Tragic Coincidence | Daryl Dixon

Chapter Twenty-Two

I stood smiling up at the big concrete building that Rick and Daryl had found. It was a prison...Walkers were roaming around the front surrounded by chain link fences. It was genius really, what once kept the prisoners in now kept the walkers out. There were quite a few of them, but with the amount of people we had we could easily take them out. Hershel would have an obvious hard time getting in given his circumstances, and someone would have to take care of Judith but we would manage.

I realized I had stopped to admire the large structure, while the rest of the group kept on walking. "Em's get your ass over here!" Daryl called when he realized i was slower than everyone else. I smiled and ran back over to the group who was waiting in front of the chain link fence. Rick and Glenn easily cut a whole in the fence with clippers allowing us to fit through. Beth went in first, baby Judith was in a baby bijorn on her chest that we found in the drug store in town. "Watch the backside" T-Dog said, watching the forest line while Carl climbed in. "Got it" I said and turned around with my pistol ready for anything that would sneak behind us. 

"Emma" Rick said loudly, and I turned to see them waiting for me to follow them. A walker had stumbled too close for comfort so I quickly took it down with my knife, before retrieving it and climbing into the hole in the fence. Glenn and T-Dog then quickly tied it together with some wire before walkers could reach us. We all walked slowly past the fences that were separating us from the walkers that were roaming the fields. "Now what?" Beth asked quietly, she was slightly bouncing up and down as to sooth baby Judith who was probably getting hungry. 

I kissed Judith on the head and gently rubbed her hair in hopes to calm her down. She looked up at me with her big brown eyes and gave me a tiny smile. Beth gave me a thankful look before going to stand beside Carl. "Im going to run in and close that gate, we can take this field if we can get that under control" Rick said pointing through the gates doors to an open one about fifty yards away. "Rick, we both know I'm the fastest, let me do it" I told him, determination evident in my voice. Rick looked shocked when I stood up to volunteer for the task at hand. 

"No!" Daryl growled walking up to us, crossbow in hand. "Emma no" He said a little softer, shaking his head while his soft blue eyes bore into my own. I reached my hand out and gently touched his cheek, he slightly leaned into my touch before pulling away. Daryl used to wince, and jerk away when we would touch each other, rather on purpose or by accident....but now it was like second nature for us. I knew from seeing the scars down Daryl's back that he was abused as a kid, he never needed to tell me....I saw those cases too many times at the hospital. 

"You both know im faster than anyone here, do you not trust me or something?" i said with a wink, placing a hand on my hip. Rick tried his best not to smile, but ended up handing over to carabiners we were locking the gate with. "We trust you" Rick said nodding before directing the other members of the group to guard towers. I then turned my attention to Daryl who was leaning against the fence in front of me. "ill be fine, nine lives remember" i said giving him a smile. He scowled for a second before he ended up smiling at me himself.

"Careful Em's" Daryl said and it looked like he wanted to kiss me, but shook his head and looked away. I smiled up at him and all his awkwardness before Rick dragged him up to the guard tower closest to us. Beth stood with baby Judith by the gate ready for me to run through. I made sure my pistol was loaded and my quiver was in reach before nodding to Beth and sprinting through the open gates. Carl and Beth were trying their hardest to get the walkers to go to them at the fence, but the smell of fresh meat around them turned them in my direction.

I easily picked off walkers with my pistol as I ran down the dirt path towards the gate up ahead. One walker ran up on my right, causing me to stab it quickly with my hunting knife. I could hear the gunfire from the two guard towers behind me. A bullet grazed the dirt right by my feet causing me to let out a squeak of surprise. I heard Carol yell an apology as she was in one of the towers with Glenn. I kept running, picking walkers off left and right, until one of the walkers tried to stumble through the open gate. I kicked him hard on the chest causing him to stumble backwards into the crowd of walkers.

I quickly locked the gate, walkers instantaneously started slamming their hands on the closed gates. I turned around to see a walker laying directly at my feet, with an arrow through its skull...Daryl's arrow. I waved to him across the field before opening the guard tower beside me, killing two walkers on the staircase and sprinting up the stairs. I had a high powered rifle and started to shoot a couple more walkers that were still stumbling around the yard. I smiled at the job we had done, we actually cleared this yard.

The last shot rang through the field, just as the last walker fell to the ground. I slid the rifle back onto my back with my bow and ran down the stairs grinning from ear to ear. The rest of the group was slowly making their way into the open field, "It's not the hotel, but it works" Carol said spinning around smiling. "Nice job Emma" Rick said placing a hand on my shoulder before walking around the perimeter. I kept smiling, even though it hadn't been long since we left the hotel I was glad we weren't on the run and found a new place to call home. 

Daryl walked up and placed an arm around my shoulder. I grinned up at him, him giving me a tiny smile in return. "Think this is a good idea?" I asked him as we walked closer to the group. He just shrugged and removed his crossbow from his back and tossed it with the rest of our stuff in the field. "I guess we will find out" He said.....

Night had fallen and even though daytime was getting warmer, nights were still very chilly. Judith was crying in Beth's arms across our small fire, and I know the walkers outside the gates were getting riled up from the sound. Rick was walking around the perimeter for the fourth time, and Daryl was keeping watch over on top of an over turned school bus. "let me take her" I whispered and reached out to grab the crying infant in my arms. Beth looked grateful as she seemed at a loss as to how to calm her. I took my jacket off and wrapped it tightly around Judith, who seemed to snuggle into it. I smiled down at her and rocked her gently. 

"Think she's just cold" I said quietly taking the seat next to Beth in the grass. Carl, Maggie and Glenn were across the circle eating the last of the squirrel Daryl had caught earlier. Carol and T-Dog were whispering something on my other side, and I often wondered if something was going on between those two. "Beth sing Parting Glass" Hershel said from Maggie's side. Beth looked up and blushed slightly. "No one wants to hear" She said playing with a few blades of grass under her boots. "Why not?" Glenn asked giving the young girl a small smile, Maggie smiled back at her sister as well. Beth took a deep breath before beginning to sing a beautiful song.

I tuned Beth out halfway through her song and focused on the sleeping baby in my arms, and the fact that Daryl had come back and was sitting beside me. "Were gonna need to get some formula soon" I told him knowing we had maybe a few days worth left. He grunted and scooted closer to look at Judith, "Let me have her" He said softly, and I handed her over quickly. Judith must have been keeping me warmer than i though because the second she left my arms my body grew cold....But I would give her my jacket and food any day...

Daryl sat smiling down at the tiny bundle in his arms, and i knew if given the chance Daryl would make an amazing father....too bad circumstances weren't exactly in our favor these days, Lori died giving birth to baby Judith. Daryl must have sensed my body shivering beside him, because he switched Judith to one arm and pulled me into his other side. I wrapped my arms around his waist under his poncho and was instantly warmer. I could sense the other members of the group smiling over at us, this was probably the most affectionate they had ever seen Daryl, but it didn't seem either of us cared right now.

Daryl just kept one arm wrapped around me, and one secured baby Judith. I would catch him staring back and forth between us every now and again from the corner of my eye, and felt my cheeks grow hot under his stare. Rick was still walking the perimeter that I knew had to be ok given he hadn't found anything wrong yet. Tomorrow we would clear out the over run courtyard behind the fences I locked, but for right now I would just enjoy this peaceful night with the people I loved, it really was a lovely night.....except the growls of the walkers of course.