Song is "Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash.
setting: between episode 2 "Sick" and episode 4 "Killer Within"
Damnation
Chapter 18 - Folsom Prison Blues
two months ago...
They found their yelping and whimpering dog with a walker on top of him. They didn't know how the undead woman had managed to catch him, but she was hovering over the animal and was already eating him. The worst part was that Hannibal was still alive and seemed to go through pure agony as the undead monster kept ripping and grabbing on his open belly. For a moment both Connor and Daryl just stood there behind her, absolutely horrified by all the screams of their new furry friend. It was the hunter who finally managed to move and do something about it. He aimed his crossbow at the back of the woman's head and then pulled the trigger, making her fall over and on top of the wailing dog. The shot finally seemed to snap Connor out of it as well, as he suddenly fell to his knees next to the animal. He grabbed the walker by her filthy long black hair and pulled her away so he could take a look at the damage she had made, and a loud gasp escaped his mouth. It was just like the night they had found Dale. The animal, lying on the ground. Its belly ripped wide open with its guts hanging out.
"No no no no no" Connor exclaimed and tried to move the dog, but when he wailed in pain again he let go of him.
He could see the terrible and ugly wound and knew that it was too late. Daryl watched the whole scenario and felt a big lump in his throat. Not only because he had come to love the dog more and more with every night the animal decided to sleep next to him, but also because he felt sorry for Connor. He had been the one who had brought the dog, he had been the one who had saved him, fed him and called him his friend. And now he had lost another loved one to a walker. It was so unfair. He watched how his friend started stroking the bloodied white fur of their dog, then he could hear a loud sniff. Before he even got the chance to say something Connor suddenly got up and walked past him.
"I'm so fuckin sick of this shit" he growled and walked away.
"Connor.." Daryl called after him but the Irishman kept walking, leaving the hunter alone with the wailing and injured animal.
Daryl turned his head and looked at Hannibal, and when he saw the pain in his eyes he decided to end it.
He knelt down next to the dog and stroke his head as well, and even he was so upset that he almost teared up himself.
"I'm so sorry, buddy" he muttered and needed to choke a gentle sob when even now their furry friend would lick his hand.
There was blood on the dog's tongue and he kept whimpering and almost begging, and this made Daryl take his gun with a sigh.
"Maybe it's better that way" he went on, stroke the dog's head once more and then used the hand to cover the animal's eyes.
He then placed the gun on Hannibal's forehead, and after fighting tears for just another minute he finally pulled the trigger.
They buried the dog in the backyard of their firestation. They worked together on it without really speaking a word. Connor insisted that he wanted to dig the hole, and the way he held the shovel and stabbed the ground with it told Daryl that his friend was very angry, that he needed some space right now. The hunter was sitting on one of the plastic chairs they had found inside the garage and worked on a cross for the grave. It looked kind of cheap, considering that he used two of the many planks from the wooden fence that surrounded the yard. The younger of the two friends would look up every once in a while, hoping that maybe Connor was going to get better with each hour that passed. But the look on the Irishman's face wouldn't change. Daryl sighed and got up as soon as the cross was finished. He saw the bloody white bundle that lay next to the hole his friend was digging and decided that maybe it was his turn to talk.
"Y'know. Back when I was a kid, I found a dog, too" he said and could see that Connor was listening up.
"I was alone all the time. Cos my Dad kept drinking and left for weeks on end. Merle was nowhere in sight cos they'd locked him up again, and I had t'fend for myself."
There was silence for a while, and the hunter felt more and more uncomfortable. He still hated to talk about his past, but at the same time he just wanted to let his friend know that he could relate to how he was feeling right now.
"I was playin out in the woods when I found this little terrier. He'd run off, escaped some house down the neighbourhood. I took him home, fed him. Played with 'im. And..well this is gonna sound stupid, but I could relate to him. Poor bastard was covered in scars and cigarette burns."
Connor stopped digging and raised his head to look at his friend. Daryl shifted awkwardly and avoided direct eye contact, but he kept talking.
