Disclaimer: I do own the characters from The Walking Dead. They belong solely to the creator of the television show and graphic novels.

The Runaways

Chapter 1

We should go somewhere.

Where?

Anywhere. Just go somewhere and never look back.

We can't do that.

Why not?

Because…it's crazy. That's why.

We're eighteen. We can get jobs.

Yeah, but…Daryl, that's crazy.

You trust me?

I trust you more than anybody.

Then come with me.

Carol Mason looked up from where she sat under the old oak tree in the quad, and her phone fell into her lap. Daryl Dixon came walking across the grass with his backpack slung over his shoulder. He stuffed his phone into his back pocket, and she watched him as her hair fell into her eyes. He gave her a smile, and she looked up at him, pushing her own dark-auburn curls out of her face.

"Whaddya say?"

"Daryl, have you lost your mind?" she asked, reaching up for his hand and tugging him down into the grass next to her.

"Probably," he smirked. Carol stared at him and shook her head.

"Of all of your crazy ideas, I think this one tops them all. When did you suddenly decide to take a few notes from the book of Merle?"

"I ain't nothin' like that asshole."

"You know what I meant," she sighed. "He's always taking off and leaving."

"Yeah, so why can't I do that?" Carol stared at him for a moment. "There ain't nothing for me here. No jobs in this shit town." Carol frowned, looking down at her phone in her hand. "You ain't sayin' anything, 'cause you know you wanna do this."

"No I don't," she lied.

"You do," he snorted. "You ain't never been able to lie to me." Carol rolled her eyes at that. "My old man's in jail. He ain't coming back. Merle's gonna end up burning the house down one of these days."

"I'm sorry, Daryl," she sighed. "Your brother's an asshole."

"Guess it runs in the family."

"Well, you're not," she offered. "Of all the Dixons I've ever met, you're the best of them." She plucked a dandelion from the grass and tossed it at him. Carol had always been like that. Since they'd met in first grade, she'd been his best friend. She'd been the only kid at school that actually treated him kindly, and in junior high school when his mother had divorced his dad and taken off to parts unknown, she'd watched as his dad pretty much checked out. He would leave for weeks at a time, leaving just enough cash for the boys to get by, apparently feeling free of responsibility since Merle was an adult and Daryl could fend for himself.

Carol's home life hadn't been much better. Her mother had died before she could remember, and her father was busy with work and women, and he gave her whatever she wanted, aside from the attention and love a child needed from a father. She'd pretty much raised herself, and while she didn't hate her father, she really didn't feel much toward him at all. She'd considered moving out the day she turned eighteen, but the only thing that kept her from leaving town all together was her very best friend. She wouldn't leave without him.

Now, here he was, asking her to leave with him, and all she could do was call him crazy. He was far from crazy. In fact, with graduation a week away, no job prospects in a thirty mile radius and no plans for college, going off somewhere new to start a new life didn't sound like a terrible idea. Only, the idea of going off somewhere with Daryl, her very best friend and the guy she'd been secretly in love with since third period math class their seventh-grade year when that loser Ed Peletier tried for the tenth time to get her to go on a date with him. When she'd refused, he'd started to tease her and call her awful names in front of the entire class. Daryl had stood up and punched Peletier right in the nose. He'd been her biggest defender, and maybe she hadn't known it in that moment, but she'd started to look at him in a new light that day. He wasn't just her good friend Daryl. He was the guy that stood up for her and made her feel safe. He was the guy that would come hang out at her house and watch movies when they were bored or when it was a rainy day. They spent more time together than they spent with their own families, and she was closer to him than anyone. And he had no idea how she felt. At least she didn't think he did. If he had any idea, he'd never made it known.

"You still thinking about going to college?"

"No." Carol's answer was short and quick. Daryl looked at her. "My dad wanted me to go. I think it was just his way of getting rid of me." She rolled her eyes. "He gave me my graduation gift last night. He gave me cash."

"Better than Christmas last year?"

"Oh yeah," Carol snorted dryly. "He gave me five grand. Oh. He also handed me student loan applications. He's desperate to get me out of the house. I think he's going to turn my room into a gym."

"Well, the money's good. Dad left us fifty bucks for groceries before he got carted off to jail."

"Fifty dollars?" Carol asked.

"Well, that ain't countin' the money I've skimmed over the last few years. Had to hide that shit from Merle, or he'd have used it on drugs or women." Daryl scooted over to lean against the tree next to her. "We'd be ok for a while."

"Daryl, I don't know," she murmured, though a yes was on the tip of her tongue. If he left, she'd follow him, because he was the only constant in her life. The very idea of him leaving without her had her stomach twisting in knots.

"Maybe it's dumb," he murmured. "Just don't want to stay here and turn into my brother."

"That could never happen," Carol insisted. She ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. "Can I think about it?"

"Yeah. I was gonna leave after graduation." Carol felt that knot tighten in her stomach. He really was serious.

"You're…you're going either way, aren't you?"

"I don't wanna go without you. If you want to stay, I'll stay. I just…you're my best friend. It's just been us for a long time, and if I go somewhere, I want you to come with me. Hell, we can get odd jobs on the road 'til we find a place we want to stay."

"And then what?" she asked with a laugh. "We'll find an apartment and be roomies until we're old and grey?"

"Or 'til we get married." He nearly choked on his tongue, and Carol's eyes widened. "I mean, 'til one of us gets married and moves out."

"Oh," she murmured. "Right." She got up then, brushing the grass off of the back of her pants. She slung her bag over her shoulder and stared down at him. "We could wash dishes in old diners. Or work in one of those old movie theaters where everything looks like it's out of the fifties." Daryl smirked at that. "We could do anything. We could find a place where nobody lives and just stay there." She smiled a little, remembering the fantasies they'd had when they were kids, where they'd just pretend they were something, someone different, somewhere far away where nobody knew who they were and they could be whatever they imagined for themselves.

"That sounds kinda like a yes," Daryl offered.

"It's a maybe," she admitted with a smile. Daryl stood then, grabbing his book bag, and they started off across the quad toward the parking lot.