The lack of response was worse than any chastisement she might have given him. The sound of something breaking or snapping, hard and loud, moments later, was worse. All sense of caution went out the window and Daryl broke into a flat-out run.

He came crashing through the trees and undergrowth and into the backs of two walkers that were slowly turning toward the sound he'd been making. They both went down fast. His knife in the skull of the first and the purple and blue nerf bow cracked the head of the second. Across the clearing, with four more walkers between them, was Carol.

His entrance had made enough of a distraction for the group that for a second or two they hesitated while trying to decide which target to go after. That gave Daryl enough time to load the child's toy with an 'arrow' tipped with a four inch metal spike and fire it off into one of the four.

Three to go.