"Anyway. My dad came home about a week later and found 'im lying on his couch in the living room. I tried to explain it to him, but he went straight for his room, grabbed his hunting rifle and came back. Said there ain't no way he's gonna keep a flea-covered stinking little rug-muncher in our house. He forced me to shoot him dead."
The Irishman man stared at him with his intense blue eyes and shook his head.
"Fuck. How old were ye there?"
"Eight. But that ain't the point" Daryl answered but Connor was already getting back to digging the hole.
"I found out that that dog had run away from his old home because his owners had tried to drown him in their pool. He was gone just like that, and he found me instead."
The hunter put his hands in his pockets and looked at the bloody corpse of their dog which was lying to his feet now, with nothing but an old bed sheet covering him.
"I get that his death was fucked up. And I hate my father for what he's done. But that's not important. Cos I could give that dog one week of joy. I played with him. And he seemed to be so happy. He just wanted to have a friend. And just for one week he got that. He didn't have to drown and die a slow and painful death because of his abusive fucked up owners. There were no more cigarette burns and no more whipping. He had a great last week of his life."
Connor stopped digging again and looked at his friend once more. Daryl pressed his lips together and looked back at him, then he nodded at the corpse of the dog on the ground.
"That's just like that. Sometimes yah can't save them. Sometimes stupid circumstances make them die way before their time. But it's not about how they died, but about what kinda life they led before that. And I think that this one..you gave him a good couple of happy last months. You saved him from the walkers back then in that church. That's all that matters."
The two men stared at the dog for a moment and couldn't help but remember something else, because somehow this wasn't just about the dog anymore.
This whole story sounded way too familiar, because it reminded them of their own.
"When yah brought him with you I didn't want him cos he reminded me too much of that dog and what happened. I didn't want it to happen again.
But I'm glad I didn't make yah send him away again now."
Connor wiped the sweat off his forhead and then threw the shovel away with a gentle sigh. He was still upset because of the dog's death, but Daryl's words actually helped him a lot. He approached the edge of the grave and reached out.
"Okay. Hand him over."
It took them another thirty minutes to bury the dog, and once Daryl had put the cross into the ground both men just looked at it for a while. It was so strange to be alone again. Just the two of them, and walkers all around them in the neighborhood. And as they reflected on their loss and loneliness Daryl finally made the decision he had been thinking about for weeks now.
"I think we should go back to 'em."
now...
"What's taking them so long?!" Ace spat and kept pacing up and down the room.
The leader of the group looked at the body of the dead girl on the ground, then he looked up to face the other two members of his group.
FJ, the tallest and strongest of them all, shrugged.
"I don't know, brother. You know these two dumbasses. Always fighting over shit cos Jimbo ain't got no brains in his melon."
The other man, Henry, laughed but fell quiet when he saw the look on their leader's face. Daryl watched them through narrowed eyes, still trying to fight the zip tie, his hands bloody and numb. He prayed to god that Connor was still there, that he had killed the two men by now. No matter how angry he was, this idea was pleasing him so much that he couldn't fight the faint smile that broke through. Oh the things he was going to do to them as soon as Connor freed him..
Ace noticed the expression on his face and got closer to the hunter with an angry frown.
"What's so funny, you piece of shit?" he growled and got so close to Daryl's face that the hunter had to turn away.
He was furious and desperate, but even that couldn't keep him from laughing.
"Looks like your fellas went missin. World out there's dangerous, especially when yah all on your own.. " he said and Ace narrowed his eyes even more.
"'s there something you ain't telling us?"
Daryl chuckled and gave the man a death glare.
"Better go look for your little soldiers, don'tcha think?"
