Ok, first off, thank you SO MUCH to all my reviewers! I love the support and it motivates me even more! :D
Second, sorry this chapter took awhile to get uploaded, but I had a lot of family gatherings all in a few days so I wasn't left with too much time to work on this, but it's also because this is a VERY long chapter.
Finally, if you haven't noticed it yet, there is a surprise at the end. C:
"Hey Dale, is it ok if Sophia and I use these?" The young blonde called out from a cabinet within the Winnebago.
"Well I suppose so," he started. "What do you need 'em for?" He asked while eying the baggie full of worn, brown leather shoelaces from years past.
"Sophia wants to make some friendship bracelets and this is as close as we're gonna get to what they give you in those kits."
The old man scratched the back of his head before nodding. "Sure, why not? It's not like I'll ever use 'em." He started towards the door. "I can't even remember why I ever kept them."
Amy rolled her eyes jokingly at his rambling and followed him outside – making sure to close the RV door – before approaching the younger girl with a smile upon her face. She shook the bag happily and laughed as Sophia nearly jumped up in excitement. The duo made their way to the back end of the RV before laying out their gathered materials on the small table they'd borrowed for the task.
Sophia's hand started towards some leather strips before looking at Amy with confusion. "Wait…so how do you do these?" She asked.
Amy picked up three strips and held them in front of the girl. "First, you gotta take three strips and lay them next to each other in front of you." She watched as Sophia copied her and again looked to her for guidance.
"Next, we have to take either end of the strips and make a tight knot a little ways from the tips, leaving enough for us to tie them on." The blonde stopped to tie her own first before leaning over and assisting the younger girl with her own.
Amy began to explain the braiding process, when Sophia's face brightened in the form of an idea. "Wait! I want to make these really special." She got up and started jogging towards her tent eagerly. "I'll be right back."
The 24 year old waited patiently – slightly worried that Ed might be awake while Sophia was inside – but was relieved when the 12 year old returned with something clutched in her small fists.
"I found these a few days ago by the water," she explained as she opened her palms to reveal two glimmering, quarter-sized pebbles. One was the color of sky blue with some tints of teal inside. The second was almost purely white – save for a few speckles and streaks of blue and green.
"I want to put these on the bracelets," she continued. "D'you think we can?"
Amy smiled and patted her arm sweetly. "Of course we can, we just need one more ingredient to make sure they don't fall out, no matter how tight we braid them."
She told Sophia to wait at the table while she went back to the RV. While inside, Amy went straight for the closet where she had found what they needed earlier. Once she found it, she grinned and jogged back outside and placed the spindle of fishing line on the table before sitting down again.
"Ok, well first we need to start braiding-."
"But, if we do that, how are the pebbles gonna fit?" Sophia interrupted.
The blonde smiled. "Well in order to fit one in we have to start braiding until we get to the middle, then we'll hold the pebble in the center and braid across and around it." She picked up the fishing line, "We'll braid this in with the leather and around the stones just for extra support."
It took about 15 minutes for both bracelets to be braided halfway – mainly due to Sophia's lack of skill with braiding, especially with the fishing line – but eventually they were ready to place the colored stones within the center. Amy did hers first – Sophia staring with wide, excited eyes – as she skillfully braided and twisted the leather and fishing line around the blue pebble. After placing a piece of tape over the unfinished end, the blonde took the red-haired girl's piece and braided while Sophia held the second pebble in place.
Sophia's eyes were sparkling as she admired their near-completed work. "So now we just keep braiding?"
Amy nodded as she began to twist her strips again. "Yep. Of course we have to stop a ways from the end so that we can tie another knot and leave the rest to be tied on later."
A few minutes later, two completed friendship bracelets rested in the palms of a very happy and anxious 12 year old girl. "They're perfect!" She exclaimed before wrapping her thin arms around Amy's waist.
The older girl returned the embrace and looked at the bracelets once more. "So, which one is yours?"
Sophia didn't even have to glance at the stones. "The white one is mine, and the blue one's for Daryl." She smiled, "It matches his eyes."
Amy had never caught a glimpse of the redneck's eye color – mainly because whenever she saw him he was squinting from the bright glare of the sun – or he wasn't looking her way. So she nodded her head in agreement and told the redheaded girl that Daryl was sure to appreciate the gift, even though she was a bit uncertain due to the scene earlier that day.
"Dinner time everybody!" Lori called out from the campfire. Both girls' mouths watered at the thought of food – despite it being roasted squirrel and some canned beans. Sophia stuffed the bracelets into her pocket before following Amy over to the glowing fire and plopping herself down beside her.
