Hey guys, I'm really excited to finally make another Walking Dead fanfiction series(especially one featuring my favorite character, Carol)! I case you don't already know, this series takes place in the same universe as Survivor, another of my series(and there may be crossovers from time to time). I'm not sure how long this series will run, but I can confirm that it will end eventually, instead of being a continuous series like Survivor. Without further adieu, I present "Alone Together".
Carol walked wearily down the dirt road, with Daryl close by her side. She could tell by the look in eyes that nothing would ever be the same. They had lost people before, but never like this. Her and Daryl were the only ones left, and they both knew it. It had been three months since Alexandria fell, and the chances of anyone else having made it out alive were almost none.
Carol's ankles ached excruciatingly, and she was beginning to fall behind, as Daryl walked quickly ahead.
"Daryl...slow down." She said, panting. "I need a break."
"We ain't got time." Said Daryl, without stopping or looking behind.
"Daryl...stop."
Daryl didn't respond, and kept walking. Carol used what strength she had left to run over to him.
"Daryl, stop." She said, grabbing him by the shoulder.
"Fine." Daryl shrugged her hand away, and sat down on a rock.
"We need to find shelter, it's getting dark."
"Gotta keep movin'."
"Daryl, no. We've been on the road for weeks. We need to stop eventually, at least for a day or two."
Daryl grunted. Carol wasn't quite sure if that meant a yes or no, nowadays Daryl was more distant than ever. Then again, Carol didn't feel any better. She wasn't quite sure what was driving her(or Daryl) anymore, but either way, she and him had no connection whatsoever anymore. It was like she didn't even exist to him anymore. After all they had done to keep their group safe, it all came to nothing. Glenn. Tara. Abraham. Maggie. Carl. Judith. Sasha. Rick. They were all gone, and God knows what happened to the others. To be honest, Carol didn't want to know.
All they did nowadays was run. From walkers. From their sorrows. From death.\ But Carol was tired of running, they both were. She knew eventually all the things they'd been running from would catch up to them, and then it'd be over. They'd just be gone, just like the others. Previously, she hadn't seen Daryl cry since Beth died, but after Rick, he just snapped. Stopped talking, stopped thinking straight. She knew it was only a matter of time before he did something stupid. Something that could get them both killed.
Daryl sat silently on the rock, staring blankly at the ground. He thought about Carl. About a week after Alexandria fell, they found him on a road, but he was different. He was a walker, chewing on what was left of a rabbit's rotting corpse, his blue eyes now turned gray, his hair stained red with blood. When Daryl saw him, he didn't cry. He was too damn stubborn. He simply raised his crossbow, and put him down, just like he had to do to the others. Carol and him buried Carl in the forest, then kept moving. They didn't have any other option.
"Daryl." Said Carol, breaking his dreamy trance of thought.
"What?"
"According to the signs we've seen, there's a city about a mile away from us. We should go there, find some shelter."
Daryl nodded. "Let's get movin'."
Daryl and Carol stood up, and continued walking.
Somewhere around thirty minutes later, Carol and Daryl arrived at the town. All the buildings were rusty and dirty, most of them ransacked long ago. Supplies(specifically food) were almost impossible to find nowadays, and they hadn't eaten in over two days. Daryl's hunting was their only source of food, and any water they drank came from streams they would occasionally find on the side of the road. Carol scouted the streets, seeing several walkers approaching.
"I got 'em." Said Daryl, running towards the group of about five walkers.
"Daryl, wait!" Yelled Carol, to no avail.
In a fit of rage, Daryl charged headstrong into the walkers, swinging his crossbow into the nearest walker's head. He didn't bother shooting any of them with arrows, instead stabbing them with his knife. More walkers began spilling into the streets, drawn by all the commotion. Carol ran to help him, stabbing a nearby walker just before it could bite into his back. Carol grabbed him, and pulled him away from the walkers.
"Let go of me!" Yelled Daryl, shoving her away. He continued attacking the group of walkers, which now numbered around seven. Carol pulled out her gun, and began shooting. Eventually, all the walkers were dead.
"Daryl, what the hell were you thinking?!" Exclaimed Carol, grabbing him by the arm. "You could've gotten us both killed!"
"I was doin' fine." Grumbled Daryl, grabbing her arm, and shoving it off. Carol let it go, and continued walking.
