What Lies Ahead • the walking dead ¹

26 • Pretty much dead already

»Play: Game Of Survival by Ruelle«

Alexa's eyes fluttered open, to the lapping of soft waves on her skin. She groaned as the sun stung her eyes, it was so bright and Alexa felt so dizzy. She felt like she had been disconnected from her body. The feeling of dizziness was overwhelming.

Alexa wanted to close her eyes again, to go back to sleep. But slowly her memories came flooding back. Her hand slowly moved up to her forehead, feeling the sticky substance she knew as blood. The pain in her head came flooding back, as well as a new pain in her back.

She groaned as she rolled on her side, slipping Daryl's crossbow off her shoulder and into the shallow water. Her eyes finally adjusted to the light, allowing her to look around at her surrounding. It came in an instant, the faint buzzing in her ears quickly turning into an explosion of noise.

The breeze in the trees, the rustle of water, the growl of a walker, and the faint sounds of Daryl's groans.

Alexa's head whipped in the direction of the walker growl. Watching as it gnawed on Daryl's boot. The girl didn't have time to think as she snatched up Daryl's crossbow and pushed herself out of the water once more. She ran to the walker, ignoring the pain in her head and back as the adrenaline started to kick in.

She lunged at the walker, driving the back of Daryl's crossbow into its skull. It fell to the ground, where Alexa smashed its head in several more times before it fell limp. She dropped the crossbow, resting her hand on her knees as she tried to regain breath. But just as she thought she was finished another walker came up behind her.

It grabbed the girl's arm, and Alexa thinking fast, practically threw it over her back. And in one swift movement, pulled out her knife and smashed it into the walker's skull. She staggered back falling to her knees, panting as she tried to stay conscious.

Her eyelids were heavy as she tried to keep them open. Her head was foggy as the same buzzing filled her ears again. All she could do was sit in the sand and look at the two walkers she just killed. A figure ran up to her, resting its hands on her shoulders and shaking her violently, though she didn't feel it.

Alexa looked up into the steel blue eyes of Daryl Dixon. His mouth was moving yet no words were coming out, at least none Alexa could hear. She blankly stared into Daryl's deep blue eyes. Her breathing was heavy and uneven.

Alexa couldn't hear what Daryl was saying, all she could do was look back into his eyes blankly. Her ears rung and her head throbbed as well as her back. She absentmindedly put a hand to her head. Pulling it away to see that it was stained in her own blood.

"Alexa!" A distant voice called, though she knew it belonged to Daryl. "Alexa!" The man was still shaking her shoulders, probably trying to see if she was dead or alive.
"Alexa!" Finally, Daryl's voice was clear, and the buzzing in Alexa's ears stopped, but she still stared back at the man with the same emotionless look.

Daryl gave up on trying to make the girl move and instead pulled her up, putting most of her weight on him as he lead her over to a nearby log. The man set her down, walking over to retrieve his crossbow before he came back and started cutting open a squirrel.

Alexa watched, trying to keep her eyes open. She suddenly become aware of how hungry she was as she watched Daryl start to devour his meal. Maybe he did too because he offered the girl part of his squirrel, which she shakily accepted. The squirrel's blood staining her hands more.

The duo finished their squirrel, nodding to each other to signal they were ready. Both shakily stood up, Alexa's head still buzzing as she trudged toward the cliff. Daryl stopped her, however, bending down over the walkers she slaughtered earlier.

Alexa watched as he picked up the knife she hadn't retrieved, putting it between his teeth. The girl watched curiously, trying to stay on her feet as Daryl unlaced one of the walker's boots. He moved to the heads of both walkers, slicing off their ears and piercing all four ears in different spots before stringing them onto the two shoe laces. Creating two necklaces, one for himself and one for Alexa.

Daryl trudged back over to Alexa, placing one of the necklaces over her head. He adjusted it for her and handed back her knife before slipping on his own necklace and nodding to the slope they were about to climb.

Alexa nodded back as she dragged her feet toward the ridge, slipping her knife back into its sheath on her hip. The duo nodded to each other once more before starting their ascent. This time Daryl was leading the way and Alexa was following closely behind.

Alexa found her footing easily, following closely behind Daryl as they climbed the steep slope. Alexa's back and head were killing her, but she pushed through, trying not to think about it as she held her grip on branched and roots.

The two were going steadily, both finding their footings easily as they became a little more familiar with the path after the last time they tried. Alexa pulled herself up on a loose branch, nearly about to fall before she found a new hold. Switching over just in time for the previous beach to crack and plummet down the ridge.

Alexa grunted as she pushed herself off a rock she was standing on. She could hear Daryl's grunts from above her. Looking up she watched as the man came to a complete stop.
"What are you doing?" She hissed through gritted teeth as she tried to hand on to the root she was holding on to.

The girl watched as Daryl looked through the canopy of trees before glaring over his shoulder to the top of the cliff that was so close.
"I liked it better when you was missing." Daryl suddenly grumbled as he tried to find a new handhold.

Alexa looked up at him confused. She didn't know if he was talking to her or a figment of his imagination. But at this point, she didn't care, just as long as they got to the top of this slope Daryl Dixon could talk to himself all day if he wanted to.

"Yeah? Since when?" He asked to the air, seemingly waiting for a reply only he could hear. Alexa pulled herself higher, waiting for whatever thing Dixon might say next.
"You never took care of me." He continued, grabbing another root to lift himself up. "You talk a big game but you was never there. Hell, you ain't here now. Guess some things never change."

Alexa was starting to get paranoid by Daryl talking to himself. He still hung in the same spot as Alexa yelled his name, getting no response except for what he was saying to himself.

"I know what I saw." The man grunted, and finally regained his footing as he looked to the top of the cliff. Yelling at something that wasn't there. "You best shut the hell up."
Daryl had gained a new determination and started to pull himself up.

He swung over branches and kicked dirt into Alexa's face. Alexa tried to keep up, watching as Daryl eventually pushed himself to the top of the ridge, panting like crazy before he yelled into the woods.
"Yeah, you'd better run!"

Alexa grunted as her hand found the last root that lead to the top. She pulled herself up, trying to clutch onto the ground above but was stopped when she heard a loud crack. Shit...
She was about to fall, her heart dropping to the pit of her stomach as she fell. Alexa slid but didn't get very far when a hand clutched onto her wrist, yanking her upward. Daryl.

Her stomach flipped as Daryl managed to pull her on top of the cliff, both collapsing on the ground next to each other. They both gasped for air. Alexa's head banged against the inside of her skull as she and Daryl just lay in the dirt next to each other.