The light coming through the door filled the train car immediately and pierced her eyes, blinding her momentarily. It had been days sense any light besides the small fragments through cracks in the train car door and walls shined through and she was able to see fully. Her eyes were so adjusted to the darkness that the change in light intensity made it difficult to see.

She was unable to make out much, but as far as she could tell there were a few people entering the train car. This is it she thought. Whatever this is... whatever they were... we were all about to find out. Her grip on Glenn's hand tightened. She couldn't look down to verify it and wasn't exactly sure, but she was almost certain that her knuckles were completely white. She was terrified. Nothing about the signs they had seen and the feelings they had about Terminus correlated in any way with the way she felt now. The words they used were survive, community, sanctuary... but the longer they were trapped in this train car, the more she felt as if danger was imminent.

How could we have been so stupid, Maggie thought. Especially after all the things that have been done to us and all the things we've gone through and lost sense the turn.

Her anxiety and apprehension got stronger the longer it took for the figures to walk into the car. Bracing herself for the worst, to watch her friends die in front of her, to be separated from Glenn yet again. She didn't know what was much worse than that.

Three. no, four maybe? The people filtered into the car, one shorter than all the rest she had concluded, based on the silhouettes she could make out height difference.

Was it a child? oh no. Maggie said inwardly. not a child. not in this situation. Maggie wasn't even sure what the situation was exactly. But the lump in her throat, and the fact that they were packed into a god damn train car told her it wasn't good.

The blood in her veins turned cold, her first thought was that it was Beth. Please god, don't let it be Beth. Not here. Beth was small, but definitely taller that the figure she was scrutinizing. Beth had grown up so much sense the turn. She had long legs, like her mother Annette, her baby face although still innocent had grown to bare beautiful feminine cheekbones, and she was slowly turning into a woman before her very eyes. Until the prison fell, that is.

The train car door creaked shut behind them, it took a few moments, she was petrified. Mostly because if she couldn't see, she would be utterly defenseless. Let alone the fact that she had no weapon. but slowly as her eyes adjusted back to the darkness, she almost couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Rick...Carl.. A small twinge of happiness ran through her. Sasha, bob and herself were almost convinced that everyone else in the group was dead. They thought they were all that was left of their family they loved. The questions she had up until that point were partially answered in that moment, but the appearance of the two only arose more questions, rather than answers.

As her eyes continued to adjust, she tried her damnedest to focus on the two figures directly behind rick and Carl. She squinted, straining her eyes even more when a voice broke her focus

"Rick, man, is that you?" Glenn stepped forward as he spoke, causing the grip on Maggie's hand to loosen as she let him approach their friends. The four figures also stepped forward, directly into the line of light shining from the door closure, where the faces weren't just silhouettes or just familiar faces in the darkness. She could make out detail now.

First Rick, who had some gashes on his face that were clearly fresh, he looked exhausted and was drenched in sweat. Then Carl, who was bearing a deep cut on his right cheek which was encased in blood, swollen, red, and inflamed. She then laid eyes on Michonne, nothing short of a sight for sore eyes. She felt a lot safer when Michonne was around. She was a valuable group member, and she trusted her with everything she had. Michonne had several scratches on her face and some blood spatter on the top end of her windbreaker she was wearing, but nothing more than that. She was tough looking and on guard as usual. Maggie noticed when Michonne looked past her to Tara and Abraham and the rest of the group, she was immediately apprehensive.

"It's okay" Maggie piped in quickly. "they're our friends, they helped save us"

Her eyes were fixated on Michonne which is why the fourth voice startled her.

"They're our friends to then" Daryl.

Maggie knew the voice instantly. As she turned her attention to Daryl, it was clear that whatever they had just gone through, Daryl took it the worst. His right eye was swollen and purple, completely bruised around the area all the way up to his eyebrow. Cuts were on his face, and by the way he was standing she could tell he had hurt one of his legs, just by the way he made sure there was no weight on the other one as best as he could.

So, who was even left? She thought, the people unaccounted for where were they?

Well, there was Tyresse and the two little girls Micah and Lizzie, Carol who she wasn't even sure if she had survived up to this point even remotely considering she wasn't even at the prison on the day the governor decided to make his fateful visitation.

Then, there was Beth, her sister. Part of her knew she would have made it with at least one of the four that had just appeared. But Beth was nowhere to be found. She was so consumed with finding Glenn after the separation and felt a huge pang of guilt wrack her body as the realization came to hand that she wasn't there. She felt guilty that she didn't search for Beth like she did Glenn. And technically, she didn't search for Beth at all. Maggie could feel her heart breaking, immediately imagining every horrifying scenario possible that could potentially tell the tale of Beth's final moments, if in fact she was dead.

"You ain't never gonna see Maggie again!" His own voice memory rattled his eardrum violently as he laid his eyes on Maggie.

He had heard her voice, but resisted actually looking at her. He knew at some point in time he was going to have to tell Maggie about Beth. What had happened. But quite frankly, he didn't want to talk about it, he didn't even want to think about it. It made him feel like a piece of shit, that he couldn't help her- that he couldn't find her. He could imagine if Beth was here, she would sure as shit shoot him a 'I told you so' look before throwing herself at Maggie with relief. But the problem with that was, Beth wasn't there. Actually, he had no clue in the fucking world where she was at it was eating at him every day sense she had gone.

Voices filtered into his head, amplifying his hurt and his anger. The most significant one was that of Len, the douche bag of all douche bags belonging to the group he found himself with, the claimers.

"I bet it's some bitch" Len trailed off, curiosity and snarkyness dripping off of his tongue "Got ya all messed up... Am I right?" chuckling darkly.

