There was a box sitting on his bunk when he got back to his perch in the prison. Daryl had claimed that guard room as his own when they first moved in and was still there. The thought of being in one of the cells just gave him chills and he hardly even visited the others when they were in their sleeping space. So it wasn't hard for people to figure out where his room was located, and now someone had left something for him.
It was a plain brown cardboard box, with the top flaps folded over each other to keep it closed. It didn't move or smell funny, so he wasn't too suspicious, but it was an odd occurrence for him to find anything left without a note. He set his things down, making sure his bow was secure, before approaching the bunk and the box. Daryl poked the side of the box first, and then feeling silly he looked out the windows surround the room to see if anyone was around to watch. Thankfully the cell block appeared to be empty.
He sighed and grabbed the top flaps, pulling them apart from each other and opening the box. The contents made him pause again. There was a hunting knife on top, a Bowie in a nice leather sheath. He let his fingers slide over the side of the handle and sheath for a moment before picking it up. It felt like a good knife, and the handle was well constructed. He set it aside to look at what was underneath though.
There was a large piece of folded cloth at the bottom, and he pulled it out of the box. It turned out to be a dark blue fleece blanket, with thin strips of green at the edges. It felt soft, and warm, and would be the perfect thing to have on his bed as the weather grew colder. The knife could have come from anyone who knew how he spent his time, but the blanket was different. There was only one person who worried about his comfort enough to give him something like that.
He looked around the room and then the cell block, again, and she was on the walkway outside again. "Did you?"
Carol nodded, "Happy Birthday."
"How did you know it as my birthday?" He folded the blanket and set it at the foot of the bed, and set the empty box on the floor.
"A few months ago you told me. We were talking about Sophia and being kids, and I asked. I just remembered what day it was." She shrugged, "I thought that someone should remember."
He touched the soft fabric again, nodding slowly, "Thank you."