Day 310

I was sweating my ass off. It wasn't even noon, but that didn't stop Georgia's sun from scorching down on me. I was nervous and angry as hell, and I decided that physical activity may calm me down. I was on the prison site, and my arms were burning from all the strikes I have taken in the last hour.

Last night Daryl didn't check-in, and I was going crazy. We tried to make contact, but there was no answer whatsoever. And yet, the rest of the council decided that it's too early to send the rescue team. If Michonne and Daryl won't show up or radio us, we will get some people together and go to the last known location.

I raised the ax high above my head and quickly stroke down, splitting the wood in front of me. I bent down and picked up another piece, placing it, and repeating the procedure. I wiped the sweat from my forehead and sighed heavily. I specifically told Dixon to avoid that sort of situation. First, they are supposed to be back already. Second, he fucking violated our agreement. And on the first run!

I grunted loudly and swang the ax one more time before the voice behind me startled me.

"Thought, I'll let ya know. Darlina finally radioed back. They should be back in an hour." I froze at Merle's words, mixed feelings flushing my body. First was, of course, relief. He wasn't dead, just delayed. But then a new wave of anger hit me hard, my cheeks burning, and I pressed my lips together tightly.

"He's alright?"

"Yeah, got out of rage last night, didn't realize."

I hoped that chopping firewood would help me relax, but all I gained was muscle and back pain. He didn't fucking realize that they went too far. Another thing they are not supposed to do without communicating.

"Ya not gonna say anything else?"

I swang the ax hard with a small yell of frustration and left it in the stomp. "I'm going hunting."

"What 'bout Darlina?" Merle cocked his brows when I turned around; my face was blank when I passed him.

"He's a big boy, he'll get over it."

"I'll go with ya!" Merle shouted after me, and I stopped dead in my steps, twisting slightly to see his face.

"Sure. If you got a death wish, by all means. Follow me."


Few people tried to talk to me on my way out of the prison, but I guess my famous kill face scared them off well enough. Once I entered the forest, I was in an entirely different set of mind. My focus was on not leaving any traces. The last fucking thing I needed right now was for my hillbilly to track me down. I made sure to not go straight to the cabin, trying to really make it hard for Daryl to find me.

Yeah, I had no doubt that he'd try to track me down, but I hoped to delay him for as long as possible. A small movement caught my attention, and I twisted my body, gently stepping in that direction. There was a shift again, and I aimed quickly, my eyes trained on a small animal in front of me. I released the arrow, and it struck the rabbit in the neck, making it fall to the ground immediately. Hello, dinner. I only had to pray that I wouldn't burn it.

I restarted my walk with the dead animal by my side, hitting me gently in the leg with every step, but I wasn't paying attention to that. I stepped harder on the forest's floor, walking in the opposite direction of a cabin for about half an hour before getting light on my feet again and finally making my way to my destination.

When I finally reached the small building, all my muscles were tense, and I really wanted to relax. The past few days were always the same. Waking up before sunrise, hunting then either a watch or killing walkers that gathered around the prison's fences. I needed an evening to myself, and that's exactly what I told Hershel before I stormed off. He understood, at least partially, and I was grateful for that. I didn't tell him where I went to, but Merle for sure will tell Daryl about the cabin. But hopefully, I had at least a few hours before Dixon will come in through those doors.

I had plenty of time the other day to familiarize myself with the cabin when I was waiting for Merle and Rick to help me with the bear the other day. There was a small gas canister in the kitchen under the cooker, and it was at least half full. I reached for my knife and gutted the rabbit, making sure to dispose of all unnecessary bits. I worked quickly and swiftly on removing the fur and cleaning the meat.

I found some pots in the cupboard and put them on the stove and crossed the room to my bag, opening it. I took out a rice bag that I smuggled with me, with Carol's approval, of course, and placed it on the counter. I reached to the line I set yesterday across the kitchen and grabbed some herbs and mushrooms. Some stuff I managed to find during hunting for the past few days and thought of bringing it with me in here. I never intended to use it, more like storing and then taking it back to the prison. Or maybe asking Daryl to use it if we would ever come in here for an overnight hunt.

