Between Arrows and Hearts - Daryl Dixon

Back to the city

Cass didn't let herself oversleep the next morning. She climbed out of her sleeping bag and pulled on some clothes Amy had lent her: some jeans and a red tank top. After slipping on her worn sneakers, she stepped out of the tent. The rest of the camp was already starting their morning routines. She sighed, brushing her long hair out of her face. 

She'd come to terms with the fact that lake water and whatever shampoo Glenn managed to bring back from the city were the closest she'd get to taking care of her hair. But she missed the days of long showers, hair masks, and carefully defining her curls. Now, after yesterday's sweat and city wind, all she had left was a frizzy mass with just a hint of curl.

"Good morning." She greeted everyone she passed. When she reached Glenn, he greeted her and handed her the plate of berries he was eating for breakfast.

"I bet you miss pizza." Cass teased, making fun of his old job.

Glenn sighed. "I shouldn't share my breakfast with you." She chuckled, then thanked him and took a few berries from his bowl.

"What?" she asked, noticing he seemed distracted.

"They're killing my car."

Cass gave him a confused look, and Glenn got up, nudging her toward where Morales, Dale, and Jim were disassembling his car. She laughed, patting him on the back.

"Want me to say a little prayer for his soul?" she asked, batting her eyes at him playfully.

"If you're not going to take this seriously..." Glenn trailed off as Rick arrived, hoping he'd understand his pain. "Look at 'em. Vultures. Yeah, go on, strip it clean."

"Generators need every drop of fuel they can get." Dale explain. "Got no power without it. Sorry, Glenn"

"Just let him have his tantrum, Dale. He'll get over it." Cass chuckled, still snacking on Glenn's berries.

"Maybe we'll get to steal another one someday." Rick offered, trying to comfort him.

"Yeah!" Cass chimed in cheerfully. "A nicer one!"

"Look," Glenn began to argue. "You don't understand, this was a..." His words were cut short by the sudden scream of a child. 

Cass started running toward the screams, worried something might be threatening the kids. When she saw Sophia and Carl running to their mothers, shielded by Jacqui, she relaxed a bit. Still, she followed the group of armed men as they charged into the woods. Cass wasn't exactly a fighter, and they could more than handle it by themselves, but her curiosity got the better of her.

Looking from a safe distance she noticed an animal on the ground, being eaten by a walker. Andrea and Amy came to her side, gasping when they saw what was happening. The men began to beat him but only managed to stop him when Dale cut his head off. When she thought it was all over, a noise in the woods caught the men's attention, who prepared to attack whatever the threat was. Cass held her breath, ready to run in the other direction if she needed to.

Daryl came out of the woods only to be surprised by the number of people pointing guns and sticks at him. "Son of a bitch. That's my dear! Look at it. All gnawed on by this..." He started kicking the dead walker on the ground. "Filthy, disease-bearing, motherless poxy bastard!

When Dale said something, Daryl fought him. "What do you know about it, old man? Why don't you take that stupid hat and go back to On Golden Pond?" Cass didn't know what that was, but she was sure it was a way of calling him old.

"I've been tracking this deer for miles. Gonna drag it back to camp, cook us some venison. What do you think? Do you think we can cut around this chewed up part right here?"