"Better Days"

Author: carmen_085

Disclaimer: I don't own any Walking Dead characters. Original characters are mine

Author's Note: Thanks for the positive reviews; I really love hearing what the readers think. I hope you will continue to like this story

Chapter Three

Daryl sat back on the ground pulling his knees to his chest. Looking out at the farm he felt a sudden sickness rise up in the back of his throat. Swallowing hard he met Carl's eyes.

"We'll find them." In the modern world it was damn near impossible to disappear. Cell phones, surveillance cameras, GPS, credit card statements; a person had to really try if they wanted to be gone. In this world, it was damn near impossible to find anyone. Once someone left an area, they could be missing for months if not indefinitely. Daryl knew that better than anyone. It had been almost six months since he had seen his brother. Not knowing if he was dead or alive or where he was with no way to contact him at all. No phones, no mail, not even a home; once someone was gone from your sight they could be gone forever. But he couldn't bring himself to say that to Carl. The boy was on the verge of tears at the realization that his parents had disappeared right out from under him. Looking over at Sophia he saw the dazed look in her eyes and once again was reminded of the long list of things he had to do.

Pushing himself back off the ground, Daryl shook off his initial surprise and clicked back into survival mode. He needed to get these kids some place safe and find them some food and water. From the edge of the field Daryl could see that the house and the barn were completely overrun. They wouldn't be able to get close to either and by the looks of things neither would anyone else. Grabbing Sophia by the shirt and nudging Carl back into the cover of the forest he bent down on one knee in front of them. Looking them both in the eye he was as honest as he could be.

"We can't go back there. There's too many of them." Carl bit his lip clearly unhappy with this revelation.

"But what if my dad left a note or directions or something?! We have to check!"

"It's too dangerous, Carl. There's too many of them." Nodding toward Sophia, Daryl looked at Carl seriously. "She needs food and water." Sophia swayed on her feet looking like she might pass out. Carl looked at her and then back at Daryl.

"What are we going to do?" That was a good question. Looking down Daryl started to evaluate his options. They could go back the way they came and hopefully make it back to the highway before dark, get a car and try to find Rick and the others. Casting a glance at Sophia, he quickly realized that was out. He would carry her all day if that's what he had to do but it wasn't safe not after what happened last night. Thinking hard, Daryl recalled another farmhouse about a half mile up the road from Hershel. It might work or it might be overrun. Scanning the fields to the left he saw only a handful of walkers milling around. The fences and gates of Hershel's fields had contained them. It was their best play at the moment.

"There's another house about a half mile up the road. We'll try there. Get you guys something to eat and drink, get some rest, and then we'll find your folks." The house was on the way in from the highway so if Rick or any of the others came back to look they would see them first. He hoped.

Bending over he picked Sophia up. His back ached but it was only going to be a little bit further. Carl was lagging behind clearly still unsatisfied with the plan.

"They won't be able to find us, though! We have to stay here." Turning with the girl in his arm, Daryl was losing patience. He was hungry and tired, and in a really shitty position and at the moment Carl wasn't helping matters.

"Jesus Christ, Carl! Give it a rest! I told you we'd find them and we'll find them!" The boy visibly shrank back at his outburst. Carl was a product of new age child rearing where parent's did yell but said please and thank you, where kids didn't know what time out was, and had never, ever been spanked. Daryl couldn't relate.

After her saw Carl's reaction Daryl felt a twinge of guilt. He shouldn't have yelled at him. Just like everyone else Carl as scared and confused. Daryl was no genius when it came to taking care of children. He had no experience doing so before the end of the world and certainly this was no time to start learning. He did what he thought was best to keep them safe. Repeating that to himself over and over he trudged toward the old beige farmhouse.

Thankfully the other house was not completely overrun. It wasn't a long-term solution but it would have to work for now. The screen door was creaking in the breeze as Daryl walked up onto the porch. Peering inside the house he didn't see any imminent danger. Gingerly he placed Sophia down on her feet taking in the level of exhaustion on her face. His back was aching and he wasn't sure how much further he would be able to carry her. Motioning for Carl and Sophia to stay behind him, Daryl took a tentative step inside the house. His cross bow up, he became aware that his arms were trembling with pure fatigue. He was strong but not strong enough to carry a child for miles. Taking a deep breath he tensed himself in an effort to hold the weapon level.

