Daryl's Fallen(TWD fan fiction/Daryl Dixon)

Chapter 19

1 month later.

Daryls pov

Penny was a good kid, loyal, kind of sweet. A month after Lily's death I had changed. I was not really talkin to anyone but that kid. She seemed to be gettin on with everyone. She got on with Carl reay well, good on him.
"Hey?" Penny said knocking on my door. She reminded me of Lily, through all the shit she managed to put a smile on her face throughout.
"Ready?" She asked, backpack in hands, hair in braids. I nodded and ruffled her hair, I didn't know what she saw me as; a father figure or a crazy uncle. I picked up my cross bow and climbed into the van. We decided to go to Atlanta with Penny seeming as she was immune. Rick, Michoone, Abraham, Carl, (cos she wanted him there) Doc, Maggie and Glen joined us. In the car I sat in the front fiddling with my knife thinkin about Lily.

Goin back to Atlanta was supposed to be with Lily. Just thinkin bout her made my heart hurt. I swallowed as i lounged in my seat tryin to push her out of my mind. We were gonna go to a place were another one of our own was murdered my another crazy bastard. It was like I was karmas bitch. I was sure goin back to Atlanta was gonna tear me apart.

Penny's pov

I was excited to head into Atlanta and Carl was there so that was a plus, I knew he was 15 but I didn't mind really. Lily wasn't old when she was dating Daryl. Lily. I missed her so much, but at least I got to see her again. I never could forget that hug she gave me before she died.
It had been a month since her death and I was still distraught.
I distracted myself by sticking my face against the window, like a dog I watched the trees wizz past.
"I kinda of like the new world." I tell Carl tracing circles on the window.
"How?"
"The trees, i love how nature has come back again and I love the feeling of just being out there, free." I turned around to Carl who looked me up and down as if I was crazy. I caught Daryl's eye in the rear view mirror. His eyes were wide and sad, he sagged a little in his chair and looked away.
I was told by people in the past that I was like Lily in many ways, but her and I were complete opposite. I had sky blue eyes, she had emerald, she loved the country, I loved the city, she loved action movies, I liked rom coms, she fought for rights, while I stayed quiet. We both loved nature though. My mum used to call us 'the little hippies.' We were unlike Jenna; tall, muscular, scary and normal. She who would roll her eyes at us and text away on her phone .
I shut up for Daryl's sake not wantin him to think of her. To everyone else he was so bitter angry, rude and quiet but with me...well he treated me differently. He was kind,sort of, he'd often ruffle my hair and sometimes I swore he would smile at the things I'd say, then frown obviously thinking about Lily. It was as if she was what he ever thought about. When he would stab a walker he would do it with such violence, i guess because he was angry at her for leaving. When ever he was quiet and not focused he would touch his arm or rub his neck, places Lily touched when she was alive. His eyes would go dark as he consumed himself with memories. When he caught me staring he'd yell and trudge off, i could't complain it was my fault she wasn't here.

Night fell and we hopped out the car and hid it with a tarp. We camped in a nearby field and we started getting tents out.
"Daddy Dixon?" I spoke smiling away. He frowned while skinning some squirrels. I skipped over and joined him on the log opposite the roaring fire.
"I thought I told ya to stop callin me that." he snapped. I shrugged and gripped the log harder.
"It's funny. How far are we?" I bumped his shoulder with mine and he shrugged.
"A day?" I pestered.
"I don't know kid." he snapped giving me a cold glare with those dark blue eyes. Me being me I shrugged it off, got up and did a little twirl around the fire. I caught him looking as my hand skimmed the tallest flames.
"When I was little, Lily went through a goth stage. Once she woke me up in the middle of the night. Her hair was sprayed this awful black colour and dark makeup was around her eyes, like a racoon. She persuaded me to go into the woods and we danced around the fire to music. She told me it was to gods or something, i can't remember, she was a witch at the time. I had a drum and she had a tambourine and we thumped and shook them violently. It was one of the best moments of my life as we spent the entire evening there till the sun came up." I looked into the fire. I watched the way it flickered and snarled at me, like a walker.