Rick, Michonne and Carl left early that morning.
Merle and I were awoken in order to open the gate as they passed through in one of the cars from the courtyard. I was not a morning person, but I let the rude awakening slide by without complaint, taking my anger out on the two biters that tried to slink in through the open gate while Merle struggled to close it.
After we’d made sure it was secure, we began to make our way inside.
“You know they get us to do this ‘cause of that one damn sniper,” Merle remarked. “Can’t risk none of their people out here, but you and me? Free game.”
I looked at him out of the corner of my eye as we crossed the courtyard. “Stop complaining. We got four walls and a roof, all of which come refreshingly megalomaniac free.”
Merle grunted, not entirely committing to his agreement.
“Besides. You got your brother.” I reached out to pull open the wire gate, stepping into the frame and turning to face Merle before he could enter. “Don’t fuck that up. He doesn’t deserve it.”
Merle cocked a brow. “Lookin’ out for my brother now, are ya?”
“You need him more than he needs you,” I stated in response. “Don’t act like you don’t know that. All you have to do is not be an asshole every five minutes. Get me?”
He chewed on the inside of his lower hip, contorting his face into a scowl as he looked down at me. I didn’t budge until he nodded, tossing his hands up with a begrudging “Fine!”, moving past me once I’d stepped to the side and marching up the stairs to the entrance.
I followed behind, catching the door as he tried to slam it, full force, into my face. The suddenness of my catch made the door vibrate on its hinges, drawing the attention of those inside. By all logic, I shouldn’t have probably been able to catch that door as easily as I’d made it seem, with the amount of force that had been behind it. I just hoped none of them noticed.
Daryl, Hershel and Beth were the only ones up and about. Beth was holding the baby, bouncing her softly as she held a bottle to her lips. She glanced shyly up, watching as Merle marched down the stairs and toward the cellblock, not looking back. Daryl watched him, too, before looking up curiously at me. Hershel began to hobble toward the cellblock, as if he intended to try and talk to the irritatingly stubborn man that had run off to sulk.
I shook my head, waiting for the door to stop shaking before stepping through the frame and closing it softly behind me.
Daryl’s gaze remained on me as I climbed down the stairs. He rose to his feet once I’d reached the ground, gesturing with one hand toward the cellblock.
“The hell was that?”
“I told him not to be an asshole,” I answered honestly, giving the younger Dixon a shrug. “He didn’t like it. Now, he’s going to go off and sulk like a child for about an hour, and then he’ll come back and we will continue our day as if nothing at all happened. It’s like clockwork.”
I slid into one of the nearby seats, resting my forearms atop the cool metal table with a sigh. Daryl hovered for a moment on the other side, chewing his lip the same way his brother did when he was indecisive. After a moment, he slid into the seat opposite mine.
YOU ARE READING
The Monsters Among Us ➳ Daryl Dixon
Fanfiction𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘺𝘭 𝘋𝘪𝘹𝘰𝘯/𝘖𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘍𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳 Not human. She was not human. They all knew it. Could almost feel it, but couldn't make sense of it. That was why they were afraid. Not because of what she used to be Before. But...
