Disclaimer: You really think I own anything? Ha! That's hilarious.
A/N: This chapter sucked the life out of me. It covers a lot of ground and ran me through the full emotional gamut. If I have made you feel anything with this, please review.
I love you guys.
Chapter 11: Bye, Bye, Blackbird
Time seemed lurch forward in fits and spurts, whole hours disappearing in the blink of an eye, yet Daryl found himself counting endless minutes as they dragged on. Waiting for Rick and Carol to come out from Carl's room, helping Michonne block up the back door as they noticed more walkers making their way out of the wheat field, trying to convince Carol to get some more rest. He'd taken her by the arm, trying to coax her upstairs, and had jumped nearly a foot when she'd gasped and winced, her arm jerking beneath his hand. It took him half a second to realize she'd been injured and not said anything about it during the recap of their prison escape. He'd instantly hollered for Rick and, after both of them cajoled Carol over her insistent claims that she was fine, figured out she'd been shot and the wound was now infected.
He was furious with her. Absolutely furious. Always puttin' herself behind everbody else. Fuckin' nonsense. Daryl paced back and forth along the small kitchen, watching with narrow eyes as Rick cleaned the bullet wound on Carol's arm with the remnants of the Glenn's tiny first aid kit.
"I can't believe you didn't mention this sooner," Rick chided Carol as he worked. Carol huffed an exasperated sigh. Daryl snorted and Carol rolled her eyes.
"Don't think we ain't discussin' this later," he snarled threateningly.
"Oh, for the love of God. It's FINE," Carol said yet again. "It's just a graze. I cleaned it with alcohol as soon as we made it to the gas station and bandaged it."
"And ya ain't changed it since," Daryl said.
"Yes, because I've had SO MUCH TIME to take care of things like that," Carol snapped back. Daryl and Rick froze, Daryl arching an amused eyebrow at her. Lioness' got her claws out. "Sorry," Carol mumbled.
"Don't be," Daryl replied softly. "Rather have ya fight me back than not."
"Please let me be the one to remind you that you just said that the next time she yells at you," Rick begged as he tied off a clean bandage around Carol's arm. Daryl just smirked in response as Maggie, Glenn and Michonne came down into the kitchen.
"Hows the arm?" Glenn yawned as he stretched his arms over his head. Carol moaned and slumped over, letting her head thunk on the table as Rick and Daryl both chuckled.
"She's "fine", 'parently," Daryl said, curling his fingers to make air quotes to indicate just how "fine" he thought Carol really was. It was driving him crazy that he hadn't taken the time to check her over for injuries like he'd wanted, exhaustion having been the driving force in him earlier.
"You should take this," Rick said, sliding a small white pill across the table. Carol raised her head slightly to look and instantly sat back.
"Nope," she said, shaking her head firmly. "Carl needs those more than I do."
Daryl groaned and leaned his head back against the wall, pinching the bridge of his nose with tired fingers. He wasn't surprised she'd refused the antibiotic Rick was offering; that was her way. Making sure everyone else was taken care of, caring, keeping the rest of them human. It was what he loved most about Carol, but it was also the thing that made him completely exasperated with her most of the time.
"What's wrong?"
Daryl opened his eyes to see that Carol's question was not directed at him, but at Maggie. He looked and saw the long, drawn, serious faces of Maggie and Glenn and knew that they were going to have the conversation they had all been edging around all night.
"There isn't a point in leaving before dawn," Michonne said.
"That in about an hour," Maggie shot back. "We have to go."
"No one is saying we shouldn't go," Rick said in his Officer Rick voice.
"Can we even move Carl?" Glenn wondered. "Sure, he woke up and was lucid, but that doesn't mean he's ready to go back out there."
"Maybe some of us could stay here-"
"Splittin' up ain't an option," Daryl said swiftly, throwing himself into the conversation. "We jus' found each other again an' you want us to separate? Not happenin."
"Daryl, it's my family," Maggie pleaded.
"You think we don't know that?" Carol said softly. "It's our family too."
And there was the heart of it. Yes, the two groups had managed to find each other, a feat most would have considered impossible. However, there were still members of their family out there somewhere, hopefully alive. With the world as it was now, the reasonable course of action was clearly to cut their losses, be thankful for who they had with them and move on to safer pastures, if there were any. Hell, they'd even done it before themselves.
