In this chapter, we get to find out a little more about our leading lady. There will be more Daryl interaction but as the chapters go on, there will be plenty more of that to come and a growing love/hate relationship between the two.
Please do review and if you are so inclined, let me know if you would like to see DarylxOC smut as I will only go ahead with that if its wanted by my audience.
Slight themes of depression.
Let me know what you think!
She watched the world pass her by as she stared outside of the window. Trees flickered past her vision, the beauty of the world disrupted by the occasional corpse or the wandering dead. But the RV travelled on, heading toward their destination. With Dale up front steering the beast, she sat opposite Carol, both women remaining in silence. She hoped that Lori's boy would be alright and that Sophia would be found. Her eyes drifted from the outside world to the mother's tired eyes, red from her tears. She knew that loss, that worry extremely well. She thought back to the night before.
"I heard screaming? Everything OK?" Dale rushed to the edge of the highway, watching as one by one, the group climbed up the slope and straddled the railing. Dale's eyes searched the group and asked, "Where's Lori?"
"Carl's been shot. She got on a horse with some woman back to a farm," Glenn said.
Dale looked to Daryl, "And you couldn't stop her?"
"I'm beat outta my ass, old man," Daryl retorted. "Besides, she knew Rick and Carl's name. I ain't no babysitter."
"And the screaming?"
"Andrea got surprised by a walker," Glenn answered. "It was a close one."
Daryl added, "Was for Lori too 'til that wild chick sprung out of nowhere."
Dale frowned as the hunter passed him by. He turned to Glenn, mouthing the words wild chick in complete confusion. Glenn turned and pointed to the edge of the trees, directing the fatherly figure towards the young woman, hidden in amongst the branches. His frown deepened as he spun round to the group.
"Well, who is she?"
Carol answered timidly, "We've no idea."
Daryl snorted, perching himself on the hood of an abandoned car. "Does it matter? We got our orders to meet Rick at the farm. She ain't coming with us."
Glenn stepped over to the man. "She saved Lori. That's gotta count for something."
"Counts for nothin' when we ain't got a clue who she is," Daryl protested. He gestured in the girl's general direction. "She could be cuddlin' up to ya today just so she could slit yer throat and steal yer shit tomorrow."
"Daryl, she's practically a kid!"
The redneck shrugged. "Kid with a machete."
That took Dale aback, glancing back at the girl. Dale understood the group's needed to be cautious but to leave someone behind, someone that had saved the life of one of their own, sent all the wrong vibes throughout the older man's body.
"She saved Lori," Dale stated. "She stays."
Glenn smiled at the man's decision and waited for any protests. Daryl glared at him until he conceded, leaping from the car to stand tall. "You keep an eye on her then. She pulls anythin', that's on you."
The girl watched on from her position as the group agreed on a plan. She thought on the way the oldest man looked at her. The warmth in his eyes made her feel oddly comfortable, but that in its self made her wary. She told herself she needed to be on guard. She saw the way the hunter's eyes bore into her. He saw her as a threat, but to him? His family? The way he kept his distance sure didn't make the group feel like a family.
Her head turned to Glenn, waving her over. Cautiously she started up the slope, eyeing those behind Glenn and the older man.
"Hey," Glenn said. "I'm gonna take T-Dog back to the farm. He's hurt really bad."
The girl moved from one foot to the other, worried by the fact a second kind member of the group was leaving her. She really didn't want the numbers dwindling down until only her and the moody redneck were left.
"You'll stay with me. I'll keep an eye on you," Dale added. He held his hand out. "I'm Dale."
The girl watched his hand.
Glenn smirked and mumbled, "Don't I get to find out your name before I go?"
After a moment's consideration, Hayley smiled back and took it. "Hayley. It's Haley Carter." The men smiled kindly at her while a certain pair of eyes watched the interaction carefully.
That night Hayley sat in the RV opposite Andrea who was trying to assemble her gun. She flinched when Carol's cries grew louder and she looked back towards the bedroom with empathy. The mother was curled up in her covers, holding onto her blankets as if they were all that were keeping her there. Hayley's heart skipped slightly as she saw Daryl staring up at her with a frown. He'd been on the floor, trying to catch some sleep but anyone that could sleep while listening to Carol's despair would be heartless. Daryl looked back to the mother and stood. He grabbed his bow and asked for his clip back from Andrea.
"You're going back out there?" she asked.
"Gonna walk the highway. Search for Sophia, she might see the light." He waved the flashlight. His eyes flickered over to Hayley before heading out of the RV.