Once all the food had been passed around, Morales began questioning Dale about the watch he was always winding each day. Sophia didn't really understand what the old man was talking about, but what she did understand was that it was dark and Daryl and the others had not returned yet.
"Hey, where are you going?" Andrea questioned as her younger sister stood.
Amy rolled her eyes, "I've gotta pee." She replied in a slight whisper, although everyone could still hear her. "Geez, talk about being discreet."
Sophia laughed along with everyone else and looked over to see her momma smiling and chuckling just a bit.
"Hey, are we seriously out of toilet paper?" Amy called from the open RV door.
Sophia was digging into her last few pieces of squirrel and was too hungry to look over towards the older blonde. Suddenly, the relaxed atmosphere was shattered by a blood-curdling scream.
Daryl walked along side Rick, T-Dog, and Glenn – their strides getting longer and more hurried by the now sunken sun. He glanced over at the sheriff and noticed the determination that plastered the man's face to hide his anxiety and fear. Sweat trickled down everyman's brow, soaking into their shirts and making each the more anxious and touchy. Every now and then, the blonde redneck found himself gripping the shotgun tightly and jogging a few feet before dropping back into a hurried walk.
'That damn kid wasted all our time! We could'a been back before dark with the guns! Not walkin' around at night with hungry Geeks everywhere!'
He continued to churn his frustration towards Miguel and the other members of Vatos who had jumped him in Atlanta and kidnapped Glenn. Glenn noticed the increasing pace of the short-tempered man and wondered if he was pissed at him or if he was just mad that Merle had stolen their truck and up and left.
"We're almost there, not much farther." Rick stated, more to himself than anyone else.
Daryl focused on the road ahead of him and barely caught Rick's statement. He jogged forward some more, followed by Rick and soon after, T-Dog and Glenn. He repeated to himself that Merle wouldn't dare hurt anyone in the camp – after all, it was T-Dog who had dropped the key to the handcuffs that Rick had used to chain him to the rooftop. The others were innocent. But when he thought about it, he knew his brother didn't understand the word 'mercy'.
He opened his mouth to bark for the others to hurry the hell up, when a piercing scream tore through the night air – sending a jolt of fear down his spine. Suddenly, all he could think about was some Walker taking a big bite out of little Sophia – blood everywhere and her screams echoing into the night – attracting more hungry Walkers that surrounded her and tore at her skin ravenously with rotten teeth. The blood pounded in his ears and the adrenaline kicked in instantly as the gory image became more and more vivid within his mind. The blonde's pace went from a fast walk straight to an all-out sprint to camp, shotgun in one hand and crossbow strapped across his back. The other men followed after the panicked redneck – each fighting their own bloody visions of what awaited them back at camp.
Soon after gunfire was heard, along with more panicked screams and also shrieks of agony. Daryl was in the lead as he sprinted towards the camp, the shotgun strangely light in his calloused hands as he burst into the campsite, gun raised. He faintly heard the shuffle of Rick, T-Dog and Glenn right behind him, but was too focused on the Walker chomping on one unfortunate survivor. He shot it through the side of the head and moved forward to take out a second that was lurching towards him hungrily.
Throughout the mad confusion and gunfire, Daryl searched for that familiar red hair and blue T-shirt with the rainbow on the front. Another rotten corpse ambled out of the bushes where tents were placed and he merely glanced at it before pulling the trigger and blowing its head to bits. As he continued to search for the little girl, he noticed Shane backing some others toward the Winnebago – shotgun in hand – and calling out for Rick. Adrenaline soon mixed with anger as his vision began to take root in his mind and the next Geek he saw tearing into a body was met with the butt of his gun. Gritting his teeth, Daryl spied yet another snarling corpse and bashed into its decaying face with the butt of the gun.
In a matter of minutes it was all over.
Sobs, panting, and the subtle crackle of the fire were the only sounds that were heard. Then Lori was running towards Rick with Carl and the family was embracing tightly and crying together. Andrea sat on her knees beside her dying sister and cried and attempted to comfort Amy as she lay in the dirt with blood pooling out of the massive wound on her throat.
And then he heard it; the sound of Carol sobbing her daughter's name as she held her close and tried to calm her. Daryl rushed over and dropped his firearm onto the ground as he knelt in front of the two. He grabbed the girl's shoulders and turned her around to face him as he inspected her for any bites or scratches.
