Author's Note: Thanks again for the wonderful reviews. I love the song. It's from the movie 'August Rush'. I love the movie and I love the desperation in the song. Enjoy!
***Italics indicate a flashback for Daryl
****Bold italics and Bold indicate a dream for Daryl
Song for the Chapter: Something Inside - Jonathan Rhys Meyers
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 49: Breadcrumb Trail
Daryl, being the more agile of the two men at the moment, swiftly climbed the ladder to the tractor and opened up the door. On the seat of the tractor, he found a handwritten note and he couldn't help but smile. Carl and Sophia clearly hadn't given up on their breadcrumb trail, which was excellent news for Daryl and Rick.
"Anything?" Rick asked from the ground below. Daryl plucked the note up into his hands and descended the ladder again.
He read Carol's writing, "'If this is Rick, Daryl, or any of the others, please know that we're okay, but we need help. We – Carol, Sophia, Carl, and Lily – are travelling alone. We escaped Shane's group yesterday. They were threatening to harm the baby. Jacqui helped us escape, but we lost sight of her. Lori helped Carl escape. We owe those two women our lives and hope that somehow, they are both okay. Our plan is to find supplies; a car, food, water, baby formula, and weapons are high on the list. We have enough food and water to last us a couple days. There's enough formula for maybe a week, at best. After that, we are planning to make our way back to Hershel's farm. We'll need to find a map, too. If this is Daryl, please know that your girls love and miss you very much. If this is Rick, know that Carl misses and loves you, too. If this is anyone else from our group, please be alright and please try to find us. If this is someone we don't know, all we ask is that you leave this note where you found it so that in the off chance someone we know does come along, they will be able to find us. Carol, Sophia, Carl, and Lily.'"
"Jesus Christ," Rick gasped, a smile full of wonder emerging on his face, "They're alive. They must have camped out in the tractor. How far behind them do you reckon we are?"
"Maybe a day or two," Daryl confirmed, looking to the north in the direction that Carol and the kids had walked, "See if ya can get Glenn on that radio. I'm gonna head back to the campground, get the bike, and come back here."
"Alone?" Rick asked, "You sure?"
Daryl nodded, "Now that I know the general direction, I can make it back to the campground quicker by bushwackin'. We'll need a vehicle if we're gonna catch up to 'em. Let's just hope they're still on foot."
With that, Daryl left Rick at the tractor and jogged through the forest. Daryl was an outdoorsman, plain and simple. Now that he had a general idea of the area, he could move fairly quickly. In addition to that, even though Rick tried his hardest to keep up with Daryl, Rick was still slowing their progress. Daryl couldn't hold that against him. It wasn't Rick's fault.
Daryl made it back to the campsite in about an hour, only encountering a couple walkers here and there. He also managed to bag a couple squirrels for a quick lunch when he got back to Rick. He quickly mounted his bike and kicked it to life. It took him fifteen minutes to find the gravel road that he had left Rick on. He immediately realized that he wouldn't be able to travel as fast as he wanted on account of the loose gravel, but they would still be travelling at a reasonable speed. If Carol and the kids were still walking, it would be easy to catch them.
"No trouble?" Rick asked when Daryl returned and cut the engine.
"Nothin' major. Ya get into contact with the others?" Daryl asked. Rick shook his head.
"We'll try at noon. That's when Glenn said that they'd turn on their CB."
Daryl nodded and then gestured to the seat behind him, "Hop on. Let's get this show on the road."
Rick hopped on behind Daryl, who went slow enough so that they could keep an eye out for anything particular. They stopped twice to examine a couple walker corpses. Carol and the kids had taken some tools from the tractor, most likely a hammer and a couple screwdrivers. That in itself made Daryl feel a bit better. At least they weren't relying on sticks and stones anymore. About two miles from the tractor, they found a small farm house and Daryl eased the bike down the drive.
"You think they stopped here?" Rick asked. Daryl looked around. Aside from the single-story house and a tool shed, there was really not much to the small homestead. There was no barn, which was what Daryl had trained himself to look for knowing that Carol and the kids spent the second night inside a barn.
