Symptoms

by Chasyn

Six years ago they were attacked. Daryl couldn't save Rick but he saved his kids. And Beth. Now they're safe. There's a vaccine and the country is trying to put itself back together. All great until Judy follows Carl and finds out he lied about killing the walkers they once called family. Judy meets walker Rick and gets attached. Warm Bodies angle. Rick/Daryl. Carl/Patrick.

2. Where'd Dad?

This story oddly excites me. So much so that about 90% of it was written in my notebook before I even posted the first chapter. XD Now just the process of typing it all up, putting all the scenes in order, and adding extra stuffs.

The Walking Dead: Symptoms
Chapter 2: Where's Dad?

6 Years Ago

Daryl threw him against the wall, a low growl in his chest. Rick suppressed the urge to laugh at the man's eagerness. Daryl's mouth was on his neck, his tongue tracing Rick's collar bone and he couldn't suppress the shiver than ran through his body. Rick pushed Daryl away gently, far enough that he could pull his shirt off over his head. Rick reached for Daryl vest and the hunter allowed him to pull it off. But he was stopped there as Daryl grunted and pushed Rick against the wall again.

Rick did laugh that time as Daryl fumbled with the latch on Rick's holster. "This is getting a lil outta hand."

"What?" Daryl pulled the holster off and bent down slightly, gently laying Rick's treasured gun on top the small pile of discarded clothes.

Rick watched his movement's with a smile. "Jumping each other every time we set foot in the tombs."

"Not every time." Daryl mumbled, his fingers playing with the button on Rick's jeans.

"Yesterday?"

"Yer fault." Daryl looked at him, smirking. "Had sumthin to show ya."

Rick laughed softly. "An' day before that?"

Daryl gripped Rick's hips, pulling him forward. "Fine. That was on me."

Rick smiled widely as he bent forward to capture the younger man's lips.

A sudden explosion stilled them. Both men pulled apart and spun around. "The fuck was that?" Daryl was already bending down. He pulled on his vest and grabbed his crossbow. "We under attack?"

Rick quickly buttoned his pants and grabbed his gun from Daryl. "We need to go."

Daryl nodded and threw open the door. They ran through the tombs, Rick taking over lead as soon as he fastened his gun and pulled his shirt back on.

"Dad!" Carl screamed as they emerged out into the sun. Patrick was standing beside him, wide eyed. "It's the Governor." Carl said. "He's at the fence with a tank. And people."

Rick's eyes widened. "He's here…"

"Rick!" The one eyed man called out. "You come down here and talk. No one has to get hurt."

Rick turned slightly, hands on his hips. "I… I don't make decisions anymore." He yelled. "There's a council."

"Is Hershel on the council?" The Governor countered. "Is Michonne?" Hershel and Michonne were drug out, gagged and bound. They were thrown to the ground in front of the tank. "Today, you make the decisions."

Rick swallowed and looked back at Daryl. They exchanged a nod and Rick let out a sigh. "Let them go and I'll come down there and we can talk all day."

"Nope." The Governor shook his head. "That's not the way this is going down."

"Alright." Rick called out. "Stay close to Daryl." Rick said, gripping Carl's shoulders as he passed.

Carl nodded and pressed closer to Patrick beside him.

Rick went down to the fences to talk. But it hadn't gone well. The Governor demanded Rick's group leave. Rick had gone as far as to offer to split it with them. It was big enough. But the vile man didn't want that. All or nothing. If his new group couldn't have the prison, no one could. He killed Hershel, chopped his head off with Michonne's sword. Then he turned and put the sword through Michonne without a second thought.

Rick crumpled to the ground, the breath driven from his body. Hershel and Michonne…

Everyone around him was screaming. Daryl pressed closer to the fence, straining to see Rick. "Stay here!" Daryl hissed to Carl as he slipped through the fence and raced across the field to Rick. "Rick!"

Rick was back on his feet, his gun in hand.

"Rick!" Daryl grabbed him and yanked him back behind the fallen bus. "Rick! We have to go! Sasha and Bob are loading the bus. Remember the plan? We have to go."