"Daryl!" She cried before latching her small body onto his like a leech. "Daryl it was awful! They came outta nowhere and…and…" She drifted off as she buried her face into his sweaty tank, clinging tightly and sobbing uncontrollably.
The sudden physical contact caught the blonde off-guard, but he reminded himself that this was a 12-year old girl who had just witnessed something that belonged only in movies. He slowly wrapped his muscled arms around the girl's tiny frame and began to whisper words into her hair that only his momma had ever told him. It was the same position, and almost the same situation, except instead of people being killed; it was his beloved momma that was leaving forever – making her "dead" to Merle and their daddy.
Flashback
'I'm sorry Daryl baby but…I can't take it anymore. I'm tired of your daddy beatin' on me every night, and I hate how you have to see that and hear it.'
'But…what about me? Can I come too?'
She sniffed sadly and cupped his 7-year old face lovingly. 'I'm afraid not baby, I wish I could but…I just can't.'
'But momma I love you! You don't beat me an' you sing so pretty an' you make all my bruises go 'way.' The young boy clung to her desperately. 'Please momma don't go!'
'Shh, Daryl, honey I won't ever be gone for real.' She started. 'I'll always be with you and watching over you, no matter where I am.'
The blonde boy doesn't say a word, but only cries into her chest. She holds him close and begins to whisper loving words that she reserved only for him into his hair, gently rocking him back and forth.
'I love you momma. I'll find you one day. An' when I do, will you sing for me? Jus' like you do before bed?'
She kissed his temple lovingly. 'Yes baby, I love you too and I promise I'll sing for you as soon as you find me. I promise.'
End Flashback
The memory made Daryl hug Sophia even tighter as he continued to whisper to her. Normally, the younger Dixon would have pushed the girl away after only a few seconds, but right now he didn't care if anyone saw him. Carol watched in silence, she couldn't believe that Daryl Dixon – younger brother of Merle Dixon – who was racist at times and quick to temper like his brother, was kneeling in front of her and holding her little girl and comforting her as if she were his own. After a few more minutes, Sophia let go of him and tried to wipe the tearstains off her cheeks.
Now the only human-like sound that echoed around the camp besides sobs was the mournful moan of Andrea repeating her sister's name over and over. It was then that Sophia suddenly realized that the young blonde – whom she was happily making friendship bracelets with just an hour earlier – had been attacked.
"AMY!" She cried as she left Daryl's side and sat on her knees next to Andrea.
The little girl began to cry all over again as she listened to Amy choking on her own blood and watched the sticky liquid pour endlessly from her throat. Carol gasped and froze while Daryl and everyone else looked on helplessly.
"Amy! Amy it's me, Sophia!" She sobbed as she gripped the dying girl's unbitten arm. "Please Amy don't die! What about those stories you told me? About you catching all those fish with a sandwich? What about-."
Andrea finally took notice that someone else was beside her, mourning for her sister, and stared at the girl as if she were a Walker.
'Stories? Amy told her about that day?' She thought tearfully. 'Oh Amy! Why didn't you just stay inside the RV? Why didn't you just wait?'
Amy's vision was blotchy and kept fading in and out, making it hard to distinguish who the second mourner was, but she still had her hearing and she recognized the girly voice of Sophia. Tears formed in her eyes and she tried to speak the girl's name, but the blood in her throat made it come out only as another pathetic gurgle. She wanted to comfort the girl, as well as her older sister, and also wanted to thank Sophia for teaching her that people like Daryl Dixon deserved a second chance and someone to care for him.
The blonde man was much more perceptive than anyone else in the group and instantly understood that Amy wanted to say something, but couldn't no matter how hard she tried. He strode over to the RV and walked in, trying not to look at the crying little girl, and dug around multiple drawers until he found some paper and a sharpie. Daryl hurried out and knelt beside Sophia, holding out the marker and paper so that Amy could see them. Her dulling eyes brightened a bit as she reached for the objects slowly. She could only hold the sharpie, so Daryl had Sophia hold the paper to his back as she scribbled some scraggly words onto it. When she finished, he turned and read the paper aloud, trying his best not to ruin the heartfelt words with his gruff, southern voice.
"Andrea, you always promised that you would come for my birthdays. Every year I'd call all excited and you would be just as excited as I was." Said blonde let out a dry laugh as she guiltily looked away.
"You never showed up, but I never hated you. I would be sad, but then I told myself that you must have been too busy helping someone out with their own problems in court. Then I'd feel selfish and smile and plan a fishing trip for just the two of us, just like when dad was alive." Andrea looked at her sister with wide eyes – the younger sister smiling weakly.