"Dunno, but if Carol saw this place, I reckon she'd stop in," Daryl replied, pushing the kickstand in place with his boot. He and Rick dismounted and headed to the house. Daryl could tell that his friend was struggling. The vibrations of the motorcycle must have been killing Rick, but the former cop wasn't about to suggest that they stop. Daryl knew that Rick would run himself into the ground if it meant finding his son. He resolved to stop more often to give the man a break, even just for a few minutes.
"Daryl, they were here," Rick said as he approached the door. Someone had taken a permanent marker to the white door, leaving them a message.
'Daryl and Rick. Headed to Thomaston for supplies. We're driving a white farm truck. Love Carol, Sophia, Carl, and Lily.'
"Shit," Daryl cursed, turning to walk back to the bike.
"What's wrong?" Rick wondered, following him.
"They have a vehicle now," Daryl grumbled, "They could be a good ways ahead of us by now. Let's eat quick and then we'll get back on the road. Hope they haven't left Thomaston yet."
Carol having a vehicle was a mixed blessing. On the one hand, Carol and the kids were protected from walkers. On the other, they could now travel farther in a day and their trail would be harder to follow. Of course, maintenance and fuel would be an issue for them. Carol did know some basic maintenance, like changing tires and checking oil, so they were okay there. Siphoning gas, however, was something that Daryl had explained to her, but hadn't given her a chance to try. The kids, as per their mothers' orders, were never allowed to put their mouths anywhere near gasoline. As horrible as it was, Daryl was hoping that Carol did end up running out of gas just so he could find her easier.
0
They were a couple miles from Thomaston when Rick tapped Daryl on the shoulder. Daryl frowned, easing the bike to a stop.
"What's up?" Daryl asked, turning to his friend. Once again, Rick looked a little green around the gills on account of the pain, but instead of admitting that the bike was hurting him, Rick pointed to his watch. It was noon.
"We should turn on the walkie…see if the others got a read on Shane and company," Rick said, dismounting the bike and turning on the walkie. He turned it to the agreed upon frequency and spoke into the walkie, calling the names of their four counterparts, "Glenn, T-Dog, Andrea, Michonne."
They waited for a moment before Glenn's voice crackled onto the CB, "Rick? You guys alright?"
"Yeah," Rick answered, "We're on the trail of Carol and the kids. They're leaving messages for us."
"Carol?" Glenn asked, "Think she has the baby with her?"
"Yeah, she does," Rick confirmed, "Anything on your end?"
"So far, just a whole lot of nothing," Glenn replied, "We have driven passed some wrecks that have been moved, but that's about it. We're sticking to 22. Where are you guys at?"
"A couple miles out of Thomaston," Rick said, "We'll turn the CB's on again at seven for an update."
"Sounds good, Man. Stay safe," Glenn chirped. Then they were greeted with static.
"That was informative," Daryl muttered, "Ya alright?"
Rick nodded, "Let's go."
Rick looked pale, though, and seeing Rick fight back a grimace reminded Daryl once again that his friend wasn't at a hundred percent and probably wouldn't be for a while.
"Ya need a pill?" Daryl questioned. Rick levelled Daryl a glare.
"I'm fine. Let's go," Rick said firmly. Daryl chuckled, recognizing Rick's stubborn attitude, and decided it was better to stay on the former cop's good side for now. Besides, Daryl just wanted to check out Thomaston.
They made it into town ten minutes later. Like most of the small towns that they had travelled to following the Turn, it was mostly deserted. People had fled for larger centers, thinking that it would be safe. Most had died en route or had abandoned that false hope like Daryl did when the army began dropping A-bombs in the street. Still, there were a few walkers still milling about, but for the most part, the town was quiet. Daryl parked his bike on the edge of main-street and the two men walked the street.
"If they're looking for food, they'll try the grocery store," Rick suggested, heading towards a large brick building.
The message on the front of the store was also a mixed blessing. On the one hand, Carol and the kids were alive, but on the other, they were on the move.
'Daryl and Rick. Headed north to Griffin. Carol, Sofia, Carl, Lily.'
"Let's nab some food and meds and go," Daryl growled. It would be stupid to waste an opportunity to stock up on some supplies while they were there. Daryl let Rick scrounge around for some food while he went to the pharmacy to find some better meds for Rick. After years of living with Merle, Daryl felt like an expert when it came to recognizing painkillers and knew that the painkillers that he had grabbed would do more for Rick than the Advil that Andrea had left them with. Then they were off to Griffin.
