Kill The Sound

Jamie woke up at the crack of dawn to the feel of Daryl's hand sliding down along the bruised side of her back, as gently as possible, with her shirt hiked all the way up over her shoulder blades. She sighed loudly at the soft feel of his skin sliding along her own, sending jolts along her skin. He must have realized that she was awake because his hand moved past the band of her sweatpants and gripped her ass suddenly, causing her to jump and smack his arm roughly.

"Stop that!" she hissed in mock irritation, hearing his chuckle through the semi-darkness and feeling his hand squeeze again. "Daryl!"

"What? You never complained before," he growled out in a husky voice, his breath hot against her ear. But he still removed his hand from the back of her pants and went back to tracing the lines of her tattoo. She had begun to fall back into sleep at the soft feel of his fingers tracing along her sore back when she heard him shift around, his warmth suddenly disappearing from beside her. She blinked tiredly, confused, before she felt the familiar trickle of his goatee against her back moments before his lips pressed against the top of her bruised shoulder.

She sighed contentedly as his hands ghosted along her sides, his fingertips dipping down into the hem of her pants again, this time sliding around to her hip bones. She held back a moan when his hands began to slide up along her stomach, ribs and ghosting the bottom of her breasts.

They hadn't been able to share a moment alone together since they were back at the CDC, and both were beginning to feel the effects. There was always walkers, camp members, little kids. Something had to be there for them to worry about, something to disrupt them and ruin whatever moment they were having.

Manoeuvring them around with ease, Jamie soon straddled Daryl's waist on the small mattress inside the equally small tent. She was glad that Daryl had set it up further away from all of the others, so that she didn't worry about them hearing. It wasn't as though any of the others were awake yet anyway. Even for police officers, the sun hadn't even moved over the horizon yet and there was no need to wake up.

Straightening up only so she could remove her shirt, Jamie immediately ducked back down to claim Daryl's lips, his arms moving around to splay out on her back but he was still careful with the pressure. Grinding herself down against him, it wasn't hard to hear Daryl's breath hitch in his throat as his fingers dug into her flesh the slightest bit. Her fingers traced a long scar along the top of his chest, another smaller one further to the left. He shivered against the touch, unable to control the motion at the feel of her hands.

The could both agree, best way to wake up.

Ever.

ᵻ

Jamie tugged on the thick laces of her boots as she prepared to leave the tent, having assured Daryl that she would meet up with him at the truck the others met by. She had already warned him that there was no way in hell she was sitting another day out and she was going to give the same shtick to Rick if he tried to talk her down as well. Daryl had given up pretty fast when she told him that if she wasn't good enough to look for Sophia, she wasn't good enough to have any more sex.

Although, she would have to think of another tactic with Rick.

She offered a wave to Carol and Lori as she was passing them, getting waves in return in a loud 'be careful' from Carol. She made her way over toward where she could see the men, and Andrea, crowding together around the hood of the truck.

"Whoever slept in the cupboard was only about yay high," Daryl was saying as he held his hand to just above his waist. The kid that was with Hershel was there as well, standing between Rick and Andrea. He looked shocked to see her there, doing a double take.

"Maybe we'll pick up her trail again," Rick said as he looked down at the map. There were markers that showed where Daryl had found evidence of someone sleeping at a farmhouse, as well as where Rick had left her while he distracted the walkers.

Jamie stepped up to Daryl as he was buttoning his shirt, meeting him with a kiss quickly before she moved over to get her rifle from Dale.

"Jamie and I are gunna borrow a horse and head up to this ridge right here, get a bird's eye view of the whole grid. If she's up there I'll spot her," Daryl explained to the group, motioning over to Jamie as she aimed the rifle away from them and tested the scope, making sure that it worked well before she took it with her out into the woods.

"Good, maybe you'll see your Chupacabra," T-Dog said mocked as he looked over to him, almost seemingly serious. Jamie gave him a warning look over Daryl's shoulder.

