Slowly, he moved through the thick woods. He took extra care to keep his footsteps quiet, knowing a massive herd was nearby. With his crossbow gripped tightly in his hands, Daryl knew he could take out a few walkers, but the herd would be unforgiving if it changed direction for any reason.

He felt a twinge of serenity as he walked, the trees and leaves enveloping him in a world he was familiar with, a world of scavenging and silence. On his own was how Daryl had always lived, it was how he preferred it. It wasn't until he met Rick Grimes until he felt like he actually belonged somewhere, with people.

The happiness he experienced for that mere second was something he hadn't felt in a long time. Since Atlanta, since Grady Memorial Hospital, Daryl didn't know if he would ever feel hope or happiness again. He'd lost it with the single accidental bullet that had killed Beth.

Following her death, the group had desperately tried to find some place to settle, to belong, to move on. Adding onto Beth, they had also lost Tyreese in an attempt to find somewhere, and they ended up in Virginia. With any hope of Washington D.C. wiped away with Eugene's revelation of his lie, they continued northward.

Eventually, the pain of Beth's death had faded just enough for Daryl to begin to try to feel normal again, but he always knew he would have a hole in his heart that was draped with long, blonde hair.

They finally found a safe haven with the Alexandria Safe Zone. It was civilized on the brink of suspicious, and it kept Rick on edge. As the group settled with this new safe zone, Daryl still felt wrong. He still felt he didn't belong, so he would take to the woods. And now, here he was, with possibly the safest place he would ever find within a short distance, and he was going further away, all by himself...

Crack.

He turned as fast as possible and pointed his crossbow at whatever had moved. His finger was ready on the trigger, until the tip of the bow was lowered by a hand.

"Come on, Daryl, you wouldn't waste one of your arrows on me, would you?" Aaron made a feeble attempt at humor, something he was neither good at nor did Daryl appreciate it. Aaron was truthfully still frightened by Daryl, everyone could tell.

Daryl let the crossbow drop to his side. "Sorry, force of habit."

"We've been out here for 3 hours now, did you forget?" Aaron said, holstering his gun and zipping his jacket up.

With a shrug, Daryl replied, "I just, I got distracted."

Aaron shook his head slightly. He looked at his watch, then to the sky. "Maybe we should head back. This seems like a dead end, and we don't want to run into those roamers we saw on the highway. We can pick up another trail tomorrow."

Daryl groaned in agreement, and the two men made their way back to the car.

The only sound in the car on their way back was the faint jingle of the radio. If Daryl had been driving, it would be silent, whether Aaron liked it or not, but Daryl had to remember that he was still in the trial period of this new job he had been assigned.

At least Aaron's got enough brains not to try to talk to me, Daryl thought.

When they arrived at the gate to Alexandria, the air was still. There were no sounds of children playing or people talking, and an eerie chill fell over the two men. They exchanged a slightly worried glance, but continued on.

When they entered and parked the car, Carol came running over to them.

"Daryl, Rick needs to speak to you." She said, her voice it's normal tone. Daryl nodded and followed her, telling Aaron same time tomorrow. They walked normally down the street, but he could tell something was wrong.

"What's going on?" He asked, but Carol didn't acknowledge him.

Soon, they approached Rick's house. He and Glenn were sitting on the porch, talking quietly. Carol placed a hand on Daryl's shoulder, and when he looked, she smiled and bowed her head. Then, she left.

Daryl walked up the steps to the two men, and he saw that Glenn was as pale as a ghost. Rick stood up to face Daryl.

"Hey, man, Carol said you needed me?" Daryl inquired. He set his crossbow down on the steps.

Rick, too, bowed his head. "Yeah. It's about the run Glenn went on today. We've got a problem."

Glenn coughed and wiped his face. "We, uh, we ran into some trouble with some walkers. Eugene had got Tara out already, so it was just me and Noah and Nicholas who had to get out."

Daryl interrupted. "What about that Aiden? Deanna's son, the arrogant son of a bitch?"

But he got his answer with a simple shake of Glenn's head.

Glenn continued. "We were stuck in a revolving door, and Noah and I had a plan to get us all out, but Nicholas, he went first, and Noah... Noah was..." His breathing quickened and he went ghostly pale again.

"What? What happened? Where's Noah?" Daryl said, beginning to worry.

"Noah was grabbed by walkers." Rick finished for Glenn. "They ripped him apart."

Daryl felt his stomach flip. His hands began to clam up and he felt his rage rising.

"Noah, Noah's... dead?" He whispered. Rick nodded, and Glenn shakenly stood up and walked inside. Rick turned to face Daryl.

"I know you must be mad, but you have to stay calm-"

"Calm? You want me to stay calm?!" Daryl yelled. His mind was racing, but it centered around one thought, and he was outraged. "Beth died for him, Rick. She sacrificed herself so he could live free, and now he's dead. How am I supposed to stay calm?"

