; I knew that look. Nothing good ever came after it. I shook my head and squeezed my eyes shut, tears dripping down my face. I had to. My breathing began to increase, my chest heaving up and down with it. I gritted my teeth. I had to. For everything he's ever done to me, my family, my friends. I had to. I gazed through the scope, slightly moving the gun towards my father. The target rested on him: a black circle with a dot in the middle, four lines sprouting from it. I had to. I pulled the trigger, a thunderous crack exploding in the air. The bullet hit him in the chest and he collapsed, falling to the ground in an unnatural looking position. One of the tanks fired at us, one of the large windows shattering. Guns didn't hesitate to begin blazing. I let go of mine, my hands shaking. I stared down at them with wide eyes while bullets whizzed through the sky.

Daryl yanked me up off of my knees by the back of my shirt. I struggled to stand. We ran through the yard, Daryl's arms smothering me as he tried to shield me. My heart raced and my head swirled. I felt like my body was on fire; I had shot him. Daryl pressed me up against a bus, making sure to avoid the windows which were being shot out.

"Get on," he ordered. "You can't be here."

"N-no, I—"

"You need to promise me you'll get on," he asked, his eyes pleading. I trembled, hard adrenaline pumping through my veins. I slowly nodded. "Get on," he said before leaving my side. I reached out to grab his arm, stop him, but he was too fast. I didn't wanna get on the bus. There was no way. He said he'd be with me the whole time. I wanted to be with him. I was soon met with a stream of people hustling over to the bus, climbing on to safety. Maggie appeared at the front of the crowd, helping the sick and elderly up the stairs. She glanced at me.

"Was that you," she questioned me. I stared at her in confusion, my eyes glazed over with tears. "Was that you," she repeated, this time more urgently. I just nodded. Maggie stared at me and continued to help people on the bus. A deafening crunching noise suddenly filled the air. The tanks were bringing the fence down, the chainlink flattening underneath the wheels. My eyes frantically scanned the yard. There seemed to be barely anybody left, people laying on the ground in pools of blood. A fire was now eating away at the side of the prison where the tank had shot at it. The second tank fired at the guard tower. My hands flew up to my ears to block out the deafening sound. The bus jerked behind me, causing me to stumble. Everyone who boarded was already seated, the bus beginning to roll on its own towards the gates. My eyes widened in fear, sheer terror hitting my body like a ton of bricks. Everything was abandoned. Daryl sprinted towards me, his arm flying out and wrapping around my waist.

"Go, go," he shouted. I began to run with him, a sudden explosion shaking the ground and making us fall. I threw my arms out to break it, my palms outward. They scraped against the pavement, gravel cutting my skin. I winced in pain as I began to gather myself up off the ground. Daryl leaped to his feet, grabbing my arm and pulling me up. "C'mon!" I stumbled to my feet, taking off towards the exit and pushing through the stinging pain that shocked me. We entered the woods, sweat dripping down my back. I was exhausted but we couldn't stop.

We got to the point where we were pushing branches thick with leaves out of the way. A soft rumble of thunder completed the light gray sky while I stumbled over large tree stumps embedded in the dirt. Daryl broke through the brush into a small cleared area. In front of us sat a small log cabin, almost untouched looking from the outside world. I gazed over at Daryl, an eyebrow raised. He turned his head towards me, returning the gaze. I laughed nervously once he smirked at me. He reached out towards my hand, grabbing it. I blushed. We walked over to the door, Daryl then letting go of me to grab his crossbow.

"Stay here," he told me. I nodded as he entered the cabin, the door creaking loudly. I looked over the tree-line, spinning around in a circle to make sure the surroundings were clear. Check. Daryl appeared in the screen of the door. "S'clear." He opened the door for me. I stepped up onto the porch and into the cabin, ducking under Daryl's arm. The sweet smell of wood welcomed me inside. I walked to the room directly to my right, putting my foot on the door and kicking it open. I peered inside: a bathroom. I raced over to the shower and turned on the water. It poured out of the faucet. I sighed with relief. I turned it off and wandered back out into the open. A wood stove sat in the corner of the cabin, a huge loft above it. I could see a mattress up there. Daryl had set his crossbow up against the stove. I walked over to the cupboards and opened them up. Canned peaches and pears sat inside.

"I think we might be set," I observed, giving a soft smile. I gazed back at Daryl who was already laying in the loft. I climbed up the ladder and laid down next to him, staring up at the ceiling. He took my hand into his and held it tight, putting it against his lips.

"You're shakin'," he whispered, staring at me. I sighed, my breath shaking as well. I let out another nervous laugh.

"I didn't know I could do it," I muttered. "I didn't know," I said quietly to myself, shaking my head in disbelief. I never knew I had that much strength and power in me. "I— I killed him... I killed him."