Darryl is my favorite character and I really like the relationship that he is building with Carrol. Please, do NOT let her die! Please!

Review if you agree, Birgitta

You 'd better Not be Dead!

I never would have thought. I never could have imagined. I thought she was safe. I had ensured that she was safe, always keeping her away from the worst of the encounters. But, then they came out of nowhere, streaming out of the prison building like a swarm of blood thirsty bugs. I wasn't the only one running with panic and fear, trying to get to them. Rick, Glenn, and I; we all have someone to lose.

By the time we reached the gate, they had fled into the building and there was no way for us to know where they had gone… to know if they were alive. I kept my bow high up on my shoulder, ready to shoot off an arrow but I didn't know if it was going to help her. I couldn't see her. I didn't know where she was. I had no way of knowing if she was alive, dead, or a walker.

Walkers… I hate them, every single one of them. They might have been people at one point but once they are bitten, or die since we all carry the virus, they are no longer who they used to be. All traces of humanity is wiped out and all that exist is the hunger for flesh. I have had to kill people I've known because of the virus. After such acts, you numb. You have to numb yourself or you go mad. You distance yourself and let nothing get to you anymore.

I've had plenty of practice. Growing up, the only attention I ever got was a slap, a fist, or a belt. Basically, whatever the old man was in the mood for is what I was dealt. I pushed all feelings away or hid them deep down inside. Crying didn't help so why bother. Sure I could have told someone but that wouldn't have done any good either. Everyone had their own shit to deal with. Besides, most of them thought the same thing; that a little beating would do a kid good and that it would make me tough.

And, it did make me tough and what I was forced to learn as a kid has served me well. Early on, I learned how to hunt and gather food. I learned how to survive on my own. I learned how to disconnect my feelings. I'm good with my bow and the bow doesn't care if the target is animal or people… if you can call them people. Putting it plainly, I'm good at killing things. Walkers might as well be called things and, truthfully, I don't even hesitate to kill a person if the time calls for it. Perhaps it was all meant to be; this Walker business. In a 'normal' world, I never would have fit in like I do. I'm good at killing and I don't mind it… any other time and place and I would have been locked up in a prison such as this one, and not hiding out in one with good folks like Rick and Carol.

Carol…

I had my defense up, guarding myself and shutting everyone out. But, something did get past my shield. It started with a little girl and then her mom. It wasn't supposed to happen. Still, looking back, I curse myself for letting it happen. I let my guard down and I cracked open the door to my heart just slightly. She slid right in. And, I let her because… Hell, I don't know, cause I was an idiot, cause I was horny, cause I was tired of being cold at night, or maybe cause I didn't want to be so damned lonely anymore. Everyone seemed to have someone… except for me. And, now she might be dead. Before she and I even got to hit it off.

'Damn Walkers,' I curse. 'You'd better not be dead!'

Rick and Glenn slides into the darkness of the prison and I follow right behind them; arrow loaded and ready.

'Hold on, baby!' I think, praying that she is alive and safe. 'I'm coming!'