Plans are in vain

Note: This chapter follows the story line of the last two episodes in season 1. Again, dialogues have been cut, as you know to well what happens in the series. It concentrates on Carol and Daryl (obviously). I hope you'll enjoy reading!

Daryl's eyes were on the road, but they looked absent minded. His thought was still with Merle, even if his main priority was surviving now. And…

He looked at his right at the silent women.

"What happened…did you find him…?" Carol asked about Merle. With the craziness of the two past nights, no one said anything about what they found in Atlanta.

"No. He chopped his hand off to escape. Got out the building. Probably stole our van, that's why we returned on foot" his eyes squinted, as he rubbed his cheekbone with his thumb.

"He's alive" Carol concluded.

Daryl nodded.

"Listen, what I said about Merle…" she started saying.

"I know, Carol. Didn't realize it then, 'cause I was too blinded by m' anger. But you almost made me let it at all on ya and I don't like that".

"I hoped it would help you find your brother and return safely. Only that mattered in the time given".

The car in front of him honked and that was the sign to stop. He pulled over as did Shane who was behind him. They got out of the car and walked to Dale's van. Again, the hose had broken. And, moreover Jim was felling worse. He asked of Rick to leave him behind, next to a tree to go in peace. It was a hard moment for everyone, fulfilling his last wish. But they did as asked after Shane and T-Dog returned with a spare hose they had found at a gas station on the near hill. Jim was left alone to die under the setting sun, as he had wished.

"If that ever happens to me, ya put bullet in my head" Daryl said as the cars left one by one. "Ok?"

He didn't waited for and answer and Carol eyes closed exhausted.

Carol looked into the mirror and arranged that last lock of her curly bob. She went with her palms over the material of her green dress, which stopped above her knee. It was sitting perfectly after all Carol had sewed it with the greatest care. As her eyes were still in the mirror she wondered why she felt so nervous. Coming to pick her up in a few minutes was the closest soul to her, the person she had always felt comfortable with. Her. She had always felt herself around him.

Carol heard the car and rushed down.

"Where' you running?" her father had interrupted her.

"To prom, dad, remember?"

He looked up from his newspaper, taking a sip from his beer.

"You' going with that Dixon boy?"

"Yes".

He nodded thinking.

"Is he going to marry you?"

Carol laughed at that thought and made a sign with her hands towards her father. She opened the door, Daryl was in front of his car, pushing a rock with his foot. He looked up hearing her and his lips smiled.

A bump woke up Carol from her dream. She rubbed her eyes and sighted realizing she wasn't heading to prom, but the CDC in hope to find something. But then she laughed, with all her heart.

"What's so funny?" Daryl asked looking shortly at her.

"I dreamed about prom. We're struggling just to stay alive and I fall asleep and dream about prom".

He also laughed as he looked again at her.

"Was I also in ya dream?"

"Who else?" she smiled as her eyes fell on the gear mirror to her right. She noticed her reflection in it and she was comfortable and pleased with what she saw. She huffed and a bitter smile took over her lips.

"I realized one day, as I was looking into a mirror, cleaning it, how I had felt that evening before you came to pick me up for prom. How good I felt thinking I was going to be myself with you. And as I was cleaning that mirror I thought of Ed, how I feared the moment he would come home. I put down my cleaning supplies, packed a little bag and ran directly home to my dad".

Daryl remained silent, pressing his lips together.

"We're close" he said as he saw the city appearing on the horizon.

Soon the cars in front of him slowed down. The sun was setting as they got out, looking at the devastated area, the many bodies, half rotten. The smell was almost unbearable as they walked up to the building. They checked the shutters, Shane pulled on them.

"Nothing?" Shane asked.

"There's nobody here" T-Dog said.

"Then why are these shutters down?" Rick asked, still holding on to his hope.

"Walkers!"

Daryl turned to the approaching walker, shooting an arrow in its head.

"You led us into a graveyard!" he said angry, walking up to Rick. Everybody's nerves were tensed on the edge of rupturing.

"He made a call!" Shane took Rick's side approaching Daryl. "Just shut up!" he pushed the man away and turned to Rick.

Carol felt her blood freezing in her veins as the night was setting slowly in.

"Rick, this is a dead end!" Shane hurried Rick.

"Where're we gonna go?" Carol asked her voice trembling.

"Do you hear me? No blame!" Shane insisted.

"He's right, we can't be this close to the city at night fall" Lori's voice started agitating as well.

Rick looked up at the building, while Shane said something about Fort Benning.

Carol turned to look at the area, but all she could see were bodies. Nothing, no solution formed in her mind or in any mind. Fort Benning was too far, there was not enough fuel or food.

"We need answered tonight!" Lori rushed Rick.

"We'll think of something!" Rick tried calming her down.

