Life after the dead
Chapter 11

Gwen's eyes flashed open, and immediately she contorted in a most wonderful stretch, she moaned happily as her joints popped and her muscles tingled. She turned and rolled her head to find her companion had gone. She padded the mattress and found it to be luke-warm at best. He had been gone for a while. She squinted and searched the bed and the room for a note of some sort, or a sign, but found nothing conclusive. The little girl was still sleeping soundly, as she had done for most of the time she had been with them.

Gwen took to her feet, and made for the window, finding no trance of him in the courtyard either. She reached over to the child, brushing her hand through the girl's wild locks. "You close to being awake?" she asked rather harshly. When the girl didn't reply or stir in the slightest, she moved to take her pulse. She then nodded, slightly relieved that it was regular and normal and decided that she would leave the child here. She scribbled a note and left it beside her pillow, in case she would wake.

Will be back. Don't panic. Blow the whistle if scared.

She scribbled, not knowing if the child was even old enough to read. "I'll be back" she promised to the sleeping kid, before slipping into her boots. She shoved a knife in the waistband of her shorts, and swung her bow and a quiver over her shoulder. Though she never really cared for quivers, and hardly ever used them, she had no time to change and get a belt to fit arrows. So, as quick as she could, she ran through the house and out into the yard, finding no sign of him there, she eyed every direction. Daryl was a hunter, there was no way he'd leave a trail if he didn't want to be found, and even if he did, he wouldn't know how to track him. That was one skill she'd never learned. The prison library didn't have books to cover it, or at least, she never thought to ask the guards for them.

Her fingers tingled, a slight hint of panic setting into her heart. There must have been a reason for him leaving in the middle of the night, it was barely morning now and his bed was already cold. She noticed he took his crossbow, so he might have gone hunting, or maybe check the traps. "Or he may have gone to find his people..." she sighed to herself, to which she answered herself "yeah, I know."

She took to the forest.

Daryl ripped a knife through a walker's head, and kicked another in the chest, knocking him backwards. He moved quickly and plunged his knife through the creature's socket, and plunged again to make sure. With every walker he killed, with every tear of their rotten flesh the voices of his people ghosted through his head. "Hey Daryl. morning Daryl. Mornin' Daryl! Mr. Dixon, I just wanted to thank you for bringing in that deer back yesterday.. I'd be honoured to shake your hand. Sorry Pookie." He knew them all, knew them by name, knew them by personality. He knew what they were like, and he knew how scared they would have been during the attack. Some would have cried, others would have fled, some would have tried in vain to protect their children. The children wouldn't stand a chance. The oldest may have fought, but they were no killers, the younger may have run but they'd get trapped, and lil' asskicker...

She didn't stand a chance.

He stabbed through another walker, moved his crossbow and shot another right between the eyes. "Can't make it alone now"Andrea rang to him, slurring her words as the infection coursed through her. He killed another walker, and threw it down into one of Gwen's spike pits. Another snarled behind him, but he was too late on the turn. The rotted creature took hold of his shoulder, and unlocked it's jaw to bite him. In that split second, before it's teeth touched his flesh, he fell backwards, forcing the walker to plummet into the pit. He too fell, but took of hold of the ropes at the side, keeping him from being pierced. The twine slit into his hand, and he let out a grunt and snarl and he lifted himself, clawing at the dirt, but his ribs stopped him.

Heavy with fatigue he screamed and he cursed for the world to end, drawing more walkers his way. He found the clear section with his foot, and stood besides the spikes as walkers surrounded him. He was tired, so tired of losing people, of caring all together. He didn't care, it needed to stop. "Come on then!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. Gwen was better off on her own, she had survived so far, all on her own. He was just going to get her killed, get the girl killed.

There was no way that they would find his people, and if they went to terminus they would most likely be killed. She knew exactly what lurked there, she'd seen it and still she thanked him when he asked her to go with him. She thanked him for promising to take her to a death trap!

Daryl reached, and pulled one of the walkers into the pit. "Cmon!" he screamed, enraging the beasts with his harsh voice, his ribs pulsing in pain. Two walkers fell into the pit of their own accord, squirming and snarling as they struggled, trying to reach him. Daryl took his first to the walker closest to him, breaking the brittle bone that was left of his skull, blood and rot coating his hand more with every hit. "Why. Won't. You. Die?!" he spat as he tore the face off the creature.

Another walker crashed into a spike, his arms reaching for Daryl, nails torn and bloody, it enraged him even further as he was almost tempted to walk into its reach and allowing it to turn him, at least then he wouldn't bother anyone. He couldn't hardly even see how many of them were up there now. It wouldn't be long. He wasn't giving up, he was giving in.