I cut the meat and mushrooms, hoping that months of watching Carol cooking was enough to make something that won't kill me. I used some water that I left here on the first day and shoved it all into the saucepan. I twisted the nobs and smiled when it worked, small fire sparking under the metal container. I turned around and crossed the room, walking into the small bedroom.

I worked quickly on dusting the covers and blankets. I didn't plan to go back to prison, at least not until Daryl and I will have a long and earnest conversation. Which will probably end with me shouting. That man was making me completely lose my control, and for the past eleven hours, I was scared out of my mind, imaging the worst scenarios in my head.

Coming back inside the living room, I opened my pack again and took out my book and a few candles I took with me. I went back to the stove and peeked inside, stirring the stew gently. OK, now the only thing I had to do was make sure that meat is cooked and not burned. It can't be that hard, right?

I plunged myself on a sofa and opened the book "The Book of Five Rings," wondering how such a piece of literature landed in the prison's library. I read it years ago when I was still a trainee, and I felt like recently I forgot all its lessons. The best example would be me storming out of the prison. I sighed heavily and closed my eyes, trying to push those thoughts aside.

In the middle of The Book of Water, the second chapter, I stood up to check on my dinner again. When I glanced down in the pot, everything looked alright, as far as I could say, so I stirred it again. It started to look like a proper stew, and it smelled alright, with no burning scent or anything foul. I searched through the drawers around and found some cutlery. Grabbing a fork, I stabbed a piece of meat and brought it up to my face, blowing at it gently, letting it cool down. Reluctantly I bit on it, and my eyes went round. The rabbit was soft and melting in my mouth, deep taste of mushrooms soaked into it, making it actually taste good. I will have to take some back with me and give it to Carol. Otherwise, she won't ever believe me that I cooked something eatable.

Nodding to myself, I turned off the stove, grabbed some bowl, scooped some food into it, and made my way back to the couch. Now that the stove was off, there was no noise around me except for my chewing and page being turned. That's why it was easy for me to pick up on a soft creek that came from the porch. I dropped the book next to me on a sofa and shifted my food to the other hand while my right unclipped the holster. Pulling out the Glock silently, I aimed it at the door and waited for whoever was there to make themselves know.

I knew it wasn't a walker, there usually weren't trying to be quiet, and the person on the other side of the door tried very hard. My eyes stayed focused on the entrance, and I watched the doorknob turn slowly. I placed the bowl on my lap and turned off my gun's safety, loading the bullet into the chamber.

When the door went flying towards the wall, the first thing I saw was a crossbow, and a bolt pointed in my direction. Then I noticed shaggy brown hair and dirty hands holding tightly to the weapon. Looks like the hunter didn't waste any time tracking me. I cocked my eyebrow at Daryl and lowered my gun, putting the safety back on and stashing it back into the holster. I could see the hunter's jaw clenching and a vein in his neck pulsing rapidly, but I ignored it. Going back to the food and my book, I propped my legs on a small coffee table in front of me.

"There's stew on a stove if you're hungry. And close the door, I don't need walkers in here," I said coldly, controlling the emotions that suddenly stirred inside me. Sure, I was still fucking angry, because he scared me almost to death with his lack of contact last night. The council pissed me off because they didn't let me follow him. But right now, my heart wanted Daryl and his strong, dirty arms wrapped around me. I wanted to bury my face in his neck and kiss him senseless, but I will be damned if I let those feelings win. He had to realize that scaring me like that, acting recklessly like he did have consequences.

Daryl shut the door, and I heard his quiet footsteps when he crossed the small room, and I glanced up from under my lashes at his broad back. The winged vest was in place, and he again wore one of his famous sleeveless shirts. I hated the type of pants he was always wearing; they weren't tight enough, and I couldn't see the curve of his ass properly.

I averted my eyes immediately when I saw him turn and pretended that I was really into my book. Usually, I would be, but right now, Daryl was more interesting than anything else in this cabin.

"Ya cooked?" His gruff voice sent shivers down my spine, and I sat straighter, trying to hide how my body was reacting to him.

"Yep."

"Um- I ain't hungry."

I lifted my face and glared at him, pressing my lips together. "You stay, you eat. Otherwise, fuck off and close the door when you leave."

