-27-

792 26 2
                                    

DARYL

They pulled the car off to the side of the road a mile or two away from the camp, as the stranger who still hadn't revealed her name had told them the people they were approaching had patrols. In the end it had been decided that only Rick, Daryl and Oscar would accompany the mysterious woman to retrieve their friends. It would be safer as a smaller group; they were less likely to get spotted so they could get in and get out as fast as possible.

"I know what you and Jinx did for me, for my baby, while I was..." Rick paused, "working things out. Thank you." He told Daryl.

"It's what we do." He shrugged. It hadn't been a question; he just did what needed to be done and he was gonna do everything he could to protect that little girl.

They ducked down as a herd approached them and began taking them out hand to hand, but they were surrounded. "There's too many of 'em" Daryl looked around, holding his knife in the air. Rick took one out and grabbed his bag, indicating for them to run through an opening.

"Through there!" He pointed towards a large wooden hut up ahead. They barged through the door. It had obviously had windows once, but they were all boarded up now and it took their eyes a few minutes to adjust. It smelled like death in there.

"The smell," Daryl covered his nose and mouth with one hand, "It's loud." The group started to move around, Rick leading the way holding up a flashlight.

"What the hell is that?" Oscar asked as the light fell on a carcass on the ground and they all grimaced.

"It's gotta be a fox, or what's left of one." Daryl observed. They moved slightly closer and realised it was wearing a collar, "I guess Lassie went home." He told the others turning away. This was obviously someone's home, but he guessed not for a long while, he was used to being out in the dirt and around dead things, but no sane person would stay here with that smell.

The walkers had caught up to them and were pounding on the walls and door where they'd entered.

Rick whistled to catch their attention and stepped towards a bed, where a blanket held the shape of something it was covering. Daryl held his knife up as Rick pulled it back. "Ah! Who the hell are you?" An erratic looking older man in a knitted hat yelled at them, swinging a rifle around.

"We don't mean any harm." Rick told him calmly, but the man yelled for them to get out of his house.

"Okay, okay, okay." Rick backed up holding his hands out in front of him. "We will. But we can't right now." He told the man. Daryl stayed crouching down, ready to fight.

"Now!" the man barked at them, and the nameless woman hissed at them to shut him up. "Get out right now!" he yelled again.

"There are walkers outside!" Rick whisper-yelled at him. The guy looked confused, he glanced at Daryl then back to Rick.

"I'll call the cops!" Daryl frowned, he'd been right with his original assessment, no sane person lived here.

"I am a cop" Rick told him, "Now, I need you to lower the gun." He continued to speak calmly, lowering his own weapon to the ground. "Everything's fine. Let's just... let's just take this nice and slow, okay?" Daryl watched the guy's eyes darting around the room, he remembered Jinx's comment about Tomas having crazy eyes, this guy's were even more so. "Look at me, hey, hey," rick tried to draw the guy's attention back to him.

The guy cocked the rifle, pointing it in Rick's face, "Show me your badge!" he demanded.

"All right. It's in my pocket, it's in my pocket" rick bluffed pointing to his chest. "I'm just gonna reach down, nice and slow."

Jinx || Daryl Dixon || The Walking Dead FanficWhere stories live. Discover now