Changes

The nights were getting chilly.

Daryl missed his poncho. Some asshole at Terminus had taken it and he knew he’d never see it again. He’d have to find a new one, as well as a solid coat, before the winter set in. In the meantime he’d make due with the light jacket he’d picked up in one of the nearby houses they’d raided.

The rustling in the bushes didn’t alarm him. Walkers crashed about, uncaring of who heard their approach, while the person moving his way made some attempt at stealth to leave the camp without rousing anyone from sleep.

Carol emerged from the trees and headed for a nearby fallen log.

“Just me,” she said.

“I knew before you got here.”

“How?”

“I know you,” he answered with a light shrug.

“I brought coffee. It’s instant and stale, but it’s hot. It’ll warm us up a bit.”

“Thanks.”

Daryl accepted the cup. It immediately thawed his fingers and the first sip spread wonderful warmth through his chest and belly, dispelling some of the chill of the night.

“We need to talk.”

He looked at the coffee. “We already did.”

“Not about Karen and David. About you.”

Daryl sippwed his bitter brew and wondered what Carol meant. He normally didn’t care for coffee but tonight it wasn’t half bad. Then again, everything tasted good to a hungry man.

“What about me?”

“You’re different. You’ve changed since I last saw you.”

“How so?”

“For the first time since we met you’re at ease with yourself. You’re comfortable in your own skin.”

Beth came to the forefront of Daryl’s mind. She was never far from it.

“You’re thinking of Beth.”

He nodded.

“Maggie says you got out of the prison with her. That you two were together before she disappeared.”

Carol waited and sipped her coffee. Daryl would speak if and when he was ready. She watched him sip his coffee and gather his thoughts. When he finally spoke it was in a voice barely above a whisper.

“The changes you see…Beth had a lot to do with it. I miss her.”

Carol knew Daryl. She knew him well enough to understand exactly what he was really saying. He’d fallen in love, something he didn’t to easily, and he’d lost it all. His heart was broken. He was lost because she wasn’t here.

Carol set her empty cup down. “Let’s go find her.”

A proper smile came to Daryl’s face. It was a rare and beautiful thing to see. He looked at Carol for a long time and she could see love and gratitude in his eyes. He hoped she could see the love she had for him in hers. She was sure he did.

“We leave first thing in the morning,” he said.

Carol squeezed his shoulder as she passed but he put a hand over hers for a moment, halting her.

“Thank you.”

“Anytime.”

Carol continued on to the camp while Daryl stared into the black depths of his coffee. He’d felt lost just minutes earlier. Now he had a purpose. He was going to find the woman he loved.

Wherever you are, Beth, hang on. I’m comin’ for you.