Walls: Chapter 1
"Daryl?" Carol called in her soft voice. "Beth and I made lunch, come eat." She walked across the prison yard searching for him when, suddenly, she heard a groan coming from an alley between two barracks a few feet ahead. Her body went cold with fear. There hadn't been any walkers on the prison grounds in the two weeks since they'd arrived, but it sounded like there was one now. She started to turn and get help when she heard the soft whispering voices. Whoever it was in that alley, it wasn't a walker. Curiosity overtook her and she moved cautiously forward to peer around the wall. Then she saw them. Daryl had Michonne pinned against the wall, thrusting into her, his calloused hands exploring her entire body. Her legs were wrapped around his waist and her fingernails dug into his well-muscled back as she groaned expletives in his ear. Neither one of them noticed her. Her breath caught. Tears welled up in her eyes as she turned and dashed back to the kitchens.
"Where's Daryl?" Glenn asked as she walked into the room. "…and Michonne?" Andrea piped in. "They're not coming" she choked out and, without any further words she hurried to her cell before she broke down. She collapsed onto her cot and sobbed quietly. She'd been a fool to think that this wouldn't happen, to think that he actually cared about her like that. Ever since Andrea had turned up at prison with this new girl, Michonne, she'd noticed a change in Daryl. This girl was young, beautiful, mysterious, and strong; all things that Carol was not. She'd seen Daryl take notice of Michonne, seen the way he'd look at her out of the corner of his eye. She'd tried to ignore it though. She told herself that he cared about her. He'd tried so hard to find Sophia and had reacted so strongly to her grief. He'd look into her eyes with that intense stare and she was sure he felt something for her. He'd shown a level of passion toward her that Ed never had. Even when he was angry at her, she'd gotten the feeling that he cared. She knew that he was emotionally broken and so she'd stepped back, waiting for him to find the right moment to come to her. But that was all just stupid, empty hope. He didn't see her like that. Why should he? She was six years older than him, boring, and plain. If anything he saw her as a mother figure. She knew that now and it broke her heart. She sobbed until she couldn't sob anymore and finally fell quiet and stared at the ceiling.
Twenty minutes later Daryl entered the kitchen as the others were finishing up their lunch. Michonne had slinked off to be by herself. She didn't hang around the others much. He grabbed himself a sandwich and took a seat between T-Dog and Brian, one of the inhabitants of the prison. He glanced around the room, seeking out her face as always and noticed that she wasn't there. "Where's Carol?" he asked. "In her cell, she didn't stay for lunch. She seemed upset" Lori answered. "What ails her?" he demanded in his gravelly drawl. "I don't know" she replied. He just shrugged it off, but inside he was worried about her. It bothered him how much he'd come to care for Carol. Michonne was just someone to fuck. She didn't mean anything to him and he didn't mean anything to her. Hell, he hadn't even had to kiss her. They'd just ravaged each other's bodies for release to satisfy their urges with no emotional connection. That's how it had always been with the women in his past. He was comfortable with that. Things were different with Carol, however. He'd never felt this kind of connection to anyone before and he had no idea how to handle it. He found himself wanting to hold her and protect her. That wasn't something he was used to and it scared him. She'd told him that he was worth something and, in his heart he wanted to believe her, but he couldn't. All his life he'd been told he was trash. She was wrong about him. He wasn't good enough for her. He'd lashed out at her a few too many times as a result of the confusion he felt and so he'd finally resorted to avoiding her. He couldn't help seeking out her face whenever he entered a room, though. Now she wasn't here and he was worried. So, after he finished his meal, he decided to find her and make sure she was ok.
She heard footsteps approach her cell and knew that it was him. She could tell by the steady stride and the pounding of his boots. He rapped his knuckles against the bars and she said "come in" without removing her eyes from the ceiling. She couldn't bear to look at him. "You alright?" he mumbled. "I'm fine, just fine" she stammered, unconvincingly. "Why won't you at lunch?" he demanded. "Oh, so you noticed" she said coolly. He stood there in silence with his arms crossed. He knew she was upset, but he didn't know what to do about it. He wanted her to feel better, but didn't know how to comfort her. She sat up suddenly and stared at him. "So, you and Michonne?" she asked, surprising herself as well as him. "What about us?" he growled. "I saw you two earlier" she replied. He felt a sudden surge of annoyance. He was annoyed at her for meddling and even more annoyed with himself, knowing that his actions had somehow hurt her. "What about it? We were just blowing off some steam. This 'spose to be some kinda guilt trip? If it is, it ain't workin'" he snarled. He glared at her through squinted eyes. "Why do you care anyhow?" he demanded. She studied him for a moment, trying to work out the source of his anger. Finally, she got up and reached toward him. He flinched, but she just grabbed his hand and kissed the back of it. "It's ok, Daryl" she said softly and walked out of the room.