Daryl knew that being reasonable wasn't an option this time. He'd never forgive himself for not trying to find Ass-Kicker. Daryl shook his head, dragging himself back to the conversation that had carried on without him. Rick had moved from his place at the table; he and Glenn and Michonne were talking about taking the car, mapping out potential places to stock up on fuel. Daryl sank into the empty chair, trying to keep himself as relaxed as possible to relieve his aching muscles from the constant tension wrought from too much anxiety and adrenaline. He gazed across the table at Carol, watching her as she half listened to the conversation going on behind her and half stared back at him, resting her head in one tiny palm. She was tracing patterns on the tabletop with a delicate finger, an idle process that Daryl knew meant she was thinking too hard again.
"Always worryin'," he said so softly he wasn't sure she'd heard him. The gentle quirk of her lips let him know she had, though.
"It makes sense," Carol said quietly, ignoring his comment. "With Carl barely conscious, let alone moving, going out there again on foot isn't really going to be an option."
"You ready for this again?" Daryl asked her.
"I got a choice?" Carol smiled wryly. Daryl found his own lips turning up back at her before he could catch himself. Damn woman has me wrapped around her little finger already.
"Least we'll all fit in one car this time," Daryl muttered. It took less than half a second and the weight of his own words hit them both.
Well, shit.
Daryl watched as Carol's face crumpled in time with the sinking of his own heart. Without a second thought, he reached out and quickly covered her hand in both of his large ones as he leaned across the table.
"I know, baby," he whispered so only she could hear. She nodded shakily and took in a deep breath, once, before lifting her free hand and quickly brushing away the tears that had filled her eyes. Daryl waited, rubbing his thumb in small circles across the pulse point in her wrist. When their eyes met again, her gaze was clear, strong and determined. Daryl marveled again at the woman before him and how far she'd come. He didn't think he'd ever stop being amazed by her.
"Two hours should be enough time." Rick's voice cut its way into Daryl's consciousness. he jerked his gaze away from Carol and nodded in agreement.
"Gonna be walkers on our way out," he replied.
"I don't think we can help that anymore," Carol said. "We've pushed our luck in this place as it is. The house won't hold up against a herd, we all know that."
"What happens once we make the car?" Glenn asked.
"The pharmacy," Rick said. "I think that's where Hershel would have gone and none of us have been that way yet."
"Might as well start there," Michonne said quietly.
"I'll take watch," Rick said. "The rest of you, take what rest you can. We move out in 2 hours."
Daryl shepherded Carol upstairs, stopping to grab a large bowl of water and a couple of cloths. She was moving slowly, sluggish. Not gettin' enough sleep, Daryl worried. None of us are. Daryl gently prodded Carol forward, easing her into their room and shutting the door behind them with a soft snikt. There were women's clothes on the bed; Maggie had clearly been scavenging through the house. Carol and Glenn hadn't had the luxury of a shower or a change of clothes since all of this had started.
Carol sat on the edge of the bed, leaning forward to rest her head in her hands, elbows on her knees. Daryl set the bowl and clothes on the floor but before he could kneel there was a knock at the door.
"You've got to me shitting me, Greene," Daryl grumbled as he opened the door. To his surprise, it was Rick, not Maggie, who greeted him solemnly. Rick said nothing to Daryl, simply held out his hand. There, in Rick's palm, was a tiny white pill. Daryl sighed, remembering, and nodded thankfully at Rick as he let the pill drop from Rick's hand into his own. He moved back, about to let the door swing shut, when Rick spoke.
"Are you sure about this?" Rick gestured to the room. He didn't need to. Daryl knew what he was really asking. It would have rankled him if he hadn't understood why. Least I'm not the only one looking out for her.
"Yeah," Daryl replied.
"Good," Rick said after a long moment. They waited a moment more, both of them shuffling their feet slightly, before Rick simply turned and made his way downstairs. Daryl sighed as he shut the door and moved back to Carol, still sitting on the bed but watching him now with tired eyes.
"C'mere," Daryl said softly. Carol stood, wavering slightly and Daryl reached out, taking her by her waist with both hands and pulling her closer to him.
It's just Carol. Don't throw up, Dixon.