"We ain't stayin' here, woman! Why the hell did ya leave?" Daryl moved closer to where I was sitting, and I groaned lowly.

"Well, maybe I just wanted a little space." I dropped the book back onto the sofa and placed the bowl on a table. "Or maybe I wanted to hunt." Slowly I stood up and faced him, anger boiling in me once again, my voice rising with every word I spoke. "Or perhaps I didn't want to yell at your stupid ass in front of the others!"

"Oh, here we go!" Daryl tilted his head and crossed his arms. That's when I noticed his crossbow was propped by the door, not in his hands anymore.

"Yeah, here we go! Do you have any idea how fucking worried I was?" I shouted at him, propping my hands on my hips.

"I'm fine, so's Michonne. Ya gettin' pissed over nothin'."

"Nothing?" I hissed and stepped closer to him, my eyes burning into his. "I get why you two felt the need to go and search for that prick. But there were rules you were supposed to obey. You both agreed to them. And then on the very first search, you just fucking go and pull that shit?"

"Look, the second we realized we turned fuckin' around. Ain't a big deal." Daryl shrugged his shoulders again, and I turned around from him, running a hand over my face.

"Not a big deal?" My voice was shaking a bit, and it lacked power. "For the past twenty hours, I was terrified, not knowing what happened to you."

"Just how I felt when ya and Merle went after Governor!" Now it was Daryl who rose his voice, and I spun around, swinging at his chest, but he saw it coming. Daryl grabbed my wrist and twisted it, pushing it behind me, pulling me closer to his warm body.

"It's not the same! You knew fucking exactly where I was. Me? I knew jack shit, Daryl! For all I knew, you layed dead, miles fucking away to never be found again!"

"I ain't dead, woman!"

"Yeah, and you coming here like nothing fucking happened!"

"What ya want, woman?" Daryl groaned at me, his eyes scanning my face carefully.

"Well, an apology would be fucking nice!" I snarled in his face, and finally, he had the audacity to look somehow guilty. Daryl let go of my wrist and stepped back, running a hand over his hair.

"I'm sorry, El. We had a trail and wanted to follow it immediately." There was a softer note to his voice, and I smacked my lips.

"And?"

"And it wasn't fuckin' him. The moment I realized us out of range, we turned around. And then we came back, and Merle said ya went for a hunt after ya found out we were comin' back."

"Yeah, it was either that or punching you square in your face straight away," I mumbled and glanced down at my worn-out shoes, all need to fight with him suddenly disappearing.

"Missed ya," Daryl whispered, and I chuckled softly, glancing up at his face. He was chewing on his lower lip and looked really unsure of himself. I sighed and wrapped my arms around his neck, staring into his blue eyes.

"Don't do it again," There was a plea in my voice, and his face softened, Daryl's arms wrapping around my waist.

"Will try." I smiled at him and climbed on my tiptoes, pressing my lips to his. Daryl responded immediately, tightening his hold on me and tilting his head, deepening the kiss. My eyes fluttered shut, and I enjoyed his warm mouth on me, Daryl's tongue darting out and pulling a moan from my throat when it licked over my bottom lip. I allowed him the access and opened my mouth, tangling my fingers in his hair. They were getting longer, covering his ears, and by how he was responding, he enjoyed it when I pulled at them.

I bit his lower lip gently and pulled away, smirking at the man in front of me. Daryl's blue eyes were clouded with lust, and I felt my stomach flip at that sight. He was so handsome, not even realizing it himself. I pushed him away gently and grabbed his hand in mine. Slowly I turned and started walking towards the door in the far right corner, leading Daryl to the small bedroom.

When I pushed the door open, I glanced over my shoulder to see him staring at my ass, and I smirked once again.

"See something you like?" I asked him in a low voice, his eyes snapping up to my face. His face flushed red, and I laughed gently, dropping his hand once we stood by the bed. His gaze made me more confident, and I pushed his shoulders, making Daryl fall onto the soft mattress.

"Now be a good boy, and sit still," I said while slowly removing my shirt, never breaking eye contact. All will to fight was gone, now I just needed to feel him against my skin, and this time it's going to be on my terms.


