Hey y'all! I'm glad to be writing again. It feels good. :) Thanks to those who comment, follow, and favorite. It just makes my day to know that there are people that really enjoy my stories. Seriously, it's y'all that encourage me to keep writing. Anywho, enjoy this chapter. I'll try to keep posting as often as I can!
Disclaimer: I own nothing Walking Dead related.
Yeah, baby, looking at you right now,
There ain't ever been no doubt
Without you I'd be nothing
So if you ever worry about
Me walking out
Yeah, let me tell you something
I hold on
I hold on
Can you hear me, baby?
I hold on
Yeah,
I hold on
"I Hold On" by Dierks Bentley
Clementine and Daryl returned to camp when the sun was still high in the clear Georgia sky. Her backpack was stuffed with edibles and Daryl carried a half dozen squirrels. Things weren't completely patched up between them but their conversations weren't uncomfortable either. Clementine grabbed her book out of her tent and settled down on a stump by the fire pit. Daryl sat a few feet away, beginning to skin the squirrels he'd killed. Rick quietly approached them.
"Hey Clementine, we're doing some weapons training today." Rick said with an honest smile.
"I wanted to see if you'd be interested. We should all make sure we can defend ourselves, even if we have others to defend us." He said with a quick glance at Daryl.
"You're welcome too, Daryl." He added.
Daryl shook his head, motioning to the squirrels in front of him.
"Got enough target practice with these guys," He mumbled.
Rick looked at Clementine expectantly.
"Sure, I'd love too. Let me just grab my gun." She said with a grin as she fished the antique revolver out of her bag.
"Woah, where did you get that?" Rick asked with interest.
"It was my great granddaddy's." She explained as she extended it forward so Rick could study it.
Daryl realized that the revolver was a source of pride for Clementine. Hell, it might not be the most practical gun but it sure got the job done. Rick nodded after looking it over and guided her in the direction of the makeshift shooting range, making small talk in the process. Daryl watched them walk away, wondering what it'd take to show Clementine that he was serious.
The group all sat around the campfire together in the darkness. They continued their nightly conversations about their lives before the dead began to walk. In an awkward lull of silence, Amy announced that she was going back to the RV to use the bathroom. A moment later her scream sharply rang out through the otherwise calm night. Daryl defensively pushed Clementine behind him and grabbed his crossbow.
Andrea ran to her dying sister's side as Rick shot the walker that had torn into her neck. Blood pumped from her artery and out her mouth as she attempted to gasp for air. She gurgled helplessly with a look of pure fear in her blue eyes. Andrea screamed, not knowing what to do and cried out for her sister to stay in the world of the living. More and more walkers emerged from the surrounding woods and pushed into the group from all sides.
"Stay right behind me." Daryl hissed at Clementine.
She nodded and pulled her revolver out of her waistband. A walker lunged toward her and she kicked it square in the chest. It clumsily fell backwards and she shot it point blank in the head. The revolver's shot seemed to echo louder than the rest of the firing guns. Daryl kept his back to hers as he shot approaching walkers with his crossbow.
"Come on," he shouted, as walkers began to enclose in a circle around them.
He grabbed her arm and pulled her through a small clearance. Jim was savagely beating in the head of a walker that was long gone.
"You killed my family!" He screamed with a blood spattered face.
The sight of him in such a fit of rage was nearly as horrifying as seeing the walker attack Amy. Clementine watched as Lori struggled to shoot a walker and dropped her gun. She poised herself to run over in Lori's defense, when Carl stuck his handgun in front of his mom and pumped a bullet into the walker's head.
What kind of world is this? She asked herself.
The walkers were dead. Amy was dead. Carol's husband was dead. Jim was bitten.
"You alright?" Daryl asked her.
Clementine felt shaky and sat on the ground. There was carnage all around her. Jim's arm had been bitten to the bone and he calmly sat while Jacqui attempted to wrap the wound with a t-shirt as a makeshift bandage. Clementine glanced at the walker whose head she had literally blown apart and vomited. Daryl squatted beside her and patted her back as she emptied her stomach. She may have known how to use that gun well, but he knew she'd only killed two walkers previously. No matter how monstrous they may be, it was still emotionally traumatizing to kill what used to be human. Clementine was a tough girl but right now he could see that she was exhausted and overwhelmed.
"Come here,"
He put an arm around her waist, pulled her up, and walked her back to his truck. He helped her into the cab and draped his jacket over her as she lay down.
"You'll be safe in here. I promise."
He took the revolver from her hand and placed it on the dashboard. Daryl started to close the door but decided to plant a light kiss on her forehead before he did.
This world is too dangerous, he thought to himself.
The next day a funeral was conducted for Amy and Ed. The group gathered around her crudely dug grave and spoke about how the girl had touched their hearts, although little was said about Ed. Jim was becoming more ill and was now bedridden. Everyone seemed afraid to care for him except Jacqui and Carol, who faithfully brought him food, water, and damp rags to calm his fever. Shane, Carl, and Rick had decided to try hunting to take the incident off of Carl's young mind. This left Daryl with an unusual amount of free time.
