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

Chapter 15

I finally got up and wiped the tears off my face. The rest gathered around the corpses.

"I need to see your wound" Glenn whispered in my ear, but I just nodded.

Beth was still hugging her mother when suddenly the zombie turned out not to be dead. Everyone started to panic and struggle, and I took aim almost without blinking.

I shot. They all looked at me without a word, only Beth was still crying. I looked at Shane, but I didn't have the strength to say anything.

"Lizz... come on, I'll bandage you..."

"Watch 'em" was all I said and limped slightly towards the camper. My eyes were empty, but as soon as I saw Carol, tears filled my eyes again. I sighed and sat next to her. I reached for her hand, and she looked at me a bit absently, but she didn't take her hand away.

"I'm so sorry. I was hoping..."

At that moment, Daryl entered the camper and sat down on the table without saying a word.

"Shhh" Carol silenced me. "She was dead a long time ago"

That was all I heard from her, but I didn't leave. I was sitting next to her, holding her hand. Because I saw that there was nothing I could do.

After some time, Lori came to the car. She didn't say anything for a moment, but then she took a deep breath.

"Lizz" she began hesitantly. "Glenn said you were hurt."

Carol immediately moved to look at me intently. Only then did she see that my shirt was soaked with blood.

"It's nothing" I smiled reassuringly.

"I need to bandage you" Lori insisted, so I looked at her.

"That's nothing"

"Doesn't look like nothin'" Daryl stood up and held out his hand to me. "C'mon"

For a moment I wanted to argue with them, but finally got up and left the camper. Only then did I feel how much it hurt. I slowly sat down under a tree while Lori fetched the basics to clean the wound. Daryl kept staring at me.

"Interesting?" I asked as I lifted my shirt. I winced.

"I prefer you whole."

"It's nice that you have a version of me that you like."

He didn't answer, just walked away without a word. Lori looked at him quickly, then smiled sadly.

"Before, I thought he had no feelings, now he's really worried"

"He really wanted to find Sophia alive. We all did" I said softly.

I saw a tear roll down Lori's cheek, which she quickly wiped away and began to clean my wound.

"That's when you tried to stop Shane?"

I nodded.

"He has become... unpredictable."

"Yes, he has."

I looked at her carefully. "It has to be Rick's baby, Lori, whoever gave the fucking sperm. Don't let him get to the baby."

Lori didn't hide her surprise, but only nodded.

"I know. It's Rick's baby."

"Okay" I smiled as I leaned against the tree. "He or she is going to have wonderful parents."

"And the toughest aunts and uncles in the world" she added.

I laughed.

"Maybe when he's Carl's age, she can go to school? Can you imagine how the other kids will be envy?"