"Well Sophia, I'm Anna." she smiled holding out her small hand for me to shake. I normally wouldn't accept but she was just a scared little girl in the woods. I shook her hand lightly.
"You kind of look like Mr. Dixon." she said gripping her doll for dear life.
Dixon? I frowned while looking down at the ground. A lot of people are named 'Dixon' Anna, could be anyone. "Sophia I promise ya tha' in the mornin' I'll take ya back ta yer ma and dad on the highway. Ok?"
"Mommy wouldn't want me out here in the dark Miss. Anna." she said wiping her nose with the back of her hand.
"Yer ma would want ya alive and tha's wha' I'm doin'. So stop yer bawlin' alright. I'll take ya back ta ma' camp, well stay there tonight, an' in the mornin' I'll take ya back." she nodded. "Come on." I grabbed her by the forearm and pulled her back to camp.
No one was awake, thank sweet Jesus. How was I suppose to explain I brought this little girl back when I said the things I did earlier. What was I gonna do? Shoot her. I'm a bitch but not that big of one.
I handed Sophia a small throw blanket. "Here. It's not much, but it will keep ya warm till mornin'."
She smiled, "Thank you." Her smiled widened. I glared at her for a minute. What the fuck does she have to be happy about? She's in the middle of the woods with a stranger. "You have a puppy?" She stated pointing at Titus. I forgot, kids get happy about that kind of shit. "Can I pet him?"
I snapped my fingers toward Titus and pointed down signaling him to sit. He was almost the same height as her. Once he did I nodded to the eager young girl. As she approached Titus began to growl. Sophia looked back at me with sad eyes. I rolled my eyes and hushed Titus. She pet Titus' head and smiled. "Ya gonna sleep or wha'?"
She nodded and laid down. "Can you tuck me in?"
I rolled my eyes again. "Just how old are ya girl?"
"Please." I huffed and tucked her in like I've seen dad do a thousand times. "You kind of suck at tuck ins Miss. Anna."
"Why'd ya ask then?" I growled at her. Sophia's eyes began to gloss over. Shit! She's gonna cry. I sighed "Ma daddy use ta tuck me in like tha'. Like ya said he sucked at tuck ins."
"You really do look a lot like Mr. Dixon. Your eyes are the same color."
I looked around and glanced down at the little girl. "My daddy's name was Dixon." I whispered.
She gave me a confused look. "Mr. Dixon didn't say anything about having a family."
"Mr. Dixon doesn't say a lot of things." I huffed. "Now git some sleep kid." I stood up, walked to the closest tree, and slid down and crossed my legs.
"Daddy can ya tuck me in?" I crawled into bed and a small Titus jumped up.
"How old are ya girl?" He asked at the doorway.
"Please Daddy. You always tuck me in." I widened my big blue eyes. "Please Daddy."
He rolled his eyes and mumbled words under his breath. He tucked me in as Titus laid at my feet.
"Thanks. Night Daddy."
He smirked and I poked his cheek. "Night baby girl." He leaned forward and placed a kiss on my forehead. I rolled my eyes and smiled. "Now go ta sleep."
He got up and right before he shut the door I whispered, "Love ya daddy." He opened the door a little, glanced in my direction, and nodded.
I heard Sophia's soft snores, I loaded a bolt in my crossbow and decided to hunt. Titus stood and I signaled for him to stay. He curled back up against Sophia.
Out in the woods, I could finally think. Me, a Dixon, taking a little girl back to her people. Being a... hero? It's against the rules... all of them. "You look a lot like Mr. Dixon." Sophia's words kept replaying in my head. There was no way my father was in a group without Merle. Could he? Na, he wouldn't just leave him. Would he?
"Fuck." I punched a tree. The drugs were wearing off and my mind started to race even more. I looked down at the rabbit tracks and began to followed them.
Once the rabbit was in sight, I crouched down and looked through the scope of my crossbow. I took a deep breath and pulled the trigger.
I pulled the trigger and completely missed the target on the tree. "I missed." I said disappointed. I lowered the youth crossbow in my hands.
Dad lifted my chin and smirked. "It's ok baby girl. I didn't expect ya ta git it righ' off the bat like tha'. It takes time." I nodded. "Now." He said standing up. "Again." nodding to the target.
I pulled the string back and loaded a bolt. I stood the way dad told me, took a deep breath, and pulled the trigger again. I was a hair away from the target this time.
My dad had a proud smirk on his face. "See. Told ya, ya could do it."
"I still missed daddy."
Dad chuckled and nodded. "Again."
We did the same thing until the sunset. I still wasn't getting any better. The bolt that was a hair off was my best shot. I was disappointed in myself but I was more disappointed that I couldn't make daddy proud. He had the same unemotional look on his face the whole time during practice.
"Alrigh' baby girl. Lets call it a day." I nodded in disappointment and began my walk of shame back to the cabin. I looked at dad and he rolled his eyes with a smirk on his face. I glared at him and he chuckled. "Come on." he said kneeling down.
"Ya serious?"
"Yep, it's a serious piggie back ride. Now hop on." I jumped on his back and wrapped my arms around his neck.