In a moment of bravery, Hayley rushed out of the RV after him. The night was slightly muggy and she still looked like some untamed feral girl but she didn't care. Not if being out there, searching for Sophia, gave her any sort of hope of finding him too.
"Daryl!" She cringed at her own sore voice, having spoken his name way too loudly. He froze and turned, arching an eyebrow at her. For a moment, she got the sickly feeling she hadn't got his name right.
"Can I come with you?"
He snorted. The asshole actually snorted at her! "Na. Stay here."
Hayley's determination deflated. Andrea opened the closing door behind her, only to say, "I'm coming too."
Daryl looked from Hayley to Andrea and nodded. Hayley wanted to voice her anger but the words wouldn't come out.
"Do you think that's a good idea right now?" Hayley turned towards the voice, noticing Dale on the roof of the RV.
Andrea glared up at the man, saying his name in a warning voice. Soon the older man looked deflated too. Even Daryl gave him a sympathetic glance before heading through the mass of abandoned cars with the blonde.
Dale turned to the young woman who was staring after them too. He gained her attention, muttering, "I don't quite know if she's going to forgive me." He gave Hayley a weak smile and gestured, "Come on up."
After a moment's hesitation, she took to climbing the RV, knowing it'd be worse to hear Carol weeping than to face any questions from the old man. She took in the roof and couldn't help the small laugh from escaping; Dale had the roof set up with a couple of deck chairs and blankets, his gun, a cooler and a giant bottle of water used usually for dispensers. If it weren't for the apocalypse, it would have been a nice get up for star gazing, rather than watching out for monsters and lost little girls.
"Take a seat."
Hayley unstrapped the sheath from her back and fell into the chair like a sack of sand. She'd been on her feet most of the day, running and searching before she'd even come across the group. She turned to Dale. "What happened between you two?"
Dale sighed and looked at the girl beside him. "We were at the CDC. A scientist, Doctor Jenner, took us in. He told us..." He paused, eyeing this young woman, full of potential if the world had been different. "He told us there is no hope. No cure. The building went into full decontamination mode. The air around us would be set alight with us trapped inside." He shook his head angrily. "Andrea, she wanted to stay behind. She wanted to end things for herself but I...I just couldn't stand by and watch someone I care about die."
Hayley swallowed. "You persuaded her to leave?"
His eyes lowered in guilt. "I told her that I would stay with her."
Hayley nodded in understanding. The poor man couldn't watch her die so he made that choice for her. Andrea wouldn't let him die so she kept on living.
"That doesn't make you a bad person, Dale."
Dale shrugged, "Maybe I was selfish. I don't know if she'll forgive me, but I did what I thought was right."
"You and me both," she mumbled.
The older man looked quizzically at her.
"What's your story?" She remained mute. Dale patted her hand. "You've stumbled on a pretty tight group here, sweetheart. We look after our own. You saved one of our own and now you're here, but that kindness can only stretch so far if we all can't trust one another."
Hayley lowered her head, swallowing back the lump in her throat.
The older man felt sorry for the girl. He could see the turmoil in her eyes. "What happened, Hayley?"
She breathed out. "I was with my little brother when the world went to shit. I practically raised him; our mother wasn't exactly the loving kind. She'd leave him for weeks on his own. I moved out when I hit eighteen, crashed with some friends just to get away from all her screaming and yelling. All the alcohol she would chug, day in, day out. I wanted Pat to come with me, but that bitch wouldn't let him go and..." she sniffed, running her hand across her nose and her voice softened. "I dunno, I guess Patrick felt responsible for her, seeing his mom shitfaced all the time."
Dale waited patiently for her to continue as she took a minute to breathe.
"Pat was a happy kid on the outside but he had his problems." She looked at the older male. "Dealing with mom and with me being his only friend, he wasn't happy. He was extremely depressed but tried not to show it." She let out a sorrowful laugh. "He was the funniest kid... But I knew what was going on. I caught him a few times." Her eyes grew distant. "Hurting himself. Nicking some of mom's drugs. Kept trying to leave it all behind, leave me..."
"I'm sorry," Dale murmured, approaching his question carefully. "Did he...?"
She didn't need to wait for him to finish. "Na. I got him out of Atlanta when all the monsters started turning. Left mom behind. Who knows if she's still alive? I just thought, Please...Please just keep my baby brother safe."
Dale thought back earlier to the lonely girl standing on the edge of the woods.
"What happened to him, Hayley?"
