Chapter 2: Senses
Daryl's eyes darted back and forth between Connie and the surrounding terrain. Connie was crouched on the ground with her back against the rocks. Daryl carefully studied her, wondering who she was and how she had made it this far. Her petite frame and subdued demeanor made her appear weak to him. That was to say nothing of the fact that she couldn't hear or speak.
Why had he let her come with him? He should have made her stay behind at The Hilltop but it was too late for that now. He would do what he could to protect her but Henry was his priority. Carol was the best friend Daryl had ever had and he would do whatever it took to protect her boy. He hoped Connie wouldn't get in the way of that.
The sun was just beginning to rise and light the sky to a majestic, dusky blue color. Daybreak was the time of day Daryl liked most. It meant that another day was beginning and another night had been survived.
Survival.
Survival was not what Daryl Dixon had been doing for the last ten years. It's what he'd been doing his entire life. He grew up in the backwoods of rural Georgia with his abusive father and neglectful mother. His mother's final act of neglect was to die in a fire and leave her youngest son in the care of the meanest drunk alive, Wade Dixon.
There were some drunks that would get intoxicated and it turned them mean. But then there were other despicable, lowlife drunks that were always mean and drinking turned them into viscous monsters. That was Daryl's pa, Wade.
Daryl had learned to hunt when he was just eight years old. One day, after his mother died and Merle had moved onto greener pastures, he opened the kitchen cabinet in the one-room shack he shared with his father. It was empty. His pa laid passed out on the filthy recliner and Daryl made the mistake of waking him up to ask him for something to eat. His father beat him badly. He usually preferred to whip him across the back with his belt but that day was special. He was too drunk to find his belt and used his fists instead. Daryl awoke from the beating to find his father passed out again, he left the shack that day with a bloody nose, two black eyes and his pa's crossbow. He bagged himself a possum and cooked it over a fire he built himself.
Daryl learned two very important lessons that day: not to piss off his pa when he was drunk, which was always, and that if he wanted to make it, he would have to take care of himself. Daryl spent most of his young life pushing people away as hard as he'd been pushed. If he didn't let people get close, it was impossible for them to hurt him.
While the last ten years had been a living hell for those around him, it was business as usual for Daryl Dixon.
But unlike everyone else, the end of the world brought the surly survivor the family he'd never had before. Daryl found himself among people that valued him. And they didn't just value him for what he could offer them. They valued him as a friend. He had found brothers that would defend him even to death and sisters that cared deeply for him and would go to any lengths to make sure he knew it. And all that love and devotion was reciprocated by Daryl. Although he usually couldn't show the love and devotion in words or affection, he would do anything for his new family - for those in his inner circle.
Yes the end of the world was a dangerous and dark existence but at least it had given Daryl something he'd never known before. It had given him a family that he loved and that loved him back.
It was still dark but it was now light enough that they could continue their search without tripping over each other. Dog bolted upright when he saw Daryl move towards Connie. Daryl stooped down and tapped her boot. Connie sat up then looked around. She was on her feet in seconds, dusting off the back of her pants. Daryl waved his hand to motion to her that it was time to go.
Connie held up her index finger, signaling to Daryl that she needed one minute. She hurried behind the rocks and Daryl could hear her unbuckling her pants. He waited while she relieved herself and seconds later, she was back at his side. They walked back to the trail they were on just a few hours ago, resuming their quest.
The duo had been walking for an hour when they found the fresh footprints around the ditch. Connie wrote in her notepad and showed it to Daryl.
He caught up w/ them
"Yeah," Daryl mumbled before turning to look away. "There was a struggle."
Connie glanced over at him and rolled her eyes. She knew he had said something but didn't know what it was. She tapped him on the arm and Daryl turned towards her again.
Connie looked Daryl straight in the eyes. She pointed her finger to his lips then quickly pointed back to her eyes, then back to his lips again. Surely he knew that anything he was saying, she couldn't hear. She needed him to face her when he spoke.
"They caught up to him," he replied, leaning towards her and trying his best to enunciate his words.
Dog ran through the ditch from a few yards away. He stopped near the footprints, sniffing and wagging his tail frantically. He looked up at his master from the ditch and let out a loud bark.
"Good boy!" Daryl said, stepping into the ditch with a grunt. He patted Dog on the back. "Good boy," he said again. Connie watched Daryl as he picked up Henry's staff and looked it over. "Yeah," Daryl said, pointing with the staff, "they went that way,"
Just then, Dog let out a low growl. His fur stood upright on the nape of his neck as he stared down two approaching walkers. Daryl glanced up and nodded to Connie. He raised his crossbow, ready to take them down. He fired an arrow into the walker on the right. A second after his arrow met with the corpse's head, the rock from Connie's slingshot hit deep into the head of the other walker. Both of the dead bodies collapsed to the ground and Daryl nodded in approval to Connie. "Nice," he said under his breath.
Daryl was impressed with her handling of her weapon. He would have never thought a slingshot with rocks could work so efficiently. It was a simple weapon with near limitless ammunition and the way she wielded it made him rethink the bulk and other shortcomings of his own weapon.
Daryl emitted a distinct whistle, signaling to his pet to retrieve his arrow from the walker. "Dog!" he commanded the animal. Dog obeyed quickly, running up to the corpse and pulling the arrow out of its head with his teeth. "C'mon," Daryl instructed. He brought it back to Daryl but would not release it when his master wrapped his hand around it. The arrow finally broke in half and Dog ran off disinterested in the now broken stick.
