All of my completed TWD stories, short and long, have now been posted here under Maddie and on Archive of Our Own (AO3) under the user name maddie_amber. For a complete list of my stories in chronological order please see my profile page. As always thank you for reading.
I Won't Let You Do This Alone
Daryl's knee hit the pavement and he slammed his fists into his thighs in despair. This was the second time he had lost the car with the white cross. The second time he had failed Beth. He squeezed his eyes shut fighting tears of frustration as his lungs sucked in deep draughts of heavy, humid air. The stench of the dead and undead filling the city streets was almost too much to bear. Then he heard footsteps behind him. Another repeat of an event he had no desire to repeat. Tightening his grip on his bow, prepared to defend himself, he pivoted sharply, snapping the bow into position he took aim, then dropped the bow tip down seconds later.
Carol had stopped feet from where he crouched, her own weapon at ready. She was breathing hard and obviously concerned and confused by his irrational behavior. She had run to keep up with his maniac dash, his insane crusade.
"I didn't know where you were going," Carol said between gulps of air. "What you were doing."
He stared at her in anguished silence.
Then Carol stepped closer, never breaking eye contact until she stood over him and rested her hand on his shoulder. The physical contact snapped him from his trance.
"Beth," Daryl said. The word came out in a breathless gasp.
"Did you see her?" Carol asked, excitement in her voice.
Daryl pointed mutely in the direction the car had raced. "Saw a car… with a white cross," he managed between gasps.
Carol's look was puzzled.
Daryl nodded. "In the back window of the car. A fucking white cross. Like a medical thing. The car that took Beth had a white cross in the back window."
"And you just saw the white cross," Carol said, understanding him immediately. "We should tell the others."
"No," Daryl said. "No time. This one ain't gettin' away. Not again."
"Then we better hurry or we'll never catch them," Carol said shouldering her assault weapon.
"I can't ask you to do this," Daryl protested as he rose to his feet.
'You're not asking. I'm volunteering," Carol said firmly, then her voice softened, like she could read the thoughts going through his head. Like she could sense what he could not say. Like she knew how much Beth meant to him. "We are going to find her. Together."
"But," Daryl began one more time.
"No buts. I can help and I will. Because that's what friends do. I'm not going to let you do this alone. And because you never gave up on Sophia when you knew how much I needed to find her. Now let's move. We're losing light fast."