𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐄, daryl dixon

𝘪𝘪. 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘦

TWO,
moth to a flame.

—

"WELL WOULD YOU look at that, I guess we can go our separate ways." He hopped down onto the wooden tracks and began following the path to the left. What the hell was wrong with him? We were the only survivors that we knew of and he still found a way to treat me like shit. He lured me this far out into the woods just leave me? I don't think so.

Wherever he was going I was coming with. No matter how much I disliked being around him the inevitable truth was that I need him to stay alive. From what I've seen back at the prison he's a tracker, able to find and forage food easily. That was someone I needed to stay around, even if that person so happened to be a self-centered asshole like Daryl.

Survival was a must, and the truth was I would rather stick by him than take my chances with the walkers. Though the walker's offer seemed tempting enough, at least they knew how to be friendly. The railroad seemed to be endless. It was the same scenery over and over again, where the hell were we going in the first place? I was getting tired of seeing the same-looking trees over and over again.

He must have been a mind reader because right then he took a small venture into the woods. "Where are you off to?" I asked as he scampered off into the woods by himself. By this time the sky was mimicking the bright orange colors of a tangerine leaving us with only a few more minutes before the lights turned off.

Let's hope he knew what he was doing, my life was in his hands. I bolted after him as he quickened his pacing to a brisk walk. It was a sticky situation we were in, my guess is he was betting on depot somewhere down the line which turned out to be a recipe for false hope.

Since we left in a rush and had no time to grab anything, flashlights were out of the question. I wanted to know what he was thinking. Why didn't we take our chances going a bit farther on the railway? Why did we trail into the woods? So many pointless questions that would never get an answer.

He was smart, and I knew that. He had to be, Rick wouldn't choose someone as a right-hand man who was as brain dead as a walker. Or maybe I was giving him too much credit. If anything was going on in that thick skull of his, he better figure it out pretty damn fast. Not like if I thought something up he would be obliged to consider my plan.

"This should be a good enough place as any." He popped a squat at the base of an oak tree. This had to be a joke. The place that he chose to rest at was no different than the miles of endless trees that we'd encountered before. Hell, we mine as well just stayed by the prison. He had no fucking idea what he was doing.

"You're kidding, right? Might as well just jump into the mouth of a walker right now." I said, knowing that there weren't many other options than to hike down the train tracks. Right now those options weren't looking too bad. He just sat there with his crossbow in hand as we lost valuable daylight.

Darkness took over like a plague. Leaving nothing untouched by the shadow it cast down upon us. Can't do shit now, it was a moonless night meaning I was a sitting duck when it came to foraging for supplies. Unable to see much, I took a seat next to him. Not like I wanted to, but he had the long-ranged weapon that could protect me. My back pressed firmly against the trunk of the oak.

I hadn't realized it before, but my legs were killing me from all the walking. This day made me an exhausted mess, I knew I was in danger of being exposed like this, and yet my body didn't seem to care. My eyes grew heavy as I felt myself nodding off. I couldn't fall asleep, not now. I had to stay awake.

I think I dozed off for about fifteen minutes because when I woke up I was laid out on the leafy floor. The sound of groaning filled my ears and I immediately shot upright. I gripped the handle of my knife that was tucked away in my shirt, ready to defend myself if need be. It was close, but before my eyes had a chance to catch a glimpse of the culprit there was the faint sound of a crossbow.

I could hear the limp corpse collapse hard onto a pile of leaves. My eyes drifted around until I located Daryl pulling an arrow out of the walkers rotting brain. He had been up this whole time? This was why I needed him around, he may be stupid at times but he knew how to stay alive.

I let out a large yawn, stretching my arms high above my head as a feline would. I noticed only after I got an alarming wake-up call that something was draped over me. It wasn't soft but it was warm, it reminded me of the blankets we had back in the prison, but where did it come from?

I held the thing up to examine the piece of cloth closely. It was a jet-black vest of sorts, it wasn't till I turned it around that was I able to see the tattered white wings. It was Daryl's jacket, but why? Why did I have his jacket? As I was pondering what exactly happened for me to have his shirt I hadn't noticed his approach.

He snatched the jacket from my fingers and slid down the tree. There was a moment of silence that made the atmosphere that much more ominous than it already was. "You were shivering." He spoke up. He gave me his jacket because I was cold. Huh, maybe he wasn't just a heartless prick after all.

Though I missed it, the warmth of the jacket. Every time the wind blew I could have sworn it was shooting tiny daggers at my skin. "Thank you," I say, huddling my legs up to my chest, trying desperately to conceal the last bit of warmth that my body possessed.

I must have been out longer than I thought because a half hour later the big ball of flames made its appearance over the horizon. Breathtaking colors were projected over the clouds. Pink, red, orange, blue, it was beautiful while it lasted. As the first peek of sunlight dawned on us we were on the move.