Sweet Caroline

Chapter 1-"Can't See The Forest For the Trees"

The sky is a mystical mix of crimson and purple. The billowing clouds hold the rays of the sun like a dream catcher. Caroline looks up from her front porch, watching the day pass across the sky. She often sat on the porch of her cabin till the sun set, waiting for the forest to call it a night.

The forest was her one and only companion these days. The sounds of the night owl, the crickets with their symphony, it all lulled her to sleep. The world wasn't the world she knew, not any more. Her friend Lea had a spin on what the undead were, she called them abnormals and the living were the normals. Like there was anything normal about the world now.

Caroline checks the perimeter one last time, when she hears a rustling in the bushes. She runs back into the cabin to retrieve her compound bow. With arrow drawn, she searches down the hill for her intruder.

"Come on, come on.", she says impatiently to herself. The sun was cascading light through the trees, giving just enough shadow to make it difficult. She pans her bow to the left then to the right, knowing an abnormal was there, looking for its next meal.

"Come on you son of a bitch, I know you're there." Caroline could feel her heart pick up a beat. A trickle of sweat trails down her brow. The cabin was well fortified, animal traps, snares, and razor wire laying out everywhere. Whatever was out there, she knew it wasn't getting to close. Either one of her traps would claim it or her arrow.

The rustling gets louder on the northeast side of the cabin. "Could there be more than one? Great that's all I need today, abnormals in the plural." She runs to the side of the cabin, easing around the large oak to get a better look.

She spots a figure making its way up the hill carrying what looks like a weapon. She gives her best dumbfounded look when she moves closer. This isn't an abnormal but a hunter.

"What the hell?" She looks down the hill watching him make his way to her cabin.

The 100 degree day had taken its toll on him. His brown hair was soaked, as well as his sleeveless shirt. She couldn't help but notice that his skin gleamed in the sun light from all that sweat. His arms rippled with well defined muscles. He moved like a seasoned pro, making sure he never let his guard down. "Is that a crossbow, damn." Caroline smiled to herself, loving his choice of weapon.

Caroline's thought quickly turn to the traps. "Damn, the traps, this fool will get himself killed." She maneuvers around her yard, knowing where to place each step. When she finally makes it to the safe zone, which is a limbering pine tree with a large red x on it, she sees he's just a few feet away from her.

The hunter hears her, bringing up his crossbow. He crouches around the trees, moving in what seems like slow motion. She knows it's now or never, if he gets even a foot further he may find one of her traps. She watches as he side steps one of her bear traps, he squats down examining it closer.

Caroline moves around the pine tree, getting a better lay out of things. She can see the razor wire strung a few inches from the ground, wrapped around two trees. "If I don't say something he's gonna loose a foot. Well, Caroline, it's now or never." Caroline takes her compound bow and aims directly at his feet. Her fingers gently release the arrow, she watches as it hits its mark.

"Holly shit." The hunter calls out as the arrow lands just inches from his left foot.

"What the hell, if somebody is up there you best show yourself." The hunter calls up the hill. Carolyn walks out from around her hiding spot.

"Hello, sorry about the arrow but you were about to get into a heap of trouble there." She points to the razor wire laying across the forest floor.

The hunter examines the wire, chuckling to himself. "I like it, you do this?" Caroline walks closer to him, seeing his cobalt blue eyes for the first time. Her knees jerk a little, but she maintains her composer.

"Yeah, that's all me. Sorry about the arrow but I really didn't want to yell out." Caroline smiles at him, hoping he's not too pissed off.

"That cabin yours too?" The hunter leans up against a tree, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Yup, I live here. Why?" Caroline turns to go back up the hill.

The hunter starts to follow her. "I'm looking for a little gurl...she got blonde hair about yea big." Caroline looks over her shoulder to see him bring his hand up to show her height.

She turns around to him, not noticing he is practically on her heels. She finds herself uncomfortable close to him now. "Sorry." She stammers back a few inches. "You comin with me, up to the cabin?" The hunter nods yes to her. "Okay then, you'll need to make every move I make. I've sort of booby trapped my yard." She can hear a chuckle escape his lips.

"The name's Caroline, yours?" Caroline peeks back at him.

"Daryl...Daryl Dixon." His voice sounds so smooth, so gentle. A tiny shiver makes its way down Caroline's back. They finally make it pass the obstacle course to the cabin. Daryl leans his crossbow against a chair, taking a seat on the steps.