Just outside of town, they came across the barn where Carol had stayed with the kids the previous night. There was another message there that told them to head up to Griffin. The pavement yielded very few tracks so Daryl simply had to trust that they were on the right track.
0
Unfortunately, after an hour of driving, Daryl and Rick found themselves stopped behind a downed semi-trailer.
"Did they go around it?" Rick asked as Daryl cut the engine. Daryl dismounted the bike and slid down into the ditch to look for tracks. He found some…just not the ones he was looking for. He scrambled back up the ditch.
"No tire tracks, but plenty of walker tracks. Fresh ones, too," Daryl informed his friend.
"Then they must have turned around," Rick sighed, "Maybe they took a side road."
"Fuck!" Daryl cursed. They had been so damn close.
"Daryl, we'll find them. We just have to try some back roads-"
"Back roads," Daryl spat, "Back roads again. Fuck, let's go."
Rick was wary for a moment before he got back on the bike behind the frustrated tracker and the pair of them sped off in the way they came in hopes of getting lucky and finding some other breadcrumb from their loved ones.
0
They began with the first back road that they had come across, but they had been forced to turn around on account of a herd of twenty walkers. They tried other side roads, both men looking for loved ones and walkers. They drove well into the day, searching even as the sun fell from the sky. Darkness was an hour away when Rick tapped Daryl's shoulder, stopping the man once again so that they could contact the others.
"I hope you guys have good news," Glenn's voice crackled through the walkie.
"We lost the trail," Rick informed him, "Carol and the kids were forced to turn down some side road by walkers and now we're just driving around."
Daryl let out a frustrated growl as he leaned against his bike and listened to the conversation.
"What about you guys? Anything?" Rick asked.
"We have a flat tire," Glenn revealed, "thanks to Shane."
Daryl's head snapped up and Rick's eyes widened.
"Shane?" Rick asked, "Did you find him? The others?"
"We met them on the road," Glenn explained, "We whipped around to chase them and then Shane's hanging out the window shooting at us."
"Shit! Are you all alright?" Rick demanded.
"Just some flesh wounds from the windshield shattering and Andrea has a hell of a bump on her head from when the truck crashed into the ditch after the tire blew," Glenn responded, "T-Dog and Michonne went ahead to a farm house to see if they can find a new vehicle. The RV's headed east now."
"Wonder what made them turn around," Rick muttered.
"Yeah, well, when we're mobile again, we'll be heading after them. What are your plans for the night?" Glenn asked. Rick looked to Daryl, who looked at his bike. Their day of driving took its toll on their fuel situation.
"Might as well head on up to Griffin, fuel up, and hunker down before dark," Daryl muttered. Rick relayed that to Glenn.
"Alright. Stay safe, Guys. Talk in twelve hours?" Glenn asked.
"You got it," Rick confirmed, "Be careful."
Rick clicked off the walkie and nodded to Daryl, who heaved a sigh and brought the bike to life again. At this point, there really wasn't much else for them to do. They needed fuel and a safe place to pass the night and Griffin would offer them that, at least. They managed to find a gas station and began the process of hunkering down for the night.
"Both groups came close today," Rick sighed, "Better than nothing, right?"
Daryl grunted in response, unwilling to talk about all the ways the day had been a bust. Despite the trail Carol and the kids left them, Rick and Daryl were still no closer to finding them. Glenn, T-Dog, Andrea, and Michonne had actually found the RV only to be thwarted once again by fucking Shane Walsh.
"Should I take first watch?" Rick asked, wary of the hunter's sour mood.
"Ya feelin' up to it?" Daryl questioned.
"Yeah…yeah, of course," Rick nodded. Daryl sighed and made himself comfortable behind the check-out counter.
Daryl found himself in the dream world again, feeling weary with the entire process. His day had gone from hopeful to hell and all he wanted was to catch some kind of break…to know that somewhere, something was going right. The screens came to life and he relaxed a little when he saw Carol.
Carol was leaning against a white ford, her hands resting on her knees and her head bowed. A night breeze pushed the thin material of her cardigan off of her shoulder, but she paid it no attention.
"Carol?" Carl called. Carol's head snapped up just as the bow came around the side of the truck.
"What's the matter, Sweetheart?" Carol asked him. Carl frowned a little.
