Your predictions seemed to be fulfilled. The sky when you woke was in anthracite gray, overflowing with rainwater. The clouds seemed to want to overflow at any moment, but still no drop on the ground collapsed. As you walked, you looked up every now and then, hoping the situation would finally change. You wanted a storm, a shower with ice water, thirst quenching. Daryl was next to you, as if he wanted to help you in some way. You didn't know what he was thinking, but he was ready to assist you when you needed it. Once you were almost annoyed that he spontaneously understood you as if you were an open book, but now he reassured you. But you didn't want to talk and you didn't look at each other. Suddenly, people stopped in front, as if there was something in front of them that blocked the passage. You made room for yourself to see bottles of water on the asphalt. There was also a note that said: From a friend.

You all raised your weapons and looked around. Someone followed you and kept an eye on you. Abraham and Daryl quickly searched the area but found no trace.

"What should we do?", Glenn asked, pointing to the water. You were all thirsty and the temptation was very big. Although it was suspicious. Why should you ever trust a stranger?

"I don't trust this situation at all.", said the sheriff.

"It could be poisoned.", Carol added.

"It doesn't make any sense to leave the bottles here.", Tara pointed out: "If it were a person who really wanted to help us, he would show up."

"I'll drink it.", said the archer, gesturing with his crossbow and Rick put his arms in his side and frowned. Then Eugene moved and reached for a bottle. As soon as he pressed his lips to this plasticized surface, Abraham met the object and threw the bottle to the ground.

"Don't be such an idiot, dammit.", he warned.

Eugene looked down. He just wanted to be useful.

"We do not know if it's poisoned, it might even be good."

"Maybe, but we can't risk it.", Rick replied, referring to the false scientist's act.

You shrugged your shoulders. You didn't want to risk it, so you would just leave it there. Suddenly a thunder rumbled in the air and you saw a flash. The rain fell down as a shower and soaked us. Almost like a signal. Did the world give you water to survive or was it just another false joke? You packed all your water bottles and tried to catch those big drops. In a few seconds you were all completely wet. The clothes stuck to your skin and refreshed you. You had always loved the rain and now more than ever. This atmospheric event brought joy, smile and hope. You laughed with relief and opened your mouths to the sky. You have washed yourselves from the dust, the general exhaustion and above all the negativity. Carl came closer and stretched out his little sister. He too wanted to enjoy the moment. Sometimes you almost forgot he was just a kid. Even the little girl giggled. Despite all the horror she was thrown into, her skin was pure and white.

"You were right.", Rick admitted and suddenly appeared in your field of vision. His wavy hair fell gently over his forehead and let those icy eyes stand out. The beard held back every drop as if it were morning frost. The tight shirt emphasized his statuesque body and accentuated the muscles.

"And if I didn't?", you smiled at him.

He looked at you with sweet and melancholy eyes at the same time. You hugged Judith gently and remembered the first time you had your little sister in your arms. But Rick has sent you strange feelings. You understood the mood of the sheriff. Whenever a woman held Judith in her arms, the ghost conveyed to him all memories of Lori. It had to be tough.

"You would be a good mother."

"Who knows, maybe in another life.", you joked.

You didn't intend to start a family in such a world. Not even if you had found the perfect man in the future. But you admired the sheriff's courage, he hadn't retired. You wasn't the type, your mission was very different. Life certainly had other things in store for you. Rick put his hand on you shoulder and smiled. The rain literally flooded you, but you stood and stared at each other as if nothing had happened in the midst of the laughter and the happy cries of the others. Suddenly you felt that you had to turn around, as if you knew someone was watching you both. At that moment, you met Daryl's gaze. Rick noticed it too, broke off contact immediately, dropping his hand to his side. The archer turned around as if pretending that he wasn't looking at you or that he hadn't been bothered at all. But you felt that something was wrong. The situation became ambiguous. You tried, hoping to understand your feelings. It was as if you had become apathetic. But seeing Daryl annoyed and sad, hurt you. You now forgot the rain, thought only of him. Rick noticed that, took Judith and left you alone. As soon as your empty bottles were full, you continued your journey ignoring the other bottles in the middle of the street. By the way, instinct told you to trust. You slowed down, stayed behind and stuffed your backpack with a few bottles and Eugene saw you. You made a gesture not to mention it and he came to you and talked to you so that the others didn't notice.

"What are your intentions?"

"I agree with you.", you told him: "It should be tested, and if it were good, it would be a terrible waste."

The rain continued to fall down on you, leaving no trace at the end.

"But what if it is poisoned or contains a strange drug, a kind of sleeping pill?", he hissed.

