When Hunters Become the Hunted
Chapter 18
No Tears
A light warmth seemed to radiate against his skin as he stirred, a groan escaping him. He could feel pressure against his head, the tightness of his shirt gone as he laid there. Scrunching up his nose, Daryl finally opened up his eyes, blinking slightly as he tried to get his vision focused. Once he had it in place, he found something strange to his left.
Laying there was a mop of dark hair, the strands acting as a curtain hiding the face. He just barely made out what would be pale pink lips, the skin chapped from the dryness of the Georgian air. Blinking, he found her head cradled in her arms, her left hand holding loosely at his own. Daryl's brows furrowed as he slowly pulled his hand free, wincing as his muscles tensed. Reaching out, a small bit of guilt filled him. Brushing the hair from her face, he revealed Celeste's peaceful form. Daryl was somewhat surprised that she'd fallen asleep beside the bed. No doubt she'd be stiff when she awoke, a kink in her neck no less. That wasn't what really got to him though, it was the fact that she'd been the one to stay with him.
Looking down, he found that his shirt was missing, quickly pulling the sheet up over his chest. Unfortunately, his movement caused her to stir, a groan escaping her as she slowly opened her eyes. She looked at him for a moment, her mind in a haze, before reality seemed to smack her in the face.
"Daryl?" she nearly choked out, pupils dilating. "Daryl," she cried, lunging forward and wrapping her arms around him.
Daryl found himself in shock as she did this, the sheet forgotten as he slowly wrapped his arms around her. As they sat there, he felt a wetness on his skin, brows furrowing as he carefully pulled her back a few inches. There were tears in her eyes, lips twitching slightly as she looked up at him. Daryl was hesitant as he reached his hand forward, his mind telling him to back away. He pushed that down though as he placed a hand on her cheek, swallowing thickly. Her lip seemed to quiver more as he wiped her eyes with the pad of his thumb, watching her close her eyes momentarily closing as she seemed to soak in the warmth of his calloused hand. He'd never had anyone that seemed to enjoy his touch the way that she did.
"I thought..." she started, stopping as she grabbed his hand, keeping it held against her cheek. "What would I have told Kenzie?" Celeste asked, trying to rid herself of the terrible thoughts that were going through her head.
It only seemed to bring more tears to her eyes though as she remembered the image of Rick and Shane dragging him back toward the farmhouse. She could have sworn that her heart had stopped at that moment, a fear that she couldn't explain riding up inside of her.
"Hey now," Daryl started, chewing on his lower lip. "No tears."
Upon hearing him say that, she seemed to grow angry, smacking her hand against his chest.
"You stupid, stupid, moron!" she cried, smacking him again.
He felt himself wince, flinching away from her slightly as the muscles in his abdomen tightened.
"I told you not to," she shuddered. "I told you."
Her head was down now, lowered as she shook.
"Don't ever scare me like that again," she almost hissed, quivering slightly.
Slowly, Daryl seemed to put things together in his head, frowning before taking hold of her and pulling her back against his chest. He held her tightly as tears started to fall again. Even more so, they were tears that were being shed for him. She'd actually been worried for him, something that most people didn't feel when it came to him. She'd actually been scared, scared to the point of tears, and that wasn't something that he would soon forget.
T
As the rest of the day wore on, so came the evening. It had been Carol that had brought food up for Daryl, the plate steaming hot. She had knocked to start, waiting, but received no answer. Carefully pushing open the door, she made her way inside. She was met with a surprise when she'd found Celeste in bed with Daryl. Both were asleep and obviously overwhelmed by fatigue. Celeste was laid out on top of the sheets, while Daryl lay covered, eyes closed with Celeste's head resting on his arm like a pillow. The woman's hair was splayed out around her, some of it covering her eyes. Carol's eyes softened as she took in the sight. Celeste had been devastated when they brought Daryl back. The connection that the two seemed to share was heartwarming, yet half the time, neither seemed to take notice of it. She had to admit that she was a little jealous of the younger woman. She had a man that was strong and decent, someone that tried to look after her and treated her right. She hadn't had that with Ed. Carol believed that before long, something would likely come about with the two of them.