Rick's eyes were wild. "Carl?"

"He's fine."

Rick nodded and quickly reloaded his gun. His fingers were shaking as he pulled the bullets from his pocket. He fumbled for a moment and dropped a few.

Daryl quickly bent down to pick them up. Neither saw as the Governor rounded the corner of the makeshift barricade. The gunshot that followed would ring in Daryl's ears and haunt his nightmares for years. Rick fell to the ground like a dead weight, his shirt red.

The man was laughing. He was standing over them, laughing. Daryl took advantage of his distraction and raised his crossbow. The bolt imbedded itself in the Governor's forehead, slicing cleanly through.

Daryl immediately dropped to the ground beside the fallen deputy. "Rick!"

Rick attempted to suck in a breath and failed. He choked on the blood spilling from his lips.

Tears formed in Daryl's eyes. He shook his head. "No. No, no, no, NO!"

Rick fumbled slightly. He reached up, trying to grab at Daryl's vest. "C… Carl… Ju… Judith…"

Daryl nodded, blinking through the tears. "I'll get them out. I promise."

Rick laid his head down on the ground, tried to take another breath. He pressed his gun to Daryl's chest with the last of his strength.

Daryl took it from him as an explosion went off just behind them. Daryl rolled to the side and lifted his arms to try to shield himself. The tank and the rest of the Governor's people were still coming. He blinked, shook his head, and jumped up. Two things were on his mind: Carl and Judith. He had to get back to them. He had to get them out. He had to forget about Rick for the moment and keep his promise to him.

The noise was attracting walkers, the shuffling things coming at them from everywhere. They wouldn't have much time. Daryl slipped inside. Carl and Patrick stood back to back, firing on the walkers and intruders. Carl glanced over at him as Daryl approached. "Where's dad?"

Daryl ignored his question. "Carl, we have to go now. Where's your sister?"

Carl frowned. "Where's dad?"

"Where's Judith?" Daryl repeated, still evading the question.

"Beth went to get her, sir." Patrick answered.

Daryl nodded as Maggie and Carol ran towards them from different directions. "Has anyone seen Glenn?" Maggie asked desperately. They all shook their heads.

"The bus is gone." Carol said. "He might have been on it. I didn't see everyone."

"Was Beth and Judy on it?" Daryl asked.

Carol shook her head. "I left Judy sleeping in her crib."

Daryl nodded. "That's the first place Beth'll check."

Carol shook her head slowly, looking at Daryl. "I shouldn't have left her. I just…"

Daryl grabbed her shoulder. "It's fine. Beth will get her."

Carl pressed closer to Daryl, trying to get his attention. "Where's dad?"

Once again, Daryl ignored him. "Come on. Get back. Away from the fences. We need to move."

Maggie shook her head. She took a step backwards. "I've got to find Glenn."

Daryl shook his head. "Maggie, we need to stick together."

"No!" She screamed. "I have to find him." Maggie turned and ran around the corner of the building, shouting for Glenn.

"Maggie!" Carol yelled.

"Let her go. We have to get out of here!" Daryl yelled.

Carl grabbed Daryl's arm, pulling on him to get his attention. "Dad!"

Daryl should tell him, he knew that. But he couldn't say it. He pulled Carl off him and pushed him towards Carol. "Carol, take 'em out through the back, through the woods." He pointed. "Follow the bus tracks. I'll find you."

"Daryl!"

"Carl, go!" Daryl said loudly. "Now! I'll wait for Beth an' Judy."

Tears welled in Carl's eyes. "No!"

"Get him out of here." Daryl said to Patrick. "Go!"

Carol nodded and Patrick grabbed Carl's hand.

Daryl turned back to the prison and pushed inside. "Beth! Beth!" He rounded the corner and nearly collided with the young girl.

"Daryl!" She was staggering under the weight of the overstuffed diaper bag, the car seat, and her gun. "I'm sorry. I couldn't…"

"Did good." He mumbled out. Daryl threw his crossbow over his shoulder and grabbed the diaper bag from her. He settled it over his shoulder and grabbed the car seat. He spared a moment to pull it towards him. "You still with us, Lil' Asskicker?" She smiled and giggled and drooled. "Okay." Daryl looked back up to Beth. "We gotta go."