Any thought of sleep fled Carol's mind the second Daryl touched her waist and pulled her to him. Her heart jumped, sputtering erratically as his fingers fiddled with the hem of her top. The tip of Daryl's finger just brushed the sensitive skin of her stomach and she thought she might faint. She released a shaky gasp the exact same moment Daryl did, their breath mingling together in the small space between them, making them both laugh. His fingers were twisting in the hem of her shirts, pulling, lifting. Carol raised her arms automatically as Daryl pulled her sweater and shirt over her head, leaving her in nothing but the tank top she habitually wore under her shirts.
She could see him shaking like a leaf, a bundles of nerves in front of her. His eyes, however, were determined as he slowly trailed his hands over her shoulders, sliding across her collarbones and up her neck. Carol closed her eyes as Daryl leaned in, accepting the soft kiss and trying to hold back the tremors inside of her. Wow, he's a fast learner. The kiss was much less clumsy this time and Carol found herself shaking as Daryl pulled her tight against him, biting softly on her lower lip before soothing it with his tongue. Carol, surprised at her own darling, licked and teased at Daryl's lips until he finally opened his mouth for her and let his tongue meet hers. He moaned into her mouth and pulled her tighter, cradling her head with one hand while the other slid down her back to curl at her hips. She slid her hand across his chest to rest over his heart, feeling the frantic thrumming inside of him while he shook in her arms.
Carol could barely breathe for the fierce beating of her own heart as their kisses grew deeper. Oh God, are we really doing this now? We have the worst timing... Daryl's hand trailed back down the column of her throat, skimming down her side so he could wrap both arms around her, holding her even tighter than before and almost lifting her off the ground. ... Timing shmiming.
Carol surrendered, throwing herself into the kiss. She tangled her fingers in his hair, holding him to her as her feet actually left the ground. With nimble fingers Carol caressed the skin down Daryl's arm, feeling the muscles tense and flex as she moved before snaking two fingers between the buttons of Daryl's shirt. He broke away from her at last, burying his face into her hair with a gasp and setting her back on the ground. Too fast.
"Holy shit," he panted into her ear.
"Uh-huh," she gasped.
The room was spinning; Carol shut her eyes and nuzzled her face into Daryl's shoulder. If just kissing was getting her this worked up, what was sex with Daryl going to be like? Sex with Daryl, oh Jesus take the wheel... Carol almost swooned all over again, barely keeping her feet under her as she clung to Daryl. To her surprise, he started to laugh.
"Ain't quite what I had planned," he laughed softly.
"And just what was your plan?" Carol murmured.
"Gettin' you cleaned up like you wanted."
Carol pulled back in surprise. Daryl was smirking at her and she strongly suspected he was resisting the same urge she was; to grin like a damn fool. It was insane to be this happy with everything else going on, and yet here they stood. Daryl pointed to the floor, where Carol noticed for the first time the blow of water and towels Daryl had brought up with them. She also saw the clothes on the bed and almost danced with joy.
"FINALLY!" Carol cheered as she pulled herself from Daryl's arms. "I've been dying to get clean." She turned as saw the blush creeping up Daryl's cheeks.
"You can stay," she smiled. "Just turn around."
"One thing first," Daryl said. He reached into his pocket and held out the pill to her.
"Daryl, I don't need-"
"You do." He was using his soft voice with her, the one that always got her to melt inside just the tiniest bit, but this time there was steel underneath. She knew there would be no arguing her way out of this time. Carol sighed and took the pill, shoving it into her mouth and wincing as she swallowed the pill dry.
"OK, I took the pill," Carol said. "Happy?"
"Yes," Daryl said simply. She could see it in his face; he was happy. Happy she'd taken the medicine, happy they were here together, happy with her. The thought made her tingle and she smiled gently at him.
"Good," she said. "Now turn around. We move in less than 2 hours and I want to catch a nap before then."
"Yes'm," Daryl smirked, turning his back to her as she picked up a towel and the bowl of water. She sighed happily as she started to scrub the several days worth of muck and grime from her body. It wasn't the full, deep clean of a shower, but it would certainly be better.
"Hey, uh..." Daryl started. Carol looked up; he was at the window, with his back still to her to give her privacy.
"We have a problem outside?" she asked hurridly.
