The first few hours had been driven by eagerness, determination and hope. Dog had led the small group through the woods on sometimes more, sometimes less passable paths, hurrying along, following the only trail that mattered to him.
Every time Carol felt the need to pause, the worry spurred her on even more. The fear for Daryl, the uncertainty of his whereabouts and condition drove her crazy. Deep in her heart she wished nothing more than for him to pop up from behind a tree and bark at them for chasing away all the deer with their little riot.
She knew he wouldn't pop up. She felt he was in trouble.
Carol and Maggie had taken the lead, followed by Cole, Kelly, Aaron and Gabriel. They had practically ran after the animal, killed walkers in the process, and had their tongues hanging out by the time Dog stopped at a random spot, barking and jumping in circles in front of a pile of branches.
"Think this is it?", Cole asked completely out of breath, checking the surroundings for anything out of place.
"I guess", Maggie panted, walking up to Dog who had gotten a firm grip on a fallen fork of a tree with his teeth. Growling, he yanked at the thing with all his might. With Maggies help, the branch finally came free and revealed Daryl's motorcycle lying on its side.
"Good boy", Maggie praised Dog and patted his back, while Carol came up to them, knelt down at the bike that was still partly buried in the undergrowth. She touched one of the handles and ran a hand along the smooth metal of the tank. She instantly felt the vibration, the headwind, her arms around Daryl's midsection when she had joined him on their various rides.
"He doesn't seem to have had an accident or something", Aaron said, looking unhappily at the vehicle.
"No", Carol replied and got up, "He leaves the bike behind when he's hunting, hides it like this and sets off on foot."
"So he might be close", Kelly offered with an urgency in her voice, "Let's split up, as planned. Check the area. Maybe Dog can track him down or at least find a clue where to look."
As if he had understood his orders, Dog was already jogging along a small path leading farther into the woods, trembling with excitement and eager to move on.
"Okay", Gabriel spoke up, "Groups of two. Every group stays close to the others so we can communicate in regular intervals. Take care and keep your eyes open for everything out of the ordinary."
He turned away, followed by Aaron, while Kelly and Cole started into a different direction. Maggie and Carol nodded at each other and took the path Dog had found.
They walked in silence for a while, both of them lost in their own thoughts, before Maggie spoke up.
"Are you doing okay?", she asked softly, sensing Carols dread.
Carol sniffed and shrugged. Of course she wasn't. But Maggie knew that already. "I'm not sure if I'm happy that we found the bike", she answered.
Maggie nodded. "You mean because Daryl leaving it behind like that means something happened to him?"
Taking a deep sigh, Carol readjusted her bow and let her gaze wander along the ground.
"We've hit a rough patch, Daryl and me. After Rick's death you witnessed him leaving before you decided to go away as well, and you probably heard that Daryl's been out here for years. He always came back to us for a little while, checking on us, making sure he's not the last human on earth. But with the time, his appearances became rare. He knew I was safe with Ezekiel and Henry, Judith was in good hands with Michonne, so he spent more and more time on his own in the woods, looking for Rick."
"Did he ever find anything? Something?"
"No. And if he did, he hasn't told me. I wouldn't mind if he kept secrets, though. I did, and it hasn't done us any favor. After Henrys death I ... well ... let's say I did some things, I was too selfish and too proud to listen. I got people killed. I somehow managed to drive a wedge between Daryl and me with my actions."
"That's hard to believe, actually, with you two."
Carol smiled a bitter smile. "He was very patient with me. But even the meekest lamb reaches the point where all the patience ends, you know."
Dog returned from his vanguard to check on the women and they allowed themselves a short break, taking sips from their canteens.
"Do you know what cats do when they feel their time's up?", Carol said, drilling a hole into the soil with the tip of her boot. When Maggie shook her head, she went on.
"They leave. Search for a place far away from their loved ones to die in peace. It's what I feared the most, all those years Daryl's been out there on his own. That even if he got bit, or badly hurt he never would've returned to us in order to protect us. He rather would have killed himself. Make sure he never came back." She paused, swallowing the lump in her throat. "No matter what, he would've died alone. All those years, I was sick with worry and fear. So much could have happened to him and I might have never find out what. And now ... finding the bike might also mean, wherever he went, he didn't take it with him because he wouldn't need it anymore."
"No", Maggie intervened with force. She stowed her canteen away and got a grip on Carols upper arms. "I won't let you go down this road, Carol. There are a lot of reasons we found Daryl's bike like this."
A soft rustling caught the women's attention and they straightened, raising their weapons. Dog erected his ears, but much to Maggie and Carols surprise, kept a relaxed posture. A small figure appeared from the undergrowth looking at them with huge eyes.
"Judith!", Maggie exclaimed, lowering her rifle, "What do you think you're doing out here on your own?"
"I'm not", the girl answered casually, "You're here, right?"
Maggie shook her head and went down into a low crouch. "Seriously, you can't be out here. It's dangerous."
"I wanna help find Daryl."
Carol opened her mouth to reply but paused. She had to marvel at the determination the kid owned.
"Judith ...", she tried anyway, partly amused, partly reproachful.
"Gabriel didn't ask me when he put the search party together", Judith interrupted, "I'm not digging up weeds in Alexandria while Daryl's missing. I help. Who knows, it might come in handy, having someone like me with you."
She smiled the most innocent smile, standing there with her huge hat, the Katana strapped to her back and Rick's Python resting in its holster at her belt. Of course, a mission like this wouldn't go unnoticed by Judith. Daryl was like a father to her. She would never accept to be left out when it came to rescuing him.
"Plus", she went on, "I managed to follow you the whole time and you never noticed, which means I can take better care of myself than you of yourselves. Could have been a robber, you know?"
Maggie and Carol turned their heads simultaneously towards Dog, who tilted his head in a questioning manner and gave a short whimper.
"What kind of watchdog are you, huh?", Carol asked the animal and couldn't suppress a snort, despite the dire situation they were in.