"I'll take a sip.", he added. "Already by the taste you should understand if it contains something. Besides, the effect would be minimal."

After a reflection with the eyes lost in the void, he answered you. "Normal water, whoever followed us knew we were very thirsty. I can only recommend this water.", he added, showing you his thumb and that made you smile.

"Thank you Eugene.", you said.

You parted without losing sight of each other. The thunder and lightning became stronger and louder, more violent. Suddenly the air was clearly frozen and made you all tremble with every step. From bad to worse, you thought. The water from the bottles you had in your stomach hadn't caused any problems yet and you were sure it was good. You watched as Daryl ignored you and continued with the crossbow on his shoulders.

"The situation is getting worse.", Michonne said.

Rick ran his hands over his face and tried to get rid of the excess water.

"We have to find accommodation."

As soon as the sheriff had finished the sentence, you instinctively leaned towards the clearing and wanted to go on.

"Stay close.", Rick ordered abruptly, but you didn't answer him and went into the woods. You could barely walk in the high mud, but kept moving, clinging to a branch to hunt. Fortunately, the rain under these tall trees couldn't reach you directly and dampen the beam on the leaves. Then you heard a few steps behind you, stopped and waited for someone to reach you. To your astonishment it was the archer.

"Why are you following me? I can take care of myself."

"After what happened to us, I don't think 's a good idea to walk 'round 'ere alone, 'nd let's face it, ya' 're always 'n trouble."

You snorted: "That's not true."

"Ya' should understan'.", he answered grimly and was almost discouraged.

"Are you here to argue or help?"

He didn't answer immediately and took care of a walker​ stuck in the mud. This has allowed you a great advantage over the walkers, but also slowed you down.

"Rick works hard?", he said, brushing the knife and making gestures that represented a sexual relationship. You were struck by how childish he was every time he talked about it.

"Are you fucking serious?", you laughed, getting nervous and slowing down your pace.

You soon saw a shed, a wooden structure resembling a barn. It could have been safe. You came closer and wanted to know if it was empty. So you positioned yourself on the right side of the door and he did the same with the left, so you opened it at the same time. As soon as it was open, no one appeared before you. You only heard a few noises. Inside you found indeed some walkers in bad shape. They gave the impression that they hadn't eaten for a long time due to their lack of responsiveness. But it was easy to get rid of them. The barn wasn't very well furnished, but not in bad shape. The storm was gaining strength, the rising wind seemed to be aiming for a hurricane. Daryl and you quickly tried to reach the group, but you were suddenly blocked by a dozen aggressive walkers. So you took the machete and started to eliminate them. Out of the corner of your eye you saw Daryl in trouble, he was attacked from two sides. He tried to keep one of these creatures away from him, pushed him away and kicked the second walker, hoping to make him fall. The knife slipped out of his hand and fell into the mud. You hurried to his aid and threw them both down. As you took care of the rest, Daryl buried his hands in the mud, searching for the knife.

"Fuck!", he shouted before he found it and plunged the blade into the last walker. He waved his right hand and stared at his palm. You saw blood flow down his arm and stopped motionless, staring at him, thinking of the worst.

"Don't look at me like that.", he grumbled: "I'm not bitten."

"Let me take a look."

"'S just a scratch.", he said, pulling away. But judging by the amount of blood, the wound had to be deep. You approached and he left again.

"I just want to cleanse your wound, your hands are full of mud."

He then leaned against a tree and looked away, as if to implicitly agree with you. You pulled the backpack off your shoulders and grabbed a water bottle to clean the palm of his hand. Then took a piece of bandage and bandaged his palm with the attempt not to press too hard on the wound. A cut in the palm takes twice as long to heal, given the mobility of the hand. There is a risk of reopening very often. When you started to take a bottle of those standing on the street, he grabbed your wrist and pulled the backpack out of your hands.

"The fuckin' hell 're they doin' 'n yer backpack?", he shouted word for word.

Amazed, you didn't know what to say: "Eugene and I thought that-..."

"Ya' 'nd Eugene?", he repeated, marking the last name. You tried to free yourself from the grip, but he tightened his grip even more and injured your wrist and arm.

"Look, I know, it sounds like a stupid idea."

"I don't give a fuck!", he growled and interrupted you. He started to throw away the water but was blocked by your words.

"I drank it, it's good. It's good, Daryl!", you confessed, clenching his chest with your left hand, clenched into a fist.

"Ya' did WHAT?", he asked, looking grim.

