Savage World •••Daryl Dixon•••

Gone

Eyelids fluttered open to cell bars and a struggle to breathe. Asher reached up and searched for the reason why she wasn't able to breathe like she wanted, brows furrowing when she wrapped fingers around a plastic tube that stretched down her throat. She grabbed a hold of it and prepared to yank it free when someone walked in the cell. Hobbled in actually.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, sweetheart. You'll rip your throat to hell and probably take your vocal cords with it. Let me set this down and I'll help you take it out properly." Hershel set the small plate of food down on the small shelf in front of the window before moving over to the girl. She pushed up into a sitting position and leaned back like he asked.

"This will feel wrong, but don't fight it. It'll just make things worse. Ready?" Asher hummed her approval and he instructed her to open her mouth as wide as she could and stick out her tongue. He held a hand to her shoulder and the other grabbed hold of the tube. He didn't give her a warning, simply slid the tube out as smoothly as he could. The tube slid free of her teeth and she fought the urge to throw up.

"If you need to throw up a bit that's normal." She nodded but swallowed the urge and took a few deep breaths. Asher felt pain blossom in the back of her neck and she knew that they couldn't get the collar off just like she couldn't.

"Where's Dixie?" Her voice was raspy and cracked from lack of use and the plastic tube down her throat.

"You'll have to talk to Rick about all that. He's outside if you feel up to walking around." The girl nodded and pushed to her feet. She stumbled around for a few minutes before she caught her bearings and started shuffling for the cell door, almost smacking into Carl who came to check on her.

"Asher! You're awake!" He smiled brightly and wrapped the girl in a gentle hug. "You had us all worried." Asher smiled and hugged him back, she was finally home. Finally with her family.

"Good to finally be back. Hershel said I need to talk to Rick, think you could help me find him?" Carl smirked and nodded before winding an arm around her waist to give support so she wouldn't fall. He lead her from the cell block and out into the yard where Rick and most of the other adults were gathered together and arguing. Glenn caught movement and glanced up from the group, a wide smile pulling up his sharp frown.

"Asher!" This got the rest of the group to turn and watch as she and Carl shuffled towards them.

"How do we tell her that Daryl and Merle left her behind?" This put a damper on their happy mood of her waking up. They moved to meet them halfway, Rick's mind whirling a mile a minute about how to break such hard news to a girl whose entire world revolves around Daryl Dixon.

"I'll tell her." Rick whispered to the rest as they got closer to the duo. They stopped and Rick moved closer than the others.

"Glad to see that you're awake, Asher. Sorry we haven't been able to get that collar off yet, still looking for strong enough bolt cutters." She softly smiled and dipped her head shallowly so the spikes wouldn't move too much and hurt.

"I've made half the winter with this damn thing on, a few more days won't kill me. Hershel said I should talk to you? I asked him where Dixie was and he said to." The others grew tense and shuffled their feet anxiously as Rick locked his eyes on the ground as he worked to find the right words.

"Glenn and Maggie were taken to a place called Woodbury."

"Yeah I heard about it, Michonne told me it was run by a psycho man calling himself the Governor." Rick nodded and shifted in anxiety about what was next to come.

"Yeah, we went to go get them back, but Daryl was caught-"

"Wait what?! Is he okay?! Where is he?" Rick held up a hand for her to give him the chance to explain.

"We went back for him, I wasn't about to leave him. We got both him and Merle out." Asher's eyes grew wide at the name of the elder Dixon.

"Merle's here? You found him?" He bit his lip and twisted his head as he tried to force his words out over the boulder of guilt in his throat.

"They're not here, Asher... they left." Her excited expression morphed into one of confusion. She looked to the others and then to Carl for any form of an answer.

"Left? What? They wouldn't do that." The look on Rick's face told her that what he was saying was true. They left her behind. "No, they wouldn't. Daryl wouldn't do that! No!" She pushed off of Carl, almost immediately stumbling to the grass. Carl leaned down to help her up, stopped when she slapped his hands away with a hiss not to touch her.

"Asher I'm sorry. They're gone." The girl pushed to her feet and gimped away from them, ignoring their pleas for her to come back so they could explain. She didn't stop walking until she hit the far fence line. There she dropped to her knees and fought back tears as Rick's words echoed through her mind.

They left her, there wasn't even a debate or an after thought about her. She was just a pet after all. Asher stayed by the gate well into the day and into the sunset. Everyone stood in the center of the field discussing what they should do about her, if they should force her to go back into the prison or let her stay out here alone.

"Rick it's gonna be raining soon, she'll catch her death out here." Carol spoke as she looked up at the sky, clouds crawling across the darkening blue. Rick nodded and scanned the fences at the walkers herding up where she stayed unmoving.

"I'll go get her." He made his way across the courtyard and towards the statuette girl. He stopped a few feet from her and looked at the ground by his boots.

"Asher, I know you're upset. But you can't stay out here alone like this. It'll rain soon."

"I don't care. Go away." He stepped closer and leaned down to place a hand on her shoulder but stopped when she drew her knife and pressed the blade to his throat.

"Asher, I'm not here to hurt you. I just want you to come inside." Asher snarled at the man and pressed the blade deeper into his flesh in warning.

"I'm staying right here. Get away from me, Rick. Or I'll kill you."