It was with a heavy heart, Carol made her way over to the younger woman's side, setting the tray down on the nightstand before lightly shaking her shoulder. She was hoping not to wake Daryl, whispering quietly for Celeste to wake up. Her answer was a faint groan, the girl's eyes slowly fluttering open as she turned.
"Wha...?" she groaned out sleepily, turning toward Carol.
The older woman merely smiled, holding up a finger to be quiet. Furrowing her brows Celeste looked around, turning over onto her back. Once she realized how close she was to Daryl, she felt her cheeks heat up slightly. She was laying in bed with Daryl, Carol in front of her.
"Oh my..." Celeste gasped in embarrassment.
Her face heated up even further as she carefully pushed herself up off of the bed, swinging her legs over the side and standing. She hadn't planned on having anyone see her like that, much less Carol.
"I didn't do anything, I swear," she said, trying to explain herself.
Carol merely smiled, a small laugh escaping her.
"It's alright," she assured her. "Just make sure he doesn't pop his stitches," she said, making Celeste's face go even redder.
Within a second, Celeste was out of the room and headed outside in the direction of her tent, the poor girl not even bothering to grab any food.
T
Once outside, the light breeze in the air became a welcomed relief, its gentle touch cooling Celeste's skin as she fought the heat that had found its way into her face. Slowly, she took in a deep breath, letting it out as she closed her eyes. She hadn't really expected to fall asleep next to Daryl. It had been a peaceful sleep if she was honest, but not exactly the most dignified thing for someone to walk in on.
"Dignified," she breathed out, a faint laugh breaking loose a moment later.
In all honesty, she'd never really cared what people thought of her. Which was strange, considering she'd been finding herself slowly reexamining herself lately. She remembered when Daryl had come to see her after she'd finished up in the shower. She'd been staring at herself in the mirror, her cheeks slightly sunken in compared to what they used to be. She'd taken notice of her torso, fingers trailing over her skin. Her ribs were peeking through her skin and her breasts had gotten slightly smaller. Despite it all, she still wasn't used to seeing herself in such a way. She vaguely wondered what Daryl thought about it all.
Pausing, Celeste bit her lip. He'd seen her nearly bare skin. He'd seen the shape of her body and yet he'd tried to avoid looking. After a moment, she laughed. She must not look too bad if she was still able to grab his attention. She could still remember the look on his face as he'd tried to keep his eyes level, a bit of red boiling to the surface of his cheeks. It was the oddest thing, the redneck turning red. Again, she laughed, placing a hand to her mouth as she tried to stifle it. Perhaps there was hope yet.
"How's he doing?"
Celeste jumped at the sound of the voice, turning her head to the right as she found the old doctor sitting back in one of the wooden rocking chairs on the porch.
"Hershel," she stammered, swallowing as she pushed herself to stand straighter.
"My apologies for startling you dear," he said, bowing his head slightly for a moment as he gestured for her to sit with him in the chair next to him.
Slowly, she came to sit beside him, hands in her lap. She hadn't expected him to be sitting outside, much less catching her in an odd fit of laughter. She must have looked like a fool.
"I wasn't paying attention," she muttered, scratching lightly at the base of her wrist.
Hershel seemed to ignore the comment, looking out at the fields of his property. He seemed content in a way, merely sitting and staring out at the landscape. How many times had he done just that? Merely sitting there and staring out at the world?
"He ever wake up, that boy of yours?" he inquired once more.
For a moment, she felt her face heat up at his comment. She didn't know if he was teasing her with it or just making simple conversation. After all, Daryl didn't belong to her. Yes, they were close, friends even, but he wasn't hers.
"He woke up for a bit, yes," Celeste said, leaning back and closing her eyes.
"That's good," Hershel nodded. "He should be alright as long as he shows no signs of infection," he told her. "Running low on antibiotics though."
It went quiet for a moment as Celeste tensed. She was afraid that he'd be angered by that fact. After all, they were wasting his resources.
"How's your nose?" he asked suddenly, catching her off guard. "Any swelling?"
He'd turned toward her slightly, eyes trailing over her face. Her nose was still a little bit red and bruised from being rebroken, but the swelling was nowhere near as bad as the first time it'd been broken. With the current swelling, she could still breathe through her nose, since all he'd done was realign it.
"Not too much," she said quietly, slowly reaching up and touching her nose with the tips of her fingers.
