Safe and Sound
Chapter 6: Wasted Bullets
Grace stood away from the group as she watched them decide whether or not to go to the CDC or Fort Benning. She had listened in for a while but she wasn't much of a help. She didn't know which one would be safer but if she had to pick who she would rather travel with, she would choose Rick. Although she barely knew Rick himself, Shane's attitude towards the people in the group had Grace hesitant to follow him. She glanced over at Jim who was looking sicklier. He had been bitten when the walkers attacked and she couldn't help but feel her heart break as she saw him deteriorate. Daryl had wanted to kill the poor man. Thankfully, Rick had decided not to.
She grasped her cross and gave a small prayer for the man.
The group had dispersed and it seemed they had begun packing cars. She figured they had finally made a decision and walked over to Glenn.
"So where are we headed?" She asked.
The Asian boy glanced down at her, "The CDC."
"So Shane finally backed down?" She asked.
"Yeah." He said, "Finally."
"Who are you riding with?" She asked, looking at the people packing up the cars. She had packed up most of her clothes after the funeral they had held into a little bag. She was currently wearing a pair of jean shorts and a dark blue tank-top.
"Whoever has room, I suppose." Glenn said, shrugging.
"We have room for one more in the RV." Dale said, coming up behind them, "Other person's going to have to ride with Daryl, I'm afraid."
Before Dale could even finish his sentence, Glenn shot off, running to the RV. Grace rolled her eyes at his behavior.
"Guess that means I'm riding with Daryl." She said, grabbing her bag off the floor. Dale patted her on the back.
She walked over to the man who was putting Merle's motorcycle in the back of the truck. He glanced at her as she stood next to the truck.
"Need sumthin'?" He asked, harshly, " 'cause I'm kinda busy here, if ya' can't see."
She looked down, feeling a bit intimidated again. She thought back to the night before, how Daryl had helped her and Eliza make it back to the group. She thought of his hand grazing over her face again, causing her cheeks to turn bright red. She thought maybe Daryl would start treating her friendlier after that, but it was like it had never happened. He had barely even looked at her since the funeral earlier. She couldn't help but deflate a bit.
"No one else has room in their car." She said.
Daryl looked at her closely, "And I suppose that's my problem?"
"Well, no." She muttered.
"If we'd 'a just killed Jim like I said, we wouldn't be havin' no problem." He said, "Whatever. Put yer stuff in the back. Can't leave ya' here, can I?"
She nodded and threw her stuff next to Merle's motorcycle making sure it didn't get stuck under the wheels. She glanced over to the RV. She saw Glenn standing by the window and as they made eye contact, he actually pointed and laughed at her. She huffed and crossed her arms, glaring at the laughing boy.
Stupid Glenn.
Rick called everyone over to where he was standing to give his final commands before they dispatched. She walked over with everyone else, taking a spot next to Daryl who was biting on one of his nails. Out of habit, she smacked his hand away from his mouth just like her mother would always do to her when she would bite on her nails.
Daryl glanced down at her, "What the hell, woman?!"
"It's a nasty habit." She explained.
"Does it look like I give a fuck?" Daryl asked, "What're ya', my mother or sumthin'?"
Her cheeks turned red at the comment, "No! But what if you have some of their flesh under your nails, or blood? Want to turn into one of those things? I thought you were all for 'survivin' and not letting them walkers take ya' down.'"
She mocked his accent and he glared down at her.
"What the hell did I say about running that mouth of yers, preacher girl?" He hissed.
Grace looked like she was going to retort but Shane interrupted them.
"Are you lovers done with your little spat?" He snapped, "'Cause the rest of us are ready to move on with our lives."
Grace's face turned even redder at his comment. Shane glanced at the pair with an uneasy expression before starting his speech, "Everybody listen up! Those of you with CB's, we'll be on channel 40. Let's keep the chatter down, okay? You have a problem, can't get your CB to get a signal, anything, you're gonna hit your horn one time. That'll stop the caravan. Any questions?"
Daryl rubbed his eyes next to Grace, looking like he wanted to get a move on with the plan already.
"We're, uh-we're not going." Morales said, shocking everyone.
"We have family in Birmingham."His wife explained, holding her kids tight to her, "We want to be with our people."
"You go on your own and you won't have anyone to watch your back." Shane warned.
"We'll take the chance." Morales said, "I've gotta' do what's best for my family."
Rick nodded, looking as though he respected that, "Are you sure?"
"We talked about it." He said, "We're sure."
"Alright." Rick said, nodding again.
The cop went into the weapons bag and pulled out a gun and a box of ammo handing it over to the man. They exchanged some words but Grace was too busy watching Daryl who had scoffed and was biting his nail again. He muttered something under his breath but she couldn't make it out.
"Alright, let's go!" Shane said and everyone began walking to their cars.
Grace was about to start walking to Daryl's truck when Morales, with his family behind him, stopped her.
"Uh, Grace?" The man said, calling her attention while rubbing the back of his neck, "I was wondering if you would say a pray for us. It seems right havin' you do it."
Grace looked at Daryl who was watching her closely. She knew he had told her to stop with the Jesus act or whatever words he had used, but looking at this family, she couldn't deny them. They needed God's protection and this…this was just a part of her she wasn't willing to give up just to be a "survivor."
She nodded her head and grabbed one of Morales's hands. His wife grabbed her other hand and their family formed a circle with her.
"Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, 'Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.' And God granted his request. God in heaven hear our prayer; keep us in thy loving care. Be our guide in all we do, bless all those who love us too." She chanted, "Amen."
