The morning was… tense, to say the least.
I’d remained on watch for the rest of the night with Daryl dutifully sitting by my side, constantly fussing over my injuries like a concerned parent. By the time the sky began to lighten, the pain had lessened to a dull ache. Each slight movement tugged at the edges of my wounds, and the cool morning air stung, but they were far from life threatening. Not that Daryl would hear that. You’d think I was about to drop dead the way he was watching me with that concerned frown.
Once the sun had begun to piece through the gaps in the trees, brightening the forest around us, I made a move to wake everyone.
Michonne grunted when I gently kicked her side, glancing up and glaring at me before rubbing an eye with her knuckle. “Time to go?” she asked, partway through a yawn.
I nodded.
“Better wake the kids.”
We woke the rest of the group one by one, leaving Claire, still unconscious by the base of a tree, until last. For the first few moments, it seemed almost as if she’d completely forgotten. She climbed up onto her feet, stretched a little, and made a remark about the chill in the morning air.
But, when her pale gaze slid across and found mine, I could practically see the moment the memory returned, as if it snapped into place within the space of a single second. It manifested in her expression; confusion, followed quickly by realisation, and then, of course, seething hatred.
“You assaulted me!” she yelled, jabbing a finger accusingly in my direction as I rose from my seat on the log.
Daryl rose with me, his body facing me, yet partially turned in Claire’s direction, as if he were preparing to hold back at least one of us.
“You assaulted my patience,” I responded blandly. The exhaustion was clear in my voice and it wasn’t as if I weren’t physically displaying how bad of a night I’d had, but neither thing seemed to bother her as she prowled towards me, sneering.
“When we get back, I am going to –“
“To what, Claire?” I asked, cocking my head to the side. “Report me to the council? Picket story-time? Get over it. I’m too tired to deal with your shit today, so let’s just get fucking a move on.”
I made a move to go, stepping over the smothered fire-pit, but she slid to the side to block my way. Ophelia hovered behind her, shoulders taut and lips pursed in disapproval as she watched the older woman sneer at me.
“No, no. You don’t get to walk away from me this time, Jacques.” She lifted her hand to point another finger at me. “We’re on even footing out here.”
I glanced between all of my companions with a cocked brow. “Raise your hand if you're at least 97-percent sure I could very easily kick her ass.”
Everyone bar Bob raised their hands.
I let out a breath of air through my teeth and gave her a mock sympathetic frown. “Damn, Clairy-Fairy. Wrong again.”
Once again, I made a move to step out toward the road. Michonne and Tyreese were already standing by the edge, looking down the slight incline at us with impatient frowns. I could feel their need, the urge to just get a move on already, as if it were my own. Bob and Mason began to make their way up the ridge that marked the edge of the forest and it didn’t escape my notice that the young man was using Bob’s body as a blockade between he and I.
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...
