This story is going to be my way of working through my anger at TWD for messing with my favorite character and favorite ship. One is bad enough but two is asking for literary retaliation. This story begins right after the end of Episode 3 and is primarily a Caryl ship.

Disclaimer: TWD has all rights to these characters and storylines. I own nothing and make nothing from this endeavor.

I Ain't Nobody

Carol drove down unfamiliar roads while she fought through the familiar feelings of fear and loneliness. She has thought that was all in the past; that she being a productive member of her group had changed her made her different from the woman who dodged Ed's fists and accepted him telling her, "Nobody will want you". All it took was Rick saying that to her, "Nobody will want you" as he banished her from the prison and put her out on this empty road with a shitty car and almost no chance of survival.

Carol's lip trembled, but she fixed her eyes on the road ahead and tried to find someplace to be safe for the night. She needed to find a place to hide away and think about how she was going to survive alone in this world. After many miles Carol saw a farmhouse with a steel building barn next to it. She pulled in and pulled out her knife. She turned the car around and left the keys in the ignition. She moved toward the steel building and found that it was locked. Daryl had shown her how to pick locks the first winter that they were on the road and she used that skill to unlock the building.

Carol moved cautiously through the door. The big room was empty except for a tractor and other farming supplies. She moved the car in and locked the door. There was a second story loft and she moved toward that to see if she could see out of the vents. She had a view of the empty road and she sat and watched it for a while. The building was quiet and that felt strange too. She had gotten used to the noises around the prison; the sound of children playing, the clangs of the pots and pans in the kitchen, and the everyday sounds of people living in small cells close to each other. There were no secrets at the prison because the walls talked if you listened. Carol had trained herself not to listen but she found herself wondering if she should have listened. Had she become so concerned with protecting the group so that she could block out the sounds of her own secrets coming out?

Carol dismissed that thought and drank some water. She tried to eat but found that she couldn't force anything down. Rick was right not to let her take Lizzie and Mika. Lizzie was sick and Mika was only ten. They would forget about her soon enough and someone else would take care of them. Why had she told that couple that she had two girls? Why had just saying that make her feel lighter inside?

She had said her name to Rick, "Sophia". He had been digging at all her scars today trying to find the most tender ones to prod. What Rick didn't know was that the slide show could start at the most inconvenient times and you never really knew what photos that were going to be flashing by this time. Sometimes they were of Sophia as a baby and sometimes it was her first day of school, and sometimes it was Sophia playing with Carl at the camp. They all hurt though and she had learned not to see the slideshow the way she had learned not to listen to the noises at the prison.

Carol made a bed in the loft and settled down for the night. She had no idea what she was going to do tomorrow. She had enough food and water for a few days. She could hunker down here for tonight and tomorrow she would come up with a plan for the rest of her probably short life.

Carol knew that sleep wasn't coming tonight and that she wouldn't be able to read in her cell to block out the noises. She saw Karen and David every time she closed her eyes. The gurgle of their lungs filling with blood, their bodies burning with fever, and the suffering in their tormented eyes was with her still . Karen had said one word to her, "Please" and when she bent to talk to her Karen had managed to touch her knife. Carol had backed away horrified but Karen's blood filled eyes followed her. Karen was soon too weak and sick to say anything. She was in pain though and finally Carol had pushed the knife in as gently as she could and closed Karen's bloody eyes.

Carol had gone to check on David who was dying as she went in. She put him down so that he couldn't turn. She decided to burn the bodies to keep the germs down. These were the only two sick. Their deaths might end this. Carol dragged the bodies out the door and set them on fire. She didn't really remember much after putting David down; she had operated on auto pilot and then she became afraid that the others would not understand why she had put Karen out of her misery. So she had kept quiet and hoped that this would be the end of it

That was just the start of the deaths and she hadn't stopped anything. It all led to this; banishment. Her punishment for allowing Karen to escape the pain and suffering of an inescapable death and for her cowardice in trying to hide from what she did.

