Survive Somehow...

Chapter 4

We all slept outside in tents. Except the original occupants of the house, Hershel and his kids. I don't mind the people were with. They're nice and easy to get on with. There are a few which are a bit harder to get on with it's not too bad. Shane is very hard to get along with but Rick likes him and surprisingly I trust Rick so I'll accept his judgement.
"Ya' coming with me." Daryl demands as soon as the morning sun rises. I don't hesitate to go with him. I owe them at least so helping is the most I can do.
"Where we goin'?" I ask him as we head off past the watch areas and into the field.
"Huntin'" He says walking in front of me. We walk for a little while and head into the woods. I look for any signs of nature and check up in the trees. Aiming my shitty whittled bow at anything that moves. He says nothing and just leans against a tree and watches me. I look at the floor and aim back up into the trees.
"Your doin' it all-" he begins to say before I cut him off by hushing him. He raises his hands and carries on sitting there. A small smug smile on his face and shaking his head at me. I hear a twig snap behind me so I spin round and shoot in the direction of the sound. There's a small squeak and a thump in the same direction. He straightens up as I walk over and grab it. A squirrel. Shot right in the head. I pick it up and wave it at Daryl, smiling.
"You we're saying?" I cockily say to him before throwing it over my shoulder and carrying on, deeper into the woods. He follows.
"Lucky shot." He mutters in his deep raspy voice.
"Lucky shot? I have a shit bow and still managed to hit it dead in the head." I stop and say to him he stops with me.
"Ya' know how to use a crossbow?" He asks me taking my bow out of my hands.
"No, never shot one." He does a small laugh and carries on walking. Daryl puts his crossbow back over his shoulder and examines the bow. He stops later while we're walking and looks me in the eyes while I stand next to him. I raise my eyebrows and roll my eyes at him. He stands there looking smugly at me, saying nothing. My blood boils.
"Tell ya' what. I'll teach you" he announces. I laugh and carry on walking.
"The amazing Daryl Dixon, giving me lessons! I'm honoured." i sarcastically say to him as he huffs past me, a small smiling creeping on his face.
"You'd be lucky... a teacher like me teaching a gal like you." He egotistically announces.
"Oh yeah?" i smirk at him and pick up a small pebble from the ground. I aim at a tree and he tilts his head, shortly after realising what i'm doing. He begins to pull his crossbow out as i throw it at the leaves. The helpless birds swarm out from the top of the branches and I spin towards Daryl when i hear the sound of his crossbow release. I turn and look at him with a smile on my face.
"Maybe i would be lucky. I'll get back to you Mr Dixon." I carry on walking into the woods. We don't talk for a little while and eventually decide to go back to the camp. A comfortable amount of meat for the evenings meal. I knew this was a test from everyone to see if i can hunt, they sent the "best hunter" along with me to watch. I'm not an idiot, i can see it. I don't blame them though of course, they don't know me, they'd be giving up their food for me.
We eventually get back to the farm and everyone is happy with todays stuff.
"I was right. She's good." Daryl mutters to Shane and pushes into his shoulder as he walks away. He just huffs and comes to grab the food off of me.
"Maybe i can get a good use outta ya'" Shane whispers to me as he looks down my body. I quickly get up in his face.
"Excuse me?" I stare him dead in the eyes as the rest of the people turn and watch us. Rick gets up.
"Back down Shane." Rick tells him as i tilt my head at him, a grin on my face.
"Let me rephrase that. I will get a good use outta ya'" Shane says loud enough for everyone to hear, seconds before i swing at his face and watch him squirm about on the floor. I kneel down beside him and look down at his face.
"Wanna say that again, Shane?" I ask him. He looks around at everyone, then to Rick. Shooting him a look for his help. Rick stays where he is. He gets up quickly, huffing and puffing out of stress. I stand up in front of him before he begins to walk away. He quickly spins back and hastily walks towards me. Daryl runs in and grabs him back, whilst i stay completely still.
"Back the fuck off Shane!" Daryl yells at him and he stops moving.
"You watch your back girl." He spits with his finger pointing at me. He shoots some looks around at people and finally gives up and walks away. I carry on as if nothing happened and grab my stuff off the floor by the porch.
"Summer im so sorry i don't know-" Rick begins to say.
"Rick it's fine, it's not your fault." I cut him off and smile at him. I personally don't know why they keep him around but there's gotta be some reason.