"Amen." The family chanted. Morales's wife engulfed her in a hug and she gave one last smile to the family before they left to walk to their car. She hoped that God would keep the small family safe but she felt unsure because she had no idea what His plan for them was.
"Come on!" He yelled out to her from where he was resting up against his truck, "I ain't gonna wait around for you forever."
Grace rolled her eyes at his words. She had literally only stepped away for a second to say her goodbyes to the family. Nonetheless, she didn't feel like testing Daryl's patience anymore so she quickly limped over to his truck and slid into the passenger seat. When everyone was ready, Daryl slipped into the truck and took off, following the RV. It was silent for a few minutes before Daryl's voice broke it, surprising her.
"Do ya' think ya' dumb lil' prayers gonna be helpin' those people?" He said, harshly, "Waste of bullets, if ya' ask me. They just drove off to their death. Ain't no way they can survive on their own."
Grace fiddled with her tank-top, "You might think my prayers are stupid. But that night the walkers attacked, those stupid prayers gave me the courage to help Eliza."
"Ya' gave yerself the courage." He said, glaring out the window, "Not yer God."
Grace was silent for a moment, "I think the Morales have a chance. Maybe it's better up north."
"Like I said," Daryl replied, "Waste of bullets."
Grace frowned, she didn't want to think of the family dying.
"Yer ankle still hurtin'?" Daryl broke the silence, surprising her once again. She peered over at him but he kept his focus on the road in front of them.
"A bit." Grace said, "If the CDC is still standing like Rick things, I'm sure there'll be a doctor there that can look over it."
"I don't think we'll find much of anythin'" Daryl said, pulling one hand off the wheel to start chewing on his thumb.
"Is that so?" Grace asked, studying the man carefully, "Alright, I'll bite. Where do you suppose we should go instead?"
Daryl shrugged his shoulders, "Don't think we should go anywhere. Thinkin' maybe if this thing is a bust, I should go off on my own. Find some cabin somewhere, live off the land."
"You would just leave us?" Grace asked, her voice low, "It's safer together, Daryl."
"Ya', is that why my brother got tied to that roof like some sorta animal?" Daryl snapped at her, causing Grace to flinch at his tone.
"Look, I don't agree with the way things were handled either." Grace said, glaring at him for taking up an attitude with her as if she were the one who left Merle behind, "But you can't ignore the fact that Merle was a loose cannon. He didn't get cuffed for no reason, ya' know."
Daryl merely scoffed in her direction. He went back to brooding, his hard eyes set on the road. Grace recognized that face again. It was a signal that the conversation was over. She bit her lip, trying to refrain from saying anything to him but she knew if she did, he'd probably just toss her out on the side of the street. So instead she slowly relaxed back into her seat, crossing her arms over her chest.
Silence fell over the truck and the lure of the engine put Grace to sleep.
She woke suddenly when Daryl stopped the car. She looked at him confused but then she saw the RV in front of them had stopped as well. Both of them exited the car to walk up to the group congregating outside. The sun was lower on the horizon then she had remembered before she had fallen asleep.
Dale bent over the RV and Grace could see steam coming from the engine.
"Can you jury-rig it?" Rick asked, looking it over as well.
"Most of the engine is held together with duct tape and glue at this point." Dale said, "And I'm out of duct tape."
"There's something up ahead." Shane interrupted, looking through a pair of binoculars, "A gas station maybe. Might be able to go find what we need."
"I'll go with you." T-dog said. Rick nodded his approval and the pair set off, taking Shane's jeep.
Daryl had his crossbow in his hand, pacing around like a caged animal as he kept his eyes trained on the woods. His behavior put Grace on edge, who jumped in fright when Jacqui came running out of the RV yelling something about Jim. She watched Rick enter the RV to go see Jim and couldn't help but feel goosebumps form on her arm thinking of the poor man.
Rick came back out a few minutes later and started telling the group how Jim wanted them to leave him there-to die.
"Back at camp, when I said Daryl might be right and you shot me down," Dale began, "you misunderstood me. I would never go along with callously killing a man. What I meant was that we should ask him what he wants. I think we got our answer"
"So we just leave him here?" Shane said, "And take off? Man I don't think I can live with that."
Rick looked to his friend, the conflict written all over his face. For once, Grace agreed with Shane. They couldn't do that to the poor man. Maybe they could find something for his pain so he could last the trip. Suicide wasn't the answer; it was just a ticket straight to hell.
"It's not your call." Lori piped up, "Either of you."
Shane glanced at her with reproachful eyes. But no one said anything after that, and Grace figured the decision had been made. She felt powerless as she watched Shane and Rick escort the man to a tree a few ways off and trailed behind them despite the warning look she received from Daryl.
"Hey, look, another darn tree." Jim said, his voice lightly. He didn't sound like himself at all.
"You know, Jim." Shane said, bending down to him. "It doesn't have to be like this."
"No, it's good." He replied. "Breeze feels nice."
"Okay." Shane said, wiping his face and standing up. "Alright."
Jacqui took her turn next, bending down to the man. "Jim, just close your eyes. It will all be okay."
She gave him a kiss on the cheek and backed up. Grace couldn't shake the feeling of how wrong this all felt. Rick pulled his gun from his waistband and leaned down to Jim, holding it.
"Jim, do you want this?" He asked.
But the sick man said no, claiming they would need it later. Dale was the last person to mutter some words to the dying man and then they all walked away. Except Grace who couldn't make herself leave the guy's side and Daryl who stood a distance away, watching the pair.
She sat down next to Jim and grabbed onto his hand lightly.