"No," Daryl was quick to assure her. "Coupla walkers, but nothin' more than what was out there earlier." He fidgeted, gnawing on the skin of his thumb. She wanted to take the thumb from his mouth and kiss it, pull it into her mouth and watch his face as she sucked on it.
"I, uh... shit," Daryl fumbled. Carol tried not to smirk; he was adorable when he was flustered. "You and me... I've never..."
Oh.
"Daryl, I know," she said quietly. "Its ok."
"No," he sighed. "I ain't... with anyone, Carol."
"I know," she replied. She moved behind him and, before he could protest, wrapped her arms around him and pressed herself against his back. His hands moved down to cover hers were they linked across his stomach, gently threading their fingers together. Carol pressed a kiss to the base of his neck and laid her cheek across the wing of his shoulder.
"Do you trust me?" she asked him, her voice soft.
"Flamingos", he replied.
Carol snorted with laughter into his shirt, feeling his chest move as he chuckled as their joke. Ask a stupid question...
"Right then," Carol said. "So it's ok."
She waited, holding her breath. She didn't have to wait long.
"OK," Daryl said.
They stayed that way for a while, Carol hugging herself to Daryl's back with their hands clasped over his stomach. They were swaying slightly, Daryl rocking on his feet and Carol letting herself get pulled along. She felt him relaxing in her embrace and she nuzzled her nose along collar of his shirt, enjoying the precious moment of peace and quiet.
"OK," Daryl breathed out. Carol smiled against his shirt and pulled away, moving back to finish her bath. She scrubbed until the water was black with dirt and she felt she was as clean as she could get. She started stripping the worn clothes off of her body, the cloth so dirty and tattered it felt like it might disintegrate under her fingers at any second.
"Damn," Daryl muttered.
"What is it?" she asked him. He was still at the window. Carol could just make out the first tints of pink in the sky as the sun started to rise. Maybe an hour left. Daryl's eye were narrowed at something she couldn't see.
"We got another storm comin'."
Damn.
The last hour had flown by and Daryl found himself twitching next to the front door with his crossbow hitched up on his shoulder, nervously watching the walkers milling around outside. There weren't a lot of them, but enough between the house and the car that he was nervous. In addition to his crossbow, he shouldered a large pack of supplies - the total amount delegated for himself and Carol. He would be helping Rick carry Carl while Maggie was making the lead spring to the car to get it started, leaving Carol, Glenn and Michonne to defend everyone against the walkers. It was going to be tricky.
The sun was up now. Daryl could just see glimmers of the bright, cheerful rays peeking over the edge of the dark storm clouds rolling in. Here we go again.
There was a loud thunk behind him. Daryl turned to see Rick and Carol maneuvering Carl between them to the bottom of the stairs. Behind Daryl, everyone was in place next to the door.
"We ready?" Rick asked.
"As we'll ever be," Glenn replied.
Daryl moved forward, reaching out to grab Carol's elbow, taking a second to let his fingers caress her skin. His heart was pounding, his ears suddenly filled with a rush of white noise. We haven't had enough time yet. God, if it was going to be this bad just trying to get to the damn car he was going to have a full meltdown the first time they hit a town to scavenge.
Carol could obviously see something in his face, because suddenly her hand was on his face. He turned slightly into it, letting his cheek rest against her palm, breathing her in, filling his nose with the scent of her. It calmed him, reminded him that she was as strong as he was. Hell, stronger in most ways. He had physical strength, he could track, but Carol... damn woman was made of steel inside. She'd been forged in fires as bad, if not worse, than his own and had come out the other side a phoenix; fierce, bright, beautiful.
Daryl pressed a quick kiss to Carol's palm and nodded his head. She smiled at him and shifted, letting Daryl slide in to take her place and shoulder some of the burden of Carl's weight. The boy was drifting in and out of consciousness and his skin raged with the burn of fever. Daryl could feel it through the two layers of clothes separating his skin from Carl's and shuddered. He hoped there was another miracle in their future.
Daryl knelt and lifted Carl's legs in one arm, other other curled around the boy's back. Rick's arms did the same, linking with Daryl's to make a human chair for Carl to rest in. The door hinges squealed worse than nails on a chalkboard as Maggie slowly opened the door, watching Glenn and Carol make their way onto the porch. Carol was to cover Glenn, while Maggie and Michonne would keep watch over Rick, Daryl and Carl. Glenn's adamant declaration had surprised all of them - he'd wanted Carol with him. Time for thinking is done.