"We finally got to have that trip I'd planned for so long. I don't care that it was after the world fell apart and the dead began to eat the living. None of that mattered to me. All I cared about was finally getting to spend time with you. That's all I ever wanted."
Daryl stopped and couldn't help but envy the two sisters. He and his brother never had a connection like that. Merle acknowledged him as his younger brother, but only as a brother he had to watch for and make sure he didn't do anything stupid. There were no birthdays in the Dixon household, even when his momma was around. Merle thought they were for pussies and their father would nod and smack him or his momma whenever they brought it up. Even so, she would always get him something small and give it to him in the middle of the night. Sometimes she made it herself and he had always kept her gifts in an old shoebox that he kept hidden under his mattress.
He cleared his throat before continuing. "To Sophia, you are the sweetest little girl I've ever met, and I'm glad we got to become friends." Sophia held onto Amy's hand as he read on. "Just think, if this whole mess had never happened, we would have never met each other. We would never have had such a great time together, never would have made those bracelets."
Amy looked at Sophia with a smile, despite the pain in her numbing body. "I've never met such an open-hearted kid before. You want to make everyone happy and feel as if they are important. As if they have someone to care about them. That's what I liked most about you Sophia." Daryl swiped some dirt and sweat away from his forehead. "I told you those stories because I knew that you needed to hear them. It's funny, I was planning on taking you out on the water and teaching you how to fish, but I guess I won't be able to."
Sophia cried again, but this time Amy put her cold hand on her cheek and rubbed it feebly as she smiled. The others stood in morbid silence as they listened to what were the girl's last words and wishes.
"I'm sorry I let you down, but always remember what I told you. Don't you ever forget." Sophia nodded, "I promise, I promise I won't ever forget Amy." She tried not to cry even harder. Andrea watched in her near-shock state, too traumatized by her sister's words and condition to do anything but stare at her face.
"And Daryl…" The blonde stopped in surprise, looking at Amy, who still had that smile on her face and nodded for him to continue. "…I haven't known you long. In fact I hardly knew you at all. I just thought of you as a clone of your older brother, just better looking." Daryl snorted. "That was before I saw you playing with Sophia and Carl behind the log pile."
Carl's head lifted up and he looked at Amy in surprise; he hadn't known she'd been watching. "I didn't know what to think at first, but when I saw you later asleep while Sophia braided your hair, and when you let her parade you around camp, I knew that you were not your brother. You were different." Amy let go of Sophia's hand for a moment and shakily placed it on Daryl's knee. "I realized that underneath all that tough exterior, you were really a caring guy. You proved yourself to me again when you beat up Ed. You showed me that you have honor and respect and that you will not tolerate anyone treating others disrespectfully. I learned that you were a man of your word when you promised Carol you would protect her and Sophia."
Daryl continued to read in disbelief as this girl who barely knew him talked about him as if he were some saint. "I know now that you will protect Sophia, so please make me a promise. Make a deal with me. You must watch over Sophia, teach her knew things, and keep her safe. Don't let her become one of those things."
The last sentence put a lump in the redneck's throat, but he nodded all the same to Amy. "Ya got yourself a deal."
Amy felt relief, as she knew her time was almost up. She reached for the paper, sharpie in hand, and Daryl obliged. The blonde scribbled her last, final words. Words she would never regret.
Daryl took the paper and couldn't believe the words she had written. "You're a good man Daryl."
The blonde Dixon folded the paper slowly and placed it in his pocket and stood. Sophia got up too and held onto his arm, not afraid of whether he'd shake her off or not. He didn't, he just looked down at the dirt and then to Amy, taking note of the light leaving her eyes. Andrea cupped her sister's face and when Amy's final breath left her, the older sister cried Amy's name and continued to hover over her now dead body.
No one slept that night. Carol and Sophia couldn't sleep in their tent due to Ed's devoured body rotting inside, so Dale offered them the RV, which they accepted. The Grimes family stayed huddled by the embers of the fire pit, trying to block out the stench of death and rotting flesh. T-Dog sat with Jacqui in some lawn chairs, while Glenn disappeared to his own tent nearby. The Morales family stayed inside their car for the night. Dale stayed atop the Winnebago, determined to keep an eye out for any stray Walkers. Shane hung with Jim in the front of the RV, too overwhelmed to even try to shut his eyes. Daryl went to his tent and reopened Amy's will of sorts. He read the part she addressed to him over and over, tossing around her final sentence in his head.
'You're a good man Daryl.'
