A|N: Wooh!

Welcome to my first Walking Dead Story ! Super happy to finally be posting it, this has been in the works for a while and now that I own a laptop posting and writing is much easier to do when its not from an iPad. Please let me know what you think i love your feedback! - Mel :)

Walking Dead isn't mind: duh

PS: This is pre dead Merle XD I couldn't stand to let him go after what happen sunday cause I so many ideas for him!

As the night fell over the prison and the air grows old, the forest surrounding them becomes quiet. Peace had been something no one took likely, especially after what happen with the Governor. After it was all said in done they could finally relax, but nothing good last forever. Eventually their peace had to be interrupted: it was just the way of the world. Daryl was on watch that night, up in one of the guard towers, and Carol had decided to join him up there. It didn't bother him much having her up there with him, especially with all the liquor they had in their systems.

"Now where in the world did you find a bottle, not to mention a full bottle, of Jack?" Carol giggled from all the liquor in her system.

He was impressed with how well she was handling the drink, "Formula run, figured little ass-kicker shouldn't be the only one with nice things." With a burp and a smile Daryl took the bottle from her and drank from it more.

"Impressive findings, Daryl!" Carol laughed as he chugged more of the bottle down, "But don't you think that all this drinking is gonna effect you're watch.. Is it?" Carols expression changed, from once happy to serious.

Daryl jumped up from the floor, taking the bottle with him and headed for the balcony, "If yer tryna ask me if I can handle my liquor, woman, the answer is yes!" He drank more for the liquor as he stared out into the forest.

Carol got off the floor, walking slowly over to him and standing right behind him, "I... I didn't..." An angry Daryl made Carol very nervous, but regardless she cared for him and she didn't want to upset him.

"You what?!" Daryl yelled at her as he quickly turned around. Carol tried not to jump back, but her head did jerk back a bit. She was standing their cold, trying to rub her arms to keep herself warm. She knew Daryl wouldn't hurt her, and so did he; but regardless he did frighten her at time. Daryl rubbed the back of his bad, feeling bad. He took his poncho off and wrapped it around her. Summer had been over for a while and the fall was very cold. Daryl cherished his friendship with Carol, he truly did. He cared for her, for her safety and there wasn't no body who could get in the way between them without going threw him first, "Listen... I'm fine alright. Besides, somebody gotta keep on eye on ya." He gave her a faint smile, then handed her the bottle of Jack.

Carol smiled, she loved the way Daryl made her feel safe, made her feel at home. His presence was a reminder that she would live to see tomorrow as long as he was around. Then suddenly she got an uneasy feeling. From behind Daryl somewhere off in the forest, there was a small light shining, "Is that... A fire?"she lifted her hand up to point out into the distance.

Daryl quickly turned around, "The hell..." Daryl's reached for the binoculars that had been on the floors, the same ones that once belonged to Dale, and tried to get a better look. It was definitely a small fire but who; Daryl thought to himself, was dumb enough to light one. Especially in a world like the one they were in.

"I'll go get Rick"" Carol left down the stairs of the tower and back inside to prison to wake Rick up. Daryl stood up in the tower waiting for them to come back, keep an eye on the smoke and fire.

After a few minutes Rick and Glenn had joined Daryl on the balcony of the tower. Daryl passed the binoculars to Rick, "Who do you think it could be?"

Rick the passed the binoculars to Glenn, who shook his head in disbelief, "That light is going to attract a lot, if not all of the walkers in the forest."

Rick rubbed the top of his head, then looking at Daryl and Glenn, "So, what do you two suggest we do bout this?"

"Just leave it, it's not gonna bother us," Glenn proposed, "Besides that's in Woodbury's direction, if it's a big deal they'll handle it."

Rick looked to Daryl, who had been quiet: staring out into the woods, as Glenn talked, "And you? What do you suppose we do, Daryl?"

Daryl crossed his arms and shrugged his shoulders as he looked into the forest, "Well if it's seriously buggin' ya'll so much I could go check it out real quick." He hadn't realize that Carol had returned until he said what he did, and by then he regretted saying anything at all.

"But you can't. It's too dark out and too risky." Carol was shaking where she stood. What would possess him to want to do a think like that? Putting himself in danger for a little fire in the distance. She didn't want Daryl to leave again, she couldn't be put through it again. Just no way.

"By now all the walker would be making there way to what ever it is out there." Rick chimed in to try to talk Daryl out of what ever terrible plan he had created in his mind.

"Ain't no big deal, I just check it out real quick and if looks bad I come runnin' back. Not much to it really." Daryl picked his crossbow up from the floor and before he left he brushed past Carol, looking at her intently, "Nine lives, remember?"

Carol had left the liquor on the floor and the four of them walked Daryl to the gate to send him off. Rick placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a nod, "Good luck out there brother, remember if anything looks bad come straight back."

"Don't plan on being out there longer than I gotta." Daryl could see her from the corner of his eye, standing there with a frown and shaking her in disappointment.

Rick and Glenn had walked back into the prison but Carol stood there staring him down. She was distract by his choice to go out there when it was so dark. He could see it in her eyes she was upset and no words were needed explain the tension between them. He hated worrying her but he had to do what was necessary to keep her safe. He never was sure how to show his emotions with her, even after what happen with the Governor and what they went through. So he always just played it care free.

"What? I got somethin' on my face?" He tried to play it off like he wasn't hurting her by going out there. He always resorted to playing things off like a joke. Sure there was no doubt he cared for the well being of this woman, and this woman was his closet friend of everyone in the prison. She was his number two priority after his brother Merle.

Merle. God if he would had any idea what this woman meant to him, he'd kick his teeth in and call him a pussy. Daryl was supposed to be a man: a tough, squirrel eating, walker killing, ear wearing man in a vest who carried a cross bow. Most of all he was a Dixon. He had a name to live up to and if he didn't do so, he would never hear the end of it.

"Just.. come back, ok?" Carol looked to her feet as the words quietly fell out of her mouth. She let out a sigh and turned around to walk away without saying anything else.

Daryl shook his head as he made a grumbling noise. He opened and close the gate himself, being he had the second pair of keys. He wandered carefully through the forest. He was a little lopsided and he knew why. He was drunk. Shit. Carol's gon' kill me. He knew if that woman saw him stumbling around out in the forest she'd never let him hear the end of it. He started to see the light of the fire getting brighter. He had only seen a few walkers around that he quietly took out with his knife. He had is cross bow out now, aimed out to shoot anything that looked dead. There was a dead silence. Then a rustling in the forest startled him, and without really thinking about it he turned to where the noise came from and shot the arrow.

In the darkness he could he a female voice cry out in pain. "Fucking hell! You shot me!"