The house appeared deserted but he wouldn't relax until he cleared every room. The windows were open as lace curtains blew eerily silent in the warm breeze. Over his shoulder he could hear the heavy breathing of two scared kids. They stayed close to him, Carl never more than an arm's reach away. The first floor was deserted. Carefully, Daryl ascended the stairs wincing as they made a loud creaking sound under his boots. At the top of the stairs he heard a hissing and tightened his hold on the crossbow. Motioning for Carl and Sophia to stay where they were, Daryl advanced down the hallway toward one of the back bedrooms. Kicking the door open his heart was pounding.

A crow. Squeezing the trigger, Daryl dropped the bird with a quiet thud. Bending over he pulled the arrow out. He desperately needed to Sophia to eat something. His first option was to raid the pantry in hopes of finding something in a can. If that didn't pan out they could eat the bird. Wincing he doubted that a girl like Sophia would be willing to chow down on something that he had to rip the feathers off of on the kitchen table. Daryl left it lie on the floor as he closed and locked the window. It would be a last resort.

Reemerging from the bedroom he nodded to Carl. "Just a bird." Laying his crossbow down against the banister Daryl was glad to have the weight off of his shoulder. Methodically, he went room to room, closing all the windows and making sure they were locked. Back down stairs, he locked all those windows before shutting the front door and barricading it with a piece of furniture. Standing back he looked around, they seemed all right for now.

While Daryl had been doing that, Carl had made himself useful and went to search the pantry. A moldy loaf of bread sat on the sink as he didn't dare open the refrigerator. Pushing a chair over he crawled up onto the counter. Opening a cabinet his eyes lit up for a second.

Food.

Pulling the cans down he lined them up on the counter expecting Daryl to be pleased with his find. Soup and spaghetti Os, beans and corn. His mouth was watering just thinking about it. Behind him he heard a sigh of relief as Daryl came into the kitchen. Joining in Daryl was able to find a couple bottles of water. This was better than he could have hoped for.

Opening the can of Spaghetti Os with his knife he ripped the lid off. Dipping a spoon into the can he made sure that they were still good. He hadn't had spaghetti Os in a while but they tasted all right to him. Grabbing the water he set off toward the front room where Sophia was laying on the couch. When he saw her he stopped for a second.

She looked so pale and weak lying there. Pure adrenaline had kept her going for the last week and now she was crashing. He wanted to just let her sleep more than anything but he couldn't. Nudging her carefully, Daryl called her name.

"Sophia. Wake up." She stirred but didn't open her eyes. "Sophia."

"What?" Her voice was tiny and he barely heard it.

"You gotta eat something." Dropping the can of pasta and water in front of her he hoped she would sit up.

Pushing herself up into the sitting position she barely had enough strength to hold her head up. Taking the spoon her hand was shaking as she missed her mouth entirely. Daryl turned away for a second. He was scared. He would never admit it to anyone. Sophia looked bad. He didn't know anything about taking care of kids let alone sick kids. If she survived all those days in the woods alone and then died with him; he didn't think he would ever be able to get over it. He found her and now she was his responsibility. Turning back around, Daryl watched her try to feed herself. It was sad. Without pure fear coursing through her veins she barely had enough strength to hold a spoon. She needed him. That thought was strange to him because he didn't think that anyone had ever needed him in his whole life.

He wasn't going to let anything happen to her or Carl. So in order to do that he would need to step outside his comfort zone once in a while. This was one of those times. Sitting down next to her, he took the spoon out of her hand putting it back into the can. Pulling her into his lap she didn't protest. Daryl sat back into the corner of the couch so that most of her weight would be supported by the end of the furniture and not his arm. Taking the can of pasta in the other hand he dipped the spoon into the tomato sauce holding it up to her lips.

"You need to eat. I know you don't want to but you have to." Hesitantly she opened her mouth and ate it. A slight sense of relief washed over him.

