I woke to the smell of something cooking, groggily lifting my head. I sat up, peering down at the kitchen. Daryl stood in front of the stove, cooking. I smirked as I rubbed my eyes. I quietly pulled on my pants, crawling over to the ladder. When my bare feet touched the hardwood floor, I snuck up behind Daryl. I snaked my arms around his waist. He jumped slightly and turned around to look behind him. He smirked ever so slightly then turned back to his project.

I just stood there in peace resting my head on his back, feeling his body rise and fall with every breath he took. I could hear one lonely bird chirping up in a tree far away. I sighed happily, pulling away and sitting down at the small table that sat near the corner of the room. Daryl turned around with the pan in his hand, setting it down on the table and handing me a fork. He smirked as he sat down across from me. Still tired, I leaned my head up against the wall lazily while I stabbed one of the chunks in the pan, blowing on it to cool it off before putting it in my mouth. I hummed in approval after a few moments of chewing.

"What is this," I asked out of curiosity.

"Squirrel," Daryl responded simply. My chewing slowed, my head coming up off the wall. I held the meat in my mouth, afraid to swallow it. Daryl looked like he was about to burst out laughing. I closed my eyes, barely finding the courage to swallow it before standing up from the table. "Where you goin'?" I turned on the sink, sticking my mouth underneath the faucet to wash it out and gulping down water in the process. He scoffed at me. "A little meat never hurt nobody," he smirked as I turned off the water and reached for the cupboards.

"I'm sorry, I just can't eat that." I took the can of peaches into my hand and slammed the door shut, returning to the table.

"Should've remembered," Daryl ate the squirrel cubes out of the pan with his fingers. "Ye're used to fancy food."

"It wasn't fancy at all." I looked up at him, my brow bunched up in slight anger. "Should've remembered I was barely a person back there." Daryl shrunk back in his seat a little at my remark. "Besides, I'd rather eat this anyway." I held out my hand towards him. He grabbed his knife out of his pocket and laid it down in my palm. I took it, stabbing it into the aluminum and cutting it open. I tossed the slimy top into the sink from my seat, turning back to stab a peach with the knife. I went to put one in front of Daryl when he blocked the spot.

"I don't eat that shit," he muttered. I stared at him in confusion.

"Why not," I scoffed, pulling it back towards me and taking a bite out of it. "A little fruit never hurt nobody," I mocked him with a smirk on my face. "Probably help you out in the energy department."

"What are ya, my mom," Daryl retorted. "I got all I need right here." He took another piece of squirrel out of the pan and tossed it into his mouth as he watched me put the rest of the peach in my mouth, the tip of his knife in between my teeth. "Careful," he mumbled. I rolled my eyes.

"What are you, my dad," I mocked him again, twirling the knife in my fingers. He shook his head, waving me away. I grinned, laughing to myself as I ate another peach.

A couple gunshots quickly popped off outside rather close. We both stopped what we were doing, Daryl springing to his feet quicker than I did. He rushed over to his crossbow that was leaned up against the wall.

"You stay here, okay?"

"You're gonna go out there," I asked him in confusion, his knife still in my hand.

"Yeah," he huffed. "And you're gonna stay in here or else." I watched him stomp over towards the screen door, stepping his heavy boot onto the porch. I gripped the knife harder as he disappeared around the corner, swallowed by trees. I backed up slowly towards the couch that faced a broken television, never taking my eyes off the screen door just in case. The floorboard behind me creaked and I jumped, whipping around with my knife in the air. The window behind me was empty, the tree-line the only thing to be seen.

I sighed, turning my attention back to the screen door. Nothing was there, but I could hear distant hostile yells; it sounded like a woman. I kneeled on the couch, ducking a little bit so my eyes were the only thing visible. The yelling had ceased and the only thing I could hear for the longest time was my shaky breath followed by the sudden snap of a twig. I raised the knife a little at the noise. Daryl emerged from the trees, followed by another. By his body language, I could tell everything was okay. I came out from behind the couch as they stepped up on the porch. A smile tugged at my lips and my heart began to race. I set the knife on the table before running to her.

Carol embraced me, holding me close to her chest. I closed my eyes, never wanting to let go. I'd missed her so much. It felt calming to be in another loving pair of arms. Carol ran her hand over my head and down my back, comforting me.

"I'm so glad you're okay," she whispered to me, rocking me back and forth. Daryl propped his crossbow back up against the wall.

"I'm gonna have a smoke," he awkwardly interrupted us. Carol turned her head towards him and nodded. The screen door clattered closed, leaving the two of us alone. I sniffled before pulling away. Carol put her hands on my face, examining me.

"Has everything been going alright? Are you feeling okay," she asked me.

"I'm alright," I nodded, faintly smiling.

"What happened?" Her hands fell to grab mine in solace. "I could see smoke in the air when I was driving. Was that you guys?" Carol's voice was laced with concern. My small smile dropped. I felt myself begin to withdraw from reality, struggling to send myself back to what had occurred; I didn't wanna go back.

"The prison's gone; it's destroyed," I whispered, staring her straight in the eye. "He came to get me and he came with an army, but he got what was coming to him."

"Oh, Aften," she said in a hushed tone.

"I had to do it or else everyone would be dead." I fixed my focus to the ground. "We're all spread out now. We kinda just ran away. I wanna be back with them again, be normal, but if this is how it's gonna be for the rest of time I'd be fine too, with Daryl."

"We'll find each other," Carol reassured me. "It's happened many times before and I know it'll happen again." I gazed back up at her.

"But what if Rick sees you? What'll happen," I asked, worried I'd lose her another time. She looked at me weirdly.

"How do you know about that," she whispered. Instant guilt hit me. I slightly hung my head.

"I..." I glanced out the screen door. Daryl was standing a little bit off the left of the door. I glanced back at her, shifting back and forth nervously. She understood what I was getting at and nodded, leading me up to the loft. I peered down nervously at Daryl's shoulder again, my heart skipping a beat.

"Aften, you can tell me," Carol cooed, grabbing my hand again.

"Merle told me," I whispered, my eyes fixed on the screen door. I didn't wanna admit it. I didn't want anyone to think I was crazy. Carol's face was blank.

"What do you mean he told you?" She observed my face again. "Are you sure you're feeling alright? You're a little pale."

"I can see him," I admitted, avoiding making eye contact with her. "H-he talks to me." A glimmer of light in the corner startled me. A flask laid on the carpet, the silver glinting in the bright sun; I knew it was Merle's. Carol turned around to look at the empty corner. "I have to go," I muttered, quickly moving down the ladder. I stumbled through the screen door and leaned up against the side of the cabin, squeezing my eyes shut and letting the wind that rustled the trees hit my face. I forgot that Daryl was there until he decided to speak up, causing me to open my eyes.

"I could hear you."