"I don't think this is God's plan for you, Jim." She said softly, feeling tears prickle in her eyes.
The man glanced at her for a second before staring up at the sun.
"I think-I think God has my family." The man muttered. "And that's where my place is. With my family."
"But it doesn't have to be this way." Grace pleaded. "I don't want to leave you here like this."
"Just go." Jim said to the girl, "This is what I want. I'll be okay."
But Grace didn't get up and Daryl was beginning to feel frustrated.
"This is suicide, Jim." Grace tried to reason. "God doesn't take in those who chose to end the life He has given them."
"I'm not killing myself." Jim replied.
Grace swallowed heavily. This was wrong. He shouldn't be giving up like this. His family was safe in Heaven with God now but that didn't mean that his life was over now. God had a lot in store for him if he had kept him alive. He needed to go to the CDC with them; maybe there was a cure. But this...sitting here and wasting away...this was suicide no matter how he looked at it.
"Come on, girl." Daryl called out. "Time to go."
But Grace still refused to get up from Jim's side.
"God, bring mercy to this man's soul for he is weak and needs your guidance." She muttered under her breath.
Jim still remained silent, just staring up into the sun's light..
Daryl, getting angry by her behavior, strode up to the pair and grabbed her upper arm, hoisting her up and dragging her a bit away from the man.
"Jim is a grown ass man making a decision for himself. Leave him be." He snapped, "I thought ya' said you wanted to be treated like an adult here. Ya' wanna be an adult? Then keep yer dumb prayer shit to yerself. Jim didn't ask for it."
"So I'm just supposed to watch him give up? We're just going to drive away and let him die? How does that feel right to you?" Grace pleaded with him.
"There ain't no going back once yer bit." Daryl said, "He knew he was a dead man once it happened, we all did. Now the man just wants to die in peace, let him."
"It feels wrong." Grace said, solemnly as she looked back at Jim sitting under the tree, "It's against God's law to kill yourself."
"Ain't no God here anymore." Daryl snarled, "Ain't no law either."
"Says you." Grace bit back, "God has not given up on us yet and if he hasn't given up, neither will I."
Daryl's grip on her arm tightened and he began dragging her towards the truck.
The group watched the pair with cautious eyes. Their eyes made Daryl feel even angrier. He knew how these people viewed him, knew they saw him as nothing other than white trash. Grace started to protest, trying to escape from his grip. He didn't care how they saw him right now, as he continued to pull Grace towards the truck. All he knew was Jim could turn at any moment, and Grace being that close to him was just trouble brewing. He was already annoyed that the group hadn't just killed Jim from the beginning, like he thought they should've. He was not willing to deal with another person bit.
" 'Ey, Dixon." Shane called out. "You keep that girl quiet. She's going to draw out the geeks."
Daryl only grunted in response as he opened the door of his truck and threw the girl inside roughly before quickly entering the truck before the girl could get out. The girl had managed to get the door open, but he reached across her and pulled it shut before grabbing her face in his calloused hands, making her look at him and give up her struggle to escape.
Grace looked up at the angry man, suddenly fearful. His face was so close to hers, she could feel his breath brush across her smooth lips. Her cheeks turned red at the close contact but tears continued to pour from her eyes. She flinched as his hand grazed over her bruise.
"Didn't I tell ya' to stop with this bullshit?" He hissed at her. "Ya' said ya' didn't wanna be treated like them children, then ya' stop this shit right now, ya' hear me? Ya' wipe those damn tears off yer face, and ya' straighten yerself up. Stop this bitch fit, pussy talk right now. Do ya' hear me?"
He waited for her to give some sort of hint that she would listen to him but she just stared up at him with tear-filled, wide eyes.
"I said, do ya' hear me?" He snarled, pulling her face even closer to his.
The girl finally nodded, her eyes even wider and her breathing heavy. But he still didn't let go of her face.
Grace watched the man, staring intently into his eyes. Daryl suddenly lurched away from her, letting her go as if her skin had shocked him. He leaned back as far as the truck allowed him to, putting quite a bit of distance between them.
Grace herself sat back in her seat, a new confusion rippling through her. What the hell was that? Her heart felt like it was racing, and not just because Daryl had basically scolded her. She wasn't sure what she was feeling or where it came from. She shook her head, letting blonde hair cascade down the side of her face, blocking the man from her view. She blamed it on the emotions the past couple days. A lot had happened in a short amount of time.
She was sure Daryl was upset with her, probably fuming. But she couldn't find the courage to look at him, not after that. She felt embarrassed, as if her thoughts were so loud he could hear them. She squeezed her eyes shut.
Suddenly, a car's horn blasted off in front of them causing Grace to nearly hit her head on the roof of the truck as she jumped in surprise. She then realized it was time for the caravan to take off again. Seems like Shane and T-Dog had made that gas station trip quick enough to get them back on the road. She settled back into her seat, turning her head away from Daryl to stare out the window.
Daryl let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding in and started the car, following after the RV. Grace didn't mutter a single word as she sat there as he drove, staring out the window.
Daryl welcomed the silence.
Grace still couldn't put their interaction behind her. Honestly, she couldn't understand Daryl at all. One minute, he wanted nothing to do with her. The next minute he's suddenly interested in everything she was doing.
"Why do you even care what I think?" Grace finally asked, breaking the silence, "Why did me talking to Jim even bother you?"
"I don't give a damn what ya' think." Daryl said, "I just wanted to get out of there, get back on the road. Jim was a dead man, I said it already. No sense in wasting time over it."