The leader of the gang gritted his teeth and struck out to punch the hunter. He was just about to hit him when all the lights in the room came back to life after flickering a couple of times. Ace, FJ and Henry looked up in surprise to stare at the flickering luster. Daryl was just as surprised. He turned his head to see what was going on outside. The outdoor lighting in the park had come back to life as well, revealing several walkers that were staggering around the woods and park behind the mansion. No matter how much he loved his friend for scaring the shit out of the gang right now, he didn't exactly want a herd of walkers to run in on them. Especially now that he was cuffed to a chair and his crossbow and knife were gone. Ace finally punched him in the face and pressed his knife to Daryl's throat.
"Who came with you?"
Daryl chuckled again, now that he saw how surprised and scared they were.
"You're gonna bite the dust soon. Just like yer two little faggy friends. Go on. Have a look yourself. I bet they're lying on the kitchen floor right now, with bullets in their heads."
Ace growled and wrapped his free hand around the hunter's throat to strangle him.
"How many are there?" he growled and strangled Daryl a little while longer, until the hunter started kicking and fighting for air.
When Ace finally let go their prisoner started coughing and gasping.
"How many?!" the leader of the gang spat and Daryl smirked.
"Just one. Ain't gonna take more for yah hicks."
The leader of the group snorted and got back up to look at the other two men. "Just one he says" he repeated and grinned. The others took it as signal that they were supposed to laugh, so they did. They startled when a radio started playing somewhere on the floor above them, making the ceiling vibrate with every beat.
"I hear the train a comin'. It's rollin' 'round the bend, And I ain't seen the sunshine, Since, I don't know when, I'm stuck in Folsom Prison..."
"He's upstairs!" Henry yelled and stared at the ceiling. Ace, FJ and Daryl did the same. Especially the hunter was confused. What the fuck was Connor playing at? Could he be any more obvious? Did he really think they were stupid enough to go upstairs? The trap was so obvious that it was just plain stupid. A gentle bang behind Daryl made them all turn around. They could see that the walkers in the park were getting attracted by the noise the radio was making. They were slowly staggering in their direction and started banging on the windows behind them. Ace cursed.
"Fucker's drawing them all to us!" he growled and looked at his group.
"Henry, you come with me. We're gonna hunt this asshole down. And we gotta turn this fucking thing off. I don't want any more biters here. FJ, you stay, keep an eye on our meat."
"When I was just a baby, My Mama told me, 'Son, Always be a good boy, Don't ever play with guns,' But I shot a man in Reno, Just to watch him die..."
Daryl snorted and shook his head. Dramatic fucker.
FJ looked at his prisoner and aimed one of the group's shotguns at him as soon as Ace and Henry had left the room to go and hunt down Connor.
"Won't be laughing for too long now, sunny. I know Ace, 's got something nice waitin for yah friend. One time he made this one guy eat his buddy.." the man said and grinned.
Daryl shrugged and looked at the man opposite him, obviously not feeling threatened at all.
"Yeah, and I know my buddy. Yer not the first bunch of sickos he's killed. We got some special treatment for yah as well."
FJ chuckled.
"Ace's right. You got some balls for someone who's just about to get eaten."
He checked his shotgun and approached Daryl with a grin.
"How 'bout we have some fun in the meantime?"
The hunter gave him a death glare and watched him come closer.
"Fuck off or I swear.."
FJ laughed and reached for his knife.
"Come on, don't be so shy, blanket."
Daryl tried to move out of his way, but it was impossible for him to move the chair.
"Fuck off!" he yelled once more and FJ grinned.
"Let's just..."
He was interrupted mid sentence when an arrow hit the back of his head and traveled all the way through his brain, exiting his skull through his forehead. The man widened his eyes in shock and fell to his knees. He was dead before he even hit the ground. Daryl gasped and looked at the dead body to his feet. When he looked back up he could see Connor standing there by the door, his crossbow pointed right at him. The hunter struggled impatiently.
"It's 'bout fuckin time!" he growled and Connor rushed to help him.
"Didn't I tell yah t'keep yer mits off my crossbow?!" Daryl complained even more and Connor hushed him angrily.
"Fuckin be quiet. They're gonna be here any minute now" he whispered and cut the zip tie.