"You were taking a while with the stuff, so I thought I'd come help you," he explained, "Are you okay?"
Carol mustered a weak smile and said, "I'm fine. I don't think that can of mystery meat agreed with me. Let's grab some extra blankets and the weapons."
Carl nodded and helped her grab the necessary supplies from the cab. In their travels, they had picked up a few different weapons. All of them had knives strapped to their hips. Carl had a handgun that had been lifted from the grocery store and Carol slung a rifle over her shoulder.
"Do you think we can leave another message before we go?" Carl asked as he grabbed a sleeping bag, "We didn't get to leave one when we ran into the herd."
"We can, I suppose, but we are out in the middle of nowhere. I don't know who would see it," Carol replied.
"My dad found us before," Carl piped up, "and Sophia said that Daryl would search all of Georgia to find you guys. They'll see it."
Carol smiled and nodded, "I'm sure they are doing everything they can," she agreed.
"Do you think we can turn back and go leave a message on the main road by the semi?" Carl asked.
"I don't think it would be a good idea," Carol admitted, "Our gas situation isn't the greatest right now and we've figured out that we're not that good at siphoning gas. I wish Daryl would have shown me how to do that instead of trying to be a gentleman about it," she grumbled.
"And I wish Mom woulda let Dad show me how," Carl added. Carol shook her head.
"Carl, you and Sophia are still kids…growing. You don't need to be inhaling toxic fumes," she scolded him. Carl looked up at her with serious eyes beneath his cowboy hat.
"But that doesn't matter anymore," Carl told her, "Sophia and I…we need to know how to do stuff…grown-up stuff now."
Carol chuckled at the boy, "You both know how to use weapons. That seems pretty grown-up to me."
"Well, it is," Carl allowed, "but if we're allowed to know how to use weapons, then why can't we know how to siphon gas? Or keep watch? Or drive? We're gonna need to know how to do all of that now, if we want to survive."
"Why do I get the feeling that that rant was a long time coming?" Carol wondered, smiling down at him.
"We're not little kids anymore, Carol," Carl said, "We're grown up and we need to learn grown-up things…especially with all the walkers and bad people around."
Carol sighed as she and Carl began walking towards a small shack, "I suppose you are right. There are some things that you kids do need to learn…some things us adults take for granted. It's just as parents, it's a little hard to see you kids as anything other than sweet and innocent."
They entered the shack and found Sophia and Lily curled up on a cot, Sophia dangling a pacifier on a string infront of the baby, who gurgled happily and grabbed for the string.
"But you've got to," Carl said as he deposited the blankets on an ancient looking sofa, "It's just the four of us now. If you want us to stay safe, then you've gotta let us help."
Sophia perked up upon hearing the tone of the conversation at hand and chirped, "You can't do everything for us, Mom. We can help."
"And to do that, we've gotta be more grown up," Carl insisted, sitting on the cot next to the baby. Carol looked between the two kids and shook her head with a small laugh.
"And how long have we been rehearsing this speech?" she wondered, moving towards the cot. Lily made a reaching movement for her aunt and Carol picked up the baby and then sat between the two teenagers.
"We just wanna help, Mom," Sophia said, "We're part of the reason that we're in this mess, so we oughta help out. You can't do everything, Mom.
"Yeah," Carl agreed, "You're pretty awesome, but not that awesome."
Carol laughed and looked between her daughter and the Grimes boy. Finally, she nodded, "Alright, but just so we're clear, I'm the head grown-up around here. What I say goes, understand?"
Both kids nodded their acceptance.
"And you will both remember that despite what you may think, you have a lot of growing to do and will not argue about bed and meal times…and that you can still have fun when you can," Carol said.
"Yes, Mom," Sophia nodded.
"Yes, Carol," Carl echoed. Carol hugged and kissed both kids on the forehead.
The screens faded and Daryl couldn't help but chuckle at the efforts of the two kids to convince his stubborn woman to let them help out. Daryl could very well imagine that Carol would eventually eat her words, especially where Carl Grimes was concerned. The boy had always tried to act more grown up than he was and he would very easily forget his place as a kid. Daryl anticipated a few arguments happening on account of the boy and was suddenly glad that it was Carol who would have to deal with him. She seemed to have infinite patience when it came to the kids.
Daryl was still chuckling as the screens showed a different image, this one of the RV.