He wanted to believe those words so much, but how could he? He was just white trash. He yelled at Sophia and almost hit her. He could hear Merle's voice in the back of his mind, taunting him and telling him he was no good. He meant nothing to them and they were all afraid of him. The blonde shook his head and punched the ground in frustration. Then his mother's words came to him again, and he suddenly realized how similar they were to Amy's.
'You're a good boy Daryl. I know you'll find someone who'll care for you like I do. You're gonna get big and strong and nobody's ever gonna be afraid of you like your daddy and Merle. You are the best son a mom could ask for. Just remember that I love you, and that someday you'll find someone who'll love you as much as I do. Always remember that.'
As those words echoed in his mind, Daryl tucked the paper inside his pocket again before taking some deep breaths and connecting with his Zen. After all that had happened, he needed it now more than ever.
-Time Skip-
The Georgia sun glared down at the small group of survivors on the car-infested highway. They were all gathered in some sort of circle, discussing their next plan of action.
"We need to scavenge for supplies, try and siphon gas from some of these vehicles to fill up our own." Rick began. He pointed to Daryl and T-Dog, "I need you two to scout ahead and see what's farther up the highway."
Daryl snorted. "What d'ya think is up there? A Krispy Kreme?"
"No, I don't." He replied calmly. "But if there is a herd of Walkers ahead then it would be better to know before they get too close." T-Dog nodded in agreement, and Daryl pulled his crossbow off his shoulder.
The ex-cop turned towards the rest of the group – excluding the Morales, who had gone their separate ways to hopefully find more of their family, and Jim, who had been bitten back at the quarry and had been left behind of his own free will, while they had all headed to the CDC. "The rest of you will scavenge the cars around the RV for food, water, anything that can help. Especially things that can provide as weapons." He motioned to Dale, who was carrying his rifle in his arms. "Dale and I will keep watch for any Walkers, so stay close, don't wander too far, and don't go into the woods or off the highway. Understood?"
Everyone nodded in agreement and split up among the scattered cars and trucks, checking each vehicle carefully and making as little noise as possible in case of Walkers. Sophia started after her mother, when she felt a slight weight in her pocket. Then she remembered the friendship bracelets she and Amy had made together. She pulled them out and ran after Daryl and T-Dog, not wanting to risk calling out their names in case of any Geeks lying around.
When she got close enough, Daryl heard the sound of someone running and looked over his shoulder and stopped. "An' where do you think yer goin'?" He asked as he turned around fully. "Your momma's that way," he pointed. "Can't have a lil' string bean like you draggin' us down."
"I'm not following you. I just wanted to give you something." She replied. T-Dog and Daryl exchanged glances. Sophia looked at T-Dog, "You can go on ahead, he'll catch up."
The man started to protest, but decided not to when Daryl motioned for him to just go. T-Dog rolled his eyes and walked off shaking his head.
The blonde redneck turned back to the little red-haired girl and noticed both her hands were clenched around something. Sophia held out her palms and revealed two handmade friendship bracelets – at least that what Daryl thought they were, he'd never really seen ones like these, but he'd seen the flashy ones on girls' wrists before.
"These are friendship bracelets, Amy helped me make them." It clicked now in his mind, he'd wondered what bracelets Amy had been talking about in her 'will'.
She held out one with a beautiful sky blue stone with teal flecks tied in the middle, a smile on her face. "This one's for you. I picked it out by the quarry one day. It matches your eyes, I think."
Daryl stared in complete surprise at the gift, quickly finding his voice before she thought he didn't like it. "So you made this?" He asked gruffly as he gently picked up the accessory. "Well, Amy helped me, but yeah I did." He didn't respond as he fingered the leather and brushed his thumb over the stone.
"Do you like it?"
The Dixon brother looked from the bracelet to Sophia and chuckled. "S' perfect. Thanks Lima Bean."
Her eyes lit up like it was Christmas and Daryl could have swore he saw sparkles in her eyes. "You do? You really like it? Oh I knew you would!" She began excitedly. "Amy did too! She thought it was a great idea!"
Daryl tried to tie the bracelet around his right wrist, but his larger fingers made it difficult, especially one handed. "Here, let me help."
He held out his wrist and in seconds it was tied securely. The blonde pointed to the one in her other hand. "S' that yours?" She nodded.
Without a word, Daryl set his beloved crossbow on the ground and knelt on one knee, gently taking the bracelet and wrapping it around her right wrist. It was much easier to tie one on someone else he realized.
