Just another Dead Girl
Chapter 1 – Blind to it All
The whole town was fuckin' crazy. Those people were all lying to themselves and Daryl knew it. He was growing angrier at the fact that his own people were being slowly drawn into this as well. Was all a ruse, so Carol and Rick said. Gotta make nice with everyone so no one gets suspicious, going to get guns and take over if need be. It was probably bullshit. Let them all dress up in their new clothes, let them take the jobs they were told to do. He wasn't doing a damn thing. He wasn't part of this and he wouldn't be, but he stayed, and he wasn't sure why. He sat on the porch fixing his crossbow, subtly watching as people poured from their homes to enjoy the day. He sneered at that – walking dogs, fixing their yards and rocking on their porch swings like nothing bad had went on. As if they were safe from everything because of that thin wall around them. They were all stupid as shit.
He was forced out of his inward rant by footsteps coming on the porch, animal steps, looking from his bow he saw a golden retriever sitting at the steps looking at him. He stared it down, the mutt had seen better days, ear and back leg missing, tufts of fur gone, looked to be missing teeth too. He knew the thing was friendly though, and knew if the damn thing was here then his owner would be following.
You said there was a dog.
Maybe he'll come back around. Come on.
He wanted to kick the thing off the porch then. He wanted to go out and kill that other fucking mutt too. Hearing heavier steps, he saw the girl going to the door without a glance in his direction. He smirked at that. Girl seemed to be the one of the few people here he could tolerate, that seemed to have a fucking notion of what was going on in the world. As well as the way she had stood up for Glenn when that one jackass kid had tried to swipe at punch at him. Girl had stood between them and waved her hands around. Fucker said something and when he went to hit Glenn she had grabbed him and threw him to the gravel. For her size and stature it was impressive.
But she didn't seem to care for him at all. She had come storming over the day after they arrived, gesturing to her little board that she demanded her arrows back. She did that repeatedly the first few days not believing when he said he didn't have the damn things. Which was a lie, he did, but he wasn't going to give them back to her acting like that. And he hated to say it, but somewhere in him, he enjoyed pissing her off. That flicker of smoke building in what he had dubbed as creek bed eyes. Her face becoming the same shade as her hair until she started to come towards him usually stopped by Aaron or his partner. She stayed with them, both men were protective of her, Daryl didn't have a clue how old she was but she couldn't be that old.
Probably the same age as Beth.
He filtered that emotion with a long hiss through his nose, clearing his head and setting himself back to his crossbow.
"Oh, hi Ghost."
Carol's voice dripped with overripe sweetness, and he felt a scoff welling up in his throat on that. He could also feel the girl's discomfort at such excessive affection. He kind of felt bad for her. Barely.
"This is just what we needed, thank you, you didn't have to go through all the trouble though."
He could feel the creak of the floorboards underneath him, and he knew the girl was trying to retreat the dog already bounding down the stairs for her. He felt a shift before something hit him in the face he was about to bound up but she was already gone and Carol was laughing.
"What she give you?"
Besides a good smack in his face? He found some small tubes next to him and read that they were rail and bowstring lube.
"Shit for a crossbow."
"Oh, she likes you."
He gave a sarcastic grunt.
"I'm serious. Everyone else has to ask her for things, but not you."
"Yur actin' like she comes and gives me shit all the time."
"I know, I'm just making an out loud observance here."
"Little brat's probably tryin' to butter me up so I'll give her arrows back."
From the sigh he knew that was the wrong thing to admit. "You said you didn't have that poor girl's arrows."
"Poor girl my ass, she'd probably kick us all out if given the chance."
"I don't believe that. It's funny, I truly don't, and you haven't seen her around Carl or Judith to see. She's like us is all. The world's made her like that."
"Girl probably grew up in a place like this, don't know nothing' bout what's out there or what's goin' on."
"I think we both know that's not true. And you're a grown man taking things from a young girl."
"Not that damn young, how old is she anyways?"
"Twenty, I think, I don't know. You don't need to be scaring people off; we're trying to fit in here."
"You are, I ain't. All of ya can go run off with the rest of the loons here, not me."
He knew her eyes were narrowed on him, he could feel the heat behind them. "Have you even bathed since we've been here?"
"The hell you need to know for?"