"You clearly don't like any of us." Grace said, glaring at the man who seemed so unbothered about Jim dying, "And you're already itching to go off on your own. So why are you even still with us?"
"Ya' want my whole life story or something?" Daryl scoffed.
Grace rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. Daryl had a way of avoiding questions, that's for sure. She peaked a look at him, glancing over his hardened jaw as he stared at the road ahead of them. By the way the muscles in his face twitched, she knew he could tell she was looking at him.
She wanted to say more, wanted to understand the man she was looking at. But her voice was caught in her throat. He was intimidating to her and she wasn't used to men like him. She still thought he'd probably toss her out on the side of the road if she kept pestering him. So she stayed silent, mulling over her own thoughts.
The only sound between the two of them was the soft purr of the engine.
When the RV pulled to a curb suddenly, parking, Daryl realized they were finally at the CDC. He parked his car behind the RV and strung his crossbow around his neck as he got out of the car. He grabbed the rifle from the bed of his van and watched as Grace stepped out of the truck as well. They walked up to the group and took in the scene.
The entire place was covered with dead bodies of walkers and people who still looked like humans. There were military barricades, so it was obvious that this place had been protected. But it was so quiet, and the air was stale. It seemed as though no living thing had passed here in awhile. Rick, gun in hand, gestured at the group to follow him as he weaved through the dead bodies.
"Stay close." Daryl whispered to Grace, holding his gun at ready.
The blonde girl nodded her head numbly and followed behind the man, hoping he would protect her if anything were to happen. They slowly walked to the gates of the CDC and Grace prayed that Rick's decision had been right.
They made it to the front without a problem and Rick tried to lift the shutters. It didn't work and Shane began banging on them, hoping to gain the attention of the people who were hopefully inside.
"No one's here." T-dog said, staring at the building.
"Then why are these shutters down." Rick said.
"Walkers!" Daryl suddenly shouted, alerting the group.
He grabbed Grace around the waist and pulled her to the other side of him as he turned to face the incoming walkers. He lined his crossbow up with the walkers head and quickly shot, taking it down. He turned around and yelled something Grace couldn't understand in anger.
"He made a call!" Shane yelled, storming over to the guy as the cries of Carl and Sophie grew in the background.
"It was the wrong damn call!" Daryl shouted back and Shane pushed him.
"Shut up, you hear me!" He yelled. "Shut up!"
"Rick this is a dead end." Shane said, turning around to face his friend.
"Where are we going to go?" Carol asked, holding Sophia to her body.
Grace could feel tears begin to form in her eyes, losing a bit of hope as everyone was sent into a panic around her. But then she remembered what Daryl had told her in the car and quickly sucked it up, keeping her tears in. Crying wasn't going to help.
"No blame." Shane said, trying to reason with Rick.
"He's right." Lori said, holding onto Carl. "We can't be this close to the city after dark."
"Fort Benning, Rick." Shane said. "Still an option."
"On what?" Andrea said, joining the discussion. "No food, no fuel, it's more than 100 miles away."
"Forget Fort Benning, we need answers tonight." Lori hissed over Carl's cries.
"We'll figure out something." Rick said, trying to keep everyone calm.
Everyone began to break out into cries trying to persuade Rick to leave. Shane turned to everyone and began pushing them back in the direction of the cars.
"We gotta' get out of here." He said, "Come on, let's go."
Grace felt Daryl push her, shaking her from her frozen position and she began to run along with everyone else.
"The camera!" Rick yelled, "It moved."
"You imagine it." Dale explained, holding his gun ready.
"It moved." He muttered under his breath, "It moved."
"Man, it's an automatic device." Shane reasoned, "There's no one in there. Now come on. We can't keep everyone here, it's not safe. We need to leave. We need to leave now."
Everyone grew more panicked as Rick refused to move from his spot. Grace stopped running and stood in her place not sure what to do.
The cop began to yell more things at the camera, but Grace couldn't hear him over the panic of everyone else. She looked back towards the cars to see more walkers begin to come, probably drawn in from the noise. She started to panic as a well. They were trapped in between the building and a line of hungry walkers. They would die. They were going to die.
Suddenly, one of the shutters opened up and they were all blinded by a bright light momentarily. Everyone looked confused for a second. They had been so sure no one was inside the building.
"Come on!" Rick yelled, waking everyone from their trance.
Grace walked in cautiously, watching Daryl from the corner of her eye. He had his rifle held at ready and his crossbow strung around his neck. She could feel the tension of the group as they all looked unsure.
A man in a grey shirt stepped forward from the shadows. He was beyond pale, as though he hadn't seen the sun in years; with matching pale hair and eyes. He looked dejected, almost empty as he glanced over the group. His eyes landed on Grace and they locked eyes. The empty look he gave her sent chills down her spine.
"Anyone infected?" He called out.
"One of our group was." Rick answered. "He didn't make it."
"What do you want?" He called out, not stepping closer and his gun pointed at the group.
"A chance." Rick answered for the group.
"That's an awful lot to be asking these days." He said, but nonetheless put his gun down.
"I know." Rick sighed.
Grace watched him hesitantly. The man for some reason, seemed dangerous, almost not even human. She was suddenly becoming aware of what the world was doing to people. Now more than ever, the true side of people came out and the man in front of them looked so worn out.
Daryl stepped up close behind her, so close she could feel the heat coming off his body. He was still hanging onto his gun tightly.
"You all submit to a blood test." He said. "That's the price of admission."
"We can do that." Rick agreed.
The guy began walking forward, "You got things you want to bring in, you do it now. Once these doors close, they stay closed."
