Put off by the sudden attack, the Governor gives up on keeping me captive and shoves me into the growing smoke. I trip and fall, landing on my hurt arm. I bite back a cry of pain, the gag pulling at the corners of my mouth uncomfortably. I struggle to push myself up, rolling over and trying to do a sit up.

I absentmindedly wish that I was better at the exercise part of gym class.

A walker crawls out of the fog, noticing me immediately. My eyes widen and I heave myself up into a sitting position. It advances, and I try to push myself to my feet. I lose my balance, falling onto my face. The walker growls, growing ever closer. I roll over and heave myself back up, kicking my feet at its legs. I snap its femur, making it fall to the dirty ground. It's rotting hands grab my boots, trying to bite. I kick frantically, my wrists rubbing against the rope and becoming raw.

An arrow pierces its head just as it grabs my leg. Daryl appears, a new crossbow in his hand. He sees me, his eyes floodin with relief as he dashes forwards. He swings the crossbow onto his back and picks me up all in one swift movement. He dashes away, holding me to his chest in a comfortable sort of death grip.

Merle appears beside us as we keep running. I squeeze my eyes shut momentarily, shaking with fear. More fast-paced footsteps join the group.

"You aren't coming anywhere with us!" I hear Rick demand.

"We ain't got time for this!" Merle retorts.

I keep my face buried in Daryl's chest, still scared out of my mind. At least I know we're safer now. There's the sound of splintering wood, then leaves snapping underneath our feet. Daryl's hold on me stays consistent and his powerful stride never breaks.

By the time we reach the cars again, the sun is rising. A wave of exhaustion sweeps over me, realizing just how long this mission has taken.

"Rick! Rick!" I hear Glenn call.

Him and Michonne appear from between the trees, weapons ready and eyes wide.

"Before you come over here, I need you to back up," Rick says, trying to hide Merle from view.

"What the hell is he doing here?!" Glenn yells, pulling his gun on the oldest Dixon brother. His eyes flicker to me. "What happened to Hope?"

"He tried to kill me!" Michonne shrieks, pointing to Merle.

"Hold up!" Rick commands. "Calm down."

"Jackass," Merle mutters.

"You shut up too!" Rick growls.

Daryl lowers me to the ground and cuts the gag off carefully. I gasp, coughing and choking. He tears a strip of cloth off of his shirt and ties it around the gash on my arm, then he cuts the rope holding my hands together. The skin on my wrists is red and rubbed raw, the air making them burn. He rubs them carefully, his eyes swimming with regret and sadness. He touches my forehead gently, his rough fingers familiar and kind.

"Oh boy. You've gone soft, little brother." Merle smirks. "The last time I saw that girl, she was in Atlanta. Now, she's your hook up. You got a new slut."

"Shut up! Don't you dare call her that!" Daryl snaps, moving towards Merle. "Don't act all innocent either. You were hangin' out with that psycho back there!"

"Oh yeah, he is a charmer, I gotta tell you that," he says. "He's been gettin' in real good with your friend Andrea...big time." He licks his lips and makes kissy faces, rolling his hips suggestively. I hold back the urge to retch.

"Andrea's in Woodbury?" Glenn asks, slack-jawed.

"Right next to the Governor," Daryl grimaces.

Michonne advances on Merle with her sword raised and her gaze murderous.

"I TOLD YOU TO DROP THAT!" Rick yells. His powerful voice drops to a normal volume. "You know Andrea?"

"Yup, she does!" Merle answers for her. "She and Blondie spent all winter snuggling up in the forest. My Nubian queen here had two pet walkers. No arms, cut off the jaws, kept them in chains. Kind of ironic when you think about it."

"Shut up!" Daryl shouts.

"We picked them out of the woods. Andrea was close to dyin'."

I sit up slowly, holding my head. I blink a few times, the noise making my headache worsen.

"Whatcha gonna do now, Sheriff? Surrounded by a bunch of liars, thieves, sluts-"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Daryl repeats forcefully.

"Oh man. This is pathetic," Merle spits.

"Merle, shut up!" Maggie hisses.

"To hell with that! All those guns and no bullets in them! Bunch a pussies! You-"

Rick smacks him over the head with the butt of his gun. Merle collapses, unconscious, the absence of his voice creating a bubble of silence.

"We'll discuss this over here," Rick says, popping that bubble.

Daryl, Glenn, and Maggie walk onto the road with Rick, and I follow them slowly. I walk to the car and lean against it, close enough that I can hear their discussion.

"This isn't gonna work," Rick says.

"It's gotta. The Governor's probably on his way to the prison by now. Merle knows how he thinks, and we could use muscle," Daryl mentions.

"I don't want him at the prison," Maggie says.

"Do you really want him sleeping in the same cell block as Hope or Judith?" Glenn asks.

"He ain't a rapist," Daryl defends.

"Yeah, but his buddy is."

"They ain't buddies anymore, not after last night."

"There's no way Merle's gonna live there without having everybody at each other's throats," Rick says.

"So you're gonna cut Merle loose and bring the last samurai home with us?" Daryl asks.

"She isn't coming back with us," he replies.

"She's in no shape to be on her own," Maggie says.

