S u r v i v o r s [ Daryl Dixon ]

Chapter 11

Even though it was night, we decided to follow the route and the tree line to look for Sophie or her traces. Andrea wanted to come with us, but Daryl said no. I could see that she was very displeased, but she didn't argue with him, which surely would have happened if I had refused her.

At first we followed the highway, but eventually we went deeper into the forest. I followed closely behind Daryl, tried to put my steps in the same spot, and tried not to make any noise, which, to my surprise, worked quite well.

"Thanks for staying and looking for her with me" I finally said.

Daryl glanced at me over his shoulder, and I saw his eyes narrow slightly.

"I saw you lose hope. That's when Pocahontas rode in on horseback and said about Carl. Did you stop believing we'd find her? We just started looking."

"It's not a matter of hope or faith" I said calmly. "We just have to find her."

" It ain't the mountains of Tibet. It's Georgia. She could be holed up in a farmhouse somewhere. People get lost and they survive. It happens all the time."

"You know it's different with children."

"Hell, I was younger than her and I got lost. Nine days in the woods eating berries, wiping my ass with poison oak."

I raised my eyebrows trying to picture nine-year-old Daryl. I couldn't shake the image that he was already holding a crossbow.

"Someone found you?" I asked.

"My old man was off on a bender with some waitress. Merle was doing another stint in juvie. Didn't even know I was gone" he said without emotion. "I made my way back though. Went straight into the kitchen and made myself a sandwich. No worse for wear. Except my ass itched something awful."

I couldn't hold back a chuckle. Daryl looked at me and I held up my hands in apology.

"I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't laugh. But damn, you were a badass kid."

I saw him smile slightly.

"So don't worry. Sophia's got people looking for her. I call that an advantage."

We walked in silence for a while when we saw the pitched tent and heard the sound of a Walker. I lifted the flashlight slightly, gripped my knife tighter as we saw the hanging Walker.

"What the hell?" Daryl said as he walked over to the tree to which the note was attached. "Got bit. Fever hit. World gone to shit. Might as well quit." he looked at the zombies. "Dumbass didn't know enough to shoot himself in the head. Turned himself into a big swinging piece of bait. And a mess."

I sighed looking at the hanging corpse having a strange feeling in my stomach.

"You're all right?" Daryl asked, glancing my way.

"Not the prettiest sight, but not the worst either."

"I'd be surprised if it moved you when I opened the stomach of one of them with you yesterday."

"Are you impressed?"

"A little" he admitted reluctantly. "Huh, let's head back."

"Aren't you gonna...?" I waved at Walker.

"No. He ain't hurting nobody. Ain't gonna waste an arrow either. He made his choice. Opted out. Let him hang." He could see that I wasn't happy because he straightened up slightly. "Fine. An answer for an arrow. Fair?"

I nodded in agreement.

"Why didn't you drink with us then?"

I raised my eyebrows.