Chapter 1
He lets out a steady breath as he aligns the crosshairs of his scope with the lungs of the deer, his finger on the trigger, ready to squeeze at the right moment. It remains unaware of his presence.
He had been stalking this deer for a while now, since early this morning in fact. He was hoping to snag a deer to keep him and his brother going for a while and this one looks like it would be just perfect for that.
Daryl licks his lips as he readies his finger to squeeze, but nanoseconds before he squeezes the trigger, the doe jumps to the left, startled, causing the bolt to miss its mark by mere centimeters and fly forward into the depths of the woods. The deer stands frozen in its spot, white tail flashing wildly, and locks its gazes with his. And then it bolts off in the opposite direction of his truck.
"Shit," Daryl mutters under his breath.
He looks around, wondering what spooked it, but sees nothing obvious. He considers that maybe it was him that scared it and can almost hear his brother's husky voice, laughing.
Gettin' kinda rusty there lil' D. Maybe if you weren't so busy doin' all this pussy ass shit, runnin' around doin' shit no man has no business doin' ya wouldn't be so damn out of practice.
"What the hell you even talking 'bout? At least I get the damn bills paid!" Daryl yells to the voice and freezes at his outburst.
He looks around self consciously even though he knows no one was there to witness his one-sided conversation before he shakes his head, trying to clear it.
Damn… think I'm goin' crazy.
Talking to voices in his head won't help him much with anything let alone track a deer, so he pushing all irritating thought of Merle and his unhelpfulness aside. He slings his crossbow onto his back and follows the deer's trail, not even bothering to look for his bolt, knowing it wouldn't be worth the time.
He tracks the deer for about an hour before the sun starts to sit low in the sky and decides to head out if he plans on making it back before dark. He needs to get back home so he can get all his shit done and get some sleep before work in the morning.
He walks down the road instead of trying to navigate through the thick underbrush and vines since it's almost a straight shot to his truck from the road. He thinks over what he might end up eating tonight because he doesn't have much food to work with at the moment. He's pulled from his thoughts by the distant rumble of a car approaching. He briefly glances back, as if he really cares who it is, but ignores it and continues on his way.
As it gets closer, though, he notices it slowing down. When the car rolls up beside him in speed with his steady gait, he looks over seeing the tinted window rolling down and settles into a glare. What the hell!? What would anyone want to be saying to a Dixon out in the middle of the boondocks? He immediately puts his guard up, expecting it to be some self absorbed asshole who likes to pick and bully just to get a rise out of the town's infamous redneck.
But that's not what he faces when the window rolls down, not at all. As a matter of fact, it's not even someone he can place a name to, and he finds himself gawking.
Through the window is an attractive woman with long, brown curly hair with big, beautiful hazel eyes and a bright smile. She's not looking at him with the usual look of loathing granted to the Dixons or anyone of his caliber; instead, she's looking at him with a look of curiosity and something else he can't quite identify. He can almost swear she bats his eyes at her.
"What are you doin' out here in the middle of nowhere, stranger?" she asks, a hint of humor in her unwavering smile. And he begins to feel as sense of caution linger in the back of his mind.
He considers just ignoring her and continuing forward, it's not like he doesn't already have the reputation of being a rude asshole, but he answers anyway with a short, "Huntin'."
She arches an eyebrow. "Don't look like you're hunting to me. Looks like you're trying to get somewhere. Maybe I can help with that. Ya need a lift?"
"Nope," he huffs out, "don' need no help." He adjusts his hand on his sling, gripping it tighter. He really doesn't need any help. He's always managed by himself, he doesn't see the point of changing that now.
"Oh, nonsense. You look dead on your feet. You must've been walkin' for miles. Why don't I give you a lift... to wherever yer goin'. So I can give fine ass of yers a rest," she says with a smirk.
He looks over at her incredulously, a sneer masking his confusion. Is this bitch really flirting with me? Who the hell flirts with a Dixon? A weird person, that's who.
"I said I'm fine," he says stubbornly, a hint of finality in his words.
"Well you can either get in the car and I can drive you to wherever yer goin' and you'll get there a lot faster, or... I can just drive behind you the whole way because quite frankly, I think I'll enjoy the view," she says, waving her perfectly shaped eyebrows for emphasis.
He just stares at her for a few moments, walking with her driving beside him. Her eyes portray nothing but pure honesty. He could seriously picture her driving along beside him for the entire walk back to his truck, wasting gas like a dumbass. This bitch is serious. He looks towards the trees almost longingly. Maybe if he just cuts through the woods he could get away from this chick. But the shooting ache traveling up his spine and through his feet with each step reminds him he's not as physically apt to walking around for such long periods of time as he use to be.
