Lizzie's eyes snapped open and she blinked rapidly, trying to will herself awake faster, aware that something had pulled her from her sleep. She held her breath, listening hard as she closed her eyes and tried to concentrate, seeing if she could pick up on any sound that may have woken her.
There ain't nothin' there, she told herself as she let out a breath and opened her eyes again, turning her head slightly so she could just about see the top of Daryl's head behind her, you're jus' freakin' out, been too long since you guys were really safe an' you jus' need to get used to it again, right?
She shifted her position slightly, trying not to dislodge Daryl's arm from her waist- he was still wrapped around her and she could hardly believe how natural it felt to her. He wasn't really one for the whole spooning thing, he never really had been. There had been occasions where he'd laid next to her or close to her but there was never much cuddling going on between them- she couldn't make up her mind whether this was a good thing or a bad thing. Sure, she was partial to a cuddle once in a while but this... Practically bein' suffocated in your damn sleep? Count me out.
She chuckled to herself and let out a happy sigh. Daryl Dixon snugglin' me so hard in bed I got uncomfortable? Who'dve thunk it? She smiled to herself as she closed her eyes again, helluva story to tell the grankids...
Before she could scald herself for such a thought- not that I'm one to go gettin' broody or nothin' –the sound of someone coughing reached her ears.
Her eyes shot open and her heart began to pound in her chest because she was pretty damn certain that the cough had come from somewhere behind her. She swallowed again and licked her lips.
"Guys?" She hissed, her eyes darting around the sleeping bodies before her as she searched for signs of life, "Anyone awake?"
She felt her heart rate rise again when she realised that everyone was present in front of her- Rick had given up on his watch and was sleeping soundly with the others, no one had seen fit to take over his guard duty.
She took Daryl's wrist and gently slid it from her waist, wriggling away from him before she sat up and gazed around the field. She jumped a little as Daryl snorted, emitting a sigh before he rolled on to his stomach, occupying the space Lizzie had vacated.
Maybe it was jus' one of these guys coughin' in their sleep, she thought as she crawled forwards and knelt on the ground, resting her backside on her feet as she looked around them again, maybe you're jus' goin' crazy an' imaginin' things an'...
As the coughing sound came again, she let out a little yelp and fell to the ground as she spun around, staring towards the gate they had entered through, her heart almost stopping as she saw a lone figure standing on top of the overturned truck. She couldn't tell which way they were facing but it didn't matter- they'd got in, they were in the field with the others and that meant they weren't safe.
Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit... She thought as she sat frozen for a few seconds before she scrambled across the grass to Daryl and began to shake him.
"Daryl? Daryl, baby, c'mon, wake up!" When he didn't rouse, her shaking became more frantic, her voice rising as much as she dared let it without alerting the stranger to her presence, "Goddamn it Daryl, wake the fuck up!"
He grunted a little, muttering something inaudible, and turned his head away from her but he didn't wake- she was alone in this one.
She contemplated giving him a good slap, see if he could sleep through that, but as she raised her gaze to the truck again, the silhouette of the figure was now gone. If she woke Daryl now and told him what she'd seen, there was a good chance that he wouldn't believe her and it would be pegged down to her "nightmares".
You're a big girl, you can look after yourself, she thought as she took another deep breath, reaching for her machete as she let it out, 'specially if there ain't owt there an' you're jus' freakin' over nothin'... As usual...
She reached for her flashlight and flicked it on, shining it across the grass to make sure the figure wasn't making its way towards them. When she was satisfied that, for the time being, they were alone, she pushed herself to her feet.
Alright Lizzie, time to suck it up an' check things out, she thought, trying to psych herself up.
As she strode across the field, flicking the flashlight on every few steps to scan her surroundings, she wished she had just settled back down to sleep. She could have nuzzled up against her man, breathing him in and feeling safe with him there to protect her... But instead she was hot-footing it across the field, chasing ghosts.
An' you thought your life was gonna be borin', she rolled her eyes, then the zombie apocalypse happened an' the rest, as they say, is fuckin' history.
When she reached the truck, she still hadn't seen any sign of anyone else in the field but she wasn't about to take any chances, not now. She slid around the side of the truck, peering around it to make sure she wasn't about to be ambushed. When she saw the coast was clear, she moved around to the gate and shone the light into the darkness, squinting as she searched for any sign of movement.