Sophia admired the white stone for a moment before looking up at the man who had stood once more. "Thank you for the assistance, Sergeant Dixon." She said while saluting him.
He grunted and flicked her forehead, "Don't you be mockin' me girl. Otherwise I won't teach you any more." He laughed throatily as her eyes got wide as dinner plates.
Daryl picked up his crossbow and put a hand on Sophia's shoulder and turned her a full 180 degrees and pushed her forward gently. "Now git on over to your momma, she's probably been worried sick about you."
She obeyed and started walking back to the others, stopping once to look over her shoulder to catch his nod before he turned his back and strode in the opposite direction. Once back with the others, she explored with her mother by her side, cautiously, yet curiously inspecting a gold Pontiac with broken windows. She made sure no bodies were inside, and once it was clear the girl crawled in slowly and began digging around. A glittered key charm caught her eye as it dangled onto the silver key that was still in the ignition.
"Hm, maybe I can make a charm bracelet out of these, if I find enough of them." She pondered aloud.
Sophia unhooked the charm and discovered that it was in the shape of the letter 'S'. She smiled and clipped it to a belt loop on her pants before climbing into the passenger seat and opening the glove box. After some sifting through, she found a small first aid kit, but nothing else useful. The 12-year old checked the backseat and found only some loose change and some CD's.
"Sophia? Where are you?" Carol's voice whispered from outside the car. Sophia scrambled out and Carol let out a relieved sigh.
"I found a first aid kit, but nothin' else." The older woman praised her daughter and took the kit. "I did find this pretty charm though, see? It has my first initial." She showed her mother the glittered letter and mentioned her idea of making a charm bracelet.
"Well, if you want to, I'll tell the others to keep their eyes peeled for any more key chains, alright?" Sophia nodded happily.
Suddenly, Rick's hushed voice reached them as he told them to hide underneath the cars because a herd of Geeks was heading their way. Lori had just been walking up to Carol when her husband made the order, so she grabbed the mother and pulled her under a closer Ford, while Sophia was left to squeeze under the Pontiac she had just pilfered. Carol struggled against Lori, who held the woman still and covered her mouth in case she made any noise. Sophia looked over to her momma and mouthed that she was ok. Then the faint sound of approaching footsteps reached them and a few slow seconds later the dead came shuffling through.
"Hey Daryl, you find anything good yet?"
The blonde pulled his head out of a pickup truck and faced his partner. "Not really, jus' some screwdrivers an' tissues." T-Dog shook his head.
"Man, I really wish we could'a found some smokes or somethin'. I'm dyin' for one right now." Daryl chuckled and tossed a small box to the man.
T-Dog caught the tossed object and gave the redneck a nasty glare. Daryl smirked, "Wanted to hear you whine for 'em first."
The duo resumed their scavenger hunt, but then T-Dog hissed about a herd of approaching Walkers headed their way. In his panic to hide, he ended up slicing open his right arm on a broken car window. He cursed and tried to stop the bleeding, knowing it would attract the hungry Geeks. He told himself to stay calm and quiet and held his arm and waited, hoping the walking dead would not notice his presence. Unfortunately, one Walker took a different path than the first few and spied T-Dog leaning against the car, bleeding.
Groaning lightly with hunger, the Walker - who had at one time been a mechanic of some kind – limped towards the man slowly. T-Dog whimpered silently and watched the lumbering corpse get closer and closer. Suddenly, Daryl popped out from around an over turned car as silent as a cat. Once the Walker took two more steps, he crept up behind it and slid his crossbow onto the hood of a nearby car, wrapped one muscled arm around the thing's neck and shoved a rusty screwdriver into the base of it's skull. The blonde redneck fell with the corpse onto the ground and yanked out the screwdriver fiercely, before putting a dirty finger to his lips while looking at T-Dog.
"Shh..." Was all that came out before he jumped up and dragged his partner by the ankles across the ground until he was lying flat on his back.
T-Dog didn't protest, due to his fading consciousness, and said not a word as Daryl dragged the recently killed mechanic over his body, before grabbing another corpse from the closest vehicle and covering his own body with the decaying cadaver.
Just moments after Daryl hid himself, the rest of the herd limped and shuffled through, moaning and hissing as they wandered forward in search of a meal. He waited until he could no longer hear their footsteps before shoving the dead body off him and pulling the second off of a barely conscious T-Dog and hauling the man's uninjured arm over his shoulder, before grabbing his crossbow and heading back to the RV.
As he slowly approached the group, Daryl noticed Lori holding onto Carol, as if she were holding her back from something. Rick was nowhere to be seen and Carl looked distraught as they all looked into the nearby woods with panic written on their faces.
