Sword and Bow

Chapter 5

Daryl was on watch duty in one of the guard towers. It had been four days since they had gotten back from the run. During that time he had barely seen Lara, though he heard her nightmares every night and every night went to check on her. He couldn't not. It annoyed him that he hadn't seen her and it annoyed him that it annoyed him.

She had guard duty, he had guard duty, then she had been helping organise the things they'd got on the run. He'd been hunting with Merle. She was looking after Twink and Sophia, or playing with them. Taking stock of what food they had. He saw her only at meal times. She had still been the same then, talking with him, making jokes and smiling like he was the only guy in the room. It was infuriating. He didn't know what the fuck was going on or why she was on his brain so often.

She had spent the morning showing the two little girls some self-defence. It looked to him like she'd been trainin' them real good. It gave them more of a chance and he respected that.

After she had finished with the girls Lara had started sparring with Merle. He was not amused to see Merle wasn't pulling his punches and he frowned harder when she had waved Red over to them and got the two of them to fight her at the same time. The fuck was she doing? She wasn't even healed from the attack at the mall! Stupid, stubborn, bitch.

Still he watched in fascination as she went into the cells and came back not long after with some kids toys. Play swords and knives, along with two real guns. Forehead wrinkled in confusion he sat forward in his seat, reminding himself to quickly glance around the perimeter as he was supposed to be doing.

Daryl looked back to see Merle and Red turning the guns on her, before Merle showed her quickly how to disarm Red. With a nod she went for the foam sword, disarmed Red with the sword and then Merle with a well placed kick to his wrist. She was makin' sure she could take anyone down next time. Smart dame. Real smart. Of course it was easy enough in a simulated situation like that but not in real life. He bet she knew that though.

"Here, I brought you some lunch," Carol said and Daryl frowned as he tried not to show that she had actually surprised him for once.

"Thanks," he said, taking the plate off her.

"What's going on down there?" She asked looking down at the scene Daryl had been watching, her hip propped against the wall.

"Dunno," Daryl said, keeping his eyes on his food.

"She's a strange one, isn't she? Looks all tiny and defenceless but she's holding her own against those two. Kind too. Can't thank her and Merle enough for what they did for my Sophia," Carol said casually, still watching the training down below.

Daryl just grunted in her direction. He didn't want to talk about Lara. He still didn't understand how he felt about her. Or why. And he didn't need Carol adding to his mind fuck.

"There's that guy again, what's his name Tommy?" Carol asked and Daryl actually looked that time.

Carol was right. Tommy or Tommy Boy was watching the training session. He always seemed to be hanging around wherever Lara was. He was in his mid-twenties, clean shaven and very preppy. He was also about as useful as a used rubber. Tommy Boy's eyes seemed to always be on Lara, but Lara either didn't notice or, as was more likely, just ignored it. Daryl had seen though that the smiles she gave the man never quite reached her eyes.

"I think he's got a thing for her. He's pretty handsome, I wonder why she's never hooked up with him?" Carol asked, her voice far away. Daryl felt his hands tense on his plate.

"Dunno," Daryl said, going back to his food and purposefully not looking again.

"Poor man, she treats him like a kid," Carol sighed.