Skeletons - 𝐷𝑎𝑟𝑦𝑙 𝐷𝑖𝑥𝑜𝑛

𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 12 - 𝑬𝒂𝒔𝒚 𝑴𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔

They traveled a few more miles along the creek, Daryl following a game trail through the forest. A flock of crows burst out from behind a bush, flapping off into the sky, and the horses grunted in surprise. Daryl spoke lowly and calmly to them, keeping them from dashing off or bucking either of them down into a ditch. They moved onward, but Iris got the sense that the horses were a little more nervous than they'd been before.

A hiss startled Daryl's horse suddenly, a snake camouflaged in the leaves on the ground slithered forward toward it, baring its fangs. Iris gripped her reins as his horse reared, whinnying loudly. Her's followed suit, but she hadn't kept a tight enough grip, and she landed flat on her back behind the horse with a grunt, losing her breath.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Daryl tried, but the horse was having none of it. He was tossed to the side, and Iris swore as he tumbled down a steep hill, the horses running off. Daryl half-rolled down the hill, his body hitting the ground hard as the litter became rock, and he hit the water of the creek bed.

"Daryl!" Iris called, skidding down the hill and gripping trees to keep her upright along the way.

"Son of a bitch." She heard him say, scrunching his face in pain. His forehead was bleeding, and she had no idea what kind of injuries he might have sustained. The water around him started to bloom with deep crimson and he rolled onto his back. Iris slid on her hands and feet down the rock toward him, soon knee deep in the water.

She gasped as she saw the wound, one of the arrows on his back spearing clean through his side. It was shallow enough not to have caught anything but muscle, but any injury was life threatening in the woods, never mind with flesh-eating freaks sniffing you out. He groaned in pain, leaning his head back in the water.

"Fuck." Iris muttered. She leaned down, grabbing his crossbow from the water before helping him stagger to his feet slowly. He leaned on her and they crossed the creek, the other side providing a drier area to access the situation. His hand was clutching his side, the bloody arrow shifting with every movement. To his credit, he barely made a sound, grunting every so often with effort. "Sit down." She directed him to a fallen log and he sat, wincing as she brought out a knife. Iris slung the crossbow over her shoulder and sliced through his shirt, ripping the sleeves off and tying them together to make a very long rope.

"Breathe in." She instructed as she tied it around his waist, knotting the ends together around the arrow. He did as she instructed. "And out." As he let out the breath, she tightened it quickly, and his breath turned into a muffled cry. It would stabilize the arrow until they could do something about it, but she was hesitant to touch it until they were somewhere safe.

They both looked up as a branch snapped in the tree line behind them, bushes rustling. Iris picked up her knife again, taking a defensive position as Daryl staggered to his feet. They needed to move. With one hand, Daryl picked up a stick to help him keep his balance while the other hung over Iris' shoulder.

The slopes on either side of the creek were steep, but one was slightly steeper than the other, so they picked the latter. It was a slow process, and painful for one of them. Iris slowly climbed upward, picking a path with many trees to lean against as she continuously reached back, helping Daryl move upward. He was getting weaker the longer they went on, and Iris worried they would't make it back. But there was no way in hell she'd leave him alone in the forest.

"Don't look back." Iris whispered. Daryl did exactly that, breathing out anxiously as the fall loomed behind him. He turned forward and met Iris' face of disapproval. He half shrugged.

"C'mon." He panted. "We've done half." She nodded, pulling herself up between trees, dirt and soil slipping beneath her feet. She turned back and Daryl slipped, his eyes going wide as he reached up. She grabbed his hand, thanking her quick reflexes as she set his balance, pulling him back to lean against the slope.