"Let's go, let's go, please!" Everybody hurried, deciding to return to the cars.

But Rick remained behind.

"The camera, it moved!" he made a sign with his hand for them to return.

"You imagined it" Dale said with a little hope in his voice.

"It moved" Rick calmed.

Shane hurried up to Rick trying to convince him that everyone there was dead, but Rick started begging looking into the camera. It was his last drop of hope, not even Lori could convince him to let it go. He hit the shutters making too much noise, his voice went up. Shane grabbed him, pulling him back, Rick yelled and yelled. Their hope was all lost when the shutters finally opened.

They entered the empty hallways of the imposing building and looked around, still with fear in their throats. As they heard the sound of a loaded gun, they all raised their guns at an approaching man. He was alone, he had no uniform on.

"Anybody infected?" he called out.

"One of our group was…he didn't make it" Rick replied between breaths.

"Why are you here? What do you want?" the man took a few steps closer.

"A chance" Rick replied.

"That's asking an awful lot these days".

"I know…" Rick was out of words.

The man wondered his eyes on all the people that had entered the building and he was clearly trying to make a decision.

"You'll all submit to a blood test, that's the price of admission".

"We can do that" Rick nodded.

"If you got stuff to bring in do it now, once those doors shut they remain shut".

Shane, Daryl, Rick and Glenn ran out, grabbing all the bags from the cars. Carol approached Lori, placing her palm on the shivering shoulder of Carl. Her eyes followed the man outside, her heart pumping blood like insane. It took them several minutes to return while T-Dog and Dale watched the doors, backing them up. Finally they came back and the doors got closed and secured.

"Rick Grimes" Rick offered his hand.

"Dr. Edward Jenner" he said more calmly, shaking his hand.

They entered an elevator, but Daryl was not going to relax yet, his riffle and crossbow were still in his hands ready to shoot. The doctor joked a little with Carl, making him feel more comfortable.

As they got out of the lift, Carol felt a nod in her throat and cold sweat on her forehead.

"Are we underground?" she asked.

"You're claustrophobic?" the doctor asked back.

"A little…"

"Try not to think about it".

She tried calming herself as they entered a big room, as empty as the hallways before. The doctor explained he was the only one remaining. Carol took a deep breathe in and felt Daryl's palm on her shoulder.

"Hey…" he whispered his tone comforting.

"I'm ok" he assured him, swallowing hard and placing a little smile on her lips.

They walked into another room and Jenner performed the blood test on each of them. Andrea felt nausea as she stood up from the chair after her blood test.

"Are you ok?" Jenner asked.

"She hasn't eaten in days" Jackie replied, helping Andrea. "None of us has".

"Oh…" Jenner said. "Well, follow me".

They all looked surprised at the area the doctor had led them to. A kitchen, a lounge, a table. He opened drawers, cabinets, lockers filled with food and drinks.

"This is…" Lori felt her words leaving her.

"Just help yourself" Jenner smiled, picking out a bottle of red wine.

Carol approached Lori, also looking at the amounts of food.

"Are you thinking what I am thinking?" Lori asked.

"You boil the pasta, I'll make the sauce" Carol said her eyes still on the food.

"Yes, ma'am" Lori smiled, grabbing a pot and the paste.

Carol turned around to start her part of the cooking, but she faced Daryl.

"Ya' sure you're ok to cook now?" he asked a little concerned. There was a bottle of wine in his hands that he was opening while staring at her.

"Keeping the mind busy is the best" she nodded, taking a sip from the bottles in his hands. "I'll need this to cook" she winked and turned to the stove.

"Hey, don't steal my booze, woman!" he joked, enjoying her good mood.

With all those hands around and hungry mouths dinner was ready in no time. And stomachs filled, nerves calmed, the atmosphere got much more than pleasant. And Daryl never missed the chance to fill the glasses, while he was directly drinking out of a bottle. They made jokes on behalf of Carl and Glenn, until Shane interrupted their laughs asking what had happened there. Jenner had to explain how everybody had left, through the door or with a bullet in their heads, after the military cordon was broken. Smiles disappeared from the faces and dinner was over sooner than planned.

But the good mood returned when Jenner took them to the rooms they could sleep in and mentioned the hot water in the showers.

Carol watched their faces turn into smiles again as all rushed to whatever room they could pick, their minds only with the hot water. She had to stop for a second realizing what few they needed those days to have a bit of happiness.

"Carol" Daryl woke her up from her daydreaming. "No rooms left, you can…share with me. I'll get a bed from the basement" he added trying to hide a smirk. He pointed to a room, threw his bag in and passed her to get the bed.

She looked after him and entered, placing her bag on the floor. She took a deep breathe in, her body started relaxing. Carol went into the bathroom doing what everyone was enjoying: taking a hot shower. And, what she used to have on a daily bases, felt like heaven now.

