Her fingers played at the fruit in her hand. "It's nice outside." She commented staring at the sky outside the tents view.
"Aren't you gonna eat that?" his southern voice asked eyeing the peach in her hand. "You've been holdin' it for a long time now."
"I-I uh…" Rose trailed off. "I was gonna but then I forgot I had it. Why you want it?" she outstretched it towards him.
Daryl took it from her hands. "Well if you ain't gonna eat it I will."
She tilted her head to the side watching him take a bite out of the fruit. "You sure you can't come with."
"Doc said I better stay on bed rest for another day or two just to be safe." He replied his mouth full of peach. "Why?" he swallowed.
Rose glanced at him then back at the group standing next to the truck outside the tent. "I'm scared."
Daryl took another bite then tossed the fruit outside the tent. "Of what?" he raised an eyebrow at her.
"Of holdin' a gun. What if I shoot someone? What if I can't shoot the walkers and they eat me? What if-!"
"Oh stop with the what if ya' big baby." He cut her off. "You won't shoot no one only if you don't aim at them. And the walkers won't get you 'cause you got people protectin' you. You got me protectin' you." Daryl looked away as if trying to ignore what he had just said. He didn't understand why he cared for the girl so much. Maybe because he could protect her? Maybe for once in his life someone needed him; someone wanted him to care for them?
Rose frowned at him, "But you ain't comin'. How are you supposed to keep me safe when you ain't even there?"
He looked back at her. "How old are you?"
"How old am I?" she laughed. "You've know me for a week now and you don't even know how old I am…" she shook her head still smiling. "I'm 22."
"Well then Miss. Twenty-eight year-old I'm sure you'll be just fine on your own." He smirked right back at her. "You got Rick out there with you and Shane. They'll keep you safe while I'm still hurtin'" Rose eyes throbbed as her lip began to pout. "Don't start that poutin' shit with me Rose. I'll kick your ass." He turned away beginning to poke holes in the side of his tent with an arrow.
"Fine but if I die out there it's on your hands." She stood up and stormed out of the tent
"You ain't gonna die." He shouted after her. "It's only shootin' practice." Daryl rolled his eyes going back to his hole making.
"Hey," Andrea walked in.
"I can't." Rose eyed the gun that was being handed to her.
T-Dog pinched the bridge of his nose. "The gun ain't gonna kill you. The things yo are shooting at now they will kill you."
She shook her head stepping backwards. "I-I don't want to."
Carl looked up at her. "It isn't so bad Rose. Once you get the hang of it they aren't that scary. They're useful."
"I think-I think I'll just head back to camp." She sheepishly smiled at the little boy and T-Dog. "Maybe Dale needed help on watch." She turned around then stopped realizing she'd have to walk back…alone. Rose shut her eyes trying to ignore her heart beating rapidly in her chest as fright built up in her body the same time the tears built in her eyes. Why was the world so scary now?
"Hey." His voice said from in front of her and when she opened her eyes Rick's face was in view. "Hey what's wrong?"
"I'm scared." She said feeling like she was always repeating the same two words to him.
Rick chuckled backing away from her but still keeping one hand on her shoulder. "Why are you this time?"
"I don't want to shoot. I don't know how." Rose replied quietly to him. "I wanted to walk back, but I'll get attack by walkers."
"Come here." He told her nodding forward walking towards the fence. He pulled out his gun from his holster. "I'll help you." He grabbed her hand and slowly brought it to the gun.
Rose cringed trying to bring her hand back, "Please don't make me."
Rick chuckled still keeping ahold of her hand. "It's won't hurt you." He said guiding her shaky hand to the gun. Her fingers grasped around the object gingerly. "Ain't so scary no is it?" he questioned a playful smile on his lips. He reached for her other hand and brought it to the gun fixing her fingers so they were in the correct position. Then he stepped away from her. "See? You're holdin' it all by yourself."
"How do I shoot it?" she asked her hands still obviously shaking the gun.
"Well stop your cowerin'." He stated wrapping his body around her slithering his arm under her to stop her shaking, "and just pull the trigger." He quietly said just by her ear his pointer finger finding hers on the trigger and pulling. The gunshot echoed around the area making Rose drop the gun and jump out of Rick's grasp and far away from where she was.
"I am never-ever-never doin' that again! How dare you make me ho-"
"You got a bull's eye." Rick cut her off laughing.
She stopped and stared at him. "What?"
He pointed back at the can she was supposed to be aiming at that was no lying in the grass. "You hit your target."
"Really!?" Rose exclaimed running back to where she just was and picking the gun up off the ground and fired the gun once more but completely missing to glass bottle she was aiming for.
"It's a work in progress." Rick patted her shoulder. "You'll get the hang of it soon enough." Then walked off to Carl.
"Guess who can almost be able to carry a gun?" Rose smirked ducking under the tent mouth and appearing inside it.
Daryl raised an eyebrow at her. "So you can shoot now?"
"Not exactly." Rose sighed sitting down on the ground next to his bed. "I only hit 5 of my targets today and one of those was with Rick's help. Face it, I can't shoot if my life depended on it and it does!" she put her face in her hands.
"You don't need a gun to survive." He rolled his eyes. "Look at me I got my crossbow and I'm just fine." He propped himself up on his elbow. "Hey, maybe I can teach you to shoot that instead of using those loud ass pieces of shit."
Rose looked up at him with hopeful eyes. "Really?"
He reached over and nudged her shoulder with his knuckle. "Sure thing sweet pea."
"Aren't you suppose to have good aim with that though?" she furrowed her eyebrows.
"I can teach you." He gave her a small smile then leaned back onto his back staring up at the ceiling of the tent. "You'll be just as good as me."
She smiled to herself before going onto her back as well. "Can you tell me those stories about Atlanta? When you went to go get your brother?"
Daryl glanced over at her. "You can't keep havin' your little sleepovers here little missy. Dale gets mad when he can't find you."
"I feel safer in here." Rose said quietly playing with the hem of her shirt.
He flickered his eyes to her once more before sighing. "Well I headin' down the stairs callin' out Merle's name with Rick on me about bein' too loud. Too loud my ass." He stopped just hear her laugh softly. "We came into the kitchen and the stove was still burnin' and I could smell the smell of burnt flesh. Merle had burned his stump to stop the bleedin'." He paused letting her gasp making him smile to himself. "We left the building after Glenn made up a plan to get the bag of guns Rick had left there in the street. Well the boy ran up the road so fast and grabbed that bag of guns and went to come back but a group of walkers caged off the street Rick and T-Dog were guardin' so he came back my way. That's when a Mexican gang decided to mug us of the guns and stole Glenn, but I shot their amigo is the ass and kept one of their pals so we could get all their whereabouts."
He stopped hearing the sound of her small snoring. He looked down at her watching her chest rise and fall. "Goodnight little missy." Daryl smiled to himself falling asleep to the sound of her snores and the crickets chirping.
Hope you guys are liking it so far.
Please am begging you to tell me what you are thinking so far. I would love to know you're opinion on everything.
Lot's of Love xoxo-Kate