It had been three days and Daryl had still not returned. It had only meant to be a run to get supplies from a town a few miles away. Something was definitely wrong and Carol was unsure how much longer she would be able to go before breaking down. She cursed herself for not letting him know how important he was to her. Their relationship was a silent one. They were both damaged people; so much so that neither had the capability to make the first move. Their emotional barriers were as real as thick, concrete walls. Neither could cope with the thought of the other's rejection, or for that matter, the reciprocation of their feelings for one another. It was a secret held deep within them both that they fought to hide from the other, each thinking that the other deserved more, not daring to even hope that the other felt the same.
It seemed so stupid and pointless to Carol now. She was under no illusions that Daryl thought of her as anything but a friend, but she regretted not having said anything. With a sigh, she realised it was only his absence that had brought her hugely suppressed feelings so starkly to consciousness. She had realised too late that he meant everything to her and had been lying to herself in order to avoid getting hurt, or getting Daryl hurt by making him feel obliged to her. It had just been too difficult to acknowledge her all-encompassing love that had been growing for some time now. Plus, she had never even given a second's thought to Daryl's non-return being an option. He could handle himself; Carol always felt totally safe when he was around. Nobody was better at surviving than he was. She slammed her fist against the wall in front of her.
So why wasn't he back yet?