Daryl shifted his feet under him and he tried to balance the weight of the bags with Carl as they edged towards the door.
"Here we go," he muttered.
There was a horrible squish as Carol's knife drove through bone and brain. Thick black gunk ran over her hand from the head of the walker she'd just sliced open and she quickly wrenched her knife free and shook off as much of the filth as she could. So much for my bath.
They'd been lucky so far. They'd just had one walker spot them creeping from tree to tree on their roundabout path to the car. Carol and Glenn were tense and silent as they stalked in the shadows. She'd been surprised Glenn had picked her over Maggie, but one look from him and she'd understood. The last 3 days had changed them both. She knew if a situation arose and she couldn't have Daryl with her, she'd want Glenn over any of the others. They were bonded like soldiers in battle now.
There were walkers everywhere, more and more pouring out of the wheat field and from the far end of the property behind the house, back by the well where, just a couple of hours ago, she'd kissed Daryl. She shook her head and tried to focus. They were getting closer to the Suburban, but they had no idea what might be waiting for him behind the barn.
30 yards now. 25 yards. They were moving faster, still keeping quiet. The clouds were almost pitch black and rolling in fast. Balls. Carol knew another big storm was headed their way. They came to a rest behind a tree, panting slightly.
"Ever notice that whenever we have to move, lately, the weather starts to suck?" Glenn asked.
"Hush, you," Carol whispered. "I already think the weather is a bad omen. Don't add to it."
She chanced a quick look behind them. The others were still several yards back but making good progress. Maggie and Michonne circled the boys like hawks guarding their nest, weapons drawn and ready. Glenn tapped her twice on the shoulder, refocusing her attention on the task at hand. Time to move.
Only 20 yards now, and there was nothing between them and the car they could hide behind. They waited, watching a couple walkers straggle along until Carol judged they were far enough away to not notice them. She nodded to Glenn, who winked at her. Carol smirked and rolled her eyes, holding up 3 fingers. 2 fingers. 1 finger.
They went at a dead sprint, legs pumping as fast as they could manage. A walker emerged from behind the Suburban and shuffled towards them with a snarl. With reflexes honed from hours of training, Carol kept running as she hurled her knife and watched with immense satisfaction as the blade landed deep in the thing's forehead, right on target. She didn't stop running as she swiftly leaned over and wrenched it free, leaping over the body to catch up to Glenn as he skidded up to the driver's door, fumbling the keys from his pocket.
Carol snaked around the car, bringing down two more walkers in her path. She winced as more gore splattered across her face. She managed to make her way to the back of the car, where she could sneak a peek at the area behind the barn. Shit. I really, really hate barns. She signaled to Glenn, telling him to wait and quickly made her way to his side.
"At least two dozens walkers back there," she whispered quickly. "Maybe more."
"Son of a bitch," Glenn swore. He quickly flagged down Daryl, telling them to wait behind the last tree. Glenn reached inside and stuck the key in the ignition, shifting the car into neutral and removing the parking brake. Carol moved fast, taking her place behind the car and pushing with all of her might, hoping gravity would pick up a little extra slack for her. Glenn pushed from his position up front as he steered the car with one hand on the wheel.
It was hard going, but they made progress, slowly inching the heavy vehicle over to the group. The increasing wind didn't help, the squall making its way towards them faster and faster. They were almost there when Carol heard the snarls behind her. Once glance over her shoulder and she knew their time was up. Walkers were coming at them from all sides, pouring out from behind the barn at an alarming rate. There were even more than she'd thought. A look ahead and she saw the herd coming at them from the house.
"Glenn, start the car!"
Glenn quickly jumped into the drivers seat. The engine roared to life as Carol sprinted forwards, reaching out to help as Daryl and Rick rushed up with Carl. They made their way to the Suburban and she quickly jumped into the backseat, easing Carl down onto the bench with his head in her lap. She could hear the dull thunk and squish as the first of the walkers reached them, meeting a speedy end at the hands of Maggie and Michonne as Rick clambered into the car. The door behind her opened and she turned, her knife raised only to meet the calm, fierce eyes of Daryl Dixon. He smirked at her, leased with her response, as he jumped into the car and wedged himself into the small space left on the bench.
