Kiddo- Daryl Dixon/OC

Chapter 3-Necessary information

As me and Daryl walked deeper into the woods we were quiet. I didn't even know what to say to start up a conversation. He and I just walked armed to shoot at any moment. Occasionally he would stop and inspect the area leading us to where we hoped the deer Dale had been talking about was. As we walked I noticed that he would glance over at me, look at me for a minute then keep walking. After about the sixth or seventh time I had to say something, I was getting annoyed, not only was I annoyed I didn't trust him as far as I could throw him.

"So why do you keep looking at me so strangely?" I said turning my head to meet his glare with mine.

"What'ca mean?" he asked me.

"You do too know what I mean, we've been out here for a good hour and all you keep doing is staring at me? Do I amuse you?" I knew I had a tone of frustration, but I couldn't help it.

He simply chuckled as we kept walking. "Im just curious 'bout ya."

"I imagine so you just met me but alright, what do you want to know?" I said in a lower tone.

"Well fer starts I wanna know how ya survived out here all by yerself."

"Im already told you, I ran away from the orphanage that was housing me. I don't know why but I just had a gut feeling that I had a better chance of survival on my own." I looked down at my feet as a kept walking.

"What all did ya pack to take on the road?"

"The stuff I knew I needed, food, water, toiletries, some clothes, antibiotics, and a knife." I answered him.

"Some reason I don't believ' all that" he said looking down at me.

What did he mean? I wasn't hiding anything.

"What are you talking about?" I questioned him.

We stopped in front of a big rock where he dug in his into his pocket; he pulled out a small baggie and laid it on the rock. At that moment I realized what he was talking about. He had laid down the weed, tabs of acid and a rock of meth I had found, stowed away. He also placed my flask of whisky and my carton of cigarettes next to the drugs.

"Are ya a junkie?"

I looked down at what would have been in the old world illegal; what the hell did it matter now?

"Well are ya or aren't ya?"

"....I knew eventually I had to give it up, it just helped me cope. The truth is, Im an orphan because I was born a crack baby. So when I started smoking weed it made my muscle aches, headaches, anxiety and insomnia go away, the rest of it I just found rummaging through the orphanage, it's amazing what you can find when people don't care anymore. The alcohol and cigarettes were just for when ether I ran out or needed something else to take the edge off..." I sat there pouring my heart out to a stranger who I barely knew, what the hell was wrong with me.

"Well gettin' shitfaced drunk or high off yer ass won't help ya. Ya need yer reflexes and commen' since. Rick usually airs on the cautious side when drugs is involved. He told me to talk to ya." Daryl sat down next to me and looked me in the eye. "Do ya got any more drugs on ya?"

I reached into my jacket pocket and pulled out a small tin, inside carried about five joints and a small lighter. I sat it on the rock and looked at him.

"That's it..." I looked back down again.

"I don't know what it's like being an orphan, but I do know what it's like not having no one care about ya. My dad, biggest ass hole ya could meet. He slapped around my mother, my older brother and me for years. I went rummaging through his shit, came across just near 'bout five grams of pot. Me and my brother went down to the stream near our house. Smoked it all. I passed out on a rock, woke up to water hittin' me in the face and my brother nowhere to be found. It was dark out so I camped in the woods that night; found my way home in the mornin'. I walked through the front door and my brother was layin' on the floor I turned him over to see my father done near beat the life out of him. He up and grabbed me by the shirt collar, pinned me against the wall. I walked out of there with two black eyes, busted up lip and broken nose. When me and my brother went back to school, teachers noticed so we got questioned. When we wouldn't say anythin' they called social services to come on by for a visit to my dad. When they showed up, he denied it all, sayin' how much he love us and would never let anythin' happen to us. What Im tryin' to say is I think you got yourself a strong will and a smart head on ya shoulder."