There was still a bit of pain, but it was far more tolerable now than it had been.
"I was actually beginning to wonder if it would be permanent," she voiced, drawing the man's attention as a result. "The entire thing was black and blue."
"So you've mentioned," he said with a faint nod of the head.
It went quiet for a few minutes after that, the two sitting in peaceful silence. As they sat there, Celeste found herself wondering how long this peace would truly last. She knew that really, they couldn't stay where they were at. After all, this was Hershel's home, not theirs. Yes, it was a nice break from things, but even something like that would eventually have to come to an end. Once they found Sophia, they'd be gone. That was the deal.
"You know," Hershel started, pausing for a moment. "I believe God brought this lot together for a reason."
Celeste sat there quietly, listening as Hershel spoke.
"Each of you have a particular talent and job to do. You each have a set place in all of this."
Hershel paused again as he leaned back in his chair a bit.
"That young man has a talent for finding people. Daryl, if I remember correctly," he said, closing his eyes for a moment. "Each individual has a place in this world, a place that was set for them in particular. This man I believe was placed as a means to help bring these children back to safety."
Celeste drew in a breath of air. The thing with Kenzie had truly been a miracle. She already knew that if anyone else had gone out, then they likely never would have found little Kenzie. In fact, she still wasn't sure how Daryl had even found her. He only mentioned that he'd found her by an abandoned farm house out in the woods.
"You though," Hershel started, drawing Celeste's attention back toward him once more. "That little girl needs you more than ever. You are her second chance in this life."
As they sat there, Celeste felt as though the old vet's words had come to an end. He had said what he wanted to, his words reminding her to push forward if she could manage the will to do so. She still found herself wondering what would have happened without Daryl in all of this though. If him and his brother hadn't found them out in the woods when they did. What would have happened had she collapsed out there? Would a walker have happened upon them? Or if the group hadn't returned in time when the attack had happened on the camp? After all, Shane was useless to say the least. The fool couldn't even take a shot when he prided himself on his gun skills.
Celeste found herself looking back on the memories of the CDC after Shane had tried to… She shook her head at the thought. Daryl had found her in the hallway, despite his drunken stumbling. He'd pulled her to him, holding her against him as he took her back to the room with him. She remembered him sitting her down on the couch as he pulled a couple of cots out, tossing a mess of blankets down on top of them. With a smile, Celeste remember how he'd laid her down beside him, brushing her hair from her face and letting her curl up against him.
Beside her, Hershel sat quietly, a faint smile on his face as he watched her. It was obvious that he gave her something better to think about. The smile on her face was all that he needed as they continued to sit there in the quiet peace of the evening.
T
It was the following day that Celeste found herself walking around the farm, a bowl in her hands as she was charged with collecting eggs from the chicken coop. She'd woken up before anyone else had, deciding that she'd help to make breakfast. Honestly, she didn't know what else to do with herself. She sure as hell didn't want to do laundry again, that was for sure. In fact, her hands were still sore from the last round that she'd done, cringing as the thought of scrubbing passed through her mind. She preferred washing dishes over laundry, especially with the lot that she was with.
Shaking her head, Celeste opened the door to the chicken coop, the sound of the chickens clucking and running around making their way to her ears. She nearly laughed as she watched them run, scaly feet propelling them forward as she carefully stepped inside. She was careful to make sure that none of them got out as she collected a few eggs. With them, she was pretty sure that she could at least make a somewhat decent breakfast, remembering the fact that they had a few cans of Spam. Even though she felt that Spam was an odd concoction, she still thought that it had a decent taste to it. Granted, ham from a can didn't really sound that appetizing, but beggars can't be choosers.
Stepping out of the coop, Celeste closed it behind her, securing the lock back in place. As she turned back around, she nearly dropped the bowl, coming face to face with Shane.
"Jesus! Are you trying to give me a heart attack!?" she hissed, holding a hand over her heart.
He practically came out of nowhere, scaring the living daylights out of her.
"What are you doing out here anyway?" she asked, clutching the bowl to her chest.
"I could ask you the same thing," he countered, watching as her eyes narrowed in frustration.
"Well, unlike someone, I'm actually doing something useful," she pointed out. "Like trying to get breakfast started. Now, if you'll excuse me."