When she came out, dressed in a pair of simple black pajamas and a thin robe on, Daryl had returned installing his bed on the floor. The wine bottle was still next to him and he took sips from it every now and then.

"Enjoyed the water?" he asked as he finished.

"It was dreamy. You should rush before the others don't finish it all. I am going to that recreational room, maybe I will find a book".

"Bring me one as well if it has pictures in it" he joked opening the door to the bathroom. He looked shortly at her, somehow pleased and disappeared for the shower.

Carol found Carl in the recreational room and played checkers with him until Lori came to take him to bed. She picked up two books and returned to her shared room, finding Daryl arrange his weapons. He was clean and smelled nice, his hair half wet.

"We are safe here" she said closing the door after her and sitting on the couch.

"Ya never to safe" he replied placing his riffle away. He picked up the wine bottle and handed it to her. His feet weren't too sure as he walked and sat next to her, looking at the two books.

"Ya making fun of me?" he asked pointing to the children's book.

"It was the only one I could find with pictures in it" she teased him.

He puffed, browsing a little in it and throwing it away. He picked the bottle from Carol's hand, took a sip and stretched his body, sighting long. His mind was blurred; the wine had gotten to him. Carol also stretched her limbs, supporting her weight on her elbow. Her eyes were resting on his handsome features, she had always enjoyed watching him.

"This might be the first night we will actually get some real sleep" she whispered.

He opened his eyes, turning to her. His fingers wandered on her cheek.

"Why'd I never kissed ya that night?" he asked her.

"We were not going to prom as a couple, remember? We just had no one else to go with".

"That's not true, I saw ya saying no to a guy".

"And you never asked another girl" she chuckled.

"And ya made yourself so pretty that night".

"And you even wore a white, elegant shirt".

"I was young and dumb" he laughed and stretched back. "Very dumb" he whispered as his voice lowered. His eyes closed, he fell asleep in an instance.

"Rest…" Carol stroked his cheek. She pulled him in the right position and covered him with a blanket. She ended up sleeping on the military bed, but she didn't care. She could finally close her eyes and feel secure again. The first time in…she had forgotten how many years.

Carol woke up the first and moved slowly around the room, as she didn't want to disturb Daryl. He was still dozing off and the calm image of him warmed Carol's heart. She left the room heading for the kitchen where T-Dog was cooking scrambled eggs. Rick had a mild hang over, Shane some strange marks on his neck and Glenn felt like dying. She sat and ate the tasty eggs, drinking warm coffee, enjoying her morning like everyone else.

"Hope ya all kept me some coffee" Daryl entered. He passed, brushing Carol's shoulders and poured himself some coffee. He turned staring directly into Carol's eyes, the corner of his lip going up. Jenner appeared and Dale asked him questions that Daryl didn't hear. His mind was thinking of the comfortable couch…and the military bed. He had to hide a grin as he didn't intend for it to be used much longer.

Jenner asked them to follow him. He turned the big monitor of the control room on. They watched the images of a brain, alive, dying and coming back to life. He explained them all how the virus was working or at least as much as he knew.

"Everything went down, communication, directions, all, I've been in the dark for almost a month" he concluded.

"Man, I' gonna get shit faced drunk…again" Daryl rubbed his eyes.

"Dr. Jenner, I know this has been taxing for you and I hate to ask one more question, but…that clock is counting down" Dale pointed at the red numbers. "What happens at zero?"

"The…basement generators run out of fuel" he replied as his eyes became absent minded.

"And then?" Rick asked, but the doctor just walked away. The computer answered that question saying something about decontamination.

They walked back to their room, but Rick decided to check the generators with Shane and T-Dog and Glenn.

Daryl returned to his room with another bottle of alcohol. He sat on the couch and looked at the standing Carol.

"I have a strange feeling about this" Carol said.

"It don't matter, we' safe here" he said without believing it. He took a sip from the bottle. "This was supposed to…"

He didn't get to finish his sentence as the light was turned off. He stood up and looked outside the door. The others were also starting to worry, the air conditioner went off. Jenner passed, dressed better and grabbed Daryl's bottle of alcohol.

"What's going on?" Daryl asked.

"Energy use is being prioritized" he replied and everyone followed him as he walked back to the main control room. Daryl was trying to get an answer out of the doctor, but he just kept walking. The other returned form the basement, no fuel had been found. Their nerves started tensing again and he talked about the French being the last to hold on in their research labs.

"The world runs on fossil fuel, I mean how stupid is that?" Jenner said.

Shane angered, but Rick held him from jumping at the doctor.

"I don't even care. Lori, grab our things, everybody get your stuff, we're getting out of here NOW!"

Everybody agreed, nodding, turning, but the doors closed on them. They were trapped in the room.

"You son of a bitch!" Daryl lost control and ran to the doctor.

