Hey, everyone! I'm so glad you are all enjoying my story. I got five reviews on the last chapter and I can't tell you how much I appreciate it! Thank you all so much! Anyway, if you guys are still reading this, I'd love for you to give me some ideas. I'm pretty positive on where I want this story to go, but if anyone has any ideas, I'd really love to hear them. I'm always up for new inspirations! But, back to the story. Enjoy!
"Mr. Daryl!" Sophia squealed happily and ran out from behind Dakota's body. The older of the two watched as the girl stood over the injured man, the smile never leaving her face. Dakota could see how much the younger girl wanted to hug him, but with his wounds and the fact that he looked a bit skittish, she thought better of it. Instead, she turned back to Dakota and giggled. "He's from my group, Kota! He can help take me to my momma!"
Dakota grinned. "That's great, kiddo," She murmured. "How 'bout we help Cowboy here onto his feet so we can get the hell outta here?"
"Don' need no help," Daryl muttered and attempted to push himself up. He failed dramatically and Dakota couldn't help but release a small snort. He shot her a glare. "Whatcha laughin' at, woman?"
"Nothin'," Dakota shook her head and started towards him, lending him her hand. "C'mon, don't be stubborn. Just lemme help ya."
With reluctance, Daryl finally grabbed onto the younger woman's hand, nearly engulfing it with his. She pulled carefully so she wouldn't hurt him, but she added enough force to bring him to his feet. He gave her a single nod of thanks, one that she returned silently. Dakota glanced over at Sophia who was petting Rusty and watching the two adults interact. "Ready to see your momma, kid?" Dakota asked.
Sophia nodded vigorously, patting the canine companion on the head lovingly. Rusty led out a noise of satisfaction, leaning into the younger girl's touch. "Can we go now?" Sophia asked impatiently.
"'Course," Dakota said, a small smile on her lips. She glanced over at Daryl, whose hand was pressed tightly onto his wound. Blood was seeping out through his fingers. Dakota let out a noise of irritation at the older man. "You're gonna get it infected, ya know. Here," She reached down and pulled her smaller knife out of the walker's head. She wiped it on her pants before motioning him closer.
Daryl narrowed his eyes warily. "What're you gon' do with that?"
Letting out a sigh of impatience, Dakota moved forward and grabbed his arms. Daryl made a noise of complaint but silenced when he noticed what she was doing. She used her knife to make a small cut at the top of his sleeve before ripping it completely off, repeating her actions with the other arm. Then, she tied the two fabrics together and made some kind of bandage for him, pressing the cloth deeply into his would. "Hopefully that'll stop the bleedin'," She murmured before pulling back and putting the knife into her pocket. "I'm Dakota, by the way."
"Yeah, got that," Daryl replied. He wiped his brow with the back of his hand and glanced around, his eyes darting to the murky water. "Lemme get my bow."
After Daryl grabbed his weapon, he slung it over his shoulder and glanced towards the young woman. "How we gettin' outta here?"
Dakota nodded towards the side of the cliff. "There's a small path that leads down into here. Musta been a hiker's trail before the world went to shit," She told him. He nodded, but his eyes moved to Sophia. She seemed in good spirits, giggling and playing around with Dakota's mutt. She looked healthy, too. Like she'd been fed and taken good care of. Daryl knew that Carol will be jumping for joy when she sees her little girl alive and breathing.
As the group took off, Sophia was in front of the two adults, Rusty close behind her with his nose pointed high in the air. Dakota stood behind the younger girl with her hand over her machete, her blue eyes scanning her surroundings intently. Always on edge, Daryl noticed.
"How'd ya find 'er?" His throaty voice asked, his blue eyes catching Dakota's quickly.
She shrugged, "Was walkin' out on the highway and had just finished off a few walkers when Rusty started barkin'," She murmured, glancing at her dog and the little girl with a small smile. "Rusty doesn't bark so I knew somethin' was up. So I looked over at the tree line and there she was, all skin and bones. No meat on her. She must've been gone for a day or two before I found her 'cause she hadn't eaten."
Daryl nodded and pursed his lips. He was limping a bit more now, his footsteps and breathing becoming heavier. Dakota noticed this and stopped walking, facing the older man. "You alright?"
"'m fine," Daryl grumbled, wincing when he stepped the wrong way.
Dakota sighed and walked up closer to him. He attempted to move away from her but she shot him an aggravated look. "We won't make it before dusk with you walkin' like this," She muttered. "Lemme help you at least 'til we get to wherever y'all are at." She wrapped her arm around his back, his heavy and thick arm coming down on her shoulders.
Daryl leaned into Dakota lightly and she scoffed, pulling him closer so most of his weight was on her. He was surprised that a girl as petite as she was could carry him and not stumble all around. "Farm," Daryl grunted.
"Sorry?" Dakota raised an eyebrow, adjusting her body beneath his shoulder.
"We're at a farm," The redneck elaborated.
"Alright," Dakota mumbled, "Just point us in the right direction."
Within a few hours, the small group finally reached the farm. Dakota felt her breath catch in her throat at the sight of it. It was beautiful, with large open fields, multiple barns, and fences around the entire property. It was like its own little safe haven. "Y'all are livin' here?" She asked Daryl quietly. He hadn't said much the entire way there, besides pointing the older woman in the right direction and scolding Sophia when she wandered too far ahead of the adults.
The redneck nodded, "Fer now," He muttered and continued forward, Dakota helping him along the way. Sophia trailed behind them, a small and giddy smile on her face. Her eyes were a little tired but Dakota could see the excitement in them. She was ready to see her mother.
"Do you think they'll see us, Mr. Daryl?" Sophia spoke, glancing up at the older man.
He shrugged and motioned forward. "'s long as we keep movin',"
It was a few minutes later when they finally reached the large field that separated the farm from the woods. Dakota listened closely, hearing the faint sound of people yelling. It didn't take long for her to make out four or five silhouettes in the distance, all running towards them with weapons in hand. "Daryl, they're armed," she murmured, trying not to alarm Sophia. "Think they'll shoot?"
"Nah," He replied, pressing on. "When they get closer they'll know it's us."
Dakota nodded, calling for Rusty to stay close. Unfortunately, the dog never got the chance to obey the command.
A shot rang out so loud that it sent chills down Dakota's spine, and Rusty let out a heart-breaking yelp before dropping to the ground.
