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WALK WITH ME

A WALKING DEAD Fanfiction


Previously: Daryl fell from a ravine looking for Sophia. He was saved from walkers by a mysterious girl who brought him to a shack. When Daryl woke up, he found his wounds attended to, but he later discovered that the girl who saved her had a fever. Daryl, in turn, brought the girl to the Greene Farm.


Chapter 2: SECRETS (PART 1)


Their father stormed into the living room. Emyli silently rushed to the stairs to take a small peek. One look at their father's subtle twitching of lips and she knew. She ran back to her room and held her sister by her shoulders.

"Kate," Emyli whispered trying hard to look calm. "Go to your room now," she said firmly. Emyli could not stand the scared look on her sister's face every time this happened. So Emyli smiled to assure Kate that everything was fine. "Remember: Lock the door. Do not go outside until you hear our music, okay?" Kate nodded slowly. "Good girl." She heard their father's footsteps on the stairs. "Now go," she ushered Kate. Kate ran to her room and Emyli did not go back inside her own until she heard Kate lock her own door.

Sitting on her bed, Emyli prepared herself. She emptied her mind and put a blank expression on her face. She was numb. Emyli was sitting on her bed with her eyes closed, waiting for their father to turn the doorknob….

But it did not happen.

Emyli heard the sound of keys. Her father walked past her room, on to the next…on to Kate's.

"No…," she uttered in horrified disbelief. "No!"

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"No!"

"I-I'm sorry," Beth said, startled. "I was just trying to wake you up…."

Emyli tried to sit up holding her temple in one hand. Her head ached: probably an aftermath of her fever. She tried to remember what her dream was but could not.

"Breakfast is ready," Beth added, a little worried. She went out of the room and on to the kitchen.

Emyli's first thought was the baseball bat. She never walked around without it; however, it was nowhere in sight. She got up from the bed and spotted her backpack on the floor. She opened it and made a mental inventory of the things in there. Some stuff, she left in the room and some, she left inside. She put the bag on and followed Beth.

Unlike the dinner last night, only the Greene family was there with Patricia and Jimmy. All of them were already sitting in front of the table as the meal and utensils had already been prepared. It must have been a long while that Emyli stood there just staring at the table because she needed Hershel's voice to snap her out of it.

"Emyli?" Hershel called with a worried face.

"I'm sorry," she said. She took the backpack off her and placed it on the counter. She opened it and rummaged through its contents. "I was just thinking that if you're taking me in, I better not be a burden." She walked up to Hershel and hand him a bulky medical kit. "It's not much but it has bandages, antiseptics…."

Hershel took the box but also put it away.

"If we didn't need antibiotics badly I wouldn't have taken this," Hershel said with a smile. He stood up and pulled a chair for Emyli. "You don't have to worry about it. I'm sure if it were Maggie or Beth, Antonia would also be showing them the same hospitality."

Emyli nodded. She took the seat and ate.

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Emyli went to the camp. They were just done with breakfast as well. She walked past Glenn who barely noticed her as he was busy looking through the binoculars with an anxious look on his face. Emyli looked at the direction where he was looking: He was eying the barn. Emyli decided to stop a few meters away and observe. She found Carl sitting on a rock. Emyli put her backpack down and sat beside the boy.

"So you're the new kid," Carl announced excitedly.

"Kid?" Emyli repeated. "Do I really look that young?"

Carl had to stop and think. "Yeah, about Beth's age? I think she's sixteen. My name is Carl."

"Emyli," she replied. She opened her bag again and pulled a candy bar. "Here you go."

"Whoa!" Carl exclaimed not believing he was receiving Snickers. "Thanks!"

"I still have a lot," Emyli said proudly. But then she remembered, "my sister knew I love these so she packed as many as she could."

Carl noticed her change of tone. "Did you lose her?" he asked. Emyli just nodded.

"You'll be fine," Carl told her. "You saved Daryl. You must be tough."

"Thanks," Emyli replied.

Carl ate the candy bar silently while Emyli observed Glenn from afar. He kept on fidgeting, looking at the barn's direction with binoculars, then walking around with a worried look, then looking through the binoculars again. A few moments after, Maggie approached him with a bucket full of peaches. They seemed to have an interesting conversation—trying not to be heard by the others. After that, Glenn walked around offering peaches.

"Are you feeling peachy today?" a smiling Glenn asked Emyli. He walked up to their direction and introduced himself.

Emyli tried to curl her lips at his pun. "Yeah, sure," she took one, "keeps the doctor away."

After a while, Emyli excused herself and walked up to the RV. She saw Dale eying Glenn who went back to his fidgeting.

"Can I climb?" Emyli called to Dale while pointing to the RV's roof. Dale shifted his eyes and looked at her and smiled, amused.

"Sure," answered Dale.

Emyli climbed to the roof of the RV. It was not that high but the wind was blowing and it felt good.

"I have never been on a vehicle like this before," Emyli said with her blank expression.

"Well, I'm glad if you liked it?" Dale followed her to the RV's top.