Daryl let out a sigh of relief and grabbed his aching wrists. Connor cut the ropes that tied the hunter to the legs of the chair and turned around again to see if the remaining members of the gang were back yet. He turned his head to look at Daryl and gave him his crossbow back.
"I killed the baldhead and the one with the tattoo. Big boss and metalhead went upstairs."
Both men looked up at the ceiling when they heard how the radio was switched off.
Daryl nodded and went to get the arrow that was still stuck in FJ's head.
"Plan?"
Connor quickly reloaded his gun and looked at the door once more.
"We can't stay here fer t'long. Walkers are on their way here. But we gotta kill those motherfuckers before we leave."
Daryl put a new arrow in his crossbow and nodded.
"Gonna do more than that" he growled and looked at Connor.
"Okay. You go and hide right by that door. 'm gonna stay right here. Put an arrow through metalhead's brains as soon as they enter. Yer gonna knock big boss out.
Don't kill 'im. I got my plans for that fucker."
Connor nodded and positioned himself by the door. For a couple of minutes they remained completely silent and just listened. They could hear some of the walkers banging on the doors and windows that were facing the park, and when the Irishman looked to the ground he could see the mutilated body of the little girl again. Why the fuck didn't I come here earlier? he thought and shook his head angrily. Those bastards were going to pay for that. After a couple of minutes of just waiting patiently they could hear the other two men coming back. Connor turned his head and looked at Daryl for a second, putting a finger on his lips and nodding. Daryl nodded back and adjusted his crossbow, whereas the Irishman grabbed his gun tighter.
"FJ! Fucker was right! Jimbo and Zach are dead! This motherfucker! Let's kill the redneck. Spill his guts all over the floor in the hall so that asshole can see what we're capable of! No one kills my boys!" Ace yelled and they could hear how something was knocked over in the hall. When Ace and Henry finally entered the common room both widened their eyes in surprise and grabbed their guns, but Daryl and Connor were faster. The hunter took aim and shot Henry in the head, and Connor darted forward and knocked Ace out with a brutal blow to the back of his head. Daryl threw his crossbow over his shoulder and approached the two men on the ground to get his arrow back. Connor sighed and wiped the sweat off his forehead.
"Well, that was easier than I thought" he murmured and grabbed Ace by his feet to drag him to the chair they had used to keep Daryl tied up before. The hunter moved and helped his friend after a moment, and together they placed the unconscious man on the chair, using anything they could find to tie him up. Connor was busy tying the man's feet to the chair when he saw the cuts on Daryl's arms.
"Yer alright?" he murmured and Daryl just grunted as an answer, wrapping the rope even tighter around their prisoners wrists.
The Irishman got back up and eyed the walkers outside.
"We ain't got much time" he observed and looked at his friend.
"What d'ye wanna do with him?" he asked and pointed at unconscious Ace. Daryl just stared at the man.
"We're gonna kill him" he said determinedly and Connor nodded.
"Aye. 'f course" he murmured and looked at the dead girl again. Daryl did the same.
"We gotta wait for 'im t'wake up. There's some shit I gotta do" the hunter said and looked at his friend, who looked back at him and nodded.
"When 'm done we're gonna kill him yer way" Daryl went on and Connor frowned.
"My way?"
The hunter nodded.
"Yeah. I want yah t'do yer whole package this time. We gotta let it...sink in."
Connor just looked at his friend for a while. He didn't get why Daryl would want him to do that all of a sudden. He was confused, but nodded in the end.
"Okay."
They woke their prisoner up by pouring water over his head. Ace gasped loudly and blinked a few times, searching the room in horror.
He fixed his eyes on Daryl, who was standing right in front of him and gave him a death glare. The hunter leaned forward and stared at the man.
"Morning, blanket" Daryl growled and Ace narrowed his eyes. When he saw who was lying on the ground behind Daryl he started cursing and kicking.
"No! You motherfuckers! My brother! You killed my brother, my group!"
He yelped when Connor, who was standing right behind him, grabbed him by his hair and yanked his head back.