Once they were back outside, Beth pulled up. "Where's Maggie?"

Daryl shrugged. "She ran off to find Glenn."

Beth stopped, hesitating. She turned and looked around them. There were walkers. Everywhere. There was no way Maggie could still be there. If she was… there was no helping her now.

"Beth, we have to get out of here. Now."

Beth hesitated for a moment longer. Then she nodded and followed close behind him.

Daryl slowed as he caught sight of Patrick. The kid was standing near the fence, shooting at the walkers. "Patrick!" Damnit. Couldn't the kid listen?

"Go." Patrick said, waving them away. "Carl and Carol are up ahead."

"Patrick, we have to go." Daryl repeated for like the millionth time. He was getting tired of reminding people.

Patrick shook his head. "Can't. Got ambushed." Patrick turned slightly and Daryl saw the bloodied bite on his neck. "It only got in a small nick before Carl shot it. But it was too late. I'll hold them off as long as I can."

"Patrick…"

Patrick shook his head and held up his hand. "Can you just… can you…" He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

Daryl stepped closer to him. "What? Tell Carl something?"

Patrick looked away, nodding. "I know he's young… both of us…" He smiled slightly. "And I know he was still trying to figure things out. An' I would have waited for as long as he need but…" Patrick's smile widened and he let out a sigh. "But I was falling in love with him. I know how it sounds but I just…" He shrugged. "I never told him. But I want him to know."

"Daryl!" Beth shrieked. More walkers were coming towards them.

"I'll hold them off." Patrick said. "It's okay. I got this." He pulled out his knife.

Daryl patted him on the shoulder. "I'll tell 'im."

Patrick nodded before he ran towards the oncoming walkers.

"Daryl! There's more!"

"Run!" Daryl set the car seat down and knelt down. He quickly unbuckled the squirming baby. "There now, baby girl." He held her against his chest and straightened up. He looked over and Beth was gone. "Shit. Come on Lil' Asskicker. We gotta catch up with Aunt Beth before she gets herself in trouble." He pulled out Rick's gun and ran the way he hoped Beth had gone.

Daryl followed the tracks of the bus out of the woods and onto the road. He'd seen no sign of Beth and Judith was beginning to fuss. He suspected she was hungry. But he didn't want to stop until he found Carl. He squinted in the light as something caught his eyes. "Carl?"

The kid was sitting in the middle of the road by himself, his legs curled to his chest. At Daryl's voice, he looked up but he didn't move or make a sound. He simply watched as Daryl came closer.

"Carol?"

Carl shook his head and looked down at the road.

Daryl bent down, grabbed Carl by the arm, and hauled him up. "Come on. Gotta find some place safe to stop and feed your sister." Carl took the baby from Daryl's arms without prompting. Daryl pulled his crossbow out and gestured for him to follow. They stayed on the road for a few hours. They passed the bus shortly after leaving. Something bad had happened there. Everyone on it was dead, in various stages of turning. They stopped long enough to feed and change Judith, then continued walking.

Daryl had gotten them out. That was all that was important. He couldn't save Rick, so he did the only thing he could to make it up to the man he'd never gotten to say 'I love you' to. He'd saved his kids. Carl and Judith. He saved Rick's kids. Everyone else was gone. But Daryl had Rick's kids. And he'd do whatever he had to do to keep them alive.

"Shhh… hear something." They'd been sitting near the edge of the road. Daryl was bouncing Judith in his lap and Carl was sifting through their pack. They'd veered off a few times, checked a couple houses. But everything they came across was either empty or overrun. They'd taken a break, long overdue. Daryl's shoulder was beginning to ache at holding Judith all the time. He thought about making some kind of sling or something to carry her in. But something about holding her to his chest comforted him.

Carl glanced up, frowning. "What?"

Daryl jumped up as a very large army vehicle came down the road towards them.

Carl's breathing quickened. "We run?" He asked slowly.