"Come on," he hollered outside, flinging the sacks of supplies into the back of the car before heaving himself over the bench to kneel in the empty space.
The front door opened and Maggie leapt into the passenger seat. Michonne made her way through the open door behind Carol and climbed over the bench to join Daryl in the back. Carol reached back and slammed the door shut, cutting off three rotting fingers as a ghoulish hand clamped down on the door frame.
"GO GO GO" Rick cried. Carol heard the engine rev as Glenn floored the gas pedal. The Suburban leapt forward, bouncing as they rolled over several bodies on their way out. Carol wiped the sweat from Carl's forehead with the sleeve of her shirt, watching the blur of trees out the front windshield. Rivets of water began trailing down the windows as the rain started to fall, making odd patterns as the car swerved back and forth, Glen making his way back to the main road.
Daryl reached over the back of the bench and held his hand in front of her, staring fixedly at her. Carol grabbed it without hesitation, squeezing his fingers in her own and heaving a sigh of relief as they reached the smoother pavement of the highway. She kept her eyes out the front windshield, refusing to look back at the line of hungry dead things she knew were trailing after them. Daryl kept his hand in hers, occasionally squeezing her fingers as he settled into a more comfortable position in the back.
They were running again.
Daryl lost track of time in the car.
They all dozed on and off, catching up on what sleep they could. At some point, Michonne and Glenn had traded places (how had he missed that?) and Glenn now napped next to him, sprawled out in the Suburban's trunk space.
They stopped twice in the times he was awake, once to give them all a chance to relive themselves and again to let Maggie take the wheel from Michonne while Daryl refueled the car with one of the two remaining gas cans. Carol was mostly focused on Carl, dosing him with more antibiotics and napping when she could as the day wore on.
He slept when she did.
By his rough reckoning, it had to have been late afternoon when Michonne slowed the car to a crawl before stopping on a rough shoulder of dirt next to the highway.
"Town's about a quarter mile out," She said.
Daryl felt the adrenaline start to pump through him, his senses coming into sharp focus. They were almost to the pharmacy, located in a small town north of their prison home and one of their last hiding spots. Time to hunt.
"What's the plan?" Carol asked, her voice scratchy from sleep.
"We'll drive up to the edge of the town and park there. Michonne and I will stay in the car with Carl," Rick said firmly. "The four of you will look for Hershel and Beth and gather what supplies you can."
Michonne started the Suburban again and drove slowly, taking time to reach the edge of the town. It wasn't even really much of a town, smaller than the one the Greene family had lived in. There was a tiny convenience store with an ancient gas pump in front of it, the hoses unhooked and dragging listlessly on the rainswept concrete. There was a scattering of small clapboard houses and, across from the world's smallest police station, the pharmacy. Cars were littered up and down the main road; a couple overturned, remnants of a long ago accident in the midst of the chaos that had ensued when civilization was still ending. There was no streetlight, just a 4-way stop in the middle of town. Only one stop sign remained, faded and forlorn.
It gave new meaning to the term "ghost town". Daryl shivered, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. There was something off here, even more than normal in this forgotten place. He leaned against the open door of the car and held up a finger, signaling the others to wait a moment.
Somethin' ain't right. Daryl's eyes narrowed and he slung his crossbow off his shoulder, quickly flicking the safety catch off and holding it ready. There were streaks in the dirt covering the cars and there, by the pharmacy door...
"God dammit," Daryl swore.
"What?!" Rick hissed from inside the car.
"They've been here," he replied.
"They have," Maggie asked excitedly. Daryl shook his head.
"The Gov'nor," he said quietly. "There's bullet holes by th' pharmacy door an' I can see tracks in the dirt."
He saw Carol lean forward and cover her face with her hands as the others made various noises of grief and anger. Daryl felt cold come over him, felt the anger that had filled him at Merle's death and the prison massacre surge back up in him. Sonofabitch.
"Might as well check it out," he said, gesturing towards the lonely town with his crossbow. "C'mon. Losin' daylight."