Rick took a deep breath and reached a hand to Daryl's shoulder. "Look, I know you're upset, but we can't think about-"

"She's dead, Rick. And now, so is Noah. She died for a purpose, and once you got Noah to Virginia, his freedom became the only purpose she died for. Now? What now, Rick? Tell me what now?" Daryl continued to yell. He paced angrily across the porch, throwing his arms around. He could feel hot tears welling up inside of him. Beth died for Noah, and now...

"Daryl-"

"Now, her death means nothing. She can't be memorialized, because what did she die for? She died for a kid who was gonna die 3 months later anyway, so why couldn't she live?" His anger was rapidly turning to sorrow. "Why couldn't she live?" His breathing quickened and his voice cracked. "Why?"

Rick didn't say anything. He knew there was nothing to be said. After all, he knew Daryl was right. The man Beth died for was now dead. The crickets and Daryl's quiet sobs were the only sounds in the cool, night air.

After several minutes, Rick patted Daryl's back. "Whenever you're ready, I need you." He said, and walked inside, leaving Daryl alone.

What was Daryl supposed to think now? Before, he had hope that Noah would be the one to give true meaning to Beth's death, that somehow, Noah would make everything okay, because that was why Beth had died.

But now, he was gone too. Noah, besides Maggie, was the last tie to Beth Daryl felt he had. That was the one thing he could control, the one thing that would bring him comfort when he became sad. And just like Beth, Noah was ripped away too.

The same horrible sadness overcame Daryl now. He had once again lost hope. Noah and Beth were good, they were pure, they believed in people and that there still was hope in this crazy world, and if they couldn't even make it, what hope was there for the rest of them?

For the first time since he made it, Daryl had betrayed his promise to Beth. After her death, he promised her he would never lose the hope that she gave him.

"Well what now, Beth?" Daryl screamed toward the sky. "What am I supposed to do? You're gone and the reason you died is gone too now, so what the hell am I supposed to do?

"You can't hold me against having hope. You can't hold me to that. You were supposed to stay here to remind me of the good in the world, to remind me to believe in the good, to remind me to have hope. You were supposed to be here! How am I supposed to have hope when there is nothing to keep me going now?" Tears were streaming down his face as he stared at the full moon.

He wished nothing more than to hear her gentle voice one last time, it would be the reassurance he needed. But no matter how hard he listened, how hard he pleaded, the only thing he heard was silence.

"I can't hold myself together anymore, Beth. I can't be expected to keep my cool and to always hope for a better life." Daryl's voice had dropped to a whisper, but he still turned to the sky. "I can't live anymore Beth, not without you."

He stared desperately at the sky, hoping for some sort of sign, anything, that let him know she was there, that she was listening, that he wasn't alone. He waited for what seemed like hours, but the only movement was the moon across the sky.

As his lower lip began to quiver, Daryl fell apart. He dropped his head and fell to his knees. He slammed the railing with his fist and let himself cry.

He knew what she would say. She'd said it so many times to him before they became acquainted. He could almost hear her positive voice telling him off.

"It wouldn't kill you to have a little faith."

Daryl bit his lip hard to conceal a sob.

"So where are you, Beth? You had nothing but faith, and where are you?"

He put his head between his knees. How was he supposed to keep the promise he made her when there was nothing left in this world to keep him going?

Daryl wiped his eyes and looked up again, but this time, to his left, there was the smallest glint of a shooting star. It was faint, but it's tail left a streak in the sky that was unmistakable.

It was as if a switch turned on inside of Daryl. He shot up from his sitting position and climbed the side of Rick's house until he was on the roof. He wanted to get as close as he could to the sky, he never wanted the streak of the shooting star to leave his sight. To him, in that moment, it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

Nearly jumping for joy, Daryl realized what this meant to him. This shooting star was the sign he needed, the sign he was hoping Beth would give him.

Hope.

He hadn't lost it. It was still with him. After Beth, after Noah, Daryl still had hope.

Daryl looked once more to the sky and smiled. "You wouldn't let me forget my promise, Beth. You wouldn't ever let me forget it."

And even in the wake of Noah's death, with Beth's death seeming so insignificant now, Daryl saw the light in it all. Beth didn't die for nothing, and neither did Noah.

They left enough love and compassion for Daryl to always have his own safe haven, no matter where he went. Daryl knew now that wherever he went, thanks to Beth and Noah, he would always belong.

With their deaths, Daryl knew that they wanted him to never lose hope in his family, the world, and most importantly, himself.

And in spite of all the pain and suffering that was still to come, Daryl knew that Noah and Beth would be right there beside him along the way. For the first time in a long time, Daryl didn't feel angry.

He felt really at peace again, even through the loss and heartache.

He finally felt at peace.

A/N: One definition of the word ark is a vessel that protects from extinction, and the ark is Daryl's memory of Noah and Beth to protect his hope from becoming extinct, hence the title name.