Maggie and the others watched Daryl as he stuck a finger in one of his ears and jerked it roughly. A seething anger all but pouring out of him all at once. They all watched him closely, seeing him physically annoyed and angered, mostly attributing it to the situation at hand.

"Rick" Maggie said, trying to get his attention. Rick looked up with one eyebrow raised, prompting her to continue with whatever it was she was about to say. "Beth" Daryl's eyes flicked to Maggie, but only for a brief moment before looking directly at the ground.

Her saying Beth's name was more of a question than a statement. "i-uh" Rick started running a hand across the stubble on his beard uneasily. He sucked a breath in as he tried to find the words to say, but honestly, he didn't know what he could say.

Rick turned himself to look at Daryl who was already looking at him with hooded eyes. The look exchanged between the two of them was enough to make Daryl understand what Rick was trying to say without him having to say a word. The group looked on with interest at the wordless conversation going on between the two of them, puzzled. Daryl ran a hand through his hair, exasperated.

"I-uhm" He said, rubbing his had vigorously on the back of his neck, avoiding all impending gazes, especially Maggie's.

Now what, genius? Daryl thought. You can't just not saying anything now.

"I was with 'er for a while" Daryl spoke up quietly.

Maggie's shoulders tensed slightly. "What do you mean 'for a while'?" she asked angrily. She wasn't necessarily angry with Daryl, she was just needing an explanation. One at least a little more descriptive than the cryptic five word sentence Daryl just provided. All eyes were on Daryl with the occasional glance to Maggie. Rick was the only one who knew about Beth, but the information he received was vague like most things Daryl would say about anything that he was asked about.

"I was with 'er after the prison.. we were left behind and we were survivin'" he looked up as he broke the sentence off to the tall and clearly devastated sister of Beth just a few feet from before continuing. "..and now shes gone"

"What do you mean gone?!" Maggie raised her voice and her temper quickly, practically jumping towards Daryl with force, stalking up to him almost as if she was going to clock him upside the head or tackle him.

Glenn reached and grabbed Maggie by the arm just as she started moving trying to jerk her back to her previous position. Meanwhile, Rick stepped between them, holding his hand out to Maggie signalling her to relax between yells and insults she was throwing at Daryl. The commotion between them was almost too much to comprehend as Glenn was raising his voice now yelling "MAGGIE!" Trying to get her attention and get her to calm down. Daryl's thoughts were clouded and he felt his ears begin to heat up.

"wait wait wait," Maggie began, almost laughing because she was so furious, "You mean to tell me she's just GONE? THAT'S IT?" Maggie was practically screaming. Eyes bulging out of her face, smoldering with anger, occasionally jerking her arm away from glens grasp only to be grabbed onto by Sasha as well.

"wait, you were with Beth?" Carl's voice came as a relief to Daryl, temporarily reliving him from the situation at hand. He was thankful for that considering he was standing there like a deer in headlights in front of everyone.

"Wha- Yeah. Yeah I was" Daryl managed to choke out. Damn annoying girl getting me into trouble and she's not even fucking here! Daryl thought spitefully.

He felt his anger creeping to the breaking point as he tried to keep himself under control.

"Well, where is she? Is she dead? Did she get bit? Is she hurt? Where can we fin-"

"I don't know kid. Shut it for a minute alright!"

The questions were only making it worse. Not only did he have her sister to answer to, but now he had Carl, and clearly everyone else in the room was waiting on answers as well. He felt bad for snapping at Carl like that, but he was past the point of restraint now.

He was seconds away from snapping when Maggie broke out of their grasp and stalked closer, she bumped into rick by accident knocking him right into Daryl in the process, which was the match in the gas tank for him.

"Girl, you better relax 'fore you piss me off more than ya already 'ave!" Daryl shouted, catching Maggie off guard and startling her.

"'Cause if I remember right, while you was busy playing Dawn of the dead Romeo and Juliet style - cuttin' walkers open and making blood signals, I was the one watchin' 'er. Don't seem you was too concerned 'bout 'er 'til it was convenient for ya!"

The train car fell silent.

"Don't you DARE try to tell me I wasn't concerned about my baby sister" Maggie's voice cracked as she yelled, flailing her arms around out of pure frustration and anger.

"Maggie, back off, NOW" Rick said in his usual authoritative tone, trying to alleviate the situation the only way he knew how too. "You're not helping, we can talk about it, but not like this" He continued.

"DON'T TELL ME TO BACK OFF"

Maggie and the rest of the car ducked as two loud metal clanging noises rang on top of the car along with the clear backfires of the gun that shot at the car.

"HEY" a voice yelled from the entrance to the train car. "I need y'all to shut the fuck up unless you want me to come in there with this gun, and I won't be shooting at the car it'll be your faces!"

Silence fell. Maggie stormed to the corner of the train car sobbing, receiving sympathetic looks from the people around her as Glenn followed her there. Daryl rubbed his face vigorously before taking his fist and slamming it into the side of the train car as he sat down. Everyone else stood there for a moment, trying to understand. Trying to comprehend what the hell they just witnessed. Hell, even Daryl was trying to comprehend it as well.

He hated himself for losing her. He hated it every minute sense he had.

Daryl sat with his back against the train car, knees propped up and his hands draped across them as he tried his best to calm down. looking up at the rust holes through the top of the car to the little beams of light shining through it.

"You and I" Rick began, he was kneeling next to Daryl at this point so he was in his eye line. Daryl eventually rolled his head down and looked over at rick through his hair that clearly was too long by now. "We need to talk."