The Journey Ahead | Daryl Dixon

The Journey Ahead (4)

^^^Song mentioned in story^^^

We walked up to the porch and studied every little detail. The wood banisters fading away from paint loss and stripped down to the bear minimum due to harsh weather conditions. I ran my fingers over the rough wood structure and down to the edge of the banister leading up to the door frame. I stopped and looked over to Daryl, seeing that he was already going into the routine.

He slammed the palm of his hand on the doorframe, attempting to draw out any walkers that may have been hidden inside and readied his crossbow. It took a couple minutes, and eventually I grew bored. I walked past him up to the door and was ready to open it until Daryl grabbed my wrist and gave me a look as if telling me no. I didn't listen, and I went in. Surprisingly, the door opened with ease.

He scoped the house while I stayed by the entrance and looked around the house. Everything looked untouched, almost perfect. Like the Apocolypse never happened and no one ever lived here. I wandered into the kitchen and continued exploring.

The countertops were flawless, hardly any nicks or traces of dirt of any kind were found. I walked up to the pure white cabinets and opened them one by one. I took a step back and surveyed what lied before me. Canned goods, chips and a couple liters of soda sat there, perfectly lined up. All of the labels facing one way. 'Was this a dream?' Was all I thought to myself. I reached out and pulled a can from the cabinet. Rolling it around in my hand. A small smirk played across my lips as I realized. This was no dream.

I heard the heavy trudging of boots across the polished wood floors as I turned around to find Daryl making his way over. I didn't even have to say anything for him to take into account all of the goods piled up for us.

"Take what you can, we'll stock up." He said. He put a bag of chips in his mouth and began to hastily stuff the cans into his bag. I put my hand on his shoulder and gave him a reassuring look. "Oh you've got to be kiddin'" he said trying to form the words to say while still holding the bag in his mouth. I pulled it away and put the chips on the counter.

"What if they're still here?"

"Checked it, plus, if they were here I would've taken care of em."

I looked down and fiddled with the zipper on the bottom of my jacket, contemplating whether we should take the food or not. Daryl noticed my cautiousness and let out a defeated sigh.

"Here, we'll leave half, and if they do come back while we're here we'll work somethin out, sound good?" I smiled back at him and helped him pack up the majority of the goods, while setting some on the table.

"Ooo Jelly? Gimme that!" I said snatching the jar from his hand and spinning the top off with one good turn. The sweet taste of the jelly brought back multiple memories. All of them being good. Daryl looked at me and let out a slight chuckle. I then realized I had jelly all over my face. I rolled my eyes and used the back of my sleeve to wipe the excess off.

"Pigs feet are mine." He said grabbing a jar off of the shelf.

"Ugh, please. All yours." I said motioning to the chair.

He plopped down in the chair, and I sat in the one next to him. The sun was setting quickly, so I looked around for some matches or something to keep the light going. I stood up from the table and left Daryl to stuff his face with food. I began to walk into the hallway until I heard Daryl clear his throat. I turned around and saw him give me a glare.

"I'm not goin that far, chill. I'm gonna look for some matches." I replied. He nodded and I was on my way.

The house felt so unusual, probably because we have been surviving this hellish earth for so long. I almost forgot what a normal house looked like. Untouched, and not ransacked.