The Third Dixon [The walking dead OC x OC]

Chapter five

Measi kept running long after the sounds of shouting and the truck engine had disappeared. She didn't stop because she was tired. She stopped because she finally reached a point where she couldn't hear anyone behind her anymore.

The woods had swallowed her whole.

For a moment, she just stood there, breathing heavily, one hand gripping the strap of her sniper while the other pressed against her side. Every inhale sent a sharp reminder through her ribs. She had hit the ground hard when they crashed earlier, and the fight after that had only made everything worse.

But she was alive.

That was what mattered.

Her eyes scanned the trees until she found one that would work. Thick branches. High enough. Hidden enough. She'd climbed worse places before.

Measi pulled herself up, ignoring the pain that shot through her arms as she dragged herself onto the lowest branch. She climbed higher until she was surrounded by leaves and shadows, a place where anyone walking underneath would have no reason to look.

Only then did she let herself breathe. She leaned back against the trunk, letting the rifle rest beside her. The adrenaline faded, and with it came the pain.

She looked down.

Her hands were scraped raw. Dirt and blood covered her knuckles. There were cuts along her forearms from branches she hadn't even noticed while running. When she lifted her shirt slightly, she saw bruising already forming along her ribs.

"Great," she muttered. No supplies. No water. No bandages. Just her sniper and her knife. She laughed quietly to herself, though there was no humor in it. "Of course."

She had been in worse situations. But she was getting really tired of always being in worse situations. Hours passed. The forest grew darker, the sounds of the world fading until it was almost peaceful. Almost.

Then she heard it.

Footsteps.

Measi instantly grabbed her rifle, body tensing as she looked down through the branches.

A familiar voice cut through the silence. "Trigger finger?" Her grip loosened slightly. "...You around here somewhere?"

She stayed quiet for a second. Because if it wasn't him, she didn't want to give herself away. But then she saw him. Daryl. Walking between the trees, dirty, exhausted, and looking just as beat up as she felt.

Measi leaned forward. "Yeah."

He stopped. His head snapped up.

"Up here."

For a moment, he just stared.

Then he spotted her. His eyebrows pulled together. "What the hell are you doing in a tree?"

She looked down at him. "Surviving."

"Yeah, well, get down."

Measi shifted slightly, immediately regretting it when pain shot through her side. Daryl noticed. His expression changed. "You hurt?"

"I'm fine."

"Yeah, sure."

She ignored that. Instead, she looked at his empty hands. "Where's your crossbow?"

Daryl looked away.

A pause. "Don't wanna talk about it."

Measi stared at him.

A tiny smirk appeared despite everything.

"They took it."

Daryl looked up.