Daryl huffed and buried his head under the pillows as he tried to drown out the sounds coming from Abraham and Rosita's room. He couldn't make out exactly what was going on, but he heard a lot of whispering and giggling, so he had a pretty good idea.

They'd been in Alexandria for two weeks, and he was already getting tired of his housemates. He currently shared a large, four-bedroom house with Abraham, Rosita, Eugene, and Carol.

If it wasn't Abraham and Rosita bothering him with their lovemaking, then it was Eugene, talking incessantly in that deadpan way of his, trying to talk all smart at him. It was annoying.

Carol was the only one that didn't bother him. Maybe it was because he'd been around her since the beginning, but she never got on his nerves like the others did.

The bed started to squeak in the next room, and Daryl had had enough. He banged a fist on the wall, making sure that both of them knew damn well that he could hear them, and he wasn't amused. Abraham replied by laughing loudly. The squeaking didn't stop.

"Good Lord," he muttered, getting out of the bed. So much for enjoying some peace and quiet until he had to get up. He dressed quickly and headed downstairs.

The smell of pancakes hit him as soon as he made it downstairs.

He found Carol in the kitchen. She had pancakes cooking in the skillet and plates ready on the counter. She looked up at him when he entered and smiled at him, handing him a plate stacked high.

He smiled back at her. She always gave him a little extra when the others weren't around. He loved that.

"Good morning. There's syrup and jam on the table."

"Mornin'," he replied, heading to the table. A bottle of maple syrup and strawberry jam sat on the table. He went for the syrup, dousing his pancakes in it until they were soggy.

"I don't think you put enough syrup on them," Carol teased, coming to the table with her own plate. She grabbed the jar of strawberry jam and scooped some onto her pancakes.

"I don't think I did either," he replied, pouring some more just for good measure. She rolled her eyes.

"You're going to get cavities if you keep that up."

They both laughed at that. None of them had exactly been practicing good dental hygiene anyway.

"It's a risk I'm willin' to take," he said, digging in. They were quiet for a moment while they ate.

"So, how'd you sleep?" Carol asked after awhile.

Daryl huffed.

"Slept just fine until two of our housemates decided to screw each other this morning."

She laughed. "Ah, so you heard them too, huh?"

"Hear 'em all the damn time," he grumbled.

Carol sighed. "Yeah, me too. It's nice, though, I guess. They deserve to be happy."

"Yeah, well, I ain't gotta hear it."

She laughed. "Yeah, it would be nice if they'd keep it down for the rest of us that aren't getting laid."

He nodded. It would be damn nice.

When he finished his pancakes, he thanked Carol for cooking, promised to see her later, and left to go do some recruiting with Aaron.

Later that evening, Daryl walked slowly back to his house, savoring the alone time. He was thankful many of the Alexandrians were afraid of him. That meant they didn't talk to him. He could walk from the gate to his house with no worries of having to socialize.

He'd just made it to the house when something made him stop. The evening sun shone on the blue house at the end of the street, the one that was normally hidden from view by the dark canopy of the trees.

Daryl kept going, headed toward the house.

It was an older home, more run down than the others, and partially hidden by a mini forest that surrounded it. No one lived there. It sat vacant at the end of the street.

Daryl had never given it much thought before, but now he wondered why no one had moved into it. The house looked fine to him, if not a little outdated.

There must be something wrong with the inside, he thought. He approached the house, stepping onto the large wrap around porch. The wooden floorboards groaned underneath his weight, as if they hadn't been stepped on in ages.

He tried the front doorknob; it was unlocked. He opened the door and stepped inside, expecting to find a home that was rotting away in disrepair.

What he found, though, looked like something out of a damn magazine. Despite a thick layer of dust covering everything, the place was magnificent. Hardwood floors, a large marble fireplace, stained glass windows. The first floor contained a living room, kitchen, dining room, half bath, and a study. The second floor contained three bedrooms, two full baths, and two full baths. A spiral staircase led to a third floor of sorts which contained a large library. There was also a balcony that looked out onto the street.

When he was done exploring, Daryl left the house and headed straight home, his mind made up. He was going to stay in that house.

He found Carol in her room. She was sitting in a rocking chair by the window, reading a book. She closed the book when he entered and smiled at him.

"Hey. How was recruiting?" she asked.

"Fine," he stood there awkwardly, chewing his thumbnail, "Can I talk to ya about something?"

Her eyebrows immediately furrowed in concern. She stood up.

"What is it, Daryl?"

"Calm down, it ain't nothing serious. I want to move out."

Those blue eyes widened, and he could see the confusion and panic on her face.

"Move out? Of Alexandria? Why? What happened?"

He shook his head.

"No, not out of Alexandria. Out of this damn house."

She seemed to calm down a little.

"Okay. Where would you go instead?"

He told her about the blue house.

"You know why no one lives in that house, right?"

"No," he replied.

She smiled, "Aaron says it's because it's haunted. Everyone that's moved in there moves out within a month. They claim to see things, feel things, hear things."

"What?"

Carol threw her hands up.

"Hey, I'm just telling you what I was told. I think if you want to move out, though, then you should. You should be happy."

Her voice faltered a little, and her eyes looked sad, despite the smile on her face.

"You mean to tell me people 'round here worried 'bout ghosts when there's dead people walkin' around eatin' the livin'?" he asked.

She laughed.

"Hey, if zombies are real, maybe ghosts are too."

He nodded. She had a point there.

"Screw that. I'm movin' in. And you're comin' with me."

Her eyes widened in shock.

"Don't give me that look. You know you want out. Come live with me."

Her expression changed several times before she finally looked up at him and smiled.

"Okay, let's do it."

He nodded once.

"Good. Let's go talk to Rick."

Author's Note: Hey, y'all! Okay, I know what some of you are thinking. You're thinking I need to be updating my other stories instead of starting new ones. Don't I know it! I've been meaning to update, but the idea for this one just wouldn't leave me alone. I feel like I had to get this one out before I could update anything else, but updates are coming soon, so don't fear!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story! I would love to hear from you, so please leave a review! Also, if you enjoyed the story, please follow and favorite it! It would mean so much! Thanks again!

As always, I apologize for any errors!