𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐄, daryl dixon

𝘪𝘪𝘪. 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴

THREE,
the stream of riches.

—

WE WALKED AND walked. Hiking up small hills and through prickly bushes. We followed the general direction that the train tracks were leading but stayed in the woods for protection purposes. It turned this small venture into a whole day ordeal.

Finally, after what must have been a lifetime's worth of walking, we stumbled across a stream of fresh water. The clear liquid rushed down the hill faster than a falling rock. It wasn't surprising that he stopped since we came this whole way without a break.

Whatever compelled him to rest here was no concern of mine. My mouth yearned for the cooling taste of water. I kneeled before the stream bed and took a scoop of water into my hands. Taking small sips to savor every last droplet. I figured he must be thirsty as well, I mean we've been walking all day he had to be, or so I thought.

And yet he seemed unfazed by the stream. He took a seat on one of the big boulders that sat next to the stream. Why did he need to be so mysterious? I can never tell what he's thinking. Like last night, why would Daryl give me his jacket? He had to have been cold himself, but instead of keeping it, he covered me up.

And when he looked out for me by staying awake. I doubt he even got a wink of sleep. "Aren't you thirsty?" I asked. Confused as to why he wasn't taking this opportunity to bask in all the water his body could hold. "Nah." He answered. His crossbow aimed at a spot across the small stream.

The arrow whooshed from the chamber of his bow and into the head of a walker. I had never been one to worry about other people but there was something about this guy that did just that. No sleep, no rest, and no water. It was like he was trying to get himself killed.

My soaked and tattered shoes dragged in the water. "Come on, you need to drink something," I said. Who knows when the next time we would stumble across a stream like this one? He just shrugged his shoulders as if water wasn't one of the key things keeping him alive.

It was tempting for sure. And at the end of the day, I let my impulse win. I wattled over to him, scooping a handful of liquid into my palms before splashing it in his direction. He flinched back a tad bit but the water still managed to drench his clothes. I was expecting more of a reaction, whether that be anger or something else, but still, he seemed unfazed, like he just didn't care.

"Don't be like that," I said. "Loosen up a bit." I continued to play around in the water. Who knows, this might be my last day on this earth and I wanted to make the most of it while I had the chance. As I danced around on the small pebbles beneath my feet I caught a glimpse of something moving.

Unsure if it was just my eyes playing tricks on me, I bent down to get a better look. And sure enough, something was there. Hiding frightened beneath a rock with its antennas poking out like a sore thumb was a crawfish no bigger than my hand. I reached down to grab the bug-like creature but it immediately fled the scene.

Kicking up all sorts of sand and other small pebbles as if flicking its tail. Lucky for me I was going to lose it that easily. It took a few trial and failure runs for me to finally catch the bugger by its tail. The creature wiggled and squirmed around, trying to pinch me with its small pincers.

My eyes glanced back to Daryl's rock, making sure he didn't pack up and leave without me. And sure enough there he was with his feet dangling in the water. I was surprised to see his eyes on me for a split second before turning his attention back to his crossbow. He placed the arrows in the water one by one and cleaned the rotting filth from the tips.

"Here," I said holding out the squirming crawfish. He took one look at the crawfish and then turned his gaze back on me. Maybe we could cook it and have a feast if I managed to catch enough of them. They didn't look too nutritious if I was being honest. They were coated in a hard shell-like material, and with their small size didn't seem to hold much protein.

He took ahold of the small crawfish and chucked it back into the water before once again tending to his arrows. What an asshole. "What the hell was that for?" I asked. "Why are you such a dick to me? Look we're stuck together so the least we could do is try to get along-" Water splashed my face as I was in the middle of speaking.

A deceitful grin grew on his lips as he chuckled quietly. The last string that I had been desperately clinging to snapped. I have had it with him. I lowered myself down to the water's surface and grabbed onto his ankles. Before he had a chance to retaliate by kicking or pulling away, I acted first.

With all the force that I had built up in this small body of mine, I used to yank him forwards, sending him plummeting into the shallow stream. I stood, victorious once again. However, I wasn't expecting his foot to come up and kick my leg out from underneath me.

The result of his little 'retaliation' send me crashing down hard on top of him. He should have thought of that before tripping me. I winced, feeling my throbbing ankle from where he kicked me. And no it wasn't just a friendly little tap on the leg, it was a force packed kick. I guess that was payback for me getting him wet.

My head rested on his chest as I struggled to get up from the rushing current. "I hate you," I said, giving up on trying to stand. My legs were weakened by the endless walking that he put us through. I could hear his breathing as his chest rose and fell with every breath. "Aw, I hate you too sunshine." He snickered in a mocking tone.

Since my legs were out of the question. I used my arms to push my body off of his. We lay in the rushing water, blocking the flow of the stream like a beaver's dam. Neither of us uttered a word about what happened and just accepted the fact that we were stranded in the middle of this forest with no place to go.