Losin' daylight, my ass. He almost laughed at himself. It was pouring down rain, the clouds above thick and dark. He could tell the day had almost passed, though. What little light there was still was fading fast, the shadows growing even longer in the cold dark of the storm. He waited while Carol, Glenn and Maggie made their way out of the car and over to him, all of them with weapons ready. He nodded at Rick, who stared back at him with a desperate expression. Daryl knew what Rick was asking. Find my daughter.
The four companions swept quickly, silently down the darkened street. Daryl half expected a windblown tumbleweed to stumble across the road, like something from the old movies his ma used to watch.
"Just before you saw the villain," he muttered under his breath.
"Or something bad happened."
Daryl turned in surprise; Carol was next to him, watching him with a dark expression on her face.
"What didya say?" he asked nervously.
"You're totally waiting for a tumbleweed or a lone piece of paper to go wafting by in the wind," Carol said. "So am I. It's like something from an old horror movie."
Daryl just stared at her. Fucking hell. She can actually read my mind. They were getting soaked from the steady patter of rain falling around them, over them. He watched the water cascade over her, down her neck to curl across her collarbone before disappearing under her shirt. He wanted to follow that trail of water with his tongue.
"I love you," he said suddenly, the words jumping out of him before he could think. They hung in the air between them, loud and shocking in the still quiet of this dead town. Carol blinked, twice, before smiling hugely.
"You're right," she said.
Daryl ran a nervous hand through his hair, snagging on several tangles and feeling the grit caked onto his scalp.
"'Bout what?"
"Our timing sucks," she chuckled darkly. "But I love you too." She leaned up and gave him a quick, soft kiss that left him tingling from his head to the soles of his feet.
"Now," Carol continued, "let's go find our family."
The silence was deafening. Carol felt as though every footstep, every breath in and out of her lungs echoed hugely in the empty town. There was nothing, nothing but empty cars, trash and the occasional dead body littering the street. No walkers, though. It was unnerving, too reminiscent to Carol of the time just before the attack on the prison. Every nerve ending was alive and screeching at her, making her shake as she walked. Cool it, girlie. You need to keep your head.
Carol wiped at the windows of the cars on the street, trying to peek inside without opening any doors. Nothing greeted her but the cold, empty eyes of the corpses inside. At the fourth or fifth car she checked with the same results, she sighed and rested her head on the vehicle's cold metal frame. She felt a hand on her back; Daryl. She turned and nodded at him. Yes, I'm all right. She raised her head to check on Maggie and Glenn across the street and froze.
"Daryl," she said shortly. Daryl turned around and looked at what she was seeing; Maggie, at the curb of the pharmacy, her face frozen in an open expression of horror. Glenn was running; they'd apparently split up without Carol noticing. Maggie's expression grew larger. Carol realized she was running, sprinting across the street to clamp a hand over Maggie's mouth before she could scream.
"Good Christ," Glenn said as he skidded to a halt next to them, his arms immediately reaching out to pull Maggie next to him. Carol let her hand fall from Maggie's mouth as the girl crumpled into Glenn, burying her face in his shoulder while the rest of them stared at the battered, desicated body sprawled on the curb at Maggie's feet.
There was no question about who it had been, with the white hair and beard that reminded Carol so often of Ahab from 'Moby Dick' that she'd taken to calling him 'Captain' in their lighter moments at the prison. Walkers had clearly been at the body; huge chunks were missing from Hershel's side and arms. Half of his face was completely gone; the other side was oddly clear, almost untouched. The eye that remained was closed, the expression, from what Carol could tell, peaceful.
The ground wavered and spun. She leaned on Daryl, turning her face away from the corpse and closing her eyes. Daryl clutched her back fiercely, his grip so tight it was almost painful. The wind whipped across her face, cold as ice. The storm was getting worse.
"We can't leave him like this," Maggie choked out.
"We won't," Glenn reassured her quickly.
"Should check inside first," Daryl said slowly. "See if..." He trailed off. She could tell he was uncertain how to finish.
"Yeah," Glenn nodded. "Let's move."
Carol spared one last glance at Hershel where he lay sprawled half in the rain drenched gutter. No, we can't leave him here. She wondered if they would have time to bury him properly before more horrors came upon them. A large part of her doubted it.
