𝐏𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐔𝐌 (𝐷𝑎𝑟𝑦𝑙 𝐷𝑖𝑥𝑜𝑛)

𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑦 𝑆𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛

"Took ya long enough to get here," Daryl smirked from his spot on the blanket.

From a small hill we overlooked Hershel's farm as the sun prepared to rise.

"Sorry," I said bashfully. "I woke up late."

I lowered myself to the blanket and turned to face him.

"Yeah, I can tell," he reached up and smoothed down my frizzy hair.

"I'm not the one who wanted to wake up so damn early," I playfully slapped his hand away.

"If I got to spend more time with my girl, I wouldn't have to wake her up at the crack of dawn."

I looked away and felt my cheeks grow hot.

"You know I have to help Lori with the baby," I told him softly.

"Doesn't mean I don't miss ya," Daryl took my hand in his and kissed it tenderly.

"Look," he nodded to the side.

The sun slowly rose over the mountain tops, sending a pink glow across the misty sky. I leaned my head on his shoulder and sighed.

I wish I could stay like this forever.

A deep rasping noise came from Daryl's throat, like he was fighting to say something but the words just wouldn't come out. I furrowed my brows and lifted my head.

A foul stench hit my nose as soon as I laid eyes on him. Daryl's baby blue eyes were gone. Now, only ghostly marbles looked back at me. His pale face contorted into a snarl and he lunged for me, knocking me on my back.

"Daryl, stop!" I pleaded. He was on top of me in a second, pinning me down with cold, rough hands. I brought out my knife but it was too late. Daryl buried his face in my neck and tore open my throat with yellow teeth. He brought his head back and I could see my own blood dripping down his chin as he chewed on my flesh. I tried to scream, but only a pathetic gurgling noise could be heard.

I opened my eyes and Daryl was gone. The only thing on top of me was the bunched up blanket that I entangled myself in while sleeping. The air was freezing, and despite the grey sweater I had on, so was I.

I rolled over and faced the window. My back was incredibly sore. The same pink hue I had seen in my dream spilled into the tiny room. I felt my throat tighten as tears ran down my face, soaking up my pillow.

A sharp knock startled me; I quickly sat up.

"Charlotte? You awake?" May's voice came from the other side of my door.

"Yeah," I called out, hurriedly wiping my face.

"Can I come in?"

You're the one with the key.

"Yeah."

May unlocked the door and pushed it open with her boot. She held another bowl of food in one hand and a large orange bucket in the other.

"How'd you sleep?" She asked brightly.

"This mattress sucks," I frowned.

"Well, if things go well today, you might find yourself upgrading," May set the bucket down and handed me the bowl.

"Powdered eggs," she gestured to the food.

The last time I ate powdered eggs was in the CDC. I felt a pang of hurt in my chest. I pushed it away and stuffed flavorless eggs into my mouth.

"What's going on today?" I wondered between mouthfuls.

"Today, you'll meet everyone and you'll answer questions. We do it with every new member," May explained. She wore a blue sweater that complemented her olive skin.

"Sounds like a stupid ice breaker to me," I said dispassionately.

"It kind of is," she chuckled.

The fact that she was being so friendly bothered me. I'd rather her be a total bitch to me so I wouldn't have to feel bad about acting grumpy.

Her eyes fell to the pile of dirty clothes that lay nearby the mattress.

"I can take those to be washed for you," she nodded over to them.

I hesitated for a moment before leaning over to the pile and taking out Daryl's jacket. I pushed the rest of it towards May and she picked it up. I caught her eyes lingering on the jacket.

"I can wash it myself," I snapped. It wasn't like I had any soap or water, but I didn't trust some stranger not to lose the jacket or mess it up somehow.

She said nothing else and turned to leave before I stopped her.

"What's the bucket for?"

May turned to me with a smirk on her lips.

"It's so you can use the bathroom," she said casually before closing the door behind her.

Lee came to get me a little while after that.

"So, how are you liking everything?"

I followed him down the same creaky staircase I climbed the day prior.

"Oh, you mean my broom closet?" I said bitterly.

The only thing I got from him was an apologetic look.

"I thought you said I wasn't a prisoner here."

We reached the bottom floor and I folded my arms.

"You aren't," Lee turned to me.

"Then why does my door have to be locked?"

He sighed and mirrored my stance.

"It's a safety precaution. Remember what I said about being a team player?"

I frowned and looked down at my feet.

"Just try not to look so gloomy. First impressions mean everything," he reminded me.

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. I stood up straight and pursed my lips together.

"Fine. I won't be gloomy," I gave in.

"That's the spirit," Lee smiled down at me.

I followed him into another room where I could hear an abundance of chatter coming from nearby.

"Wait here for a moment," Lee disappeared into the noisy room, closing the door behind him. I heard the talking die down as Lee said some muffled words.

A tiny creak behind me raised the hair on the back of my neck. I whirled around, ready to come face-to-face with someone, but there was nothing. I heard the noise again and this time, I looked down.

A pair of amber eyes poked out from behind the doorway. Little hands wrapped around the frame as the child continued to look at me. My face softened and I crouched down to meet my watcher at eye-level.

"Hi there."

The little girl smiled and peered at me curiously. A blue and white baseball cap sat snugly on her head with a letter D embroidered on the front.

"Hi," she answered.

"I like your hat," I pointed to her head.

"Thank you. My dad gave it to me," she stepped away from the doorway and wrung her hands nervously. Underneath a red hoodie, she wore a yellow dress and striped stocking, a rather unusual get-up for this new world. Curly pigtails were tied on each side of her head.

"What's your name?" She asked sweetly as she rocked back and forth on her heels.

"My name is Charlotte." I felt a genuine smile grow on my face as I spoke with the little girl.

She grinned contently and held out her tiny hand.

"I'm Clementine."

✯✯✯

(𝑷𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒏 3/19/21)