Day 311

Convincing Daryl to stay one more day to go with us to the most giant nursery in the area wasn't that hard; the issue was Michonne. It took Rick and me at least an hour, but luckily she agreed, as long as she could leave once it's done.

I wasn't sure how I felt about this run. It was a long time since we had such a big group, and as much as I was hopeful, I was also anxious that something will go terribly wrong. The more people, the bigger chances of walkers spotting us, and it's harder to keep an eye on everyone. Daryl and I led the way on his bike, with Rick and Michonne behind us in our pick-up. The rest of the convoy included two of the trucks we took from Woodbury. One was driven by Merle, Oscar, and Sasha, and the other had Glenn, Maggie, and Tyreese. We wanted to see what Williams siblings could do, and we definitely could use the fact that Tyreese was a big man.

I never was in a place like that, always living in an apartment in the city. And even after inheriting my parents' house in Palmetto, I wasn't a homie type.

Glenn gave each of us a list with stuff to find, vegetable seeds, tools, fertilizer, etc. But first, we had to secure the area, check for any dangers in the form of other humans, and get rid of the walkers.

That's why Daryl, Merle, and I were silently walking towards the back. We managed to clear the few stranglers that lingered at the front of the store, but we had to be sure we won't get surprised. I had my bow ready to release an arrow at any moment, but we realized we won't have to. Not right now, that is.

The big building was split in two, interior, and fucking huge garden where I assumed they kept the majority of grown-up plants. But it was surrounded by a big brick wall, so basically we could see shit.

We quickly made our way around it, back to the front of the store, where the rest of us was waiting. Glenn was looking at us expectantly, but I just shook my head.

"Big ass fence, ain't seen shit," Merle was the first to report, and I rolled my eyes at his gruffiness.

"But we could hear some growls, so we can expect at least few walkers in there," I added, and Glenn nodded.

"Alright. We clear the place first and then get to grab what we need. No one goes alone. Daryl, Elena, you go in first, try to get to the outdoor doors, make sure we are not gonna get jumped," Asian man was telling us his plan, and once again, I admired his strategy skills. "Rick, Michonne, you two take a right. Merle, Tyreese, and I will take a left. The rest of you will cover our backs."

I was surprised that he would take older Dixon with him, but then I realized it was because he didn't trust him enough. Same reason Maggie wasn't going with them. I hummed in approval and caught blue eyes that were staring at me. Merle's face was blank, except his customary smirk, but I saw in his orbs that he came to the same conclusion. Don't fuck it up, Dixon.

"Let's do it."

Daryl walked towards the entrance and tried the knob, which gave in under his firm grip. It was hard to see what's inside, with windows covered in thick dust, but Glenn didn't mention any movements, so we had to just push forward. I rose my bow, arrow notched, and ready to pierce at the potential threat waiting inside. I could feel the adrenaline rise within me, my heart beating faster when I stepped inside next to Daryl. My eyes were snapping around when they landed on a moving shape in front of us. I whistled lowly, catching its attention.

Definitely a walker, with missing half of its face turned towards us, but before he could take one step, my arrow penetrated through its forehead. The body tumbled to the ground, and I followed Daryl, hearing others' footsteps right behind us. The hunter led me forward, to where the garden opening should be, and I realized that this place was way bigger than I initially thought. There were rows upon rows filled with flowers, or what's left of them. Once probably beautiful and scented plants now were baren, dead from lack of care, leaves, and petals covered the floor and shelves.

There was a movement to our right, and a growl sounded way too close to me. I shifted just in time to hold out my arms, that were still clinging to the bow when a walker lunged at me. It used to be a big dude, and his weight sent me backward, barely being able to stay standing. I grunted and regained my composure, digging one foot hard to the floor and using the other to kick at the walker, making it fall to the ground. In a swift motion, I stretched the string of my bow and sent an arrow to its head, hearing the wood crack. I cringed at that, kicking myself for wasting my arrows like that, but it was the quickest way to do it without getting hurt.

I panted heavily and turned around back to Daryl, who had his back turned to the big sliding doors, his eyes observing me and his crossbow ready to fire. I nodded sharply, letting him know I was fine, and he grunted, turning around. The entrance doors were the automatic type, so we will have to use some muscles to open it up, but it also meant that for now, we were safe from the outside threat. I slowly moved forward, trying to see what's on the other side, but yells from the left stopped me.

