The group didn't stop running until they felt they were a safe distance away. They found an abandoned shack in the woods and cleared it of walkers. They stopped there to take a break and talk about what just happened and what this meant for the future.
"I can't believe this shit." Abraham mumbled. "We were so close... So close to being normal again."
Carol couldn't take it anymore. They didn't believe him, no one did, and now he was gone and they were here, safe, and he wasn't. She hated herself for not listening to him sooner, he was right the whole time. She should've known. She was also pissed at the others for not agreeing with him either. The others were still talking and she couldn't take it anymore, she couldn't keep listening to them question why this happened, she knew why.
"Damn it shut up! Do you really want to know why we're are here in this position right now? Because none of us believed him, and when I started to no one else did! It's our fault this happened! We should have been more cautious! We should've listened to Daryl! And now he's gone and there's nothing we can do to help him!" She yelled.
Everyone looked at her, stunned. She finally snapped, there was bound to be a breaking point at some time.
Glenn looked furious. "You didn't listen to him either! He told me that! That was the whole reason why he was so upset when we got here it was all because of you, everything he does is either for you or has something to do with you and I'm sick of it! You have him wrapped around your finger!" He yelled.
Carol couldn't believe what she had just heard. Glenn never yelled at her, he never lost his cool. She was so upset by what he said to her.
"Stop it you two. We don't have time to fight and play the blame game we have to get to the farm, remember the plan." Tara whispered.
"What about Daryl? He's going to go back there and we won't be there. I left him a clue but I don't know if he will understand it." She spoke softly.
Carol caught the others looking at each other.
Rick gave her a sad look. "There's nothing we can do about that. If he finds us he finds us, if he doesn't... Well we just have to move on."
Her eyes looked as if they were going to pop out of her head. "You can't be serious. After everything he's done for us..."
"Carol there is nothing we can do. Do you think I want it to be this way? Of course not, I'm just being realistic, you need to prepare yourself for the worst. You may never see him again."
She knew Rick was right, she just didn't want to believe it. She walked away from the others and felt she would burst into tears. She didn't cry, she was stronger now. A year ago she would've cried her eyes out at the thought of never seeing him again. She went and sat with her legs held close to her body in the corner of the room and stared out the window the whole night.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Daryl and Aaron continued toward Alexandria even though Aaron had advised against it. Daryl had made it very clear that they were playing by his rules now.
He walked quickly with Aaron trailing behind. He had to get back there and tell the others before something happened.
"So do ya think the bitch already put the plan in motion?" Daryl asked, fishing for more answers.
Aaron took a deep breath and was hesitant to reply. He figured he'd already given away too much information, what harm would it do now? He would already be dead if Deanna found out what he had told Daryl.
"Well, yes. When Deanna puts her mind to something she usually accomplishes it right away. I would have to say it already happened, unless something came up or went wrong."
Daryl cringed, that was not the answer he was looking for.
Aaron continued. "And even if we make it back in time, which I doubt, she will be suspicious and know that something is up. You have to think this through Daryl."
He thought about what Aaron had said. He knew the man was right, he had to have a plan, he couldn't just act on his emotions and go busting in there.
"I'm going to go pee around the corner I'll be right back." Aaron walked away.
Daryl stood there thinking about what he had just said. He had to come up with something, quick. His mind went elsewhere when he heard Aaron crying. Daryl walked over to find the man sitting on the ground with his face buried in his knees, sobbing. Daryl didn't know what was wrong and quite frankly, didn't care to ask. He hated talking about feelings, especially other people's.
"Aaron..."
He jumped. Daryl had startled him. He quickly stood up and wiped away his tears. "Let's keep moving, we should try and get there before sundown."
And without another word the two men continued on to Alexandria.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The next morning Carol woke up. She recalled the events of last night. She was exhausted from getting no sleep. It was a new day and she decided to forget what Rick had said. She walked outside and found Maggie keeping watch. Maggie turned around and saw Carol standing behind her.
