Thanks to everyone who read my last chapter, and special thanks to those who are able to review, they always mean a lot to know people like it enough to comment. Finally back from vacation and able to write again. I missed you ! Hope you like the update all, let me know what you think! Oh and by the way, how AWESOME was the midseason finale? God damn, I love this show.
Again, I don't own The Walking Dead… (wish I did! But no cigar, not even close) hehe, enjoy all!
Chapter Six
Sitting out by the fire with these people was a different world. Certainly wasn't the same as listening from her cell in the distance. Emma sat at her feet, no more than a yard away from Beth. They were laughing at something quietly, Ali couldn't quite make out what they found so funny, but she didn't want to butt in. She already felt enough of an outsider, she didn't want to force her way into any conversations. The very thought of it made her feel foolish as she ate her powdered eggs and imitation meat, meal fit for a king these days.
Her eyes nervously scanned them all, most people quietly eating or engaged in their own exchanges, paying no mind to those around them. Not a one of them spoke to her, but they didn't seem to have any type of guard up around her either. It was a strange sort of freedom. Just to notice others, yet seem unnoticed herself.
Then there was Daryl. She could always count on Daryl. She met his eyes and held the stare for a few seconds. They looked away simultaneously; Ali could have kicked herself, feeling her cheeks flush. What an embarrassing thing, her face turning pink like a sixteen year old girl during an awkward game of spin the bottle. That wasn't what was happening… she just didn't know how to act around him, she was always uncomfortable.
"Ali?"
She jumped about a mile. Emma was kneeling at her side, smiling from ear to ear, and as startled as Ali was she couldn't help but smile back. "Yeah, what is it?"
"Tell Beth about the deer we got back before they got here? Ya' tell the story much better than I do." She pouted when Ali shook her head. "Puh-leeease?"
She looked over to Daryl quickly, he was smirking down at this eggs. She sighed and turned her body towards Emma and Beth. Carl had joined, Rick was looking over. There wasn't really any way out of it, what the hell right?
She kneeled down on the ground with the other girls, made like she was holding a shotgun in her hands. Carl began grinning from ear to ear at this reenactment. "We'd been tracking this deer for days, Emma and me. Mind you, all we brought with us was a bow with a set of arrows, a club, and a 38. Cal pistol. It sounds like a lot, I know-"
"No it don't!" Carl started laughing and Lori gave him a quick poke to the side
"No it's okay," Ali reassured her, "I get it, doesn't sound like much to you all, but it's just her and I. We are quiet, that's most of the protection we need. The weapons are plan B… they always are."
Lori smiled lightly at her, ruffling Carl's hair. She seemed like a nice lady. Maybe Ali would find that out for sure one day. She looked back to Emma and Beth now, aware of all the other sets of eyes on her, watching her little performance. Ali held one hand to her side, wincing slightly, the angle tugging on her stitches. She took in a sharp breath, but tried not to let the pain show on her face.
"We'd been tracking it for hours, and I was getting bored… wasn't I?" Ali grinned down at Emma, watching her nod at her friends.
Her friends…
"Well Emma wasn't bored. She looked at that buck, must have been a nine pointer, and saw breakfast, lunch and dinner, 7 nights a week for both of us, set up for at least a month. She wouldn't let me stop, I was exhausted, I wanted to come back and eat some spam and call it a night… and right then, when I let my mind drift from the deer for just a moment," Ali held her index finger to the tip of Emma's nose. "This one let an arrow loose. We were not close, it was dark, the weapons were carrying all seemed to be too much for her. I mean, look at this!" Emma was giggling as Ali picked her arms up, shaking them at everyone, laughter coming from different corners. "Look at these skinny chicken limbs!" Ali dropped Emma's arms and hugged her around the shoulders. "But she let loose that arrow and nailed him right between the eyes."
Carl's mouth dropped open, he leaned forward and patted Emma on the shoulder, a 'good one!' sort of gesture. The sight of this once common nicety made her feel overwhelmed suddenly. She swallowed hard, shook thoughts out of her head, wanting to end this quickly. Everyone's eyes were suddenly a heavy weight, she didn't want to be looked at anymore 'find something else to pay attention to.' She tried not to let her bitter thoughts invade her voice… ruin her performance of Emma's great triumph, to the girl's new friends… that would have been cruel. "Anyway, we ate like a couple of fat kids for weeks. I taught her to gut it and skin it, and she didn't even come close to throwing up, like I did my first time." She put her hand on top of Emma's head and stared her straight in the eyes, "That's when I knew I wasn't dealing with any ordinary girl… I had a warrior on my hands, didn't I Em? I started sleeping in after that, figured Emma could go get our food from there on out huh?"
Laughter surrounded her as she pulled Emma close again, letting the girl help her back onto the stump she sat on before. After that it was a cluster of conversation; hunting, fishing, the right way to start a fire, the right way to distract walkers, how to make a homemade silencer (which she had been curious about since seeing Carl's gun for the first time). And then, inevitably, the question Ali didn't want to answer came up. A question she refused to respond to, no matter who it was coming from.
"So who were you before all this?" Herschel asked, staring at her with his old-man-eyes… wise eyes, the kind only people like him possessed. The last time she looked into eyes like his was only a few weeks after the epidemic hit the U.S., one of the only men she remembered fondly from her 'old life'. "What's your story, Ali?"
Only he was close enough to hear, Herschel made sure of that before he asked, that much Ali knew. Somehow he was aware that she wouldn't answer that question in front of a group of unfamiliar people, but he was mistaken, believing she would talk to him about anything like that in private.
