Daryl grabbed his map, looking for spots that would have gas. He'd managed to find a few cars with full tanks that he'd siphoned gas from, but now he was running out. He knew that a lot of farms had tanks, so he decided the best way to go about searching was to stash his bike in a central location and start searching farms on foot.
Heading toward Minerton, he turned off onto Route 48 where a lot of old farm houses dotted the countryside. The rolling hills and deep oak forests made him feel at home. Seeing the beautiful farmhouses and the lazy hills reminded him of what he'd always dreamed he'd have someday. His thoughts quickly turned to Katelyn and a horrible sadness settled in.
God, he missed her.
He couldn't fix what Merle'd done, and now, he couldn't fix what he'd done. He'd gone and fucked things up just like he knew he would, but it still made him sad.
With a heavy heart, he turned down the first road toward the perfect white farmhouse and tried to push his thoughts away. Hurrying up the gravel driveway, he noticed that a few walkers rambled in the fields, trapped by the fences of the pasture. Ignoring them, he continued toward the house.
Creeping up to the front porch, he quietly turned the doorknob but a deadbolt locked it from the inside. Moving around to the back side of the house, he noticed a few loose chickens and ducks that scattered as he moved toward them.
Dinner, he thought.
Moving to the back door, he tried the handle, but it was locked as well. Checking under the mat, Daryl found a key and used it to open the door. The squeaky hinges reminded him of the house he grew up in. Stepping softly, he entered the kitchen, swinging his crossbow side to side but there was no one in there.
The house was tidy, like the lady who lived her cleaned it up before they left. Moving further into the house, he searched each room, clearing it to make sure there weren't walkers within, but each room was spotless. Finding the basement door, he slowly moved down the crickety stairs and into the dark basement. Trying the lightswitch, Daryl was surprised when the light turned on, illuminating the large rooms below.
The place was clean, boxes stacked in corners, covers on old furniture they were storing. Shelves with cans and bottles of food lined the walls. A large refrigerator stood in the corner near the washer and dryers. Walking over to it, he opened it curiously, and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was still on.
There must be a generator on the property, he thought to himself, smiling at his luck. What a perfect place for he and Katelyn. He couldn't help the thought popping into his head. Growling angrily, he slammed the door of the cooler and stomped back upstairs. Opening the cupboards, Daryl looked through them, finding all sorts of canned goods.
He had hit the jackpot.
Closing the cupboards, he went back to the kitchen door and opened it, putting the key in his pocket for later use. Heading across the yard, he moved to the barn which was shut as well. Lifting the wooden slat, Daryl opened the barn doors wide to find a well-kept barn with stalls. He could tell they used to have horses because there were stacks of alfalfa hay and tack in one of the stalls and saddles, reigns, and blankets on the walls.
Shutting the barn doors again, he moved on to the large equipment shed nearby. Turning the doorknob, it was also locked so he checked for a key under the mat once again and found it. Opening the door, he immediately heard the generator and stepped inside. Tractors, a horse trailer, tools and all sorts of other equipment was stacked neatly on shelves. Walking behind the shelves, Daryl finally found the pump, just inside a back door which the vehicles could drive through.
Opening the back door, Daryl came out behind the shed and immediately was confronted with a large group of walkers. Pulling the door shut quickly, Daryl's heart started racing as he realized that the people had probably left their livestock in the fields and a herd must have been attracted to this place because of it. Now they just wandered around the property aimlessly, searching for food.
Daryl moved quickly out the front of the shed. He could hear the walkers banging on the back door and started running to the back of the house, darting inside before any saw him. Locking the door behind him, he began searching the house for any weapons.
He didn't have to search very far. Whoever lived her had several shotguns, a couple of rifles, and a pistol, but more importantly, they had ammo. Lots of ammo.
Pulling everything out, Daryl decided that he'd try to start taking out the herd in the morning. They'd probably stay near the back of the shed so it'd be easy for him to climb on top and start picking them off. The barn had two levels as well so he could also shoot them from there. If he kept moving places, they wouldn't be able to pinpoint his location as well. He could even use the chopper to draw them away if he had time to go and grab it.
