The Darkest Storm

Darcy clasps the flask between her hands even though the heat from the once boiling water has long since seeped into the frozen air around her. Her muscles are clenched tight against the cold. If a pack of walkers were to appear at this moment, the chances of scaling a tree before they attacked are highly unlikely.

She knows she should get up, move around, and work the stiffness from her limbs. It is a bit amusing that she had wandered out into the forest with the sole purpose of getting heat back into her body. But instead she sits, as motionless as the rock beneath her, while the dawn begins to lighten the woods.

She can’t fight the sun. She can only watch helplessly as it drags her into a day that she’s been dreading for months; the start of winter. It had come in full force, toying with the group’s hearts one day and the next, freezing unbearable rain.

Darcy’s cheeks and the tip of her nose are a bright pink and the cold bitter air nips at her porcelain features. She was sure by this point in the early morning she had frost bite on her ears, too.

She sees the sun continues to rise and as long as it did, she would too. She makes herself stand and all her joints start to complain along with her left leg that had unnoticeably fallen asleep while sitting down for so long. It takes several minutes of hesitantly leaning and putting pressure on it so she can feel it again. Her sharp intakes of breath leave a sting inside her lungs from the frigid air.

Darcy had volunteered for watch after Rick; she couldn’t sleep anyways. She was sure Daryl hadn’t known she’d slipped out after relieving their leader, either. Rick made a rule to never be on watch alone. The fear of something happening or if someone simply fell asleep could cause crucial damage. She lied to him though, saying Daryl was on his way out in another minute. Darcy had guessed Rick didn’t think twice about what she said; he trusted her to say the least.

Daryl wouldn’t have wanted her to go alone either, but even in this world, personal time to oneself was crucial. Besides, she knew in her bones that she was starting to feel ill and if she was around Daryl for too long, he would pick up on it and make her sit out as long as it took to heal and get rest. It only a mere cold, but at the end of the world, something so small could turn into something big.

She has been in the woods for quite some time, maybe a few hours. She hasn’t made an attempt to catch some food, so she has nothing to show her group when she returns. Her footsteps are like a mere whisper through the Georgian woods. She makes her way back to hopefully see that Hershel has boiled more water for her to sip on. It is the only way to keep warm lately; her leather jacket was getting worn from the weather, so she really only had her scarf to bundle her neck in.

That night Rick announced there were no more discussions based on his decisions, the group grew silent and obedient. Darcy wasn’t sure if Rick knew that he had taken on full responsibility at that point, whatever happened to the group from then on would be on his conscience only.

There were sometimes though, where Darcy would see that Rick was second-guessing himself. She had always respected him and his decisions, even if she small doubts about them in the beginning. Rick always held out and kept his word; she knew that for certain, but the bitterness in how he handled the situation the night of the fire was lodged deep in her heart. She knew everyone else felt that way too. That was the night group had turned upside down, or so it would seem their leader had.

When those times where Rick needed a second opinion, she was somewhat surprised when he would approach not only Daryl, but her as well. Darcy made it a point to hold her tongue when it did happen, trying to give him the impression that it actually didn’t matter what her thoughts were; he had the upper hand in making the ultimate decisions.

Darcy bent beneath a tree with a light frost kissing its branches. She looked up at the small one-story white house. She wasn’t surprised to see Daryl now up at the crack of dawn like usual, pacing back and forth on the weak porch; most likely waiting for her to return.

She sighs from being exhausted and swallows to try and relieve her burning throat. It stung something awful as she reaches up with her right hand and massaged the tenderness gently. Darcy holds her bow lazily in her left hand as she gathers up enough energy to make herself visible to her friend and walk confidently towards him.

She watches as Daryl crosses the lawn to her, the sunlight from the horizon picking up a fresh hint of frost in his dark hair. He looks strong, but exhausted just like the rest of them, so different from the constantly on-the-move man she knew back at the farm.