Sophia was so tired and malnourished that her body was starting to shut down. She would have rather lie there than eat even though she was actually starving. She was so tired and weak that it took a monumental effort to keep her eyes open. Struggling to make the connection between the spoon and her mouth she kept missing dropping pasta on the couch. She knew that Daryl was freaked out; it was all over his face. He didn't know the first thing about taking care of kids that much was obvious. She was more than surprised at the way he was coddling her. She never would have guessed Daryl to be so comforting. It was strange but she would never complain. The feeling of safety he gave her was something she had been yearning for her entire life.

Daryl had to admit that he was more than uncomfortable by the situation. He had never done something like this in his entire life. The only reason he did it last night in the tree was for fear that she would fall and kill herself. It was necessary. This was a dire situation as well but the motivation was more out of caring than necessity. Looking down at her he watched her eat. He had never been responsible for another life. It made him feel important and scared at the same time.

"Hey Daryl…" Carl came into the front room trailing off when he saw Daryl feeding Sophia on the couch. The can of soup in his hand fell to the floor with a thud. He didn't know why but the scene made him feel awkward; like he was intruding on a private moment. Looking up Daryl made eye contact with the boy. His face was unreadable as he stared at him for a moment. "Is…is she ok?" He didn't know what else to say.

"She will be." Averting his eyes back to Sophia he was pleased when he realized that the can was nearly empty. Shifting her, he put the can on the table and held the bottle of water up to her lips.

"Can I go to sleep now?" She opened her eyes still fatigued but not feeling quite as dizzy.

Daryl nodded, "Drink some more water and I'll let you sleep all you want." Reluctantly she obliged before letting her eyes slip closed. Shifting her off of his legs and onto the couch, Daryl lowered her head onto the cushion. Standing up he looked at Carl.

"Want something to eat?" Carl nodded swallowing hard. What had he just seen? Never in a million years could he have imagined Daryl doing something like that. Following the older man to the kitchen Carl tried to think of something else.

Putting the can of soup on the counter Daryl cut it open ripping the lid off as he had done for Sophia. Setting it down in front of Carl he gestured toward the boy to eat.

Looking around Carl wondered if there was any chance of having hot soup. His shoulders sank as he realized this was the best he was going to get. Daryl hopped up onto the counter. What was he going to do next?

By the looks of Hershel's farm there were no guarantees that Rick, Lori, or Carol were even still alive. There were no guarantees that any of them were alive. Sure the cars were missing but how far did they get? Watching Carl eat Daryl began thinking of what to do next. They would stay there tonight but then what? They needed to move on. The walkers contained by Hershel's fences would not stay there forever. He needed to find a safe place but also needed to find Rick and the others.

Leaning his head back against the cabinet Daryl racked his brain. Where would Rick go? He would go back to the highway. He would try to find other people. If Sophia could walk tomorrow, they were going to go back to the highway and start heading south toward Fort Bening. That was always the plan; in fact, Daryl could not recall them talking about anything else.

Once Carl had finished eating he went over to the couch and laid down next to Sophia equally exhausted. The sun was beginning to set as Daryl looked around the empty house. Checking that all the doors and windows were locked, he was finally able to breath. Sitting down in one of the chairs opposite Carl and Sophia, he watched the two kids sleeping next to each other. They were safe at least for tonight. Placing his crossbow over his lap Daryl rested his head back. He was so tired but he couldn't sleep. He needed to make sure they were safe.

Rick was nearly losing his mind with worry. It had been one whole day since Carl had disappeared and there were still no sign of him or Daryl. After fleeing from the farm, Rick decided to spend the night on the highway near where they lost Sophia in the first place. In this area there were only two places that they knew; the farm and the highway. If the farm was gone, Rick reasoned that Carl would go back to the only other place he knew. He wanted to go back and look for Carl at first light but a herd of walkers passed through and they were forced to relocate north. It had taken all day and he was not happy but it was what had to be done. If he did find Carl they needed a group to return to. A man and boy alone in this kind of world wouldn't survive long.

Now that the group was settled he wanted to go back; no he needed to go back. The problem was with Daryl and Shane gone, he would be leaving Glenn and Hershel to defend the others if anything happened. They were dangerously low on manpower and he knew it. But still this was his boy. He could never put the needs of the group above those of his own son. He had done enough for them already.

"I'm going. I need to find Carl." Hershel stood up looking grim.

"Rick. It's dark you can't go back there alone."

