Chapter ten

Found

Carol has finally started doing her homework when she heard a banging on her front door. She had changed into her Pajamas, made herself a cup of tea and had just settled at the kitchen table. She glanced at the time before she answered the door. It was past midnight.

"Roger Byrd." Daryl said to her as soon as the door opened. Carol looked almost shocked as Daryl pushed his way into her house. He glanced around the area before his eyes locked back on Carol. His shaggy hair fell in front of his tired eyes, his fingers still glued to the file. Anticipation was splashed across his face.

"Who?"

"He is the number one suspect in your sisters case. He was never arrested, but his description matches the one Sophia's friend gave to the police. He has a prior arrest for flashing girls in public. At Parks, Carol!" Daryl is practically shouting at her, power in his eyes and he is looking for something similar in Carol's. She looks like a mixture of confused and sympathetic towards him. "It's him, I swear."

"How can you be sure? The police never arrested him-"

"I don't wanna hear your Police bullshit argument again." Daryl mumbled, shaking his head. "So they couldn't find enough evidence for search his house, but I'm not a cop, and I'm going to find out what happened. Tonight."

Carol can feel a lump in her throat for a moment as she watches Daryl storm out of her house as soon as he came. It was only when he loudly stomped down her front porch that she could feel something push her after him. She hurried down the steps, shutting her front door as as quiet as she could. Carol quickly walked after Daryl, Her bare feet freezing against the rough sidewalk, her hands clamped against her arms. The chilly wind blew against her pale face, finding it hard to catch up to Daryl, who was more determined than she had ever seen him before.

"Daryl," She breathly called after him, The flickering street lamps the only thing lighting up their way.

"Just stay out of my way," He muttered, and Carol could barely hear him as she struggled to keep up with him in her matching pink pajama set.

"Just try to stay calm." Daryl heard Carol say as they stood in front of the man that Daryl had read about in the file's house. It was the darkest part of the night, and if Carol hadn't been standing close to Daryl she would petrified all alone outside. He looked at her for the first time since he left her house, and she tried to smile at him. "Even if it is him,what if she's not here? He's not just going to tell us where she is?"

Daryl turned his head back to the house, his shaggy dark hair falling in front of his face. "Oh, I'll make him talk."

Carol could feel her heart sink as she watched Daryl walk up the porch, his feet heavy and his fingers clenched and she followed quickly behind him, her arms crossed over her chest, a worried look splashed against her face. He pounded heavy on the white painted front door, and Carol opened her mouth slightly to nag Daryl again, but she stopped herself when she could hear a voice on the other side of the small house.

"What the fuck?" It was a muddled, confused yell, and Daryl slightly turned his head to make eye contact with Carol as they could hear footsteps coming closer. Daryl knocked a few more times, and with every pound on the door Carol could feel her heart beat quicken and the anxiety rising; she felt like she couldn't breathe.

It was like she couldn't move for a moment, whenever the man opened the door. It happened in a split second, when Daryl grabbed the older man by his shirt and forced his way inside his house. He has tall and skinny with thin glasses and even thinner hair and his expression went from extremely angry to scared faster than Carol could even register what was going on. She could feel a gasp escape from her lips, like her body has been frozen and she finally released herself. She followed Daryl into the house, and her voice was almost hoarse as she called out his name, widened eyes watching as Daryl has pinned this man against a wall. Carol couldn't take her eyes off the scene, the moon from the open door the only thing casting any light in the other wise pitch black house.

"Where is the girl?"

"Daryl!" She called out to him, debating whether or not to try to pull him off. He was in this zone, where there was only one thing Daryl was looking to hear, and that was where the girl was. He phased out Carol worried words and the man's whimpering. "Calm down!"

Daryl grunted heavily as soon as he heard Carol close behind him, and his eyes darted around until they fell on the first white door in the hallway closest to them. It was hard for any of them to see past the glaring gold door knob, but Daryl heavily pulled the man by the collar of his white shirt into the closest room and shut the door before Carol could follow.

"Wait!" Carol called as the door slammed shut right in her face, her hands landing hard against it, and even though she could hear Daryl lock the door she till twisted and pulled on the spherical knob. "Daryl don't do this!" she called as she hit the door again with aggravation.

"Tell me!" Carol heard, and it seemed like she could hear a crash before there was even time to answer. "Where's the girl?"

"You're crazy man," The home owners voice what meek, but she could still make out the breathy mumbling before another heavy sound, followed by him calling out in pain. Carol could feel her pulse quicken as she longed to see what was going on. There was so much yelling and painful noises that Carol's palms were turning red by begging for Daryl to open the door. "I don't know what your talking about."

"You're a fucking liar!" Carol's eyes widen when Daryl's yells were louder than her knocking against the door. "I will kill you I swear. Tell me where she is."

"I don't know, Please stop."

"Daryl!"

"Tell me!"

Another screech in pain, another crash, and another bang on the door. It was when the man finally said only two words, when Carol's arms fell limp against her sides, her heart sinking into her stomach, and her eyes catching a deadly glaze over them.

"She's dead."

"Your lying!"

"I swear, I buried under the tool shed outside."

Carol's head snapped around the small, dark house and her eyes searched the area until she caught a window glare. Across a dark living room, she noticed the door to the backyard. Suddenly she didn't care anymore, how much Daryl was beating up this tall, skinny creep. The punches and crashes matched with a heavy grunting were still coming from the door, but Carol was long gone, finding her way to the backyard without tripping on something. The glass door creaked as she opened it, her bare feet feeling scratchy against the dead grass, her face feeling chilled against the autumn air, and her eyes already watering when she found a small tool shed in the square fenced yard. She walked almost dead like, her heart beat screaming in her ears as she made her way to the shed, her eyes fixed on the black steel door handle that seemed to have the answers behind it. Something that has been haunting her family's life for months. Something that was in the back of her mind every morning when she woke up. Something that made her cry herself to sleep at night. And she was about to discover what happened, in this quick and blurry few moments

There was this smell that hit her as soon as Carol swung open the wooden door, a rotting smell that made her cover her face momentarily. Her eyes found her way to the floor boards, her toes light as she stepped into the shed. There was all sorts of tools hanging from the ceilings, and the majority of them didn't cross her mind. She quickly grabbed an old rusted crow bar that was crowded around some other tools and messily started peeling away at the floor boards.

"Carol!" Daryl called as soon as she stepped onto the back lawn. He ran too her, immediately recognizing her outline standing in the doorway of the shed. Blood dripped from his knuckles, scratched raw. Sweat beads running down his face, matting his hair to his head. "Carol?"

"This whole time," Carol started, turning to Daryl when he met up with her. "You gave me hope." Her voice was monotone, her dry eyes overcast like she was in shock. She held the crowbar loosing in her hands. "She never had a chance to wonder if we stopped looking for her."

Daryl gently pushed his way past Carol then, his feet still pushed into the grass as he leaned his body into the dark tool shed. She started to cry then, and he heard as she feel to her knees when Daryl discovered the decaying dead body of Sophia.