I need you here with me // Carl Grimes [EDITING]

Nine - Safety.

"Okay, when somebody has a bite on their arm or leg what do you do?"

"Amputate the limb." I said proudly

"Wrong." Daryl smiled smugly to himself, "You cut off the blood circulation then amputate it."

"But you do have to admit I was half right?"

"That's for Hershel to decide."

As of recent days I had not only been taking medical classes from Hershel so I would be able to help more around the prison, but I had also began to bond with Daryl. I wasn't anywhere near close to calling him Dad, but he was gaining my trust, slowly but surely.

"Okay." I sighed, "I gotta go its my shift on watch."

"Okay be safe kid." Daryl smiled

"You too Daryl."

I walked out Carl and I's cell and across the prison yard in the direction of the watch tower. As I was climbing the ladder, I heard a scream and so I peered over the fence only to be greeted with the sight of a large herd of Walkers chasing a little girl.

"Help me!" She immediately caught my eye, the poor girl was limping, "Please they're gonna get me!"

I dove down off of the ladder and bolted towards the gate. The second I reached it I forced it open and allowed the little girl inside before I successfully managed to close the gate behind her, saving us both from the herd.

"Thank you." she began to cry softly as she started to hug my waist.

She must've only been seven or eight, far to young to be alone in an apocalypse.

"You're welcome." I paused, "How'd you get the limp?'

"I hurt my ankle jumping out of a tree when I tried running away from the monsters. It really hurts..."

My eyes fell on the gun stuffed into her coat pocket. She was only a child, why did she have a gun with her, the whole idea was absurd.

"Were you alone? Is that why you have a gun?"

"At the start it was my Uncle, my Cousins, and me and my brother Jake. My Uncle sacrificed himself for us all to survive but one day when me and Jake woke up, my cousins had just left us and as for him, I had to kill him." she cried even harder

"Why?"

"One of the monsters got him. He made me, h-he said I had to."

"You don't need to think about that anymore, you're safe here with us. But for now, let's get your ankle fixed up."

I carried the small girl back inside the prison and up to the infirmary. Silently, I slipped off her shoe and started to inspect her somewhat swollen and bruised ankle.

'"Okay... I think it's just a sprain, but lay off it okay kid? We don't want you doing anymore damage." I frowned, "What's your name, huh?"

"Ashley, but my Dad called me Ash."

"Okay Ash, I'm going to bandage this up for you and hopefully that'll make you feel better, okay?"

Soon enough I'd wrapped the small girl's ankle and with a wide smile and bright blue eyes, she stared up at me.

"C-Could I stay here?" She asked, "I don't wanna be out there again."

"I'll ask for you, alright? Stay right here."

"Rick?" I spoke as I entered his cell

"What is it?" he stood to his feet, "Is something wrong?"

"There's a little girl. I saved her at the fence and she needs to stay here."

"How old?"

"Seven maybe eight."

"And She was all alone?"

"Not at the beginning. She was with her brother, her uncle and cousins."

"What happened to them?"

"Her uncle died to save them, her cousins left her and her brother got bitten... She had to kill him."

"I'll take her to the spare cell in C Block. Where is she?"

"In the Infirmary, she sprained her ankle." I nodded, "Thank you Rick."

"I'm just doing for her what I couldn't do for you." He smiled softly

Noiselessly I stepped forwards and wrapped my arms around the older man in a warm hug, he instantly hugged me back and for a minute he held me. Rick had always been a father figure to me and truth be told I had missed him, almost more than anything.

"Is this when I'm supposed to say how could you?" Carl chuckled

"Is this when I'm supposed to say It's not what it looks like?"

Rick only shook his head at us both before he left to find Ash.

"Let's go."

Hand in hand, we walked to the central part of C Block where Andrea, Maggie and Daryl sat watching Glenn play with Judith in the middle of the floor.

"That's adorable."

"Get a grip." Carl grinned

"Step off." I beamed

Suddenly everyone fell silent as a man, who I couldn't help but feel I knew, entered the room. He and Daryl shared an intense stare before they embraced one another. I couldn't help but notice the way the blade that the man had for a hand pressed against Daryl's back.

"Who is that?"

"Your uncle apparently." Andrea whispered

I stopped and stared at him. In that moment I knew that he was my alleged Father's brother I had never seen anyone who looked and acted more alike than the Dixon brothers. Truthfully it unnerved me, that someone who had every part of Daryl within him could have such a look in his eye. A look that told me he wasn't a man to be trusted.

The bald headed man turned towards me with a trace of a smirk on his lips. Instantly Carl's look of happiness fell from his face and the grasp he held on my hand became twice as tight.

"Lydia!" The man outburst.

I took a cautious step towards him.

"Don't." Carl spoke lowly

Should I have been worried?