The Darkest Storm

“What happened with you two?”

Darcy sits with her back up against the inside wall of the abandoned living room, playing with the material of Daryl’s poncho in between her fingertips.

She bites her lip and shrugs at Maggie as she continues to stare down at the cloth. “Nothing.”

Maggie rolls her eyes and walks towards the door, “Well, I think something happened that you aren’t telling me.” The woman’s country accent fills the air smoothly, and Darcy looks at her friend.

The group has been on the move since the start of winter. Gathering supplies necessary for day-to-day survival and trying to find a place to hole up every few nights was their main priority. There has yet to be a sign of a location where Rick has promised they could build a life for each other. The hope of the group is wearing thin, especially with Lori’s baby due any day.

“Like what?” Darcy is curious.

Maggie lets out a loud breath, “I don’t know. The two of you are just so – Daryl, I mean – “

“Spit it out.” Darcy leans her head back against the cold wall and closes her eyes.

“Giddy?” Maggie makes a squished face and Darcy’s laugh escapes her with no effort of trying to hold it back. “As if that’s possible for Daryl.”

The atmosphere between the two had definitely changed. How could it not? It was a kind of peace, happiness, and somewhere along the lines of hopefulness. They had accepted that maybe, this was a good thing, letting the other get close. It would be something to hold on to, rather than avoid because they were too scared of loosing each other. That same fear still remained, but they would enjoy what was placed in front of them, even given the chaotic circumstances of the world around them.

Maggie was right, though. Daryl was happier, as was Darcy, but she had a better way of hiding it. It was an understanding between the two that their relationship would stay their relationship and no one else’s. But, there was a seeable joy in the man that he had never felt before, and every time Darcy was in the room he was no longer pressed to look away.

He ached to be near her and hold her – although the fear of rejection still remained, those feelings were there. He would just have to become comfortable enough to let them show.

It was the small notions that Darcy had come aware of and accustomed to that allowed her to recognize the way he showed feelings towards her. The shy blinks, the small smirks, the light taps with his elbow as they joked around. It was cute, and she loved every second of it.

“Well, I think ya’ll are good for each other. Like a perfect romance in a tragic state.” Darcy smirks but doesn’t respond. Maggie takes that as her cue to sit next to her.

The front door shuts quietly, but they have memorized the sound by now. The familiar creeks in the floorboards reach their ears and their heads lift up to see Daryl himself, walking into the room with a saunter that Darcy can’t help but enrapture herself in. He immediately lifts his eyes to meet with hers. Only she can see the slight movement of his mouth that forms into a small smile. He nods at Maggie and crosses the room into the hallway while the heartbeat of each of the hunter’s increases. Rick and T-Dog soon follow.

Darcy can feel the stare of Maggie next to her, and she turns to face the smug look of her friend. Darcy says nothing but scoffs and stands up with the blanket still in her hands, making her way to follow the others into the next room. Maggie is close behind.

When Darcy and Maggie walk in, a circle has formed with the others. Daryl leans against the doorframe and watches as she passes him, giving her another nod as she stands by his side. She holds out the homemade poncho she had given him that cold December day and he takes it shyly from her.

“Alright.” Rick rubs the bridge of his nose and rests an arm along the beaten couch in front of him. “We scouted about a mile radius, it seems like we’ve got a herd heading our way. The plan is to start packing up, make our way out at dawn. We’ve got enough time to wait at least until morning. In the mean time, I’ll take Daryl, T-Dog, and Darcy to scout down the road a ways. Should be a house or two along the road.”

Rick looks to the group, “Any questions?” He asks. No one answers but stares on, quietly stealing glances from one another. “Alright. You three, let’s go.”

-

The four stand in front of a rickety looking two-story home maybe two miles down the road from where they were held up.

“We’d need a chainsaw to get in there.” T-Dog shakes his head and put his hands on his hips.

“Too bad we ain’t got one.” Daryl mumbles while he starts to pace.

“It’s boarded up tight – might be safe. Could be keeping the walkers out.” Rick steps forward but then turns slightly to face them.

“Or keeping them in.” Darcy points.

Rick looks at her and nods his head. “Or in.” He turns to the house. “Let’s circle ‘round. Maybe we can find a different way in. They had to get in and out for supplies somehow. T-Dog, Darcy, take that way and me ‘n Daryl will go this way. Be safe, quiet, and call out if you run into trouble.”

T-Dog nods at Darcy and she raises her bow as she lets him take lead. The group, throughout the toughest winter imaginable, has become closer than ever before. It was as if the initial silent way of communicating just between Darcy and Daryl at first has seeped its way into the group – forming the others into a close-knit family even further.

“There.” Darcy nods up at the top-most window. There is a ledge easily climbable if the right person does so, and she knows she can reach it with a slight boost. The window seems to be left a mere inch open – she knows she can get inside that way.

