This started out as a role play between myself (gunslingerdixon) and my Carol rp partner untapdtreasure (nolongeraxburden), and it was mutually decided upon to share with the rest of FF as a fanfiction. So here it is! Enjoy!

If y'all are interested in following us just go to: nolongeraxburden. tumblr .com or gunslingerdixon. tumblr .com

Also: we own nothing in regards to The Walking Dead. All rights belong to the copyright holder.

Daryl:

The sudden thumps of Carol's footfalls behind him immediately grabbed his attention, knife rising up in a defensive stance. Realizing that it was only Carol, he dropped his knife to his side letting out a shallow breath. "Couple o' rats. Nothin' so far." He remarked taking another step forward boots crunching over broken glass from the cash wrap. The contents of whatever had been inside of the glass cabinet having been taken long before they had come across the place.

Stooping down he noticed a bent package of cigarettes tucked under several thick panes of shattered glass. Brushing the loose fragments away, he pocketed the package before getting to his feet and proceeding further to look around. He was thirsty too. Mouth parched of drink and immediately his eyes were scanning about for where the bottled drinks would have been shelved. Making his way towards the back of the store he came across an overturned aisle.

Cautiously tucking his knife back into its sheath, Daryl bent down peeking beneath the shelf to see if anything was trapped. He heard a loud hiss and immediately took a step back drawing his buck-knife again. "The hell is that?" He murmured not recognizing it as a hiss of a snake. It sounded more like a possum or possibly a cat.

Slipping his backpack to his chest, he pulled out a small penlight, depressing the button and shining the light under the shelving unit. A rat-like tail and hand-like paws could be visibly seen where the light passed. "Sunovabitch, fuckin' possum." He growled low with a huff slipping his knapsack back onto his back. "Careful," he murmured getting back to his feet ignoring the hissing angry animal for the moment.

Moving away from the overturned shelf, Daryl padded to the other side of the store spying an old freezer chest where ice once would have been stored. Lifting the lid of the hulking chest, he was greeted with an empty container, almost immediately slamming the thing shut upon his realization. He absently kicked at it out of frustration swearing under his breath at the sting in his foot shooting up the gamut of his leg.

Daryl cocked his head over to Carol not caring about her reaction to his sudden outburst. They'd die long before walkers got to them if they didn't find any water. And that was the last thing he wanted to be his demise: death by dehydration. Raking his fingers through the sweaty wisps of his hair, he paced the small length of path that wasn't haphazardly strewn with glass or debris.

Carol's POV:

Carol watched as he pocketed the cigarettes. She could have kicked his ass, but instead, she just smiled. He did so much for everyone else. If he wanted cigarettes from time to time, who was she or anyone else to guilt him into giving them up. She turned her head at the sound of the hiss. "Daryl, be careful." She moved closer to him, but she kept her distance. She had no desire to tangle with whatever it was that was making that sound.

"An o'possum? Shit. I thought it was a snake…" She could handle the critters of the furry variety, but the snakes she could do without. She gave an involuntary shudder. She had her hand clasped to her throat, trying to slow her breathing down. She remembered the first one she'd had to eat. She was a bit hesitant, but it had given them much needed protein, and she wouldn't dare turn up her nose to food that he risked his neck to get for them.

She turned her head when she heard the commotion. She was just in time to see him kick the empty cooler. She winced, knowing the pain must have been terrible. But she'd never let on. She was used to his tempter tantrums at this point, and it was just like with a child, you do not reward bad behavior by rising to the ocassion. Instead, she moved close to him, touching his arm as he made another pass by where she stood and moved closer.

"Daryl, just calm down. Okay?" Her other hand had resheathed her knife and she moved her palm to rest again his cheek before stepping into him entirely and giving him a quick hug. "We're not lost yet." She had to keep the faith that they'd find something to drink in here. "We still have to check the storage room. Could be something in there." She pulled away, looking up into his eyes for a moment and gave a slight shrug to her shoulder.

"Soon as we get some gas, we'll head on back home. There's plenty of water there. Right?" She knew there was so many things that could happen between here and there, but she had to keep the faith, right? One of them couldn't lose hope. She let her hand move down his arm and then she squeezed his fingers before letting them go just as quickly as she had grabbed them.

She pulled out her knife again moving toward the furthest part of the station. "Now or never, huh?" She gave him a quick smile.

Please review and let us know what you thought! Cheers!

*Note: This is also not 100% written by myself. I owe a lot of credit to my wonderful partner as she is Carol and does a phenomenal job. Send her some love too at untapdtreasure here at FF!