"Daryl!" Gwen shouted, sending her arrows whistling through the air. Two walkers were stuck down by arrows, and another, was sent flying into the pit. "Daryl!" she screamed his name again, as she started to work through the walkers, dropping them like bricks. His throat closed up as he saw her move outside the pit. She struggled with a walker, and threw it down into the pit, it was only then that she saw him. Relief washed over his features but it soon shifted, as another was upon her.

Daryl drew in a breath, and pressed down on the rope, flung his leg over the edge, clawing at the dirt. A walker near took his leg, but he managed to kick it away so he could rise. His crossbow still in the pit, he took to the walkers with his knife, and his fists. He ripped the walker that pressed down on Gwen. Her eyes were wide, a splash of blood on her left lid, mouth ajar that narrowed into a slit as she groaned, taking to her feet. She heaved, then flipped her head to beat a biter. She drew an arrow out of her quiver and ripped through it's face.

Soon, the all the dead were once again grounded, and there was nothing left to kill.

Heavy, sweaty silence fell between them, and they had not broken eye contact since the last rot had fallen. She was looking at him with such knowing eyes, and it made him boil. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, and after a few minutes she finally spoke. "Will you come home?"

He threw up his hand "That house" he started "That aint ma home! My home was over run by walkers! You think just cuz you take me in that you own me now?!" He screamed, digging his heels into the dirt below him. "I didn't ASK to be saved!" he screamed, bellowing over Gwen as she simply stared at him. He didn't deserve to be happy, not after what happened. He didn't deserve to feel at ease, to feel relieved. His only use was offering protection for others, and time and time again he failed to live up to expectations.

"You wanted to..." Gwen muttered, understanding his rant. Daryl bit the inside of his lip "I'm not stupid" he hissed. "Joe, Tony...I grew up with guys just like em, harsh, degenerate assholes with a me against the world complex. Disgusting men, and I stayed with them! I knew exactly what they were, I knew exactly what would happen" he hissed, spit flying and his voice breaking, his body giving way to his emotions.

He wanted to take the beating, hoping that if he survived it might make him feel less bad. Beth had once said that he'd be the last man standing, but he couldn't bare that. The thought alone made him want to put a bullet in his head. Squeeze the trigger, have it over with in just one swift movement, one jerk of his finger would blow his head off and rid him of his memories. Beth was right. He was made for this climate, and for the first time in all his life, he was needed by others. He had a purpose, he could belong in a world that was poisonous to others. That which allowed him to excel, brought others to their knees.

Gwen was no longer surrounded by blue, and she was no longer smiling at him sweetly. She wasn't going to kiss him good morning, that girl wouldn't even look at him twice!

"So, you pound the dead till you feel better?" Gwen harshly called, wiping some blood off her cheekbone. Daryl scrunches his nose in anger and spat "You should have just left me alone!" Gwen nodded, and slapped the strap of her bow over her shoulder. "Can't do much without people" she then said, practically in sync with Andrea's few last words. "Then why do they keep dying!" Daryl growled, his voice completely broken now. Hitched and Pitched the words left his lips, and it seemed to change something in Gwen.

She took a deep breath and nodded again. She started slow "Dying is what people do, we all got to sometime. Parents, kids, brothers, sisters, the weak and the unprepared die and so do the strong and fortified. Especially now, people don't stand a chance. As more of us fall, their numbers increase, making every day harder and heavier." She drew another breath, her voice carrying her passion, hoping to reach him. "People like you and me, we buy them more time. Protect em for as long as we can. Give them time with their kids, time to make their peace with the world and with themselves. That's what we do, we give them time and give them a safe place to be."

She had sounded like Rick then, all hopeful and understanding. He too could turn the page and bring courage to others, just like she did to him. He wanted to snap at her. She had no idea of the losses he had suffered. She had never lost anyone, she didn't have anyone to lose! He just couldn't do it anymore, he couldn't bare to lose another. He didn't want to be the last one left.

"You're not going to end up alone" she promised, hitting the nail right on the head. Daryl froze and looked at her, venom in his eyes, his heart defrosting with each of her breaths. The tracker was stuck between striking her and crying his eyes out in her chest, and in the end, he chose neither. He didn't need to. She came to him, and gently as she could, she wrapped her arms around his chest, pressing the side of her face against his shoulder, so she wouldn't see him if he cried.

He almost had to laugh as it turned out she wasn't so oblivious about people after all.

His chest rose and fell quickly, and she only held him tighter until it slowed. She knew that he had broken down, and knew that there was little she could say now to glue his pieces back together. Time would heal him, or at least he would peace with himself. Though it wouldn't hurt if they found one of his friends.