“How are we supposed to reach that?” T-Dog sighed. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees her throw her bow over her shoulder and walk to the side of the house. “Oh no, are you serious? You just wait ‘till Daryl gets over here –“

“Are you gonna give me a boost or not?” She looks back to her friend with a raised brow and waits.

T-Dog gives her a slight glare and shakes his head, “You’re crazy.” He steps forward and lets her slip her heel into his palms. With a boost, she’s able to reach the patio roof and pull herself up to stand on top.

“Be careful.” T calls up to her.

Darcy takes her steps lightly, she is unsure if the roof will hold up with how long it has been uncared for. She looks over to the side of the window. There is another ledge she can reach, followed by a wooden plank that is purposefully for growing vines along the sides of houses like this one. Before she leaps, she hears Rick and Daryl’s presence below.

“Where’s Darcy?” Rick asks T-Dog, who bobs his head up to her. She tries to not make eye contact and instead places her footing strategically to be able to make it across the way to the ledge. It’s going to be quite a jump.

“We don’ know what’s in there, Rick she could be walkin’ into an ambush.” Daryl paces and the scowl on his face is more intense than it has been for a while. His eyes do not leave her figure.

Darcy bends her knees and bounces on her feet before she stands still completely and takes a deep breath in. She knows she can make it but there is the slither of chance the roof could not hold her.

“We don’t have anywhere else to go. We might as well try!” Rick hisses at the hunter who becomes more impatient as they watch and wait for her to make her move.

When she does, panic arises from below. Darcy jumps across and her palms just make contact with the separate ledge. It creaks, and the nails don’t hold. The sudden snap of the wood forces Darcy to pull herself up quicker than anticipated and she rolls onto the ledge and breaths out the adrenaline.

She doesn’t wait very much longer to move on. Darcy grabs hold of the holes in the wooden notches of the vines and pulls herself to the window. She slides it open, and leaps over the sill.

It’s quiet, and dark. Ghostly, even.

Darcy pulls her flashlight out from her belt followed by a pistol with a makeshift silencer. She holds them up and takes achingly slow steps to take in the darkness and her surroundings for any sudden movements. Something doesn’t feel right.

The first bedroom is clear, the one she first entered. As she makes her way to the other rooms upstairs, there is no danger. She begins to let her tenseness ease away and gains more confidence as she walks down the stairs.

Darcy rounds the corner into the living room and stops when she sees a petite female body standing near the couch unaware of her presence. Darcy fires un-phased and walks towards it as it goes down.

She inspects it, patting down the body for any weapons – most walkers they found had them these days – but found nothing on the corpse. She sighs, and believes the house is clear.

Pushing to her feet, Darcy hears a heart-stopping growl. Right behind her, the breath reeking of death and decay is hot on her neck. She turns quickly around but trips on the body underneath her feet. Scrambling backwards, she accurately takes in the numbers of walkers actually held up in this “safe-house.” She knows the odds of getting out alive is highly unlikely – she cannot take them all on her own either.

In an instant Darcy turns her head to the right and sees the doorway to the kitchen. It appears empty. She can only make a break for it and hope for the best.

Leaping to her feet she shoots at the closest walker and sprints for the door. The walkers are closing in quickly as she pounds on the boarded up exit way and attempts to rip the wooden planks off their nails. Her vision starts to blur, but she can make out the figures outside of Daryl, Rick, and T-Dog trying to reach her.

Darcy has managed to get two boards off. It was until she hears Daryl’s voice screaming at her to get back that her mind has almost accepted death. She stands with her back up against the wall beside the door, watching and waiting as she locks her eyes onto the shaking, bony dead hand lunging towards her -

The door is kicked open, and Rick pulls Darcy outside while Daryl stands in the doorway, firing a few arrows at the monsters inside.

The door is re-closed with the walkers remaining on the other side, and Darcy cannot help but jump into Daryl’s arms as soon as he faces her. He holds her into him with one arm for a moment, before he pushes her directly in front of him so he can look her over. They ignore the looks from the other two, as if they weren’t even there.

“Ya alright?” He asks, breathing heavily.

Her breathing matches his. She quickly nods, “Yeah.” Daryl returns the nod and holds his left hand to the side of her neck. Worry is plastered to his face before Rick breaks the frightening moment between the two.

“Another dead end.” He whispers in defeat. Rick faces Darcy and puts a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, you shouldn’t have gone in there alone.”

Darcy shook her head, “I made the choice. It was a dumb choice, but it was mine nonetheless.” She turns away from Daryl and steps to the side.

“It was a close call.” T-Dog shakes his head in disapproval of the woman’s actions but he is impressed and shows respect for her courage and determination in spite of that.

“I’m alright. That’s what matters. And at least we know.” She bobs her head towards the house, still hearing the pounding on the walls from the walkers on the inside.

Rick nods, staring in disgust at the rotten faces through the window. “At least we know.”