-FuchsiaGrasshopper, omg I was wandering where the heck it went! but I'm glad you still got the reply! Thank you so much for sticking with Rose's story:)
-RebornRose1992, Thank you! :D Stick with it!
-VanillaKisses96, I'm really trying to get into some more action and suspense while still keeping the romantic part up in the air, just letting the reader's imagination run wild for a while;) hahah you've kept up with it from the start which is ahhhmazing!
-ZoeMuniz, hahaha I promise no real harm will be done to our man! (:
*****Alright y'all, I have a little switch up for this chapter, 'drum role please' it'll be from Daryl's point of view;) just so there's no confusion. Enjoy! & tell me what you think!****
The sound of the waterfall is doing its job of lulling me into sleep, but I force myself to stay awake, putting pressure on the wire that's cut deep into my ankle. The searing pain runs through my whole body, jolting me to life once again.
"Ahh, damn it." I say aloud, my voice echoing through out the cavernous space I had found myself in after swimming through a tiny opening full of water outside of the springs. Running from 10 or so walkers, more like hobbling after I got my leg caught in that damn snare.
-Rose. How the hell'd she know how to make 'em anyway? She's the only one who's been up here, couldn't have been anyone else.
Just as the thought went through my mind, I hear a sputtering and splashing of water. I stand as quickly as I can, grabbing my crossbow, but all my arrows are currently lodged in the skulls of some of the walkers that had forced me in this trap. I move closer to the wall, using it for support as the pain from my ankle continues to burn through me. That's when I see her, long black hair dripping water and tanned skin glistening, her clothes, soaked from the swim, hugging her lean body. I'm still hidden behind the wall, observing her as she steadies herself and begins to look around.
"Daryl?" She says quietly, those wild green eyes scanning every inch of the cavern.
I step away from the rough rock, exposing myself but still using it as a crutch. As her eyes meet mine, her whole body seems to sag in relief. She stands there for a moment longer, eyes examining me until she find my bleeding leg.
"Oh my god,"she sputters out, moving toward me quickly, "Sit down."
I do as I'm told, glad for the excuse to get off my leg for a minute. I had tried my best to get the wire embedded in my skin out, but I only seemed to make it worse. "You made that snare?" I ask, gritting my teeth as she cut away the lower half of my jeans aways and taking off my boot.
"Yeah," She replies, almost sounding guilty, "I have the woods littered with them, for huntin' and they've caught a few walkers from time to time." She pauses a moment before giving a small musical laugh and adding, "Looks like I caught something a little harder to handle this time." She looks up at me, grief in her eyes. "I'm so sorry Daryl, I should have warned you. How many were there?" She asked, going back to work on my ankle.
"Ughh," I grunt at the stinging pain of her small fingers searching for a starting point on the wire. "I guess about 10, give 'r take." I add, again grinding my teeth from the pain.
"How'd you find you're way here? Why not go back toward the fence?" She asks, curiosity in her voice.
"Wasn't gonna lead 'em back to the farm. You didn't find any out there, did you?" I was growing concerned now, hoping that none of the walkers had made their way back toward the farm.
"None, besides the ones you killed." This time I have to bite down on my shirt, growling as she uses a small, sharp nice to cut the wire. She pulls it out of my leg, slowly, trying to spare me from as much as pain as she could. The relief is almost instant as the irritation is removed, she sets the thin, bloody wire over to the side.
"Here, give me your arm." She says, looking me in eyes at first as she gently grabs my arm using the knife to cut my sleeve off. My heart always tended to beat a little faster when she looked at me like that, like she truly cared. I shake the feeling, moving my eyes off of her and begin studying the water fall. I feel her presence leave me as I look back to see her walking toward the edge of the water. She examines it for a moment before stepping back over the porous rock, and kneeling beside me again.
"Come on," She says, holding out a delicate hand, I watch her for a long moment before taking it feeling how strong she actually was as I use the wall behind me to aid her. When I finally make it to my feet, she moves to my side, placing my arm over her head,
"What are you doin'?" I spit out, giving her a questioning look.
"It's called helping you, jackass." She's spits right back, "Now shut up, we have to get the wound cleaned, unless you'd rather crawl?" She doesn't say anything more, instead starts to practically drag me across the 5 or 6 six feet to the water line, proceeding to drop me quickly. I land with a grunt, getting a devilish smirk from her. She cups both hands leaning down to the crystalline water, bringing it back to slowly trickle it over my still bleeding ankle. The cool water feels like heaven washing away the bloody mess, giving way to a deep cut.
I begin to take the cut off sleeve from the ground, but she grabs it before I do. "You know, I am capable of bindin' my own damn leg." I say bitterly.
"Look, I have to get it tight enough so it'll stick when we swim back though the inlet." She replies with a fiery glare. Sometimes I believe she saved that very look just for when she talks to me.
"Whatever." I give in, too tired to put up a fight with her brick wall personality, grunting as she ties up my ankle.
"That should do it." She says, giving the make shift bandage one last look over before glancing up to me, meeting my eyes. I can't help but to take in her exotic features again, her raven black hair now drying with a wave in it, green eyes burning with life, olive skin flushing with pink as she notices my observing.
"We need to get back." I say, looking back to the waterfall.
"Umm, yeah, Rick is probably freaking out." She says, concern taking over her features.
"Rick don't know you're in here?" I ask, moving to stand. She quickly moves to help me, once again I try to move away from her, not wanting her help, not wanting to look weak, but she's stubborn as a mule so I have no choice but to let her.
"No.. Hell, I didn't even know if those things actually led in here," She answers, once again letting guilt take over her musical voice. "I'm sure he found my bow and jacket, hopefully he's not worrying too much."
We make it back over to the small pool of water where the inlet runs. "Alright, you're gonna go first and I'll wait," she commands, taking my crossbow, getting a glare from me, "Easy there big boy, I'm gonna get it back to you, you need to worry about you getting through now." She finishes, giving me a reassuring look.
I give in to her once again, lowering myself down to the pool.
-Damn sissy, lettin' a girl boss you around like a old whipped dog. My mind mocking me in Merle's voice as I inhale deeply and giving Rose one last look before diving into the cool, clear water.