The grass below them was damp. Soil had mixed with rain water, creating a mushy sludge that traced up the side of her boots and left dried patches of dirt across the leather. Louise held her fists out in front of her and spread her feet a few inches apart. A few slow breathes left her lips before she opened her eyes and dodged a right hook. Knuckles few towards her face but she ducked, kicked her leg out and swiped her opponents ankles from underneath them. Nicole's body dropped to the floor with a thud and a disappointed look crossed her face.
She lifted her hands from the dirt and grimaced at her wrinkled skin - she had collided with the ground so many times that her once dry, clean body was now covered head to toe in brown gunk.
"You're not paying attention" Lou sighed, holding her own hand out and lifting the teenager from the ground. "You can't afford to loose focus out here"
"You can talk" the teenager scoffed, a smirk on her face. "You're just doin' this to keep yourself distracted"
"No. I'm doing this 'cause you need to learn. You can't spend your life growing crops if you don't know how to survive once you've eaten them"
"How can we even fight them?" she asked, readying herself for another round. "How do we even take on a group like the Saviors?"
Lou pursed her lips and shook her head. "I don't know"
"Ammo is gonna run out eventually, we can't take them all on by hand"
"Look, I don't know what's gonna happen but we'll figure it out, okay? We have too" she cleared her throat and took stance once more, holding her fists up.
"Because you want Daryl back?"
"Because living under someone's thumb isn't a life at all" Lou said, rolling her eyes at the blunt girl.
Nicole smirked and raised one eyebrow. "And because you want Daryl back?"
"Yes" Lou stated, breaking her concentration for a fraction of a second and looking to the ground. Before she even had time to react, her ankle buckled and she dropped. Dirt splashed up her thighs as she landed in the pile of mud and she grumbled loudly. Nicole looked down at her and laughed - it was the first time Louise had ever seen her genuinely smile.
"You're not paying attention" the teenager mocked.
With the shake of her head and the smallest smile on her face, Louise pushed herself up and wiped her hands on her torn jeans. "That was a cheap shot"
"You're a sore loser"
"I didn't loose, you cheated" she said, readying herself once more. "C'mon, hands up, lets go"
- - - - - -
The depressing darkness of his cell had been replaced with the silhouette of Dwight. The blonde man stood in the doorway, towering over the beaten hunter and smirking at his seemingly fragile form. He had been watching him for five minutes, waiting for him to beg for his life or finally decide to join the right side of the fight but he just glared at the floor beneath his cold, dirty feet. Dwight chuckled under his breath and nodded towards the poorly made, dog food sandwich in his hand before holding it out towards Daryl and waiting for him to take it.
Daryl shifted unsteadily as he pushed himself up, snatched the sandwich and dropped back into position on the floor. Wearily, he sniffed the bread. Mold was growing from the corners and the green patches had hardened to the point of snapping. He shook his head, grumbled and threw the sandwich at his captures face.
The bread connected with his torso but he didn't move. He allowed the bread to drop to the concrete before kicking it back across the room. A large sigh escaped his lips and he dug into his shirt pocket, retrieved a small square Polaroid and held it up towards the light. His thumb traced across the gloss picture slowly as he clicked his jaw.
"You got your friend killed" he said through gritted teeth. "I got Tina killed"
He turned the picture over and dropped it besides Daryl, giving him full view of the tiny square that encased the beaten body of Glenn Rhee. The hunter tried not to look at the photograph; he knew he was to blame, he had caused it by lashing out at Negan. Every second of every day, he re-lived the memory and each time, he hated himself a little bit more.
"Don't pretend you don't know the score. You should be dead but Negan's taken a shine to ya. You're lucky. Don't forget" Dwight said, shutting the door partly before continuing. "Bon apetite"
The heavy metal door slammed shut and once again, the incessant music started.
♪ We're on Easy Street ♪ And it feels so sweet ♪ 'Cause the world is but a treat ♪ When you're on Easy Street ♪
Daryl dropped his head backwards and rested it, uncomfortably, on the wall behind him. He hands slid across the dirty floor and - against his better judgement - he dragged the Polaroid towards him and stared at the photograph. A breath caught in his throat and his eyes closed tightly. For the first time in his adult life, he felt completely defenseless and entirely alone. His hand shook rapidly, causing him to drop the picture and bring his hands up to his face...
And he cried.
His shoulders bounced and his palms rubbed across his cheeks. Tears separated the dirt stains on his skin, leaving trails down his skin as he failed to wipe them away.
His friends were dead
He was alone.
He was afraid.
YOU ARE READING
When the dead roam - (Daryl Dixon)
FanfictionNot a single cell in her body was scared. Nobody should be scared of death anymore; it's inevitable. Each direction you took still ended with a dead body. Another loved one to bury and mourn. In the end, death is the only certain aspect of life.