“What’re ya doin’?” He spat, crunching his eyebrows together and his mouth formed a thin line.

“I took watch after Rick.” She sniffles as she pushes past him and walks slowly towards the house.

“Why didn’ ya wake me?” He steps in front of her again, which stops her dead in her tracks.

She gives an annoyed expression, “Needed some time to myself.”

“Ya know that ain’t the way to do it.” He shakes his head lightly at her. “What were ya thinkin’?”

“Did you say anything to Rick?” She ignores his question.

“Woke up in time to get out here before he even noticed.” He scoffed. “Don’ do that again. Havin’ time to yourself ain’t worth you gettin’ killed. Besides, I ain’t about to take one of them huntin’ with me when they don’ know what they hell their doin’.”

“Yes sir.” Darcy gives a light laugh, “Anybody else up yet?”

He shakes his head, “No one ‘cept Rick. Maybe Carl.”

As if on cue, Rick opens the squeaky door and steps on the porch behind them. Darcy glances over Daryl’s shoulder and nods her head for him to turn around.

“I want to check out this area, see if we can stay a few more nights.” Rick approaches them as he moves his head still scanning the area. He stops in front of the two, “I know we could all use more rest.” He nods his head and looks back to the house.

“Daryl and I can comb the woods.” Darcy’s voice goes raspy and she has to clear her throat. “Make sure there’s nothing too serious nearby.”

Rick looks to her with an unsure expression, “You up for it right now? You haven’t gotten much sleep.”

“I’ll be fine.” She nods.

“We’ll try ‘n get some meat too. Been awhile since we’ve gotten a decent meal.” Daryl bobs his head.

Rick returns the nod, “Alright. Stay safe. In and out, don’t take too long.”

-

A sharp snap and a white rabbit was shot to the ground.

Daryl walks over and pulls out the arrow before picking up the limp animal and tying it to his belt. He stands, glancing behind him and sees that Darcy is leaning weakly on one leg and staring off to the left towards the ground.

His mouth hangs open a slither as he eyes her carefully, “Darcy?”

“Hmm?” She answers, her eyes not moving from their locked position.

“Ya see somethin’?” He walks over towards her and tries to see in the direction she’s looking. He can’t see anything of interest.

She shakes her head and purses her lips. “No.” She steps out of her trance and starts picking up her pace and walks around him.

“You alright?” He asks, watching her unconvinced.

Darcy stops and turns around, nodding. “Yeah. I think I’m just tired.”

Daryl lets his eyes scan over her at a slither and bobs his head towards him. “C’mere.”

With a hesitant stare, Darcy takes small steps towards him and he meets her halfway. He now notices how unusually pale her skin is and how the rims of her eyes are a blush pink.

He leans over and puts his crossbow down and turns back to her. Daryl reaches up with both hands and hesitates to hold her cheeks. He wriggles his fingers to get the tingling sensation out of them and lightly cups the sides of her face with barely the touch of a feather. He then brings her forehead to rest against his own cheek. Darcy feels the light stubble and the warmth of his rough skin and closes her eyes with ease.

“Shit, Darcy. Ya ain’t sick are ya?” He mumbles, pressing his cheek harder against her forehead to be absolutely sure. “Ya feel warm.”

“I’m fine.” Darcy pushes him away. “I told you – I’m just tired. Let’s just finish this up and get back.”

Daryl eyes her carefully again and leans over to pick up his weapon. He hears her footsteps start to fade and he looks up just as she turns her back and heads a bit to the east.

He calls after her, “Would ya quit goin’ off by yourself?”

Darcy turns around and looks up at him, ten feet away, just watching her. “Get your panties out of your ass and let’s go then.”

She can see him trying to read her expression, to decipher whether she means it as sarcasm or bitterness. Darcy bits her lip to keep from smiling. He can only smirk at her as she turns right back around and continues. She has slowed her pace a bit, waiting for him to catch up.