Maggie thought Carol looked horrible. She could tell that she didn't sleep all night. Maggie truly felt sorry for Carol. She knew she had been through so much already and this was just the cherry on top. It was the last thing Carol needed. But Maggie knew she was strong now and she was able to handle anything that came her way.
"Good morning." Carol muttered.
"Morin'." Maggie smiled. "When everyone wakes up we are going to keep heading toward the farm. Is that okay with you?"
Carol nodded. She noticed the look of pity she was receiving from Maggie. She didn't need anyone's pity. She was fine. "Do you think we will be safe there?"
Maggie looked uneasy. She wasn't sure how safe the farm would be anymore, especially after everything that happened when they left the farm the last time. "You know, I'm really not sure. All we can do is hope."
Carol nodded. She knew Maggie was right. When they made the plan, the farm was the first place they thought of. Sure, it was risky, but it was their last option.
She walked back into the shack and found the others awake gathering their things to leave. When they saw Carol room went silent. Rick gave Carol a sympathetic look.
"Can I talk to you?" Rick asked.
Carol said yes and they walked outside, a few feet away from the shack, away from everyone.
"Listen, I'm sorry about what I said last night. It was wrong of me to be so brutally honest. I know how much you care about Daryl."
She smiled sadly. She knew he had been right last night but she didn't want to admit it. Admitting it would mean that she gave up hope that Daryl would ever find them. She had to be strong, for Daryl. "No it's okay, you were just trying to prepare me for the worst. It really was a wake up call I need to be prepared if the outcome isn't what I want it to be."
She was well aware that things could take a turn for the worse and she would never see Daryl again. But she'd be damned if she didn't try. Suddenly she thought of something. It was a crazy thought but she knew she had to do it. It was the only way she could see him again.
She was going to go find him herself.
She didn't dare tell Rick because he wouldn't have let her. He would've stopped her and talked some sense into her, and she didn't want to be talked sense into. She had to do this. She was going to find him.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The two men walked in silence. Daryl was fine with this, he enjoyed the silence. He hated small talk... Or any talk at all for that matter. Thoughts raced through his mind. Carol's face kept popping up. He wished he knew if she was okay, or even alive. How could this happen? He thought back to the last night they spent together. She was so worried about him and he promised her he would be okay. That night their feelings were put out there, he had never felt so vulnerable in his life. He told her that he couldn't live without her and she had said the same. He needed her by his side right now more than anything.
Aaron interrupted his thoughts. "Listen about earlier,I was crying because I'm worried about Eric. We both were against Deanna hurting your group and there were only a few of us that stood up to her. I'm just worried that she hurt him,"
Daryl truly felt sorry for the man. He really was one of the good guys. It was rare to come by good people those days.
"Sorry to hear that. Thanks for bein' one of the good guys."
Aaron chuckled. "You're not one to talk about emotional things I take it."
"Yeah... Never really was."
"The man of very few words."
Daryl nodded. And smirked sadly, Carol always used that saying to describe him.
"So I never really got the chance to ask, what's going on between that woman, Carol I think her name is, and you?"
Daryl was caught off guard. Why did everyone just assume that something was going on? Nothing was and he didn't need to explain himself. "Nothin'."
Aaron knew there was something more. The way they looked at each other just said it all. There had to be something more going on between these two people. "Oh come on, you guys are perfect together. Every time I see you when you're with her you're always happier. You can't tell me you don't have feelings for her."
Daryl had honestly never even thought about taking it to another level with Carol. Did he have feelings for her? He asked himself. He didn't have an answer. Yeah he cared about her, and he obviously loved her like a family member. But did he have feelings? He didn't know.
He smirked. "Nah man. Me n' Carol are just friends... Closer than most people though, that's all."
Aaron smiled, knowingly. There was much more to that relationship, Daryl just hadn't figured it out yet.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Carol quickly grabbed a knife and a gun. She waited until the others were distracted. Then she ran out the back door. She kept running and running. She wanted to get as far away from the group as possible. She knew if they found her they would try and talk some sense into her, and that was the last thing she wanted. Nothing made sense to her anymore. She didn't want it to make sense anymore.
