Jinx || Daryl Dixon || The Walking Dead Fanfic

-9-

DARYL

Jinx was sitting on a fence looking out over the field when they pulled into the farm the next morning. Her hair was down again, blowing slightly behind her in the breeze, she turned and smiled brightly at them as they pulled in behind her. He took that as good sign and raised a hand in greeting, he didn't understand why, but it seemed her happiness was infectious to him. He wanted to do everything he could to keep that expression on her face and he didn't understand why he felt that way.

Not long later the group stood around a rock pile that they'd built in place of a grave for Otis, Hershel led the memorial by reading from the bible and thanking God for what the man had done. When he finished both Hershel and Patricia asked Shane to speak for Otis and to recount his final moments. Obviously uncomfortable, Shane recited the same story he'd given the others the night before.

Something didn't quite sound right to Daryl, he didn't trust Shane and there was something about his story that just didn't add up. He had a suspicion that Shane had actually killed the other man, but since no one else was saying anything, it wasn't his place either.

After the service the group gathered around, Maggie brought out a county survey map that they spread out on the hood of Carol's car, finally able to make a real plan to continue the search for Sophia. Hershel told both Rick and Shane that they couldn't go that day, they both needed a chance to heal up, Shane's ankle and Rick from the amount of blood he'd lost. "Guess it's just me, I'm gonna head back to the creek, work my way from there" Daryl told the group.

Shane and Rick began discussing gun training and Hershel informed them that he didn't want them carrying guns while on his property. It might have been his imagination, but he was sure he saw a small smile cross Jinx's face when she heard that, he frowned a little as he realised the whole time she'd been with the group, he'd never seen the girl even touch a gun. Even when Rick had offered her one during that first walk back to the camp, she'd declined.

It was decided that the others would set up camp and make a plan for the search the next morning, but Daryl was only half listening by that point. The conversation turned to what would happen if they found Sophia and she was a walker, Daryl ignored them, he was sure they'd find that little girl.

Shane began to gather up everyone's guns to put away while they were on the property, but Rick convinced Hershel to allow them one rifleman on lookout, to which he acquiesced. It was then decided that Maggie and Glenn would go on a run to try and find extra medical supplies.

As he was about to leave, Rick stopped him, "You okay on your own?" he called out.

Daryl shrugged him off, "I'm better on my own." He was still irritated that he seemed to be the only one who believed they'd find the girl, "don't worry, I'll be back before dark".

Rick told him that they had a base now, they could get the search organised. Daryl couldn't figure out where he was going with this.

"My point,' Rick looked at him, "is it lets you off the hook. You don't owe us anything." Daryl turned away.

"My other plans fell through" he grumbled as he walked away from the sheriff, what sort of person did these people think he was that he'd just leave a little girl stranded on her own?

___

JINX

Jinx was helping set up tents for them to stay in a short distance from the house, there still weren't really enough despite the group being so much smaller now and somehow, she ended up with the option of staying in the already crowded RV or sharing a tent with Daryl. She decided Daryl was the better choice. As fond as she had become of these people, there was a limit to how much time she could spend with the group in one go and Daryl was pretty quiet, if he was even around at all.

They'd just about finished setting up camp when T-Dog and Dale came and told them about the walker they'd found in the well. Maggie, Glenn, Andrea, Shane, Lori and Jinx followed them over to check it out. Jinx scoffed as someone suggested putting a bullet in its head and both Maggie and Andrea pointed out that would only contaminate the water all the more.

The group tried lowering down a canned ham, but the walker was uninterested. "We need live bait" Andrea spoke out loud what the rest of the group already knew and Glenn was the unlucky person who got unwillingly volunteered. Maggie and Jinx knelt either side of the well telling the others when to allow a little more rope.

The pump for the well, which they had been using as an anchor, suddenly snapped and everyone scrambled to grab hold of the rope before Glenn fell in with the walker. He was screaming "Get me out! Get me out!" as the group descended into chaos, everyone trying to grab hold of the rope, no real method. Somehow, though, it worked, and they pulled Glenn out and just as they thought they would need to find another solution, Glenn handed Dale the other rope that he'd managed to secure around the walker even despite the peril he'd been in.

Despite their best efforts, the walker got caught on the edge of the well and after so long steeping in the water, its body easily split in half, the bottom end falling back down and contaminating the water anyway. T-Dog beat the still living half until it stopped trying to reach for them and they resignedly sealed up the well. "Good thing we didn't do anything stupid like shoot it" T-Dog told them sarcastically as he walked away.

Later, Shane, Carol and Andrea had driven back to the interstate to check for Sophia and the others had all withdrawn elsewhere, so Jinx took the chance to finally have some time to herself. She walked a small way from the group to a spot that couldn't be seen from the farmhouse and sat down with her back against a tree. She'd thought about getting one of the books from her bag, but she knew her brain was too busy for her to focus on the words it contained. She just looked out over the field and enjoyed the air on her skin.

As she sat there, she pulled the necklace from around her neck and removed the ring from it, slipping it onto the ring finger of her right hand, absentmindedly twisting it around as she disappeared into thoughts of home.

___

It had been hours when movement on the edge of the trees caught Jinx's attention and pulled her out of her daydream. She watched it for a few minutes and as it grew clearer, she realised there was a figure on the horizon. She paused, there were only two options, either it was Daryl returning or a walker and it wasn't yet close enough for her to be able to tell the difference.

After a few more minutes, it was clear that it was Daryl returning and Jinx let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. A weight she hadn't realised she'd been carrying since that morning felt like it had been lifted and she realised she'd been worrying about him out there alone. She wouldn't have admitted if someone asked, but she'd developed a soft spot for the redneck.

Slowly she walked back to the farmhouse, thinking to find something for carol to eat or drink, some kind of gesture since obviously Daryl hadn't succeeded in finding her little girl again. She was almost to the door of the RV, where she'd last seen Carol, when she heard voices inside.

"..Cherokee rose" she heard Daryl's voice from inside, "The story is that when American soldiers were moving Indians off their land on the trail of tears, the Cherokee mothers were grieving and crying so much because they were losing their little ones along the way. Exposure, disease, starvation. A lot of them just disappeared. So, the elders, they, uh, said a prayer, asked for a sign to uplift the mothers' spirits, give 'em strength, hope. Next day this rose started to grow right where the mothers' tears fell." He paused, "I'm not fool enough to think there's any flowers blooming for my brother, but I believe this one bloomed for your little girl."

She paused and turned around, she hadn't thought about how Daryl must be feeling, searching for so long for Sophia when no one was searching for his brother. She felt the strongest urge to burst into the RV and just hold him until he understood that someone cared. She didn't want them to think she'd been spying on them though, so she walked away taking the small plate of food with her.

Maggie had been kind enough to find some spare bedding for her since she had none of her own and she sat cross legged on the comforter on her side of the tent as she picked through the fruit on the plate.

It was only a couple of minutes later that Daryl appeared, he looked surprised to find her in there, but didn't say anything. She smiled and held out the plate by way of a greeting. He took a couple of slices of peaches and mumbled "thanks" as he stuffed both into his mouth and unrolled his own bedding.