Author's Note: Thanks again for the wonderful reviews. Enjoy!
***Italics indicate a flashback for Daryl
****Bold italics and Bold indicate a dream for Daryl
Song for the Chapter: Carry On - Fun.
A Better Man
Summary: After Carol's death, Daryl makes a desperate wish to save her. Suddenly, he finds himself back in the quarry, staring as she and her daughter cower in the shadow of her husband. With all of his memories of the future intact, can Daryl change life as he knows it?
Disclaimer: From here on out, I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters.
Chapter 48: Fork in the Road
After putting Jacqui to rest, the group weighed their options for moving forward as there were two ways to go.
It was clear that at least seven of their own were on the RV with Shane, Derrick, and Charlie. Daryl knew of course, that there were actually eight if you included Lori. It was also clear that some of their people had escaped down the ravine, a fact that Michonne had observed and pointed out to the other five. What made matters worse was the fact that it was glaringly obvious that two sets of tracks down in the ravine belonged to the kids.
"Okay, so here's what we know," Rick said, putting what they knew out there, "There was some kind of escape attempt and the original group was split. Seven of our people tried to take the bus to escape and four tried to escape down into the ravine. One of them was Jacqui, who was drowned in the river. We can't account for Baby Lily or one other person. The bus was taken down and the seven were captured again. The three that went down the ravine may or may not be alive."
"We know Shane is taking the seven to Fort Benning," Glenn said, "If they discover that it's worthless, then Shane will move them on. We have to go now if we hope to catch them."
"And the three that went down the ravine? Carl? Sophia?" Rick asked, "They're out there alone."
"We got us a damn trail," Daryl added, "I can track 'em."
"I hate to even bring this up, but there are seven people we can save by going to Fort Benning," Andrea said, bringing the hated 'needs of the many' argument into play.
"I'm not leavin' my daughter out there. No way, no how," Daryl said firmly.
"What if we split?" Glenn asked, "Some of us go for Shane and some go after the kids?"
"Split up?" Andrea questioned, "Glenn, it was a miracle that we all found each other in the first place."
"If we split, we may never see each other again," Rick sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Not necessarily," Daryl refuted, "If ya'll get to Benning and leave me a message, I can find ya. Just leave messages like what the kids been doin'. Now that they's off in the forest, there ain't gonna be no one leavin' messages behind."
"What if you never get to Fort Benning?" Andrea asked.
"I will," Daryl assured her, "If I find 'em, first place I go after is to the Fort after ya'll. We'll see each other again, like ya said. We can cover twice as much ground."
"I'm still not so sure about this," Rick hesitated.
"This place is a campground," Michonne said slowly, thinking over her words, "Chances are, there are walkie-talkies somewhere in that Ranger's cabin. I'll go check."
"Even if there aren't, we can still try to find CB's or something," Glenn suggested, "We could pick a frequency before we split and then every day, we'll turn it on at noon to try to communicate."
"Ain't a bad idea," Daryl shrugged.
"If we can find CB's and can get them to work," Andrea cautioned.
"There's bound to be some at Fort Benning," Glenn said.
"Even if we can't find any, we can still agree on places to meet up," Daryl reminded them, "Could use this place as a fallback point."
Michonne returned then, one walkie in hand along with a CB radio, rendering their arguments moot.
"So we have a way to communicate," Andrea said, taking the walkie-talkie, "So long as we have batteries, we should be okay."
"Are we really doing this?" Rick asked incredulously.
"We have to," T-Dog spoke up for the first time, "We can't leave our people out there, especially if it is the kids. Someone needs to go after them. She would want that."
No one could argue with that and no one was willing to argue with the man who just buried the woman he loved.
"How are we splitting?" Michonne asked, "Three and three?"
"Leave me my bike," Daryl said, "I'll keep it here."
"That means only one person can stay with Daryl," Glenn said, "I'm going to Fort Benning. Odds are that Maggie's with the seven."
"I know Amy is with the seven," Andrea added, "Sorry, Daryl."
"I owe Shane and his posse some revenge," T-Dog said, glaring at the earth, "I'm with Glenn and Andrea."
"I'll stay with Daryl," Rick volunteered.
