Jinx || Daryl Dixon || The Walking Dead Fanfic

-5-

DARYL

He indicated to the girl that she could use the shower first and he headed out the room in the search of more booze. He'd actually been enjoying himself before Shane decided to bring the mood down and he wasn't quite ready to let go of that feeling.

He tracked down the kitchen and while everyone else was preoccupied, managed to go through the cupboards and score an almost full bottle of whiskey. He whispered another "Booyah" to himself as he slipped silently back to the room he was sharing with the girl.

When he got back she was sitting on the other couch brushing her hair, she was back in her black clothes from the day they found her. He noticed they fit her a lot better, he'd been right before, she was pretty, it was easier to see now she was wearing clothes that fit and she was no longer covered in dirt.

He caught sight of her eyes for the first time as she looked up at him around a piece of hair she seemed to be having trouble untangling. She had big golden eyes that reminded him a little of a cat and sharp cheekbones that showed a little too much giving away how malnourished she'd become. She gave him a small smile and he couldn't help but notice the way it seemed to light up her whole face, making the protective feelings he'd had seeing her curled up in a ball in his truck resurface.

He nodded to her and plonked down onto his couch and took a swig of the whiskey. It was the good stuff. He didn't understand why he felt like he had to protect this girl, he didn't even know her.

As if she sensed his wanting her gone, she abruptly stood up and informed him that she was off to the rec room. He watched her pick up a few small items he hadn't noticed sitting on the table before. He wasn't entirely sure what they were, but they glinted like jewellery as she put them in her pocket, but if it was jewellery, why wouldn't she just wear it, he found himself wondering.

When the girl was gone Daryl took the chance to use the shower. He didn't really mind being dirty, he was used to spending time out in the woods, hunting for his next meal, even before all of this, but even he had to admit the hot water felt good on his skin. When he got out, he took another swig of the whiskey as he re-entered the room where they would sleep. He hadn't noticed it before, but the girl had left something on the table next to the folded clothes she'd been wearing earlier that day. He scowled as he looked at the mobile phone, it seemed like a strange thing to keep since cell service had long stopped functioning at this point.

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JINX

It was chaos in the rec room, the music was turned up loud and the kids were having a great time. Even the adults that were in there seemed to be enjoying themselves as they laughed and danced. It felt good to finally see everyone relax a little and even let her own guard down a little.

On a trip to the kitchen for a drink she found a bottle of wine that hadn't quite been finished yet and poured the last out into a glass. When she went back to the rec room, she found the kids had finally been sent to bed and only a couple of people remained. She chatted a little and then perused the bookshelves, helping herself to a few by authors she knew she liked.

By the time she worked up the courage to go back to the room she was sharing with Daryl, she was feeling nicely buzzed and even caught herself smiling a couple of times, the feeling was unfamiliar.

Daryl wasn't there when she got back and she felt a little relieved. She caught sight of herself in the mirror. She knew she'd lost weight over the last few weeks, she'd been slim anyway, but looking in the mirror she could see she'd lost any muscle tone she'd had before. No wonder she'd felt so weak. Her eyes looked sunken in, a combination of lack of sleep and malnourishment and as she stared at herself it looked as though they'd lost some of the light that used to be behind them. She turned around and pulled the back of her shirt up looking over her shoulder to check the bruises she expected to have from the day Rick and the others had found her. She wasn't surprised to see the blue and purple splotches that marked where she had fallen, but the outlines of her ribs being so easily visible on her back was a shock she hadn't expected and really proved just how little she'd been living on.