Eventually, they found a small two-story house. Daryl broke down the back door, and they entered through the backyard. Inside they found a box of stale cereal in the cabinet that hadn't been opened yet, but other than that, nothing useful.
"We should camp here for the night." Suggested Carol. "It's safe enough, the sun's already setting."
Daryl nodded in agreement.
Five hours later, Daryl lay awake on his sleeping bag, with Carol sleeping nearby. He fell asleep for about an hour, having nightmares about the others. Every time he fell asleep, ever since the others died, he would dream about Rick, being torn apart by walkers, with Judith in his arms, trying to shield her with his body. He'd dream about himself and Carol being separated from Carl, as Alexandria was overrun, only to find him dead later. He'd dream about Sasha, committing suicide by running into the walkers, helping him and Carol escape. He'd dream about Glenn, dying in Maggie's arms after being bit. He'd dream about Maggie, being cornered by walkers, screaming at him and Carol to leave her behind and run.
Daryl stood up, and walked out of the house. He rarely slept nowadays, often times lying in bed until the sun rose. He sat on the front porch, staring into the sky. It was cold outside, but it didn't matter much to him. A walker in the street began stumbling towards him. Instead of fighting it, he simply sat there, letting it get closer and closer. He was tired of running, tired of fighting. He wanted it to end, one way or another.
Carol awoke from her slumber, thirsty. She grabbed a water bottle from her backpack, which she filled up at a stream recently. After drinking, she noticed that Daryl was missing.
"Daryl?" She called out softly, noticing the front door slightly open. She peeked through it, seeing Daryl standing in the street, unarmed, as a walker approached him. She expected him to attack it, but he didn't. He just stood there, ready to let it bite him. Carol suddenly realized what he was doing: committing suicide.
"DARYL, NO!" She screamed, bolting out of the door towards him. He ignored her, and extended his arm towards the walker carelessly. Carol was too far away to stop the walker before it got to him. She pulled out her handgun, and aimed at the walker's head. She fired, killing the walker. She ran to Daryl in anger, slapping him across the face.
"What the hell, Daryl?!" She yelled angrily.
Daryl shoved her backwards, nearly knocking her to the ground.
"The fuck do ya want from me, Carol?!" Exploded Daryl, his voice quivering. "It ain't fuckin' matter if I die anymore, we ain't got nothin' left!"
Suddenly, Carol lunged at him, and hugged him, wrapping him tightly in her arms.
"It matters to me." Pacified Carol, with bleary eyes. "It always will."
Daryl and Carol began to cry in each other's arms. All the pain they kept inside finally released, as they embraced each other in the starry night sky. Eventually they let go, and went back inside the house.
The next day, Daryl awoke to the sound of Carol packing her things. Light shone in through the window, making her hair glow. For the first time since Alexandria fell, he had finally slept without nightmares.
"Hey." Greeted Daryl, rubbing his eyes.
"Hey, you sure slept in today." Noted Carol busily, handing him a bowl of lukewarm cinnamon apple oatmeal.
He ate the oatmeal messily as quickly as possible, and got ready to go hunting. He and Carol had decided to remain at the house for another day, then continue traveling. Soon after, he walked out the door, and prepared to leave into the woods.
"While you're out hunting, I'm gonna search some of the houses for supplies." Announced Carol, to which Daryl responded with a simple nod. Daryl began to walk away, but Carol stopped him.
"And one more thing," Carol kissed him gently on the cheek. "Be careful."
Daryl nodded again, and walked away towards the forest.
Carol grunted heavily, as she stabbed her knife deep into a nearby walker's skull. She pulled it out, and walked to the door of a small one-story house, to search for supplies. She broke the door down(after a few failed attempts), and walked inside. She noticed supplies lying about, and even some uneaten food. Someone had been there, very recently. Carol cautiously looked around, her back towards the door.
"Don't move." Ordered a voice behind Carol, startling her. Carol slowly turned around, to face a young woman wielding a handgun, which was pointed directly at Carol's head.
"Who are you?" Asked the woman threateningly. A young girl, maybe seven or eight years old, clung to her leg shyly. Carol cautiously set her gun down on the floor, and spoke.
"My name's Carol. I'm not alone, if you-"
"I'm Ellie. What do you want?"
