Author's Note: Hey, y'all! Welcome to my second Walking Dead story! This one is going to differ from the show quite a bit and will be a little more silly and romantic than my other story. I hope y'all enjoy! Please review and follow! Thanks in advance!
Also, to my readers waiting for an update for "You & Me", I've been having a bit of writer's block with that one, but it will be updated soon. Thanks for being so patient! In the meantime, I hope y'all enjoy this story!
Daryl Dixon walked in a slow circle around the group's camp. His bloodshot eyes darted around wildly, looking for any sign of movement.
Everything was still. It was early morning; the sun was just beginning to rise. The darkness was fading away, chased away by the hazy orange light of the sun.
It was quiet except for the occasional bird's chirping or human's snoring. He looked around at the group, all sleeping soundly in their sleeping bags on the ground. He couldn't pinpoint which one of them was snoring, but whoever it was, they must have been sleeping good.
They'd been camping out here for about a month. After the walkers had taken over the farm house, they'd only been focused on getting out and finding each other. They hadn't given thought to where they might go or what they would do for food, water, or gas for the vehicles.
So, they'd been here for the past month, slowly siphoning gas from abandoned vehicles and collecting food and clothing.
Today was supposed to be the day. They were going to decide where to go from here. It was too cold to keep sleeping outside. Lori's belly was growing bigger by the minute, it seemed. They needed a real home.
Daryl stopped walking when he heard a rustling sound. He turned to see Carol sitting up, her thin arms stretching up into the air. Daryl blew out a breath and kept walking.
He watched her as she got up, shrugged on a sweater, grabbed a large knife, and headed toward a section of the woods they'd designated as the bathroom. With all the overgrown brush, it was private but still close enough that screaming could be heard in case someone got into some trouble. So far, so good.
Daryl watched her walk away, feeling that familiar flutter in his chest that he always felt when he laid eyes on her.
Their relationship, if you could call what they had a relationship, was much better than it was before. They'd both been through so much. He'd called her a stupid bitch, her daughter had died, and she'd called him Rick's henchman. There had been other good and bad moments in between those, but those were the ones his mind always went back to.
They'd come a long way in the past month. He'd forgiven her for what she'd said about him being a henchman. Now they were closer than they had been before.
"Hey, good looking. What are you thinking about?"
Daryl jumped. So much for keeping watch over the group. He hadn't even seen her come back from the bathroom. Now she was standing right in front of him, a smirk on her face. Good thing she hadn't been a walker. He'd be dead by now.
Daryl just growled at her and kept walking. One of her favorite things was flirting with him. He couldn't remember when she'd started doing it, but now she did it all the time because she knew it drove him crazy.
"I was thinking about givin' you an arrow in the ass," He grumbled.
She just laughed, and the sound warmed him in a way the early morning sun couldn't.
"As long as that's the only thing you're thinking about giving me in the ass," she retorted.
He could feel his cheek go red. He gave her a sideways look and saw that she was trying her hardest not to bust out laughing and wake up the rest of the group. He shook his head. She was so damn proud of that joke, wasn't she?
"Hush, woman," He instructed.
"Yes, sir," she replied, "So, where do you think we're headed?"
Daryl shrugged. He had no idea.
"I got no idea. There's a prison a few miles away. Crawling with walkers, but Rick thinks we could clear it out. Then there's Fort Benning."
She nodded.
"You know, I was thinking about places last night, and I think I came up with one that I might bring up to Rick."
"Alright, shoot."
"The Smoky Mountains."
He gave her another sideways glance. The mountains? They were a long way from the mountains.
"I know we're a long way from the mountains," she continued, as if reading his thoughts, "but we could find one of those vacation cabins up there. There would probably be less people, less walkers. We'd have land to hunt on. Could probably find one near a stream too, if we wanted."
Daryl thought about it. It actually wasn't a bad idea. Sure, there were downsides, but there were a lot of upsides too. A cabin in the woods. That sounded like heaven to him.
"It's actually ain't a bad idea. Bring it up to Rick at breakfast."
Carol grinned up at him, "I think I will."
In an hour, the group was up and moving. Daryl helped Rick, Glenn, T-Dog, Hershel, and Maggie pack up their belongings. Carol, Lori, Carl, and Beth got breakfast ready.
When the powdered eggs were cooked and the canned fruits opened, they all sat down to eat.
Daryl always sat beside Carol. It was just their way. She would fix him his plate, hand it to him, and then take her place beside him on the hard ground.
They all ate in complete silence, as was their usual way. Then Daryl heard Carol clear her throat.
"Rick, do you know where we're headed yet?" Carol asked.
All eyes turned to their leader, Rick Grimes.
He shook his head.
"I was gonna put it to a vote this morning. We can try clearing out the prison, or we can stick with our original plan and head to Fort Benning. Unless someone else has another idea?"
"I do, actually," Carol said.
"Alright, let's hear it," Rick said with an encouraging smile.
"The Smoky Mountains."
Hushed whispers arose among the group.
"The Smoky Mountains?" Rick inquired, rubbing his chin, "You got a specific place in mind?"
Carol shook her head.
"Not exactly. But I know there's lots of cabins up there, cabins meant to hold up to thirty or more people. I thought maybe we could find one of those, everyone could have their own space. Less walkers and probably less humans. Plenty of hunting ground. If we found one up high enough, we'd see a walker horde coming a mile away."
"It ain't a bad idea," Daryl interjected. He was really warming up to the idea.
"It would be a long drive, but I agree it kind of makes sense. Let's vote. All in favor of clearing the prison, raise your hand."
Daryl wasn't surprised to see no one raise their hand. No one was up for that challenge.
Rick chuckled.
"Alright, all in favor of Fort Benning?"
Hershel, Beth, and T-Dog raised their hands, but they were already outvoted, and they knew it.
Rick stood up.
"Alright, looks like we're headed into the mountains. Everyone be ready to head out in an hour. We've got a long drive ahead of us."
Author's Note: Again, thanks for reading! Please let me know your thoughts about it! Also, I apologize for any spelling or grammar mistakes I might have missed.