She looked up from rummaging in her backpack to see Daryl's gaze focus to her side. Following his gaze, she saw he was looking at the glass bottle of Coca Cola she had set next to her. She smirked as she turned to look back at Daryl.
"Don't even think about it," she said.
"Where did you find that?"
"I got lucky."
"You saving it for a rainy day or something?" he asked, meeting her gaze.
"Saving it for someone."
"Someone?" asked Carol, stepping back into the room from checking the doors downstairs.
"A friend," she said. "He was a fan of this soda. Figured it would cheer him up the next time I saw him."
"You get separated?" Carol asked, sitting next to Daryl.
"We traveled with each other for awhile but then our lives required us to go separate ways for awhile. We intended on trying to reunite though." She smiled as she pushed a strand of hair back behind her ear. "I think he would like the two of you. Especially you, Daryl. I can imagine the two of you going on for hours about motorcycles, if given the chance."
"He a rider?" asked Daryl.
"Something like that."
"Do you know where he is?" asked Carol.
"I was following a trail but it eventually went cold," she replied. "Hell, I can't even guarantee that he's still alive. Especially seeing how many walkers had taken over the warehouse building where I knew he had set up base for a long period of time."
"Warehouse building?" asked Daryl.
She nodded and gestured in a direction with her hand. "Yeah, not too far from here."
Daryl and Carol went silent and stared at her with wide eyes. It didn't go unnoticed by her.
"What?" she asked, straightening up. "You know the place?"
"Something like that," replied Daryl. "And the man who ran it."
"Was your friend living there or did he..." asked Carol but let her question fade off unfinished.
"The way you're talking, it seems more than just a brief passing," she said. "What happened?"
"Put simply. Our community clashed with theirs. Lives were lost. Some redeemed themselves and joined ours. Others went their separate ways." said Daryl.
"So, that explains the walkers."
"What was your friend's name?" asked Carol. "Maybe he's one of the few survived and we can help you find your next direction in our journey."
"Oh, it seems to be a name everyone knows... or at least knew when they interacted with that community. It's just now a matter of knowing whether he's still alive or not."
"Everyone knows?" echoed Carol.
"Wait... you don't mean... you aren't talking about Negan, are you?"
She shifted onto the edge of her seat, her eyes widening in surprise. "You know him?!"
"Oh, yes, we are quite familiar with him. A bit surprising to know someone like you would be in such good terms with him."
"He's alive," added Daryl.
She smiled in relief. "I'm glad to hear that. But based on what you've just told me, I can sense there's some conflicting emotions about that. And probably questioning on where my loyalties lie now. I assure you I'm someone you can trust, regardless of your feelings for Negan."