The Irishman forced him to look at the dead girl on the ground.
"Ye killed this little girl. She was innocent and you scumbags raped 'n killed her. Ye don't get t'complain" he growled and shoved the man's head away.
Ace just started laughing.
"And I enjoyed every minute of it, mick"
Daryl snapped and punched the man right in the face. Ace growled and spit a teeth out, then he started laughing again.
"What? I saw the look on your face, blanket. Yah seemed t'enjoy it, too. Yah should've heard 'em, mick. How she was screaming all the way through it...fuckin beautiful" he laughed and Daryl punched him once more. Connor grabbed the man by his hair again and looked him in the eye.
"Yer gonna pay fer this in hell you sick fuck. 'm gonna make sure of that."
Ace just laughed once more.
"'m gonna greet yer bitch mother when 'm there. Maybe have some fun with her as well. Should be one hell of a ride."
Connor growled and let go of the man, trying his hardest not to grab his knife and cut Ace's throat.
"Shut up" Daryl demanded and Ace grinned at him.
"Did yah enjoy our show, blanket? Sure as hell look like the kinda guy who likes little bitches.." the last remaining member of the gang chuckled and Daryl gave him a death glare. For a couple of seconds Connor watched how the two men glared at each other. Then, without a warning, Daryl moved faster than lightning, grabbed his knife and stabbed their prisoner right between his legs. Ace started screaming and wailing in pain and Connor moved a few inches, reaching out to stop Daryl. Then he saw the little girl on the ground again, how broken and battered she was, what those bastards had done to her. He remembered her screams and looked at Daryl, who was giving him a death glare. The Irishman pressed his lips together and withdrew again, watching how his friend started mutilating their prisoner.
Ace's screams got louder and more insane with every second that passed, and when the Irishman finally realized how sick and wrong the whole thing really was it was already over. Daryl had used his knife like a barbarian butcher, cutting off Ace's manhood with an unreadable expression on his face. When he finally withdrew with a bloody mess in his hands and got back up to his feet he started stuffing the remains in Ace's mouth. The prisoner was still screaming and struggling in pure agony and disgust, but Daryl eventually took control over him. He made sure that every last piece was stuck in the leader's mouth, then he grabbed the man's bandana and used it as a gag to keep everything in. The hunter wiped his bloody hands and walked around the crying prisoner. Without asking he reached for Connor's leg holster to get the gun that was still stuck in there, then he walked back to Ace. He placed the gun on the back of his head and looked at his friend, waiting for him to come over as well.
"Do it" he demanded and Connor looked at the bloody mess in front of him.
"Come on, we ain't got all day!" the hunter spat and Connor sighed, taking his gun and placing himself right next to Daryl.
The hunter nodded and undid the safety of his gun.
"Say your stuff and let it sink in."
The Irishman just looked at his friend a little while longer, trying to understand him, trying to see anything right in what had just happened. In the end he knew that he wasn't innocent at all here. He had kind of known that Daryl had been planning on doing something like this. Connor took a deep breath and placed his gun right next to the one Daryl was holding. They could still hear Ace crying and wailing in agony, and he knew that he needed to end it now. Everything else was just torture, and he hated torture. He pulled both his rosaries out and looked at the back of the man's head.
"And shepherds we shall be, for thee my lord, for thee.."
It was strange to say the words all on his own, now that there was a man standing right next to him who looked like Murphy. Murphy, who was supposed to be with him here right now. Murphy, who knew the prayer. Murphy, whose gun he was holding now.
"Power hath descended forth from thy hand, our feet may swiftly carry out thy command."
Daryl just stood there and listened. Although he didn't really know the prayer, he knew when he was supposed to pull the trigger. He had never been a fan of Connor's stupid work, his beliefs, his prayers, but right now he just wanted that man in front of him to suffer. He knew that he would only get his friend to let their prisoner suffer by getting him to waste more time on saying his prayer. So he stood there and waited, wanting these last couple of seconds to be the most horrible seconds of the man's life.