Shane, Derrick, and Charlie were sitting around a fire with two other men, both dressed in military garb. One of the men had curly dark hair and the other had a shaved head.
"Appreciate this, Man," the curly-haired man said, holding up a cup of instant coffee.
"Hey, anything for our soldiers," Shane said.
"It's good to know at the end of the world that there's still good people around," the bald man responded, sipping his coffee.
"We just do what we can," Derrick shrugged, anxiously glancing down the road, "So, uh, where you boys headed? Fort Benning?"
The curly-haired man shook his head, "Fort Benning's done," he said, "We tried to keep it going as long as we could, but the fences finally gave a week ago. We lost the rest of our unit. It belongs to the dead, now."
Shane's face fell in the firelight, "Fort Benning is gone?"
"It's been gone for a while," the bald man sighed, "Most of the soldiers cleared out after the first couple breaches. Our unit was the last there. We fortified a barrack and held it for a time. We lost several on supply runs to the canteen…the dead…they had control of it. After a while the dead herded up…took down our fences. We tried to help those we could, but it was overrun."
The news obviously disheartened Shane, who looked horribly confused as his mind comprehended what was being said about the safe haven he was so sure of.
"It's gone?" he asked again. The curly-haired guy nodded, frowning as if he was unsure of Shane's mental state.
"Where are you guys headed now?" Derrick questioned, casting an uneasy glance at their leader.
"Headed up to Atlanta," the curly-haired man said, "My brother, Mitch, was stationed there. I've been talking to him on the military channel. He says the city fell, but he's going to meet us part way."
"Family's gotta stick together," Charlie muttered. A sound from the RV caused Charlie to look towards the vehicle. Paris appeared in the doorway, looking at the two men.
"You have kids with you?" the curly-haired man asked, looking down at his coffee and beans, "Heck, we shouldn't have been taking your supplies-"
"It's fine," Charlie waved him off, "My sister, Paris. My girlfriend's sister is also in there. Paris, this is Pete Dolgen and Nick Lorne. They were soldiers at Fort Benning. Derrick ran into them when he went out hunting."
The curly-haired guy, Pete, smiled at the girl, "Nice to meet you, Little Lady."
Paris nodded and looked to her brother and said in her usual snotty voice, "They're making noise. We can't sleep."
"Oh," Nick Lorne said, raising his hands in defence, "We're sorry. We didn't mean to disturb you."
"Not you," Paris told the man, "Them," she said, looking back into the RV.
"Them?" Pete asked, getting to his feet and looking to Shane and the others, "How many of you are there?"
At this, there was a muffled sound from deep in the RV and then, Lori staggered into view, her gag and bound hands visible to the two soldiers.
"Jesus Christ!" Pete exclaimed, looking wildly from the pregnant, bound woman to the three men, "What the hell is wrong with you people?" he demanded, starting towards Lori. He never made it.
BANG!
Pete Dolgen fell dead, Shane's bullet in his back.
"Pete!" Nick rose to help his partner, but he was silenced with a bullet to the brain, also courtesy of Shane. Shane's eyes, harsh and cold, turned to Lori. Her eyes were wide and fearful as she shook.
"What did I say?" he demanded, starting towards her, "I told you to stay put and quiet," he snarled, approaching her. He grabbed her hands and led her back to where the others were, all of them gagged and bound. Shane sat Lori down on the bed and slammed the plastic divider shut. Then he glared at Paris Peletier.
"What the hell were you doing?" he snarled at the girl.
"Hey, don't yell at my sister!" Charlie snapped, coming to his sister's aid, "Isn't her fault your woman don't know her fuckin' place!"
"What'd you say?" Shane shouted back, gripping Charlie by the shirt.
"Hey!" Derrick yelled, trying to get their attention, "This isn't solving anything! We need to figure out our next move!"
Shane let out a low growl and then shoved Charlie out of the RV towards Derrick. Then he followed them into the night, slamming the door on Paris Peletier. He then looked to his flunkies with a cold glare.
"How could you two be so goddamn stupid?" Shane raged, "It's like you have rocks in your damn heads!"
"What about you?" Charlie shot back, "What the fuck was that? 'It's gone? It's gone?'" he asked in a mocking tone, "Christ! And to think we're following your lead!"