"Watch me. This is my son, Hershel!"

"I know that but it's too dangerous. What good will it do Carl if you get yourself killed?"

"I can't just leave him there." He looked at the older man pleading with him to understand. Behind him, Lori sank down to her knees head in her hands.

"Did you consider that maybe he's with Daryl or even Shane?"

Rick shook his head. "Shane's dead." Lori's head popped up.

"You know that?" Her voice was low and even as she looked at her husband questioningly.

"No. But he wouldn't come. I tried…I tried to get him and he wouldn't come." Rick bowed his head knowing that Shane got what was coming to him. "We pulled out and they were all around him. No way he could have survived that."

Hershel saw the mix of relief and sadness on Rick's face. Nodding he agreed, "That might be true. But what about Daryl?"

Rick shrugged, "I mean he could be with Daryl, or he could be alone in the woods or at the farm, or he could be…" He trailed off not wanting to say it but the implications clear.

Hershel touched Rick's arm knowing what the other man was thinking. "The way I see it Carl's a smart boy, a resourceful boy. If he went back to the farm and saw that it was overrun he wouldn't stay there. He would go back to the only other place he knows."

Rick looked up, "The highway." Hershel nodded

"Right. Or he's with Daryl somewhere, and if that were the case I wouldn't worry one bit. That man might be rough around the edges but I have no doubt he would do anything for your boy."

Rick nodded. He knew that much was true. Daryl would keep Carl safe and somehow, someway he would find his way back to them. Looking up at Hershel he was serious. "OK, I'll wait for day break to search the farm but I'm going back to check the highway tonight."

Hershel nodded. "I'll go with you."

A few of the group members looked panicked as Rick handed Glen a shotgun. "You got this?"

Glenn nodded somberly. "Yeah." Barricaded in an abandoned gas station, Rick reasoned that Glenn could hold down the fort for an hour or so.

"We won't be long." Disappearing into the night, Hershel and Rick hoped that their hunch would pay off.

Daryl awoke with a start. Looking around the dark house he wondered how long he had been asleep. Immediately his eyes were drawn to Carl and Sophia cuddled together on the sofa. Both of them were sleeping peacefully as he shifted the crossbow off his lap and onto the floor. Standing up he stretched. His back hurt worse than before. The house was stifling hot as he casually walked over to a window and cracked it open. Sliding down he sat on the floor next to the window. Pushing it up a little more, he felt the cool night air dry the sweat on the back of his neck. Closing his eyes he enjoyed the sensation for a moment.

Thin slats of moonlight illuminated the room as he enjoyed the peace. Outside he thought he heard a voice. Opening his eyes he lifted himself into a squat his eyes just barely clearing the windowsill. Looking around he could see nothing. Maybe he was hearing things now. About to sit back down he heard it again, two male voices arguing. This time they were closer. Craning his neck he saw two figures come into focus.

They stopped in front of the house. "Listen man, I don't think this a good idea. We should wait until daylight." He didn't immediately recognize the voice.

"Didn't I already tell you I'm finding that boy…he's mine now." Shane. He would recognize that voice anywhere.

"Rick is going to come back for him, you know that." Shane paced back and forth eyeing the other man. Daryl turned his body so he could see the other guy's face. It was Jimmy; that young kid who helped Hershel on the farm. Somehow they had gotten left behind because there was no way in hell these two would be out searching for Carl. Come to think of it, Daryl couldn't even remember them speaking to each other once. If anyone would be out here with Shane it would have been Rick. This was strange.

"Jimmy. Rick left him. He's mine now." The way Shane was talking about Carl made the hair stand up on the back of his neck. Mine. Daryl wasn't privy to Rick's family issues but from what he gathered Shane had pretty much taken every opportunity to insert himself between Rick and Lori. They way he looked at her and Carl made a chill run down Daryl's spine. It was like he wanted them…he couldn't' have them but he wanted them. Daryl wasn't a highly educated man but he was far from stupid. Shane desired something he could not have and he was starting to unravel because of it. It made him desperate and dangerous. Even in the dark, Daryl could see the wild look in his eyes.

"Forget it man, you're on your own." Jimmy started walking the other way.

