Everyone was gathered around the tents in their chairs. It was lunchtime, I believe. Judging by the fact that Ryan just handed me a plate filled with food. Time went by weirdly in this place.

"Scrambled eggs, yay." I mumbled.

"It's better than nothing." He told me.

I grumbled and ate the scrambled eggs. My eyes connected with Daryl's. He was already looking at me which surprised me. He quickly looked away and ate his food.

I did the same trying to ignore the way my heart was racing. It was definitely an odd feeling. Glenn walked in front of the entire group as if hesitating to say something.

"Uh, guys... So..." He stuttered.

I looked at him curiously. What's wrong with him? He looks more nervous than I've ever seen him. And I've seen him face off dozens of walkers by now. Maybe this has something to do with Lori.

"The barn is full of walkers." He spoke up.

I froze as I was about to take a sip of water. Everyone exchanged looks before getting up and heading towards the barn. Why the fuck would there be walkers in it?

Shane looked through the cracks of the barn door to see what was inside. He did not seem happy with what he had seen. So these people keep dead people in their barn for what? Fun? They might be more messed up than I thought.

"You can not tell me you're alright with this." Shane grumbled.

"No, I'm not. But we're guests here. This isn't our land." Rick stated.

"For God's sake, these are our lives, man." Shane exclaimed.

The groans from the barn got worse. Or at least, they seemed to get louder to me. I glanced at Ryan and Abby who were at a safe distance from the barn. Though I don't think anywhere here is actually safe.

"Be quiet. Last thing we need is those walkers breaking the barn door." I hissed.

"We can't just sweep this under the rug." Andrea said.

"It ain't right. Not remotely." T-Dog agreed.

Well, of course it isn't right. The question is whether we do something about it or not. We could get kicked out, though I'm starting to doubt if that's such a bad thing.

"We either gotta go in there, we're gonna make things right or we just gotta go. We have been talking about Fort Benning for a long time." Shane stated.

I let out a groan of annoyance. Are we seriously back on this topic? We agreed to drop it at the CDC because it wasn't worth it. Fort Benning is too far away and most likely overrun. Therefore, not worth it.

"We can't go." Rick protested.

"Why, Rick? Why?" Shane asked, clearly irritated by Rick's refusal.

"Because my daughter is still out there." Carol pointed out.

I shifted uncomfortably. I didn't want to admit it but the chances of her being alive are nonexistent at this point. That's why I think I should've done more. Because now it's too late.

"Okay. I think it's time we all start to just consider the other possibility-"

"Shane. We're not leaving Sophia behind." Rick argued.

I bit my lip deciding not to get involved. Especially considering that I'm on Shane's side concerning Sophia. I wasn't going to admit it out loud. She was Abby's friend, for fuck's sake.

"I'm close to finding this girl. I just found her damn doll a few days ago." Daryl retorted.

Shane laughed a bit in a mocking manner. Well this isn't going to be end well. From my own experience, mocking Daryl Dixon about an important topic always ends badly.

"You found a doll, Daryl. That's what you did. You found a doll." Shane snapped.

"You don't know the hell you're talkin about." Daryl exclaimed.

They got closer to each other and everyone seemed to tense up. This much testosterone never did anything good. It's only a matter of time before they start beating the shit out of each other.

"I'm just saying what needs to be said. You get a good lead in the first forty-eight hours-"

"Shane." Rick warned him.

"Let me tell you something else, man. If she was alive out there, saw you coming, all messed up with your geek ears around your neck, she would run in the other direction!" Shane shouted.

Daryl went forward as if to confront him. They lunged at each other but Rick put himself in between them. Well, this all escalated rather quickly. They were able to prevent a fight though.

"Just let me talk to Hershel. Let me figure it out." Rick demanded.

"What are you gonna figure out?" Shane yelled.

Lori stood in front of him trying to calm him down which made me roll my eyes. If Rick hasn't figured out what's been happening there, then he never will. Maybe it's better that way.

"If we're gonna stay, if we're gonna clear this barn, I have to talk him into it. This is his land." Rick snapped.

In times like these, I really hate his morals. It'd be so much easier to simply kill all the walkers without a second thought and screw what Hershel thinks about it. He's putting all of our lives at risk.

"Hershel sees those things in there as people. Sick people. His wife, his stepson." Dale stated.

I looked at him in disbelief. All of us were shocked by this discovery and yet it seems he already knew. Jesus, how many people knew besides Glenn and him?

"You knew about this?" I asked.

"Yesterday, I talked to Hershel." Dale explained.

"And you waited the night?" Shane asked in disbelief.

