Our Extinction Event {Daryl Dixon}

Let The Silence Talk

The aftermath of what took place left an eerie silence within the group. It was so quiet that you could almost hear the heartbeats of everyone. When the silence settled she noticed the button undone on her jeans which she quickly fixed, adjusting her shirt that had fallen off her shoulder, glancing over at Daryl who was right there by her side. When Rick had calmed down after seeing these men hurt his family, he turned to his sister. For days he believed that she was dead and accepted that he might never see her again, so seeing her alive and in front of him was almost difficult for him to believe.

"Parker?" He whispered softly. That was all it took for Parker's eyes to fill with tears as she quickly walked over to her brother. She didn't care that he was covered in blood because her clothes were painted red from Harley's. She walked into her brother's arms and everything bad that had happened in the past week or so was forgotten. It was just the Grimes siblings, rallying together and once again beating all odds. Rick held his sister in his arms, lifting her slightly off the ground, eyes closed as he appreciated knowing that his sister was alive.

"I thought you were dead," Parker said into his shoulder. "What the hell happened to you?" They shared their stories, recounting what happened to them after they were forced to leave the prison. Parker told him how she ended up alone, spending days walking through the woods looking for them, and then she told him how she eventually ended up finding Daryl. Rick had told her about what happened with Lou and how they ended up encountering the Claimers in the first place. Hearing the stories gave Parker a sense of comfort because, despite all the hardships they had faced, they had survived. They would always find each other. 

Rick and Daryl started dragging the bodies into the woods while Michonne took Carl to the car, sitting in the back seat while Parker covered the windows with spare shirts they had lying around. Once she was sure that Carl's visibility was limited only to the small cracks in the makeshift curtains, she made her way over to the last body that needed to be moved. She stood over Harley's body, her eyes wandering over the pool of blood that had formed around him, his hand still loosely placed on his chest. The last look of shock still etched on his face, and as Parker looked at the man who had attacked her twice, she didn't feel an ounce of guilt for what she had done. She picked up her knife she had abandoned by him, wiping the blood off on his clothes, slowly sliding it back into its sheath. Daryl came to stand next to her, almost afraid to touch her. He had never seen her so tense, and he hated how she seemed trapped reliving memories that tormented her. He was desperate to know how to help her. To help her get over them, but he couldn't force her to talk.

"I can take care of it." Daryl offered, going to grab one of his legs.

"Wait." Her voice seemed so different than what he was used to. Cold. Her hand wrapped around his wrist and he automatically stopped. He felt her grip on his wrist loosen as he did so and when his eyes met hers, there was nothing there. Just empty.

"Parker.."

"Just wait." She repeated quietly, her voice faltering as she stared at the body before them. "Please." Harley's fingers began to move slowly and a growl emanated from his throat. His eyes were glossed over, and as his body reanimated and came to life, more blood spilled from his mouth, his hands reaching for Parker's ankles. Daryl grabbed his knife as Rick emerged from the woods, the two watching, but she stopped them both. Parker raised her boot and slammed it down hard into Harley's skull, crushing it under her feet and killing him for good. It wasn't much, but it made her feel better. She rubbed the sole of her boot in the dirt, cleaning off the blood. She was able to kill him... twice. "Now you can take him." She had a look in her eyes that worried Rick and Daryl, the two mentioning it as they carried Harley's body into the trees, moving them out of sight for Carl's sake. 

The look in her eyes was hollow. It was as if crushing Harley's skull hadn't affected her in the slightest when in reality it should have. She should have shown a small flash of anger, hurt, or relief, but there was nothing. Only darkness. That's what worried them. Rick returned to his sister once they dumped the body with the rest of them, slowly putting his arm around her shoulders. He waited for her to react, and she sighed, resting her head on his shoulder. Rick squeezed her arm, trying to offer her some comfort or to assure her that they would be okay.