Rick, Shane and T-dog ran outside to grab some of the bags they had dropped at the front of the building and once they were back inside, the strange man commanded something to close the door, running his card through a slot.
Grace looked to Glenn, to make sure he was alright. He was a little pale, probably from the panic they had experienced earlier, but as he caught her gaze he gave her a light smile.
Soon they were all shoved in an elevator. Grace had been sandwiched between Glenn and Daryl. Her whole backside was pressed against the older man as they all squeezed to fit into the elevator and she couldn't help but blush at the contact, especially as the thoughts of what happened in the car entered her mind. She took in quick breaths, feeling nervous and a little anxious for some reason.
Daryl, who was shoved behind the girl, could feel her body pressing up against his side. Her breathing was driving him crazy as she kept squirming against him and he couldn't help but feel his body warm up. He tried to get his thoughts off the girl, thinking back to earlier today. He had no idea why he had acted the way he had, in the truck and also out in the field. He couldn't even begin to understand why he felt some sort of way about the girl, almost as if he cared? He didn't care about her, he reasoned with himself. He just didn't want to have to deal with another person bit like Jim, that's what he kept telling himself.
"Do doctors always go 'round packin' heat like that?" He asked, his voice rougher than normal.
Doctor Jenner glanced back at him for a second, "Well there were plenty lying around, so I familiarized myself."
He looked around the elevator, taking in everyone's face.
"You all look harmless enough." He decided. "Except you. I'll have to keep my eye on you."
Carl smiled a bit as he realized the man was talking to him; his cheeks turning a light pink.
The mood turned a little somber when the group found out Jenner was all that was left of the CDC and soon they were giving blood tests. When Andrea almost fainted after giving hers, Jenner realized they had eaten in days. He told them of the plentiful food the building had stored and not too soon after, they were all sitting around a dinner table, sharing a meal.
Grace watched as they managed to convince Lori to let Carl try some wine, and laughed when the kid thought it was disgusting.
"Stick to your soda pop, kid." Shane said, drinking from his own glass of wine.
"Not you, Glenn." Daryl said and Grace realized it was the first time he had even called the boy by his name. "I wanna' see how red yer face can get."
The group laughed, everyone's mood lightened with the food in their bellies and the wine on the table. Grace stuck to drinking water. Her father had forbid her from drinking alcohol besides the wine they gave at Church during services. And although he wasn't here now to tell her not to drink any, she couldn't help but cherish his words.
"And you Grace!" T-dog yelled from next to Daryl, "I want to see how a preacher's daughter handles her alcohol."
Everyone in the group laughed as Dale leaned over to pour some wine into her cup.
Daryl backed up T-Dog with a, "Drink up, girl!"
He seemed a lot friendlier with the amount of alcohol pulsing through his body.
Her cheeks turned redder and she pushed the glass away from her.
"I can't." She announced to the group, still choosing her water. "I'm not old enough."
"Oh come on!" Rick laughed, joyous from his alcohol intake. "I promise I won't arrest you for underage drinking. Just one glass, Grace."
"Yeah," Glenn encouraged, "Just pretend you're at Church or something."
Daryl had gone to sit back down and she glanced at him to see him staring at her intently again. She already knew his opinion on the matter and she remembered his words from the campsite. He thought it was about time she let go of the preacher's daughter act. The world had gone to hell, he had said, things weren't the same anymore.
"But I'm not at Church." Grace replied bluntly.
"Even more of a reason." T-dog said, causing the others to laugh along with him.
"If the girl doesn't want to drink, don't force her." Lori said. "It's okay, Grace, you don't have to."
"Drink! Drink! Drink!" Glenn began to chant and most of the others joined in.
Grace was at a crossroad: listen to her father or these new people? She was lost without her parent's guidance. She reasoned that if her father was sitting at the table now, a drink would have never been poured for her. But as she looked around at all the new faces of the people she was beginning to bond with, she couldn't help but be peer pressured. With her eyes locked with Daryl's, she grabbed the glass and lightly took a few sips. The group broke into cheers and Daryl smirked at her.
The cheerful atmosphere of the room was soon broken by Shane, who questioned Doctor Jenner about what had happened to the CDC. Grace could feel the tension in the room escalate and sat in silence as the doctor explained how most of his workers had "opted out" while others had been killed. Grace felt her heart drop at the news, watching Rick's face. She knew he had invested most of his hope and faith into this place and she knew he had been let down a little.
"You are such a buzzkill." Glenn, who was sitting next to her, muttered to Shane.
For a moment, the festivities were over. Everyone sat in silence as they processed the news. And Grace was beginning to see just how tired everyone was at hearing such things. After all they had been through; this had been the only thing keeping people going. But Grace truly believed they shouldn't give up now. So what if Ed Jenner was the last person in the CDC left, maybe they could still do some good here.
Everyone's moods were lightened soon however from the wonderful power of alcohol. Grace only had a few more sips of her own wine, before going back to drinking her water.
Glenn was getting pretty tipsy next to her, finishing up his third glass. Grace glanced at him warily as he sort of swayed back and forth, laughing so hard at one of T-dog's jokes that his face was bright red. It was obvious that Daryl was very familiar with alcohol, because he seemed to not be reacting as much as she would've thought after how much he had drank. It was obvious that Rick was drunk, as he giggled happily at just about anything.
Shane was still brooding in his seat. It seemed he was a bit of what her friend Abby would've called a depressed drunk. He refused to look at anyone and just stared at his food. Grace couldn't help but feel a little bit frightful, seeing the look in his eyes. He looked like a caged lion at a zoo; all this pent up anger with nowhere to displace it.
