The Apocalypse Witch || Daryl Dixon

The Geenes.

After warding off my RV and asking Carol to stay inside until I return, I grabbed hold of my bottomless bag and crossbow before meeting back up with the brothers and Carl. I had changed into a forest-green cloak that had a cooling charm on it due to the intense heat that we are experiencing at the moment. It also had a penetration-proof spell which will stop any bullets, knives or bites, not that I'm worried because neither can seriously harm me in any way. I had thought about charming a few for the group, especially the two children but I wasn't sure if it was a good idea until everyone knew what and who I was.

"There ya are" Merle called out as I walked towards him and the group, who were gawking at my attire in shock. In their eyes, it would be equally gorgeous as it is outdated but in the wizarding world, it was what we high-class pure-blood witches wore.

"I'm ready" I announced with a smile, ignoring their stares and keeping my eyes on the Dixon brothers and Carl, who was looking at me in awe with a wide smile.

"Come on" Daryl spoke, his voice deeper than normal and his bright blue eyes darker than they usually were. I tilted my head in curiosity for a moment before shrugging it off and nodding my head. I wrapped my arm around Carls' shoulder and guided him into the forest as he waves to his parents over his shoulder.

"Now, we have some rules. Number one, stay close and stay as quiet as possible. Number two, if we come across a walker, let us handle it. Got it?" I spoke firmly but softly, gaining a determined nod from the young child.

"Good cub" I ruffled his hair and continued to guide him through the woods, missing the confused look he sent the brothers at the nickname I gave him.

For the next hour or so, we ventured through the woods, killing only a handful of walkers we came across with ease. So far, Carl has followed both rules and was incredibly patient and well-behaved, which wasn't all too surprising but I did expect him to complain about all the walking.

"You know you don't need to hunt, I have plenty of food back at the RV" I whispered to Daryl, who was pulling out an arrow from a squirrel.

"It's what I do" he shrugged, placing the dead animal in his bag. I hummed in acknowledgement whilst keeping a close eye on Carl, who was walking alongside Merle a short distance ahead of us.

"Uh, back at CDC... What did ya do?" He asked awkwardly, and though I knew the question was on his mind for a while, it did take me off guard for a moment. I let out a sigh and bit my lower lip, trying to figure out how to explain it to him without making him suspicious of me.

"It's not something I make a habit of doing, in fact, I hate doing it. It's a spell that was illegal in my world, it's a way of controlling someone-" I felt his body tense beside me, making me sigh once again but I knew I needed to carry on explaining.

"It's my second time using it and both had been in life-or-death situations"

"What happened the first time?" He asked quietly, his tone soft but cautious.

"It was during the war and my two friends and I were captured by death eaters, they were what the enemy was called. Anyway, Hermione was being tortured for information whilst myself and Ron were trapped in the basement. The guard, who happens to be the man who betrayed my parents which resulted in their death, kept coming down to check on us. Hermione's screams were so loud and we had no way to escape, so I made the decision to control the guard to open the door. If I didn't, they would have killed her and called the dark wizard, Voldemort and we would have died alongside her" despite living many lifetimes and making a lot of friends along the way, my mind and heart still grieved the loss of those from my original timeline. Their deaths were the hardest and the war we experienced together still plagued my dreams.