Silent warrior: A Daryl Dixon Fan fiction

Chapter 6: A Returning Stranger

"Joey, please don't do this!" I beg him. I grasp his arm with desperation. He turns his head away from me, refusing to look me in the eyes. "Joey! NO! Don't do this! We can just go, we don't have to stay here!" I yell louder trying to get his attention, digging my fingers and nails into his arm. He doesn't move and a tall built man is suddenly grabbing a hold of my arm. I jerk it away from him but his grip quickly tightens and he starts to drag me back, his strength clearly more than mine. "STOP! NO! LET! ME! GO!" I yell and start to flail my feet and arms, trying to escape his grip. He grabs me tighter and the place I thought I could call home begins to get smaller. "Joey! Help! Joey, please!" I keep shouting towards him.

"Shannon, wake up." I hear my name being called. My eyes open and I sit up slightly. Daryl is kneeling next to me with his hand resting lightly on my shoulder.

"Oh. What?" I ask groggily.

He removes his hand and stands up, "yew were sleep talkin." He walks away from me and starts removing the trap he set up, "we should get going, sun'll be up soon."

"Oh. Right" I say, "sorry" I add in a mutter while I stand up. I use the tree for support, feeling the pain of my ankle and I rub off what dirt and leaves I can before making my way over to the other side of the trap to help him.

We quickly but quietly put everything into his pack and start walking within 20 minutes. I limp behind him but I push through the throbbing pain. I can't afford to get left behind. I won't make it on my own, at least not yet. "Wait, we're heading towards the road?" I question him, noticing the foliage getting thinner.

"If they do come look for us, it'll be at sunrise" he says without turning. I nod although I know he can't see me and keep my eyes ahead.

We make it to the road just as the sun starts to rise. Daryl walks in front of me by a few feet and scans 360 degrees, his bow ready  to swing into action if need be. After more minutes of silence, I speak up, "how long you have the stryker?" I ask him.

His eyes finally meet mine for a second before he scans behind me. He continues his walk, talking to me without facing me, "you know somethin bout somethin?" He asks, I barely see him raise his eyebrows at me while looking around.

"A little. I took archery in high school and.." but I hear a distant sound and stop talking. Daryl hears it too because he stops walking. He gestures for me to take cover by the trees and I make my way over there. He slowly walks back, bow at the ready, and huddles down next to me keeping his eyes on the road. "It's your friends, right?" I ask him but he doesn't respond.

"Daryl!" I vaguely hear. I sit up straighter and so does he. I turn my upper body to him in excitement but he puts his hand up telling me to cool it. We wait a few more minutes, as the car inches closer and we hear it again "Daryl!" Another few feet closer and Daryl is finally standing, walking back to the road.

The car speeds up and comes to a stop. The Asian man, Glenn, gets out of the driver side and quickly walks over to him. They pat each other on the back "what happened" he asks, his eyes raising just a little when he see's me limping a few steps closer. I notice the adjustment and stop where I am. A woman comes out of the passenger side and walks in front of the truck before stopping.

"I'll explain on the way back" He says walking forward. I stay where I am, unsure of where I fit in during this rescue. Daryl turns his head towards me and yells back, "yew comin' Cinderella?"

I nod and limp my way to the truck. He hugs the older woman and I make my way to the back right door. I slide in next to the older woman and they turn the car around. After we start moving Daryl explains that the motorcycle ran out of gas and we had to walk. He leaves out the part of me holding him back because of my injury, and I am thankful he is a man of little words. We drive for a little while before they turn onto yet another dirt road. Minutes pass but something starts to come into view, I lean closer to the window to get a better view. It's huge. My jaw drops with awe as the doors to their camp open and we drive inside. The wall is long and tall. I sit back in the seat astounded and nervous at the same time.