The two keep alert the entire scout, hearing really nothing of interest or danger. They couldn’t sense it either. It was until they came to a clearing where they found a small white farmhouse with dark green shutters.

It wasn’t the same as Hershel’s, but it was close enough to make the two stand in remembrance and slight comfort. Essentially, the group formed closer than ever there. It was a time of security and opulence.

It was taken away though, in one slight motion. Darcy saw the end of hope, the beginning of the destruction of everything she held dear in the world. You would think in that moment, she would be in utter despair, including the others. That’s what was strange though, she felt nothing but relief. She has made it through those times and has come out stronger than before. Not to mention, Darcy has someone, who at that very moment, stands by her at every waking moment who seem to always push the defeating thoughts out of her mind.

“Let’s check it out.” Daryl lowers his voice, heading first towards the barn on the far left side of the house. Darcy follows closely with her head up and spinning in alertness.

Daryl holds the sliding door handle of the barn with his crossbow on his back. He looks up at Darcy and holds up one hand with his fingers showing “three.” She positions herself and nods at him that she is ready. He counts down slowly and wrenches open the door with a screeching loud sound. Darcy jumps to her form with her body straight, aiming inside.

She sees nothing and lowers her bow a bit before taking a few steps inside the darkness. It is an old stable. The Hay is still stacked neatly in the corner and everything appears to be untouched. Frost and dust cover the machines and stable doors. There are no horses inside.

Darcy feels Daryl’s hand on the small of her back, his crossbow held upright with his left hand. She knows is aware that her body is shaking from the cold. She figures Daryl had noticed it too, immediately removing his vest that sports two worn angel wings from his shoulders and puts it around her. He only wears a long sleeve shirt underneath his leather jacket.

The vest does little but it comforts her nonetheless. It is large on her small frame. She adjusts it on her shoulder and gives him a nod of thanks. He returns it before searching each stable one by one on the left, while Darcy proceeds to check the right.

There was little even though it had been left behind completely. It was until Darcy reached the last stable on the far end that she found a stack of heavy horse blankets. She let out a sigh of relief and picked up the pile. She brought it out into the main aisle and picked up one of a sunset pattern and started to shrug off Daryl’s jacket so she could give it back to him.

“Leave it on.” She brings her head up and focuses on Daryl’s gaze. “I’ll be fine ‘n it suits ya better anyways.”

Daryl’s heart had started to beat loudly when he first gave it to her. Now and then, he tried to show small implications of his feelings towards her. Seeing his vest draped over her shoulders, in his mind, signified to the world she was his to care for and look after. He couldn’t and didn’t want to picture her with anyone else, not that there was much to choose from anyways. He made it up in his mind that at that moment; no other would touch her or ever feel remotely as strongly as he did for this woman.

“You’ll freeze.” She tells him.

He nods and reassures her, “I’ll be alright.”

Darcy sits back on the cold ground and looks at the blanket between her fingertips. An idea comes to mind and she lays out the small thick fabric while taking out her knife from her boot.

“What are ya doin’?” He furrows his brows at her.

Darcy cuts in the middle of the blanket a small slither and then a hole. She stands up, taking it with her and looks at Daryl. He eyes her with curiosity.

“Put this on.” She motions, stepping close to him holding up the fabric. He kneels over and puts his head through the makeshift hole and stands up. Darcy steps back and crosses her arms.

“There.” She smiles lightly at the poncho.

“It’s warm.” He looks down at himself.

Darcy laughs slightly, “That’s the idea.” She steps forward and readjusts the cover around his neck. “Is it too tight?”

He shakes his head. “It’s perfect.”

They are close again. Daryl can feel her breath hot against his cheek as she stands on her toes to tailor the cloth around his neck. When she is finished, she steps back. His eyes are locked on hers and he blinks awkwardly, trying to not stare but he can’t help it. They stand in silence, in each other’s company, staring and wondering if the other wanted the same thing.

