Dead End || Daryl Dixon

Chapter Eight

"What is this place?" An Asian man asked, Filepe and his brother had kidnapped him from Atlanta.

"Nursing home, most of their families fled and I couldn't leave them here without their medicine" I explained.

"I'm Madison, I got by Dr. J around here" I said introducing myself to him, "Glenn. Where you their doctor before all this?" He asked and I nodded.

"I was their on sight oncologist, still pretty much am."

Glenn nodded and followed me through the halls and I to the rec room. "Are you hungry?" I asked motioning towards the kitchen where we had various foods for our residents.

"I'm okay, thank you tho" he nodded and I sent him a small smile before excusing myself as one of the residents took a liking to Glenn.

"The got Miguel, shot Felipe in the ass" Guillermo said angrily walking through the rec room. "Think they will come back for Glenn?" I asked. G shrugged and walked off, being called to the front gates by his men.

I watched as two of them men grabbed Glenn and took him away somewhere. I grabbed myself a bowl of whatever one of the cooks had made up for the day. Enjoying the warm food.

After some time G came back in, Glenn still with us and no Miguel. "The didn't wanna give us our bag of guns. Told them guns and Miguel or no deal." He explained and I nodded.

I walked off towards my room, wanting to take a little time to myself. Seeing people come in, alive, gives me hope that my dad or even Daryl had made it in this world. The question is, will I ever see them again?

I took a seat at the desk in my room, pulling out my sketchbook, catching myself drawing pictures of wildlife, memories of daryl and I walking through the woods, his crossbow always placed in his hands.

I remember one specific time, when I had begged daryl to teach me out to shoot. I was about 17, I remember daryl always telling me.

"Ya gotta quit dropping the bow, it's too low" he would say but I would just grunt at him, the weird of the piece in my hands being too much.

"Dr. J, Mr. Gilbert is having a hard time breathing" Manuel said from outside my door. I sighed but quickly made my way to the rec room. Stopping at the med cart looking for his inhaler, only it wasn't there.

I furrowed my eyebrows before quickly making my way to his room, finding it on the bed side table. I sighed in relief while grabbing the inhaler and jogged back down to the rec room.

"Mr. Gilbert, I need to to try and slow your breathing for me" I said placing the inhaler up to his lips and pushed it down while he breathed in. He had a light hand holding my arm and I smiled up at him as he started to catch his breath.

"Better?" I asked and he nodded. I turned around glancing at Glenn for a second before looking at the couple residents we had here.

The dogs started barking like crazy, causing us all to look up towards the group of men walking through the doorway.

"What the hell is this?" One of the men asked Glenn. When I turned and gave the men my full attention, my heart stopped.

"Asthma attack, couldn't catch his breath all of a sudden." Glenn explained, but I couldn't move. My eyes were on the man standing in front of me, he was looking down towards the barrel of the shotgun in his hands.

"We thought you were being eaten by dogs man" one of the men said.

The inhaler in my hand clattered to the floor, it was relatively quiet in the rec room so the sound of it hitting the hard wood floor echoed.

Daryl looked up at the sound, his eyes instantly landed on me as tears sprung to my eyes. He stepped forward slightly, stammering for a second. The gun fell out of his hands, falling to the floor as well.

"Dare" I choked out, moving from my place and closing the gap between my favorite red neck and myself. I didn't hesitate to allowed the tears to fall, my arms were around his neck as he squeezed me tightly around the waist.

"You're alive" I cried, nuzzling my face into the crook of his neck. I could feel him breathing rapidly and when I pulled back I could see the tears in his eyes.

"You, you've been alive this whole time?" He questioned, still not loosening his grip from around my waist. I could tell he was tossing his emotions around.

I nodded, not even being able to hold back my smiled as I wrapped my arms around Daryl's waist and allowing myself to stay in his arms for second.

"You two know each other?" One of the men asked, causing us to pull apart. Daryl nodded, "she lived across the street from me growing up, we had just gotten back from a camping trip together the day before all this happen" Daryl explained to the man and he nodded towards me.

"Rick Grimes" he said holding his hand out. "Madison Johnson, I got by Dr. J around here" I said, sending a smile over to Daryl.

Guillermo and a couple of the guys with Glenn and Daryl went off somewhere around the building. Daryl followed me to my room.

"You comin with us?" He asked once we were in my room with the door shut. I frowned, looking up at him. "I take that as a no" he started but I shook my head.

"These people need me," I started, glancing up at daryl who clearly had an angry expression. "But I need you more" I whispered, tears coming to my eyes again as I looked up at the man in front of me.

"Com'ere" he said opening his arms, I didn't hesitate to comfortably place myself in his open arms. "I've been teaching G everything he needs to know, I told him it was just in case something happened to me, but honestly I planned on leaving, going to look for my dad" I explained and Daryl's frown deepened.

"I went back to yer house, lookin for you n yer dad. Only I found yer dad" he whispered, and I nodded, knowing exactly what he was going to say. "I already knew, he wasn't made for a world like this." I whispered.

"I'm really happy you're alive" I whispered again, tighten my grip around Daryl's waist. "I'm happy yer alive too" he whispered into my hair and a soft smiled spread across my face.