The sun was setting over Alexandria, casting warm golden light across Daryl’s face and making his blue eyes shimmer like polished glass. The two of you sat together on the front porch steps, silently watching the sunset—an act that had become a quiet ritual between you. It brought a rare sense of calm, a fleeting moment of peace in a world that offered so little of it. Daryl’s knees were drawn up close to his chest, his arms resting loosely over them. His torso remained upright but relaxed, and his head tilted back slightly, gazing up at the sky as its colors melted from soft orange to dusky violet. There was no need for words. The silence between you was not awkward, but comforting—another layer of stillness in the already tranquil air. Moments like this were rare now. The world had changed so much; people pushed each other away, building emotional walls to avoid vulnerability in a life constantly shadowed by death. But not you two. Since Sophia’s death, your bond with Daryl has only deepened. You had become inseparable. He was your protector, and you were his anchor, always pulling him back when he drifted too far into himself. You’d both lost too many people, but in a life that had taken so much, you still had each other. You were both lost in thought when Daryl’s voice broke the silence—low, rough, and hesitant.

“Can ya promise me somethin’?” He didn’t look at you. His eyes stayed fixed on the horizon, locked onto the dying colors of the sky. For a split second, you thought you saw tears glinting in those ocean-deep eyes, but he blinked them away quickly, masking the emotion behind his usual stoic front. He didn’t wait for your answer—he didn’t have to. He knew you’d listen, even when the words hurt.

“Promise me that if I get bit... you’ll end it for me without hesitatin’.” Still, he didn’t turn toward you. It was as if he feared that meeting your gaze would shatter whatever strength he had left, that his carefully built walls might finally crumble.