He then dropped the backpack, which sank partly in the mud. The rain continued to fall on you, but in the face of tension, you felt every drop on your skin like little, damn needles. He seized you angrily by the shoulders and pushed you wildly against the tree beside him. He pressed you with all his strength against the wrinkled surface and leaned his body against you and your bodies were in close contact so you could feel him trembling with nervousness. This sudden violence, these fingers pressed like blades made you feel the same awful feelings that Joe had given you that day. You had the strength not to close your eyes to keep contact with this glassy iris, sharper than raw diamond. You didn't understand his intentions, all that closeness. Being in touch made you feel uncomfortable. Your heart throbbed like crazy and then he grabbed your jaw with nothing but tenderness and forced you to open your mouth. As soon as you understood his intentions, you instinctively blocked his other hand approaching your face.

"Don't you dare stick your fucking fingers in my throat!", you threatened and felt his breath on you.

"Ya' 've to vomit before yer body takes that shit.", he said without letting go.

"Take your hands off me!", you said again: "If it was poisoned at that time-..."

He pushed you back against the tree and that harder and harder. You could feel the bark scraping off the wet skin through the top.

"At that time, what?", he yelled: "Would ya' be fuckin' dead?"

You didn't answer and just stared at him. He was afraid. This scene, the anger, the violence. All aspects dictated by the feeling that bound him to you. He was afraid for your life.

"Do ya' want that, Y/N?", he shouted: "Tell me, do ya' want to die, do ya' want to fuckin' leave? Me 'nd those who tried to keep ya' alive? If shit's like that, let me tell ya' somethin'... Ya' 're a coward, a selfish whore!"

He let go, as if suddenly he was disgusted. You were speechless and had a terrible sense of emptiness that made room in you and provoked a series of contradictory emotions. You weren't looking for death and it weren't your intention to sacrifice yourself for stupid bottles of water on the street. Why did you do it? Maybe because you're just a stupid, useless girl with the unhealthy idea of ​​always being right and blind trusting by instinct, you thought. You didn't have the strength and courage to cry at that moment, but the sky did it for you.

"Maybe I look like an idiot joking with life, doing rash things for no reason, overpowering any advice. I'm that, but neither am I. I act instinctively, but I reflect quickly, I do not do anything if I have not thought of what could happen. I do not try to kill myself, I fight, just like you and them. And do not dare call me a coward, because you do not have that right. You... You're someone who runs away from people, from conflict... I did what I did because I seriously believe that the world is in times when there are no good people left, but at the same time I wanted to risk tasting this water to show that I was wrong and that someone really wanted to help and maybe you're right, I'm crazy, but that's me and I can not change, and wouldn't do it."

You spoke quickly, gasped and threw these words like stones at him. His muscles relaxed, but his face softened and yet remained serious and distant. He seemed to say something, to confess, but Glenn panicked and trudged through the mud.

"I've finally found you!", he said in a voice that was broken by exhaustion: "You were the only ones who didn't come back."

He clearly saw that something was wrong, the tension was high, but he pretended not to notice and tried to relax everything.

"Please tell me that you were lucky and that you found something."

"You can bet on that.", you replied, showing him a smile that you could barely produce. He breathed in relief. The storm got worse, it announced a terrible storm between cyclones and thunder. You took one last look at Daryl, picked up the package and shook it so that it partially broke loose from the brown mud.

"We'll bring the good news to the rest of the group.", you told Glenn, pulling his arm and leaving Daryl alone in the rain.

~

The wind shook the shed and the wood seemed to break at any moment. The sound of the rain became louder and louder, echoing in your ears like torture, but otherwise you were at least dry. Rick tried several times to light a fire, as it was difficult to burn this damp wood. After a good half hour, a tiny flame finally appeared. You all huddled close to it and occasionally blew to give the fire strength. Daryl was the only one who didn't sit with the group, stood by the door, guarded and looked through the crack of the beams. Rick looked at you both and tried to understand what had happened, but he did not dare to ask.

"Have you filled all your bottles?", Abraham asked: "After such a rainfall, a dry season awaits us."

You nodded. He was right, but it wouldn't have been enough. Who knows how long your journey would have taken? Everyone started to think that you wouldn't find a safe place. That you would die at the end of trouble. You wanted to calm them down to make a strange, encouraging speech, but you weren't in the right mood. You then looked at Eugene intensely and he nodded his head, trying not to be noticed.

"Such a damn shit...", you whispered reluctantly: "The water was good..."

Then everyone turned in your direction and looked at you as they had heard you. You then silently put the various bottles down in front of yourself.

"What do you want to say?", Carol asked nervously and Maggie shook her head.

