“Daryl!”

Only the silence of the forest answered you. Again and again, some Walkers looked out through the trees, attracted by the sound of your voice. It was risky to scream but you couldn’t do anything else to search for your ally. You had no idea where you were and what time it was. The forest was so dense that you couldn’t see the position of the sun in the sky and therefore at least understood to which direction you orient yourself. And the wounds and abrasions you suffered started to burn. You had to find a way to get rid of those wet clothes and replace them with something dry before it gets dark. You couldn’t risk weakening yourself or worse, getting sick. You couldn’t afford it at all. Not now that you were alone and especially not in these times. You started to make as much noise as possible because of the panic, clapped your hands, started to whistle… And as you walked on, you looked around and checked the area. The Walkers attracted by the whistle slowly approached and this gave you time to kill them with one of the daggers. The body fell to the floor with a thump, you looked at him and tilted your head to one side. He was a man of about thirty, average build, wearing jeans, a T-shirt, and a long-sleeved shirt under it. The clothes were not in a bad condition, dirty and worn, of course, but at least dry. The idea of ​​removing it from a dead body made you shudder over your back, but you had no choice. You resisted your disgust and began unbuttoning his pants. The clothes stank enormously… When the dawn broke, you hadn’t found a refuge where you could dry your clothes, much less find Daryl. Finally, you were happy with an old barn that you had found at the edge of the forest. You shut yourself up and hid yourself in a corner to create a kind of nest of old straw. You were trembling at the coldness and humidity that had crept under your skin, so you tried to cover yourself as much as possible and rest for a while until morning. You squeezed your eyes shut and breathed into the shirt you had stolen from the dead man so as not to dispel the heat. Four words buzzed in your head. The last Daryl addressed to you. I will find you…

“Hey, get up.”

“Daryl!”

The man stood in front of you. He looked at you with his usual arrogant look. “Told ya’ I would find ya’.”

You smiled and were happy to see him again. “Of course! You are the hunter.”

He reached out a hand to help you get up. “C'mon, the rest ’s waitin’ for us.”

“The rest?”

“Yeah, get up, c'mon.”

“I don’t believe it, did you find them, where?”, you asked, excited at the thought of seeing Rick and everyone else again. But Daryl didn’t answer me. He remained silent with his outstretched hand, waiting for you to grab it. You reached out your arm and just when you wanted to grab his hand you woke up… It was just a dream…

Sunlight penetrated the wood planks like a sharp blade into the barn. ‘I’ll find you’…, you sighed and got up, determined to continue the journey. Your whole body ached horribly. The fall caused several bruises on the legs, arms and back. Your stomach was covered with bruises and wounds. Once you’ve decided which direction to take, you’re thinking of leaving as many hints as possible to show your way. In front of the barn you created a kind of huge arrow, which indicated which way you will go, and under it you left the name 'Daryl’.

'I will find you.’, you repeated and hoped…

Dawn showed you the direction: East. You went through the woods, looking for a street, on alert, to put yourself at risk. Being alone again made you very sad, especially because this time you didn’t choose to leave voluntarily. You were ready to start over, make an effort to be friends with Daryl and accept him and his nature. But fate has decided to make fun of you. But it wasn’t over yet. Daryl will find you as he has done in the past and together you will continue from where you left off. You trusted his skills. You were sure that you would be together again in a few days. Because alone you wouldn’t know how long you would survive.

❝Beginning of October:

Daryl Dixon is dead. I’m not sure, but it’s very likely that’s the case. Otherwise he would have found me. There is no other explanation. I left all sorts of signs to emphasize my presence, but after ten days we still didn’t get together. I feel the same things that I felt when I lost you all. When I realized that I wouldn’t see you again. Pain, resignation, disappointment, despair. But this time I’m not sad because I finally accept the fact that you inevitably remain alone in this world. We live and die alone. This Apocalypse doesn’t grant us the luxury of loving, but only survival, and whoever doesn’t recognize or even reject it dies. I don’t want to die when I’m sitting in a corner waiting for my end to come. If I have to leave this world, I want to fight against it. I want to give my life a bit of dignity. I want to be proud of myself and I want you all to stay that way. The only consolation I can get out of this situation is to think that you’re back together somewhere and that somehow you’re protecting me. Tell Daryl if he’s alive, I’m sorry. I wanted to make it and wished we were finally back together as a family or at least as what was left of it. And all in all, he was the best companion I could wish next to you. I love you all.