"Chupacabra?" Ricked asked, looking between T-Dog and Daryl. Jamie sighed and she turned away again to adjust the strap on the rifle, trying not to think of it. She wasn't sure whether or not she should believe Daryl's story that he had seen a Chupacabra, since he was higher than a kite when he'd gotten back and was rather incoherent when he was telling the story. It very well could have been real but it also could have been Daryl tripping out on mushrooms.

"You haven't heard this?" Dale asked curiously, "First night in camp Daryl tells us how this whole thing reminds him of the time he went squirrel hunting and he saw a Chupacabra." The tone of his voice told that he truly didn't believe what Daryl had told them, but none of them really knew the truth.

The guys laughed at the story, getting a look from Daryl. "What are you bringing at, Jackass?" He demanded in irritation, feeing Jamie's hand on his back.

"So you believe in a blood sucking dog?" Rick asked calmly, looking Daryl eyes.

"You believe in dead people walking around?" he countered, leaving the men silent. No one said anything until Jimmy reached for the one of the guns that Dale had laid out on the map, Rick quickly stepping in and taking it from him. Jamie could see him looking at her with her own gun and couldn't help but be reminded about Andrea.

"Well if I'm going out I want one," he said in defence, looking up at the man.

Jamie laughed loudly at his wording, getting ready to leave as Daryl shouldered his bow. "And people in hell want slurpies!"

"Come on, Angel," Daryl ordered as he smacked her on the ass, getting her to jump forward as she glared back at him briefly in mock anger before marching off toward the stables.

She patted Jimmy on the back as she and Daryl made their way past, still laughing slightly. Daryl headed straight for the stables that held the horses, letting Jamie help him saddle one up quickly. He took the female that seemed the most even tempered, letting Jamie hold onto her halter while he pulled on the saddle.

"I packed some of the dried food for us to take, it's all sealed so it won't attract anything with the smell," Jamie explained as she flipped the reigns over the mares head as Daryl positioned himself on the saddle. The small bag that was tied to the horse's saddle was barely enough to be considered a purse, so Daryl briefly wondered how she fit enough food for the both of them before he remembered that she was frighteningly good at packing things. She had been able to fit a weeks' worth of things into a backpack once. He had seen the piles on her bed before she put them inside the bag; it was frightening to think of what she must have done.

He offered her a hand to take, allowing her to use his hand to pull herself up onto the saddle, one foot in the stirrup for added assistance. She swung a leg over the horse, the disturbing memory of when she had been with Rick leaving her with a twist in her gut that she was forced to shake away. She removed her foot from the stirrup once she was in place and let Daryl place his back inside.

"All set," she said from behind him as she adjusted herself one last time, her thighs pressed tight against his. Daryl made a clicking noise with his tongue as he lightly dug his heels into the back sides of the large beast. She moved into a steady walk from the barn, her hooves making loud clacking noises on the ground. Jamie's hands took hold of Daryl's sides when her body was jolting back lazily, her hips moving in the rhythm with his as the horse walked.

"You're doin' that on purpose," he accused in a husky tone as he looked back at her over his shoulder, getting a smirk in return.

"Nope, that's just erotic coincidence," She countered, leaning forward to whisper it in his ear as her hands slipped down toward his hips. In retaliation Daryl spurred the horse onward, pushing her into a trot. Jamie gasped in surprise and clutched at his sides so that she wasn't thrown off the saddle, her hands bunching in the shirt that he had decided to wear. "Bastard!" She cussed at him in a hiss, only getting a chuckle in return as he was forced to slow the mare when they reached the forest.

They didn't speak much as they made their way through the forest, the sun peeking through the leaves and over brush in small patches. Daryl kept his crossbow out as they were riding, shooting squirrels whenever he had the chance. He didn't even get off the horse to collect them, just plucked them up from the trees, picking them off his arrow and handing them back to Jamie so that she could secure them.

"This ridge shouldn't be too far off," she mumbled offhandedly as she looked around the thick area of trees, noting that the sun had moved a fair bit through the sky since they had first set out.