"I told you we need to keep an appearance here."
"And mine's been the same since we got here, there's no point in it for me."
"Go take a damn shower, I mean it, when I come back and you haven't I'm taking a bucket of water and washing you down."
He snorted. "Whatever."
"I mean it, keep your dirty clothes if you want, but you better be clean."
He watched her walk off towards the house with the food pantry, he knew she wasn't lying, Carol had done that to him in the prison dumping a bucket of lukewarm water over him while he slept before throwing a rag and soap on him while he was still sputtering out the dregs that had gotten in his mouth. Fiddling with the bow for a few more minutes he decided it would be good, he could handle dirt he lived in it a majority of the time but it didn't hurt to scrub down before the layers of grime took over. Add in to the facts that the last time he was rinsed off was during the storm at the barn and that since Carol was gone the house was empty, a first since they arrived.
Daryl didn't like people around when he bathed, or changed, he never liked to take his shirt off or show his body. It was vulnerability, and it showed the times when he was the most vulnerable. He preferred to be clothed to be shielded. Maybe that was why he bathed so little, to not shed that protection. Even by himself he felt defenseless and shame as he took off his vest and shirt. He kept dodging the mirror not wanting to see the scars on his back. He watched the water run in the tub before discarding the rest of his clothes, watching how the crud from his feet came off and tinged the water brown before swirling down the drain.
He turned the shower head on, a sigh close to escaping him as the hot water scalded his scalp. Cracking open the shampoo and giving it a sniff to make sure it wasn't too girly he lathered his hair making sure to rake his nails through it. It was one of the things he remembered his mama teaching him, an easy way to clean his nails. He felt the rills of water flow down the sides of his neck the suds getting caught on the sparse hairs on his chest before the water washed it away. He could get used to this, the steam breaking his airways, soothing him.
Then he heard something, the calm evaporating as his head jerked from the tiled wall. He could feel the shift in the air too, someone was in here, and jerking open the curtain he found he was alone, and in more ways than one, his crossbow missing from its place by the sink. There was a rumble inside him, anger surging throughout. Throwing on his clothes he all but stampeded out the house, looking up and down the street where he found Rick speaking to Aaron. His shoulders pulled back, ready for a fight when he approached them.
"One of your people took my shit."
Aaron looked dumbfounded for a second. "What do you mean, Daryl?"
"My bow, gone, I want it back. Fuckin' now."
He felt Rick put a hand on his shoulder, easing him back. "Let's calm down, this could all be a misunderstanding."
He wrenched away from Rick. "I was takin' a damn shower and someone came into the bathroom and stole what's mine. What the hell am I misunderstanin'?"
They both turned to Aaron who held up his hands in a passive defense. "I'm not sure who would do something like this, but we will find out who did. I promise you, Daryl."
Rick nodded. "Could've been one of the kids, they see you walking around with it all the time, might've wanted to see if they could play with it."
"Ain't a fuckin' toy!"
"I know, Daryl, just spit balling ideas here."
"Hey fellas."
It was Eric, the jolly step halted when Daryl's eyes focused on him.
"Am I interrupting something?"
"Someone took Daryl's crossbow."
Eric's face fell, before his eyes darted to Aaron's, whose brows furrowed in turn. Daryl saw the gesture pass between them, and he pushed the man to turn to him.
"You know somethin' then you better be tellin' us."
His hands stroked his pants, wiping sweat off. "It was kind of why I was coming over."
Rick's gaze turned skeptical. "Which was why?"
"Was going to thank Daryl for being so nice, I ran into Ghost on her way out and she –"
"That little bitch stole my bow!"
Aaron became provoked then. "There's no need for calling her that. She's at fault and we'll rectify it, but I'm sure she didn't mean anything –"
"Sure there is, pissed because I kept her arrows."
Aaron tilted his head. "And why would you keep her arrows?"
Daryl felt his rage diminishing being replaced with contrition. "I just felt like it. Girl thought she had every right to come charging over and demand shit, not how things work, so no, I wouldn't fuckin' hand them over to her."
Aaron nodded. "We know where your bow is now, I don't think Ghost would do anything with it. She possibly just wanted a rise out of you. Which she got, Eric, where'd you see her go?"