Later on in the evening were all sat by a campfire, inhaling mine and Daryl's catches. They're all talking and eating and im not really involved so i get up and go and watch the trees. I stay near enough to have a glimmer of the light follow me but far enough so nobody can see me. I stare out into the fields, listening to the birds night song, watching the leaves sway in the wind. I shut my eyes and listen to the low bustle and laughter of the group, enjoying the peace of being alone. I feel the gaze of someone watching me and hear a twig snap behind me. I huff dramatically.
"What do you want, shane?" I say before quickly spinning my head around. To my surprise, it's not Shane. It's Daryl.
"Oh... it's you." I turn back to the woods.
"Sound happier to see me then, Summer." he sits down next to me.
"What do you want Daryl?" i ask him and feel his gaze flick between me and the woods.
"Nothin'." he says and we just sit in silence with the sound of crickets in the distance of the field. Down by my side i'm fiddling with the tight string of my shitty bow.
"Why'd ya think i was Shane?" he mutters to me.
"Thought he'd come to get a "good use" outta me." i laugh slightly as Daryl's head turns to me.
"He won't. He says that shit to try and be the "alpha"" he states quickly. I turn to face him, look at his eyes and look away. He looks so serious, it's not that serious. Shane knows he would be dead if something like that happened.
"I know that Daryl." i whisper.
"You know i won't let him touch you right?"
"Daryl, I will stop him before you even need to." he nods slightly. "but thank you." i smile a little at him and he huffs a smile back to me. We go back to staring into the distance and just sit in each others presence. It's not an uncomfortable silence we're creating. As comfortable as it is I feel a need to fill it.
"Did you know anybody here before it started?" I ask not even turning to face him.
"Nah." he says staring at the same spot I am. The conversation quickly fizzles out and I can tell he doesn't want to talk about it.
"You lookin' for lost one's?" He asks me not moving at all.
"He died." I bluntly say, a hint of pain stinging in my heart as I finally admit to someone the only person I had is gone.
"Boyfriend?"
"No. My dad. He died fighting one of the dead." He turns his head to finally face me but I don't do the same.
"I'm sorry for ya loss." I feel his eyes clinging to me.
"I had to kill him." My voice cracks and i quickly shake my head to brush it off. I'm not going to cry about it. I can't let myself. The pain won't get any easier if I let myself feel it fully. "put him out his misery yano. Its probably better to be dead in a world like this and not have to turn into them. Right?" I finally turn to face him and he turns away, slowly nodding his head in response, his tongue going over his teeth. Taking in what I just said.
"Unless you can live in a world like this. You can have the ability to kill. The ability to brush off the pain. The ability to survive." He stops and says nothing for a while and I do the same. We go back to staring into the fields and saying nothing.
"Like me and you from what I've seen. You saved a little girl. Shot two guys to save her and were back up on ya feet hunting after that. You're a survivor." I look at him again, narrowing my eyebrows and nodding to him. "For now." He looks at me with a hint of a smile. I huff a laugh back and go back to staring. The voices of the others are beginning to die down as people begin to go to bed. I let out an inhale shortly followed by an exaggerated exhale. I get up and look down at Daryl.
"Best go catch some sleep. Ya comin?" I ask him. He shakes his head and throws a twig he was playing with into the distance.
"Kay. Night Daryl."
He huffs a night back to me. Quiet enough you could hardly make out what he was saying. I go back and get into a tent and do nothing but stare at the "roof" of it.