Men and Monsters - A Walking Dead Love Story

Feels Like Home (Chapter II)

[Takes place about a week after Louis arrives at Alexandria]

Louis' eyes snapped open, causing them to sting from the light flowing in from a window on the other side of the room. Confused and frightened, Louis leapt out of his sleeping position, scrambling

to his feet and searching frantically for one of his weapons. Snatching his knife off of the night stand, he whirled around, looking for a potential attacker. He found none. Taking another glance at

his surroundings, they became more familiar to him, and a wave of relief came over him as he realized at last where he was. He was in his room, in his house, in Alexandria, perfectly safe. Breathing

a sigh of relief, he re-sheathed his knife, and placed it back in it's previous place on his nightstand.

He had been in Alexandria for about a week already, but he was not yet completely used to his surroundings yet. It was still all so foreign to him, being able to wake up in a real bed every morning,

and hearing nothing but the birds outside of his window in place of the groans of the dead he had become accustomed to since the beginning. And to be around people again... It felt almost unreal.

He hadn't been with any other groups since the beginning, and it was an odd feeling being around the living again... but not at all unwelcome.

Louis got on quite well with all of the people in Alexandria, but there were a few people that he got particularly attached to in his first week. Rosita and Eugene quickly became his best friends,

and he spent most of his free time with them, talking about their lives before, and their hopes for what the future may hold. And then there was Daryl. Daryl Dixon was still just as much a mystery

to Louis now as when they first met. They spent a large amount of time together, making idle conversation, or simply enjoying each other's company. But the thing was, they knew next to nothing

about each other. They said little about themselves, and neither of them asked. It was an odd friendship, but not alltogether unpleasant.

____

Louis and Daryl had been sent on a supply run together, told to hit up a small doctor's office to collect whatever medical supplies they could. They said nothing as Daryl drove an old truck down

the empty road, a Tom Petty CD playing at low volume through the vehicle's speakers. Louis stared out the window, watching the trees, abandoned cars, and occasional walkers go by, running over the

events of the past week in his head. It was Daryl who pulled him back into the present, his voice startling his from his contemplative state. "So what did you do? Before all this, I mean." the question

was completely abrupt, and for a moment the man's words didn't register in Louis' head. After a moment of silence, he realized what had been said. By instinct, he started concocting some bullshit story to tell,

before remembering that this was not a stranger he was with, and erased said bullshit and began forming a truthful answer in his mind.

"I was a college student," he replied, after a much more uncomfortable silence than what he had been used to. "I was studying computer programming as my major, and I was in my last year of college before the world went to hell."

Daryl nodded, his eyes never venturing from their place on the road. Louis secretly hoped that Daryl would ask him something else, and possibly even share some of his own history. But he was

silent for the rest of the ride to their destination.

____

Louis stood by Daryl's side as the man knocked on the glass of the window, calling whatever may be in the building to the front. They waited, leaning casually against the wall. There was a tense

silence between the two of them, but once again it was the seemingly quieter of the two who made plans to break it. "You have any family before this?" Daryl asked, his generally nonchalant demeanor

remaining. The older man's sudden interest in him was still odd to Louis, but welcome. "Kind of a large family, but not unlike any other run of the mill close-knit family," he responded, shrugging his shoulders.

"Mom, dad, older brother, little sis-" his sentence came to a premature end, the words dying on his lips and his throat tightening, refusing to let him speak anymore. He felt his eyes sting with tears, his lips

pursing and his face twisting ever so slightly into a look of pain and despair. This did not go unnoticed by the older man, and subsequently, the conversation was ended.

____

They searched through the building, picking through every room and putting whatever they thought may be useful into their backpacks. "My family, they were wonderful," Louis said suddenly, finally

tired of the tense silence between them. Daryl stopped, turning to the younger man, ready to listen with what Louis could only place as eagerness. "They were there for me, no matter what, they

really listened and tried their best to understand what I was going through, unlike a lot of parents." Daryl listened intently, leaning against a nearby counter. "I remember when I... When I first came

out to them as... as transgendered," Louis' eyes quickly scanned over the other man's face, searching for any sign of discomfort of even disgust as the younger revealed more about himself. Only after

finding none did he continue; "When I turned seventeen, they surprised me, they saved up the entire year and they were able to start me on testosterone." The young man gave a sad smile.

"They loved me no matter what. And I just... I miss them so bad." He allowed just a few of the tears he had held in for so long to roll down his face. The older man reached his arm out, placing a

hand on his shoulder, a twinkle of sympathy in his eyes.

____

Just like Louis' first night at Alexandria, they sat on Daryl's porch together, admiring the stars, and letting their minds wander. Louis thought of many things, some of which he hadn't in a long time.

He thought of his childhood, his friends, his family... The times he was last truly happy, and he thought of... Daryl? He couldn't help but wonder, how or when this man who, when they first had met,

had intended to rob him, had imprinted himself so completely on him. It had only been a week since they had met, but he already felt as if he had known him for all his life. And in that moment, a

realization had come over him. He was glad that he had found Aaron. He was glad that he was here, with these people. And he was glad that he had met Daryl Dixon.