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:

If there had been no water to be had in the entire building, Daryl wouldn't have put it past it being plain dumb luck that they came to the one dilapidated gas station that had been picked clean of any remnants of survival. What sliver of hope lingered in either one of their bodies seemed to help them in that moment when Carol bent down to pick up a bottle. When it's contents was clear and the label neatly printed on it read Bottled Water, he felt a wash of relief run its way down his back and settle in his toes. A low sigh fell from his lips and the severe slouch in his posture straightened up.

Despite his inclination to allow her first drink of their find, he knew better than to challenge Carol and took the bottle anyway. He didn't unscrew the cap and take a drink until he knew Carol had found her own. With the shiny plastic flickering under the beam of his flashlight in her hand, Daryl removed the cap and took several long drinks, dribbles of the liquid running down his chin. He wiped at his mouth lazily before letting out a contented gasp having chugged half the bottle in a few seconds. He immediately felt a little foolish with his lack of will power to keep from burning through the bottle right then and there.

It was a necessity.

If they didn't have water they'd die long before walkers got to them— most likely. But Daryl didn't want to dare test that theory.

At the mention of filling their bags with what they could, Daryl shook his head absently at all that they were finding. A lot of it was stuff to be found in a liquor store. Hard alcohol. Cigarettes. Cheap beer. And from what else he could strain to see in the dark, what appeared to be beef jerky and an arrangement of odd canned goods that likely never sold. "Naw, only good 'bout all this 's the booze. Take a bottle. It'll help fer whatever wounds ya get. Anythin' higher than a 90 proof'll do fine." He muttered bending down to wave his flashlight over the multitude of bottles on a shelf.

Slipping his backpack from off his shoulders, he set it down before him and set carefully a small bottle of whiskey inside. His eyes skimmed around not finding much else of value before rethinking the beef-jerky packages. Taking hold of one, he eyed it carefully looking at the packaging for the expiration date— granted, he very much didn't care, but it didn't hurt to find something that wasn't already stale. Tapping his finger on the date, he was sure they'd already passed the date of05/10/2012. Sighing to himself, he figured it wouldn't be too terrible and shoved it in as well.

Straightening himself up, his fingers drummed along the water bottle waiting on Carol. "Find anythin'?" He asked in a low rumble trying to keep his voice down in case a walker happened to be milling about too close for comfort. The last thing they needed was to get trapped in the dark and no means of getting out like the last time. Unlike the last time, Daryl was sure he wouldn't have an exit plan ready. "If ya can't find nothin' we gotta go."

Carol's POV:

Carol moved quickly around the room, ears on any sound that wasn't either of them. She did the best she could with the light from his flashlight beam as her eyes had adjusted to the darkness. She gave a slight shrug as he told her which alcohol to take. She wrinkled her nose. She hated the stuff more than most of the others. It had turned Ed into an ugly drunk more often than not, and one didn't just forget the slurred words, misplaced fists, and angry words of someone under the influence no matter the passage of time.

She pulled a bottle from the shelf and brought it close to her face and managed to find the percentage on the bottle as she pulled her bag from her back and around to her front all the while keeping it on her shoulder. She unzipped it quickly and pushed it inside. "Think two bottles be enough?" She didn't want her backpack weighted down with the stuff. It had a good medicinal value, but it lacked in everything else. She turned her back on the liquor, not waiting for his answer.

She smiled and reached for the unopened box of Snickers bars. She held it up and gave it a little shake. "Think the kids will like these?" She knew that Carl would. He had a huge sweet tooth and anything chocolate was his weakness. "The chocolate's probably stale, but I bet they won't complain." She thought of Mika and Lizzie and let the box drop into her bag and then zipped it up as she gave a final glance.

"Think that's about all we got time for anyway. We need to get back." She didn't want to waste the rest of the day and be fighting the walkers and darkness all over again. They wouldn't surely be as lucky this time around as they were last night. She took a step to the left, moving back to him. She tripped over a pallet that she hadn't been able to see and fell against the shelf. "Son of a bitch," she hissed as her knee connected hard against the metal corner.

She managed to lean against the wall and bent over and tried to catch her breath. The pain made lights explode behind her eyes, but she didn't feel any blood, so she knew she hadn't torn anything or cut her skin. "Let's just get out of here before one of us really gets hurt." She pushed herself back up straight, testing her weight on her leg and was grateful for the darkness so he wasn't able to really see her facial expressions. It hurt, but she wasn't about to let it stop them.

"C'mon."

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!