"So we shall flow a river forth to thee, and teeming with souls shall it ever be. In Nomine Patris et Filii..."
Connor nudged Daryl to let him know that they were about to pull the trigger.
"Et Spiritus Sancti."
They took the body of the little girl with them when they fled the mansion that was slowly being overrun by walkers. It had been Connor's idea, or more like he had just taken her with him. Daryl eventually got the crutches back, they had come to this dreadful place because of them after all. They thanked god that they had parked their car right in front of the door, and before they could even really process what had happened they were back on the road again. Daryl was the one driving the Hyundai away at full speed, and soon the Woods mansion disappeared in their rearview mirror. They had been driving for about half an hour when Connor shifted in his seat. Neither of them had said a single word, but then something caught the Irishman's attention.
"Pull over. Right there" he said and pointed at a junction in front of them. Daryl frowned and looked at his friend.
"What? That ain't the way back t'the prison."
Connor glared at him and nodded.
"I fuckin know. Just, pull over."
Daryl frowned, but then he saw it, too. There was a small church by the side of the road just outside the village they had just passed.
"Really?" the hunter growled, but did as he was told.
Connor nodded and looked in the rearview mirror, where he could see the body of the girl lying there on the backseat, covered with a blanket.
"Aye, really."
The sun was already rising again when they were finally done with the grave. Connor had chosen a small hill close to the church, right in the middle of a meadow. Now that the sun was up again even Daryl had to admit that the place was beautiful, especially now that there were hardly any walkers out in the open. The Irishman was still inside the hole, digging just a little bit more while Daryl carried the body of the girl over to the place that would soon be her grave. No matter how much he had complained about it at first, how much he had wanted to just get back to the prison, now he was glad that they had taken her with them. He knew that his friend was right. After everything the girl had been through, after everything he had seen, it was the right thing to give her some sort of peace.
Connor threw the shovel out of the grave and walked over to the end of the hole, reaching up so Daryl could hand the body over. The hunter knelt down and handed him the little girl. He watched how the Irishman put her in the hole, and it was rather grotesque to see how gentle he could be after all the people he had killed today. The blonde put the girl in her grave and crossed her fragile arms over her chest, then he stroke her bloody hair out of her face, got back up and crossed himself, murmuring a quick prayer while doing so. Connor turned around and reached out for Daryl, and after hesitating for a second the hunter pulled him back up and out of the grave. He winced when the cuts on his wrists hurt because of the strain, but when Connor wanted to say something he was already heading for the shovel.
"'m gonna bury her" he growled and started putting the dirt back in the hole.
The Irishman put his hands in his pockets and watched his friend for a bit, then he turned his head and looked at the church to his right.
He sighed and turned around to start walking.
"Be back in a minute" he murmured and headed for the church. Daryl got up and eyed him with a frown.
"Where the fuck are yah going now?" he shouted after him, and when Connor just pointed at the church he rolled his eyes angrily.
"Fuckin moron. Probably getting us killed. Again" he growled and kept digging, hurrying up just a little bit more so neither of them would be alone for too long after everything that had happened last night.
"Forgive me father, fer I have sinned. I don't know how many days it's been since my last confession."
Connor looked at the cross in front of him. He didn't really remember the last time he had been kneeling in front of an altar like that.
He had been repeating his prayers over and over again, but even that wouldn't take the guilt away.
"I killed four men taday" he went on and closed his eyes again.
"They raped and killed an innocent girl 'n threatened my friend" he murmured and shook his head. Just thinking about it made him angry again.
"I watched how he tortured a man and didn't do anything about it. I wanted that evil bastard to suffer."
He took a deep breath and swallowed hard.
"I just stood there and watched. Just like I did in Boston."
Connor didn't want to remember all the things he had done wrong ever since the apocalypse had happened.
He stared at the cross again, and he was surprised when he realized that he was really worried.
"'m heading down a dangerous path, father. Because Murph..."
