The confrontation

"What about Carol? She up in A-block with Lizzie?" Daryl asked, lifting his hand to his forehead and squinting his eyes to see Hershel's face between the sun rays.

"No. Talk to Rick about it. She's okay. Just talk to him." Hershel responded, trying to maintain his composure.

Daryl quickly looked around and found Rick talking with Carl in the garden. He walked towards them in a heartbeat, forgetting everything he had to carry back to the prison. He knew something was wrong. He felt it deep inside. Somehow, he knew it all along while they were on the road. He had a feeling something bad was about to happen.

As he made his way through the prison yard, he had a thousand scenarios playing in his head and none of them met a good ending for either Carol or him. He found it hard to believe that she was not here anymore. What happened to her? If she was dead, Hershel would have told him right away. There was no way he could have kept that to himself. But if she wasn't dead, where could she be?

Daryl approached Rick and nodded to him as a way to make his presence noticed. Rick nodded back, patted Carl's shoulder and asked him to go inside. Carl didn't argue and left. Rick then got out of the garden and stopped right in front of Daryl, harboring an anxious look on his traits.

"Hershel told me to ask you about Carol. What happened?" Daryl asked straight away, his eyes trying helplessly to read Rick's mind.

Rick scratched the back of his head, looked at the ground and sighed deeply. He clearly didn't know where to begin.

"Rick. What happened with Carol?" Daryl urged, slowly losing his patience.

"She killed Karen and David." Rick finally answered. "She killed them to try to prevent the flu from spreading but it didn't work."

Daryl grimaced and breathed heavily, looking torn apart inside.

"I left her on the road, told her she couldn't come back to the prison. She can't be trusted anymore and Tyreese would have tried to kill her anyway. She represents a threat to the group by acting so recklessly. I can't let my children be around her knowing what she has done. "

"You just left her out there like that? For Christ's sake, Rick! She's gonna die! You condemned her to die!"

"I did it for the group, Daryl. If I brought her back, who knows what would have happened? She is tough, she's gonna make it. She'll find another group and start again."

"She's family and we don't give up on family. Carol has been there from the start. She always took care of lil'asskicker, Carl, and the whole group. We could have found another way."

"She murdered two of our own! What did you want me to do? Let her come back and tell Tyreese that it was simply an accident? She is better out there than in here, trust me."

"No, she isn't! No one can make it alone in this shitty world. You know it as much as I do. We needed her and she needed us. You abandoned her!"

Daryl looked really distraught and he kept adjusting the crossbow's strap on his shoulder.

"I'll go find her. Ain't no way I'll let her die out there. I almost lost her once, ain't gonna let this happen again."

Rick put a firm hand on his arm to try to stabilize him.

"I suggest you don't. We need you here. She could be anywhere right now and I won't let you risk your life chasing ghosts."

"The hell you're telling me? You really want me to just let it go?" Daryl snapped, throwing Rick's hand away from him.

"You will, Daryl. We all will."

"Ain't your call to make. You won't tell me what to do. You made a fuckin' big mistake and I'm gonna fix it."

"Daryl…"

"You messed up. You should have asked the council before doing anythin'. Don't you see it isn't just 'bout you in here? I cared about her!"

"You wanted me to be the leader again. I made the decision I thought was best for us all. It needed to be done. There was no other way. "

"Bullshit. There's always another way. I'm goin' out there and I'm gonna bring her back. We'll deal with this as a group."

"Daryl, it's not…"

"And when were you gonna tell me, huh? I came home last night! Hershel knew 'bout it before me! Who else knew?"

"Maggie…She noticed Carol wasn't in the car with me so she asked. I told her the truth and she agreed with my call."

"Ya, of course she did. She doesn't know shit about Carol. I know her better than anybody else in this damn place! If you think she's a threat, it's 'cause you want her to be one, Rick. I don't agree with what she did but she's no damn psychopath."

"I can't let her come back. You can go out there if you want to but she won't make it past the gate as long as I'm here, are we clear?"

Daryl breathed heavily and stepped closer to Rick. For a quick second, it felt like two different leaders who always got along finally clashing together over a very complex issue. Daryl didn't like this Rick. He didn't like how he made this decision by himself. He didn't like to think of Carol being out there on her own. Yes, he was disappointed by what she did but they could discuss it some other time.

