A/N: The next installment! I will be out of town for the next few days so there won't be an update until Monday! I hope to see a few more reviews by then. I would love to know what people think, where you think it's going. Do you like Abby? Do you like the way I portrayed Daryl? Tell me what you think people! :-D But yeah, I hope everyone enjoys this! I sure do like to write it. And don't worry, it WILL pick up. I was also hinting at a Daryl/Carol/Abby love triangle.. Or at least a hint of drama between the three. ;)
Chapter Four:
Abby only hesitated a moment and pointed to the yard, "Lily kill." She snapped and ever obedient the large dog charged the dead, snagging one by the tattered pant leg and pulling him to the ground. The rest seeing a new target changed their direction and staggered toward Lily in an attempt to take a chunk of her warm flesh.
Raising her rifle, Abby fired a bullet into the walker nearest her beloved pet. Daryl pulled up next to her and she was impressed at how he wasted no time in dispatching two walkers in a row. He then charged another and plunged his knife through it's skull. Abby followed his lead and jogged the distance to the tree that Joshua was in, shoulder ramming one of the walkers in her way. In the commotion of the fight the walker clamped onto Abby's arm, dragging her down with it. Yelping, Abby kicked out, causing the dead woman to fly backward.
Daryl cursed under his breath and lunged forward to pin the woman down and drive his large buck knife into the corpses eye socket. He did a quick survey to make sure that was all the dead before he turned to her, his eyes scanning her body for injury.
"Gotta watch what yer doin'," He snapped at her.
She breathed a sigh of relief and scrambled to her feet, holding her arms out for her son to climb down from the tree.
"What happened?" She asked as she gathered him in her arms.
"It was my fault." Joshua said, "I tried to move the truck and knocked part of the fence down… I didn't know they were on the road."
Abby frowned at him, "And how many times have I told you? Never go near the fence?" She shook her head, "Never mind. Where the hell is Rick and the others?" She got her answer as Rick came trotting up, covered in blood followed by Glenn and Maggie.
"Abigail I'm sorry," Rick started, "I told Joshua to run and they must have followed him."
Abby turned a steely glare on her brother, "And why was he in the truck?"
"We were re-enforcing the fence. Found some weak spots. No one knew he was moving the truck." Maggie supplied.
"Joshua, go inside. Now." Abby ordered and pinned her son with a steely glare, "I'll deal with you later." She watched until Joshua was out of sight and then turned her attention on Rick. Daryl moved from one walker to the next pulling his arrows out of their skull with a sickening sucking sound.
"Like I said, Abby, we didn't know they were on the road."
Abby shrugged, "They get riled up when it starts to get cold. They will settle back down in a couple of weeks." She paused, obviously in thought, trying to choose her next words carefully. "You have to keep an eye on Josh. He tends to get ahead of himself. He wants to help so badly he often times makes the situation worse."
Rick nodded, understanding, he remembered when Carl was like that, but now he was more than capable to taking care of himself. Like today when Rick had told him to protect the upper level, that boy had done what he was told and protected the weaker members of the group.
Abby didn't say anything else, on that subject she just turned slightly and let out a high pitched whistle. From around the house Lily came galloping over, tongue hanging out and tail wagging.
"At least someone was having fun." Glenn noted with a little amusement in his voice, to which Maggie elbowed him, but couldn't hide her own smile.
"We'll take care of this." Maggie said, gesturing to all the dead.
Abby shook her head, "I have a truck, we can load them in the back and haul them to a pit just down the road. I burn them." She turned her attention to Daryl and lowered her head, "Thank you," She whispered.
Daryl gave a curt nod and began to help the others move the walkers to the bed of a old pickup truck. But he kept a close eye on Abby as she moved, having a new found respect for the woman.
OoooOOOoooo
It had gotten colder over night, and Abby had insisted that they make a trip into town. Since she knew her way around better than anyone she planned to go alone but Rick had objected. He was going to accompany her at first until he realized that the fence needed some extra reinforcements.
"Daryl?" Rick approached the hunter slowly, his head dipped down in a way that told Daryl he was going to be asked a favor. He sighed inwardly and turned his attention to his friend for a brief moment.