"Shane!" Rick screamed fearing Daryl was capable of getting the man unconscious and without him there would have been no way out.

T-Dog also jumped at Daryl, there had to be two to hold him from smashing his liquor bottle on Jenner's head.

Rick raised his voice at him demanding for him to open the doors, he kept calm saying it was not his call. But at some point Jenner lost his temper, yelling at them that the CDC protects the world from things they would never like to encounter, from diseases that would wipe out half of the country. He calmed and sat down, explaining what would happen in the event of the world running out of fuel, or a terrorist attack. The building would destroy itself in a fast explosion to terminate all the bacteria, microbes and diseases CDC had ever handled. And at that explanation, Shane and Daryl grabbed some axes and started hitting the doors with all their power. Jenner was trying to explain them this death was preferable for the short life outside, followed by the brutal death.

Daryl wasn't hearing it, or didn't want to. His only thought was getting out of there. His survival instinct was greater than anything and he was getting out there by all means. He hit the door again and again. He was not going to die there and neither was Carol. He heard them all talk to Jenner until the doctor addressed him and Shane saying the doors were designed to live a missile assault. At that point Daryl lost it again.

"You're head ain't!" he jumped, decided to hit Jenner with the axe in the skull. Giving up on life like that was something he despised greatly in a person.

"Daryl! Back off" T-Dog, Shane and even Dale had to hold him this time.

He calmed a little, walking in circles hearing Jenner say that this was their extinction moment. This was the end of the world.

Carol felt her tears run out of her eyes.

"This isn't right, you can't hold us here. None of us deserves to die like this!" she gasped.

Shane lost it as well. He grabbed his riffle and walked to the doctor, pointing it at his head. Daryl looked at him, waiting interested.

"If he dies, we all die. Shane!" Rick begged him and Shane let a loud growl out as he started shooting the computers around. Rick finally grabbed the weapon out of his hands and put him down.

They all looked at Rick, searching for a hope. Daryl was still trying to catch his breath of fury. And as Rick found the desire of hope in their eyes, he regained his. He talked calmer to Jenner. But those words were in vain for Daryl, and he went back to the door and started hitting it again. If he was going to die then at least he would go down kicking and fighting. He wouldn't just wait for it…he wouldn't just give, look helpless into her eyes, that was something he just couldn't do. He would fight, until the last possible moment. He was about to hit it again, when Jenner finally opened the door.

"Come on!" Daryl demanded, looking back at them.

They ran to the door, Jenner shook Rick's hand, whispering something in his ear. And Jackie argued with T-Dog: she was not coming. She was staying. She begged him to leave, this was her choice. Andrea decided to stay as well, but Dale just couldn't watch her die. He made a sign to everybody to get out, he will follow them. They ran for their lives up the stairs, with the flashlights leading their way. There was no time for thoughts just for surviving. As they finally reached the surface area, they tried everything to break the window. Shooting it, hitting it, nothing worked.

And then Carol recalled.

"Rick, I have something that might work" she stuck her hand in her back and searched like mad. Her hand was shivering, but she finally touched the object she was searching for. "When I washed your clothes first day on camp I found this" she said handing the grenade to Rick.

He looked desperate at her and the grenade and picked it up.

"Everybody down!" Shane called and they ran covering their heads. Rick placed the grenade next to the window and it took him a moment to realize it was going to explode fast. He ran and was thrown by the explosion a meter away. But he was fine and everybody was up on their feet again, running to the cars. They shot whatever walker approached, hitting perfectly every time.

Daryl and Carol reached the car at the same time. They closed the doors and looked back at the building.

"Why aren't we goin'?" Daryl asked with his hand on the keys.

"Look" Carol said pointing to Dale exiting with Andrea.

Rick started honking and Lori screamed at them to get down.

Daryl placed his arm around Carol's shoulders and pulled her down. Her right hand embraced his head and she felt his hard breathe tickle her shoulder as they both had bent, cheek to cheek, holding on to each other. Their hearts pounded as the building exploded, shaking the ground and cars. They felt the heat close to them, but the sound was fading. They finally raised their heads, looking in each other's eyes. Daryl's hand went on Carol's cheek as her fingers were in his hair. It wasn't just his survival instinct that made him fight like insane for his life.

"Ya staying alive for me, ya here me?" he managed whispering. She closed her eyes and pressed her lips, a tear rolling down her cheek as her fingers were holding tighter on his hair. Their foreheads met for a second as they both took a deep breathe in.

Daryl raised his head and looked behind. Shane was fine. Dale and Andrea were fine. All the cars were intact. Finally the van started going slowly. One by one the cars left the flaming CDC to an unknown future.

End Note: Thank you for reading! The next chapter will take place in season 2. I know the season is heavily based on the missing of Sophia, so bare with me until I figure something out!