"It means that I drank it, that it is good and that somebody really helps us."

"And you're just gonna tell us now?", Rick grumbled: "As if nothing had happened?"

"Well, the decision wasn't good, I know!", you blurted out. He glared at you. In contrast, Glenn looked at you with sad eyes.

"You almost seem to be disappointed!", laughed Abraham.

"What do you want to accuse me?", you said and looked at him annoyed. He shrugged and answered: "You gave up, too."

"Abraham...", Rick interrupted him, hoping to reassure him. But he continued: "I think you gave up since your buddy died."

Rosita hit him on the stomach and warned him not to add anything. But it was too late, your blood was already boiling and you got up.

"You say that I drank this damn water in the hope that it was fucking poisoned?", you yelled at him.

"Isn't it like that?", he growled, getting up too. You put your index finger on his chest and didn't care if he was taller than you, you weren't afraid of this man.

"Of course not, asshole!"

"Stop!", the sheriff ordered in a clear voice and Eugene closed his eyes.

"Slut.", he whispered in your face and put his forehead against yours to look you in the eyes. He instigated a fight. He wanted you to punch him.

"What the hell did you call me, sergeant?", you said ironically to the last word. "I'm not the cowardly person in this group who poured gallons of whiskey to get attention, just like a depressed teenager would have!"

You saw a grimace forming on his face and he quickly broke away from you and wanted to beat you.

"Stop!", Rick shouted and you would have gotten this hit if he hadn't gotten up to hold Abraham back. But Abraham's fist changed the trajectory, hit you in the face and with full force.

"Are you crazy?", the sheriff shouted.

"Abraham, you really are just an asshole!", Rosita grumbled and ran in your direction.

You rubbed the back of your hand against your lips. Then you saw a streak of blood and spit a red lump on the floor. He had torn your lip open. Rosita took your arm and put it around her neck. The punch had been strong and you were feeling slightly dizzy.

"She's the bitch!", Abraham continued, ignoring Rick's threats. You looked at him with hatred.

"Are you still not satisfied?", he said in my direction. You spit in his face and spattered him with your own blood and felt the anger in his veins tremble.

"Stop!", Glenn said. Meanwhile, Rick tried to bring Abraham to reason when he stood in front of him. He wanted him to look him in the eye, but he did nothing but stare at you with murderous rage. Although the sheriff was angry and threatened him, Abraham was twice as strong. He could just push him away with his arm and was back in front of you. He suddenly grabbed you by the neck and thought about beating you again, but Rosita tried to get him off of you.

"Abraham!", Rick yelled again: "Let her go now! I will not repeat it a second time!"

Judith was crying hysterically and forced Carl to leave. Carol and Michonne were ready to fire when the sergeant made a second sign of violence. They all hoped that it would end peacefully. Abraham literally beat you with his iris and you could easily sense his hatred. You smiled at him and challenged him and then suddenly another fist slammed into his face.

"Dare it again 'nd yer dead!", Daryl growled, then aimed his crossbow, and Abraham's hand was only an inch away, practically in the middle of your eyes, his fist hanging in the air as if someone had interrupted the scene.

"Fuck off 'nd bring yer damn, freckled ass to the fuckin' ground or I swear to ya', I'll fuckin' kill ya'!", the archer exclaimed.

You were annoyed by his intervention, because he was the last person to take over your defense, after what he had done in the forest.

"The situation degenerates.", Maggie exclaimed: "We should all calm down."

Rick reached out and showed Daryl his palm as if to calm him down.

"Daryl, take the weapon down."

"Not until that son of a bitch has taken his damn hands off her!", he shouted.

Abraham relaxed his grip and slowly backed away without taking his eyes off you. He glanced at Daryl and sat down in a corner of the barn, followed immediately by his girlfriend, who thanked the archer with a nod. Rick lowered his hand and Daryl then put back the crossbow.

"It's all my fault!", Eugene yelled: "I knew Y/N had been drinking the water, but I kept an eye on her, so we took a small sip to see if it was really good! I'm sorry!"

"What are you talking about? No one's to blame for that.", Tara explained.

You squeezed your wrist against your lip, hoping the pressure would stop the blood from coming out.

"You risked your life for nothing.", Rick whispered angrily: "Again."

"There is really someone who wants to help us.", you said annoyed.

"So where is this magical person?", Carol said angrily.

Surely someone has been watching you for a while. Maybe it was one, two or at most three people who first wanted to know you were good people. In short, you would have studied a group from the outside before you left them alone, as if nothing had happened. Everything had its own logic. Rick cocked his head, tired of all these discussions.