Daryl threw the broken arrow to the ground and looked up at Connie. She had been watching the whole interaction between Daryl and his faithful companion and smiled in amusement at the exchange. "Bad Dog," Daryl said, both slightly embarrassed and amused himself.
It wasn't long before Connie and Daryl caught up to where Henry and Lydia were. They had both been taken to the Whisperer's camp. The two watched the savages in their territory from the safety of a row of lilac bushes, high on a hill.
Connie pulled her notepad out and wrote quickly.
At least 100 of them
Don't see Henry or Lydia
What's our move?
Daryl faced Connie and whispered clearly, "We wait. Watch and wait for some kind of opening. There's always an opening and you just have to be ready for when it comes."
Connie nodded. She sat against a tree while Daryl kept his eyes peeled. She rummaged through the bag slung over her chest and pulled out a package of smoked deer jerky. She tapped Daryl on the arm and offered him a piece. Daryl shook his head but Connie still held the meat up in front of him. She widened her eyes and nodded. Daryl shook his head again. "Naw," he said, "not hungry." Connie shrugged her shoulders and held the jerky out to Dog. Dog was happy to oblige and quickly but gently took the deer meat out of her hand. Daryl glanced over at Dog as he chewed and swallowed the treat. His eyes moved to Connie as she took small bites from her piece of jerky. He chewed on his lip, a habit he had when he had something on his mind.
Connie looked up and caught Daryl staring at her. He quickly looked away, wishing he had been less obvious about watching her. A small smile appeared on her face. She touched Daryl's arm and he turned to her again. Connie continued to smile as she pointed to her head then Daryl's.
"I don't understand," he replied.
Connie held her jerky in her teeth as she pulled her trusty pen and notepad out of her pocket.
What are you thinking about?
Daryl read the note and looked up at her. He shook his head but she pointed at the note again. Daryl sighed. "I'm just tryin' to figure out how we're gonna get Henry back." Connie smirked. She knew that's not what he was thinking about but she didn't want to push it. She handed him another note.
We're getting Lydia too
"Henry's my priority. If we can help the girl, than we'll try." Connie jotted down another note and handed it to Daryl.
Her name is Lydia
She's my priority
Daryl scoffed and turned away, bringing his attention back to the Whisperer's camp. Connie tapped his arm again and handed him another note.
Is Henry your family?
"He's Carol's boy."
Connie didn't know who Carol was. She didn't really know anyone outside of her sister and her own three friends. She shrugged and mouthed, "Who's Carol?"
"You sure do talk a lot," Daryl replied.
A wide grin formed on Connie's face at the irony of Daryl's statement. No one had ever told her that she talked too much and she was decidedly amused by what he'd just said. It was obvious he didn't want to answer her questions about Carol, or probably anything else, and that was okay with her. He wasn't looking for a conversation and no one was used to silence more than her. She finished her jerky and put the package back in her bag. She sat up, moved towards Daryl and looked out into the camp.
This group of people knew what they were doing. Although they appeared to live like animals, they were an organized pack. They all had jobs they were doing and moved around in the different areas of camp like a well-oiled machine. Connie wasn't sure how they would penetrate their camp but she wasn't worried either. Daryl was right, their moment would come and they'd be ready when it did.
They sat for a long time waiting and watching as a warm breeze blew, surrounding them with the sweet scent of the lilacs. Daryl listened to Connie as she inhaled deeply. He turned to look at her and was surprised to see that she was staring back at him. Unlike him, when he caught her dark eyes watching him, she didn't look away. She held him in her gaze, boldly and candidly studying him. For what seemed like a long time, neither of them turned from the other's focus. He peered at her through narrowed eyes while she kept her wide eyes fixed on him. They were two animals, relying on their raw instincts, observing each other and trying to identify the nature of the other creature. The silent stand-off finally became too intense and Daryl broke away, looking at the ground momentarily. He blew out through his mouth and brought his focus back to the enemy in front of them.
Daryl found himself flustered and thrown off guard by the exchange, feeling something he hadn't felt in a very long time. Why had he let her come with him? She was a liability and she would only get in his way. She was a distraction.
Suddenly, Daryl felt Connie tug at his arm. She pointed down the hill. There were two Whisperers dragging a large piece of cloth with two dead bodies atop. A third Whisperer pointed to a large herd, directing the other two towards it.
Connie's heart raced in her chest as she pulled out her pad and scribbled on it frantically.
Nows our moment
Those 3 in masks
Kill them - take masks
Sneak in – get Henry Lydia
Daryl felt a wild rush of energy surge through his body. Connie's plan was spot on. This was their moment and they had to take it. He nodded his head towards her and grabbed her arm. Daryl put his crossbow in front of him and Connie pulled her slingshot out of her back pocket. They ran down the hill towards the enemy, ready to attack.
….
A/N: Whew! Writing this fic has been such a thrill so far and I was very happy with the response to the first chapter. Thank you for your kind feedback! Please follow and review because I absolutely LOVE hearing what you think!
If you like this story, I would be over-the-moon happy to have you read my other fics. They are near and dear to me, as this fic is already, and I would love for as many people as possible to enjoy them too. If you do read them, start with Flesh and Bone and feel free to tell me what you think of that one as well. Thank you again for supporting me in my writing and God bless friends!
