"I'm telling you Daryl it's not here!" Carol wailed as she ran to catch up with her friend, they had been playing in the woods at the back of both of their houses.

"It is I know it we're gonna find it! Merle says he saw it jus' yesterday when he was huntin', that means it's gotta still be around here somewhere!" The previous evening as Daryl's mother got ready to tuck him into bed, he decided that he wanted his older brother to tell him a bed time story, Merle had told him about his hunt earlier that day, claiming to have come face to face with a chupacabra. Daryl listened in admiration as his brother bragged about fighting off the creature with his bare hands.

Daryl had always been fascinated with what resided in the forest next to their home, he had only ever been able to catch small animals like rabbits and squirrels and had even spotted a deer a couple of times. Merle finished his story, tucked him in and turned off his bedroom light, but Daryl felt wide awake. All he could think about was finding the chupacabra.

The next morning he was up early, bouncing with excitement and begging his mother to let him go out and play. As soon as she had given him the go ahead he had raced next door to get Carol, telling her that they were going on a super exciting mission.

Carol was his best and only friend in the whole world, Daryl adored her. They didn't need other friends when they had each other, all of the other children at their school had been wary of Daryl, told by their parents not to associate with the Dixon boy. Daryl's father was well known in their small town, he had been a mean, abusive drunk, causing a scene wherever he went. He was gone now though, eventually Daryl's mother has stood her ground and kicked him out of their lives. He hadn't made much of a fuss, he didn't love them anyway, packing his things and disappearing without a trace. It had been almost a year now but the town still remembered, still shunned the Dixons. It didn't matter that Daryl was only a child, that Merle was just a teenager or that their mother worked multiple jobs at all hours of the day to try and provide the best life for her babies. His father had ruined the name and all their reputations.

Carol had never cared what people thought, never failing to stick up for Daryl when anyone said something mean to him, he was always surprised by how fierce his little friend could be. He vowed he would love her for the rest of his life.

"Daryl I don't know if I even wanna find it! They sound scary, aren't they supposed to drink your blood like a big vampire dog or somethin'?"

"Listen ta me, I ain't gonna let nothin happen to ya. I promise. You know that right?" He held out his hand to her, squeezing reassuringly when she took it in her own.

"Yeah I know," she smiled sweetly at him, she always trusted him.

"Now come on, we probably only got a few more hours til our mamas shout us back," and with that they continued on their quest to hunt down the chupacabra…

"Carol!" The shrill sound of her mother shouting her name pulled her from her deep, dreamless sleep. "Carol! Are you not awake yet? You're going to be late for school!"

She turned over and blinked hazily at her alarm clock reading 07:15. Shit! How had she slept in so late? She flung the covers off and raced to get ready, she threw on some clothes and tried to tame the tangle of curls that just weren't cooperating. She quickly kissed her parents goodbye and sprinted out the front door to the bus stop. She ran and ran as fast as her legs could carry her, her lungs were burning and she felt like she was going to pass out. She was so close, as she rounded the corner she saw the bus just pulling away, too far for her to catch up.

"Son of a bitch!" She screamed keeling over, trying desperately to get the air back into her lungs, her face was on fire and she seriously sweating, as if she didn't feel gross enough this morning.

She made her way back home, hoping that maybe one of her parents were still home. Her mother was just locking the front door as she strolled up the driveway.

"Oh thank god please, please can you take me to school? I missed the bus," she pleaded.

"Carol I can't I'm running late myself! Do you know how many orders I have to fulfil at the bakery today? I'm going to be there all day you'll just have to walk."

"Walk? But it's miles away, what about dad?"

"He's already left, it's your own fault for not getting up earlier!" Carol scowled as her mother pecked her on the cheek and climbed into her car, waving as she backed out the driveway.

Carol sighed and hung her head, mentally preparing herself for the long morning ahead when she was pulled from her thoughts by a deep, gravelly voice.

"Ya need a ride?"

She turned on her heels to find Daryl Dixon stood behind her, climbing onto his motorcycle and offering her his spare helmet. They had not spoken properly in a few years now, growing apart in the later years of middle school. She had gained more and more popular as they had gotten older whilst Daryl shunned anyone that had tried to befriend him, so used to people being afraid of him. Carol had encouraged him to hang out with her and her new group of friends but Daryl had declined, social interactions had never been his strong point and he figured they never would be.

He had been hurt that she was becoming so close to their new classmates, he knew it was irrational, she could hang out with whoever she wanted. But part of him had always thought it would be just the two of them. They drifted further apart bit by bit until she had given up trying all together. She figured that if he really wanted to save their friendship he would eventually come to his senses and make the effort. But he didn't.

She missed him terribly, everyday she still did. She kept all of the photos of their childhood, and all the souvenirs from their little adventures in the woods. It broke her heart when she looked back through them and reminisced. She watched him from her bedroom window a lot, just working on bike in the driveway or sitting on the porch with a cigarette. She always longed to join him but she didn't know how to talk to him anymore.

"On the bike? I've never been on one before," she took the helmet from his hands nervously.

He huffed out a quiet laugh, "Yeah I know."

"That was something we were gonna learn together remember," she smiled at him brightly as she remembered their plan. They used to spend hours and hours in awe over Merle's Triumph as it sat on the driveway, sitting on the bike and pretending they were riding across the world. They had agreed that when they were old enough to learn that they would and take the bike on some real adventures together.

"Yeah I know," a sadness now laced his tone. "Promise you won't fall off, I'm pretty good." He could see her hesitation.

She beamed at him and climbed on the bike behind him, her stomach riddled with butterflies being this close to him again. He grabbed her hands from his shoulders and adjusted them so they wrapped tightly around his waist. She squeaked as he grabbed her thighs and yanked her so that her body was flush with his.

"Hold on tight," he drawled, speeding out of his driveway, his heart racing slightly at the warmth of her body locked around his.