Last One Standing ~ TWD Daryl Dixon

44

Daryl

Beth was in front of me, my crossbow gripped in her hands. It was too big for her and I could see the faint tremble of her muscles as she fought to hold it up, but she was determined.

"Are we close?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"Almost done," I said, my voice rasping quietly.

"How do you know?" she asked, taking another step forward.

"The signs are all there, just gotta know how to read them."

She frowned and took another step, staring down at the ground. "What are we tracking?"

"You tell me."

She whirled towards me, and gave me a snotty teenager look. I scoffed at her. "You're the one who wanted to learn."

She frowned, but turned back to the trail without comment. "Well, something came through here. The patterns all zig zaggy. It's a walker!" she said excitedly.

"Maybe it's a drunk," I didn't smile but I think she could tell I was teasing her because she smiled.

"I'm getting good at this," she said smugly lifting my crossbow back up. "Pretty soon I won't need you at all."

I snorted and pointed down to the trail. "Yeah, keep on tracking."

We came out of the woods. There was a Walker on it's knees in the middle of the clearing. I looked around frowning. I couldn't see why it would be sitting there on it's knees.

"It's got a gun!" Beth said eagerly and she continued forward.

It would be nice to have a gun between us. She turned the crossbow so it was aiming at the walker. She moved as silently as she could, which was better now that I had bothered to show her. I heard the loud click and then she cried out and dropped to the ground.

The walker turned to Beth and I could see the dead rat in it's hands. It snarled eagerly dropping the rat. I ran for her.

Beth kept her cool and fired the crossbow. She missed the brain, and the arrow lodged in the lower half of the walkers face. I ran up behind her and grabbed the crossbow from her hands without stopping. I put myself between her and the walker. Using my momentum I swung the butt of the crossbow with enough force to shatter it's skull. The Walker dropped.

I spun and ran back to Beth. I skidded through the leaves as I dropped to my knees over the trap. I threw my crossbow down so I could grip the trap in both hands. I pulled it apart, and freed her ankle.

I crouched next to her, lightly touching her foot. "Can you move it?" I asked.

She tried. She grimaced as she did but she put on a brave face.

"Yeah," she said.

I nodded and helped her to her feet. I took her arm across my shoulder and wrapped an arm around her waist to support her weight. We moved slowly down a path through the woods. She must have been in a lot of pain. I'd been stuck in one of those traps before and knew how much it hurt. But she never complained.

A couple hours later we stepped out of the woods. There was a large plantation house on the other side of a cemetery. I started to move towards it but she pulled me to a stop.

"Can we hold up a minute?" She asked, pulling away from me.

I let her go and nodded. "You alright?"

She nodded, bending down and touching her tender ankle. "I just need to sit down."

I looked back at the house and then at her. "All right, hold up." I swung my crossbow across the front of my body. Then turned my back to her. "Hop on," I said crouching down.