I laid my head on his shoulder and saw Merle's truck pull in the drive. Dad stiffened a little when he saw Merle's truck but relaxed. I knew that he doesn't like to show affection in front of Merle. "Thanks daddy fer teachin' me how ta shoot. I know ya would rather be huntin' than teachin' me." I whispered.
Dad stopped walking and placed me firmly on the ground. I looked down at the ground. I didn't mean to make him angry with me. He grabbed my chin and made me look into his eyes that where identical to mine. "Listen baby girl an listen good. I ain't leavin' ya with tha' shitty excuse of a grandfather ever again, alright. I ain't leavin' ever. And I would rather hunt an take ya with me than ta leave."
I looped my arms around his neck and squeezed, "Promise?" I whispered.
He pulled away and picked my up. He smirked and began walking back to the house. As we reached the back sliding glass door he whispered firmly, "Promise."
The rabbit looked up and spotted me and hopped away. What the fuck? I pulled the trigger, again. Jammed. Fucking jammed? "Damn it." I yelled and threw it on the ground.
A familiar growl came from behind me. "Of course." I said while turning around. "Whenever I don't have a weapon ya fuckers jus appear." The roamer lifted his arms to reach for me. I walked over to my jammed crossbow and grabbed the loaded bolt from it. "Come on. A lil' closer."
The roamer tripped on a tree root and fell face first. "Stupid sum bitch." I stepped forward and jabbed the bolt into its skull. I wiped the blood on his shirt and began my walk back to camp.
I came back to camp with the intention to take a little blonde hair girl back to the highway before everyone woke. As soon as I was a couple feet away the smell of cooking squirrel filled my nostrils.
"Damn it." I whispered to myself. As I broke the tree line I saw CeCe, Amy, and Courtney were the only one's awake. Fucking shit. They have to know.
"Hey Anna." Amy said. "How was your hunt?"
"My fucking crossbow jammed. I didn't git shit." I mumbled. I looked over where Sophia was suppose to be sleeping. Only to see Titus sleeping on the small throw blanket I gave her. "Ya didn't happen ta see a lil' girl did ya?"
They looked at me like I was crazy. What the fuck is going on? Courtney came up and looked straight into my eyes. "Are you still high?"
"Don't give me tha' shit. I know what I saw."
"Anna. There was no little girl. Not that we've seen." CeCe said.
What? There ain't no way I made that little girl up. Is there? Usually I only have flashbacks not create people out of thin air. "Where's everyone else?"
Courtney looked at me. "Oh... um. The scavenge team went to the highway to make sure that group doesn't take anything."
"And no one thought to run this by me first?"
"W-well you were hunting." she said looking down at the ground.
"Whatever." I whistled and Titus was at my feet in seconds. "Did he eat?" she nodded. "Good. Can't have him slowin' me down on a hunt again."
Titus stood up and perked his ears. But again me being the simple minded piece of shit I was, pasted it off as a roamer. I hushed Titus and nodded to the three.
The scavenge team broke the tree line and Corbin ran straight toward me. "Anna." He said breathing heavy. "That group that was on the highway... is coming this way."
Everyone circled around me. "Well? Ya know what ya gotta do. Git to it. Git the masks we don't know wha' where dealin' with here." Corbin nodded.
Everyone ran around camp. Putting out the fire, putting our belongings in a tree, then climbing one themselves. I climbed the closest tree and sat on a high branch where they couldn't see me. I looked around. It almost looked as if we were never here, except for the one person yellow tent.
"Shit." I mumbled hitting my head on the back of the tree. Checking to make sure Titus was ok. I set my battle axe on my lap, put the mask on, my hood up and waited for the infamous group from the highway.
Five minutes past and were all still sitting in the exact spots. None of us moved. The a small group broke the tree line. Men, women, and a... kid? Fucking morons.
"Sophia could be in there." the sheriff said. Sophia? I knew it wasn't the drugs. Dumb bitch owes me an apology.
"There could be a bunch of things in there." the man with no sleeves said. Wait... no sleeves, a crossbow, and a smart ass remark. Na, it can't be.
"Carol call out softly." The sheriff instructed. Guess officer friendly is there leader. Officer friendly, that's a good name.
"Sophia? Sophia sweetheart it's mommy."
She ain't in there fellas. Officer friendly gave a nod and the redneck opened the tent and stepped inside. I could hear his gagging from here. Told you, I smirked and leaned back against the tree.
"Daryl?" Carol called out softly. I perked up. I shook my head. Maybe I heard her wrong. Yeah it can't be.
"Daryl." Officer Friendly called out sternly. That time I know I heard it.
"You kind of look like Mr. Dixon." Sophia's words played in my head again. No, no, no, it can't.
He stepped out of the tent. Then I saw it. The brown muddy huntin' boots he never took off. His raggedy jeans with holes in them. His shirt with the sleeves cut off. The crossbow that was on his back, the exact same as my own. His muddy brown hair which I hate to say, I had the same. Even from this distance I could still see his piercing blue eyes.
There he was. The man I've been searching in these exact woods for. The man I've sacrificed all my time and energy to find. The man I gave up on. Just two feet away from me.
My hands began to shake so much that I dropped my battle axe and it fell from the tree I was in. I sat there and stared at the man. Daryl Dixon, my flesh in blood... my dad.