Llllllllllllllllllllllllllll

Daryl's group had gotten back to the prison late that afternoon. Rick had opened the gates to the prison and let them in. Daryl had decided to show Carol the green stone that he had found today. Rick pulled him aside once they were inside the prison and said, "Daryl, I need to talk to you about Carol".

Daryl felt his heart sink, "Did she get sick? We brought back medicine and that will help."

Rick decided that there was no easy way to tell this, "Carol killed Karen and David. She thought that she was stopping the flu from spreading. She killed them and burned their bodies. She admitted it to me today. Carol has become cold and hard. She can't be trusted."

Daryl struggled with his feelings. Carol killing a member of their group was unbelievable. She had always done everything possible to ensure make their lives her more comfortable and safe. Carol a killer? "Where is she? We need to keep her away from Tyreese; he isn't thinking straight and he will try to hurt her. I need to see her now".

Rick said, "We went on a run today and after I realized how dangerous she was I sent her away".

Daryl didn't understand," What do you mean away? There's no away to go to. You left her out there by herself?"

Rick tried to calm Daryl. "She has a car and supplies. I told her that she might find a new group to join, but nobody is going to want her. "

Daryl looked at Rick in disbelief and anger. "I ain't nobody and I want her. Where did you leave her?"

Rick tried to talk him down. "We need you here at the prison. There are more sick people and we need every able bodied person we can get. Carol can take care of herself; she isn't weak and dependent any more".

Daryl said, "Where did you leave her? I am going to look for her and you best pray that she is alive and well when I find her. Nobody made you God over us, she might have done something wrong but she is still Carol and there is no way in hell that I will stay here while she is out there by herself".

Michonne heard their raised voices and moved closer. She had figured Carol had put those two out of their misery all along. Probably thought that it would stop the outbreak but that didn't happen. Rick had banished Carol from the prison which was a death sentence. Daryl would go after her. Shit, they would lose both Carol and Daryl. Tyreese was too torn up over losing Karen and Sasha being sick to make sense.

Daryl looked at Rick and said, "Tell me where she is."

Rick answered," I don't have any idea. We were at that village about eight miles out and I left to go come back here and she turned and went west. She could be anywhere and there is only a few hours until dark. Wait until tomorrow."

Daryl said, "Where are the keys?

Rick tossed the keys to Daryl who turned toward the vehicle to see Michonne waiting at the car door to talk to him.

"Listen Daryl and listen well. Go find her and make sure that she is safe. Stay with her until this gets settled. It's time to make your wants known and it's time to take care of Carol. I will hold the fort down here and try to talk to Tyreese. Tell Carol that it's all right to cry; I had a good cry myself just the other day and I felt better afterward. She's bottled too much inside and she needs some kindness now. If you can't do that, let me go and find her".

Daryl looked at Michonne and saw understanding in her eyes, "Carol needs me now".

Michonne let him out of the prison and he was soon out of sight. She had to stay here and deal with Tyreese and Rick. She envied Daryl; he was going to go find Carol and take care of her. She might be a tad homicidal but who wasn't these days. Yeah, Farmer Rick and Crazy Man Tyreese was the toughest job.

Daryl had already planned his route out. Carol would have been upset and probably stayed on the same road that she left on. She would be looking for a place to hide out and get her bearings. Someplace quiet and where there wasn't much walker activity. Rick had described the vehicle that she was in and he figured that she would hide that away. He searched for hours and it was getting late in the day when he saw the farmhouse with the steel building. His hunter instinct told him that this was the place. He drove toward the steel building, and got out. The door was locked but he unlocked it quickly.

Carol was waiting on the other side of the door and he saw that she was not hurt, "Go home Daryl. I don't need you or anybody anymore."

Daryl looked at his best friend. "That's a lie. You do need me and I need you too much to leave you here by yourself. Somebody told you a lie today when they said nobody would want you. That's not true, I want you and I ain't nobody."

Carol looked at her best friend, "I should have hidden better than this."

"I would have still found you, I am not letting go of you", he answered, and he gathered her into his arms and held on.