I woke up on the porch, my head on Daryl's shoulder. The air of the early morning was cool but sticky from last night's rainfall. My clothes and hair were still damp, but my leg had been dried and wrapped in a fresh bandage. I lifted my head from his shoulder. He turned to look at me.

"You were asleep for a while," he told me, looking back out at the trees.

"You tire me out," I teased him. Daryl half-smiled in response. "What about you?"

"Didn't. Had to keep watch." He twirled the blade of his knife around on the boards of the porch.

"Why don't you sleep now," I suggested. "Everything's fine."

"Nah," he sighed, gently placing his hand on my knee. "I'll sleep tonight." Carol walked up to the screen door, opening it and gazing out at us.

"I thought I heard you guys out here." She noticed our damp clothes and fully stepped out onto the porch to get a good look at us, adjusting the gun on her shoulder. "Were you two out playing in the rain last night?" I just smiled in response, holding back laughter. "I never would've expected that from you of all people," Carol smirked, nudging Daryl with the toe of her boot.

"You'd be surprised," he muttered, biting his thumb nail.

"I sure am," she grinned. "Anyways, I'm heading out for a bit."

"Why don't you stay here and rest for the time being? Lay low," I said, observing her tired features. "You've been out there for a long while already."

"I'd just like some fresh air," she stated, stepping off the porch towards the trees.

"Be careful," I called after her.

"I'll be quick, I promise," Carol called back to me before disappearing.

Hours had gone by and Carol hadn't made it back yet. I was growing worried as the sun set, the crickets beginning to chirp and a few stars starting to shine. I stared out the screen door for what felt like the hundredth time before hopping up the ladder.

"Don't be so worried," Daryl said to me as I crawled over to him and into his arms. He laid down on the mattress, my head on his chest.

"She's been gone for a long time, though. It's already dark." I raced through various horrifying scenarios in my head of what could've happened to her. I just hoped and prayed she found a safe place to stay for the night at this rate.

"She'll be back," Daryl assured me, his fingers in my hair. "Just close your eyes; go to sleep." I sighed and obeyed him, closing my eyes and trying to fall asleep. The both of us were at peace, Daryl on the verge of drifting off when we were jolted awake by a large thud.

"What the hell was that," I asked sleepily while I sat up, rubbing my eyes.

"I'll check," Daryl muttered, grabbing his crossbow. He climbed down the ladder and made his way out the screen door. I really hoped it was Carol so I could be relieved of my worries and get back to sleep for the night. It was quiet for a moment and I wondered what was taking Daryl so long. Had Carol gotten hurt on her way back? I crawled over to the edge of the ladder, watching the door. A crash interrupted the silence. I jumped. What was going on out there? Was he struggling with someone? Something? My racing mind made my heartbeat thud against my ribcage.

Angry hisses and growls coming from outside began to seep inside through the windows. The screen door flew open, Daryl sprinting inside out of breath and grabbing the heavy main door that had been left alone all this time. He slammed it shut, the motion shaking the walls. Something on the other side banged on it with force.

"Daryl, what's happening," I asked in fear, shrinking away from the ladder.

"Aften," Daryl hollered. "You need to go!"

"Why? What's going on?" My breathing began to increase due to nerves and pure adrenaline. I grabbed my sword.

"Go, Aften, please," he demanded. I slung my sword over my shoulder and hopped down the ladder as fast as I could without re-injuring my leg. More things had begun banging on the door, ugly groans coming from behind it. Daryl was putting all his weight against the door to keep it from busting open. There was no time to lock it; it was too late for that. "Go out the back! Get outta here," he shouted at me, snapping me out of my dazed state of staring at him.

I limped over to the window behind the television. I opened it up all the way and hoisted myself up on the table near it. I swung my uninjured leg over the windowsill first so I wouldn't hurt myself when I landed. I stared back at Daryl who was on the verge of giving up on the door. He stared back at me helplessly, a feeling I was experiencing as well.

"Daryl," I whispered, my voice wavering.

"Without me, Aften," he bellowed over the growls that had grown even more. "Please go, I'll be fine." I obeyed him, swinging my other leg over the windowsill. My foot hit the television in the process and knocked it over onto the ground. The screen shattered even more than it already was, glass littering the floor. The door burst open as my feet touched the grass. "Run," I could hear Daryl shout at me. I hobbled forward a few steps before I turned around to look back inside. A herd of biters barreled towards Daryl. My mouth fell open in horror, tears filling my eyes instantly. I turned away, limping as fast as I could toward the tree-line. My chest heaved up and down, my tears and the humidity making it hard to breathe. Once I entered the trees, a biter caught me off guard by darting out at me. A gunshot rang out and it quickly collapsed. Carol rushed over towards me.

"What's going on," she asked frantically, watching tears roll down my face.

"A-a herd got into the cabin," I cried. "He, he's still in there!" Carol looked inside the cabin from where we were. From what she could see, the inside was chockfull of biters.

"Oh god," she muttered to herself. She then grabbed my hand and began to pull me away. "We have to get out of here." Her voice was low with sorrow and urgency. I stopped her, trying to yank my wrist out of her grip.

"I can't! He's still in there!"

"They're gonna come after us if we don't go, Aften!" Carol pulled me along as I continued to cry at what I had witnessed. "Don't look back." I listened to her, not even wanting to look back to see what had been made of our temporary safe haven. With each second that passed, my heart grew more and more heavy. I started to think about Daryl getting eaten alive, him getting torn apart. My tears became worse than what they were before.

A stick cracked behind us. Carol covered my mouth and turned us around, her gun pointing outwards. A shadow approached us from the darkness. Daryl stepped out from the brush to reveal himself. I felt instant relief hit me. I limped over to him and took him into my arms. He held me tightly, his shirt soaking up my tears.

"You bit?" I heard Carol ask, her hand on his shoulder endearingly.

"I'm fine," he mumbled, brushing his fingers over the top of my head. "But we gotta go back."

"Are you crazy," she questioned in disbelief. "There's too many of them to go back!"

"I know what I'm doin'," he assured Carol. I pulled away from him to see the disappointment in her face. "We'll find you. It's happened more than once." It was quiet before she spoke.

"I trust you," she huffed. "Be careful." She nodded at us before departing and walking farther back into the woods. Daryl grabbed my hand and started to lead me back to the cabin.

"What are we doing," I asked him as we neared the roaring sounds of biters.

"Gonna burn the son of a bitch to the ground," he said, stopping and pulling out a match. He moved a few steps toward the cabin, lighting the match as he did so. The smell of gasoline raided my nose.

"You had time to douse the place with gasoline," I sniffled.

"Mhm," he smirked, throwing the match through the window. The fire was ablaze in seconds, the heat blasting me in the face and getting to be almost unbearable. The bright orange light made me squint. Daryl stuck his middle finger up at the burning building. He elbowed me. "Do it," he encouraged me. I held back a laugh before sticking my middle finger up at the cabin as I grinned.

I turned around on my heel, stepping back into the woods with Daryl by my side. We walked as far as our bodies would let us that night, stopping to rest someplace that happened to be earlier in our trek than we wished; Daryl had to carry me on his back some of the way due to my leg. We laid next to each other to keep ourselves warm since we were reduced, yet again, to being out in the open. Being out here and vulnerable made me feel nervous, but with when I was with him I always felt safer.