In Hope Of Falling In Love (A Walking Dead Fanfic)

Chapter 35: A Love Made Of Iron

Daryl hadn't spoken to Beth for a few days now. He still caught her looking at him or crying to herself at night when she thought nobody could hear; that nobody knew.

But he did.

He hadn't seen her eat in what had seemed like weeks and her face was wearing thin, the familiar rosy colour gone from her face and instead replaced with a colour very much close to death.

It killed him to see her like that.

Carol's funeral was earlier that evening, leaving them at least a week to mourn her before she was buried; Hershel was carrying out her service.

The amount of people sick had risen rapidly and now instead of just a few sick people. half the prison was full of the sick, injured and dead. Glenn, Tyreese and Sasha were a few of the ones who were locked up in Cell Block D with the illness and if Michonne's condition worsened, she'd be in there too.

Maggie, Daryl had noticed, was relying more on her sister than she had before.

He suspected it had something to do with Beth's promise to protect her and that she was going to fix everything. Even if Daryl was the only one who knew what "fix everything" really meant.

Beth wasn't the only one who'd changed, Daryl had changed too.

He was so different from the first time he met Rick, a few years ago when his hair was short and he didn't know about Elizabeth Greene.

The good old days.

To say he didn't miss her was a lie, but he wasn't about to admit to anyone that he did; that he wanted her to lie in bed with him at night even if they didn't fuck but just talked and laughed and hugged and cried. Then repeat.

His thoughts made him feel mad at himself for letting an innocent girl fall for a pig like him but the return of the image of her killing those two people destroyed his thoughts of her being innocent and sweet; the depressed and suicidal farm girl from the farm.

Beth, was honestly, the complete opposite of girls he usually dated and their relationship was the complete opposite of other relationships he'd have.

Usually, he was the sleep and leave type of guy but something about her made him stay and he wasn't very keen on staying; ever. He preferred to have a one-night stand rather than a long relationship. He'd seen multiple times what relationships like that did to people and he was still seeing it now. Even in himself.

Rick, who had been, and probably still was, in love with Lori had been crushed after she'd died.

Daryl didn't want to have to go through that. It was painful to think about losing family. As he had told her all those many months ago, the people at the prison were his family. And he'd meant it, he really did.

That was before he fell for Elizabeth Greene.

After he saw the sparkle in her eyes as she told him that the stars made him happy and he thought about how beautiful she truly was.

She really had changed.

Their love was bitter and harsh; like a winter that never ends. When they'd first fallen for eachother, Daryl was the cold one, the one made of iron and now Beth had taken his role.

Sure, he'd killed people before and sure, she was doing for the group but the look in her eye as she challenged him told him that she'd do it again. She would kill again before the night was done or she'd die trying.

And, in his sadness, he realised the truth. That their love was indeed made of iron; bitter and cold.

An endless cycle of a love made of iron.

Carl stared at the necklace he'd given Aislynn as she stood on the other side of the glass, her eyes red and her face pale.

She was sick and he was determined to protect her.

"How's Judith?" was the first thing she asked.

Carl laughed it off, pretending that fake smile or act of happiness didn't hurt him. Here he was, standing healthy and proud while she withered away to nothing.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, their foreheads pressed together against the cold, smooth glass. "I know I haven't told you I loved you in a while. When I asked where my socks were," he pretended to laugh, "I didn't know what to say. So I'm saying it now, okay?"

All he got was a sad nod and a raspy cough. "Alright," she replied, her voice rough and broken.

"I haven't said it because I thought we'd have more time. I didn't think tomorrow would be our last day. I really care about you, I really do. You're perfect in every single way for me and this group and I thought maybe if I put off saying it, like Beth always says, God would give us more time. I'm not religious, my dad told me to put my faith elsewhere, but I just thought, why not?"

Aislynn began to cry, not clear tears, but tears of blood and as she wiped at her face she saw the blood smears on her hand and turned away from Carl.

"I ain't religious or anything. But I know ya an idiot," she said bravely.

Carl knew she was trying to hold it all in; be brave in front of him then later, when she was alone and feeling like shit, she'd let herself cry.

It made him feel quite guilty that his father and younger sister were fine while Aislynn was here, waiting for Daryl to realise she was dying as no one had told him yet; best to leave him with his thoughts.

"I'm sorry too," Aislynn admitted. "I thought they'd be more time but there isn't. If I don't make it out," she cried, "Take care of Judy for me and Daryl?"

Carl nodded.

"I still love you," Aislynn said, tears still wetting her dirty skin.

And for the first time in a while, Carl said it back.