Last One Standing ~ TWD Daryl Dixon

33

Jo

I scrambled to disentangle myself from Daryl and climb to my feet. Both Rick and Tyreese were still frozen in shock. Tyreese's face was already swelling up and Rick was shaking. Daryl went to Rick and I approached Tyreese as he started to climb to his feet. I reached out to help him but he slapped my hand away.

"Don't touch me," he snarled and he climbed to his feet. "I see how things are here. I understand now," his eyes were narrowed at us as he limped towards the door.

He stopped and looked down at a blood smear on the side of the door. He held his hand up to it, it was significantly smaller than his. He looked at me then with open hostility and moved his eyes back to Rick. "Looks like a woman's hand print to me," His eyes moved to Daryl. "Don't tell me you don't think she could do this."

I frowned at Tyreese and glanced back at Rick and Daryl. Rick was shaking his head, "no, Jo wouldn't do something like this."

But Tyreese was already stomping off.

When I looked back to Daryl I was expecting to share a disbelieving look, but instead he was looking thoughtfully from the two bodies and back to me. When he looked up and saw I caught him he's eyes flashed guiltily.

My mouth dropped open in shock. "Are you kidding me?!" I yelled at him.

He jumped forward towards me. "Jo-" he started to say but I was already shaking my head and backing away.

"I can't believe you would think I could do that!" I sounded angry but I was hurt. I couldn't believe Daryl would think of me like that.

"I didn't say-" he was stammering out his answers but I was too pissed off to hear him out. Somewhere in the middle of our fight Rick slipped back into the cell block, leaving Daryl and I standing over the bodies. At least he didn't think I was capable of murder.

"No! That's right, you didn't say anything. You at no point stood up for me in front of Tyreese." I was so mad I was starting to feel shaky and light headed.

Daryl was shaking his head. "That's bullshit and you know it," he snapped, getting right up in my face. He looked over my face and frowned, his anger temporarily put aside. "Are you okay? You don't look good," he said, his voice was still hard but there was an edge of concern. He reached up to touch my face but I jerked back away from him so quickly I stumbled. Hurt flashed in his eyes.

"I'm fine!" I raged, yelling in his face. I didn't care if my actions hurt him, he made it perfectly clear what he thought of me. "You've just never seen me this pissed off before because you've never accused me of murdering anyone before!"

"I never said you murdered them!" Daryl was yelling now, my words had finally pissed him off. 

"No, you didn't, you were too busy trying to figure out how I did it to come to my defense!" My chest was heaving with the effort it took to yell at Daryl, and my head was swimming. I hadn't been this mad since before the outbreak. I coughed as my voice strained from all the screaming.

His eyes widened at my words and he leapt forward, grabbing for my arm. "Jo."

I jerked away from him, anger and hurt roiled through me so quickly and so completely I was amazed when my voice came out so steady. "Don't touch me," I said, stepping back out of his reach. I shook my head. "You actually think I could have done this? You're no different from the rest of them."

Hurt flashed in Daryl's eyes and he was shaking his head, trying to back track. "I didn't-"

"Yeah, you did," I snapped, cutting him off. I didn't want to hear it, didn't want to hear whatever words he came up with to placate me now that he had time to think. "Actions speak louder than words Daryl. I honestly thought you didn't see me like that. I'm an idiot." And I stalked away towards the guard tower.