Hi guys and possibly new readers! My name is Angel Anastasia, and this is my very first fanfic for the Walking Dead. so a few things about me: i rarely use proper grammar in my little before and after the chapter sections. i LOVE reviews on my stories, and i dont have any control once i get my own original characters underway. they become their own person, and they do what they want in the story. there arent any real warnings for the first chapter, but this story will get much darker as time goes on like most of my stories. im thinking this is set like right before they find alexandria, but remember, this is my first fanfic for this series
It had been a long day, but it was finally getting colder outside. Terminus and that damned hospital were far behind them, but that didn't mean they were safe. They still didn't have a safe place where they could rest, or enough food and water to keep them going for more than a few days tops. Daryl didn't mind sleeping outside after their cars finally ran out of gas, but it was hard on the others. Daryl didn't know how long this crap had been going on now, and while the others were learning how to cope with this ever changing world, they still needed a place to recover from what they had just been through. Daryl volunteered to stay up during the nights to keep on the lookout for walkers or something worse, but it was quiet. It was almost too quiet. Daryl couldn't even find any stray animals to catch for their dinners, and that was probably the one reason Rick suggested that they go on a short run on their journey to Washington.
Sasha was the one that spotted the old gas station. There were still cars parked out front, but it was clear that nobody was in them. This place had been abandoned a long time ago. Rick, Daryl, and Michonne did a quick search to make sure the building wasn't hiding any walkers, but it looked clear. Since there wasn't any reason for the entire group to go picking up bags of chips, Rick suggested that only a few people go while the rest tried to map out the best route to get to Washington. Daryl was the first to volunteer. He didn't think any of the others really needed to come with him, but he didn't argue when Carol volunteered next. He was never going to be able to pay for her back for saving his life in Terminus, but he vowed to protect her until his dying breath. He was never going to let her get hurt again, but with the way she handled herself back there, she probably wouldn't even need his loyal protection. Glenn and Maggie chose to go with them during the run, and after the four of them found a few bags, they headed over.
Daryl and Glenn ran ahead of the others, but after glancing down the aisles, they were both confident that it was empty and full of food. Maggie and Glenn went towards the back of the gas station where the sodas and waters were kept while Carol and Daryl stayed up front. Daryl immediately went down the jerky aisle. He couldn't get enough of that. He grabbed every single piece he could find and stuffed it down the bag. His stomach was starting to growl, but he was going to wait and eat when the others did.
"I think they have some Tylenol or IB Profen closer to where you are," Carol said. He couldn't see where she was, but she sounded close. She was stuffing food into her bag too. "Can you get a few of those?" Daryl was never a big fan of medicine. Whenever he got sick when he was younger, he had to fight of the disease himself. He never relied on some fancy pill to make him feel better.
"Fine," he said. It wouldn't be a bad idea to look for bandages or band aides either, but food came first in his book. Food and weapons. He couldn't believe there was only 5 packages of jerky, but he wasn't dare complaining. That would have to do. His eyes skimmed over packets of gum and breath fresheners, but no one needed that crap. When he found the bags of chips, he went back to work putting the food into his bag. "Does your head hurt?" he asked Carol.
"I'm alright," Carol said. "I think Sasha could use some though. She isn't really sleeping at night. Neither is Rick."
"Are you?" Daryl asked. He already knew the answer to that question. He saw her tossing and turning every night, and he wondered if her dreams were just nightmares about her beloved daughter or the time she was all alone in the woods. All of them had their own demons that they had to deal with, but it didn't seem like they would ever go away. This was their life now, and they were going to have to deal with it.
Daryl stopped packing away chips when he heard a very loud bang coming from where Carol was. It wasn't a gun shot, and it didn't sound like a walker had crept in, but it sounded like something dropped to the floor. Daryl stood up cautiously, but he couldn't see over the rows to where Carol was. "Carol?" he called out. She didn't answer. He wasn't going to wait around for her answer. Something was wrong. He picked up his bow, and crept around to the first aisle. His breath caught in his throat when he saw Carol lying on the floor with a bloody mark on her forehead. She looked unconscious, but what bothered Daryl the most was the man sitting next to her. He was holding her arms behind her back, and his free hand was holding a gun to Carol's forehead. A second man was crouched behind them.
"Let her go," Daryl growled.
"Hello," the man in the back said pleasantly. He stood up slowly, and Daryl spotted a gun in this guy's hands. Daryl's heart was pounding in his chest. The second man was a few inches taller than Daryl, and he had a few extra pounds on his larger frame. He had a dark unkempt beard covering the lower half of his face, and his brown eyes were hidden behind a pair of glasses. He was wearing a black jacket with jeans, and Daryl could smell him from where he stood. "My name is Derek. May I ask your name?"
"Let her go," Daryl repeated. He kept his aim pointed at the man on the ground, but he wasn't moving the gun away from Carol.