"They've seen us." Daryl said, shaking his head. "Can't outrun 'em. Ain't chancing them shooting." The vehicle began to slow and Daryl turned slightly, holding out Judith. "Take her. Get behind me. If ya think ya need to run, run. Protect your sister."

Carl nodded and hugged his sister to his chest. He moved in behind Daryl.

The truck stopped, the engine was killed, and a very large, brusque, red haired man jumped out. Two others followed suit, a thin woman with dark hair and a stout looking man with a mullet. All were dressed in camo and army gear. "Well what do we have here?" The first man said, stepping towards them.

Daryl swiftly pulled out his crossbow and held it up. "Hold up. That's close enough." He said.

"Whoa, whoa." The man said, holding up his hands. "Ain't no need to get hostile here."

The woman stepped up beside him. "Come on, he's got kids."

The man shook his head. "Don't look like his kids."

"They're mine now." Daryl growled out.

The red haired man pointedly looked around Daryl at Carl. "He ain't holding ya hostage or something kid?"

"No." Carl said loudly, still holding Judith out of view best he could. "He's family."

"Family." The man repeated.

Carl nodded his head.

The man shrugged. "Name's Abraham Ford." He said. He turned slightly and pointed to the woman. "Rosita Espinosa. And Eugene Porter."

Daryl didn't say anything. His eyes narrowed and he kept them fixed on the man.

"And you are…" He prompted.

Nope. Daryl still didn't answer.

Abraham rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Look, if we wanted to hurt ya, we could have run ya over or something. Just trying ta be friendly."

Daryl watched him for a moment longer. He nodded and lowered the crossbow. "Daryl Dixon." He said slowly. "Carl and Judith Grimes."

Rosita smiled and stepped forward. She handed her gun over to Abraham as she passed and held up her hands. "Haven't seen a baby in years. May I?"

Daryl glanced back at Carl and nodded. Carl stepped out from behind Daryl as Rosita came closer. Judith was smiling and giggling.

Rosita smiled down at her. "She's so young!"

Carl nodded. "Mom got pregnant after… but she died during birth."

"Oh…" Rosita said slowly.

"Dad died a couple days ago."

"I'm sorry."

Carl shrugged. "We all have to die sometimes."

Daryl turned around and smacked the kid in the back of the head. "Stop it. Don't talk like that."

"Why not?" Carl snapped suddenly. "Mom's dead, dad's dead. Patrick… Carol, Michonne, Glenn, Maggie, Beth, Hershel. Everyone's dead."

"I ain't."

"Yeah? For how long Daryl?"

"Carl…" He stepped closer and reached out to grab the kid's shoulder. "I'm not going anywhere."

Rosita remained where she was stand and Abraham had moved closer, both listening to the outburst with interest. No one paid any attention to their third companion. Eugene had wandered towards the back of the truck at some point, his attention on the group of walkers heading their way. He had tried to warn the others, but none of them seemed to hear. So in a blind panic, the man had grabbed a gun and began shooting.

The sound of gunfire spurred everyone into action. Rosita and Abraham ran towards the truck. Daryl grabbed Carl and pushed him behind him again. Carl shifted Judith to one side and pulled out his gun. Daryl gritted his teeth, pulled out his crossbow, and they followed. "Stay back with your sister. They get close, you back up and yell. Don't let them near her."

"Duh." Carl rolled his eyes.

Daryl jumped into the fray. He lifted his crossbow and took out a walker that was getting a bit too close to Abraham. He turned, pulled out his knife, and jumped on the next closest one. Carl kept to the back, keeping watch. He held his gun up and ready, but didn't use it. He called out once when a walk turned towards him and Daryl doubled back and shoved an arrow through its brain.

Judith was screaming as the last of the walkers were taken out. Carl bounced her slightly, the motion awkward. Daryl shouldered his crossbow and reached out for her. "Shhhh baby girl." He cooed and pressed her tight against him, tucking her head against his neck. He reached out and grabbed Carl. "Did good kid. Proud of you." He said evenly.