She stopped running so she could catch her breath. She killed a few walkers with her knife as she came across a whole herd of them. The walkers were easy to deal with now, it was the people who you had to be afraid of. Nothing scared her anymore, she had seen it all.
She worried that the group would start to look for her. She regretted not telling anyone. What if they thought something horrible happened? She knew they would look. She hated that she didn't tell them.
Her thoughts were all over the place. She then thought about what happened to Sophia. What if the same thing happened to Daryl? She couldn't deal with that. She didn't know what she would do. The rain started to pour down and the thunder was louder than she had ever heard. A storm was coming.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps behind her.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The rain was a constant reminder that the world around them still went on even if the dead were walking and any sign of humanity seemed to disappear.
Daryl and Aaron sat under a dead tree for the little shelter it had.
Aaron noticed Daryl's foot tapping nervously.
"If Deanna wanted to do something it would be done already. Tapping that foot won't stop this storm anytime soon."
Daryl looked at Aaron angrily. Of all the fuckin' things he could've said.
"Thanks man that really makes me feel better." He rolled his eyes.
"No I'm just saying, there's no need to rush back."
Daryl didn't respond. He couldn't think of any response and quite frankly, he didn't want to put in the effort it would take to respond to that idiotic statement.
What was he doing, sitting here waiting out the storm? He got up and started walking. He ignored Aaron's questions about where he was going. He didn't have to explain himself to anyone. He was going back to Alexandria with or without Aaron. He was sick and tired of waiting for him.
"Daryl! Where are you going? Daryl!"
He kept walking without saying a word. Aaron followed behind him catching on that he shouldn't question the man.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
She started running. The footsteps could be anyone and if it was more than one person she didn't think she could fight them off alone. She ran faster than she'd ever run in her life, until she heard a familiar voice.
"Carol what the hell are you doing!"
She stopped in her tracks and saw that Maggie was chasing after her. Maggie finally caught up to Carol.
She paused to catch her breath. "What are you doing?" Maggie asked in between breaths.
Carol knew she should just tell the truth, hiding from it would just make things more difficult. The truth would come out eventually, it always did. "I'm going to find him myself. No one else is willing to find him so I have to."
Maggie understood. She would probably do the same if it was Glenn in this situation.
Maggie nodded. "Okay, lead the way."
"What?"
"You don't think I'd let you do this alone, do you?"
Carol smiled. She was grateful that Maggie was willing to help but she had to do this alone.
"Do the others know you're here?"
Maggie nodded. "I told them I was going to chase after you and then I ran. I won't be surprised if they show up soon." She laughed.
Carol sighed. She knew she had to send Maggie back. She didn't want the others to come after them. She wanted them to get to the farm safely and she would meet them back there when she had Daryl back.
"Maggie, you need to go back. I can do this on my own... I need to do this on my own."
Maggie shook her head. Carol was crazy to think she would let her do this alone. "No I'm coming with you. I'm not letting you go alone."
"Sweetie, I appreciate the offer, I really do, but this is something I have to do. I don't need anyone's help. I've been on my own before." She reminded her of the time Rick sent her away from the prison.
"I'm not Rick and I'm not letting you go alone, that's final."
Carol knew Maggie wasn't taking no for an answer and she wouldn't unless she was brutally honest and harsh. "If they see us back there they will kill us and then they will go find everyone else and kill them. If I go alone there is a better chance that we won't be seen. I need to do this alone. If you want to loose your life or your husband and everyone else that matters to you then that's your choice. But if I were you I would choose the smart option and stay back. I love you and I love that you're trying to help me but you need to think about this first."
Maggie looked terrified but she thought about what Carol said, she was right but Maggie still hated to let her go alone.
There was a long pause before Maggie answered. "Okay. You better be safe, and if you don't meet us at the farm in the next four days I'm coming to look for you."
Carol smiled. It was nice to know she was cared about. "Okay thank you sweetie."
The two women hugged and went their separate ways.
Carol was going to find Daryl.