But it was Shane. He had always been a little off, so she didn't really think about it too much.
The group moved their celebration to one of the recreational rooms, besides Carol and the children who went to another room to look for other games to play. There was a TV in the room, but no one turned it on because Jenner had told them not to use electricity.
For a moment, Grace lingered in the doorway as she glanced over T-Dog and Glenn who were seated on a couple of couches. Daryl had disappeared somewhere along with Rick. In fact, Grace now noticed it was just her and the two guys that had stuck around.
"Aye, Grace." Glenn called out to her, his words slurring a little, "Come look at what me and T-Dog stole."
Her eyebrows raised a bit at that and T-Dog quickly hushed Glenn.
"Nah man, Grace is cool. She won't rat on us." Glenn said, gesturing for the girl to come over to them.
It wasn't like there was much else to occupy Grace's attention, so she walked over to the two boys on the couch, taking a seat in a chair facing Glenn. Glenn smirked at her as he pulled a bottle up from under his seat. She stared at the tall glass bottle, it was filled with brown liquid and the label said 'Southern Comfort'.
"More alcohol?" Grace questioned, hadn't they had enough?
"Hell yea!" T-Dog cheered, slapping Glenn on the back.
"We're gonna' play some games." Glenn said to her, his words slightly slurring, "Play with us."
Grace eyed the bottle hesitantly. She had never had hard liquor before.
"Yea, come on, Grace." T-Dog laughed, "The world ended! If now was ever a time to get drunk.."
He trailed off, grabbing the bottle from Glenn and opening it. He took a quick swig of the drink, his nose wrinkling.
"Man, I haven't had this shit since college." He muttered, "Gross."
"That really makes me want to try it." Grace said, sarcastically.
"Just one game!" Glenn pleaded.
Grace looked between the pair of them, staring at her with half closed eyes. She wanted to laugh at their expressions. She shrugged her shoulders lightly. She already had wine, she had already messed up. What was a little bit more?
The two boys cheered.
"Alright, we're gonna play fuck the dealer." T-Dog said, shuffling some cards that Grace now noticed were placed on the coffee table in front of them, "Y'all ever play that?"
Grace and Glenn shared a look of confusion.
"Nerds." T-Dog laughed, shaking his head, "Alright, I'll show ya'."
Grace wasn't sure how much time had gone by, in fact, things seemed a bit hazy right now as she glanced around the room. It was nothing like she had ever felt. The room seemed to move with her, sending a jolt into her stomach. I think I'm going to be sick, she thought to herself. She focused on taking a quick deep breath and stabilizing herself, making a note to not turn her head so fast again.
"Man, you guys are lightweights." T-Dog laughed from next to her, slamming his cards down on the table.
Both Grace and Glenn had a sudden fit of laughter. T-dog raised his eyebrows at the pair.
"Y'all are drunk." He declared, which only made them laugh more.
"Is that what this feeling is?" Grace asking, running a finger over her lips which felt numb.
"Grace, Grace...I think I see two of ya'" Glenn slurring, once again making the pair laugh.
"Oh no, oh boy." T-Dog muttered to himself, "I know where this is headed."
Suddenly Glenn thurched to the side, vomit spewing from his mouth. T-Dog, who had anticipated it, grabbed the small trash can from next to his chair and was able to catch most of it inside. Glenn groaned, wiping his mouth with his hand.
"I think...I think I'm gonna do that again." He slurred.
"Uh uh, hell no." T-Dog said, standing up and grabbing the boy from his chair, "Not in here. We gotta get you to a bathroom, okay. You gotta hold it in till then. Can you do that?"
Glenn nodded, allowing T-Dog to hold most of his weight.
"Grace, do you think you can run down to the kitchen and get some water for Glenn?" He asked, looking over to the girl who seemed drunk, but slightly better then Glenn only because she had been far more conservative taking sips of her own drink.
Grace nodded quickly, her eyebrows pulled together, "Is he gonna die?"
T-Dog couldn't help but snort, "Nah, he'll just wish he did. But hey, the water will help, okay? Meet us in the bathroom down the hall."
And then T-Dog hurriedly helped Glenn out of the room.
The first time Grace tried to stand, she fell right back down in her chair. She couldn't help but giggle to herself again. Everything seemed so much funnier right now. She was starting to understand why people drank. She pushed herself off her seat again, using the arms of the chair to right herself up. What was she supposed to be doing again? Oh yea, she thought to herself, getting water.
She stumbled out of the room, barely able to stand on her two feet. Her legs felt like jello. Where even was the kitchen? She tried really hard to remember the room she had been in just a few hours prior. She walked down the hall, using a hand to brace herself against the wall so she wouldn't tumble to the ground.
'It was a left first, then the second door, right?' Grace thought to herself.
She stumbled down the hallway, slowly. As she turned the corner, she heard some muffled yelling and stopped dead in her tracks. It sounded like...Shane? Her eyebrows pulled together in confusion as she started walking towards the noise. Was that...crying? It sounded like a woman.
She stepped closer, right up to the door now. The muffled raised voices became more clear and it sounded like Lori was in distress. Just as Grace was reaching out for the doorknob, the door itself suddenly slammed open. Lori stormed out of the room, wiping tears off her cheeks. Grace, surprised by the appearance of the woman, jumped back in shock. Before she had a chance to call out to her, Lori was already turning around the corner of the hallway.
Grace peered back into the room, confused on what had exactly caused Lori to be so upset. She felt a chill go down her spine when her eyes made direct contact with Shane's. His face was half lit under the fluorescent light, a dark emotion swimming in his eyes.