"Hey Jimmy." The kid turned and for a split second time slowed down. Daryl watched as Shane pulled the gun out of his waistband. He wanted to yell out to warn the kid what was coming but the scream caught in his throat when he remembered the two kids sleeping only feet away. His obligation was to protect them. Jimmy was on his own.

The gun shot echoed in the house causing the windows to rattle. In an instant Sophia was awake and screaming. With one fluid motion Daryl was on his feet and across the room. Clapping his hand over her mouth he squeezed her tight against his chest.

"SHHH…SHHH!" Carl was awake and latched himself onto Daryl's pant leg heart pounding wondering if he had just dreamt that.

They were motionless for a second, Daryl afraid to move an inch. What if he heard that? It wasn't that he couldn't take Shane out; he would gladly do it. The problem was he couldn't take the risk. If there were any chance he could get hurt or killed and leave Carl and Sophia alone or with a nut case like Shane he wouldn't do it. He had never backed down from anyone but he also never had anything to lose.

Quietly he led them into the kitchen; his hand still clapped over Sophia's mouth. He noticed earlier that the pantry was big and had a door with a latch. Pointing to the bottom he bent down and whispered. "We're going to play a game, ok? You guys hide and be very quiet. No talking. Who ever can go the longest without talking wins."

They nodded, not really wanting to play a game but grateful that Daryl was trying to make the situation less scary. "OK. I'm going to close the door and lock it. I'll be right back." When the latch was securely in place. Daryl bounded across the front room in three swift leaps grabbing his cross bow and taking position behind the couch. Bending down on one knee he leveled the weapon at the door. His breath hitched in his throat when he heard the front steps creaking. He heard Shane rattle the door finding it secure. His heart pounded as he heard the other man pacing back and forth on the other side of the door. To the left he saw a dark shadow peer in one of the front windows. Holding the crossbow steady he waited for the sound of breaking glass. A tapping sound echoed in the house as he tested the mettle of the glass against the barrel of his gun. Daryl held his breath. This was it.

The shadow suddenly receded as he heard the sound of footsteps back down the stairs. He left. He couldn't believe it but he left. Stealthily he moved over to the window. In the moonlight he saw Shane pause for a second over Jimmy's body before heading back down the path toward the farm. Daryl let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. They had to get the fuck away from here fast. Shane had lost it and would clearly stop at nothing to have Carl for himself. Standing up Daryl went back to the pantry. Unlatching the door, he saw two sets of terrified eyes looking up at him,

"You guys did good. Didn't hear a peep." He tried to smile but fell pitifully short.

"What was that?" Carl looked up at him.

He licked his lips searching for an explanation. "Just thought I heard a walker."

"It sounded like a gunshot." Dammit, why couldn't he have been stuck with stupid kids?

"Naw. You were just dreaming, boy." Carl looked confused, unable to decide the truth. Eventually he nodded his head not wanting to believe this terror was caused by anything real.

Sophia stared up at him still terrified but looking brighter than she had a few hours ago. Kneeling down Daryl looked her over, "You ok?" She nodded, the rest had clearly done her some good.

Standing up, Daryl grabbed a bag taking a few cans of food off the counter. "We gotta go, guys."

Carl pulled himself out of the crawl space first. "It's dark. We can't go out there in the dark. What if more walkers come?" At that point Daryl was fairly certain it wasn't the dead they needed to be afraid of.

"We'll be fine. I scouted a small cave near here last week. It's just into the woods a quarter mile or so."

"But why do we have to leave now?" Carl was going to be difficult he could see that.

Stopping what he was doing Daryl looked at the boy, "Because I said so." Carl didn't like it as he rolled his eyes. What else was Daryl going to say? Because I just saw your Dad's ex-partner murder someone in cold blood. No, not really.

Daryl briefly thought about waiting for daybreak but then quickly decided against it. For all he knew Shane could be sitting behind a tree somewhere just waiting for them to come out. They had a window right now. He had just seen the man go in the opposite direction a minute ago and it was dark. Even if Shane did pick up their trail, Daryl could easily shake him at night.

Slinging the bag over his arm, he nodded to Carl. "Out the back door. Take Sophia's hand and go quietly." Taking the cross bow in his other hand he gave the house one last look before following them out into the dark.

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