Triggerfinger ➳ Daryl Dixon

o n e

Just promise me you'll always be a friend. Presley kicked a rock in front of her boot. The air was hot and sticky with humidity, and a thin layer of sweat dripped down her forehead and occasionally blurred her vision. They'd been traveling for nine days now. She'd been without water for nearly an entire day already.

"You hungry?" Carl strode up to her, opening his palm to reveal a few walnuts. Carl had a talent of spotting those damn trees with those damn nuts in them from a mile away. It simply blew her mind how good he was at distinguishing different plants and trees. To her, they almost all looked the same. Herbs and other plants happened to be one thing that her father had failed to teach her about.

"Thanks." She said, plucking a few of the walnuts from his hand and popping them into her mouth. Carl had grown at lot these past few months. Not just physically, but mentally, too. He had shot up a few inches and now stood slightly taller than herself, just enough that he had to look down at her. He'd also become more mature in more ways than one. He was a handsome kid with beautiful blue eyes and tan, freckled skin.

He sighed as he walked, keeping pace with Presley. She stayed at the back of the group with no weapons in her hands. She distanced herself from the others, not wanting to talk about what happened. She didn't want to admit that her friend and savior had gone crazy and tried to kill Daryl. Just promise you'll always be a friend. She huffed. She was a fail at this whole 'friendship' thing. Killing your friend probably didn't win you the friendship award.

Stefan had been a good person. Not many people thought that after what happened, but she knew that he was. He was loyal and sought after her best interest at all times. Unfortunately, he was in love with Presley. That love intermixed with insanity and the poor kid couldn't take it any more. He had saved her life more than once. Even on his deathbed, he held no hatred as he stared up into her eyes. His death wasn't as quick and painless as it should have been, but once she pulled herself from Daryl, she'd looked Stefan in the eye as she took his life and put an end to his suffering.

The funeral followed later on.

Stefan was too good and too kind for this world. Perhaps it was best that he had finally been put to peace.

"I'm sorry about Stefan, really." Carl said quietly.

"It's okay." She shrugged. 'He's in a better place' is what most people would say years ago. However, people nowadays didn't believe in that better place. They were living in hell.

"Do you think Alexandria is real?" Carl asked.

"Real? I think it exists."

"I think it sounds too good to be true." He murmured. "After Terminus, I don't think a safe haven really exists."

Presley ruffled his hair. "Maybe there is, bud. You never know."

. . . . .

The man was tired. Tired of driving, tired of searching for her. She's still alive. She's too strong to die. He told himself every few moments. The idea of her still being alive was the only thing keeping him alive and from drifting to sanity.

He drummed his fingers against the steering wheel. He'd traveled across the entire damn country for her, looking for any sign of that girl. She'd been in Colorado when this whole outbreak had struck. He'd considered her going to Texas, but there would be nothing there for her. He'd stopped by her house in Colorado, just in case. Just to see if maybe, just maybe she'd been there. He didn't find her, but he found a clue. A short note on a yellowed piece of paper was helping him hold onto hope.

Dad,

I doubt that you'll ever get this. The landlines are down. I don't know what these things are, but I can't stay here. It's too busy in Colorado.

I'm going down to Atlanta, Georgia. I don't know that there will be anything left there by the time I get there, but I have to try. After all, I am your daughter.

By the time you get this I don't know if I'll be there anymore. I guess this is goodbye.

Love always,

P

He kept that letter in the glove box of the Jeep Sahara, similar to the one he'd bought for her. He himself had fallen in love with the modernized twist of a vehicle, and had actually went and traded in his old truck for this thing. It'd served him well so far.

Elvis blared in the radio. It'd been his wife's favorite singer. She played the songs to death, so much that he actually found himself hating the damn singer even in his deathbed. However, now that she was gone, that was really all he listened to. That, and he found himself occasionally listening to his daughter's CDs that happened to be in the Jeep.

He glanced at his reflection. His beard was graying and his eyes were tired, but he was alive. He was well. His brown eyes were still brown. He needed a shave, but he was still himself. His daughter was just a hop, jump, and a skip away. Mary, his wife, had always said that. Just a hop, jump, and a skip away.

"I'm on my way, baby girl." He said to the windshield. Just a hop, jump, and a skip away.

. . . . . . .

Oh my gosh here it is! I'm really excited about this. I've been anticipating this next story ever since I figured out exactly what I would be doing.

So if this is all confusing for you, you probably haven't read the first book. This is the sequel to my first book, Arrowhead. Before you start reading this you should probably go and read the other fifty-five chapters so that these ones make sense.

Now to the readers who have already read Arrowhead: hello and welcome to the sequel, Triggerfinger. Through this book I hope to pull the same emotions that I managed to pull out with the first book. I hope to make you cry and laugh because of the words I put in this story.

I hope you have as much fun reading as I will have writing. Enjoy!

Remember to follow me on Twitter: Goddeesw

I would absolutely adore it if you could vote on each chapter. Seeing votes fuels me and makes me want to write even faster haha.

This first chapter is dedicated to XxDeadFuzzyxX . Give em a follow!

Also, a huge shoutout to TimelessWandering. She made some really nice comments, and to be honest, she's the reason why I'm posting this right now xD