"Okay," Derek said. "I have a proposal for you if you'll be kind enough to listen. Hear me out. You put your weapon on the floor in front of you, and Charlie won't shoot you girlfriend's brains out. Sounds fair to me."
The man called Charlie just stared at Daryl as he pushed the gun against Carols' head. Daryl didn't see a choice. He couldn't tell where Maggie and Glenn were, but he wasn't going to risk getting Carol hurt. He didn't know these guys or how they worked, but if these guys weren't bluffing, Carol could be killed. Daryl looked at Carol and the blood trickling down her face, and he put his bow down by his feet.
"Excellent," Derek said. "Kick it towards us please."
Daryl didn't want to. He wanted to grab it and kill the guy holding Carol, but he didn't have a choice. He kicked it towards them, and Derek grabbed it. He nodded at Charlie, and the man on the floor stood up supporting Carol against his body. There was no denying now that she was unconscious, and Charlie picked her up with ease.
"Let her go," Daryl said for a third time. He couldn't see them just saying alright and leaving, but he needed to try. Where the hell was Maggie and Glenn?
"Turn around," Derek said. Charlie kept the gun against Carol, and smiled. Daryl took a deep breath, and turned around. His arms were forced behind his back, and he felt some kind of thick rope being tied to them. He didn't fight, but he was hoping against hope that Glenn would come out of nowhere and shoot these asses in the head. Charlie circled around Daryl to the front of the store, and he still had Carol in his arms. Where the hell was Glenn?
"She's very pretty," Charlie said quietly. Those were the first words out of that monster's mouth, and Daryl was already imaging this guy's death. "We were hoping to find someone younger, you know, but we weren't really expecting to find a girl so pretty. When us guys first got together, we didn't think there were even any ladies left."
"We haven't seen a girl in a long time," Derek whispered in Daryl's ear.
"Hope Jeff likes her," Charlie said. He smiled and put his hand on Carol's chest. Daryl lost all control that he once had and tried lunging at the monster holding his dear friend, but he couldn't get far. Derek kept Daryl under control, but Daryl wasn't going to keep quiet. If he kept shouting, somebody else had to hear him. The rest of the group wasn't far, and Glenn and Maggie had to be nearby. He didn't even know what he was shouting, but that didn't matter as long as he was loud. Charlie turned away from him, and Daryl didn't notice when the man behind him loosened the hold. He was throwing profanities when something hard knocked him on the side of his head. He lost his balance and fell on the floor. He tried getting back up. Nothing except death was going to keep him from protecting his friends, but the hard object came back down on him. When it struck him a second time, blackness finally took him.
Rick lost all track of time, but he usually did when something was on his mind. He was exhausted, both mentally and physically, but it was his job to get his group somewhere safe. Michonne went ahead to check out the roads, and Carl was staying busy with baby Judith. For now, everything was alright. They were still together, and they weren't exactly starving. Rick had to be grateful for that. There were so many times when they were separated, and Rick couldn't let that happen again. Michonne came back a little while later saying that the road was clear, and they were good to go as soon as the others got back.
The sun was going down over the trees when Rick finally began to worry. It shouldn't have taken that long to go on a simple run to a gas station. He was about to send Abraham and Sasha after them when he spotted Maggie and Glenn running as fast as they could towards the camp. They didn't have their bags with them. Rick pulled out his gun, and ran out to greet them.
"What's wrong?" Rick asked without waiting for them to catch their breath.
"We went out back," Glenn said.
"We saw some more cars and we were thinking one of them might work," Maggie continued.
"None of them worked," Glenn said. "We weren't out there that long, but when we came back, we couldn't find Daryl or Carol."
"We were thinking maybe they just came back to guys when they were done," Maggie said.
"But we found their bags," Glenn finished. "And a little red spot on the floor. We think it's blood, but the stuff in their bags is all over the place."
Rick glanced at Michonne who was looking just as alarmed as he felt. He needed to get over to that gas station now. He knew they weren't there, but maybe whoever took them left some kind of clue that Maggie and Glenn missed. Why would anyone want Daryl and Carol? Rick was already thinking that they were jumped on, and there would be no way for one to leave the other behind. "Michonne, did you see any car tracks?"
"Yeah, a little ways up," Michonne said. "I didn't see any cars or people though."
If the car tracks led up to that gas station, Rick was going to follow them. He wasn't going to just abandon Daryl and Carol. "Okay, come back with me to the station. Michonne, get ready to follow those tracks when we get back." The sun was setting fast. He didn't like that, but he was planning on finding out where his friends were before the sun set. If they found the camp, they could plan on an attack in the morning. He already lost too many of his friends. He wasn't going to let Daryl and Carol just get taken like that without a fight.
short chapter to start off with so plllzzzz review guys and let me know if you'd like to me continue it or not. till next time! xoxo