Daryl sighed with sadness though, his thoughts turning back to Katelyn. He could definitely see them settling down in a place like this.
But Dixon's weren't meant for that kind of life.
#################################################################################
Madeline knew that the most likely place to find military survivors was going to be to the west. The vast deserts and mountains would make it extremely difficult for the walkers to be dangerous. It was winter, as well, and she theorized that the cold weather might slow them down, maybe even make them dormant.
The group was reluctant to leave the familiar surroundings of the south and travel across the country that far, but they knew that Madeline was right about contacting the government. A place like Cheyenne Mountains in Colorado Springs would be inpenetrable to the walkers and the deserts in Utah and New Mexico would likely be walker free. It was important enough that they all were willing to sacrifice their comfort to complete the mission, they just weren't happy about it.
As the group traveled west on Interstate 20, they came to another massive traffic jam and stopped their cars. Getting out, everyone stretched their sore muscles and walked around.
"Michonne!" Rick called out as he moved back toward her. "Let's scout ahead a little. See if there's a way through this. See that SUV over there. Let's grab it. We can fit more people are gear into it." He continued, pointing at a large, black Denali parked at a slant on the incline.
Michonne nodded, making her way toward Rick.
"I'll grab it!" Andrea called, grabbing her machete from the seat, and making her way over to it.
"There's a lot of stuff to scavenge amongst these cars. Maggie and I will start looking through gear." Glenn offered, grabbing his weapons and gear from the seat of their car.
"All right. Tyreese, you stay and watch everyone else. Carl, you're with me." Rick stated, waving for Carl to move forward.
Tyreese nodded, opening up a station wagon that was near them to pull out the gear he could see stacked within.
"You two wanna help me go through this stuff?" Tyreese asked his sister, Adam and Ben.
Ben rushed over to help while Sasha grabbed some more luggage to look through.
Katelyn crawled out of the back to get some fresh air. Standing beside Carol, she looked around at the miles of cars, suddenly feeling very lost and alone.
Please be okay, she prayed, thinking of Daryl out there on his own. She prayed for weeks that he'd return, but he didn't. Then she prayed that they'd find him along the road, but they didn't. Now, all she could do was love him from afar and hope that he was all right.
Carol saw the sheen in Katelyn's eyes and put her arm around her.
"He's okay." Carol said quietly, knowing exactly what she was thinking.
Katelyn nodded, more to convince herself than anything.
Carol squeezed her shoulder but she herself had her doubts. She was very worried about Daryl and though they had left a note behind at the prison, she doubted they would ever see him again.
Katelyn suddenly felt woozy, swaying on her feet, and Carol grabbed her before she fell.
"You okay?" Carol asked, startled for a second.
Katelyn turned away immediately and ran behind the car. Bending over, she threw up all over the grass beside the road. Carol grabbed a water bottle and rushed over to her. Handing it to her, Carol smiled warmly. Katelyn stood, taking the water bottle gratefully.
"I'm car sick." She said, chuckling at the ridiculousness. They were living in a world filled with the walking dead and Katelyn couldn't get over a little motion sickness.
Irony rears its ugly head.
But Carol frowned, unconvinced. Katelyn had been throwing up off and on for weeks now and if she were this ill, she'd have a fever. She was worried it was something else entirely. Something incurable and much more dangerous.
Katelyn caught Carol's look and frowned.
"What?" Katelyn asked, laughing a little at Carol's expression.
Carol's mouth tightened.
"Katelyn, are you sure it's car sickness?" Carol whispered quietly, not wanting anyone else to hear.
"What do you mean?" Katelyn asked, frowning in confusion.
Carol sighed, not knowing whether to say anything.
"Never mind." Carol said, thinking that she needed to have Glenn run an errand before she started asked about her wild theories.
Katelyn was still frowning.
"Really, its nothing. I'm just being paranoid." Carol said, trying to laugh it off.
But Katelyn had been wondering the same thing.