The Road
Daryl's eyes were burning. He had been on watch for the better part of the night, his eyes flitting from the road, to the woods, keeping watch as the rest of the group slept. He was supposed to wake Glenn about 2 hours ago, but Maggie was all tangled up with him and he didn't really want to risk accidentally touching something he shouldn't. And fuck, someone should get to enjoy sleep like that, even if he couldn't.
His eyelids drooped, and his head dropped to his chest before immediately snapping up again.
He pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes, trying to force himself awake. He should just go wake up someone else, but he still couldn't shake that nagging voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like Merle, telling him these people didn't care about him, that if he didn't contribute enough he would be discarded like the piece of trash he was before all this. Like the piece of trash he still felt like.
A twig snapped behind him and he spun around, raising his crossbow instinctively at the target.
Beth's hands shot up in surrender, her eyes widened in fear. "It's just me." She whispered.
He dropped the bow. "Sorry." He grumbled. "What you doin?"
"You need to sleep." She said quietly, sitting down against the tree.
"M'fine. Go back to the group." He said, waving a dismissive hand.
She shook her head. "I've been watching you, you're exhausted. I know it's Glenn's watch, but he's dead the world, I'm wide awake."
Daryl chewed on his thumb nail. He was exhausted, but he didn't know if Beth could be trusted to keep watch. He honestly forgot the girl existed most days. Her just stickin' close to Hershel or Lori, not sayin much.
She seemed to hear his internal struggle."I'm not a child Daryl, I can do this. Promise to wake you up if anyone tries to come eat us." She said, a small grin crossing her face.
He looked into her big blue eyes, and saw no hint of fear or hesitance. Maybe the girl was stronger than she looked.
He nodded and stood up. "You wake me up if you hear or see anything." He said.
She smiled at him and nodded, turning her head to focus on the woods, pieces of white blonde hair framing her face. Daryl took too long to tear his gaze away from her face and realized in horror that Beth Greene was pretty.
He shook his head, trying to shake away that thought, and trudged over to the group. Balling up his poncho and sticking it behind his head as a pillow. Closing his eyes he tried to banish images of a soft smile and blonde hair from his mind.