Y/N.❞

No Walker came near you to attack you as they crossed the deserted street in a very small town. The only sound you heard was otherwise that of your stomach, because you used up the food supply two days ago. But you can not continue to eat flies and worms… On the right side, a mini-market seemed to be just right for you. You approached slowly as a Walker came out from behind the corner of the building, trying to reach out with outstretched arms. You stopped him by taking his dirty T-shirt and removing it far enough from your reach, then ramming the blade through the mouth, cutting off the disgusting sound they emitted when they saw prey. “Shut up, you ugly asshole.” The door of the shop was locked and you, with a little patience, began to break it open. Nevertheless, you waited a few minutes before you entered to be around, that no other Walker wanted to surprise you by attacking you. Shortly thereafter you controlled the shelves, many empty, others in disarray. All surfaces were covered with a thick layer of dust. After that time, since the apocalypse began, there were only a few edible things left, some canned food, snacks, some junk food. You couldn’t be picky anymore. You filled the bag with everything else yoy could carry and went out shortly afterwards to enjoy your lunch. You climbed onto the roof of a car without a tire and opened a box of dried fruit. The noise you made nevertheless attracted a Walker and he came up to you with small steps, which still allowed the reduced length of his legs. Long hair stretched to the waist, mixed with blood and dirt. The clothes that once looked pink are now gray and crumpled. As soon as the Walker saw you, it hurried to you. You tilted your head to one side. “How long have you been wandering around, little girl?”, you asked softly and sadly. The Walker ​​showed you his rotten teeth without lips, damned to walk around for eternity. With a quick jump you hopped off the car and walked towards her, the machete ready. The glassy eyes no longer transmitted emotions. But you were sad. “It’s time to rest…”, you told her and when she was only one step away from you, you rammed the blade into her skull. Later, you took a short tour around the city to see if you could find anything interesting or useful anywhere, so you didn’t look for anything specific. Most of the time, you looked in abandoned cars, looking for useful resources, even though you weren’t very successful. The last car you checked caught your attention more than the other cars: In the backseat, you saw a familiar color comic book. You opened the door and pulled it out with a tear running down your face, because suddenly you realized: There is nothing better here and it will never be the same again. Before you left the city, you laid the Walker you killed in front of the shop in the middle of the street, arms open at forty-five degrees, to simulate an arrow pointing in the direction you walked. Part of you still hoped someone was always looking for you.

The boy layed cross-legged on his bed and read a comic book about a superhero.

»Hi.«, you said.

He turned to see who was bothering his moment of relaxation. He looked at a new, unfamiliar face and frowned. »And who are you?«, he inquisitorily inquired.

»My name is Y/N.«

The boy’s blue eyes studied you carefully and wisely. His serious and frowning expression betrayed him and revealed to you who he was before he spoke to you.

»So you’re Rick Grimes’s son.«, you said, smiling. He sat up, careful not to bang his head against the upper bed. His dark hair covered his forehead. He nodded weakly. »My name is Carl, did you arrive here alone in the prison?«

»No. Your father and the other guy with the crossbow found me, they saved my life.«

Carl rested his elbows on his legs and crossed his fingers. »They’re good at it.«, he replied, nodding gravely.

You thought about how unfair it would be for a boy of his age to grow up in a world like this, where it isn’t possible to be carefree and defenseless, as only they know how to be. You watched him intently to understand what he had lost in his young life to get where he was. At the time you didn’t know what he had to do to his mother.



❝End of October:

Time passes, the days get shorter and the available light gets less and less. It has been some time since I was alone. Without you. Without Daryl. I haven’t crossed a living person since the Walkers overran the house. I wonder if it really makes any sense to keep this up. Sometimes I think it’s a lot easier to finish my life. I don’t have the courage anymore. Not without enough weapons. But then it would be so easy to press the trigger. It is raining now. I’m writing from a car I found on the street. It probably belonged to a Walker now lying on the asphalt, his skull smashed by my boots. I will spend the night here and wait for the next day. Bye for now.

Y/N.❞

The morning after the rain, it allowed you to leave the car. The sun continues to show you the way to the east. You left the letter on the dashboard and wrote with blood big 'Daryl D.’ to the door. After about a month, a walk in the silence is annoying and depressing at the same time. So you started singing some meaningless sentences so as not to lose the urge to reality.

“Alone, I fight, alone, until I’m home…”

At home. But which house? You immediately became sad again and decided to stop. Then suddenly a group of Walkers came out of the forest. You looked at seven, then eight, nine, twelve… It looked like a small herd and it worried you. They approached you, probably through the sound of your voice. Out of the bushes came out more, but suddenly they changed direction and went through the trees on the opposite side of the road. Yoy ran with a quick step, careful not to trip through some obstacle, and checked behind you if the danger was far enough away to be a threat. On your right, a rustle of dry leaves on the ground attracted your attention. It didn’t seem to be a Walker, but you, by nature suspicious, kept running. You moved to the left and tried as far as possible parallel to run from the road and at the same time not to land in the group of Walkers. Then again, you heard a rustling a few feet away from you. You turned around, but your eyes saw no one. Were you crazy? Now the sound, which sounded like steps became louder and came closer and whoever it radiated, didn’t seem to try to hide it so as not to be discovered. The hope of seeing your ally grew strong in you, then creating a void in your chest.

“Daryl, is that you?” The footsteps stopped suddenly. Someone grabbed you behind you and any movement was impossible. Yoy fell to the ground while a heavier body blocked you like a vice. He held your hands behind your back and prevented you from reaching the machete.

“Yes, darling.”, he whispered in your ear. “Your Daryl is back!”, answered a roaring laughter. Then he turned to someone else. “Here we are, let’s take her to the field, Joe will be glad to see such a beautiful girl!”

“Let me go!”, you protest and got as the only answer still a laugh. They tied your hands with a rope and confiscated your weapons and the food bag. Someone grabbed your shoulders and turned to you. A stranger towered over you. You spat in his face to make him angry. “You’ll get that back later, bitch!”, he told you in a deep voice. And while the strangers were kidnapping you, the words Rick had said to you some time ago came back into your head.

“Fight the dead, keep the living alive.”