Jinx || Daryl Dixon || The Walking Dead Fanfic

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DARYL

Eventually the rain stopped, the sun came up and with it the growls of the dead faded until they were non-existent. Daryl and Beth glanced at each other before pushing the trunk open and climbing out. They looked around them wordlessly, glancing to one walker that laid on the ground, seemingly killed by its own herd.

They began to scavenge what they could from the battered old car. Beth grabbed an empty water bottle and shoved it into a flimsy plastic carrier bag, followed by the car's wingmirror which lay on the ground. Daryl grabbed a black bin liner from the back seat and began to fill it with wires and the hubcaps.

When they had both salvaged everything they could, Daryl looked at the young girl for a moment, a part of him wished it was Jinx by his side, but he quickly pushed the thought away knowing he couldn't carry on if he let himself feel her loss. He turned away from the blonde girl and began walking down the road, after a few seconds he heard her begin to follow.

They made a small camp, creating an alert system for any walkers that may come close by stringing up the various items they'd collected on wire around the perimeter. Daryl had left Beth to try and start the fire while he hunted something to cook on it.

He moved silently through the forest, his attention caught by a squirrel as it ran up a tree, he paused for a second holding the crossbow up and loosed the arrow towards the small creature, growling slightly in frustration when it missed, and the fluffy tail disappeared further up into the tree. He moved forward, grabbing the arrow from the tree and looking down at it with disdain as he noticed the bend in the middle, he bent it further until it snapped in his hands threw it to the ground in annoyance.

He continued to move through the forest in silence when a slight movement caught his eye as a snake moved along the ground. He quickly threw the crossbow onto his back and grabbed a stick from the ground beside him, easily breaking the branches so that it formed a 'y' shape. He stepped forward soundlessly and used the branch to hold the snake still as he quickly stabbed it with his knife.

He took the kill back to the small camp where Beth was gathering water from the leaves of the plants around them and began skinning the snake ready to cook. As she returned, he felt her stare at him for a moment, but still neither of them spoke, not while he skinned the snake, not while they cooked it, not until Beth had finished eating her share;

"I need a drink," she announced, with a brief nod, Daryl picked up the water bottle beside his feet and tossed it toward her, "no, I mean a real drink" she told him sullenly as she moved the bottle aside, "as in alcohol," she clarified when Daryl still failed to react. "I've never had one, 'cause of my dad. But he's not exactly around anymore, so... I thought we could go find some," she suggested hopefully.

She paused for a moment, but Daryl just continued tucking into the barbecued snake in his hands.

"Okay" she sighed as she pushed herself up from the ground, "Well, enjoy your snake jerky." She told him as she walked past, yanking her knife from the log beside the fire as she passed.

With a sigh he stood and followed her, raising his crossbow as five or so walkers began to approach. He watched the girl duck behind a tree and throw a rock to draw them away from her. As the last one finally turned to move away he stepped out of the trees, the crossbow still raised he turned and headed back towards the small camp.

"I think we made it away," Beth told him after a few seconds, "I'm pretty sure we gotta go that way to find the booze," Daryl didn't bother to glance back to see which direction she was indicating. He quickly stepped over wire that surrounded their camp, but obliviously Beth carried on until she hit it causing the metal hubcaps to clatter together.