She ran a shaking hand through her unruly hair, tugging at the knots, taking out her frustration.
"We were being chased. A herd passed through while we were travelling through the woods outside of Atlanta. There were so many of them. We were running so fast and so hard. I pushed him ahead. Yelled for him to keep going. I took out as many as I could, it wasn't much. Didn't have this beast with me at the time," she added, looking down at the machete in her hands. "I did what I could. Then I went after Patrick and...nothing... No sign of him. I barely got away from the herd; couldn't risk yelling out his name, drawing them in my direction. It was getting dark, the sun was setting and the dead were barely a mile away."
"I climbed a tree and waited out the night. A few of the dead walked past but not the entire herd. Enough that I had to stay put." She tugged at her hair ruthlessly, her anger and self-hatred pouring out. Her words were biting. "All the while, I couldn't help thinking, what if Pat had kept going? Leaving me further and further behind? What if those bastards had gotten to him. I...I couldn't bear the thought-"
Dale reached for her hand, relieving her sore scalp and sat her shaking hand between his in comfort. He noticed in the darkness that her eyes were glistening with unshed tears.
She sniffed, "Been looking for him since. God, he's barely sixteen. He couldn't face the world before and now he's out there all alone."
Dale watched her in concern, "You've been out here on your own ever since?"
She grimaced. "Bumped into a group after losing Patrick. I stayed with them for a few days. They weren't good people..." she muttered. Dale waited for her to continue but she looked up. "Maybe that's a story for another night."
Dale nodded in understanding.
"So what's the plan?"
She sighed. "Hope to God that my brother might have come across this farm by himself. I've checked so many other places but no one living in sight."
"And if he's not? Will you stay with our group?" She eyed him. Dale patted her hand. "We're good people, Hayley, and it seems to me that you've been out here on your own for far too long."
She shrugged and smiled. "He's my brother, Dale. I'm all he's got and I hate to think what he's going through. He's not as strong as I am..."
She let out a shaky breath and her smile grew. "Hey, maybe that Daryl guy will be a sweetheart and help me look."
Dale laughed and shook his head. "Daryl's a good guy. Just a short fuse. You're the first newbie in a while to join our lot." He looked out into the distance. "He's determined to find Sophia. Maybe he'll find Patrick too."
"He doesn't want me here, Dale. What if the others at the farm want rid of me too?"
"You saved Lori and Rick is a good judge of character, usually. As for Glenn, I'm pretty sure that kid's gonna be on your tail for a while." He offered her a soft, reassuring smile. "You're alright with me, sweetheart. I'd rather you stay than go out there on your own. And as for Daryl... He'll come around."
She snorted, "We'll see."
They fell into a comfortable silence. Hayley hadn't spoken about her brother since she came across the last group and she gave them very little detail on her brother to go by. She didn't want Patrick crossing paths with them.
Hayley looked up at the stars. She couldn't remember the last time she just sat down to rest without glancing in every direction out of fear. Couldn't remember the last time she felt even just a little bit safe. A part of her worried that maybe this group would turn out exactly like the last. She didn't know them but something inside told her to trust Dale. Take a chance on this group. There was no instinct to bolt from this kindly old man, not like she had with the men she'd run from. In honesty, even with Daryl, though she was wary, she didn't think he'd hurt her. He might be strong and abrasive but that's what this world was shaping people into. It's what kept them alive.
"Why don't you lie down?" Dale asked, breaking the silence. "I've got this. Get some rest."
Hayley grimaced. "I don't think I can go back inside."
He nodded in understanding. Dale reached down towards the blanket and got up out of his chair. He lowered the blanket down and grabbed a cushion from his chair. He looked at her expectantly, nodding his head down to his set up.
"Go on," he half ordered.
She laughed. "Shouldn't I be helping you keep a look out?"
He smiled fondly at her. This young woman really was decent. "Sweetheart, am I gonna have to drag you? You look like you're gonna drop off at any minute."
His hand was outstretched, waiting for Hayley to move. Eventually she stood and walked over to the man. Hayley blinked when Dale suddenly took her hand and squeezed it gently. No more words needed to be said. He'd heard part of her story and for now, he trusted her and her him. Into that squeeze went his understanding and his sadness for her, but in that quick moment, Hayley felt like things really would be alright.
She practically dropped onto the blanket in a heap. Her head fell against the pillow and she watched the lights in the sky. It was as if she was back in Atlanta, in her friend's garden, finding a moment's peace. She'd stick with the group for now, if they'd have her. She'd search for her brother, with or without the hunter's help. She'd find Pat. They'd be a family again. She sighed heavily, exhaustion finally catching up to her.
