DISCLAIMER: I do not own any part of The Walking Dead. This is for entertainment purposes only.
A/N: This chapter might be a bit depressing. But hopefully towards the end it'll lighten up.
Better In Time.
When Daryl heard someone yelling out, he definitely didn't expect to come across Dale being ripped apart by a walker. Once the scene was in sight and displayed in front of him, he ran as fast as he could. But of course it wasn't fast enough. The only thing Daryl could do was tackle the decaying form from off of Dale and drive his hunting knife into its skull.
By the time he looked back at Dale, he felt sick. He didn't know what to do—there was nothing he could do. Before he knew it he was screaming for help. And it didn't take long for the others to come running.
"Oh, my God—Dale—" Andrea immediately fell to her knees at his side.
"No!—" Rick cursed under his breath. "Hershel—we need Hershel!"
But Hershel was right there at everyone's side without missing a beat. Daryl caught the grim look on his face as he stared down at Dale, his stomach completely ripped open. Daryl wished he could be more positive on the subject but he knew Dale was a goner. There was no coming back from that. It may not have even been plausible prior to the outbreak.
"Rick," Hershel shook his head.
"We can move him. You have to—you have to help him," Rick kept trying.
"He won't make it…" Hershel commented.
"No, no!" Rick ran his hands through his hair. The man was on the verge of tears, as well as the rest of the group. Some had already begun to cry.
"He's suffering…" Andrea frowned.
"Oh, Dale—" Amy cried. She hugged her sister as they stayed on the ground next to him.
Daryl sought out Leah and Skyler. Skyler had Leah hugged to her, both of them silently crying. Daryl watched as Rick pulled the Colt Python revolver from its holster on his side. He raised the gun to take the shot to end Dale's pain, to end Dale's life. But Daryl could see him falter—he couldn't do it. He didn't have it in him. That's when Daryl stepped up. Shane couldn't end Dale's life. It didn't seem right. Dale deserved better than that.
Daryl walked over to Rick and slowly took the gun from his grasp. Rick looked at him and Daryl gave him a prompt nod. He got down on one knee and looked Dale in the eyes one last time. He had to do this though. He couldn't back out, he couldn't let Dale suffer. Daryl respected the old man. He might have had his opinions about everything but at least he stood by them. And he never once opened his mouth about Daryl back that first night at the quarry, and Dale never mentioned it again to Daryl.
This was something Daryl would want if he were in Dale's place and he'd respect anyone who could do it. Dale didn't deserve any of this.
"Sorry, brother." Daryl raised the gun to Dale's head and pulled the trigger.
When Leah finally registered what had happened, her eyes searched for Carl. The walker that was now lying dead next to Dale had been the same exact walker they had come across earlier that day in the woods. Carl stared back at Leah for a moment before he turned back to his mom and cried. This was their fault. Dale's death was their fault.
Leah just barely managed to watch Daryl take the gun from Rick and shoot Dale in the head. The only thing she could do was bury herself into Skyler and cry. She didn't want to be there. Dale was the first death by a walker that she had encountered. Scratch that—Dale was the first death that she had encountered, period. All she could think about was that walker and how Carl had come so close to shooting it but didn't. This was their fault. She regretted even going on that walk with Carl now.
Skyler walked her back to their tent and they crawled in together. Daryl didn't return with them. Instead, he stayed with the rest of the guys and already started to work on digging a grave for Dale. It didn't seem right to just leave his exposed body out like that and the group decided to go ahead and bury him. Leah certainly didn't want to watch and neither did Skyler. And even though Leah was tired before all of this, she was wide awake now.
Her thoughts nagged her. If they would have stayed at the campsite, would that walker have still been there in the mud? Would it have gone a different direction if and when it did get out? Had they given that walker the direction back to camp? What if Dale hadn't been there—what if he was with everyone else? Would that walker have gotten Daryl?
Leah tried to shake the thoughts. As much as she hated to think it, she was glad it was Dale over Daryl. She couldn't lose Daryl, even though she was pretty sure that walker would have never been able to sneak up on him.
It felt like hours passed as Leah laid there in the tent, her eyes focused on the still blackness of the night, waiting. She could hear footsteps just outside the tent and that was all it took before she was on her feet and leaping out into the cool night air.
She threw her arms around Daryl and hugged him tight, the tears starting back up again as she buried her face into his shirt. He felt cool to the touch from the temperature drop even though he smelled like a mixture of sweat and earthy undertones from digging.
Daryl didn't say a word. Leah figured there wasn't much to say. She couldn't think up any words at the moment. She wasn't even sure she could force any words out of her mouth if she tried.
The longer she stood there hugging onto Daryl, his arms around her in return, the better she slowly began to feel. It didn't erase the thoughts from her mind but knowing he was there was comforting, as well as the warmth of his hug in general. Leah knew she had to pull herself together as it was a work in progress. Her crying had settled down compared to what it had been. A slight breeze blew through, giving her goose bumps as she shivered slightly.
