Ah, Chapter 2! I hope all who read chapter 1 enjoyed it! Daryl seems a bit different than in the game, I know, but remember, it's 15 years earlier so he is not quite as…mad. Enjoy!

Chapter II: A Flower in Winter PT. 2

The next day when I got up, it was already 3 PM. I wasn't surprised; my sleeping schedule has always been slightly off. I wandered over to the Blue Bar—which was run my man about my age named Griffin—even though I dislike alcohol.

"Hello," Griffin greeted me. I muttered a response. He went back to mixing drinks and I sat down, and began doodling on a napkin.

I was diagramming an experiment I had been wanting to start even before I went to college, and became deeply immersed I didn't even notice the hulking black man hovering over me.

"Uwaaa!" I fell off my stool.

The man looked at me for a moment, then grabbed a drink Griffin handed him.

"…sorry if I startled you," he said, pulling me up by the collar of my shirt, nearly strangling me.

"…it's not—it's nothing, anyway." I crumpled up the napkin and stuck it in my pocket.

"No, it was good." The man gulped down his drink. "What's your name, anyway?" He asked me. "I haven't seen you in the valley before."

"Uh, Daryl." I mumbled. I regretted coming here already.

"Cody," The man responded. I stumbled toward the door and grasped at the knob.

"Er, well, it was good to meet you, but I have to, I have to go."

I spent the next hour or two putting a fence around my house, and constructing flower boxes for my plants. And of course, being alone.

When my mind was not busy contemplating new experiments, her face appeared. The girl. I wanted to go look for her, or ask someone about who she was, but I am not, I mean I can't…

I had just finished covering the final seed with dirt when I saw her walk by. My knees nearly gave out. She looked over and waved.

I weakly waved back and turned to run into my house, but I couldn't move. She was walking over.

"Hey, you! Where have you been hiding?" She laughed. I was petrified.

"I missed you, when you disappeared last night." I nodded weakly, feeling the doorknob against my back.

"What's your name?" She was inside the fence now, smiling at me.

Amazing as it might seem, I actually forgot my name for a good 30 seconds.

"Uh…D—Daryl."

"My name is Flora." She pointed over past Vesta's farm. "I'm over here visiting with an archaeologist. He's testing the location, and I'm trying to earn college credits."

I nodded again. Archaeology? She didn't strike me as a scholarly type, but it made me like her more.

"Well, it was nice meeting you. Maybe I'll see you around?" She continued, beginning to walk away.

"O-okay."

I stumbled into my house, dizzy, but happy. I worked on the experiment I drew on the napkin all night.

"Hey, how come you stay inside all day?"

I sat up quickly. Someone was talking to me. I was still on my couch, the beginnings of my new experiment strewn all over my table.

"Hello?"

I nervously walked over to the door. Someone was outside. Talking to me.

"Er…I'm, I'm very busy." I managed to reply, and shuffled papers and clinked beakers to show them how busy I was.

"Whatever." I heard them walk away.

I walked over to the door and unlocked it, careful to open it only a crack.

It was Vesta's younger brother. What was his name? Marvin? I couldn't be bothered to remember.

How come you stay inside all day?

Impudent little brat.

The day passed fairly quickly. When I looked up from diagramming, it was already 11 PM. My stomach was what made me glance at the clock, and I realized I hadn't eaten anything since I arrived.

I ended up running into Flora on my way to the Blue Bar to get dinner.

(Ages: Daryl: 21, Carter: 25, Flora: 18, Wally: 22, Chris: 21, Patrick and Kassey: 38, Griffin: 22, Cody: 19, Marlin: 11, Vesta: 20, Celia, Muffy, Rock: 6-7)