It wasn't until her foot was nudged that Hayley realised she'd fallen asleep.
She blinked the sleep out of her eyes. Her hand shot out along the roof, searching for her machete as the beautiful sky was disturbed by a dark figure hanging over her.
"This supposed to be you keepin' watch?"
Hayley blinked a few more times, realising she was curled up on her side, having fallen asleep for a good while. She slowly sat up and looked around her.
"Where's Dale?"
"Inside. Said I'd take over," Daryl grunted. He turned away from the girl and put his crossbow over his shoulder. Hayley's stomach dropped when she realised it was just her and Daryl. Dale knew the man hated her, why would he leave her asleep and alone with this guy?
She watched Daryl. God knows how he could survive the way he was dressed. Hayley was covered head to toe, even in this heat, whilst Daryl revealed his muscular arms with a shirt ripped at the sleeves. She cringed at the thought of too much flesh exposed on him. Not that he wasn't nice to look at, but it felt like you were risking more with the monsters roaming everywhere, baring your arms like that all the time.
But he was a good looking guy, she'd admit that. He was sporting a goatee which suited his short brown hair. Having to pull back that crossbow when hunting, he'd sure gotten strong in his arms. Daryl looked at her and she had to lower her head, blushing ever so slightly having been caught staring.
Hayley cleared her throat. "Did you find anything?" Daryl remained silent and she realised she didn't need an answer when Carol's faint cries could be heard.
"Get inside, girl," he muttered.
She crossed her legs and sat comfortably on the blankets. She answered back shortly, "I'll stay out here if you don't mind."
He grunted back at her and the girl rolled her eyes at him. And he said she wasn't much of a talker. All the man could do was grunt and growl out his answers. Daryl stood in silence until he couldn't take it much longer.
"What were ya doing in them woods by yer self anyway?"
Hayley looked up at him, shocked that he'd said more than two words to her. Was Daryl Dixon actually talking to her like an equal? The man was still looking away from her, keeping an eye out for any of the dead.
"It wasn't exactly by choice," she muttered.
"Surprised you made it this far," he murmured.
Hayley ignored his jibe and took the chance to keep the conversation going. "A little while before I found your group, I'd had a pretty close call. Didn't hear the son bitch behind me, got tackled to the ground. I'd been carrying that," she nodded towards her machete resting beside the deckchair, "tryna cut away a path for myself so when the monster was on me, I had to try and reach for it. Barely got to it in time."
Daryl looked at her then, almost glaring through the night sky to see her.
"When I saw Lori on the floor, I couldn't just stand by and do nothing, especially when I was in her position just hours before."
"Why'd ya call it that?"
She frowned. "Huh?"
"You called it a monster," he bit out.
She shrugged. "Just what my brother would call them. What else are they if not that?"
Daryl noticed a walker just a little down the highway. He took his crossbow and aimed it in Hayley's direction. He took note of how her eyes widened, staring at the crossbow as if she thought he was overreacting, aiming it at her for her comment. Daryl let the bolt loose and Hayley's head turned, swallowing as she saw the dead man go down. She let out a breath.
The redneck lowered his bow. "They were us. Monsters ain't real; this ain't a fairytale, kid. No one's gonna save yer ass like some soppy movie." Daryl started walking towards the RV's ladder.
Hayley's face darkened. "I'm twenty-three, last time I checked. I'm not a kid."
"Yeah?" he looked her up and down. "Start proving it."
Daryl climbed down to collect his bolt. Hayley was left seething at his opinion of her. She lay back down and turned away from his general direction. She'd not been a kid for a long time. She'd faced the monsters every day; put them down to save her brother, to protect herself so she could one day find Patrick. Who did he think he was, acting like she wouldn't survive for long on her own? She had survived her mother and now she'd survive this world. And she didn't need some redneck, crossbow wielding asshole to help her.
"Hayley?"
Carol shocked the girl out of her day dream. She was still sat inside the RV. She looked from the window to the mother who had stood from her spot at the table.
"Looks like we're here," she said with a soft voice and a faint smile. Hayley shook herself, bringing herself back to now to see that they were at the farm. A beautiful white farmhouse was just up ahead. She gawked at the sight of cattle and horses in the field, not a walker in sight as she could make out several figures on the porch. The farm looked untouched by the dead. She could hardly believe her eyes.