And Daryl still didn't say a word as he slowly released her and took his arms back, guiding her into the tent. Skyler was still awake and she forced a weak smile at them once they entered. Leah settled down between the two of them as usual and curled up into a ball.
Even though she was twelve, she wanted her mom more than anything in that moment.
Hardly anyone said a word the next morning after the funeral service for Dale. The atmosphere was completely dreary and there was still a bit of a cold nip to the air. Everyone just sat around unsure of what to do. It was only obvious a walker coming into camp was going to happen eventually—they had let their guard down. Hershel's farm felt safe and they had been more preoccupied with Randall then they had been with walkers.
Daryl just preferred to stay away from everybody. He wasn't one to deal well with emotions and therefore, he avoided them all together when he could. Seeing the group mope and cry was a little unnerving for him. He just wanted his space. Dale was a good man and he certainly didn't deserve to go like that.
"Daryl…? Cant I talk to you?" Leah was walking towards him now. She was wearing one of his long sleeve shirts to keep the cool breeze at bay, though it was big on her. She had her stare fixed at the ground and watched her feet with each step. Daryl didn't have to be a biological father to pick up on her sadness.
"Of course," Daryl replied. He was about to ask her what was wrong but figured that wasn't the right thing to say. She looked upset since last night and figured this all had to do with Dale.
"I—I went on a walk yesterday. With Carl. And we went into the woods…" Leah began. She still avoided looking at Daryl as she continued, "He took the gun from your bike. And we—we ran into a walker…"
"The walker that killed Dale?" It was the first thing to come out of Daryl's mouth but not his initial thought. He was just able to bite his tongue and hold back from yelling at her for being reckless.
Leah nodded, "We were going to kill it, but we didn't. We left it there. And it—it came here. And—"
"It's not your fault," Daryl stopped her.
"But we probably led it here—"
Daryl shook his head, "Walkers are gonna roam around aimlessly. It just wound up here by chance." He could understand why she was feeling guilty—Daryl had been there plenty of times. But he knew the guilt would eat her alive. She didn't need that looming over her head.
"You're not… mad?" Leah wiped under her eyes before the tears could fall. Had she expected him to be mad at her?
"I'm a little upset that ya took off without telling me. But I am glad that you came to me about it now." Daryl paused, "And it sounds like I'm gonna have a word with Carl after this is all said and done."
"It's not his fault—" Leah blurted. "Really. It was his idea but he didn't force me to go with him or anything. It was my decision to follow."
"Ya afraid I'm gonna embarrass your boyfriend?" Daryl raised an eyebrow. As much as he didn't want to think about that, he figured it was the one sure fire way to get a smile on Leah's face—which it did. And her cheeks turned bright red.
"He's not my boyfriend," Leah mumbled.
Daryl spotted Carl sitting by himself on the Greene's front porch steps. He was picking at the grass and throwing the green strands back on the ground into a pile. The boy's head shot up to catch Daryl walking towards him and as soon as he realized Daryl was staring at him, his eyes grew wide.
"I'm not here to yell at ya. That's your parent's job," Daryl started. He sighed as he sat down next to Carl on the front steps. They had a perfect view of everyone over at their little camp.
"So Leah told you?" Carl asked.
"Yeah, she did." Daryl leaned back on his hands and glanced over at Rick's son. He could tell the kid had grown up quite a bit even since the quarry, and that seemed like it was hardly any time at all. And for some reason, that made him realize how fast Leah was growing up too.
"I don't know what she told you, but it was my fault. Not hers. I found a gun on your bike and I took it. We came across a walker and I was going to shoot it but I got scared… The same walker that killed Dale," Carl confessed.
"Look, I'm gonna tell ya the same thing I told Leah. It's not your fault, you can't think that. It'll only wear ya down." Daryl continued, "You're still a kid. Keep your chin up."
Carl smiled faintly. At least that was a good sign.
"Is that the only reason you're sitting over here by yourself?" Daryl questioned.
Carl glanced over at him a moment before switching his gaze back out at the camp, sighing. "My mom and dad are arguing a lot. It was bad before all of this—the walkers. And I don't know what to do."
"Your folks are just stressed is all. Go easy on 'em. Things will all work out in the end… And if they don't, then it's not the end," Daryl shrugged.
Carl slowly nodded, "Yeah… I guess."
"Hey, Carl. Can you come here for a minute?" Rick called out to his son, halfway between them and the group. Carl immediately looked back at Daryl.
"Why don't you go see what your old man wants."
"You're not gonna tell my dad, are you?" Carl's voice sounded a little panicked. Daryl couldn't help but feel a stab of pain in that, like the harsh memories of his own childhood coming back to bite him.
"Nah, it's between you and me. You can tell him whatever you want. You're okay and that's the main thing, right?"
"Yeah. Thanks." Carl forced a small smile before he hopped up to his feet.
"And hey, Carl?" Daryl caught his attention before he went back with Rick. "If you're gonna be hanging around Leah, you mind trying to be a good influence on her for once?"
Carl's face turned red and he quickly nodded, "Yeah. No more trouble."
"Good, let's keep it that way."