Hallucinations

Hi Everyone! This is my second multi-chapter fan fiction endeavor and has no relation to my last one, "The Green-Eyed Monster". It takes place during the time between when Daryl and Merle come back to the prison and the showdown with the Governor. I know technically there was not enough time for this in the show so that makes it somewhat of an alternate universe.

I love The Walking Dead and Caryl in particular. Fan fiction seems like the best way to help the pain of waiting for October to come around again. Please review; constructive criticism is welcome. Hope you enjoy!

I do not own The Walking Dead but I love those that do!

Chapter 1

Daryl

The Georgian sun was bright as it climbed up the pure blue morning sky. Fluffy white clouds moved across lazily. Occasional birds would fly across the scene, silhouetted black and beautiful in their natural gracefulness. Only the moaning and shuffling of the rotting undead disturbed the tranquility of the atmosphere.

Daryl and Merle were lugging a large piece of metal strung with barbed wire towards the gate protected by Carl. Michonne swirled around them, hacking and chopping with her sword at any walker that got within range. The large yard had been lost when the Governor had last attacked, his delivery truck destroying the outer fences and spewing walkers all over. Now ones from the forest had encroached in also.

"Hey, watch it!" Daryl bit out as Michonne's sword came dangerously close to his face.

Michonne glanced back as she rammed her sword through the forehead of another walker. "Sorry," she mumbled, spinning around to chop the head off another approaching walker. She was starting to get concerned about how many walkers were headed in their direction. They still had several yards to go before getting to the safety of the gate. "We need to pick up the pace."

"Shit!" Merle suddenly dropped his half of the barbed wire, the knife on his metal stump burying itself into the face of a walker that had been coming up fast behind him.

Daryl stumbled from the unexpected shift in the weight of the metal bar on his shoulder. It twisted and he felt the sharp barbed wire slice across his shoulder, going right through his shirt. He bit hard down on the scream of pain that welled up in his throat. He jumped back as the bar fell completely to the ground. Unfortunately, he didn't realize he was right at the edge of the pavement and his boot slipped on the crumbling concrete on the side.

The fall seemed to go in slow motion for him. There was nothing he could do to stop it. His body landed first and then the back of his head slammed hard against the roadway.

Everything went black.

Prison

"Daryl!" Merle shouted, running over to his fallen brother. "Come on, baby brother! Ya gotta get up!" Merle shook him frantically but then had to pivot around to kill another walker. Merle glanced at Michonne. "He's out and bleeding."

The two of them stood protectively over Daryl's prone body, fighting off walkers coming at them from every direction. "Carl!" Merle shouted towards the gate.

The boy had seen everything. "On it!" he shouted back, running to get anyone close that could help. In less than a minute, Rick and Glenn were through the gate, Carl closing it behind them but not locking it.

The two men got Daryl up, each one draping one of Daryl's arms over their shoulders. The way they carried him was strangely reminiscent of how Daryl was carried by Rick and Shane after being shot by Andrea. Michonne and Merle continued dispatching the walkers as they got him through the gate and into the prison.

"Herschel! Herschel!" Rick yelled as they dragged Daryl into the nearest empty cell, laying him as gently as they could on the bed.

Carol came rushing in, practically pushing Glenn out of the way. "What happened?"

Michonne told her, "We got overwhelmed by the walkers and he fell."

"He's bleeding all over the place! That didn't happen from a fall," she shot back. She was already pressing a cloth over the bleeding wound on his shoulder.

"Yeah, he also got cut by the barbed wire," Michonne simply stated.

Herschel came through the cell door. Beth was right behind him, carrying his medical kit. Nobody yelled for Herschel that way unless there was something wrong. Everyone but Carol, who was still holding pressure to the wound, backed out of his way.

"What have we got?" Herschel asked to no one in particular.

Michonne stepped up again, being much more talkative than normal. She felt somewhat guilty about what had happened, like she had not done her job to keep the walkers off the men while moving the barbed wire. "Daryl got cut by the barbed wire first across the shoulder. Then he fell backwards, hitting his head on the blacktop. It was a pretty loud crack."

"Sit him up. I need to see the back of his head." Glenn and Rick moved quickly to do it, grasping his arms. "Careful!" Herschel barked at them. "The man just suffered a traumatic head injury!" The two men slowed down a little, pulling him up gently so Herschel could examine him. "Oh yeah, he's got quite the contusion forming. I am sure he has a concussion but I am really concerned that he has not regained consciousness yet. Let me see the laceration."

