Chapter Seven

When the day to leave finally arrived, Daryl felt like he was going to be sick.

This was it.

In just a little bit, the three of them would be leaving the farm for several days. Carol would sit in the passenger's seat and engage him in conversation while Sophia read a book in the back or bobbed her head along to whatever CD they managed to find.

Daryl felt excited and sick at the same time.

He was leaning against the hood of the truck as Carol and Sophia said their goodbyes. Rick walked up to him. "Be careful out there," he said. "First sign of trouble, you get your ass back here."

"Course. I ain't gonna put them at risk."

Rick clapped his shoulder before walking away. "I know you won't."

Glenn came to him next, eyes wide. "You're not leaving us for good, are you?" He looked genuinely upset. "Because I'm sorry for teasing you all those times. I won't do it again. Promise." The man looked seconds away from throwing his arms around Daryl and sobbing.

Daryl narrowed his eyes. "I ain't leavin' for good, you idiot. Why would I take Carol and Sophia away from a safe place?"

This seemed to calm the younger man a little. A grin slowly crossed his face, then. It was something Daryl didn't want to see because he knew what it meant. "So, you're only doing this to get some alone time with Carol?"

"What alone time? Her daughter is coming along."

"You know what I mean."

"The answer is still no. I'm doing this for her little girl. Sophia's birthday is in a few days."

Glenn gave him an odd look. "And you thought a few days riding around with you would be a good present?"

Daryl decided to ignore that and tugged Glenn close. "Listen, Short Round. If I tell you this, you can't tell anyone else."

Immediately, the younger man took a large step back and waved his hands in front of him. "Nuh uh. You know what happened the last time I had to keep a secret."

"Relax, man. It ain't life threatening." He lowered his voice, "But I will threaten your life if you tell anyone. Even that woman of yours."

His curiosity was piqued. "Alright. Tell me."

"We're going to Disney World."

Glenn guffawed. "No. Really. Where are you going?"

Daryl reached into his back pocket and took out the folded brochure. "It's where we're going. See?" He showed him the pamphlet.

Glenn's eyes widened when he saw that Daryl was telling the truth. Then, his face fell. "Aw, I want to come. The last and only time I went to Disney was when I was five."

"Sorry, man. This trip is only for Sophia."

Daryl couldn't wait to tell Carol that she had been right. Glenn definitely had wanted to come with. He was just about to ask the other man what his favorite ride had been (hoping that he said It's A Small World) when Lori walked, more like marched up to him.

Glenn saw the look on the other woman's face and scurried away to Maggie.

"Carol's not telling me where you three are going." There was no 'hello' or 'be safe on your trip'.

"Because she doesn't have to."

"Then, why are you leaving the farm?"

Daryl raised an eyebrow. There were many things he could have said to answer that question, but decided to be nice. "It's Sophia's birthday, soon. Carol wanted to do something different for her, and this is different."

"But it's not safe out there." Lori crossed her arms. "And we can throw Sophia a party here. She'd like that."

Daryl was not going to budge. This trip had taken too much planning to decide not to go, now. Plus, he was really looking forward to it. "Then, you can throw it for her when we get back."

"At least take some other people with you."

"Nah, we're good."

At that moment, Carol and Sophia came to his rescue. Glancing briefly at the other woman, Carol asked, "Are we ready to go, Daryl?"

"If you are."

"We are!" Sophia nodded enthusiastically. If this was how excited she was just going on a trip, Daryl couldn't wait until he could show her that damn castle. The real one.

"Carol, please," Lori said.

"We're okay." Carol embraced the other woman. "Daryl will keep us safe and we'll see you soon."

This effectively cut Lori off, who then watched helplessly as the three of them climbed into the car. The rest of the group gathered around the vehicle. Daryl started the engine and soon, they were off down the gravel driveway. Sophia was peering out the back and waving frantically back at everyone behind them.

Their trip to Disney World had officially begun.