When The World Caves In |C.G.

forty three

Daryl hadn't spoken in two days. 

Two full days of silence, thinking about his daughter and looking after Eliza's boy. None of them spoke unless it was necessary, they'd been on the run. 

Beau was apprehensive, following him they hadn't seen each other in a decade and he just wanted to find his mom. Yet, you couldn't survive alone these days. The more people they had the better. So, he stuck with them.

Beth hadn't shed a single tear since leaving the prison. He was worried about the girl, having just lost her father. It was funny the way things worked out. Beth lost Hershel, Daryl lost Rory. A fatherless daughter and a daughterless father. 

He refused to believe Rory was gone, she couldn't be. She'd been with Carl when he last saw her, and Carl would've gotten them both out safely. The kid had balls. He wanted to disapprove of their relationship, they were both so young, but Daryl knew Carl would do anything for Rory and took comfort in that fact. 

When he saw Beth's head full of blond hair from across the courtyard, he initially had thought it was Rory. The smog and destruction had limited his visibility. Daryl had grabbed the go bag Rory had on his way over to her, only to be disappointed at finding Beth in place of Rory.

Daryl had followed the wrong girl. 

It felt wrong, shameful to be disappointed in finding Beth and not Rory, but could blame him really. Here he was, with two kids that weren't his own. Hershel's daughter and Eliza's boy. 

They were staring at a fire, it was dark outside. The middle of the night and Daryl was staring absentmindedly at the fire. Two days, and he hadn't found a single hint as to where Rory was. She had to have gotten out, she just had to. 

"We aren't the only survivors." Beth looked at him, voicing his inner thoughts. "We can't be. Rick, Michonne, they could be out here. Maggie and Glenn could have made it out of A block. They could've! Rory and Carl..." 

Daryl's eyes darted back to the fire at his daughters name. This felt so much worse than when Merle had taken her to Woodbury. A million times worse.

"Rory's alive?" Beau's head pops up and looks at Daryl across the fire. He doesn't respond to the question, it hurts too much. The not knowing. 

"You're a tracker. You can track, come on!" Beth says, standing up. She's pleading with him, it all feels like two much. He knows he'll disappoint her. That's why he hasn't made any move to stand. Better to disappoint her now than to get her hopes up. "The sun will be up soon. If we head out now, we can--"

Beth stares at the man's empty gaze, waiting for him to make a move. To acknowledge her. Daryl does neither of those things though. Instead, he just keeps staring at the fire. 

"Fine. If you won't track I will." Beth says, yanking her knife from where it's stuck in the dirt. Daryl watches her leave with an empty pit in his stomach. 

Beau follows quickly after her, not caring to look back and see if the man is following them. He knows he will. It's in his nature. Beau might not have seen Daryl in over a decade, but Daryl protects his own. He always has.

Reluctantly, Daryl stands up stomping out the fire and grabbing his crossbow and the meager bag of supplies following the two teens through the woods. 

+

They come across a bushel of grapes, they found footprints earlier but so far they haven't found anyone. It's a pipe dream, Daryl thinks. To Beth though, it's the only thing keeping her going. Beau? Beau doesn't know what he's doing anymore.

"It wouldn't kill ya to have a little faith." Beth tells Daryl, tired of his pessimistic attitude. 

"Yeah faith, faith ain't done shit for us." Daryl says angrily, unable to stop the words coming out of his mouth. They tumble out like a heap of vomit. "Sure as hell didn't do nothing for your father."