He sat on a stump and attempted to carve more bolts for his crossbow from branches. Clementine quietly watched him, hugging her knees to her chest and lost in her thoughts.
"What do you think we should do about Jim?" She asked quietly.
Daryl paused from his work and looked up at her. He could see she was genuinely distraught about the situation.
"Well, honestly, the way I see it is there is only one thing to do." He muttered.
She straightened up, casting a harsh gaze on him.
"Daryl, you can't mean…" She began.
"Should've just put him out of his misery already," He said looking back down at his carving.
"But Daryl, he's still a person! He has feelings! What if I was the one bitten? Would you just put me down like a rabid dog?"
He could see the impassioned anger welling in her eyes.
"No. That ain't ever gonna happen to you." He replied patiently.
"And why is that? How can you say that with so much certainty? Huh?"
"Cause I ain't ever gonna let that happen to you. My job is to protect you." He replied with teeth gritted.
Clementine starred at him hard. Her normally calm face inherited a cynical mask.
"Why? You barely even know me." She nearly whispered, thinking back to a certain man in her life that had pretended to care and in the end had just used her.
Without waiting for an answer she jumped up, jammed the revolver in her waistband, and silently walked away from him and into the woods, not glancing back once.
"Good lord…" He whispered as he watched her figure marching forward into the brush.
Daryl was the first to admit that he didn't know anything about women. He'd never been in a serious relationship and never really saw the need to be in one. None of the girls he'd met had impressed him much. They were all trashy or unintelligent. Yet, in the most unexpected place he'd managed to find a girl that he cared for. Now she was running away from him.
Great job Dixon, he thought to himself.
What had he said wrong? She'd asked his opinion and he gave it. He felt that he was in the right, but the angry look in her eyes made him want to take all his words back in an instant.
Yeah maybe ya did get a little carried away.
He sighed, stood, shouldered his crossbow, and headed off in the direction she took.
Her trail was easy enough to pick up. He followed it for five minutes and then glanced around him. Something wasn't right. Ten feet to his left another trail began crossed his line of vision. The fallen leaves and dirt were not undisturbed like they should've been. It looked like someone had been walking there and dragging their leg behind them. He broke away from Clementine's trail to follow the new one. He followed it for about 50 feet and was horrified to find that it converged with her tracks.
"Fuck." He muttered.
Daryl broke into a sprint, cursing himself for even allowing her to leave the camp. There was at least one walker in her vicinity and he had essentially let her stroll right into danger. He ran nearly a quarter of a mile, panicking as he saw the tracks of what he assumed were two more walkers trailing Clementine.
And there they were.
Three walkers dumbly stood starring up at an oak tree. He could see Clementine sitting on a sturdy branch, glaring down in fear. Daryl spotted something shiny at the base of the tree and realized it was her gun.
Must've dropped it on the way up.
He silently aimed the crossbow and shot one ugly middle aged woman walker through the head. The other two were so enthralled by the prospect of a meal, that they didn't even notice their fallen comrade's collapse. Daryl carefully aimed and shot the other two, walked over, placed his foot on their heads, and yanked the arrows from their skulls.
"You sure you can take care of yourself?" He mumbled, looking up at Clementine's perch in the tree.
She was expressionless as she attempted to climb down. The bark was slick and she slipped, careening downwards ten feet. Daryl's strong arms caught her.
"Gotcha." He mumbled, setting her down on her feet.
He kneeled down and handed her gun back to her.
"Think you dropped this,"
She grasped it and looked down, refusing to meet his eyes.
"What's wrong now?" He sighed.
He picked her chin up to see tears streaking her cheeks.
"Girl, I ain't good at reading minds. Will you please tell me what's wrong?"
Clementine didn't meet his eyes but responded.
"All the other men in my life used me. I got used for sex. I got used for money. I got used just for the hell of it. None of them ever took care of me. So why should you want to protect me? I ain't worth nothin' to no one."
Daryl's resolve softened a bit.
"You listen to me good cause I ain't good with words and I ain't gonna say this again. You are worth everythin' to me right now. I lost my brother and I don't got no friends here. You are all I got. And yeah maybe I don't know everythin' about you and we've only known each other for about a month, but I know that you are the most kind hearted girl that I've ever met. I know that you are the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. And I know that you make me feel like I've never felt before. I don't know why we had to meet in such horrible times, but I'm glad we did. I'm glad cause it sure sounds like none of them sons of bitches that used you would've been protecting you like I am. And none of them were real men. I will take care of you. That's a damn promise."
He gently pushed his lips against hers, savoring her taste for the second time. His hands found their way to her hips and he held her tight as she leaned into him. His tongue gently parted her lips and explored her mouth. She responded with equal enthusiasm by sucking and gently biting his bottom lip.
Daryl broke the kiss.
"Gotta stay alert." He mumbled, clearing his throat.
And that's all for now. Hope you enjoyed it!