Those walkers could've gotten free. If that happened, all of us would've been in danger. The deaths caused by it would be on him. It's scary how calm he is with that knowledge.

"I thought we could survive another night. We did. I was waiting to tell something this morning but Glenn wanted to be the one." Dale explained.

Shane was close to losing it at this point. Unfortunately, I couldn't blame him for it. This barn just became the biggest danger to our survival.

"Man, this is crazy, Rick. If Hershel thinks those things are alive-"

"Hey!" Rick told him loudly.

The barn doors started moving as we heard the groans and moans of walkers. I stepped back startled by the sudden noise. This all just became complicated.

------

I stared at the barn from across the camp with a frown. Who has a barn filled with walkers? It's just fucked up. It doesn't matter if they're your old family or neighbours. They'd kill you if they could.

My eyes caught sight of Daryl making his way towards the stables. They narrowed knowing that he should be resting. If I still can't go on runs, then he definitely can't.

I followed him to the stables though that felt like a bad move. He threw a saddle on a table before he groaned in pain. His hand held on to his side as he took deep breaths. I assumed he was gonna go and try to find Sophia again.

"You can't go out there, Daryl. Your wound hasn't healed yet." I spoke up.

I should know considering we see Hershel at around the same time so that he can examine our physical wellbeing. He's already given up on my mental state after I tried to throw his Bible into the fireplace.

"Neither has yours and you don't seem to care." He snapped.

A scowl set itself on my face as I crossed my arms over my chest. So now he chooses to follow my example. Of all the things I wished people would copy me at, this wasn't one of them.

"You don't see me running around looking for a dead girl." I pointed out.

Truth to be told, maybe I should've used a less harsh tone of voice. Daryl didn't seem to like this one. He turned around to look at me with this look in his eyes. A combination of disbelief and anger at my words.

"What did you just say?" He inquired.

I shifted my weight from one foot to another. Okay, so befriending Dixon isn't going as well as I wanted it to. But what kind of friend would let him injure himself further for a lost cause?

"We have to face the truth, Daryl. Sophia is gone and going out there won't change that."

He glared at me and I bit my lip. If he wanted to believe she was alive, that was his choice. But this group needs him to survive. Despite his temper, he was a great asset.

He walked away a bit before pushing the saddle on the ground. A pained groan escaped his lips and I grimaced at the sight. This is why I didn't try to comfort people, never ended well for anyone.

"I should've tried harder."

"You did more than anyone."

He looked up and our eyes locked. I think he was surprised by my, sort of, compliment. It was the truth. He did the most to find her and he wasn't getting nearly enough credit for it. A part of the me can't believe I'm even thinking that.

"Did you just say something nice to me?"

I snorted at his words though a half smile tugged on my face. He observed me with curiosity. It was clear that he was still upset, but he was trying to get over it. Bickering with me was always distracting.

"Maybe. But if you tell anyone about it, I will deny this conversation ever happened and feed you to the undead."

A grunt left his mouth as I swayed on my feet. He seemed amused by my threat. Silence filled the air and I cleared my throat. This will have to be enough talk between us for now.

Standing there watching him was making me feel odd again. I don't even know where the thought of befriending him came from. I just know that it felt right to attempt it. So far, so good.

"Right, I should go check on my siblings."

"Okay."

I nodded at him before quickly exiting the stables. He might still not listen to me about not leaving, but at least I'll know that I tried. God, trying to get be civil is a very unnerving feeling. I feel like I have to be mean to others to feel normal again.

I noticed Abby hanging out with Carl and Dale by the RV. Dale is the best babysitter in this apocalyptic world. I know he'd never let anything happen to Abby. The only thing I'm worried about is that she's getting too attached.

"You're awfully peaceful for someone who found out that there are walkers in the barn."

Ryan showed up at my side as we walked through the fields of the farm. He must've seen me leave the stables and decided to follow. I needed a break from people and this farm was big enough for that.

"Rick's taking care of it, I'm sure." I said.

"You trust him?" Ryan asked.

"You don't?" I said.

He shrugged looking at his feet. We never really discussed what we thought of the group. They were disposable and that's how I treated them. Though things have recently changed.

"Dakota didn't."

"Well, she's not here."

I grimaced as I regretted snapping at him. It wasn't fair to take out my anger on him. He wasn't the one who left our family. Hell, he's been fighting his own demons and he still made time for his sisters.

"I do trust Rick. He's kept our family safe and that's what matters most." I stated.

Ryan nodded as we stopped walking and took in the view. People from the group looked so far away from this far out. Yet we could still see Abby in the distance. Ryan took a deep breath before speaking again.

"Family comes first."