Caroline goes into the cabin, bringing out some glasses of water. "You gotta be thirsty." She hands him the glass and he quickly downs it.

"Thanks, I've been out her all day. Do you know anything about that white farm house a few miles from here?"

Caroline sits down beside him, sipping on her water. "Uh..the old McNeilly farm I think. I don't believe anybody lives there now. Just mostly squatters. Do you think that little girl you're looking for was there?"

"Her name is Sophia and I think she might of stayed there last night." Daryl continues to tell Caroline the whole story of how his group was trying to make its way to Fort Benning when a herd of "walkers" caught them. How Sophia ran from two walkers chasing her and they've been looking for her.

Caroline tried to hide her curiosity from Daryl, but she was quite taken by him. His sweat soaked, dirt smeared face was more handsome than she had seen in a long time. She found herself just staring at him, lingering on every word.

"I haven't seen anyone for a long time. I'm sorry but I haven't seen Sophia. I go out every day and I haven't seen anything, haven't even seen a ... what was it you called them... walkers...in a few days."

Daryl looks at her, his blue eyes looking better than they did in the sunlight. "What do you call'em..I've heard'em call lots of things."

Caroline looks down at the step, shifting her feet around. "Abnormals...well that's what my friend Lea calls them. I just shoot them and call'em dead dead."

Daryl lets out a honest laugh. "Dead dead...I like that. Youe friend, she around?"

Caroline points to the c.b. radio on the window ledge. "Nope...she's in Macon. She's held up in the woods like me, with her husband Sam. They call me when they can."

Daryl goes over to get a better look at the radio. "This thing really work."

Caroline nods her head yes. "At first I was talkin to at least a dozen people or more then as the days went by fewer and fewer...now it's just Lea and Sam."

Daryl could hear the sadness in her voice so he quickly changed the topic. "Walkers...that's what we call'em. But after I'm done with the bastards they aren't

walkin no more."

Caroline wipes the sweat from her face, the sun was extra hot today and the shade of the cabin was nice. "You want to go in...get out of the sun?"

Daryl follows Caroline in, seeing the cabin is small but useful. It has a bed, a stove, a table, a sink and enough weapons scattered around to start a small army. "Jesus Christ...where did ya get all of this?" Then Daryl spies a uniform hanging in the corner. "You a cop?"

Caroline smiles at him, looking at the uniform and gun belt. "Why...does it matter?"

Daryl looks at her almost glaring at her. "No...got a couple of cops in our group. Just sayin...you got a uniform and a gun belt...and more weapons than one person ought to have. Just seemed right that you'd be a cop."

Caroline gets the uniform down, looking at it hard. "I'm not a cop...close but not a cop. Game Warden."

Daryl lifts one eyebrow, a half cocked smile on his lips. "That explains a lot."

"All of these yours then...the guns...the bow?" Caroline shakes her head no...a tear

welling up in her eye.

Daryl sees he's upset her. "I take it these aren't your guns then. It's rough out there...world gone to shit and all. You got to do what you got to do."

Caroline pulls herself together. "That's not it...these guns are my brothers. I have six brothers and I don't know were any of them are. My parents died a few months before all hell broke loose so I've been up here in my cabin. I do have one brother that is close, he and his family are on the family farm. I don't go back much...every once in a while. Take them supplies and food. My other brothers are out there somewhere. Two are bounty hunters, one is a Federal Marshall, one is a drill sergeant, and the other a complete playboy. My brother Lee is on the farm with his wife and kids. So being brought up with 6 brothers I've learned to hunt, fish, track, trap and fight. Sort of a way of life."

Daryl looks at her, looking for what seemed like forever. "You don't look like the type of gurl that would do all of that."

Caroline stares him down. "Why not?" Daryl looks her over from head to toe. Caroline's face turns red and she throws open the cabin door. "Well, don't let my lily white face or my red hair fool ya...I'm not some farm girl. I earned my badge, I live this life...hell, I set every trap out there. I think I even saved you. That razor wire would have cut you off at the ankle if I hadn't shot it with my bow."

Daryl shuts the door, leaning up against it. "I gotta ya...I gotta ya. I didn't say you didn't do all this just said you don't look like the type. I got to give it to you...you do have a nice place here."

Caroline smiles back at him. "Well...I may not look like the type but I am. From the cradle I've been hunting and tracking. Sometimes you can't see the forest for the trees."

Daryl shakes his head at her. "You got that right. But then again I've never see a tree like you before."