"Wha do ya need?" He asked and then continued to sharpen his hunting knife.
"Abby is making a trip into town. She was planning on going alone-"
"The hell she is." Daryl cut him off before he could stop himself. He froze, staring down at his now white knuckles clutching his knife and then cleared his throat, "I guess ya were wantin' me to go wit her." He added quickly.
Rick furrowed his brows, wondering why Daryl would protest so much to Abby going to town alone, as far as Rick knew the two didn't talk much.
"If ya don't mind." He drawled and once Daryl grunted in response he added, "She's loading up now. Knowin' my sister she'll try and leave without ya."
Daryl didn't look up until Rick had walked a safe distance away and once he was gone let out a shaky breath. He didn't know what was stuck up his craw but ever since that walker attack a month ago, Daryl had avoided Abby. Now he was about to be stuck in a truck alone with her for most of the day. Sighing, he hauled himself to his feet and went to find Rick's sister.
OoooOOOoooo
It didn't take long to find her and Daryl chewed on his thumb for a moment before he approached. She was hunched over the back of a large, running white suburban, loading food and guns into the back.
"So I guess Rick sent you to look after me?" She asked when she heard him approach. She didn't need to look up to know it was Daryl, she could feel him.
She didn't like how he made her feel. Not an emotional feeling but the fact that watching him stirred something in her blood. Or rather having him watch her. She didn't know what she felt for the quiet hunter. He kept to himself, he rarely talked to her, not that she wanted him to. She just didn't understand.
Daryl only grunted in reply, still destroying his thumb nail.
Abby glanced at him then, piercing him with her bright blue eyes. A waterfall of dark hair swung over one of her shoulders as she turned away just a quickly, "I don't need you to come. I've gone to town alone plenty of times."
"Take it up with Rick." Was all Daryl said and felt his belly flip flop when she looked at him again. What was wrong with him? He wasn't the type to get worked up over a woman, least of all one as stubborn as her. She hadn't hardly said two words to him since the walker attack, but he could feel her looking at him when she thought he wasn't paying attention. And he knew she'd caught him a time or two starting at her with an odd heat to his gaze.
Abby held his attention for a moment and then shrugged, "Suit yourself. It'll probably be boring. Just getting some extra winter supplies." She didn't listen for any sort of a reply, just slammed the back doors to the suburban and walked around the front to climb into the drivers seat.
Daryl felt himself sigh as he glared after her but didn't waste time in climbing into the passenger seat. He snorted softly when he saw that damned dog sitting upright in the back seat of the large vehicle.
"Do ya take that mutt everywhere wit ya?" He snapped and only saw a faint smile on Abby's lips as she put the truck in gear and pulled out.
He nodded to Rick as they passed, watching the gate close quickly behind them, setting in stone that he was stuck with this woman that heated his blood all day.
OoooOOOoooo
Hershel had watched the young hunter with their new host.
Daryl seemed to give the dark haired woman a wide girth, keeping his distance but he could see the tension building between the two, even when no one else did. The older man could also see the growing tension in Carol, as she watched from the window as Daryl approached Abby, shying away from her at first but toward the end of the conversation Daryl was leaning toward her slightly, hovering, almost hanging on every word she gave him.
Hershel understood the need for human contact, but like the rest of the group he thought that Carol and the young man would spark a relationship. It seemed he was very close with the older woman, they shared a special friendship, and by the way Daryl prowled around, keeping Abby in his sights at all times since the walker attack Hershel could see that's all Daryl wanted from Carol. He could see the confusion in Daryl's face every time he looked at the young Abby, but Hershel knew from experience that people were often times drawn to others like them. And Abby had most defiantly struck the hunters fancy, whether it made sense or not.
"Never seen him like that." Hershel commented to Carol as he watched her cross her arms tighter over her chest.
The widow looked at him with a tiny smile that didn't reach her eyes, "Abby is a beautiful woman." Was all Carol could say. She shrugged her shoulders and bent her head down as she walked out of the room.
Hershel leaned on his crutches heavily as he watched her leave, not bothering to stop her.