Daryl sighs through his nose and looks over at the girl again, trying to gage whether she's trustworthy. Her face still portrays an innocent expression. Maybe just this once he can accept a little ride. What could it hurt?
Against his better judgment he walks up to the door with a resigned sigh, opening it as soon as she stops the car. He pauses before he gets in and studies her again. Is this really happening? Is it some sort of trick? He half expects some prank show's TV host to pop out of nowhere and yell, "Surprise! Ah, man! I can't believe you fell for that. Man, she don't want trash like you in her car!" He can almost hear it, the laughing and taunting coming from the film crew. He feels his temper raise just from the thought.
Her cocky voice makes him flinch and he flushes slightly. "You gonna just stare at me all day, handsome, or are you gonna get in, hmm?"
He raises his eyebrows with a shrug and swings his crossbow off his shoulder and sets it on the floorboard before swinging himself into the seat and shutting the door. She starts driving again and the cab falls silent except for the low hum of music. It's something he doesn't like. It's that new pop music or some shit like that.
"So, where you headed?" her voice chimes out.
"My truck," he answers vaguely, feeling regret build slowly in his chest. Why would he willingly trap himself with this lady? He doesn't know who this chick is and the fact that she seems so eager sets him on edge.
"'My truck,'" she mocks in a raspy voice, imitating Daryl's drawl. Daryl jerks his head to her with a raised brow. "Well... where might this truck be?" she asks, amused.
Daryl's lip curls up in the slightest of snarls and he lets out a short growling sigh before responding, "about five miles down this road. Then take a right down a dirt road," he mutters, gesturing to the road.
"Alllright then."
They sit quietly for a few minutes. He doesn't look over at her. He just keeps his head turned away, looking at the familiar scenery flash by. He chews on the skin of his thumb as his thoughts overtake him again, his other hand resting on the butt of his crossbow. His mind drifts to the strange girl sitting a mere three feet away, who, for some reason, wants to help him out. Something about it doesn't sit quite right. It's not that he thinks himself incapable of having people wanting to help him; he just sees it very unlikely, especially someone as gorgeous as this woman.
He's never seen this woman before and he wonders where she even came from, and he surprises himself by asking, "where d'you come from?" He tenses and tightens his lips at his question. A moment of silence passes and he cuts his eye, seeing her looking forward with a smirk.
She glances over at him and graces him with her bright smile. "Louisiana, born and raised. The reason I'm here is because I needed to get away. Ya know?" Daryl grunts in mock understanding. "The family was gettin' a bit too much. I needed a place that's quiet and laid back." She casts a longer look at Daryl, a look that he can't quite decipher the meaning to. And then it's gone, replaced by that bright smile again, which makes him feel a bit uncomfortable. This chick is an odd one. Daryl shakes his head and noticed they're approaching the dirt road that leads to his freedom.
"Turn down that dirt road right there," he says, pointing over to the right lazily in an attempt to cover his eagerness for escape.
When his blue Ford pickup is visible in the distance the girl looks over again. "That your ride?" He resists the urge to roll his eyes and just grunts in conformation. "Nice." She smiles again. "I never caught your name, handsome." Daryl looks over at her and seriously considers making up one. But why bother? There really wouldn't be a point. Most everyone already thinks he's an asshole, what would he be trying to hide? The least he could do is tell the one person, apart from the few that's been nice to him in this God forsaken town, his real name, even if she does seem a little… iffy.
"Daryl Dixon," he offers quietly.
She pulls over by his truck. "Nice to meet you Daryl," she sticks out her hand and after a few seconds of hesitation he awkwardly shakes it, "and I'm Satin, Satin Kingsley."
Daryl lets go of her hand quickly, grabs his crossbow, and opens the door to step out. "Thanks... fer the ride," he mutters not meeting her eyes.
"No problem. Hey, maybe I'll see you around town," she says with a laugh. Daryl slams her car door shut and walks over to his truck.
He gets in and places his crossbow on the passenger seat. "Yeah, maybe," he mutters to himself as he drives away, heaving a sigh of relief.
…..
Satin sits back in the driver's seat, smiling in contemplation, and watches Daryl turn around and drive away to the main road. She really hopes that they'll meet again. Actually, she's pretty certain that they will. She cracks another smile before she puts her car in drive and travels back out the dirt road.