Bleeding Love | Daryl Dixon

Chapter Sixteen.

Sweat was pouring down my face as I dug the shovel into the ground, struggling slightly as I helped Glenn dig holes in the ground. We were digging graves for the people who had died here during the night. I wiped my forehead with one of Daryl's rags that was in my pocket and leaned against the shovel as I stared down at the dirt. We lost about a dozen people when the walkers attacked, some I didn't talk to at all, some I barely knew their names, but there were people like Amy that i got to know quite well, that we lost too. I looked across camp to see Andrea cradling Amy's lifeless body in her arms. I sighed sadly and looked back down at the ominous hole in the ground, meant for one of these people who didn't deserve this.

There was one person here thought that did deserve this death, Ed. Ed had been devoured by walkers at some point last night, his body barely recognizable. Had it not been for Carol noticing his wedding band, we probably would never have realized that was him. I took sick satisfaction knowing Ed was dead, knowing that he would never lay a hand on his wife or daughter again. And I could have sworn I saw little Sophia smile when she saw the frightening scene at hand. Ed was currently wrapped up in a bloodied sheet, waiting off to the side with the other dead bodies waiting to be buried. 

"You ok?" I heard Glenn ask from beside me, and I looked up to realize I had been staring at the ground  for a few minutes. I gave Glenn a sad smile before nodding my head and handing him my shovel, I had finished all my digging for the day. Everyone was walking around doing what needed to be done, T-Dog was with Daryl taking a pick axe to the dead bodies heads so they wouldn't turn. Jackie was with Merle and Jim burning the walker bodies, the kids were in the RV with Carol with Dale keeping watch up top. I noticed once more that Lori didn't seem to be doing much of anything at all, she was currently sitting by the fire pit on an empty crate.

"Lori, we could use some help you know" I told her walking by hoping she would get the message. Her head snapped up and she finally stood. "Excuse me?" she asked with attitude, walking closer to me. I suddenly wished I still had my shovel, so I could whack her upside her lazy head. "I didn't stutter, I said we could use some help. Iv'e been digging graves since last night and I haven't seen you do shit" I shouted at her, taking a threatening step closer. Lori and I were both taller women, and I stood eye to eye with her. I was the only woman in camp who could.

"If you ha vent noticed, we were attacked last night. I'm a little shaken up!" He yelled back at me. I scoffed and rolled my eyes at her, noticing Rick and Shane had stopped what they were doing and were watching our encounter. Rick looked like he was going to walk over to us, but Shane placed a hand on his chest and stopped him. "We were all attacked Lori, yet your the only one not doing anything" I sneered at her, turning on my heel and stomping over to Daryl. "I fucking hate her" I mumbled to him as I helped him roll up a body to be buried. 

Daryl chuckled and patted my back when we finished rolling up the body in a tan sheet. "She's one lazy bitch ain't she" He said while we stood back and wiped our hands clean of blood. I nodded and tied my rag back onto my belt where I kept it before. The smell of burning dead flesh filled my nostrils and i pulled my shirt up to cover my nose. Daryl nodded at me before walking over to Merle who was tossing in the last of the walkers into the fire. I was heading over to Andrea when I heard Jackie start yelling. "Jims's bit, a walker got him!" and i was stopped in my tracks.

I dropped the shirt that I was holding over my nose and ran over to Jim who was standing beside her. "Show us" I demanded, but Jim shook his head and told me he was ok. Daryl and T-Dog ran over and were trying to get a look at Jim's bite, but Jim was trying to hit them with his shovel. T-Dog finally got him to drop the shovel and Daryl held his arms behind his back, allowing me lift his bloody shirt. There was a puffy red bite mark clear on his hip, the walker got him good. I frowned and stepped away from him while Daryl dropped his arms, But all Jim could tell us was he was "Ok".

I hadn't talked to Jim too much, just a couple random conversations here and there, but he was a good man. He chatted with Merle quite often about cars and what not seeing as they both were mechanics, Daryl was too but he wasn't exactly the chatty type. Daryl still stuck pretty close to me and Merle, rarely speaking to anyone else in the group. And Merle would chat with just about anyone, other than Rick and T-Dog who left him on that roof I found him on. But even not speaking to him, we all knew he was done for seeing the bite on his side. 

I knew what needed to be done, I knew that Jim was going to turn and that we needed to take care of this. Apparently Daryl knew the same thing, as he was now running towards Jim with a pick ax, ok not the way I would have handled that.  "Daryl, no!"  shouted seeing him run towards the stumbling Jim. Rick and Shane had tackled  Daryl to the ground and were trying to gt him from killing Kim here and now. Sure this needed to be done, but not like this. Daryl was fuming by the time Shane and Rick had let go of him, and he stomped over  to my side with nostrils flared.

Jim started stumbling around looking sick, and that was when Daryl took another leap for the axe before I could stop him. Rick caught him before I could, his revolver pointing directly at Daryl's forehead. I gasped and shoved myself directly in between Daryl and the barrel of the gun. "What the fuck Vannah!" Daryl growled before grabbing me and pulling me behind him. " You got some damn nerve pointing your fucking gun at his face!" i screamed at Rick, shoving my hand on his gun pushing it to face the ground. "Savannh, get out of here!" Daryl shouted at me turning away from Rick to me with angry eyes. 

I wasn't even sure why he was so mad, I was only trying to protect him. "I got this Vannah, go to Merle" Daryl said softer noticing my hesitation. I nodded once, glared to Rick before retreating and heading to Merle who was smoking a cigarette. I quickly snatched it from his fingers and took a deep inhale before handing it back to him. "You ever gonna tell him?" Merle asked as he stomped out the last of his cigarette in the dirt. My eyebrows knitted together in confusion "Tell who what?" I finally asked Merle. He chuckled for a few moments before leaning closer to me. "That your'e in love with my baby brother" Merle all but whispered.

My eyes went wide and felt my mouth go dry at how he could possibly know this. But who was I kidding, Merle was always excellent at reading people. He had been around me almost my entire life, it shouldn't have been much of a surprise that he knew all about my love for his brother. I sighed before twiddling my fingers together and looking to the ground. "I can't Merle. I can't ruin what Daryl and I have" I mumbled to him quietly. 

Merle placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed it gently. "Princess, you and I both know you would die for that boy. Hell all of us could die tomorrow, why die with him not knowing how you feel? You never know, Darlina might feel the same" Merle told me with a wink before walking off to help his brother who was still arguing with Shane and Rick. I sighed and plopped into the bed of Merle's truck to think about what Merle told me. 

We definitely were not guaranteed another day in this shitty life we were living. But could I risk the days we still had just to potentially make things weird and awkward between me and the man who had been my saving grace for my whole life. I can say whole heartedly, that without Daryl walking into my life I would have died a long time ago. So I had to ponder if I should tell that crazy man that was throwing punches, that I had loved him for ten long years of my life...