"You sure, Man?" Daryl asked him, "With your collarbone and ribs…"
"My son is out there with your daughter," Rick reminded him, "I'm going with you. I won't slow you down and I'll be fine."
0
Daryl and Rick watched as Andrea, Glenn, T-Dog, and Michonne drove away. The two men had been left with the hand-held walkie-talkie, enough provisions to last a few days, some medical supplies, and a portion of the guns and ammo from the bag of guns. The lion's share was left with the others as they would most likely need it if they did battle with Shane and his cronies. Daryl stashed his bike next to the cookhouse under a tarp and then, the two men slipped down the ravine.
Rick tried to keep up as best as he could, but there was no denying that he was in pain, even with the painkillers Andrea had pumped into him before she left. They followed the tracks, four becoming three at the spot where Jacqui had sacrificed herself for the others. They followed the tracks to the edge of the water. Daryl went over to the other side, telling Rick to stay put until he got a read on which way they went. Rick could use a rest while Daryl scouted the area.
Four dead walkers on the opposite shore were a dead giveaway. Daryl knelt next to the bodies and took note of a stick sticking out of the eye of one and then to the other three, which had been bludgeoned by rocks. Daryl chewed his lower lip. Dead walkers meant that his family was still alive, but it was evident that Carol and the kids lacked any real weapons. He noticed the muddy tracks leading into the trees and moved back across the river to help Rick.
"They killed those walkers?" Rick asked when he saw the bodies, "There's no weapons. Carl would use his gun or knife and you taught Sophia all about knives."
"Means they didn't have any weapons when they escaped," Daryl said as they walked deeper into the forest, "If I had to bet, Shane took 'em…probably disarmed everybody."
"So our kids are running around out here unarmed," Rick sighed, "Christ."
The thought of his son being out there unarmed seemed to make Rick push himself harder, waving off any of Daryl's offers to stop and take a break. Still though, before too long, it became apparent that if Rick didn't stop, he would pass out from the pain. It was almost dark anyways. Daryl directed him towards a fallen log and rummaged in his bag for some of the meds Andrea left for Rick.
"We can keep going," Rick gasped, dripping with sweat.
"Not the way ya are, Man," Daryl refuted, finding the bottle and moving to shake a couple pills into Rick's hand, "We got the trail. We can pick it up after ya rest up a bit. Ya ain't no good to Carl half alive."
Rick took the pills and accepted the water offered to him. He leaned back, waiting for the pills to take effect. He looked to Daryl and asked, "Who do you think is with them?"
Daryl sucked in a breath through his teeth as he considered how to answer, "Probably one of their mothers. Tracks are small. Probably a woman," he said, gathering kindling to start a small fire, "Doubt Lori or Carol would leave their kids alone for long."
"So at best, on top of everything else, one of our kids is separated from their mother," Rick sighed. Daryl shook his head.
"Quit talkin' and get some rest, Rick."
But Rick couldn't stop the flood of words that poured out of his mouth, "What chance do they have, Daryl?" he asked, "Two unarmed kids who are stuck in one of three situations. They could be with Lori, who's pregnant and has to worry about the baby. They could be with Carol, who would probably have Baby Lily with her. Or they could be with one of the other women…Amy, with one arm; Beth, who's practically a child herself; or Maggie, who would really be their best shot, but she's probably with the seven like Glenn said."
Daryl sighed and let out a weak chuckle, "Think ya underestimatin' our women there, Champ."
Rick let out a weak chuckle of his own that sounded more like he was choking back a sob, "How can you say that, Daryl?" Rick asked, "What if they run into a group like Randall's? Or the one that took me and T-Dog? What if we find them dead? Or hurt? Or like Jacqui?"
And then Rick was sobbing into his hands and Daryl was at a complete loss on how to console the man before him.
"They beat the hell out of us!" Rick sobbed, "They tied us up and we saw people die! We saw them turn! We saw people tortured and raped! I thought I was going to die…I thought…" he broke off as pained sounds emitted from him.
"Jesus, Rick," Daryl sighed, moving to his friend's side and rubbing his back in what he hoped was a soothing manner. Everything that Rick had been through when he was captured had come spewing out through Rick's worry for his son.
"Carl woulda died! The men woulda died!" Rick ejected, "The women…they woulda been wishin' they were dead!"