"She's too unpredictable," Rick retorts.

"You're right, we don't know who she is," Daryl agrees. "But Merle, Merle's blood."

"No, he's your blood, your family," Glenn says. "My blood, my family, is right here and back at the prison."

"And you're a part of that family," Rick adds. "But Merle...Merle's not."

There's a brief pause. I listen closer, my lips pursed.

"Man, y'all don't know," Daryl says. He pauses, one hand gripping his crossbow strap. "Fine, we'll fend for ourselves."

I react instantly, stumbling away from the car and dashing over as fast as I possibly can.

"No! You can't leave!" I insist, stepping in front of him.

His eyes flood with sympathy, but he shakes his head.

"No him, no me," he says simply.

"Daryl, you don't have to do that," Maggie murmurs.

"It was always Merle and I before this."

"Please...don't," I beg, my voice breaking.

"Say goodbye to your dad for me," he tells Maggie, then starts walking away.

My mouth falls open, remaining in place for a brief moment. Everything in my heart and mind wants to believe that what Daryl is saying isn't true. He isn't going to leave. He can't...

"Daryl! Are you serious?" Glenn exclaims as he follows the redneck. He gets no answer. "Daryl! You can't just leave!"

Maggie nudges me, snapping me out of my daze. We continue after them.

"Don't ask me to leave him," Daryl says, stopping and turning to face him. "I already did that once."

He turns and keeps walking again. Glenn and Maggie stop, but I don't. My steps remain focused as I follow him.

"Please don't leave me. We need you," I say as he reaches the car.

"You heard me. No him, no me." He opens the trunk of the car and pulls out his stuff.

"There has to be another way..." I whisper.

"There isn't." He drops his bags at his feet and shuts the trunk.

"Then...I'll go with you."

"No. You need medical attention. We can't give that to you out there."

He moves closer, his hands cupping my face. He pulls me in for one more heartfelt kiss, full of warmth and longing. I lean into it, my kiss urgent and pleading. He breaks away first, looking into my eyes for what feels like an eternity. His eyes reflect a kaleidoscope of emotions, his thumb brushing my cheek gently. My lip trembles.

"Take care of yourself, Hope. I will always love you...no matter what happens."

He turns and walks into the forest, where Merle waits near a tree. I watch, dumbfounded, seeming to forget how to move or breathe or blink. Merle grins and puts his arm around Daryl as he joins him. With one last glance back at me, they disappear into the trees.

"DARYL!" I yell, but I get no response.

I feel my heart break, my insides turning to glass and the shards impaling themselves in my chest. A burning feeling, like deadly poison, flows through my veins. The physical pain makes my entire chest seize up, my hand touching the spot over my heart involuntarily. Tears start to flow down my cheeks as I sink to the ground, and it feels as though some monster has torn a gaping hole in my chest that can never be filled.

"Come on, Hope. We need to go home," Rick says gently, helping me up. I wrap my arms around myself, crying. He pulls me into a hug, careful of my injuries. "We're all saddened by this. We'll be ok."

I nod, but I can't stop the tears from continuing to fall. I push him away and climb into the car without a word. Everyone else follows. The engine starts and we drive back, the silence deafening. We get to the prison, where Carol and Carl open up the gates. Rick stops the car and gets out. Maggie hops into the driver's side and rides it up to the main courtyard.

I get out once it's parked, ignoring everyone who's greeting us. I walk animatedly, feeling like I'm living someone else's life. As I walk into the prison, I see four new people sitting at the table; a black man with a beanie and a thick beard, a woman with lighter skin than the man and fuzzy black hair, and a white man with a young boy.

"Hello," the woman greets me.

"Hey," I say half heartedly.

"I'm Sasha, and this is my brother Tyreese. That's Allen and Ben," she introduces, extending her hand to me.

I look at it for a moment before giving it a shake, not wanting to seem too rude.

"Nice meeting you," I mumble, moving past and heading into the cell block.

I trudge up the stairs, moving to the correct cell. Once inside, I flop down on my bed, completely limp. I feel like part of me is missing, even though I know that's not true. He's just...gone.

Gone, maybe never to return. What if I never see him again?

I press my face into the pillow under my head, tears welling in my eyes again when I realize that it's his. It still smells like him; like trees and fresh outside air. I choke and hug the pillow, my chest aching.

If he truly loved me, he wouldn't just leave. Is this his way of breaking up with me? Did I do something to make him go? Is it my fault?

"Knock knock," someone says. I see Carol standing at my door.

I wipe the tears off my face and push away the pillow, sitting up.

"Are you ok?" she asks.

"What do you think?" I snap, my voice harsh.

"Not good, I'm guessing." She comes in, seating herself on the bed. "Rick told me about what happened."

I nod and look down, gripping the edge of the bed. Carol puts a hand on my good shoulder and squeezes lightly.

"Daryl was my friend too. We're all sad about him being gone," she says.

"He wasn't just my friend," I mumble. "You know that well enough."

"Yeah, I know." She sighs. "Stay strong. Keep your head up."

She gets up and leaves my cell. I lie back down, hugging the pillow against me again.

Daryl...please come back to me.