He startled when he could hear the creaking of the door behind him and fell quiet, knowing that it was Daryl.
The hunter stopped walking when he saw Connor in front of the altar, staring at the cross in front of him. He had heard his friend talking, but as soon as he had entered the church Connor fell quiet. Daryl didn't really want to disturb his friend's prayers, now that he knew that they were still very important to him, but in the end he knew that they needed to keep moving. The group was probably waiting for them by now, maybe they were worried and had gone looking for them already. The sooner they got back to the prison the better. Just for a second he had to stop, though. He watched how Connor prayed quietly and couldn't help but remember.
He remembered that day all too clearly, when they had found the Irishman in a church almost a year ago, all skin and bones and filthy and depressed. Christ, how much shit had happened ever since that day. How much the Irishman had changed since that day, how much he had changed him. Daryl still thought that Connor's whole praying and believing stuff was bullshit, but he also knew that they never would have crossed paths if it weren't for churches and praying. So he just watched his friend for a bit, remembering that day, and no matter how pissed and frustrated and confused he was right now, he still couldn't help but feel glad and relieved that the Irishman was still with him, that he had met him in the first place. Daryl waited patiently, and Connor got up eventually. The Irishman got up and crossed himself, and when he kissed the feet of the Christ statue Daryl rolled his eyes. He wouldn't say anything when Connor came back and nudged his chest with a gentle "Let's go."
The hunter just looked at the Christ statue a little while longer, judging him. If you really are there, then what kinda sick fuck are you bastard. Why would you let any of that shit happen he thought and shook his head angrily. Yeah, he still didn't get why Connor would believe in someone as twisted and cold as this so called god. Daryl didn't wait for an answer or an epiphany, he turned around and followed his friend back outside instead.
"Do ye wanna talk?"
Daryl just stared at the road in front of him. The sun was shining again, they were on their way back to the prison.
Connor was driving this time, looking at his friend every now and then to make sure he was alright.
The hunter snorted tiredly and looked out of the window to his right.
"Fuck you, I ain't such a cryin wuss like yah who needs t'talk 'bout his whiny feelings all the time" he growled and was surprised when Connor wouldn't say anything to that. When the hunter finally turned his head to look at his friend he saw the Irishman looking at the road in front of him. There was no stupid grin on his face, no silly jokes or insults would come. Daryl sighed and looked at the road as well.
"Guess I was wrong last year" he murmured after a while and Connor frowned.
"'bout what?"
The hunter shrugged.
"Maybe yah got all the sneaking and hunting in yah after all."
Connor smirked.
"Aye, 'f course. Took out three of those fuckers. All on me own."
Daryl rolled his eyes.
"Stop bragging about and let me finish, dumbass."
The Irishman chuckled.
"Thanks for saving my ass back there. They could've killed you if it weren't for you sneaking up on them like that" the hunter murmured and looked at him.
Connor smirked even more.
"Well, I learned from the best."
Daryl turned his head away and didn't say anything for a while. They were driving through the woods when he finally nodded. "Yeah" Connor heard the hunter say then. Daryl wouldn't say anything after that, neither would he look at him. The Irishman sighed and looked back at the road.
"Besides, you saved my ass plenty 'f times. Bout time I saved yers fer once" he answered and the other man snorted.
"Yeah, except that I wouldn't have needed no rescue if it weren't for yah stupid crutches and plans all the time."
Connor stared straight at the road and swallowed hard.
"Aye. Sorry 'bout that."
There was silence for a while until Connor let out a gentle sigh.
"Remember Hannibal and what ye said ta me that day we couldn't save him and had ta bury him?" he asked and Daryl just looked at him without saying anything. Connor grabbed the steering wheel a bit tighter and kept turning his head so he could look at both the road and his friend.
"Maybe that's just like that. I get that yer upset because of the girl, but you tried yer best. Maybe we sh.."
"It was a girl, not a fucking dog. Now shut up and drive. I told yah I ain't gonna talk about it" Daryl interrupted his friend and turned his head to ignore him.