"That's not really important… is it?" She frowned, "Whoever we were, doesn't matter now. We are who we are, in this moment, in this place… so I don't want to talk about my story. Like I said, it's not important. Okay?" She stopped fidgeting and held his stare. "Okay Herschel?"
The corner of his mouth pulled up into a small smile. "Yes, of course Ali, I'm sorry if I offended you. Of course it's okay."
He walked away, leaving Ali sitting there as she had been shortly before. Watching conversations from the outside, not invited in. Ali tucked her hands under her legs, wincing again slightly at the pull in her side.
She could feel him walk up to her before he knelt down at her side. She knew he was moving towards her, could hear his heavy boots crunch the earth beneath their feet, listened to him breathing for five full minutes before he even spoke.
"So I 'magine you and I should have a chat right?" She looked back at him. His hair was matted to his forehead, a pile of dirt and torn clothes, and yet she couldn't help but notice… the man was undeniably handsome. Steel blue eyes. She had never seen eyes that blue. He grabbed one of her crutches and held his hand out to her. She didn't take it, just held his eyes, defiant and suspicious. He let out a small, mocking laugh. "Come on Ali, I'm not gonna take you out back and shoot ya'… the 'hell you so afraid of anyway?"
Daryl…
He was taking a real big swing with this one, he knew that. She could either take his hand and hear him out, or reject it and make him feel like a fool. He knew the latter of the two experiences all too well. Maybe that's why he was unafraid… although this girl stirred him in the guts as all good scares do, but he didn't want to turn away from it. He didn't want to kill that fear. He invited it, enjoyed it. She wasn't to be predicted, she was reckless, dangerous, he had seen it first-hand. Her spontaneity took him aback, surprised him. Even with everything going on around him, nothing had truly shocked him in months. Not until he was crouched up against the prison walls, and that girl sniffed him out like a bloodhound, did he remember that fear that existed within him. He was curious. How could he not be?
Her gaze finally broke from his as she stared down at his hand, slowly grasping it with her own. He helped her up and settled his hand at the small of her back. "Where to?"She asked, holding on his forearm slightly, just enough to keep her balance.
"I'll just walk us past the tower to the east side of the entrance. We can probably see where you and goldilocks were hidin' from there anyway."
"Goldilocks?" Ali shook her head as her soft red curls fell in front of her eyes. "Really? You don't know her name by now, Daryl?"
He smiled. This was only the second time his name came out of her mouth. He liked the way it sounded with her yankee accent, strange to these parts. Boston? Somewhere in Rhode Island maybe? He couldn't tell. He'd only been up that way once, when he was a real young kid. He remembered he liked the way they talked though… their language was their armor, their humor, at least it had always made him laugh. And the women… they didn't take shit from anyone. He smiled slightly, remembering his aunt's face, a woman born and raised in Worcester, Massachusetts. Animated, strong, as strong as any man when you crossed her, at least with her words. Her attitude. Not one person in his redneck family could deny that, Aunt Jackie coulda' kicked all their asses with one hand tied behind her back, and he loved her for that.
"Where you from anyway girl?" He nudged. She stopped cold.
"That's none of ya' damn business… ya' understand?" Her accent was even sharper when she was angry. "What, you hear Herschel and now you wanna see if you can get me to talk to you instead? Are you retarded?"
He couldn't help it, he let out a short laugh before straightening his face and shrugging. "Maybe I am… listen I'm sorry. I didn't come out to talk about that."
"Then what the hell are you bothering me for huh? I wasn't even done with my breakfast… what do you want?"
"I wanted to apologize."
"You already have Daryl." She got quiet, ran her hand through her hair. "I'm not mad at you for that, we both came at each other, we're both to blame. I'm not mad okay? So you don't have to keep-"
"I ain't apologizing for stabbin' you Ali." He stared at her, careful to keep his hands from touching her full on unless she needed the support to stand. His palms were sweating, he was nervous. When was the last time he was nervous? He couldn't even remember specifically. It had been a while. "I'm apologizing for this morning at the fire."
She was confused, he eyes shifting back and forth, finally settling on his. "What do you mean? You didn't do anything."
"Yes I did, and I know it makes you uncomfortable, but I just needed you to know that I can't help it. I'm sorry… prior to the fact I guess. Sorry."
She held her hands up, frustrated. "FOR WHAT?"
"For staring." He spit out, wiping his hands on the front of his shirt. "Ya' caught me enough times by now… so I'm sorry. Don't mean to make you feel weird or anything."
It was quiet for a few minutes, both of them looking off in different directions. She finally broke the silence with a softer tone. "Why can't you help it?"
He took a step away from her. "I don't know, you… you're different from most girls…" He cleared his throat. "Sorry, most people I meet. Not just girls… people in general. And I almost killed ya', so I guess-" He coughed again, trying to get a grasp on the words. "I guess there's a reason I didn't. Maybe I should get to know you or somethin'. I mean… what do you think?"
She was quiet again, a smirk slowly making way to her normally somber face. "I think you're fuckin' strange, Daryl… what's your last name?"
"Dixon."
She smiled full on, pressing her hand on his shoulder for balance. "Daryl Dixon… Daryl Dixon." She looked up at him, leaning more than she ever had before against his strength. "That's perfect somehow. Well, Daryl Dixon, let's get to know each other by you taking me on a little tour of this place. I was too afraid to go anywhere and leave Emma alone in that tower, so I don't know my way around this place, the same way you seem to." She smirked his way, flirting? He couldn't tell. He was never much good at that. "What do you say? Give me a personal tour of this fine establishment? I'm sure we'll come across all sorts of interesting new friends… to use for target practice. I've got to get better with that bow… I can't be letting an eleven year old show me up anymore. That shit is just humiliating."