Emyli realized it was her stoic expression that was confusing the man. She smiled and nodded, "I do."

"My name is Dale," he said walking closer to the girl. "Carol said you are Emyli?" She nodded again.

They were silent for a while. Emyli looked around and found a book on a foldable chair. She picked it up and read the title.

"The Case of the Missing Man. Is it good?" Emyli asked, her blank expression back.

Dale shrugged. "Good enough," he answered with eyebrows pulled together as he observed the girl carefully.

"Tell you what," Emyli dropped her bag and pulled a book from there. She showed it to Dale. "I'll trade this for that," she handed the book over.

Dale saw it was Something Wicked This Way Comes.

"But only for a while," Emyli quickly added. And then slowly, almost carefully said, "my sister. She liked that book although she never admitted it." Emily smiled at the thought. Dale is watching her change of expressions closely. "She said it's too scary. But she always had me recount snippets of it."

Dale nodded, and smiled as if he had understood something.

"Sure. This must really be wonderful," he answered. He looked at Emyli's back pack, "What else is in that bag?" Dale asked, fascinated.

"You'll be surprised," she answered putting Dale's book inside.

Then she remembered: "Ahm, did you see Daryl bring with us a baseball bat?" she asked. "It was what kept me alive for the past month. I'm not comfortable without it."

"I didn't notice," Dale answered then looked ahead and pointed. "You might want to ask him yourself."

"Thank you, Dale," said Emyli and went down the RV.

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Daryl was cleaning himself up. It was a rare feat for him but this time, his entire body was covered with dried dirt and blood that he was compelled to do it. He was in the farthest tent with a damp towel in hand trying to reach his back but every time he tried, his side hurt.

"Shit," he spat, annoyed.

He stopped trying for a while and breathed. He was about to give up when he heard some faint footsteps. He turned around and saw the girl from the shack trying to walk away silently.

"Hey," he called, still sitting on the tent's floor. The girl stopped, sighed and turned around. Daryl eyed the backpack. "Goin' somewhere?"

"Sorry," she muttered. "I was going to ask but it looked like you won't appreciate someone disturbing you." Emyli walked back toward the tent. "I'm looking for my baseball bat."

Daryl looked away from her and said, "Ya'r unconscious, I've got a hole on my side with yer pack and the bow. Haven't got 'naff hands to carry a bat."

Emyli didn't answer. Daryl felt her footsteps again, walking away. He turned around once more.

"Hey!" It was louder this time; Daryl could feel his anger rising. He tried to keep his tone down. "We got axe, hammers—hell we got screwdrivers. Take yer pick but dun' ye go back to the woods."

Emyli stopped and looked at Daryl. "That baseball bat was my sister's," she said, coolly. "It was the only thing I have that's hers," then she walked again.

"We don't need another missing little girl," Daryl said.

Emyli stopped on her tracks and walked back toward Daryl, not carrying her feet at all. Daryl stood up and stepped outside the tent. Emyli stopped in front of him, a blank expression still on her face.

"I'm not a little girl," she whispered but firmly. Emyli looked straight and Daryl's chest was on her eye-level—that was how little she was. She looked up at Daryl and Daryl looked her down. "I'm twenty-three," she said, "I'm not Sophia."

Daryl looked away, not speaking.

Emyli stepped back and sighed. "And I also wanted to see if you're okay," she mumbled.

Daryl climbed back to tent and returned to his sitting position.

"'M good," Daryl mumbled back. He looked at her and hesitantly added, "you?"

Emyli shrugged, "the fever's gone. Can I come in?"

Daryl just pointed to a spot across him. Emyli stepped inside.

No one spoke for the next couple of minutes. Daryl returned to reaching his back with the towel but was still unsuccessful.

"Ahm, here," Emyli put her backpack down and sat beside Daryl with her hand outstretched, "let me help."

Daryl scowled and looked at the girl studying her. Emyli returned his look with a blank stare.

The girl was not exactly fair—pale was the better word. The way her coal-black hair framed her small face, and how her eyes looked clear and innocent…the girl looked like an angel—a very sad one. It's something Daryl had never seen even before the rise of the walkers.

Daryl looked away and snorted—and not knowing the reason why he was allowing this, he threw the towel into Emyli's hand.

"Knock yer self out," he taunted her.

Emyli positioned herself near Daryl's back and began cleaning him up. She tried to hold on to Daryl's shoulder for anchor but Daryl's shoulders tensed and pulled away.

"Easy," Emyli comforted him. She lightly placed her hand back on Daryl's shoulder and wiped the dirt gently, carefully. Daryl looked at her dead serious face, intently rubbing a spot with her hand. He did not know she was almost done when he completely pulled and moved away.

"Give me your hand," Emyli was now sitting in front of Daryl.

"I can do that," Daryl barked and tried to take the towel away from her but the girl was quick to get it out of his reach.

"It's obvious it's not every day you do this so we have to do it properly," Emyli explained stubbornly. "Now give me your hand."