Daryl didn’t know if the night of the fire was in the heat of the moment or really true. He had never had anyone admit anything to him before, and he had never been as close to any woman as he is with Darcy. He felt like a kid again when he was around her, the good times at least. Those days where he would wander off by himself in the woods, climb the tallest trees, have his own adventures where he didn’t have to worry about anything else.

Daryl is still the same as he’d always been, though. He proved to be shy and awkward, even though he wore his heart on his sleeve and tried constantly to hide it with a scowl. It was especially like this when he fell into unfamiliar territory. This happened often with Darcy deep in his heart but he tried to stay strong and not ruin the one relationship he wanted to keep and protect.

So when he closed the gap between them further and held her cheek gently in his right hand, he could feel it was the in the right, that it was true. He didn’t put on a scowl when he tilted his head, and leaned further into her. He didn’t run away when the tingling sensation bolted throughout his entire body as his lips just barely grazed hers. He only took a sharp breath in, stopping and hesitating to make absolutely sure she wanted it too.

Darcy stepped back though, clenching her teeth in immediate regret.

She watched as his head dropped to the floor, unable to speak or move under her gaze. He was heartbroken. She could read it on his strong features.

Why did she do that? She knew in her heart she wanted it to happen, she needed it to happen. Was it fear? Was it because of last time they let their guards down? It had happened before, unplanned and unexpected. It only came back to haunt them both. She still to that moment didn’t know if he meant it.

Darcy remembered her aunt in that moment, something she told Darcy that stuck deep inside her heart to that very day:

“We women hid. We hide behind our makeup. We hide behind our humor. We hide with angry silences and punishing withdrawals. We hide our truest selves and offer only what we believe is wanted, what is safe.

We act in self-protective ways and refuse to offer what we truly see, believe, and know. We will not risk rejection or looking like a fool. We have spoken in the past and been met with blank stares and mocking guffaws. We will not do it again.

We hide because we are afraid. We have been wounded and wounded deeply. People have done wrong against us and we have done wrong as well. To hide means to remain safe, and to hurt less. At least that is what we think. And so by hiding, we take matters into our own hands. And throughout it all, it has never occurred to us that in all of our hiding, something precious is also lost.”

What is lost is something that she and Daryl need so very, very much. Maybe this was the second chance they both were looking for, and they both were growing to accept and cherish.

Darcy stepped forward to the man who was slowly withdrawing inside himself. She shakily brought his face to look at hers. She stood up on her toes, bringing her lips gently to his and putting an end to the scowl he always wore and the doubt he had about himself. Darcy held out one hand to the back of his neck as she pulled him towards her, and it took only a few seconds for Daryl to react.

They both were trembling, shaking from how long they wanted this to happen, shaking from the consequences that were soon to follow after getting too close. Daryl walked forward; pressing his body against hers and pushing her back up against the stall she previously stood by, all the while gently caressing his lips with hers.

Darcy felt the intensity of the kiss begin to grow as Daryl let his hands fall to her small waist, gripping her tightly as she grabbed his face in her hands and kissed him all the more.

Daryl’s hands slid up her middle and up to her neck, cupping her cheeks and cherishing the moment he never wanted to end. Darcy moved her hands to his chest, gripping the thick fabric and pulling him into her as much as possible.

The kiss was tender, but driving at the same time. They could feel each other’s body trembling, trying so hard not to waste a second of this moment and making sure it was as perfect as it could be. Darcy felt secure as he held her close to him, and Daryl felt important and loved for the first time in his life.

Then suddenly, they pulled apart, slowing down the kiss and finally stopping all together. Darcy had her hands still on his chest but they were held up slightly against him. He loosened his grip now barely resting on her hips.

They stood there, their breath burning in their throat, hearts pounding in their chests. Darcy couldn’t move or speak as she glanced across at Daryl who was standing, staring at her.