"That group's gone now, Buddy," Daryl whispered, "They's dead. All of 'em."
"But there are more like 'em. What if the kids and whoever's with 'em run into somethin' like that? They wouldn't be able to fight 'em off…I couldn't…I couldn't…"
Daryl closed his eyes and took a breath, trying to be as optimistic as he could, "We're gonna find 'em and when we do, ya gonna see how grown up ya boy is and ya gonna be damn proud of him. When we find Lori, you two are gonna work shit out…be it stayin' together or not, it don't matter so long as both of ya are protectin' ya kids. Ya gonna see your baby, 'cause that's what it is, Rick. It's yours no matter what that asshole says. It's gonna be alright."
The words seemed to calm Rick slightly. He was no longer injuring his ribs with his sobbing, anyways and Daryl figured that was progress.
"You believe that?" Rick asked. Daryl reached into his shirt to show Rick the wedding bands he had on the chain around his neck.
"I gotta," Daryl said, "I gotta believe they're still out there and that they'll be okay. I'm worried sick 'bout 'em, but I ain't writin' 'em off. I can't 'cause I can't stop lookin' for 'em. Made Carol a promise. Told her I'd find us some rings and when I got back, I'd marry her and then after that, we're gonna raise our girls together. I'm gonna find 'em, keep that promise. I'd search to the ends of the earth for 'em, but I'm gonna find 'em. I ain't gonna doubt 'em."
Slowly, Rick nodded. Daryl pulled a blanket out of his pack and covered Rick's shoulders with it.
"Get some rest, Buddy. Ya need it if we're gonna find our kids."
0
Daryl took watch while Rick slept. He would pull an all-nighter if he had to just so that his friend could rest. Daryl was no idiot. He knew better than anyone that he couldn't search alone. He needed Rick to stay mobile and sane and sleep was the best thing for Rick right now. If Rick woke up in the night, Daryl would hand him a plate of leftover beans and then he'd make Rick go back to sleep.
That was the plan anyways. Daryl should have known that things rarely go according to his plans. About four hours into watch, Rick woke up, crying out in pain and in fear of the demons that invaded his mind. After being doused with more drugs, Rick settled back against the log, wincing and refusing to sleep. After a good hour of arguing back and forth, Daryl finally deferred to the stubborn man and shut his eyes to get at least a couple hours of rest.
Daryl found himself back in the dream world and glared to the screens. He was hoping that, at the very least, he would receive some confirmation that his family was alive. He didn't want to doubt them like Rick had, but he just wanted something, some small bit of hope to rely on so that he could continue to convince Rick and himself that everything would indeed turn out alright.
Still, he was apprehensive of the screens. The last time they had switched on, he had been forced to watch as everyone he cared about was placed in grave danger. The tombstone was still there, but now Jacqui's name was engraved in the stone. Daryl felt a deep sorrow whenever he thought about the woman that had perished so his family could live.
"She was a good woman," a voice said behind him. He glanced over his shoulder and saw his big brother.
"Ya don't know the half of it, Bro," Daryl replied sadly, "Why'd it have to happen?"
Merle sidled up to him and shrugged his shoulders, "It was who she was. Real spitfire…defender of mothers, babies, and butterfingers."
Daryl rolled his eyes at Merle's comment and asked, "Is she here?"
"Mouse is with her," Merle answered, "Poor woman freaked when she saw Carol…thought she had died in this timeline. Carol's explainin' it all now."
Daryl nodded and chewed on his thumb and Merle sighed.
"They're alright," Merle answered, "Ya woman passed Lil' Whoops over to ya kid and then that Grimes boy came and helped her take them walkers out."
"We saw," Daryl said, "That was two days ago, though."
The screens flickered to life and Daryl and Merle were treated to a vision of Carol cradling the baby to her.
Carol was in a barn, leaning against the wall and pouring the contents of a ziplock bag into a baby bottle filled with water. Lily was sitting on her lap, watching with fascination as her aunt prepared her food. Every so often, Carol's eyes would sweep over the two sleeping forms curled up in the pile of hay next to her before returning to Lily.
"You know what this is, don't you?" Carol whispered to the baby, shaking the bottle. In response, Lily reached for it, trying to grip it in her small hands when Carol moved the nipple towards the baby's mouth. Lily was greedy as she quickly sucked back the milk, causing Carol to chuckle and shift positions to try to get the baby to slow down.
