Daring Dixon (A Daryl Dixon fanfiction)

Chapter 4

I turned around, kicking, throwing punches. After a few seconds of struggling, I realized that I wasn't fighting a walker. I was fighting Daryl.

"What are you doing out here?" I demanded.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Daryl demanded, ignoring my question. "I thought you were a damned walker. I almost shot you!"

"Well I'm sorry that you didn't get your chance," I said, stalking back to the fire.

"Why you got to be such a bitch?" Daryl demanded. He followed me over to the fire but didn't sit. I ignored him. "What are you out here for anyway?" he asked.

"I couldn't sleep," I admitted.

"Can't you stay in your damn tent instead of trying to get yourself killed?" he demanded.

"I can take care of myself," I defended.

"I've seen how you take care of yourself and I hope you don't have to do it anytime soon," Daryl scoffed.

"Why don't you go back to bed and leave me alone?" I asked bluntly.

"Because if something happened to you and Rick knew I knew where you were he'd have my ass," Daryl said.

"It's my choice to be out here alone. Leave me alone," I insisted.

Instead of following orders, he sat down on next to me. "Did you have family?" he asked quietly.

I was silent for a moment, taken aback by his sudden mellowness. "My parents, and a younger sister," I answered.

"Do you know what happened to them?" he asked.

"My parents were English professors at Georgetown in DC. When it began, I tried to call them, but I couldn't get ahold of them. Then the power went off, and I gave up. I could only imagine what a college campus full of a few thousand kids would look like if it was overrun by a herd of walkers," I admitted.

"And your sister?" he asked quietly.

"She worked in New Orleans. She loved the south. When we were kids, we used to spend summers down south with our grandparents. My mom's parents came from Louisiana and my dad's parents came from Mississippi. They taught me how to shoot, my grandparents. Anyway, she moved down to Louisiana after she graduated from Colombia," I explained. "I tried calling her, like my parents, but she never called back, and I gave up, just like with my parents."

There was silence between us for a moment. I sat there, fighting back tears. I wasn't going to cry. "What about- what about your family?" I asked him.

"I don't want to talk about them," Daryl said quietly.

"Jesus Daryl, I just-"

"I don't want to talk about them!" Daryl repeated angrily, standing.

"What's going on here?" asked a familiar voice, although I couldn't place it. Daryl shook his head and Shane came into view. "What're you two doing up at this time of night? Especially after what just happened," Shane asked.

"I couldn't sleep. I got out of the tent and Daryl heard me, thought I was a walker. He investigated, and decided I needed protection while I was out here, so we were just discussing our families," I explained.

"I was just leaving," Daryl said, stalking off to his tent.

"Sorry for interrupting," Shane apologized, sitting down where Daryl had been.

"It's nothing," I said. "I think I'm going to go back to the tent anyway." I stood. I felt Shane grab my arm. He spun me around and stood up.

"Be careful, you hear me?" he asked. I smiled and nodded, then went back to the tent.

Hello readers! Just checking in! I hope you like it so far. I am slowly easing my way into the Daryl Roselyn action. I feel like if I jump right in, it isn't really capturing Daryl for who he is. Thank you all for reading!