Okay, next chapter. I really wish you guys would tell me if this s getting to OOC or if I'm getting Daryl's characterization right, since it's always good to have a second opinion. But besides that, I'm totslly LOVING writing this story! But, I've been watching all the episodes I sn, and I have three left before I'm up to date with season four. So I'm rationing them out until Febuary 9th, because I CANNOT live without knowing have episodes I haven't seen yet. I hope you all had a great, safe holidays!
"Jamie! Come on, kid." Daryl said, handing her her bow.
"Where we headed?"
"Woods. Hunting. We might have food now, but winter will come. Need to start storing food. 'Sides, I wanna get a lay of land."
Jamie nodded, and they started out, slipping through the hole they'd cut in the fence.
The nearby walkers came, and Jamie stared. At least fifteen walkers had been drawn nearby the fence as a result of the gunshots of them clearing the yard yesterday. And they'd noticed them.
"C'mon." was all Daryl said, jogging towards the treeline.
She nodded, notching an arrow and racing across the bridge into the forest. Daryl hustled her ahead of him, keeping an eye on the walkers.
But as soon as they were in the safety of the woods, they fell into step again, side by side.
The woods melded with them and they fell into sync, speaking with their eyes instead of words.
Daryl tapped his ear, and she nodded. He was telling her to listen...
She turned left and pulled back, letting her arrow fly into a walker's head. He nodded his approval and she went to retrieve her arrow.
They looked around carefully before moving on. Daryl tracked game through the woods while Jamie made sure no walkers got him. He motioned to her, pointing at the ground.
"Fawn tracks. See how they're wet?"
She nodded. "Fresh."
"Exactly. If we see them, I'll shoot the doe while you get the fawn."
She nodded. If this were back at the farm, he'd have let her go for the doe, but she knew the doe had the most meat and was critical. The fawn would be a plus, if she could hit it...
Daryl stumbled on a root, then, and gasped...
"What happened?" Jamie demanded, looking worried.
"Knife..." Daryl muttered, face scrunched in pain.
She looked down, horrified, to see the knife had somehow gone THROUGH the sheath and into Daryl's thigh...
He pulled it out, tearing off part f his jeans and tying it around the wound.
"We have to get back." he managed.
Jamie nodded, slinging the large arm of his shoulder. It was slow going, but what was killing her was the fact that Daryl was in so much pain. She could see it on his face... It was after an hour of painful stumbling they reached an uprooted tree, roots shrouded by vines, like a make-shift lean to, that would provide some shelter, and she eased Daryl into it.
"Stay here. I'll scout ahead, see if I can find the trail we took."
Daryl nodded, still looking pained and nervous. "You be careful, alright?"
She nodded, noting the cloth around his leg was blood-soaked and slicing into the leg of her jeans, placing a new cloth over it and moving Daryl's hand to hold it.
He gave her a smile that doubled as a grimace, and she nodded to him, before hearing what sounded like noise off to the right... She moved soundlessly, finding a clearing about thirty feet away, with at least a dozen walkers stumbling towards them...
She turned, hurrying back to where she'd left Daryl. He was in no condition to run or fight, but she had a fleeting idea...
"Walkers. At least a dozen, coming here. You stay here, I'll, lead them off..." she started.
"Hell no!" Daryl said, staggering to he feet, using his crossbow like a crutch. She didn't have time for this. She moved to collide with him, knocking him down. She got on top of him, scrambling and slamming the flat end of her hatchet into his temple, knocking him out. She had to keep him safe.
Still, she traced the blood that came from the small cut the blunt end of her hatchet had opened on his head, vision blurring from tears.
"Stay here. I love you, Dad..." she choked out, planting a kiss on his cheek and standing, putting the hatchet in her belt. She knew what she had to do.
She stumbled out from the cover of the vines, she could hear the walkers, they were getting close...
She pulled out her knife, dragging it horizontally across her inner arm. Rivers of blood began to flow, but it wasn't good enough. She raked it across again, and then across her palm, so fresh blood was all over her arm, dripping...
The first walker came, then, staggering into the clearing.
"COME AND GET ME, YOU BASTARDS!"
Oh my gosh, I am SO EVIL! Sorry, but had to do it! Review, please!