Feral. (A walking dead love story)

Chapter IV: Guard Down.

Chapter IV: Guard Down.

The nightmare was still the same; I was wandering by some sort of forest, only a few rays of moonlight penetrated through the pines and the fog made it even harder to see ahead. I followed a trail that was the only path free of any vegetation somehow, I looked up but all I could see was darkness. I could feel I was being watched, every move and every step was observed, but I could only hear the spectator's steps, suddenly I hear it's disembodied voice calling me and I can feel it getting closer and then breathing on my neck, I turn around to see it, but that's when I always wake up.

But this time I had no time to agonize over the recurrent bad dream because Alana was already inside my room.

"It's Jake, you have to come."

I went downstairs to find Beth pressing a piece of gauze soaked in alcohol against Jake's face, he moaned in pain while everybody else watched.

He had an edema that announced a black eye, a few grazes over his body, a swollen lip and a recently stitched cut in his face.

"What did you do to him?" I ran over to hug him.

"It wasn't them." The said slowly because of his injured lip "I was on guard by myself and heard the truck door being slammed, so I went over to check. Turns out two guys were trying to rob it, and when they saw me and my gun they attacked... So they took the gun and the truck."

"Did you retaliate?" I asked Rick.

"There's nothing anyone can do, they took off."

"Really? That's your answer? What if it was Carl?" I was furious and agitated and spoke in a higher volume than usual.

"There would be still nothing to do. We have now a new rule; nobody alone on guard duty." He maintained his calm.

"You've gotta be shitting me" I muttered to myself and walked out the main door. I was going to find those fuckers by myself then.

I didn't walk far when someone grabbed my shoulder.

"You ain't going nowhere." I turned my head to see Daryl.

"Hell yeah I am. They could've killed him!"

"He's gonna be killed if he doesn't learn how to wipe his own ass." He waited for me to stop walking to move on "So what he got his ass kicked once? The kid's gotta learn, or else his as good as dead."

Daryl was right, Jake was the weakest in our group; he knew how to shoot but seldom hit the target, he wasn't quick as Glenn, brave as Carl he or strong as Daryl and sure wasn't bold as Rick. He was an easy target as to walkers as to other groups and he had to learn.

We walked back to the house in silence; we both knew there was nothing else to say neither to do about the "incident".

"I'll just stay on guard now." I said.

"I'll just stay here with you, then, new rules."

I took a sit on the stairs that led to the balcony and he followed.

"I know you're right." I stared at the grass below us "but I just can't help it, you know? I see my brother whenever I look at him. I can't help it."

"That sucks." I couldn't stop myself from chuckling with his lack of sensibility and he just gave me his Daryl smile "But you just gotta promise you won't do crazy shit no more."

"I promise."

The air between us was sudden light and his presence was bearable. He wasn't in defense mode and neither was I.

"Why aren't you always this pleasant? People would actually like you." I broke the silence.

"Who the fuck said I was pleasant?"

"This asshole mask you got" I pointed to his face "I don't buy it. Risking your life to find me, not letting me walk away from the group, not letting me do stupid things? You are a nice person, mister Dixon."

"Next time I'll just feed you the walkers" he tried not to sound amused.

Jake himself wasn't a big fan of Daryl; in his eyes he wasn't trustworthy and for Jake's sake I had been avoiding any further contact with him, but starring at his deep blue eyes I wasn't sure how right he was.; I had never let my guard down and whenever Daryl Dixon came to mind I would shut myself instantaneously, but now I could almost sense something in the air.
And although I tried to fight, I knew that my weak self felt something for this redneck sitting in front of me, and this time I was willing to pursue this.

"I need you to be honest." I looked over to Daryl "Why are you always so worried about me?" he grunted something I didn't understand and I insisted "Please, I need to know."

"What do you need to know?"

"If you..." I chocked "I- I mean, if we are on the same page here."

I had never done anything remarkably close to this, but I was prepared for falling on my face. The butterflies had moved from something delightful in my stomach to something strangling me on my throat and his silence just made it worse.

"I guess we are then." He rose to his feet and left me alone sitting on the stairs.