The day the horde attacked had been chaos. Walkers poured in from every direction, their guttural snarls drowning out the shouts of the group as they tried to fight their way out. In the frenzy, Song Ji Hyo had been separated from the others, pushed into an alleyway as a sea of undead surged between her and the group.

“Ji Hyo!” Daryl had yelled, his voice hoarse, as she disappeared from view.

Rick had pulled him back, shouting, “We can’t stay here! We have to go!”

Daryl fought against Rick’s grip, but the overwhelming horde forced them to retreat. That night, as they regrouped in the woods miles away, an aching silence fell over the camp.

“She’s gone,” Maggie had whispered, her voice breaking.

“No,” Daryl growled, pacing like a caged animal. “She ain’t gone. She’s out there.”

But days turned into weeks, and the harsh reality of the apocalypse began to sink in. Ji Hyo was likely dead.

---

Two Months Later

The group had settled into a new temporary camp—a small, abandoned farm surrounded by dense woods. It wasn’t much, but it offered some measure of safety.

Daryl sat on the porch, sharpening his knife, his eyes fixed on the treeline. He hadn’t stopped searching during supply runs, always keeping an eye out for any sign of Ji Hyo. But hope was a fragile thing, and even Daryl had begun to doubt.

“Daryl,” Carol said softly, approaching him. “You need to stop blaming yourself.”

He didn’t look at her. “I was supposed to protect her.”

Before Carol could respond, a shout came from the edge of the camp.

“Walker!” Glenn yelled, his rifle raised.

The group rushed to the perimeter, weapons drawn, as a figure emerged from the woods.

But it wasn’t a walker.

It was Ji Hyo.

Her clothes were torn and bloodstained, her face gaunt from weeks of surviving on her own, but her eyes were sharp and alive. She stumbled forward, her knees buckling as she approached.

“Ji Hyo?” Rick said, disbelief coloring his tone.

Daryl pushed past the others, his crossbow clattering to the ground as he ran to her. “Ji Hyo!”

She looked up, her lips curling into a faint smile. “I told you I could take care of myself,” she said weakly before collapsing into his arms.

---

The group quickly brought Ji Hyo into the farmhouse, giving her water and food as she recounted her harrowing journey.

“I got pushed into an alley during the attack,” she explained, her voice hoarse. “There were too many walkers. I had to climb into a building and wait them out.”

“How did you survive this long?” Glenn asked, his eyes wide.

“I scavenged what I could,” she said. “Sometimes I found abandoned supplies, sometimes I had to fight for them. I kept moving, hoping I’d find you.”

Maggie wiped away tears. “We thought you were gone.”

Ji Hyo smiled faintly. “I thought so too, a few times.”

Daryl sat beside her, his hands trembling as he gripped hers. “I knew you were out there,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “I never stopped lookin’.”

Her eyes softened. “I knew you wouldn’t.”

---

That Night

As the camp settled in for the night, the group gathered around the fire, their spirits lighter than they’d been in weeks. Ji Hyo sat between Daryl and Carol, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

“You’re tougher than you look,” Shane said, a hint of admiration in his tone.

“I had to be,” Ji Hyo replied. “I couldn’t let myself give up. Not when I knew you were out there.”

Rick raised a bottle of scavenged whiskey. “To Ji Hyo,” he said. “The strongest of us all.”

The group echoed the toast, smiles breaking out around the fire.

For the first time in a long time, the camp felt whole again.

---

Later

Daryl sat on the porch with Ji Hyo, the moonlight casting a soft glow over the farm.

“You scared the hell outta me,” he said quietly, his gaze fixed on the horizon.

“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice filled with sincerity. “But I couldn’t stop fighting. I couldn’t stop looking for you all.”

He finally looked at her, his eyes filled with something unspoken. “You’re family, Ji Hyo. Don’t ever forget that.”

She smiled, leaning her head against his shoulder. “I won’t.”

And for the first time since the apocalypse began, Ji Hyo felt safe. She was home.