"Leave it...", he said dejectedly: "Or do you want to argue with Carol now?"

"I'm just saying what I think.", you admitted, watching your bloody hand.

"Really?", Carol asked ironically: "Now I'll tell you what I think. If you hadn't been in this building in Terminus, you would have died because of your instincts, and if you really want to know, your great instinct is the same one who brought you to the Governor."

"Do ya' want it too?", Daryl grumbled, glaring at her. You licked your wound and enjoyed that irony, that pungent taste. You were shaking with disgust, but not so much as the anger in your body.

"Thanks to Carol's accurate revelation, I do not believe we reached the point where we accused others of salvaging a life.", you said calmly: "My great instinct is the same one that made me defend you and fighting the Governor, leaving Woodbury, which was once my home, and I'm here, for one reason or another, I'm still here like you all."

She wanted to answer, but Rick silenced her with a simple gesture. You didn't care what she thought, you knew in your heart how things really were, what you had to endure and swallow. You then went and walked away from everyone. Daryl tried to get closer, but you avoided him. Your shoulders collided, but you still ignored him. You then clung to a gabled staircase and reached the second floor, a loft of dry hay. You looked at the ceiling, at the wooden beams, which took every drop of water. Did you exaggerate? Could be... But you didn't regret it. You weren't the kind of person who is silent under unfair accusation. You turned to the side and assumed the typical position of a fetus, stared at your bloodstained hand and spent more than an hour in that condition, not even losing your position, lost in your thoughts. It was late at night, but you couldn't sleep. You could hear someone speak in a low voice but couldn't figure out who it was. Anyway, you didn't seem to be the only one who suffered from insomnia. Fortunately, Judith was blissfully sleepy. Suddenly, you felt the wood creak under someone's step. The stairs moved. You snorted and pretended to sleep. You didn't want anyone around. Whoever it was, the person lay next to you and crossed his arms under his head.

"It's useless, I know ya' 're awake.", Daryl whispered.

"Fuck off Dixon.", you said: "I didn't need your damn help...", you sighed.

"The secon' punch would've broken ya' down."

You talked without looking at each other or better trying to pretend there was no tension between you. He stared at the beams and studied them behind his now longer hair, and you watched his profile in the faint light. To be honest, it was practically pitch dark, but the fire came from below and lit up enough.

"I would have caught him unprepared, a spontaneous counterattack.", you said in a low voice: "Sometimes everyone forgets that I was in the special forces."

He smiled: "I just can't imagine it.", he chuckled a laugh.

It was good to see him cheerful from time to time, even though you knew he was fighting. Then you stopped and paused to listen to the tune of the water falling from the sky, those drops falling on the ground on every possible surface. You were fine, although you often had no happy moments. But he was one of the few people with whom you could be yourself. You hated what he had said to you in the woods, just as you hated Abraham's words, but you knew that Daryl's were different. You knew that if you wanted the archer to be by your side, you would have needed every nuance, including the dramas, the tragedies and the quarrels, meaningful, for they were the nuances that were all part of his character. Then distant thunder sounded and you saw a violet flash. Suddenly, the shed was flooded with a dazzling light, and in the next moment everything fell into oblivion. You don't know why, but you decided to approach the man next to you. You put your cheek on his shoulder and your hand on his chest. You didn't really like and didn't even tolerate others seeing you in a state of weakness, you didn't want to be considered a girl who was incapable and needed comfort, but at that moment you didn't care. You just wanted to be aware of not being alone, because even though you were with these people, it was often what you felt: A strong sense of loneliness. Daryl didn't back off, nor did he make a bitter joke, he just lowered his arm and grabbed your waist.

"Why do we always do that?", you asked, listening to the beating of his heart, meaning the fights between him and you: "Why do we do nothing but hurt each other when we talk back to normal?"

He put his chin on your hair: "I dont know."

You wanted to fall asleep in that position, in his arms, like a kid who wanted to feel safe. But suddenly you heard strange noises, as if someone from outside pressed against the door. Immediately you got up. Slowly, you heard rain and concentrated only on the entrance to the barn. Walkers... You saw Rick pushing himself against the door with full force.

"Help!", he shouted.

You all realized it and forgot the grudge, the words, the violence. You pushed against this door and tried to keep your feet on the ground. You wouldn't have allowed any of them to break that wooden barrier. You all supported each other, urged you not to give up. The door swayed from time to time, terrifying the worst. This situation lasted almost the whole night. But there was a small and faded positive detail: You were all there, side by side, ready to fight to survive as a family.