Panic swirls across their vision and makes it hard to concentrate as they run down the stairs so fast they almost trip, skipping some at a time. Everyone turns their head towards them, confused on why they would be acting like a bunch of animals.
"Has anyone seen Nina?" Glenn rapidly turns his head to scan the groups faces, only getting confused glances. Maggie perks up at the sight of her worried boyfriend, knowing something must have happened to her. Rick and T run out the door, not caring to grab a jacket.
"She handed me Daphne not too long ago; said she was going down for a nap and I told her I would watch her." Hershel says, Daphne shakes the toy in her hands in his arms on the couch obliviously.
The two men run back in, adrenaline keeping them from shivering. "Found the limbs of a walker on the yard." T-Dog informs the group, already k owing it was her who littered the lawn with walker pieces. It was definitely a sight, arms, a jaw and teeth. Rick was frustrated as to how no one heard her out there, the blinds were closed so no one could see them, but it wasn't an easy task. So, how?
Daryl now being dressed throws on his jacket and the hat Nina gave him. His face was blank but his eyes were piercing and he was just about ready to snap. Nothing ever went right anymore, that woman made him feel so many things at once, and he was only able to name a few of them. Worried, angry, sadness, happiness. Why couldn't she have just stayed in the safety of the house with everyone to watch her, why was no one watching her close enough? Why was he not paying close enough attention? The other three hurriedly put their coats on and grab their guns along with a few knives and Daryl keeps his crossbow in his clenched fist.
Maggie does the same, not giving them any time to say something about it and rushes out the door with the three men hot on her heels. She was not going to let them search for her best friend without her.
Daryl leads the way, following the very faint footsteps. It leads them to a house not too far from the one they were residing in. Throwing open the door they separate to look for any signs she was still there. All of them tense as they search, the unknowing is getting to them.
The cupboards were ajar but they couldn't tell if that was from previous raids or from Nina.
They do the same to the rest of the empty houses the footprints led to, still not finding the woman herself.
Daryl follows the tracks to a larger house, a little farm. He leads them to the back with his crossbow in his firm grip.
Hay bales and a frozen water trough letting them assume it was a horse that was staying there until Nina took it. Silently following the now hoof prints to frozen over green house. Daryl abruptly stops when he sees her metal bat lying in the snow.
His running thoughts take over him, forcing him in the direction of the snow tracks, not slowing down for the others. Heart beating painfully hard in his chest, lungs painfully breathing in the stinging cold air, legs painfully pushing through the snow as fast as they could, mind painfully thinking the worst.
He needed to see her. Now, he needed to see her now and make sure she was okay.
He needed to pull her into his arms where she would be safe. He wouldn't know what to do if she wasn't. He wouldn't be able to live with himself.
He halts to a stop when he sees the horse in the distance. But no Nina. No. No it can't be.
"No." He whispers and continues to sprint toward the large animal.
The other four don't stop racing after him for a second, just wanting to find the Kenyon woman. Everyone slows to a stop at the lone horse, where the tracks end. They had seen the farm and the missing horse, two plus two equals her taking the animal, and the tracks leading them here meant she was here at some point. The snow filling the prints and making it impossible to follow her any further.
Daryl runs his cold hands down his face, refusing to accept it.
Maggie tears up and hides her face in Glenn's neck. They, besides Daryl, had been the closest to her, everyone else coming close. Maggie still needs her, she's killed walkers now, and just like Nina had mentally promised herself, she was there. But Maggie still needed her on this journey. T and Rick breathe out in shock with tears of their own trying to escape, Glenn lets silent tears fall. Was she really gone? Just like that?
What about Daphne? Everyone would be crushed, having grown so close to the woman.
Daryl bends down, squatting with his hands still glued to his face. He refuses to believe this. She isn't gone, she's made it through so much to be taken by this. If he knows her, and he does, then she would never give up, never leave Daphne.
This will not be the end, he will search for her as long as he needs to until he finds her. And as painful as the thought is, he won't stop until he finds her dead or alive.
"Why is everyone crying?"
They whip their heads to her voice, finding Nina standing with her arms by her sides. A laptop charger being used as a leash around the walkers neck. The fuck were they so upset about?
Daryl stands up and charges towards her, wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his head in the crook of her neck. A hug of relief, glad she was alive, glad she was here with him now. He never relied on people before, Nina just brought this need on him- dependant on her, he needs her to be okay and safe to be able to move on. Tears run down his face, running off his face and onto her shoulder as silent and unnoticeable sobs rack through his tall frame.
The other four lets out cries of relief and look away to let them have their moment.
"The fuck were ya thinkin'?" He whispers against her soft neck. Nina drops the cord and brings her arm to rub up and down his back, her other hand using her nail to gently rake through his hair. Her motherly instincts needing to sooth him as he clings to her.
"You should've seen me, Daryl." She smiles, proud of herself for contributing to the group. "I got so much stuff." She gently pries his head out from her neck and cups his cheeks. "I even got a couple rabbits." Her happy grin so wide and contagious it makes his heart skip a beat, unable to stop a tiny smile of his own.
He softly presses his forehead to hers, letting out a small breath. She was okay and in his arms. He was never letting her go.
She wipes the tears from his face, surprised they didn't freeze in the cold air. "Let's go," She whispers, her light brown eyes meeting his blue. He gives her a subtle nod before turning around, keeping an arm around her waist.
PDA was never a thing he thought himself of doing, but the distress he was feeling only a moment ago made him need to know it was over, that she was near and safe. The comfort of seeing her again blinded him from what would've been his usual uncomfortable tendency toward showing public affection.
Nina turns back around and pulls her knife from her boot, stabbing it through the eye of the walker. She cleans it off in the thick packing snow and sticks it back in her boot.
She ties the ropes she found in one of the houses to a large sled she found in a shed to each side of the saddle. Nina climbs on the horse in front of Daryl, holding back a smirk at his clinginess as he holds tightly to her hips, and turns around to the other four awkwardly standing there, obviously thinking they would be left to walk back.
"Well get on," She gestures to the sled and they all glance at each other before getting on. "Hold on." Daryl tells them.
After the two put the horse in the shed- which was almost like a little house - they walk into the house. Nina puts her jacket on the coat rack and sits walks over to the bags she brought back.
She digs through and places multiple herbs and spices on the table, hunting knives, a couple onions, garlic, potatoes, packages of vegetable seeds, toilet paper, pads and tampons, toothbrushes still in the package, soap, some horse supplies she got from the little farm and candles.
She then pulls out the four rabbits she managed to catch and hands them to Daryl as she doesn't know how to skin them. He told her he would give Carol the skins so she could make them into something soft.
Nina sits down beside him and watches him. Daryl didn't mind at all, just happy she was near him.
When he's finished with them Nina cuts them into small steak-like pieces and places them over the fire. She boils the potatoes beside the meat.
After wiping off her hand she slumps against the wall and motions Daryl over, he sits between her legs and rests his head on her chest, closing his eyes as she runs her fingers through his growing hair.
It was a more intimate action between them, but it was secluded as no one else was in the kitchen. Nina spends this time with him, listening to his easy breathing, relishing in the trust he has for her as she brushes through his hair.
A/N, Ngl I was completely thinking about killing her off just for the drama. But I love her and writing this too much to do that, don't worry y'all 🙄
Wait... did he stare into her light brown eyes... the same eyes that happen to be his favourite colour...?
Y'all- be ready for the next chapter 😏