Survive - Daryl Dixon - Follow The Plot Fanfic

Ten

"So, what's the plan Daryl?" Joe asks us the three of us walk behind the rest of the group. Joe smoking a cigarette, Daryl and I sharing another.

"How so?"

"You're with us now but you ain't soon?" Joe looks at us.

I nod softly, "Yep." I blow out some cigarette smoke, "Exactly."

"So what's the plan?" 

"Just, looking for the right place is all." I reply, not looking at him, handing the cigarette back to Daryl.

"Oh, we ain't good enough for you, huh?"

"Some of you ain't exactly friendly." Daryl mumbles.

"You ain't so friendly yourself." Joe chuckles. "You know you need a group out here."

"Maybe we don't."

"No, you do. You should be with us. People don't gotta be friendly, we don't have to be nice, we don't have to be brothers in arms. We just gotta follow the rules." He says as we watch two of the men in the group kill a walker.

"You claim. If you steal, you keel, I know that sounds a little funny, nut nobody laughs when something goes missing, and, you don't lie, 'cuz that's a slippery slope indeed."

"What happens if you break 'em?" Daryl asks.

"You catch a beating, the severity of which depends upon the offence and the general attitude of the day. But that don't happen much, 'cuz when men like us follow the rules and cooperate a little bit, well, the world becomes ours." Joe smiles, before bringing his fingers to his lips and whistling.

"Right there!" He points to a garage. "is our abode for the evenin'."

Daryl and I stop walking, standing side my side. 

"Hey." Daryl says to catch Joe's attention. "There ain't no 'us'."

Joe walks back to us, getting pretty close.

"Are you leaving right now? No? Then it sure seems like there's an 'us'." He says, taking the cigarette from Daryl's hand and smoking it as he walks away.

He turns back to us after a second.

"Are you a cat person Daryl? I am. Loved 'em since I was three years old. Vicious creatures. Anyway, I'll tell you, and this is true. Ain't nothing sadder then an outdoor cat who thinks he's an indoor cat." He turns and walks away, into the building.

Once the building is cleared we all go into it, looking around.

"They ain't here. Nobody's been here for a while, whoever it was they got all the gas." One of the men say to Joe across the room.

"That don't matter, we're getting closer, I can feel it." Joe replies, turn to the car he has claimed.

Daryl and I look at one of the cars, but a guy comes over and claims it, kicking our bags out of the way.

In less than a minute all of the cars are claimed and Daryl and I are left with the floor, we lay down, using out bags as pillows.

After a while, we hear Len get frustrated and start making his way over to us.

"You gotta be kiddin' me. Christ." Both Daryl and I sit up when Len comes over. "Give it here."

"You step back" I say to him as I get up, holding my knife slack in my hand.

"My half was in the bag, now its gone. Now ain't nobody 'round here interested in no half a damn cottontail except you two. Ain't that right?" Len says angrily, slowly starting to move closer to me .

Daryl gets up when Len gets a little too close.

"You're the only one still thinking about that crap!" Daryl yells at him.

"Empty your bag." Len steps forward to take the bag.

I grab it before him and pull it towards me .

"I said step back!"

Joe comes over and snatches the bag from me.

"Did either of you take his rabbit? Tell me the truth."

"We didn't take nothin'." Daryl replies.

"What do we got here?" Joe mumbles to himself as he empties the bag and two halves of the rabbit fall out. "Well, look at that."

"You put that there didn't you!?" Daryl yells at Len. "When I went out to take a piss!"

"You lied." Len mumbles.

"Didn't you!" Daryl shoves Len and I watch closely.

"You lied! You stole!" Len yells, points out all of the rules we broke.

"We gonna teach this fool or what Joe? Huh?" Len asks angrily.

"Woah, woah, woah. Now, Daryl says they didn't take your half of the rabbit. So we got a little conundrum here." Joe turns to us. "Either they're lying, which is an actionable offense, or.."

Joe chuckles, glances at me, then turns to Len.

"You didn't come over here while this charming young lady was sleeping and plant it on him like some pussy, punk-ass, cheating, coward, cop did yah? 'Cuz while that wouldn't be specifically breaking the rules, it'd be disappointing." Joe says to Len.

"It would." Len says, and Joe hums in agreeance, "I didn't." Len insists, looking at Daryl.

"Good." He pats Lens arm and turns to Daryl, "Well..." He quickly turns back around and punches Len in the face.

"Teach him a lesson gents. He's a lying say of shit and I'm sick of it. Teach him all the way."

The other men start to beat Len. Joe turns to us and leans in to me a little, mumbling to us. 

"I saw him do it."

"Why didn't you try to stop him?" I ask, taking deep breaths as Daryl rubs my back gently.

"He wanted to play that out, I let him. You told the truth, he lied. You understand the rules, he doesn't." He leans down and picks up the other piece of the rabbit, tossing it to Daryl, smiling. "Looks like you get the head too. You alright there, Robyn?" Joe asks, gently touching my arm, sounding genuinely concerned.

Daryl removes his hand from me, knowing it'll make things worse. "She's fine. Dont touch her." Joe nods and walks away. 

Daryl turns his back to Joe, facing me and slowly calms me. I whisper to him, "I don't like being surrounded by men like this. Especially men who have been starved of female company for years."

"I know Princess, but remember, I claimed you, so if any of them touch you with bad intentions," He point to Len being beaten. "That's gonna be them."

I nod and help him put everything back in his bag.