"Like you could do so much goddamn better?" Shane snapped, "You got your ass kicked by a little woman and kid! Carl is gone because of you!"
"The kid was throwin' rocks!" Charlie hissed, "And that bitch was fightin' the whole way down! Took both me and Derrick to hold her under! You're the one who got clocked by a pregnant broad!"
"Guys, let's lower the voices-" Derrick tried to play peacemaker.
"And I still got shit done!" Shane shouted, "I still stopped them from escaping after you two idiots left them alone!"
"After YOU left my cousin and her fuckin' mother alone!" Charlie hissed, "YOU let the bitch that killed my uncle escape!"
"I thought there was something wrong with my kid!" Shane roared in his defence, "YOU had no excuse leaving the rest alone!"
"JESUS CHRIST!" Derrick shouted, getting between the two men before they came to blows, "This isn't solving anything! Charlie, stand down! Shane, you need to keep your cool! We have to stick together! If those assholes in there see any weakness, they'll try to divide us! We have to figure out our next move and fast! In case you're both forgetting, the chinaman's behind us along with that herd!"
Both Shane and Charlie sobered a little bit, remembering the reality of their situation.
"Herd coulda changed direction…Chinaman and his crew coulda died when their truck ran off the road…" Charlie mumbled.
"I wouldn't count on it," Derrick snapped waspishly, "We thought that the fallout shelter would've killed those assholes, but they were right on our tail and every second we waste here, they could be getting closer and I don't fancy on getting an arrow to the brain. Benning's out, so where the FUCK are we going?"
He looked between Charlie and Shane. Charlie shifted slightly, scolded, and deferred to Shane. Shane bit his lip, weighing his options.
"We can't count on that crash slowing the others down much," Shane said, "We'll have to make a stand eventually and when we do, we need a home team advantage. I know of a place we can go. We can fortify it and there are weapons there."
"Sounds good," Derrick said, "Now let's shake hands and get our asses out of here."
Shane and Charlie grudgingly shook hands. Satisfied, Derrick put his knife through the head of a newly reanimated Pete Dolgen and stepped over his body and into the RV.
The screens turned off and Daryl raised an eyebrow, wondering where Shane was planning on leading the group now.
"He's comin' unhinged. Dangerous," Merle said, voicing the thoughts that Daryl had running through his head. Daryl turned and looked to his brother.
"No shit," Daryl sighed.
"Still," Merle continued, "Unhinged as he may be, he still gave Dolgen a more peaceful death than the one he had before."
"Before?" Daryl asked, frowning. The screens came to life once again and Daryl was treated to an image of the curly haired soldier getting a knife stuck into his torso and then hands closed around his neck, choking the life out of him. Then the image switched and a reanimated Dolgen clawed uselessly at the surface of a lake. A man Daryl knew all too well stared down at his corpse with interest. The screens shut off again and Daryl looked to his brother in surprise. Merle nodded.
"Yep. Ol' Dolgen and I…we was buddies in the afterlife. Both members of The-Governor-Fucked-Us-Up club," Merle confirmed, "Poor bastard died just before ol' one eye attacked ya prison…ya know, after Officer Friendly decided to chuck ya woman out."
Daryl glowered at his brother, hating that he was reminded of another time he and Carol were separated, "What's the point, Merle?" Daryl growled.
Merle smirked, "Well, Lil' Bro, thought maybe I should remind ya of our Ol' Friend the Governor."
Daryl's eyes narrowed at his brother and he demanded, "What d'ya know, Merle?"
"Not much, 'cept ya'll gettin' closer and closer to a little town that starts with a 'W'."
"Merle! Merle!" Daryl protested as Merle faded away.
Daryl woke with a start to find Rick hovering over him.
"Christ, what the hell, Man?" Daryl protested.
"Just waking you for watch," Rick said, "I'm starting to doze. You good?"
"I'm fine," Daryl lied.
As if he didn't have enough to fucking worry about, Merle had given him something new to add to the shit heap.
0
The next two days found Daryl and Rick wandering more back roads in search of Carol and the kids. Glenn, T-Dog, Andrea, and Michonne were doing the exact same thing. They had hit a wall as far as Shane and company were concerned. They had found the bodies of Pete Dolgen and Nick Lorne, but after that, there was no sign of the RV.