"Whoa," Daryl ordered in a murmur, pulling on the reigns to stop the horse's forward momentum. Jamie turned to look at what had caught his attention, examining the river that was to their left. She squinted her eyes to see through the sunlight and trees and catch sight of what he had stopped for, looking along a fallen tree.

"A doll," she mumbled to herself.

"Might be Sophia's. I'm 'a go down and get it, you stay here with the horse," Daryl ordered as he carefully manoeuvred himself off the saddle without Jamie needing to dismount. She slid forward on the saddle and took the reins in her hands, keeping the mare steady as Daryl began a descent down the hillside. It was steep, but there were plenty of rocks, roots and fallen trees that he was able to use as his footholds. She couldn't help the nerves that erupted when she saw him pull the crossbow off his shoulders, just encase.

He stopped only to pick up the doll and look around the immediate area.

"Sophia!" He called out, causing Jamie to realize that the doll was indeed hers. No call came back to him, no stirring in the bushes to show that there was another person around. Her head fell down to look at the back of the horse's neck, her hands pulling the reins when the large animal moved beneath her. Daryl made back up the hill steadily, the doll tucked into the back of his belt.

"Nothing else down there?" She asked faintly when he got to the top of the hill.

"Bugs," he answered back, his tone losing any note of calm that there had been before. Jamie sighed softly and moved back in the saddle once more, letting Daryl pull himself back up. She ducked down so that he could swing his leg over, water spraying her as it fell off his pants and boots. They didn't linger for a long time, only enough to inspect their surroundings briefly.

Jamie adjusted the strap of her rifle as Daryl carefully guided the horse up along the makeshift path up the hill and around the creek. They both ducked to the side to avoid getting hit in the face by tree branches, Jamie's gun snagging on one briefly. She shifted the gun around so that the strap crossed over her chest, letting the gun tilt to the side and allow her to sit up without worrying about more tree branches.

"Just do a wide search around the area for now?" Jamie asked after a couple of minutes, looking to the back of Daryl's head briefly before she returned her attention to the side that she was supposed to be watching.

"Yea, we'll head back before sunset," Daryl replied after a minute, sounding far less agitated than he had when he gotten back from the creek. A small flock of birds burst out from the trees beside them, starting the horse. Daryl quickly righted her with a couple of tugs on the reins, looking off at the birds. "Easy now."

Shifting in the saddle, Jamie tried to place herself in a more comfortable position behind Daryl without needing to use the stirrups to do it. It was fairly amusing to hear Daryl make kissing noises as he nudged the mare forward again, assured that there wasn't going to be anything else jumping out of the bush. She didn't let him know that, however. She sighed against the back of his neck as she tried to look through the trees, the mass amounts of leaves, trees and bushes making it hard to see much of anything.

Daryl had always had a better eye for those things than she did.

He felt when she breathed heavily on the back of his neck, fully aware that sighting things wasn't her forté. She was amazing at hearing things, especially when it was a person out in the wilderness because of the change in sounds. Sight, however; she preferred the close up schematics of a building.

The mare suddenly neighed loudly beneath them, her front hooves raising off the ground and kicking harshly. Jamie gasped in surprise behind Daryl as she moved to clutch as his shirt, attempting to find something to hold onto. Daryl tried to get her under control, but she continued to jump and buck wildly. Jamie let out a short scream, her body disappearing from behind him. Daryl let his mind leave from the task of the horse to her, resulting in losing his grip and getting thrown off as well.

The landing was hard, his shoulder slamming onto his crossbow and several sticks jabbing into his back and legs. The decline of the hill they were following was too close and he began a harsh roll through trees, rocks and dead sticks toward the water below. He tried to keep track of where he was, but the world spun around him at such a pace that he couldn't tell when he was looking at the tops of trees or the bushes at the base. A ripping pain exploded in his side as he rolled over a fallen tree, tearing the breath from his lungs.