They made their way slowly, carefully inside the pharmacy. Daryl took point, his crossbow armed and ready. He took care to shield her with his body as much as he could, shifting minutely to counter every step she took as he watched her with one eye while the other swept the small pharmacy. Glenn had given up trying to wield his machete and had it sheathed, simply pulling Maggie along as she sobbed into his chest. Carol gently reached out and took both Maggie and Glenn's empty supply bags. Glenn nodded gratefully and pulled Maggie onto the small bench in what must have been the waiting area.
It didn't take Daryl and Carol long to scour every nook and cranny of the pharmacy, shoving what supplies were left into their packs and searching fruitlessly for any sign of Beth or Judith. They found none. Carol's chest was tight, aching painfully as each empty corner reminded her more and more of Sophia. Don't think like that, Carol. Daryl came up silently next to her and leaned down to whisper in her ear.
"There's a basement door behind th' counter," he told her, his voice oddly pinched. She just nodded, squaring her shoulders determinedly as they quickly moved behind the counter.
Several of the shelves behind the counter had toppled over at some point. Tiny pills crunched under their feet and mixed with the dust on the floor, an inch thick in some places. She saw the tiny square of the door in the floor that must lead to the basement.
The dust was scattered, shifted. Recently, she realized. Carol looked and saw footprints in the dirt, smaller than Daryl's, leading to the far side of the space. There was something small crumpled beneath the shattered drive thru window. Daryl was suddenly in her space, blocking her view before she could figure out what she was seeing.
"Don't look," he said gruffly.
"What is it?" she whispered. Daryl hesitated, his eyes darting everyone, looking at everything except her face. "Daryl."
"It's Beth," he said quietly.
Her vision blurred and she finally burst, covering her mouth with her hand to quiet her sobs as she dropped her pack and sank to the floor. In seconds, she was pulled into and surrounded by something wet but warm, comforting and familiar. Daryl.
"Shhh," he mumbled into her hair. "I know, baby."
She couldn't speak, the words lodging in her throat and making her choke. She wanted to cry, to scream, to hurl her frustration and grief and rage at the sky, the walkers, even Daryl himself. Hershel was dead, Beth was dead, which meant there was no way Judith could possibly be alive. Carol Peletier had failed another child. Her heart broke as she shuddered in Daryl's arms, ripped in two at the knowledge that there was no one left alive to find. She couldn't find breath enough to scream, couldn't cry. Her lungs were burning and she realized she was hyperventilating as Daryl leaned back and curled his fingers around her neck, gently squeezing the pressure points at the base of her skull.
"Breathe, Carol," he chanted softly. "In an' out. In an' out. That's my girl."
It took a while, but he stayed with her, keeping a slow rhythm for her to match her breathing to while she slowly calmed herself. She realized Maggie was still in the other room and didn't know. The thought calmed her down and Carol wiped her face, still taking deep, slow breaths. Daryl was watching her carefully, his own eyes shiny and red rimmed and she realized he must have shed rare tears of his own while she cried.
"I just..." she started softly.
Daryl didn't say anything, just nodded and stroked his fingers soothingly across her neck.
"Oh God, Daryl," she whispered. Daryl leaned in and rested his forehead on hers, their noses lightly brushing each other.
"We're gonna be ok," he said firmly.
"Lori is never going to forgive me," Carol choked out. "I broke my promise."
"Carol." Daryl sounded like he was in pain. She raised her eyes to his and found so much grief and love mingled together staring back at her that she gasped.
"Guys?" she heard Glenn call from the front room. "Everything ok?"
Still keeping her gaze locked with Daryl's, Carol opened her mouth to answer but froze when the first noise reached her. It was faint, so faint she thought she may have imagined it except for the widening of Daryl's eyes.
A tiny, angry wailing was coming from the other side of the room. Crying. A child's crying.
She was moving so fast the room blurred around her. Daryl was right on her heels, bumping into her as they ran to the back of the room. There were several large, white mail boxes stacked together, some with tops on. The crying was louder over here, hoarse and shrill. Carol started ripping the tops off of boxes, looking quickly inside before tossing each one haphazardly to the side. Daryl was next to her, doing the same thing.
Please. Please please pleasepleaseplease.
The box was ordinary, nothing to mark it out as special except the top wasn't on all the way, as though the person who packaged it left it loose on purpose. Carol ripped the top off and stared in shock, barely registering Daryl's cry of surprise behind her as she stared at the into the tiny, pale, scrunched up, alive face of Judith Grimes.