"No one's going to take it from you, Honey," Carol said, "No one's going to take it from you…not anymore."
There was a sound as Sophia rolled over so that she was looking at her mother, her eyes wide in the pale light. Carol caught this and sighed, "Go back to sleep, Sweetheart. Lily just needed fed."
Instead of listening, Sophia got up and crawled beside her mother and whispered, "Can't."
"You should," Carol said, lifting her arm so that Sophia could snuggle beside her, "You've had a very long couple of days."
"I don't like barns," Sophia told her mother, but before Carol could say anything, Sophia turned it around and said, "You should rest too, Mom."
"I'm staying up," Carol said, "You and Carl need your rest after you pushed yourselves so hard these last couple of days. Look at him. He's zonked."
"He'd probably sleep through a herd," Sophia snickered, "I'm glad he's with us, though. Are you?"
Carol chuckled, "Sophia, after these past two days, I'm ready to adopt him."
Sophia pulled a face, "No way! I don't want him as a brother."
"Oh? And what do you want him as?" Carol teased. Sophia's face went crimson in the dark.
"Mom!" she groaned. Carol leaned over and kissed the top of her head.
"I'm just teasing, Soph," Carol told her, "but really, though, I'm glad he's here. We would have been dead if he hadn't come along when he did."
"For not being in on the plan, he and Lori sure came through," Sophia commented, "You think she's okay?"
"She's probably the only one who is safe. I owe her so much for what she did," Carol said grimly. They were silent for a moment, listening to Carl's soft snores and Lily sucking greedily at the bottle.
"Dad'll be able to find us, right?" Sophia asked softly, "He'll find our notes?"
Carol closed her eyes for a moment, briefly wondering if she should be optimistic or realistic about Daryl's fate, but then she settled for telling Sophia, "I'm sure he's doing everything he can, but in the meantime, we have to worry about us. If he does find us, he's going to want all of us alive."
"That's what Jacqui told me yesterday morning," Sophia revealed softly, "She said no matter what that you, Lily, and I needed to get out."
For a moment, Carol looked pained at the thought of her friend and took a shuddering breath, "I don't think I'll ever be able to repay her for what she did. I hope she's alright."
"Jacqui's tough, Mom. I know she is," Sophia reassured her. Carl suddenly woke with a start. He looked around the barn in confusion upon registering that Sophia was no longer beside him.
"Carl," Carol called softly to the boy, who crawled over to Carol and Sophia, coming to a stop in front of Sophia so that he was pressed against Carol's other leg, "Bad dream, Honey?"
He nodded and whimpered, "I was all alone."
For all intents and purposes, the boy was alone. For all he knew, he was an orphan now.
"You're not alone, Carl," Carol soothed, reaching to run her hand through his dark hair, "We're all in this here together."
"So they are okay," Daryl breathed a sigh of relief. Merle nodded.
"Yeah. They ain't the ones ya need to be worryin' too hard on," he said.
"What d'ya mean by that?" Daryl asked, frowning. The screens shifted and Daryl was met with the inside of the RV.
Hershel, Dale, Miguel, Jimmy, Beth, and Lori were in the back of the RV, their hands bound with duct tape. Hershel, Beth, and Lori all looked relatively fine. Dale had a black eye and a long cut that went down the side of his face. Miguel and Jimmy, however, looked like they had the shit beaten out of them. Jimmy was lying on the floor, moaning in pain as Beth cradled his head in her lap as best as she could. Miguel was sitting on the bed next to Dale and Lori. His eye was swollen shut and his face was badly beaten, but he eyed the doorway just as closely as the others did. Paris and Casey were sitting at the table playing checkers while Shane watched over the group in the back, a scowl on his face. In addition to the scowl, Shane also had a bandage over the side of his head and dried blood under his ear. Lori took a breath and beseeched Shane.
"Shane, please-"
"Shut up, Lori," Shane snapped.
"Shane, you were a cop! You can't condone this!" Lori continued, pleading. Shane approached her, glaring down at her.
"Enough!" he growled, "You lost your right to say anything about what I do when you hit me in the head and told Carl to run away! You're only here right now because you're carrying my child!"