"Grace, come here." He said, his voice low.
Though she had never been scared of Shane before, for some reason, in that moment, Grace felt fear. She slowly stumbled into the room, her mind swirling, unable to comprehend whatever she had just heard. It didn't help that she was still completely drunk. The lights in the room swirled in circles and she felt the need to clutch her head in her hands.
She suddenly felt too large hands grab onto her upper arms, so tight it sent another jolt down her spine.
She looked up at Shane who was looming over her.
"I don't know what you heard, or what you think you heard." Shane said, his voice low, "But I can assure you, it wasn't like that."
Grace felt more confused, mainly because she really hadn't heard much of anything from the other side of the door. But she knew whatever had happened in here was wrong, just judging by Lori's face when she had walked out of the room.
"Is Lori okay?" Grace asked.
Shane's grip on her arms tightened even more.
"Lori's fine." He growled, "Nothing happened. We were just having ourselves a little chat. Look, you aren't going to mention this to anyone, okay?"
"Lori seemed really upset." Grace replied, "I should go check on her."
She tried to pull herself out of Shane's grip, but the man was stronger, his grip as tight as can be as he pulled her even closer to himself. She let out a yelp of pain as his fingers digged into her arms.
"Shane, please." Grace let out, "You're hurting me."
"Lori is fine, she doesn't need you to check in on her." Shane grunted, "In fact, it's best if you just forget all about this, alright?"
"I didn't hear anything." Grace said, her voice nearly a whisper, "Please, let me go."
"You didn't hear anything and you didn't see anything, is that right?" Shane asked, drawing her closer to him.
"What's goin' on in here?" Suddenly Daryl's voice came from behind her.
She couldn't help but feel a bit relieved at the sound of it.
Shane however, seemed very annoyed at the sudden appearance of Daryl but he let her go finally. Grace eagerly backed away from him, almost bumping into Daryl's chest. She gingerly rubbed the places Shane had been gripping, trying to soothe the pain.
"Nothin', man." Shane answered, his voice completely different from the tone he had just been speaking to Grace in, "We were just having a bit of a chat."
"Didn't look like nothing." Daryl replied, walking around Grace to face the pair of them.
"Is this what ya' do?" He snarled at Shane, "Force yerself on defenseless girls?"
"Man, you don't know what the hell you're talking about." Shane angrily said back, "Tell 'em, Grace. Tell him we were just talking."
Suddenly it was all too much for Grace. She had barely been hanging on before she walked in on whatever was happening with Shane and Lori and now, her thoughts were even more jumbled. Her legs still felt like jello and the room was beginning to swim again. She opened her mouth to reply but felt herself collapse instead as the alcohol she had consumed twisted in her stomach.
"Woah!" Shane exclaimed as the girl lurched forward, her knees giving out.
Daryl grabbed onto her arm, trying to keep her steady but unknowingly grabbed onto the part of her arm Shane had been. She let out a cry of pain, pulling her arm from his grasp, causing him to latch his arm around her waist to keep her upright.
"I think…" Grace slurred, "I think I'm still drunk. How long is this supposed to last?"
Shane rolled his eyes and pushed past the two of them.
"I'm gonna go find Glenn." He called out, "This is his problem to deal with."
And then he disappeared from their line of sight.
Daryl frowned, suddenly aware of Grace's drunken form, which was now clinging to him.
"Com'on." He grumbled, leading her over to the couches.
He helped her sit down, praying that Shane was actually finding Glenn to come get the girl. He looked down at her, now noticing the red fingerprints around her arms.
"That bastard." He snarled, whipping around to follow after Shane.
He was stopped by a hand on his wrist, pulling his back.
"Daryl, please, don't leave me alone." Grace cried, looking up at him.
Daryl sighed in frustration, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"What the hell was that about?" He grunted.
Grace thought back to Shane's veiled threats and slowly swallowed before answering, "I don't know. I don't know what happened. He was just...mad."
"Did he hurt ya'?" He asked, bending down to be on eye level with the sitting girl.
Grace shook her head no, not wanting to admit to the throbbing pain that was still lingering where Shane's hands had been.
"What are you doin' wandering around drunk, anyways?" Daryl asked, "Ain't ya' some bible thumper?"
"Never tried alcohol before." Grace shrugged, her words still slurred, "Glenn and T-Dog wanted to play some game, figured I'd try to get drunk before the world officially ended."
As soon as the name Glenn slipped out of her mouth, she suddenly remembered why she was even traveling through the hallways in the first place. She jumped up suddenly, surprising Daryl who stood up as well.
"Oh, I'm supposed to be getting Glenn water!" She said.
She went to step forward but a pain in her ankle caused her to yelp and once again, end up in Daryl's arms.
"Hey, slow yer horse." Daryl said, helping her sit back down, "Thought ya' said you were gonna have the doc look at that?"
"I was but Dr. Jenner kinda' gives me the creeps." Grace mumbled, fiddling with her shirt.
Daryl stared at her for a moment. He had to admit though, the Doctor had also given him weird vibes. He wasn't quite sure what to make of the entire place to be honest. He felt like a caged animal down here.
"I'll be back." He muttered, before quickly walking out of the room before Grace could stop him again.