Abraham, Rosita, and Eugene hung back for a few minutes, talking lowly. After a moment, Abraham strode towards them, the other two on his heels. "Okay. We're going out on a limb here. We need your help."

Daryl turned slowly. "Help?"

Abraham nodded. "It's my job to get Eugene here to Washington, D.C. Alive. We've been on the road since Texas, with a much larger group. But we've run into problems. We need people, people like you."

"Why?"

"You're strong, you can handle yourself." Abraham said. "You're still alive. And the kid's pretty fearless."

Daryl shook his head and nodded towards Eugene. "Why's he need ta get ta Washington?"

"I know what started all this." Eugene said evenly. "An' I know how to stop it."

Carl's eyes widened. "You know how to stop it? Really?"

Eugene nodded. "Was communicating through satellite phones with D.C. for months. Then everything suddenly went black."

Daryl glanced at Carl. "Give us a minute."

Abraham nodded and the three of them walked back to the truck.

Daryl turned, moved closer to Carl. "What'd you think?"

Carl's eyes lit up. "Sounds like saving the world."

Daryl smirked slightly and nodded. "Yeah. Wanna go?"

"Hell yes!"

Daryl thought about it for a moment. It was dangerous. They'd said they'd lost most of their group on the way. But then again… so did they. Daryl let his guard down, he stopped looking for the Governor. And then the man had taken everything away from him. But he wouldn't let anyone take away Carl and Judith. "Yeah." Daryl said loudly, turning around. "Yeah. We'll go. One condition."

"What?"

"We double back." Daryl said. "Prolly an hour. We passed a store a few days ago but it was too over run for us to handle ourselves, not with the baby. An' we're running low on her shit."

Abraham nodded. "Sounds fine."

Carl grabbed their bags and they all piled in the truck. Abraham turned the truck around and with Daryl's vague directions they made it to the store. Judith was fast asleep and was left in the truck with Eugene. "Don't touch her." Daryl warned before he, Carl, Abraham, and Rosita headed into the small store.

They cleared it quickly and soon were dragging out everything they could get their hands on. Eugene was lying down in the truck bed. Judy was awake and giggling. She was sitting beside his head, pulling at his hair. "She woke up and started crying." Eugene explained. "I did not touch her."

They piled back in the truck and pulled back on the road. About twenty minutes later, Abraham was slowing the truck again. He pulled it to a stop and leaned forward. "Got a walker."

Daryl stood up in the truck bed, squinting in the sun at it. "One walker. Just leave it."

"Could be more."

Daryl shrugged, then stopped. The walker had turned around, looked at them, and turned back. It was still walking away from them. "Wait. Gun the engine."

Abraham did, revving the loud engine.

"That's not a walker."

"Will be soon enough." Rosita said. "Covered in blood."

Carl stood up, looking as well. "Beth?"

Daryl lifted his hand, trying to block out the sun as he squinted. "You sure?"

"No." Carl said. "But it looks like her."

"From behind, looks like a lot of people."

"I think its Beth."

Daryl nodded slowly, grabbed his crossbow, and jumped from the back of the truck. "That possibly could be a friend. Can you guys wait here for a moment? Let me check it out?"

Abraham looked at Eugene and Rosita. "Sure. Hurry. We need to get back on the road."

Daryl nodded and looked back at Carl. "Carl, stay here."

The kid nodded. "Be careful."

Daryl grunted and jogged down the street towards the possible walker. "Beth!" He called out.

She paused, turned, and it was Beth. She was splashed head to toe with blood and viscera. Her clothes were wrinkled and dirty. And she showed no recognition. She turned back around and started walking again.

"Beth." Daryl caught up with her. He reached out to grab her shoulder and she spun around, knife suddenly in hand. She held it up against Daryl's throat. "Easy girl." He said slowly, not moving. "Beth, its Daryl."

She tilted her head slowly and blinked a few times. "Daryl?" Her eyes slowly widened. Her arm dropped and she put her knife away. "Daryl!" She threw her arms around him, hugging him tight. She was trembling as she pulled away. "Carl? Judith?"

Daryl nodded, a smile tugging at his lips. "They're good. They're in the truck."