Shane, for his part, drove his group relentlessly to wherever he wanted to take them. Daryl had been witness more than once to Shane barking orders to his cronies to keep the RV moving. Miguel and Jimmy were temporarily released from their bonds so that they could be forced to siphon gas. Being deprived of nourishment, slightly dehydrated, and severely beaten meant that the boys didn't have any fight in them…and certainly not enough to rebel against the two men holding guns to their back. The others had taken to shielding Maggie, Amy, and Beth. Though Maggie and Beth weren't assaulted by Derrick and Charlie, there was still the very real fear that eventually, the two men would go the distance. Lori was a big part of protecting the girls, placing herself practically on top of them whenever Shane and his flunkies were around. Hershel and Dale were the same way.
Carol and the kids had their own set of problems. Three hours after leaving the small shack, the old ford gave out, spewing smoke. To make matters worse, Lily had begun to cut another tooth and she was one miserable little baby. Daryl had been treated to a dream vision of Carol sitting in the middle seat of the broken down ford attempting to soothe the baby while Carl and Sophia sat on either side of her using a tire iron and a crowbar to dispatch walkers through the partially rolled down window.
"Why's she so mad?" Carl had asked as he put his crowbar though a walker's head.
"She's in pain," Carol corrected over the wailing baby, "Teething is some very painful business."
"Probably," Sophia agreed from her kneeling position in front of the steering wheel, "I'd cry too if sharp things were coming out of my gums."
"Oh you did," Carol informed her, shifting Lily into a sitting position, "Believe me, you did. Do either of you know where that bag from the pharmacy is?"
"In the back," Carl answered, looking out the back window of the truck.
"Great," Carol muttered.
"Why?" Sophia asked, jabbing her tire iron through the slightly open window and into a walker's eye.
"There's some children's Tylenol back there and there's some cool water bottles that she'll like," Carol explained, "How does it look out there?"
"About four on this side," Carl piped up.
"I've got five," Sophia answered.
"Alright, Sophia, take the baby," Carol ordered, passing Lily off to the girl, "I'm going to try for the back out Carl's door. Carl, get your gun out. I need you to cover me."
"If I shoot, it'll draw more in," Carl warned.
"The screaming baby is already drawing plenty in," Carol reminded him, "Only fire if you have to. Count of three. One. Two. Three!"
Carol opened Carl's door quickly and stabbed at the walkers in her path. She used the wheel-well to ease herself into the box and quickly searched their supplies for what she needed. The walkers on Sophia's side of the truck clamoured against the side. Carol paused for a moment and then reached for a shovel back there. She used it to clear the side and then hopped down, stabbing a final walker and clamouring into the truck with the supplies.
"That was bad-ass," Sophia commented, rolling up her window now that there were no more walkers.
"Language," Carol scolded, wiping her hands and then searching for the necessary supplies. With Sophia's help, they managed to medicate the baby and then they cleaned off a water bottle so that the baby could bite on it to soothe her swollen gums. For the moment, Lily Dixon looked a little less pissed off, but her blue eyes were still full of big, fat tears.
"What are we going to do?" Carl asked, settling down into his seat.
Carol sighed, "We'll spend the night in the truck. In the morning, we'll try to find another vehicle…or at least someplace to hole up for a while."
The next night, Daryl had a vision of Carol and the kids sleeping in a grain shed after spending most of the day on foot. They all looked positively miserable, but they all made every attempt to soothe the baby and do something for her cries before they escalated to wails. Daryl knew that they were barely hanging on and without a vehicle, life in this world could be very, very short. He needed to find them and find them fast and they needed some kind of miracle until he did.
TBC
Thanks for sticking with me. I know that many of you may be getting frustrated with 'the chase' and how long it has lasted, but all of it has an impact on the characters and their growth in the story. For example, the kids are stepping up in a more grown-up capacity to help Carol or Carol becoming stronger independent of Daryl, which is an important thing for her character and will have an impact on the caryl relationship here. Also, this arc has affected all of the other characters in some way and I think it will be a lot of fun to explore afterwards as the group continues on to the prison.
I promise that 2 chapters from now, there will be a reunion. Be patient. It will come.
Next chapter: An unexpected encounter gives Daryl some insight into where his group needs to go.
Read and review! Let me know what you're thoughts are about the future of this story. Your reviews keep me going!