She wasn't sure if it was a trick of the light or simply her own paranoia but she thought she saw something move out there- something that was too quick to be a walker.
She took a breath and stepped backwards, closing her eyes as she tried to steady her heartbeat again. C'mon Lizzie, don't lose it now, she scolded herself, looking up at the truck behind her.
Better to be safe than sorry, she decided, turning towards it and finding whatever footing she could on the underbelly, dragging herself up so she had a better vantage point.
She flicked her light on again and peered down at their vehicles, left outside, making sure that there was no one hiding around them. When she was satisfied, she swept the beam across the open land beyond the fence. She could see nothing.
Guess you were wrong this time girl, she though, letting out a sigh as she frowned, better jus' keep your eyes peeled tomorrow an'...
Somebody coughed behind her. She let out a strangled cry of surprise and spun around with her weapon raised but the person easily predicted her reaction, grabbing her wrist in their hand and twisting viciously. She felt the bones crack and the machete fell at her feet.
She stepped back, cradling her broken wrist to her chest as she looked up in horror, grabbing for her light and shining it into the eyes of her attacker, hoping to blind them enough for her to make her escape.
When she raised her gaze, she felt her blood run cold and she screamed... It was Mark.
His skin was mottled green, peeling away at his right temple and his right cheek, exposing the shiny white skull beneath. There was blood dripping down his neck and another gaping wound on his chest, his vest being more red than white and beginning to crust.
He gave her a leering grin as he laughed- it came out as a terrible, sloppy wet sound, deep in his chest.
"S'up there 'lil sis'?" He drawled, his voice rasping as he spoke, "Screamin' ain't gonna do you no good, no one's gonna hear, no one's gonna come."
She tried to speak but she couldn't find the right words to express her emotions, her mouth opened and closed uselessly as she stared in horror at her brother. She tried to back away but his arm shot out and grabbed her by the throat, pulling her close- a lot closer than she cared to be.
"Ahh, you ain't goin' anywhere," he grinned, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, "you're stayin' right here with me."
"Jesus..." She croaked, "Go... Fuck... Yourself..."
She saw something flash in the darkness and she realised he was holding a knife. She struggled against his grip but it was to no avail- she wasn't going anywhere, he had her right where he wanted her.
"Welcome to hell." He smiled, his face full of malice as his left arm shot forwards, embedding the knife in her stomach.
She tried to call out and rouse her friends (I screamed, I screamed, why ain't nobody comin'?) but she couldn't speak, his grip had all but crushed her windpipe. He let out a cruel laugh and stepped forwards, forcing her limp body to move with him before, with one final shove, he pushed her from the truck and she hit the floor with a thud.
Finally, she broke from her nightmare- the sudden jolt of hitting the dirt forcing her back to reality, her eyes shooting open as she took in a huge gulp of air and cried out in sheer terror.
She was vaguely aware of the people around her beginning to move, some shouting in panic as they woke, but she couldn't stop herself- it hadn't been a dream, it had been a sign, he was here, she knew it, she could feel it.
"Lizzie!" Daryl cried in a panic, rolling to his knees and leaning over her, grabbing at her hands as they tried to scratch his face, "Dammit Lizzie, it was just a dream!"
"No!" She screamed, the tears finally falling from her eyes, trailing towards her ears as she lay on the floor, "He's here! He's here! It ain't safe!"
"The hell is wrong with her?" T asked as he hurried to her side, trying to help Daryl pin her down as she struggled against him.
"I dunno," Daryl replied, the worry clear on his face, "Jesus girl, jus' fuckin' talk to me."
"He was over there!" She screamed, pulling her arms free from Daryl's grasp and pointing towards the gate, "I saw him, he was there an' he..."
"There ain't no one there," Daryl tried to soothe her, "Rick's comin' on over to see what all the shoutin's about."
"It isn't Rick, don't let him come over!" She begged, pushing T away from her and flopping onto her front, scrabbling across the grass as she tried to get away from the oncoming danger, "He's gonna kill me!"
"Ain't no one gonna kill you while I'm around..." He began, reaching for her ankle as she made her escape. As soon has his hand closed around it, she lashed out with the other leg, catching him in the face. He was more surprised than hurt as he felt his nose explode under the blow and he let go of her, pressing his hand against his face and looking down to see the blood running down his fingers.