Exchanging a worried look with Daryl, I took off towards the sound. My heart started beating faster in my chest, and a tight knot formed in my belly from anxiety. When we rounded the corner, I quickly noticed Tyreese stabbing a walker in the head, while Merle was pushing the other out of Glenn. The older Dixon was panting heavily, and his makeshift hand knife was covered in dark blood. He stretched his left hand out towards Glenn and waited for the young man to accept his help.

I stepped closer to Daryl, watching the scene in front of me, feeling a completely different type of nervousness. It was a critical moment, everyone could feel it, and I breathed out heavily when Glenn finally propped himself on his elbows and glanced up at Merle. Giving Dixon a sharp nod, he grabbed his forearm and was yanked up to his feet.

"All good?" I asked quietly, and they looked at us. Merle smirked in my way, but his eyes were still guarded.

"Don't worry, none, Doll. We got jumped, but got it under control."

I hummed in reply and looked around, to see if there are any other walkers about, when Maggie came running, her hands wrapping around Glenn.

"What happened?" She asked, worry in her voice evident.

"Nothing. I haven't seen the last one and wasn't ready. Merle helped me out," Glenn's voice was low, and his eyes were watching Dixon carefully, unsure.

"It didn't get you, right?"

"No. I'm fine. It's fine."

I walked away, gesturing for the Dixon brothers to move with me, and together we went to check in on Rick and Michonne. They were already walking towards us, and I smiled at them.

"Seems clear," Rick commented, and I hummed in agreement.

"We didn't go outside, but we can first grab all we need from here and see what we're missing," I answered, and that's precisely what we did.

The men moved heavy bags of dirt and fertilizer onto one of the tracks while Maggie and I searched for the seeds. We left Sasha outside with a rifle, to be our lookout. We worked quickly and quietly, but I could see how tense the woman next to me was. Going on a run with someone you care about is always challenging, constant worry over them, and I knew that's how she felt. Glenn had a close call, and she probably was beating herself for not being near when it happened.

I kept searching through the shelves that contained small packages with seeds, shoving everything I deemed useful into the pack. Hopefully, Hershel will know what to do with it; I don't think lots of us had any farming experience.

Noice from the garden doors made me twist in that direction, and breath hitched in my throat. There were at least a dozen walkers pressed to the glass, clawing at the barrier that separated them from us. If that gives up, we going to be in trouble, no doubt.

"Go get others, Mags," I whispered, taking the bow of my back and reaching out for an arrow. Walkers were pressing and banging at the door, and even though it was strong, I wasn't sure how much time we had before it gave in. We had to get rid of them anyway, but I didn't want to be here alone when that happens.

"El, ya good?" The rest of our run group show up, their weapons up and ready while I kept watching the shuffling moves of the dead.

"We need to deal with them before they jump on us," I explained, and they all agreed.

"Got a plan, sweetcheeks?" I arched my brow at the older Dixon and nodded.

"Sure, Hook. You pop the door, Daryl and I take as many with bows. Rick, Oscar, and Michonne take the ones we miss, and the rest will come in when they got swamped."

"What 'bout noise?"

I took out my Glock, and he saw that it had a suppressor attached to it. I passed the gun to Merle, and he smirked widely, taking it from me.

"Come on, it's not like we didn't do it before," Rick added and moved to the position.

I stood to the right, in a way that others weren't in my line of sight, and took a stand. With my legs spread and torso twisted slightly, I stretched the string and waited for the wave of walkers.

"Go for it, Merle," I spoke loudly, and he fired at the glass double-doors. His aim was right, even though I knew he wasn't left-handed before. Bullet hit the glass and went straight through it into the head of the first geek.

Doors shuttered, and suddenly all the walkers that were pressed to it fell forward towards us. I released the string, shooting immediately, reaching for the next arrow, and notching it in place.

It was over in a few minutes, and we waited for a moment, after Daryl whistled loudly, to see if any more will show up. Luckily it was clear, and we all went back to scavenging the gardening center.