For now, all that really mattered was her safety. He couldn't afford to lose her. Not this time. Not again. He needed her more than he would be willing to admit openly. She was the one person to understand him better than anybody could. She was always there for him. They shared a unique bond that was impossible to duplicate. He did enjoy Michonne's company on the road but it was totally on a different level and not even close to how he felt about Carol.

His loyalty for Carol had been set in stone ever since their search for Sophia. And he knew, that night he saved her at the farm, that he would always be there for her no matter what. He knew it as he felt her tiny arms wrapped around his body as they rode off from the imminent danger on Merle's bike. He knew that this woman deserved better and that he was the only one who could possibly give her some sense of security. It wasn't much but it was all he had to offer. He could be her protector. The one who would make sure she is never hurt. The one who would make sure she sleeps well at night.

But as Daryl stared into Rick's icy blue eyes, he knew that it wasn't going to be easy from now on. She had been banished for good. Rick had planned it and he certainly wasn't going back on his decision. Daryl didn't know where to go from there. He wanted her safe but bringing her back at the prison would be pure suicide. Damn it, Carol. Why didn't you tell me 'fore? he suddenly thought, trying his best to keep calm.

He did feel a little disappointment knowing Carol had kept this secret from him. After all, they had always been close and he knew that Carol was worried about the little girls. But why hide it from him? Did she fear his reaction? Did she think he would be opposed to it? Yeah, probably. Daryl shifted and slowly headed back to his truck. He was going anyway, even if it meant dealing with crap later.

"Daryl." Rick called out, trying to reach for him one last time.

"Ain't nothin' you can say from now on. I'm off on the road."

"I just wanted to give you this."

Daryl stopped, looked over his shoulder and noticed the broken watch Rick was holding in his right hand.

"What's that?"

"Carol's watch." Rick responded, feeling a bit unsettled.

And then, he recognized it. The watch she always had on her all the time. He had seen her looking at it so many times before. She would often take it out of her pocket and stare at it with a weird expression on her face. He couldn't really tell what it was but she seemed so lost in her thoughts, as if she was revisiting some unwelcomed memories. This watch had a particular meaning to her but he never asked. Never dared to. The few times he caught her looking at it, she would immediately put it away and smile at him, as if nothing ever happened. He never bothered going any further than that on the subject.

"She gave it to me when she said goodbye." Rick continued.

Daryl tried to imagine the scene and he grimaced. He couldn't understand why she would give Rick anything at all after what he had done.

"Why did she give it to ya?" Daryl asked.

"I think…I think it was to remind me that she indeed changed and that she's no longer the meek woman from the quarry. She said Ed gave it to her on their first anniversary, or somethin' like that. She kept it all this time but never understood why she didn't throw it away. I guess she just couldn't let go from her past until now."

Daryl nodded slightly, finally understanding why she kept staring at it like she did. She had been staring at her own path. Contemplating all the horrible things that ever happened to her and probably acknowledging that she was changing. Growing stronger. Detached. Free from everything.

"I figured…you might want it. " Rick proposed. "I'm not confident you'll find what you are looking for out there but you can still have a small piece of her with you. For all it's worth…"

Daryl hesitated, not knowing if he should knock the hell out of Rick or just let go and take the watch. If Rick was right and that there was no chance to ever see her again, he might as well just take the watch. It was not much and it probably meant the worst things to Carol but it's all he had left. And he stared at it for a quick second, trying not to break down in front of Rick. The watch wasn't working at all. The battery probably died a long time ago. But he knew that she wasn't keeping it to be reminded of the present time. In fact, she kept it to look in the past, where the hours, the minutes and the seconds didn't matter at all.

"I'm sorry, Daryl."

Daryl finally put the watch in his pocket and whispered: "Yeah, me too…"

"You're taking off? Where do you think you're going like that?" Michonne asked, as she noticed Daryl putting his stuff back in the truck.

"Goin' to look for Carol. She is out there on her own. She needs me." he answered mechanically, making sure he packed everything he needed.

Michonne scowled at him, not really understanding what was going on.

"How did that happen? She and Rick…"

"She killed Karen and David to protect us. He banished her for her crime and he doesn't want her back at the prison. But I'll try to find a way to solve this once and for all."

Michonne took a long pause, trying to ponder everything that was going on in her mind. She didn't know Carol very well but she could tell she wasn't a threat to this group. She had always been so caring and protective of her family. Michonne knew that Carol had done something unforgivable but she could understand the logic behind it. She tried to prevent things from getting worse and it was not made out of malice.