They laid him back down slowly, placing a thick pillow under his bruised head. Carol lifted up the pressure cloth and some blood oozed out. Herschel looked at it thoroughly then said, "It is fairly deep but I don't see any major spurting. Luckily missed any major arteries. Also good that it's a straight cut. Should suture together well. Carol, I'd really like you to do it. You need the practice and Daryl isn't going to mind in his condition." Turning back to the 2 men, Herschel ordered them to lift him up again so they could get his shirt off.

Glenn gasped when they got a view of Daryl's torso. The man had been so vigilant about never exposing himself in front of others that most of them had no idea how littered with scars Daryl was.

Merle actually stepped up at that point and all eyes turned toward him. "Our daddy was a cruel man. Liked to discipline us with his fists and his belt, even if we didn't do nothing wrong. When I left for the Army, I never realized how much Daryl took from that asshole."

Glenn patted Merle's shoulder as he left the cell in sympathy. It was a big step on Glenn's part considering how much he hated Merle. It was also a big step for Merle to accept it. As Merle looked down at his brother, he felt this need to fix this rift he had with the group that was now caring for his injured brother. He just wasn't sure how to do it. As he turned to leave, he called back, "Holler for me when my baby brother comes around."

Herschel spoke up again. "Okay, everyone out but Carol." She was already getting the materials from his bag to clean the laceration as everyone left them to treating Daryl. Herschel went over again how to make the sutures evenly and strong with four throws each.

As she finished up the long, simple interrupted pattern, Herschel complimented her. "That looks fantastic Carol. We'll make a trauma doctor out of you one of these days." He smiled at her then looked sadly at Daryl. "I don't like that he is still out, even after the suturing. I was hoping the pain would rouse him. If he has a hematoma forming under the skull, I sure hope it resolves itself without causing brain damage. There is absolutely nothing we can do here to help him." He shook his head, standing. "You okay here with him for a little while?"

Carol nodded and Herschel left. She looked down at him, his features so relaxed in this forced sleep. With nobody else around, she did something she never normally would have done otherwise. She leaned down and pressed her lips against his, kissing him. Even with him non-responsive, it sent a thrill her and she suddenly felt dirty, invading his space like a molester.

"Well, I guess you're not Snow White and I'm not Prince Charming," she muttered.

Daryl

Daryl woke with a start. He was so disoriented for a minute that he had to close his eyes against the spinning colors bombarding his senses. Once he felt better, more steady, he opened his eyes and found himself in a very large room. Directly in his line of sight was a Greek-style statue of a woman blindfolded, holding up balanced scales. There were numerous people, some with obvious destinations as they moved along and some just milling about. Most of them seemed to be dressed nicely.

He found was sitting in a fairly uncomfortable chair and there was a man in a rumpled suit a few chairs down, reading a newspaper. Just across the room was a little coffee shop with a line of about 5 people in it.

At first he knew all of this was wrong. This wasn't where he was supposed to be, things weren't like this now. Then those disturbing thoughts seemed to fizzle and drift off in a haze. He remembered suddenly that he was at the courthouse. His dumbass brother Merle had been sentenced that day for drug possession and assault charges. After he'd been taken away to start his 18-month prison sentence, Daryl had sat down for a moment. Had he fallen asleep?

He looked around again, getting his bearings straight, trying to remember where he'd parked his truck. That's when he saw her. She was the last person in line at the coffee shop.

He knew her! Didn't he? What was her name? He felt like it was right on the tip of his tongue but the harder he tried to capture it, the further away it flew. She wasn't smiling right then, not knowing she had an audience. Her expression was thoughtful but he knew in his mind that he had seen her smiling before. How that smile brightened up her whole face. How beautiful she was.

Before he knew what he was doing, he was across the room, standing behind her in line. Ever so gently, his fingertips grazed her shoulder. She turned towards him, her thoughtful expression changing to one of confusion.

"I know you," he told her. That earned him a little smile and he smiled a little back.

"I didn't realize guys still used that pick-up line. But I guess the classic ones are still the best ones," she said.

Fear moved through him and he took an involuntary step back away from her. He'd never tried to pick a woman up before. Hell, he couldn't ever remember approaching a woman like this before. His insecurities were about to force him to run when she spoke up again.

"Oh, that's not what this was," she said as her expression turned concerned at the change on his face. "You actually recognize me from somewhere?" She seemed to study his face. "Are you a friend of Ed's?"

"Who's Ed?" he asked reflexively.

She frowned a little. "Hmmm, guess not." As if coming to a decision about something, the beautiful smile came back on her face and she stuck out her right hand to him. "I'm Carol."