A/N: Enjoy!

Glenn, Maggie, and I began packing for our trip. We were careful not to pack too much, wanting to be able to move easily and quickly if we got into a hairy situation. Glenn went outside to make sure the car was gassed and ready to go and put the bags in there.

"Walsh," Daryl called and jerked his head, beckoning for me to come closer. I walked towards him, smiling easily as I did. "Be careful out there." He pressed his hunting knife into my palm and squeezed my hand tightly, looking at our interlocked hands. He looked worried.

"Always," I promised him, squeezing back once and leaning forward for a quick kiss. "See you tonight."

I grabbed my personal bag and slung it over my shoulder before walking outside to meet Glenn and Maggie. We climbed in the car, Glenn driving and Maggie seated next to him while I was anxiously fidgeting in the backseat. Once we were outside the gates, the road began to fly by us. Maggie instructed Glenn that there was a market off of the highway a couple of miles and we all agreed to try there first.

Within a few moments the car had lapsed into a comfortable silence. While we were all anxious, as always on a run, we were also focused and knew how important it was for us to find more formula and other supplies for the group. The previous few days had brought about more loss, three more of our people were dead, and once again those deaths were the result of evil people rather than the monsters roaming the earth. That was the thing we had all learned by now; the walkers were not the most dangerous things out there. However, despite those losses we had suffered, we also had a small miracle in our midst, a beautiful and healthy baby girl. For me, that was what I was focusing on to get through now, and I could almost see that same thought in everyone else's minds as well. We now had a purpose besides simply surviving, we had to try and build a future for this little girl.

Before I knew it we were stopping across the street from the market Maggie had mentioned. After Glenn put the car in park, we all sat there for a moment just staring at the storefront. We were all wondering the same thing, what waited for us inside those doors. Finally, I took a deep breath, gripped my knife tightly in my hand, and opened the door to step onto the street. Glenn and Maggie also exited the vehicle and we all began taking in our surroundings, looking for any sign of danger.

The street was completely empty and it was eerily quiet save for the wind rustling a few leaves around. The surrounding town looked to be mostly intact yet it was obvious it had not been spared from the devastation. Banishing those dark thoughts from my mind, I made my way across the street to the store, whose door was padlocked shut. I extended my hand behind me and Glenn handed me the bolt cutters we had brought along. They easily sliced through the chain and I unwrapped it from the door, tossing it to the ground once I was done.

I looked back at my two companions, my hand positioned over the handle. "On three," I said and they nodded, weapons ready. "One, two, three!" I called and threw open the door. A heat wave rushed over us as did a terrible, rotting stench that made me gag for a second before my nose adjusted to it. The three of us stepped inside and began clearing the store aisle by aisle. There was not a single walker in sight. Oddly that fact set me on edge more than a heard of walkers would have.

Maggie picked up a basket from the floor and started walking towards the baby section with Glenn and I following behind her closely, still alert and looking for trouble. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the shelf of baby formula with faded labels and a thorough coating of dust. We stacked cans into the basket as well as a few other baby items we thought would be useful. Maggie even found a stuffed duck to add to the mix. We were all starting to relax and feel good. Smiling and laughing, we walked back out into the harsh sunlight with Maggie carrying the basket over to the car.

"We did it," Glenn told me with a smile and I nodded in agreement.

"Now let's just get this stuff back home," I told him as I nudged his shoulder with my own.

In the excitement of accomplishing our mission, we had let our guard drop for a fraction of a second. "And where exactly is it that you good folks are calling home?" A voice pierced the silence and startled us all. We all spun around to face the new presence, Maggie and Glenn had guns drawn but mine was still tucked in my waistband.

I quickly took in the sight of our new companion and realized with a start that I knew him. In fact, Glenn and I both did. "Merle?" I asked, my mind reeling at the sight of him. He was alive. Merle Dixon was alive and had a gun pointed at us.

"Wow!" He exclaimed once he recognized us, and he quickly dropped his gun, but that made me feel no less anxious about this situation. His face was bloody and he was covered with sweat. He laughed and took a few steps toward us, prompting us all to go on the defensive again.

Maggie was especially unsure since she knew nothing about this man. "Back the hell up," she said, pointing her gun straight at his chest. He stopped walking and held his hands up to show he meant no harm.

"Okay sweetheart," he said to her. I stepped forward and came between Merle and my friends. As I did he called out to me. "Hey! Can you tell me? Is my brother alive?" He asked, eyes wide with anticipation. It was like a knife to my chest knowing I was face to face with Daryl's brother who he thought was dead. Yet, I couldn't let myself feel sorry for him to drop my guard for a second.

"Yes," I replied evenly. "Daryl is alive." I slowly began to reach for my gun as I eyed his hand. Or what should have been his hand. In all the surprise I had momentarily forgotten the severed hand we had found on that roof in Atlanta. On his stump was a long blade that looked deadly.

He snickered and smiled at my interest. "You like it? Found a medical supply warehouse, fixed it up myself," he said with pride. That only made me more wary of him.

"Look," Glenn said from behind me. "We'll tell Daryl you're here and he will come out and meet you." There was a dangerous edge to his voice, warning Merle not to push him.

"Wait! Hold up!" Merle exclaimed, looking slightly panicked at the thought. "The fact that we found each other is a miracle. You can trust me," he said with a smile that was not completely amiable.

"You need to trust us. Stay here. I'll bring him to you, I promise," I told him, extending my hand to him and meeting his gaze. I honestly wanted to reunite Daryl with his brother, but I would not bring him back to the prison with us before I knew I could trust him. I saw it in his eyes, though, that he had no intention of letting us leave there without him.

I wrapped my hand around my gun and began to pull it out, preparing to stall enough for Maggie and Glenn to get out of here and back to the prison. "Don't try it, Addie," he crooned, knowing my intentions. Taking one deep breath to steel myself, I drew quickly but he was on me in a second, twisting my arm harshly behind my back. "Drop it!" He cried since I was still holding the gun. When I didn't comply he twisted my arm harder and I heard a pop and pure, white, pain ripped through my body.

I heard the gun clatter to the ground and screamed. "Glenn, Maggie! Run!"

"Move and she's dead!" Merle yelled back, pressing the blade on his stump against my throat, my right harm hanging limply at my side, still radiating pain but it was dulled by the adrenaline rushing through my body. Neither of them moved and he smirked. "Get in the car," he said and jerked me to my feet.

"We're not going to our camp," Glenn said in defiance as he moved slowly towards the driver side of the car.

While Merle's attention had momentarily shifted, I tried to pull away but he tightened his grip and turned me toward him, hitting me in the face with the metal around his stump. I felt blood trickling down my nose.

"No," Merle said, still holding me tightly. "We're going somewhere else. Glenn, you're driving," he said and Glenn obeyed, getting behind the wheel. Maggie got in first, then Merle, then me, scrunched in the backseat.

"Where are we going?" I demanded, clutching my shoulder that was still screaming with pain.

"Shut your mouth princess. We'll be there soon." I remained quiet and paid close attention to where we were going.

After a few minutes, Merle ordered Glenn to turn right and I saw overturned cars and-walls-. As we got closer, I saw men with machine guns on the walls and my heart started hammering in my chest. "Roll down the window," he instructed and Glenn did so. "Yo Martinez! It's me, open the gate," he yelled out the window. The walls began to part and they opened to a road that led to a town. A town with people. Lots of people. They were walking down the street; talking and laughing like it was a normal day.

Merle sneered and gave a chilling laugh. "Welcome to Woodbury."