"Maybe I can talk to Rick about it, make him reconsider his decision."

"Nah, he will stick to it no matter what. He is tryin' to be a leader again and I doubt he'll ever admit he made the wrong call on this."

"He should have told the council."

"Hell, that's what I've been tellin' him. If I had known this council wasn't worth shit when it came down to making important calls, I wouldn't even had bothered to join in."

"Glenn and Sasha are still recovering though. I doubt they would have been able to think this through clearly. It would have been down to you and Hershel to decide her fate. Is Hershel on your side?"

"Don't know. Doesn't matter anyway. I'll take care of this."

"But you can't go out there alone. I'll go with you."

"Ain't the right way to do this. They need you here. Carl looks up to you."

"We barely made it out alive of this run. You really think you stand a chance on your own? Don't be stupid."

"Tyreese will know somethin' is up if we leave again. He'll want to join and help. It's better if you tell the others I went off in the woods for a little hunting trip."

Michonne sighed and finally shrugged.

"Alright, you stubborn idiot. But before leaving, you should give a word to Lizzie. I noticed she was really close to Carol. I think she needs a good talk. She might wonder where Carol is by now."

Daryl nodded, closed the car door and headed back to the prison.

Daryl walked in A-block and noticed the big mess the flu left around the prison. Hershel was cleaning the blood stains on the floor while Maggie offered Glenn some more tea. Daryl was happy to see that his pal made it through and he gave him a half-smile as he passed by. Glenn offered a weak smile in return and Maggie looked up to Daryl with a concerned look on her face. She knew that he knew about Carol. Daryl didn't pay attention to her as he didn't really care about what she thought about it and went upstairs to Lizzie's cell.

Lizzie was sitting on her mattress, trying to read Tom Sawyer for the third time since the sun had risen. She clearly couldn't concentrate though and she kept playing with her knife instead.

"Hey, sweetheart. Where's your sister?" Daryl hushed to her from the cell door.

Lizzie looked up and smiled, happy to see that Daryl made it out alive.

"She is with Beth and Judith in block D. I can't get too close to them so that's why I have to stay here…"

"Yeah…you need to recover. We brought you everythin' you need to be healthy again. Can I talk to ya for a second?"

Lizzie put the book away and gave him her full attention.

"Yeah, sure."

Daryl looked around and found Lizzie's cell incredibly sad. He couldn't believe this little girl had to sleep in there all alone, with practically no one to talk to.

"About Carol…"

Lizzie's face hardened instantly.

"She…died?" she asked, playing with her knife all over again.

"No. She's okay. It's just…"

"You can tell me, Daryl. I'm not scared. Carol told me not to be scared and to keep moving no matter what."

"When is the last time she talked to ya?"

"Before leaving with Rick. She told me I was going to survive. That we were all going to survive. But I have to stay strong and keep fighting."

Daryl nodded, understanding that Carol had done some kind of goodbye speech to Lizzie in case something bad happened to her. She probably knew she might never come back from this run.

"Carol's not here anymore. She…she did somethin' that made Rick mad. He left her on the road. Told her it was best for her not to come back here." he finally said in a soft voice.

"Oh. Does it mean she'll never come back?"

"I'll try to find her. I'll try my best."

"You care a lot about her."

"I care more 'bout her than I care 'bout me. She's the best person I've ever known. You're lucky to have her as a mother figure. She'll do anythin' to keep you and your sister safe. She's a fighter."

"Can we be a family if Carol ever comes back? You could replace my dad. After all, you like Carol. You are always around her."

Daryl chuckled softly, remembering how smart kids are. They notice the smallest details and they aren't biased by the bullshit.

"Of course, sweetheart. We'll be a family, 'right? Now go read that book, I promise I'll come back with Carol soon enough."

Lizzie smiled and took the book once again, trying to convince herself it was for the best. Daryl finally went outside the prison, his heart pounding hard in his chest. That was it. He was going to find her. Bring her back. Deal with the outcome later on. He stopped halfway through the prison yard, looking one last time at the broken watch. He gently stroked it with his thumb, imagining how many times he could have touched Carol the same way if he hadn't been so foolish before. I'll find you. I always find you. he thought while still staring at the watch.

But his thoughts were interrupted by a growing noise coming from the woods. It was getting louder and louder by the second. He looked up and couldn't believe what was slowly coming for them. It was a tank.