"Carol?"

The smile faltered from Daryl's lips and he shook his head.

She nodded slowly. "Anyone else?"

He shook his head again. "We found the bus. They were all turned. They didn't far from the prison."

"Maggie?"

Daryl shrugged. "Sorry. We didn't stick around to see who was on it."

She bit her lip and looked away.

"Beth…"

"You have anything to eat?" She asked, turning to look at him. "I haven't eaten anything in a few days."

Daryl nodded. "Yeah. We'll see if Rosita has something that'll fit you. Get you… cleaned up."

"Rosita."

Daryl nodded again and started walking towards the truck. Beth dashed forward, grabbing his arm in a vice grip. "You're okay." He said softly. "I got ya."

She nodded and said nothing as they approached the truck. Carl was standing in front with Judith in his arms, bouncing on his heels. He was smiling brightly and waved. Abraham, Eugene, and Rosita were slowly getting out.

"This is Beth." Daryl said as they got close enough. She still hadn't let go of him. "Beth, this is Abraham, Eugene, and Rosita. They were headed to Washington. Eugene says he knows what's going on and can stop it." Daryl shrugged. "We're tagging along. Saving the world an' all that shit."

Beth nodded slowly, offered them a small smile, and looked back down.

"Uh… Rosita…" Daryl started, looking over Beth.

Rosita nodded quickly, following his train of thought. "Yeah, I something that'll fit her. Come on." Beth still refused to let go of Daryl. Between the two of them, Daryl and Rosita, they maneuvered Beth to the back of the truck. Daryl turned away as Rosita helped Beth wash and change out of her soiled clothes.

Beth smiled at Rosita. "Thank you." She said softly, still hanging onto Daryl's arm.

"Come on." Rosita said with a smile. "Abraham. It's lunch time."

Abraham rolled his eyes as he leaned against the truck. "We should be on the road. We've wasted enough time."

"I could eat." Eugene said. "We take a break now. Then we can take turns driving. We'll catch up and be back on track by morning."

Abraham pushed off the truck. "Fine."

They gathered in the back of the truck as they ate. Judith was sleeping soundly, tucked in a blanket in Daryl's lap. Beth was pressed against Daryl's side. He fought back the urge to flinch away from her. He still had personal space issues and these damned kids couldn't stay away. But something about the darkness in her eyes stopped him. "Beth… what happened?" He asked softly after they finished eating. "At the prison. You were right in front of me."

She was silent for a moment, picking at the label on the bottle of water in her hands. "A group of walkers cut me off… I tried to get away from them. I got turned around and lost… ended up pretty far away from the prison. They were everywhere." She tilted her head. "And I heard these voices… but… they were bad men. I could tell. They were bad men." A shiver passed through her. "I thought I could hide from them and wait until they passed but… they found me. And they were bad men." She said slowly, shaking her head. "Bad men. But I did what they said, I followed their rules, and I waited until they let their guard down. They all got drunk and… I killed them. All of them. They were bad men." Her voice cracked a bit and she blinked her eyes. "I killed all of them three nights ago. They were bad men."

Daryl wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer against him. She leaned into him for a moment, blinked the tears away, and pulled back. "We all have jobs to do. We can't cry anymore." She said. "That's what daddy used to say. They were bad men. We all have jobs to do."

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Author's Notes: Originally… the entire 6 year summary was gonna be like two paragraphs. XD Less than a page in my notebook. But when I went to type it out… decided I didn't like the short summary. So I deleted it and ended up with this. Which isn't even the whole summary! GRRR! So there will be another summary chapter. And then we'll bring out Walker Rick to play with.

Also… all the chapter titles were going to be things Judy said somewhere in the chapter. (I like chapter title themes.) But then I had to delete my short basic summary and rewrite this thing and Judy has no lines because she's still a baby through the whole thing. XD So maybe I'll switch between Carl and Judy themed titles.

And OMG! Writing a death scene with Rick about KILLED me! KILLED ME! POOR RICK! Also poor Carl. And seriously, POOR BETH! WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?! Torturing everyone!