Grace sat on the cushion, a bit disheartened. There was no way Daryl was coming back. She also didn't believe that Shane was even looking for Glenn, not that the boy was in any way capable of helping her out right now. She was sure he was still face down on a toilet with T-Dog. Drinking had been fun, she had to admit. But now that she was alone, and incapable of walking back to the room she had made sleeping arrangements in, it didn't seem worth it. She let out a tiny sigh, feeling more alone than ever. It was starting to hit her now that they had somewhere safe to be...just how alone she really was. An orphan, no family, no partner, no anyone tying her to this group.
Before she could dwell on those thoughts, Daryl was suddenly in front of her again, a bandage roll in his hands. She let out a tiny noise of surprise. She really thought he had ditched her in here by herself. He barely looked at her before kneeling in front of her again.
"Lemme see it." He barked at her.
Not wanting to question the man in fear that he would leave again, Grace did as he said. She lifted her ankle into his hands and he gently rolled down her sock. Once exposed, Grace could see how red and swollen her ankle was. The alcohol still flowing through her must've been numbing the pain.
"Uh, do you think it's broken?" Grace asked, peering down at the man in front of her.
"Nah." Daryl shook his head, "Probably just bruised"
"Have you sprained something before?" Grace pondered.
Daryl nodded his head but didn't elaborate which caused Grace to frown in confusion.
"So, what should I do, Doc?" Grace teased, "I've never sprained anything before."
"Well, for one, ya' can stop stomping around on it." Daryl grunted.
"It hasn't been hurtin' tonight." Grace said.
"Ya, cause yer drunk off yer ass." Daryl scoffed at her.
Grace laughed at his tone of voice which caused the man to look up at her in question.
"Okay, Doctor Dixon, can you help me with that problem too?" Her words still slurring.
"Can't do much about that, just gotta' ride it out." Daryl answered, "Imma wrap yer ankle, ya' should probably ice it tonight."
Daryl started to unwind the roll of bandage he had in his hands as Grace stared down at him. She was so confused, wondering if she would ever understand Daryl's ever changing moods. One minute, he wanted absolutely nothing to do with her and then sometimes, like now, he was nice to her. She knew better to bring it up at this point, knowing Daryl would just close off and probably run away. He was good at evading situations that made him uncomfortable. But in these small moments, Grace was starting to think she was seeing the true Daryl. The true person who was underneath all the rough and tough act he usually put on. While he didn't seem to care to talk to her, he was always there to help her when she truly did need it.
She shook her thoughts out of her head, it was all too confusing and she was far too drunk to understand them. Instead she looked back down at the guy who was now carefully wrapping her ankle, the muscles in his arms slightly flexing every time he passed the bandage under her leg.
Daryl, who was preoccupied with wrapping the girl's ankle, nearly fell back in surprise when he suddenly felt two soft hands running up and down his arms.
"Your muscles are sooo big." Grace slurred from above him, "Is it 'cause you fight bears in the woods when you go huntin'?"
Daryl looking at her like she had just grown a second head caused Grace to arrupt in giggles.
Daryl shrugged her hands off his arms, his face turning a light red.
"Keep yer hands to yerself, woman." Daryl barked.
Grace held her hands up in surrender as her own cheeks turned red, "Sorry."
Daryl hurriedly finished wrapping her ankle, eager to get back to his own room, away from anyone else. Once it was done, he stood up and made a show of not looking at Grace as he turned to leave when once again, he felt a hand wrap around his wrist. He flinched at the contact, causing Grace to let go of him.
"You're not leaving, are you?" She asked as he turned around.
"Goin' to bed." Daryl answered, stepping away from her.
"Wait!" Grace called out, "Can you at least help me find T-Dog and Glenn?"
Daryl let out a sigh but reluctantly nodded. Grace smiled up at him and jumped up from her place on the couch. She was feeling slightly better, at the very least, just a tiny bit not as drunk as before.
"Well, come on." Daryl said, wrapping his arm around her side so she could use him as a crutch, "I ain't got all night."
They began to hobble out of the room as Grace asked, "Ya? What could you possibly have planned right now?"
"A nice, quiet night away from y'all." Daryl grumbled as they began walking down the hallway.
"Aw, come on. You were havin' fun at dinner!" Grace said, remembering how lighthearted he had acted earlier.
Daryl scoffed at her, his famous response when he had nothing to say in retaliation, Grace realized. Just as Grace was about to tease him more, T-Dog appeared around the corner. When he spotted Grace, he made a quick "aha" gesture before he looked to Daryl and his face dropped in surprise.
"Uh, oh, hey Daryl." The bigger man said timidly, before looking back at Grace, "I was looking all over for you, Grace. Thought you were in the kitchen, getting water."
"I got lost." Grace giggled, "Daryl was actually just helping me find you guys. Where's Glenn?"
"He's out of commission." T-Dog laughed, "Lil man drank a bit too much."
"Can y'all have this conversation on yer own time?" Daryl snapped, "Here."
He thrusted Grace into T-Dogs arms, who reached out in reflex.
"She ain't my problem no more." Daryl grunted before he turned the corner and disappeared.
Grace rolled her eyes. Of course he would start to act that way as soon as someone else showed up. T-Dog looked at Grace in question but Grace just shrugged her shoulders.
"Alright, let's get you to bed." T-Dog muttered, "You were staying with Glenn, right?"
Grace nodded her head and with that, the pair began making their own way down the hallway.
Author's Note: Welp, there we go. Chapter 6! Hope you guys like this one! I have to admit, I'm not the biggest fan of writing season 1 Daryl haha. I'm gonna try and wrap up season 1 in the next chapter and we can start with season 2 finally! I'm also hoping to not draw out the farm chapters too much, just because they seemed a bit long in the show. If you're here, hi! Hope you enjoyed this one! Don't forget to drop a review :)