Have A Little Hope (Dixon's Daughter)

Chapter 4

----{Hope's POV}----》

I want my daddy. 

I want my daddy.

Daddy, i'm real scared.

It's all I could think as the monster continued to circle the tree. I grabbed a big piece of bark and pushed it against the opening, leaning back against it. They can't get in.

I just wanted to go see him, but the prints got all squished and the heat made my tummy sickly. Why did I leave?

I could feel the tears slip down my cheeks before I wiped em off and tried to keep my face confident. 

Dixon's don't cry.

-----\Daryl's POV/-----》

"Whaddya mean you can't find her?!" I screamed. I felt my blood boiling over. I was talkin to them in my head, goin over the conversation in my head a million times to keep myself from goin back to kill em myself. Then, I heard steps.

"Daryl," Rick says.

I huff and keep walkin. 

"Brother, I heard what happened, ok? I know you're mad, I ain't gonna let another person go missin, I'm here to help" he said, trying to keep from setting me off.

"She's still overheated, she ain't had time to recover, and yall let my little girl walk off into the woods alone," I said, "I have been tryn to get over her death since the start when I lost her and you brought her back and let her go."

"I know, it ain't fair, we're gonna find her" he whispered.

I nodded. Lookin up at the sun. 

"Hope, sweetpea. I'm gonna go try and get us some food ok? There's some scary stuff happenin out there, do ya want Uncle Merle to stay with ya or do ya think you can stay here in your room?"

"I can stay daddy, if it's scary you should have Unkie Merle with you! So no bad happens!" Her face was bright when she said it.

"Ok princess, Daddy will be back soon, Only in a couple hours." When the big hand is on 12 and the little is on 7" I spoke, taking my watch and putting it on her wrist, "Remember, even if your scared you never cry."

"Because I'm a Dixon! I don't cry!" She said. 

"That's right, brave face honey, I'll be back before night fall" I replied. 

She scrunched her face up in a poor attempt to look serious. 

"I love you Darlin" I said, creeping to the door, keeping my steps silent. 

"Love ya Daddy!" she said right back.

"We're gonna wanna go baby brother, or we ain't getting nowhere by seven." Merle final spoke.

I nodded, waved bye to my baby girl, and stepped out.

"Why did I leave her again Rick, how could I have been so dumb." I whispered.

"It'll be ok, brother, learn from this, ok?" he responded, "She seems capable, maybe start carrying her with you?"

I simply nodded.

"I don know man, how can i bring a four year old out on my back everytime shit hits the fan?"

"I thought she was six?" he said.

I looked at him confused, "Na man she's four. Her birthday ain't for another two months." 

"She said she was six" He said.

"She's tryn to add months instead a years," I said, smiling to myself, "we're still working on math." 

He chuckled, the classic chuckle he is known for. 

"Carl used to say that he was 96 years old" he said, "He was 96 months old."

I smiled, wishing that Merle and I had moments like this.

"You're worried," He said.

"I'm fine, she's strong, she'll be fine" I said.

"When you're nervous you re position your grip on your crossbow," He said, nonchalantly.

I quickly locked my hands in position. 

"Na, I don do that." 

He chuckled yet again.

"The sun set," He said "How long's it been?"

"Bought 4 hours" I said. 

"We ain't gonna be able to find her in the dark" He said.

"I ain't leavin without her." I responded with a huff. 

----{Hope's POV}----》

It's 8:30 now daddy, daddy comes at 7, where is my daddy?

The sounds of monsters has gotten louder, so loud, I'm scared. I can feel the bugs biting my skin and my leg hurting from being scrunched up. It was just one, now there's more. At least three.

I'm scared daddy.

I'm scared.

I'll be good, please come get me.

I won't run no more. 

I aint gonna follow anymore.

Please save me.

There was a loud thud and a heavy weight against my makeshift door. I worked really hard not to yell. There was another thud and I shut my eyes.

I can't cry. Dixons don't cry. I'm a big girl. 

A third thud sounded and I kept my face as stern as I could. 

"Check em" I heard a man say, his voice sounded familiar.

"Dead" another says.

Daddy?

I turned my body to have my front pressed against my fake tree bark and peeked through a slight opening. 

I saw a head of light brown hair and a sharp point stuck in the bark of my little tree.

"Daddy?" I whispered. My voice really hurt. 

"Hope?" He called.

I moved the bark a little more, Showing my face to the outside. Looking at the monster right outside the cubby I hid in. 

"There ya are." He said, putting his crossbow on his back.

I reached my hands out towards him. 

He huffed a bit, before reaching out and picking me up under my arms.

"Ya shouldn have followed. Ya were supposed ta go ta the gun trainin with Shane," he was talking real stern like.

I tried real hard to say sorry, but it came out in coughs and sniffles.

"She's burnin up" daddy said.

"Sweatin?" Rick asked.

"Bullets" Daddy Responded.

I tapped my daddy's shoulder three times and he instantly put me on my knees and grabbed my hair.

"She's gonna throw up" Daddy said.

"We should get her back, may be heat exhaustion" Rick responded.

I felt my daddy pick me up and the bouncing of running as my head got wobbly.