"Hey! Need some help 'ere." He called out. Dale and Glenn snapped their attention to the voice and helped get T-Dog off Daryl and leaned him against the RV sitting down. Dale inspected the man's bleeding wound and told Glenn to go inside the RV and find some napkins to try and stop the bleeding. The young Asian obliged and returned with a small stack, helping the old man to staunch the bleeding.
Daryl approached Lori and a distraught Carol, his body tense when he noticed Sophia was not around. "What the hell happened?" He started. "Where's Sophia?"
Lori held onto Carol as she continued to struggle feebly. "Two Walkers found Sophia under one of the cars and chased her into the woods. Rick ran after her and we're waiting for them to come back."
The sweaty blonde set his jaw and cursed under his breath, the grip on his crossbow tightening. "I'm gonna go get 'em. Rick won't be able to use his gun, cuz it'll attract the others. My crossbow is much quieter and that lil' girl will be just fine."
He started towards the woods, but Lori called him back. "Daryl no! We need you to stay here and guard the rest of us. Dale and Glenn are busy with T-Dog and Andrea is in a bit of shock from her run-in with a Walker. Shane is inside the RV but he's…not feeling well. I don't have a gun and neither does Carol or Carl. We are defenseless in case that herd comes back or if more come." She gave him a pleading look. "We need you to stay here Daryl. I'm sorry. I know you care about Sophia but you're needed here."
Carl looked at Daryl and watched as the man struggled with the churning anger and frustration within him. After a minute or two he let out a growl and kicked a nearby car, before climbing atop it and scouting the area for any danger. He wondered to himself why his mother had lied. Shane was hiding inside the RV because he was angry or something, not because he was sick. Carl wanted to tell Daryl that he didn't have to stay, but then he remembered that his dad was out there and he would find Sophia. He would just feel better if Daryl went too.
When Rick returned awhile later - new blood splatters adorning his sheriff's uniform and sweat soaking his hair – exhausted and alone, Carol let out the most pitiful sound anyone had ever heard. It had been Daryl that had spotted Rick first, determinedly sweeping his blue eyes over the whole edge of the woods and the highway, waiting with slim patience for Rick AND Sophia's return.
"Carol please calm down. I'm sure she can't be far." Rick explained. "I got to her first and told her to hide under a fallen tree while I led the two Walkers away. I told her to wait until I led them away and when we were gone to run back the way we came, back up to the highway." The sheriff wiped some sweat off his forehead before gesturing towards the woods. "After I killed the Walkers, I made my way back to where I left her to make sure she listened, but she was gone when I got there. So I came back and you're sure she didn't come back?"
Daryl slung his crossbow over his shoulder and made his way down while Carl looked at his father in utter disappointment. "NO she didn't come back!" He shouted, "You left her dad! How could you just leave her! She's my best friend!"
Lori tried to silence her son's screaming in case of Walkers, but failed. "You were supposed to find her dad!"
Rick looked distraught and seemed to age a bit as he listened to his son's accusations. "Look son I'm sorry. It was the only way to get those Walkers away from Sophia and keep her safe." He placed his hand on the boy's shoulder and got down to his level. "I don't know why she didn't come back, maybe she saw another Walker and had to run. I don't know. But we won't give up. We're gonna go look for her again, right now."
Everyone jumped slightly as Daryl jumped off from the RV ladder and onto the pavement. Shane eyed the blonde with a steely gaze as he approached the group and his fingers twitched against the cool metal of the shotgun.
"Well then les' go already!" He barked as he returned his crossbow to his hands. "Lil' thing like 'er can't get too far on foot, 'specially in the woods."
He met Rick's gaze and bit back a few choice words. "Take me t' where ya left her and I'll pick up her tracks from there."
The ex-cop nodded before putting the search party together – which included Shane and Glenn along with Rick and Daryl – while the others stayed on the highway. Dale took to watching over a recovering T-Dog, while Andrea stood watch and Lori, Carl and Carol headed inside the RV. Rick kissed his wife before heading off into the woods with the other men behind him, while Lori gingerly pulled a reluctant and distraught Carol into the Winnebago.
"Son of a bitch." Daryl muttered as he studied the tracks imprinted into the forest floor.
Rick bent down a bit to try and see the problem. "What's wrong?" Daryl stood back up and fought the urge to shoot the man.
"Her tracks lead straight to the road," he began while pointing with two fingers. "But then they jus' veer off to the left and away from it."