Shane stood quietly for a moment, watching as she moved passed him. His eyes followed her movements, watching her hips and legs as the muscles flexed with every step she took. For a moment, he was in his own little world.
"We should talk," he finally said, stalking after her.
"There's nothing to talk about, Shane," she told him. "Now, leave me alone and go to something productive."
"Productive… I'll show you productive," he muttered.
T
After breakfast was served, Celeste collected all of the plates, going about and cleaning them one by one. Shane had yet to come back and bother her, much to her relief, but she still felt a little put off. She tried to put that out of her mind as she finished up, realizing that Daryl was back in his tent. They'd managed to move him outside right before breakfast, the redneck eating his food in his tent. With that in mind, she realized that he still had his plate.
"Well, now is as good a time as any," she told herself, making her way toward Daryl's tent.
She felt her brows furrow as she got closer, the sound of a low pop type noise catching her ear. AS she got even closer, she continued to hear it, confusing her.
"What in the world?" she muttered, pushing the flap out of the way. "You moron!" she scoffed, kicking him lightly in the foot.
The idiot was sitting there poking holes in his tent with the tip of one of his bolts.
"What the hell are you doin'?" she asked, leaning down and taking the bolt from his hands.
He scoffed for a minute as he reached out to take it back, grunting when she managed to keep it out of reach.
"That's mine," he told her, sit up a bit as he tried reaching out again.
"Yeah, well, you don't need it if all you're gonna do is keep pokin' holes in the damn tent," she said pointedly, crossing her arms over her chest.
As she stood there, she slowly took in his appearance. The bandage that had previously been on his head was gone, the spot being kept closed with a butterfly closure. A small trail of blood had rolled down the side of his head, the liquid now mainly dried. It was something that she knew would likely be off in a couple days after the skin reattached itself on its own. Her eyes fell further, realizing that his shirt lay open, his bare chest in view. It was peppered with a little dusting of hair, her cheeks heating up slightly when she realized what she was doing. Unfortunately for her, Daryl seemed to catch sight of this little distraction, a spark of mischief lighting his eyes.
"I, uh…" she started.
"Ya gonna give it back now or ya gonna stare at me all day?" he asked, the corner of his lips pulling back slightly into a smirk.
She felt her eyes narrow at his comment, stuck between kicking his foot again or tossing it at him. She never got the chance to do either though as his hand shot forward, one of his fingers grabbing at her belt loop and tugging her down toward him.
"Shi…!" she cried, bolt dropping from her hand as her hands shot out to catch herself, before fully falling on top of him. "You son of a…"
She stopped as she looked up at him, voice going quiet. They were practically nose to nose, her left hand driven deep into the pillow above his head, while the other pressed against the thick muscle of his forearm. She couldn't seem to find the words as she stared down at him, the heat creeping back into her cheeks. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been this close to a guy that wasn't trying to do... This was Daryl, she reminded herself. Daryl. Daryl Dixon. Strong, hot headed, redneck of a man.
"I…" she managed to breathe out, the hand above his head twitching slightly.
Her breath caught in her throat as he reached his hand up, tentatively pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. His movements seemed just as hesitant as hers, more so even as his other hand steadied her at her hip. He didn't say a single word as they stayed there, his blue eyes searching hers. The hand that had brushed away her hair skimmed the side of her neck, his fingertips sending a spark of electricity through her as he slowly pulled her closer, their lips a breath away.
"Hey, Daryl, I…"
Within a second the two had pulled apart, Celeste's face a bright scarlet as Andrea showed her face.
"Am I interrupting something?" Andrea asked slowly, looking between the two of them.
"No!" Celeste said quickly, brushing by Andrea without a second thought.
The blond was left in confusion as she watched the woman leave, eyes turning back to Daryl. The man's face held a hint of red to it, leaving her to wonder what had just transpired between the two.
That was chapter 18! Feels good to be back! Sorry for taking so long everyone, but college has been kicking ass, not to mention my health hasn't been that great the last couple months. I hope to keep things going now though, along with rewriting and fixing some of my other stories to keep me in the writing flow. Anyway, please let me know what you think? I'd REALLY like feedback for this chapter. Especially, the last scene. ;) Things are starting to heat up a bit and I'd like to see how you guys would like to see it progress. Thanks again everyone and happy reading!