"Pft." Daryl gave her and tried to avoid her eyes.

Emyli wet the towel with the water in the basin. She started with Daryl's right.

"I used to do this for my father after we go hunting," she recounted as she held Daryl's hand and wiped the dirt off the back of his palm.

"Ya'r daddy's little girl, huh?" Daryl commented.

Emyli just shrugged and went on gently toweling the spaces between Daryl's fingers. Daryl didn't know why his anger was rising again just looking at the girl's face—obviously deeply absorbed on the task.

"That hair," Daryl grunted nodding at the girl's waist-long locks, "that'll be the death of ye. Cut it. Tie it. Just dun' let it loose like that."

Emyli raised her head and looked at him. Her expression was blank as if she did not hear what he said. She then looked at Daryl's hand again letting her hair veil the sides of her face. This made Daryl more pissed. Emyli did not respond and went for his other hand. She wiped the palm and the back of it.

"I'm gonna pull it and cut it myself," Daryl warned.

Emyli just continued, now rubbing the sides of his nails trying to remove the dirt there.

"I'm not scared of you," she whispered.

Daryl didn't know what to make of her. He pulled his hand away and glared at the girl.

Emyli gave the towel back to him and went for her bag.

"Something you might like," she handed a bottle of Southern Comfort to Daryl and then stood up to leave. She was already outside the tent when Daryl called out.

"Nice parting gift," Daryl said with an exasperated look. "Can't complain if ye wanna be dinner to those walkers—an' for a damned baseball bat!"

Emyli walked up to Daryl again—it was becoming a repetitive dance. She studied his furious face. And then she broke her blank expression with an unexpected amused smile.

"You really are like my dog," she commented and then added almost unintelligibly, "always angry." Before Daryl could react, "I'll get back before bedtime," Emyli said coolly then she grabbed the bottle and took it from Daryl, "and drink this with you."

She finally was able to walk away leaving Daryl without the liquor—but that was not the only reason he was officially angry at her.

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Emyli walked up to the RV wondering how she would get back to the shack. She stopped on her tracks, though, when she heard Glenn and Lori talking.

"You're pregnant," Glenn said. Both of them subtly looked around making sure no one was around. They did not see Emyli. "You need medicine, vitamins…a nice pillow."

Lori ignored him and kept working on putting water on a pot.

"Lori, you have a medical condition," whispered Glenn. "I'll make another run into to town. Just tell me what you need."

"I need you to be quiet about this," Lori responded. "All right? Please."

Emyli moved on silently. She suddenly remembered the dairy, her cousin Abby…her dad. Her head ached as some snippets of her dream earlier flashed into her mind. By the time she reached the house, she had decided—now she just needed a way to get there.

"Emyli!" Beth and Patricia were walking away from the house toward Rick and the others who were around the car studying a map. Beth went back for Emyli when she saw her approaching. "We just got permission from dad to join them for shooting lesson. Wanna come?"

Emyli stared at her for a bit.

"I'd be more comfortable if you tag along," Beth said, "And learning how to shoot a gun comes handy these days, right?

Emyli nodded.

"Sure," she answered. "I'll come with you."

Beth smiled. "Thanks."

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It was already late in the afternoon when Daryl went out of his tent. He was pretty sure the girl went ahead with her plan to go back to the shack; still he wanted to confirm this not knowing why.

A car stopped near the camp; Shane and Andrea went out of it. Daryl stopped and tried not to listen to Dale nag at Shane. When that was over, Daryl walked toward the camp again, carefully looking around for the girl. He found a frying pan instead and ate crumbs of canned meat left there. He nodded at Rick who was walking toward Lori's tent. Carol went out of hers when she saw Daryl up and about.

"Obviously feeling better," she greeted Daryl and then gave him a plate with a piece of meat. "I saved one for you."

"Thanks," and Daryl ate the meat with his hands.

Dale suddenly rushed to them. "Have you seen Emyli?"

Carol shook her head. Daryl looked unconcerned. When Dale met his eyes, he said, "Emyli? The girl you brought in?"

"You should stop worryin' 'bout everyone," Daryl said.

"I think she joined Rick and the others earlier," Dale tried to explain still with a concerned look on his face. "Everyone's back a couple of hours ago but not her."

Daryl shrugged, "prob'ly jus' playin' 'round." He finished eating the meat and gave the plate back to Carol.

Daryl went back to his tent, and angrily prepared his crossbow.

"You win, silly girl—can't wait for bedtime," he murmured. "I'm gonna get that bottle of Comfort back."

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Next chapter: Daryl discovers one of Emyli's ghastly secrets...

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Writer's Note:

Hi guys!

I would really love to hear from you, so please leave a review :)

My chapter titles are obviously from the TV program's episodes. That is because I really do intend to make my story parallel to the series. But of course I will be making minor and significant changes.

I intend to write this fanfic as long as Daryl lives in TWD series.

I will put new chapters at most 1 week apart from each other-but I will try to write faster.

Let me know what you think of my story.

Thanks :)