"Uhh, that's the thing, when I ran into her she was telling me Daryl thought since she knew how to handle a bow she could use his crossbow and –"
"Where the hell is she?"
His mouth gaped at Daryl. "She went hunting, outside the fences."
"I thought the three of us agreed she'd stay in here for a while?"
Eric shrugged. "You know she gets restless, and I assumed you knew."
Daryl grunted. "You assumed wrong, where she usually go?"
"She'll be back before –"
"I don't give a shit I'm goin ta get a gun –"
Aaron was in front of him then. "There's no need for violence in this."
"Ain't gonna get violent, I'm goin' out there, getting my bow. She can do whatever the hell she wants after that. She ain't keeping my shit."
Rick cocked a brow, smirking. "Might want to give her back her shit when you get back."
Daryl sneered, before Aaron told him where she usually went and turning around to the armory.
"And if you just sign this."
"What for?"
The woman's eyes went large, magnified by her glasses. "So we know that you're the one who borrowed the pistol."
"Fine."
Scribbling his name down he picked the gun up, the weight nowhere near as comforting as his bow. He attached to the holster in his hip and tore through the town before getting out. It was actually good to be out of there. The build-up of staying inside for too long, of course it hadn't even been a week, but cabin fever set in easily for him. There were animals about and if he had his damn crossbow he would've been glad to hunt, but he didn't, a fuckin' kid had it doing God knew what to it. His anger flared back up, keeping himself aware as he stormed through the trees. After a while of zipping through the woods and trying to find any clues of a track he was starting to think Aaron had been wrong.
Or he fuckin' lied.
He could already tell from the minor interactions he'd seen that both men were protective of her, as she was with them. But hell, he wouldn't hurt the girl. But he sure as hell was going to make sure she wouldn't touch his shit ever again. Coming up close to a field, he tiptoed to the edge of it, trying not to make a sound in case anything was out in the clearing. Not seeing anything he was about to step out in the open when he felt something prod his back. Even with his vest on he could feel the point of the arrow. His fuckin' arrow.
"What ya gonna shoot me girl?"
He felt the pressure retreat then, footsteps heading away. He turned seeing the bob of red leaving.
"Hey! You had yur fun, now you better be givin' my bow back."
She turned to him then, her eyes calm and calculating. He didn't like looking in them too long, the color reminding him of the creek behind his childhood home, the top of the water clear and steady where at the bottom the green of the moss was amplified. The one him and Merle would fish in just to try and get something in their bellies. His gaze shifted her hand stretching out as if expecting something.
He huffed. "I ain't got yur damn arrows with me."
She tilted her head, a small smirk on her face. It was almost a confession to her and he knew it.
"I'll fuckin' give 'em back, you hand over my damn crossbow first."
She hefted it in her arms, and he was again impressed on how she lifted it so easily. The weight usually bearing down on such small arms, she eyed the weapon before looking back at him. Then her hand started moving again and he snorted.
"I don't understand any of that shit you're doin'."
Her lips pursed, close to angry before she gestured to her side. The place she usually had that board with her, now empty.
"Can't help that I don't know what yur sayin'."
He saw her teeth clench, before relaxing. "Show me."
He reared back, the voice muffled, but clear. "I ain't showing ya nothing girl. You steal my shit and think I'm gonna teach ya something?"
She leaned back, her expression cooling again before starting to walk away.
"Hey!"
She walked a few feet ahead, catching up he gripped her elbow, pulling her back. She got a kick to his shin before falling to the ground. She looked up at him, an embarrassed anger on him.
"Just give it back, girl."
Her slitted eyes widened, hauling up the bow and aiming at him.
Daryl took a step back. "The fuck –"
The arrow plunged behind him and he heard a thud. Damn walker had almost got right on them.
"This shit ain't no game."
She shook her head at him.
"I ain't playin' no more girl."
She snorted, before heaving his bow across from him. "Doesn't matter, been told only people with actual skill use compounds anyway."
Picking up his bow, his head reared up at the statement. "Whoever told ya that's full of shit."
She rolled her eyes at him, getting up and walking away again.
"The hell you going?"
She didn't answer him, moving out into the clearing and away from him. He looked behind him. He got his shit back, he could leave, he should leave. But seeing the girl by herself left him unsettled. Getting pissed at himself he started to jog after her, neither of them saying anything when he caught up.