Haunted | Daryl Dixon

28. Not Alone

Daryl's head immediately snapped over to Evelyn as soon as she slammed the door and slid into her seat, "What are you-"

The woman shot him an incredulous look, "You don't really think I'm letting you go after that car by yourself, do you?"

"Ya don' have to-" He tried to speak again, a wave of almost nervousness seeming to wash over him.

"Just drive, we can't lose the car." Evelyn hadn't snapped, but her tone was demanding, final.

Without another word, Dixon did just that, pulling out of their spot and quickly following after the car with a white cross on it.

They were a safe distance away, and with the lights smashed out, the driver ahead of them couldn't see them. As far as they knew.

It was silent for a few moments before Daryl cleared his throat, "Rick will be wondering where we are. Daniel will be too."

Evelyn's heart clenched suddenly, a wave of guilt washing over her. She hadn't even thought of her best friend as she leapt into the passenger side of the car, blindly following after Daryl.

It was something that her younger self would've done, something her current self should've known better then to do.

She forced herself to speak, "He'll be fine. He's with the others and he can take care of himself."

The words were strained, unsure. He knew it and she knew it.

Instead of dwelling on that or letting Daryl speak to it more, Evelyn quickly changed the subject, "Was it just you and Beth? After everything that happened at the prison?"

This was weird. Having a full on conversation with Daryl. Just them, one on one.

At least back in the prison, there were others not too far away ever. Here, though, they were trapped in this small car. Together.

It was the first time they were truly alone.

She watched as Daryl nodded, though his grip on the wheel tightened slightly, "We were out there for a while. We got cornered, she got out in front of me and..." He trailed off, "I don' know, she was gone."

Evelyn nodded, letting her eyes trail back to the vehicle ahead of them, "And there was a car like this one leaving? With a white cross on it?" She guessed.

"Yep." He nodded in affirmation.

Another silence fell over the car.

"You know, so much has happened since the world went to shit," The words slipped past Evelyn's lips softly without her meaning to even speak them, "Yet, somehow, the craziest thing to happen was running into you."

Even though she hadn't meant to say it, she lolled her head to the side, now needing to see Daryl's reaction to it, hear what he had to say.

Her eyes swept over his side profile, analyzing every small movement.

Daryl swallowed thickly, his grip on the steering wheel tightening even more so- in such a way that his knuckles were beginning to turn white.

He nodded, "I know," He finally said, his gruff voice uncharacteristically soft.

"I never thought I'd see you again." Her brain was struggling to process what she had just let herself whisper into the open air between them.

Finally, Daryl tore his gaze away from the road and looked over at the woman- his eyes full of a thousand different emotions that Evelyn had once been able to read so clearly, "I never thought I'd see you again, either."