CHAPTER ONE: PRISON WITHIN
Sunset was coming. The air started to turn colder as the clouds took over the sky.
Finally...
Daryl Dixon took a moment to see the sun disappear in the horizon, sighing, he put his crossbow down. Even though they had just taken over the prison, which was supposed to be good news, there was something inside him that didn't felt right. Yes, they would be safer here, but that only meant less freedom for him. He had always been a loner, and even when he cared about the group and all, there were some things that couldn't change.
Loners are loners...
He closed his eyes and sat on the grass with frustration. It's not that he wanted to be like this, but he had been alone since way before he even knew the meaning of company. Loneliness was something he would carry with him forever, and he had to understand that.
-Don't be a pussy 'bout it. -he said to himself. The only thing he could do about it was to deal with it and survive. Just earlier that day, Hershel had been bitten and Rick had to cut his leg off. And just as him, Hershel would have to deal with it and try to survive. In the end, they have all lost more important things than legs or social skills.
-About what? –Carol's voice took him by surprise. He stood up beside her.
-Y'gotta stop doin' that. –The redneck said with a smirk.
-You'll have to stop pushing us away, then. –Daryl shifted his bodyweight to the other leg uncomfortably.
-There ain't nothin' wrong with wanting some space. –He justified himself. If there was something he couldn't stand, were Carol's eyes staring at him, as if they were trespassing the boundaries he had set himself for others. But now he had learned to deal with it by changing the subject instead of yelling at her. –I'll go look for bandages and a pair of crutches for Hershel t'morrow.
-But Rick said there could be an infirmary here and—
-Then I'll go look for something else. –She was getting on his last nerve now. He started to walk towards the prison.
-Something else? Like what? –Carol couldn't understand why he would risk his life out there for nothing in particular.
-Some personal space. –Daryl's words came out harsh as he looked at the gray haired woman with anger.
The sun was about to come out, there was enough light out there to go and get some goods. The light haired, muscly man put on his winged vest and walked out of the prison.
-So you're really gonna do this? –The soft voice of Carol stopped him form getting on his bike. He limited himself to nodd. The gray haired woman got closer and placed one of her delicate hands in his shoulder. Her fingers where thin, but her knuckles and nails had some dirt and old blood in them. When he noticed this, he reminded himself that Carol was no weak woman, she had toughen up and that deserved respect. –I'm not gonna ask you to come back. I'm just asking you to remember that you are part of a group here. A family that waits for you. –That being said, she glanced at him one last time and turned around.
After that brief encounter, the hunter jumped on his motorbike and sooner than he thought he was already out of the prison.
-Fucking dammit. –He mumbled frustrated as he directed his bike into the woods. Daryl didn't feel like behaving and following the runway. That wasn't freedom; that was just another way to tie his way. Once he was off road, he finally felt the prison he had inside fade away with the cold wind in his face. There was a very fine and almost invisible road he could follow without stumbling upon any big rock, so he sped up as he dodged the trees ahead. Little did he notice he was getting to deep into the forest.
And then everything happened in the blink of an eye.
Scared and frenetic, a deer running as fast as it could hit Daryl's motorbike right on the front wheel, making him lose control and falling into what it seemed to be a little old hidden pond. The bike hit his left leg and ran over his whole body and face until he finally hit the edge of the pond. He felt the water barely touching his skin.
-Not this again. –He said to himself with almost no strength left. He lifted his head to see the water, which had now his blood dancing in the surface. The smell of blood and the sound of the motorcycle would soon attract some walkers and the worst part of this was he couldn't move. His ribs and his legs hurt like hell and he was unable to stand up. –That's what ya' get for yer so called freedom, dumbass. –He said to himself. –You shitty piece of walker bait. –And after saying this, laughing at his fate and at the end of his days, he passed out.
Whatever happened next was still unknown to him...but not to the girl who saw it all.