Everyone was talking at once, asking questions, wanting to know what was happening and why Lizzie had been screaming, why she was desperately trying to crawl away from some invisible attacker.
Daryl ignored them, his attention fixed on his woman as she crawled away from him. He'd never seen her so spooked in his life and it worried him more than he wanted to admit. He'd known the nightmares had been plaguing her but he'd never seen her affected so badly and he was trying to piece together what she'd screamed at him, what exactly it was that she was so scared about.
Mark. The thought suddenly hit him and he pushed himself to his feet and hurried after her, circling around her and dropping to his knees in her path, holding his hands up in surrender, hoping she'd stop when she saw he wasn't trying to restrain her.
She looked up at him, her eyes wild and scared, her breathing sharp and ragged as she trembled beneath his gaze.
"You gonna listen to me or you gonna kick me in the face again?" He asked quietly.
"You don't understand, he's here Daryl, I saw him an'..." She began, her voice shaking.
"He ain't here baby, what'd you tell me?" He reached for her hand slowly, "He's banged up in Central, right? He ain't here."
She seemed to falter at his logic, only managing to shake her head weakly as she clung to his hand for dear life.
"He had a knife," she breathed, "he had a knife an' he used it on me, I felt it..."
"Jus' like when he used one on you when you were kids? It felt like that, right?" He asked, watching as she nodded slowly, "It's jus' a memory, a bad memory that gave you a bad dream."
"No..." She whispered, shaking her head as she cried, "It wasn't a dream Daryl, I saw..."
"Lizzie, you didn't see nothin'," he whispered, shaking his head sadly, his heart breaking at the look on her face- she was convinced that what she had seen was real and her face crumpled when she realised that it had, in fact, been a dream. He tugged at her arm a little, "c'mere."
She shot forwards, her arms encircling his body as she nestled her face against his chest, as she cried. She'd hit him with such force that he'd nearly toppled right over but, somehow, he managed to only fall onto his behind and stay in an upright position.
He stroked her hair and kissed her head, whispering to her, trying to calm her down as she cried against him. He looked up as Rick approached.
"The hell's goin' on over here?" Rick asked, looking down at them.
"Lizzie had a bad dream," he said quietly, shaking his head, "I got it."
"She carries on screaming and shouting, she'll bring the walkers down on us," Rick warned, "she's already scared everyone half to death and..."
"I got it," Daryl repeated more forcefully, looking around at the others as he cradled her in his arms, "I got it."
He sat there, holding her, as the others began to settle down again. Rick rejoined them, sending Glenn off on guard duty, and he eyed Lizzie cautiously.
Daryl glared at him, warning him away and he soon settled down next to his son, turning his back on them as he tried to get some sleep.
"If she doesn't settle," Hershel said, nodding to him, "I've got something to help her sleep."
"She'll be fine," Daryl replied a little too forcefully, "thanks."
"I'm sorry," Lizzie sobbed quietly, "I'm so sorry."
"C'mon," he said, kissing her forehead, "let's go back to bed."
He stood, pulling her up with him before he bent down, scooping her legs out from underneath her and lifting her in his arms like a child. She held on to him for dear life as he carried her the few steps back to the patch of grass they'd made their little camp on.
He laid her down gently, holding her hand as he rummaged through his pack for a blanket to throw over her. When he was satisfied that she'd be warm enough he settled down next to her, rolling on his side so they were face to face.
Her big green eyes still looked scared and he stroked her face, pushing her hair away so he could see her better. He held the back of her neck and pulled her forwards so their foreheads were touching.
"Ain't no one gonna hurt you while I'm around, y'hear?" He said quietly, "Anyone so much as even thinks about it, they gotta get through me first," he closed his eyes, "I ain't gonna let nothin' bad happen to you, not ever," he heard his voice begin to crack a little as he spoke, "I love you too much for that, I'd die for you, you hear?"
He felt her nod against him and he lifted his head a little so their lips met. He kissed her hard, wanting her to know that he meant every word he'd said, but he had to stop- he could feel the emotion boiling up in him and tears began to prick his eyes.
"C'mon now," he said quietly, pulling away from her and shifting a little so she could rest her head against his chest, "let's get some sleep."
He held her close until her breathing evened out and she went limp against him, sleep taking her once again... But he didn't sleep at all again that night.
