Daryl found me a few hours later, hold up in the corner of my room, curled up in the corner atop my bunk. My legs were crossed, partially hiding the open jar of moonshine I had safely resting between my legs. When the novelty Lord of the Rings shower curtain I’d stolen on one of our runs parted with a distinct sound of crinkling plastic, I glanced up from the book in my hands and met Daryl’s searching gaze with a raised brow.
“Yes?”
He stepped further into the room, allowing the curtain to fall closed behind him. I only had one candle to illuminate the room, which left the majority of it in darkness whilst I utilised it to read, so I could only just make out his perplexed expression from the side of my bunk.
“You doin’ alright?” he asked me softly.
I let the book fall into my lap, lying atop the open moonshine to further hide it from his gaze. Why I felt the need to keep my emotionally motivated drinking secret from him was beyond me. “What makes you think I wouldn’t be?”
His pointed look was answer enough.
I let out a long sigh through my nose before jerking my head to the side, gesturing for him to join me. He reached up and grabbed the top of the ladder, hoisting himself up onto the bunk and settling into a relaxed slouch against the wall. His legs were long enough to partially hang over the side.
Placing the open book beside me, I grabbed the jar of moonshine and offered it to him.
His eyes widened partially in the dim light of the room as if caught by surprise, but he reached out and took it nonetheless.
“You and Rick are like a pair of overbearing mothers, you know that?” I remarked with a smirk.
Daryl snorted, taking a swig from the jar before handing it back to me. “Shut up.”
I gave a soft chuckle, trying to lighten the mood, but Daryl’s gaze remained on me, searching and concerned. After remaining silent for a few moments, I let out a huff through my nose and finally turned to look at him, speaking perhaps a little too pointedly. “I’ll be fine, alright? God.”
Daryl lifted his hands in defence. “A’ight! Sorry.”
We fell into silence for a few brief moments whilst I looked to the ceiling. Perhaps I had been a little too harsh. But, honestly? He was acting as if I’d witnessed my best friend get shot or some shit.
“It was just a… I don’t know. It was something I should have handled better.” I looked back to the man sitting on the other end of the bed with a small, strained smile. “I’m not exactly used to fucking up in a life-or-death situation. They’re usually my shtick, you know?”
Daryl nodded slowly, though I wasn’t entirely sure he actually understood. After all, how could he, when he knew so little of what my life had been like Before?
After taking a swing from the jar, I handed it back to Daryl. I used the silence whilst he was drinking to change the subject.
“So… That group from the second farm come back today?” I asked in as casual a manner as I could manage.
After Daryl and I had decided on our day trip to the metalwork factory, Hershel and Claire had organised a separate group to scope out the farm next door to the one my group had hit the week before.
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...