It was a warm evening, and all of our group sat down on the benches around the small fire in the inner courtyard. There were also few people from the Woodbury group, including one woman - Diane, whom I tried very hard not to kill right now. I was sitting on one of the logs, chewing slowly on a piece of meat, which I brought back with me yesterday. My eyes followed the red-haired woman. She was getting on my last nerves, I didn't really notice her in the past few days, but since Daryl came back, I saw that she was following him when she could.

Diane was always thanking the hunter for bringing food back, even though since we got those people here, it was Merle and I doing the hunting. And just now, she stood way too close to Daryl, her top showing off cleavage, and she was fucking playing with her hair. I knew, deep down, that I had nothing to worry about. Daryl wasn't that kind of guy, and he looked super uncomfortable with how close the woman was standing. But my stupid heart was screaming at me to do something, right now.

"What we got here?" Carol's voice sounded on my right, but I wasn't interested in her at the moment. But she wasn't alone.

"Seems like Doll here is killin' with 'er eyes," Merle commented from my left, and I gritted my teeth, a low growl coming out of my mouth.

"Yeah, I can see that. She got her killer face on."

"Hm, saw it before. Now it makes sense. Should we restrain her?"

"I'm not into freaky bondage, Hook. Especially not with you," I stated coldly, not moving my graze from Diane. She laughed now at something that Daryl said, the man averted his eyes to the floor, and in the small light we had, I could see his face turning red. He's not even that funny, I mean yeah, sure I do find him hilarious, but because of his sarcasm. I doubt she's got enough cells in her brain to comprehend it.

"It's gettin' worse."

"Eli, you need to calm down. They're part of our group now, you can't kill her," Carol spoke in a soft voice, her hand landing gently on my shoulder. I glanced to the side at the gray-haired woman and clenched my jaw.

"Yeah, but I can dream about it."

"Just go in there, sugar. Show her Darlina's yours."

"I doubt he'd appreciate that. He doesn't like PDA or anything like that," I said lowly, watching Daryl shift in his spot, trying to put some distance between him and the woman.

"Nah. He'd think it's hot."

I ran my tongue over my teeth and took a deep breath before stretching my hand towards Carol, a silent plead to hold my plate. She obliged quickly, and I stood up, wiping my hands on the soft fabric of my pants. Right, showtime.

I put a sweet smile on my lips and crossed the courtyard, towards Daryl and Diane, swaying my hips a little. I could see the moment when the hunter noticed me. His eyes rose up, above the woman's shoulder, and there was some kind of spark in them. His body language changed; he stood straighter and puffed out his chest, making me smile wider at him.

I circled the fire pit and stopped next to Daryl, glancing at the woman next to him. Her face scrunched, and her eyes raked over me as if checking the competition.

"Um, we're taking here," Her voice was high-pitched, slightly irritating, and I was wondering how Daryl managed to listen to her yapping for so long.

"Yes, I noticed. Sorry to bump in, but I have to talk to my boyfriend about his run tomorrow," I didn't change my expression, still smiling softly at her, my voice steady and way calmer than I felt inside.

Her eyes went wide for a moment, bouncing between Daryl and Diane stepped back a little.

"Yeah, sure. I need to catch up with Greg."

"Yeah, you do that." I tilted my head and watched her walk away before I turn back to Daryl. "Big Boy, we need to talk about how to notice when someone flirts with you, and what's the appropriate reaction to it."

"Um- I wasn't," He stuttered a little, looking at the ground and biting his lower lip. I cocked my eyebrow and placed my hand on his chest.

"I know you weren't. But Red there definitely is interested. And I've been told I can't kill people who live with us. So I need your cooperation. When a lady, who's not me, is throwing herself at you, playing with her hair, giggling at what you're saying - that's when you politely tell her you're taken, Dixon." His eyes snapped to mine, and I noticed his pupils dilating, his arm going to my waist, making my stomach flutter with happiness at this display.

"Is that so?"

"Yes. You're mine, and I'll be damned if another woman will touch what's mine," I growled lowly, my smile disappearing.

"Fuck, woman. Stop," Daryl's voice dropped, huskiness in it sending shivers down my spine. "I'm yurs, ain't nothin' to worry 'bout, El."