Lori closed her mouth, not stubborn enough to argue with the dangerous man before her. Instead, she put her hands protectively over her stomach.
Suddenly, there was a noise outside and then the door to the RV burst open. Maggie and Amy, both bound and sporting bruises on their faces and exposed arms, were shoved inside.
"Why were they out there?" Daryl asked fearfully, looking over to his brother, who had a grim expression on his face.
"Punishment for tryin' to escape. The perv and shit-for-brains went and took them two girls…that's why them boys are beat up so bad. They was tryin' to protect the women," Merle said, "The boys took 'em out and was gonna force 'em, but it looks like they was interrupted 'fore anything could happen."
Amy was shoved towards Miguel, who embraced her as best as he could while she sobbed into his chest and apologized over and over. Maggie was silent and deathly pale as she sat down between her father and sister. Silent tears streamed down her face and Hershel did his best to soothe her in some way.
"We need to turn around, Boss," Charlie said, moving to the driver's column, "There's a herd comin' our way."
The RV turned around in the dark.
The screens went dark and Daryl was left alone with Merle.
"If they're turnin', that could mean that they'd run into Glenn and the others," Daryl said, shaking with rage.
"If they do, I hope your people fuck 'em up," Merle said, "Ya best hurry up and find Mouse. Last thing ya want is for her to run into them fuckers again."
"No kiddin," Daryl agreed, "Them fuckers best watch out, though. They run into me again and they'll be prayin' for death."
"Focus on ya woman," Merle advised and at Daryl's surprised look, he explained, "Mouse told me to tell ya that. Personally, if it were up to me, I'd be huntin' them fuckers down-"
"At least it's not up to you, then," Carol's voice floated over the pair. Merle and Daryl turned around to see Carol standing there with Jacqui. Daryl swallowed, his eyes on the dead woman in front of him. Carol continued, "Focusing on revenge is what got you killed in the first place, Merle. Life's too short for that kind of hate."
"Whatever ya say, Miss Know-it-all," Merle scoffed, rolling his eyes.
"He hasn't changed much," Jacqui commented. Carol smiled.
"He's a bit better than what he was," she replied, "Though he'd never admit it, he wants to change just as much as Daryl does."
Jacqui nodded and asked, "So Daryl is the only one of us still alive in the original timeline?"
"He's here to change things, yes, and Merle and I are here to direct him," Carol explained to her friend. Daryl swallowed and stepped forward.
"Jacqui, I'm sorry," Daryl apologized, "I never…hell, I didn't want ya to die and-"
"It's okay, Honey. There's nothin' you could have done ," Jacqui said, smiling sadly, "You gave me more time and for that, I'm grateful to you. Don't ever doubt that. Tell Theodore I'm okay and that I love him."
"I will," Daryl promised, willingly accepting the hug from his friend. Jacqui pulled away and looked him in the eye.
"Don't worry about me. Don't dwell on the things you can't change. You carry on. You find those girls of yours and you never let them go," she told him seriously. He nodded. With a last smile, Jacqui reached out and touched the tombstone. Both the stone and the woman vanished. Carol came over and took his hand, resting her head on his shoulder.
"She'll be alright," Carol told him.
"I hope so," Daryl sighed, "I hope we all will be."
0
Daryl and Rick resumed their trek a little before dawn, walking for about an hour before they reached a gravel road.
"Which way now?" Rick asked the tracker, who was looking around in the gravel for an indication of which way Carol and the kids went. Their tracks went north, which was the direction Daryl led Rick. About a half-mile away, they came upon a tractor sitting on the side of the road.
"Looks like they keep on goin' north," Daryl murmured.
"Daryl, wait. Look!" Rick pointed up into the cab of the tractor and Daryl was stunned to his and Rick's names written on the glass window in motor oil.
TBC
Thanks for sticking with me. Been fighting a hell of a cold. Hope this chapter was okay. Still not overly satisfied. Leave me your thoughts.
I promise that within the next few chapters, there will be a reunion. Be patient. It will come.
Next chapter: Daryl and Rick follow a trail. Shane changes course. Daryl receives a disturbing warning from Merle.
Read and review! Let me know what you're thoughts are about the future of this story. Your reviews keep me going!
