Lucille's Sister - A Walking Dead fan fiction

The Cottage

A few days later, soft rays of sunlight woke Roxi. Her nightmares had ceased enough to allow her to sleep well enough the past two nights. She wanted to move further out but didn't dare do so because of the promise she'd made to Rick.

After being thrust into the company of Alexandria and the Hilltop, the constant silence surrounding her began to become too much. She seriously considered going back inside the Kingdom to see Daryl but she was afraid of Ezekiel and that tiger of his. He'd refused to work with them, who was to say that he hadn't sent word to Negan that he'd seen her and the Saviors were now waiting? Or maybe he had plans to set his tiger on her.

Then, on the fifth day after separating from the others, she heard footsteps approaching her hideout above the RV. She waited as they rooted around inside and left again. Realizing it was Daryl and someone from the Kingdom, she made her way down from the RV and followed them. She took great care with her feet, not quite sure if she wanted them to know she was there yet or not.

She lost sight of them as they approached a road and decided to keep to the trees. Walking a good 10 feet back from the end of the woods, she found them again. They were hiding behind a big rig and looked to be arguing. Though they were trying to be quiet, she heard almost every word.

"She lives out there, she'll die out there." The one she just remembered was called Richard said.

She watched on as Daryl stopped and hesitated for a moment.

"It's a woman?"

Who? Who was a woman living somewhere? And why did it seem to have an effect on Daryl?

"It doesn't matter. She's got more balls than you and me. She's gonna die either way. When the Saviors come and find their buddies dead, if they know their elbow from their asshole and can follow and obvious spoor, they're gonna go to the weapons cache and then to the cabin. And they're gonna attack this woman."

"What's her name?" Daryl asked.

Richard ignored him, continuing to try and reason with him and get him to do whatever was set in his mind.

"Maybe they kill her, maybe they don't. But it's gonna show Ezekiel what he needs to do."

"Her name. What is it?"

"She's tough. Maybe she'll live?"

"Say her damn name!"

Richard hesitated. Roxi was dying to know the name of the woman Daryl so wanted him to name. It couldn't be her. For all he knew, she was at Hilltop.

"Carol." He finally said and recognition dawned in Daryl's face. "I hoped you didn't know her. I hoped you wouldn't care."

Daryl walked past Richard and picked up a backpack he'd thrown down previously. Bow in hand, he began walking away from Richard while the man attempted to reason with him.

"You stay the hell away from Carol, do you hear me?" Daryl turned back toward Richard.

The sound of vehicles approached and Roxi wondered if it was the Saviors. Judging by the fact that Richard moved to go around the trailer and Daryl tackled him, it must have been. She wanted to run out from her cover and break them apart but was glad she didn't when they stood feet from each other with their weapons raised.

"If she gets hurt, if she dies, she catches a fever. She gets taken out by a walker, if she gets hit by lightning... Anything. Anything happens to her, I'll kill you." Daryl threatened before leaving Richard standing alone behind the big rig.

Again acting as though she were a thief in the night, Roxi took off behind Daryl. Daryl quickly approached a small cottage surrounded by old grave markers. Roxi hid in shadows as a woman came to the door. They appeared to have exchanged words before the woman led him into the home, locking them both away from her sights. This must be Carol.