He could have sworn he saw the pale blue of Jamie's shirt for a split second before he hit a flat span of rock. He skid his way along the wet surface on his stomach before rolling at the base, into the water of the creek. It wasn't deep where he'd landed, allowing him to lie on his back without his head falling under.

"Son of a bitch," he cursed loudly as his hand sought out the pain in his side, coming in contact with something long, pointed and very familiar. One of the bolts from his crossbow had come free and tore through his side, the feathered end sticking out the back of his left side. The water was turning red around him as blood poured from the wound, the cool water doing nothing to quell the ache.

He pulled himself up just enough to look down at the arrow, seeing how much it had pushed through. There were definitely more showing through the front than there would be in the back. It would hurt like a bitch to pull out, so he'd much rather leave it in at the moment.

"Jamie!" he yelled, letting his head fall back into the water. When he got no answer he felt his stomach twist into a painful knot and his heart to throb in his chest. He pulled his head up again, looking around. "Jamie!" No reply. Looking up at the rocks that he had slid down, his eyes searched the trees that were just above it, where he could have sworn he'd seen her.

There was still no sign of her.

"Fuck!" he cursed, pulling himself up slowly. The agony in his side nearly made him pause, but there was the chance that she could be somewhere unconscious, drowning, and he refused to let that happen. He didn't rise to his feet fully, letting his body rest as he made his way away from the rocks, remaining in the shade, and moved in the direction of the shore that he'd found Sophia's doll.

He only paused once when he caught sight of something blue through the trees, just faintly. He groaned in pain when his body screamed in protest as he pushed himself through the waters to get a better view. He nearly collapsed when he saw the familiar jeans that Jamie had found, one of her knees hooked over a tree to hold up her body and prevent it from continuing the fall down the hill. He did collapse, however, when he saw that her gun had gotten caught on a tree and the strap had tightened around her neck and arm.

"Jamie!"

It didn't look like the strap had cut off her air, since it was wrapped around the back of her neck, but there was still the chance that her legs could slip and proceed with wrapping completely around her neck. Her arm had mostly slipped free, only halfway up her forearm still hanging over the band of the rifle.

There was no way that he could get to her.

"Fuck!" He screamed into the water as he fell onto one of his arms, his forehead dipping into the water for a moment. Even if he hadn't been skewered with one of his own arrows, there wasn't a clear path to get to where she was. If there was ever a way to get down to where she'd been stopped it would be with a rope wrapped around his waist and tied to a thick, sturdy tree.

He'd be fuckin' lucky if he got himself out alive.

Finally, an update! :P

Now you're all going to have to wait a bit more until the walkers come! I didn't do a makeout/sex scene in the forest (because that is way to cliché, everyone does that in their stories) but I hate a moment for them in the morning. Hope you liked it and please send in your reviews! My lovely readers

Chapter 24 – Illusions

"You're a'right," he mumbled out, glad to see that she wasn't hurt from her fall. She smiled at his words as her hand stroked his cheek, before moving up to wipe off some blood that had collected at his temple.

"Can't say the same for you," she answered back with a faint smile, "Poor baby took a nasty fall, huh?" Daryl marvelled at the feel of her soft hands on his face, fighting away the pain from where his head had cracked off the rocks on his second tumble down the hill. "The day really didn't turn out the way we'd thought, huh?"

"Good morning," he mumbled groggily, looking down at Jamie's lap when he felt too tired to keep his eyes open. Not a speck of dirt, flawless.

"Yea, it was a good morning," she agreed softly, leaning forward to press a kiss to his forehead. "You've got to get up now, Daryl. Can't stay lying around all day. You need to get that doll back to the others, Carol's gotta be missing Sophia so much."

Her voice faded out, the touch of her hands on his face, her lips on his forehead, disappearing as the darkness consumed him again. He almost didn't want to open his eyes, but he didn't want to lose her, either. He couldn't let her disappear. But as he fought to open his eyes again, it was not Jamie's face that greeted him.