Red // Daryl Dixon

Chapter 8

Rossary

I don't remember the ride back to their camp.

Someone who smelled like cigarettes carried me inside and placed me on a bed, but I don't remember anything other than that.

When I woke up, I was alone. It was quiet, with the occasional sound of footsteps. I thought of the night before, and Matthew, how he was okay.

I stared at the bottom of a top bunk. My eyes were still heavy with sleep, but no matter how hard I tried to go back to sleep, I couldn't.

I couldn't believe we had finally found Rick and his family. I can't believe they were all alive. I smiled softly. There was hope, albeit small, of us surviving this nightmarish hell.

After a while longer, I swung my legs to the side and slipped my combat boots on. Someone must've taken them off for me.

There was a black t-shirt on the top bunk, along with a thin jacket to place over it. I discarded my old clothes for the new ones before walking out of the cell. We were at the prison hours away from any large city.

It made me feel safe being so far away from large parts of civilization, even if I maybe shouldn't be allowed to ever feel like that ever again.

My hand traveled the railing as I walked down the stairs.

There was an old man and two girls, one with brown hair and the other with blonde. The blonde held a baby in her hands, rocking it back and forth. To the right of them was Carl. I inhaled sharply as I stared at the kid who held an indifferent expression on his face, the innocence he once held long gone.

On the stairs next to him was the archer, Daryl. He nodded when our eyes made contact before I looked at the small pile of guns. My hand ran over my now cleaned gun.

I looked up slowly after hearing the quiet sound of someone's safety being turned off, Carl's hand on his gun.

I stared at him while I put the weapon in its holster.

"If I wanted to shoot you I'd have done it already." It was meant to come out as a joke, but instead it came out as cold and sharp.

Merle chuckled. "It's too bad you didn't bring any ammo with you."

I whipped toward him, my eyes wide. Last time I saw him was in Atlanta, when Matthew and I left him. I thought he would've died. "Next time I'll be sure to save a mag so I can empty it out in your chest."

This time Daryl stood, his hand gripping his crossbow. Merle scowled before letting out a dark chuckle. "You've got bigger balls than most men out there, Rosy."

Before I could reply, I heard the sound of a door open. Rick and Glenn walked in, the former giving me a welcoming nod while the other looked away, Matthew behind them looking like someone shit in his cereal and called it cocoa puffs .

"Everything okay?" Rick asked.

Rick touched the baby's head gently, looking down at her with a loving stare.

"I thought you were all dead." I finally said.

"We lost people -T-dog, Shane, Dale, and... Lori- but everyone in here... yeah we're alive." Rick nodded to his own words.

"Andrea and Jacqui?" I barely knew the girls, but it was obvious they were missing.

"Jacqui died at the CDC and Andrea... it's complicated."

I turned around to see a black woman standing at the doorway behind me. I felt caged, as if I were a circus animal performing for them.

Rick continued, "We were attacked a couple days ago by a man named The Governor."