"I'm with my friend, I was just looking for supplies. I don't want any trouble."
Ellie nodded, and lowered her gun slowly. Ellie was a pretty, red-haired woman, with curly hair hanging down to her shoulders. Her hazel eyes studied Carol, deciding whether she was a threat or not.
"Carol...that's a pretty name." Commented the little girl clinging to Ellie's leg. Carol knelt down, and looked at the girl.
"What's your name, sweety?" Asked Carol softly.
"Savannah, but most of my friends call me Anna."
Savannah was a thin brown-haired girl, with her hair woven into a braided ponytail slung over her shoulder. Her wary face was lit up by bright green eyes.
"Do you have any food? I don't usually beg...but me and Anna haven't eaten in days..." Asked Ellie shyly.
"I have some food back at the house me and my friend are staying at...you can come with me if you want." Offered Carol. Ellie and Savannah were the first living people she'd seen since Alexandria fell, and they seemed trustworthy enough.
"Um, yeah. I'd like that."
Daryl reentered the town just before sunset, with a few squirrels and a rabbit attached to his vest. He walked to the front door of the house, and knocked loudly. Carol opened it, revealing a woman and a little girl inside.
"We have company." Informed Carol. "This is Ellie and Savannah."
"They good people?" Asked Daryl, his intense blue eyes studying them carefully.
"Yeah." Confirmed Carol. "I gave them some food."
"This your daughter?" Asked Daryl to Ellie, looking towards Savannah.
"No, we're not related. She was a part of my old group."
"What happened to 'em?"
"Take a guess."
"Well, if you want to stay with us for a while, you can." Offered Carol. Daryl looked at her and shook his head subtly. Little girl or not, they just met these people. Walkers weren't much of a threat to him and Carol anymore. People were. People were worse than walkers in Daryl's opinion. People were the reason Alexandria fell. People destroyed the prison. People killed Beth. He wasn't willing to take any chances.
"Um...if it's okay with you..." Caved Ellie shyly.
"It is." Added Carol, before Daryl could say otherwise.
"Thank you, so much...I'll set up our sleeping bags upstairs. We'll stay out of your way." Ellie led Savannah upstairs into a bedroom.
Daryl led Carol into the kitchen, out of earshot.
"The hell are you doin'?" He whispered angrily.
"Daryl, these people need our help. I'm not going to turn them away, and I know you don't want to either. Just give them a chance."
"Fine, but there ain't no second chances. These people fuck this up, and they're gone."
"Fine."
Daryl, Carol, Ellie, and Savannah ate rabbit and squirrel that night(much to Savannah's dismay), and then went to sleep. Daryl lay awake in a bed upstairs, trying to put his mind to rest. He could hear Ellie and Savannah talking in another room, and instinctively eavesdropped, putting his ear close to the door.
"Ellie...are these people nice?" He overheard Savannah's soft voice inquire.
"I think so, Anna. I think so."
"The big man is kind of scary. I don't like him."
"His name's Daryl. I'm sure you'll get to know him. He looks like a decent enough guy."
"Are we gonna be safe here?"
"Yeah." Replied Ellie, hugging Savannah. "We're gonna be fine. I'm never gonna let anything happen to you."
Daryl backed away from the door, and went back to bed. He wasn't quite sure what to make of Ellie and Savannah, but he knew they weren't a threat, and they needed help.
He walked back to the bedroom, and fell carelessly onto the sheets. As he was trying to go to sleep, he spotted a piece of paper taped to a dresser. He picked it up curiously.
"Hello, my name is Topher Grayson, I left this note in case any other survivors found this house. I'm on my way to a community, one I heard about from other survivors. According to them, this place is somewhere away from the mainland, on some sort of island. Supposedly, a ferry takes survivors to the community from a beach nearby. If this place is true, this could be the safe haven I've been searching for. I've included some loose directions on the back of this paper, which will help you find the beach if you choose to. To be honest, I have no idea if this place is real, but if it is, then it could be a chance to finally have a normal life. Sincerely, TG." Read Daryl to himself, decoding the rather messy handwriting. He wasn't sure whether the note was some sort of twisted joke, or a possibility to find a real safe haven, either way, he decided to tell the others about it in the morning.
He lay on his bed, thinking over the events of the day, eventually drifting from consciousness.
-=|To be continued|=-