Glenn checked the perimeter nervously before asking what it meant. The blonde redneck gave the jittery Asian a look that could kill. "It means she went th' other way dumbass."
Rick attempted to calm the Dixon brother as he tried to think of why Sophia would run in the opposite direction.
"Are there any tracks other than hers nearby? Maybe she was heading back and a Walker showed up and she had to run the opposite way."
They got quiet and waited as the crossbow-wielding tracker studied the earth some more. He stood and said he couldn't find any other than hers. The four men took a moment to sift through the information.
"Maybe she just got scared and ran off." Shane suggested. The others looked at him strangely.
"Then why th' hell would she run in the opposite direction smartass?" Daryl retorted.
Shane narrowed his eyes and took a step towards the blonde. "Gee, I don't know Daryl. Maybe she thought of you smashin' those people's faces with a pickaxe and got scared."
It took both Glenn and Rick to hold back the fiery redneck as he lunged at Shane, cursing worse than any trucker ever would, and even then they were being slowly pushed back by the pure animalistic rage that belonged to Daryl Dixon. He shook them off and glared at the smirking cop before raising his crossbow and following the tracks farther into the woods.
Glenn and Shane started after the tracker, but were stopped by Rick and told to return to the highway to calm the others. Glenn nodded and quickly made his way back to the road, while Shane was held back by his best friend.
Rick put his hands on his hips and looked his friend straight in the eyes, "What the hell was that about?" He asked.
Shane's gaze flickered to the left slightly before returning Rick's questioning gaze. "What are you talkin' about Rick?"
"Don't bullshit me Shane." He warned. "What was that with Daryl? Do you have a problem with him or somethin'?"
The deputy chuckled and shook his head. "Look Rick, everyone has a problem with Daryl. He's hotheaded and no different than that douche bag brother of his."
Rick glared at Shane before shaking his head and gesturing in the direction that Daryl had gone. "Look Shane, I know Daryl can be short-tempered and is not the most social person in the group, but he's nothing like Merle."
Shane looked around in exasperation and pointed accusingly towards Daryl's shrinking form. "He's just like that asshole Rick! Did you see what he did to Carol's husband?"
"I heard the whole story from Lori. She said that Daryl beat up Ed for touching Sophia inappropriately." He took a step closer and enforced his glare. "Daryl gave Ed what he deserved. If I had been there I would have done the same thing, so don't try to make his actions sound barbaric."
The deputy snorted in contempt. "What about when he practically smacked Carol's daughter? You gonna justify that too Rick?"
"He was angry because I handcuffed his brother to a roof in Atlanta and left him! Wouldn't you be pissed if I did that to someone close to you?"
Shane's face became unreadable.
"What he did and almost did was wrong. He didn't think things through, but Sophia still didn't hide from him. Not entirely." He removed his hat to run his fingers through his hair before replacing the sheriff's hat and continuing. "Look Shane, right now trust is hard to come by. I trust you with my life. Daryl is gaining my trust and right now I trust him to find Sophia."
Shane started to say something but stopped and shook his head before stomping back to the highway. Rick watched his best friend leave and sighed deeply before turning to follow Daryl into the woods.
Returning empty-handed was not an option for Daryl Dixon, but after the sun disappeared and night came upon them, the duo had no choice but to head back. Rick looked the blonde straight in the eyes and put a hand on his shoulder, ignoring the flinch.
"You did your best for now Daryl, we'll start fresh in the morning. I promise."
Daryl shrugged off Rick's hand but nodded and they started back towards the highway. Rick's hand hovered over his gun holster, while Daryl stalked through with his crossbow raised, both listening for any sounds other than crickets.
"Guess you're not such a pussy after all." Rick gave the blonde redneck a confused glance.
"Takes balls t' lure two Walkers an' bash their heads with a rock." He aimed his sights into some bushes that shook suspiciously, before revealing a frightened possum.
"Gotta say, I'm surprised you wanted t' gut that poxy bastard too."
Rick made a sort of snorting sound that basically meant, 'So am I'.
"Well, like I said. At least we know"
Daryl nodded and they continued back to the highway in silence, Rick deciding it best not to ask about the bracelet on the blonde's wrist.
Soooo? How was it? Oh and if you haven't figured it out, the next chapter will be the 4th and FINAL CHAPTER. I promise for reals this time.
If there are any mistakes PLEASE let me know. I'm falling asleep right now as I re-read it for the billlionth time!
Sad scenes and touching scenes, and of course BAMF Daryl taking over! :D