Surviving the Apocalypse

Episode 4

A.N. This episode will not be dialogue heavy, it is mainly based on Daryl's thoughts, and the way he perceives everything that's going on. Next Episode however will include a ton more dialogue!

       Growing up, Daryl never had any nice wakeup calls, never any soft voices stirring him into consciousness. He had learned at a young age that it's best to be out of the house as early as possible. Even before he knew what kind of things his dad did to his older brother, he knew they didn't get along and it was safer to be away from the house when everyone else woke up.

Many times he was forced awake in the dead of the night, to his dad screaming at Merle. Before his mother had died his dad was different. Sure he had a short temper, and he was quick to throw Daryl or Merle over his knee, but it was never like it was after that fire. Daryl didn't have many good memories of his mother, most were filled with her drinking and crying while stroking his hair.

She used to tell him all the time that he was better than a Dixon, but once the buzz of her wine or nicotine wore off she paid him no mind. There was one time he had asked her why she always drank or smoked, but the glare she sent him was enough to never ask again. As he grew older, he began to think that the cigarette may not have accidentally caught fire, like those firefighters told him.

Will liked to blame Merle and Daryl for their mother's death, saying it was their fault that she was stressed out enough to fall asleep smoking. But Daryl knew the truth now, he had no doubt that it was his dad that drove her to make the decision to drop the cancer stick. The only thing he couldn't figure out was why she chose to leave them with the monster of a man.

One day at lunch, Oliver had explained how his dad used to be and how his mom had to pack up their stuff one night and take him to his grandparents. That's why they moved, his dad wouldn't take no for an answer. After a few years of him trying to push himself back into their lives, he drove them straight out of Florida and into Georgia.

Daryl didn't understand why his mother couldn't have done that for them, maybe Merle would be here right now if she would have. Then again, maybe he wouldn't have met Oliver and became friends with him. He definitely wouldn't have a soft hand brushing through his shaggy hair, pulling him from his sleep.

       For the first time, Daryl had to be woken from his slumber, something that hasn't happened since he arrived at camp. Elodie was surprised when he leaned into her touch rather than jumping up and high tailing out of the tent. She felt bad to wake him when it was obvious he needed the rest, but she also knew he would be pissed if he didn't help out with cleaning the camp.

Oliver watched from his sleeping bag, as Daryl rolled his head to lean against his mother's hand. He had already rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and was ready to help out, but he was waiting for his friend to get up. He knew that Daryl didn't have many good memories of either parent, so it was nice to see that he wasn't flinching away from the unfamiliar touch.

Daryl slowly opened his eyes, blinking hard to battle against the harsh sunlight creeping through the netted 'window'. A sigh of content left his nose, his body unwilling to move from the warmth of his sleeping bag. His mind slowly caught up to him, when he felt the fingers in his hair move again. He peered up through his bangs and blushed when he realized what was happening.

Elodie carefully pulled her fingers out of the boy's locks, knowing he would soon be over the open affection as he rose from his deep sleep. She shifted over to pull a bottle of water out of her backpack and sat it next to Daryl.

Daryl sat up rubbing a harsh hand over his eyes, to remove the drowsiness and couldn't help the yawn that overtook his body. He lowered his hands and sat for a moment, watching as Mrs. Elodie moved around the tent, with squinted eyes. He briefly made eye contact with Oliver, who was smiling because of Daryl's crazy bed head.