Trying

Daryl’s POV

My heart racing, I close the door behind myself, collapsing to the ground and realizing how close I was to being caught. But I couldn’t give up, obviously, because that was too easy. Besides, I needed to get Glenn and Maggie out of here because who knows what would happen without them, and what had already happened to them? I was expecting the worst, but deep down hoping for the best; I hadn’t lost my hope and that was what got me through this. Wiping the droplets of perspiration that formed on my tan face, I started to get back up and lifted my crossbow into the correct position. But something stopped me from stepping out of the tiny clothing store in Woodbury, a some small movement in the corner of the room forcing my eyes to snap back and find out who was there. It couldn’t be a walker because they wouldn’t be so silent and secretive, and I’m pretty sure if it were someone after me they’d have already had plenty of good shots to kill me. I don’t say anything, just look around until I notice a light brown stand of wavy hair coming out from in between two shirts in the circular rack. “Daryl?” A timid child’s voice questions in a low whisper. I flash my flashlight in that direction, clearly confused by the fact that a little girl from this town I had just heard of, knew me. A frail, pale, bare leg begins to slowly let itself out, then the second, followed by the entire body of the girl that I did, in fact, know. She pulled her too-big, baby-blue shorts up a little bit higher, then tightened the brown, braided belt and finally dropped her shoulders that only had the thin, white straps that belonged to her camisole. My body stiffened and she just tightened her two pigtails that hung low and tied near her tight jawline, and basically seemed to be fidgeting with everything that she could in order to keep herself occupied while she waited for me to say something. “Dad?” “Nora,” I finally let the name spill out of my mouth, forcing my face to scrunch up trying to figure out whether I was about to cry or was just completely shocked. “I left home because I wanted to go tell The Governor that I had a feeling that we were in danger, and then gun shots went off, so I came in here. You’re the bad guy?” She asked, shyly, blushing with her eyes beginning to puff up a little bit. Before I could say what I planned on saying, she wrapped her arms around my torso, pulling me so tight, resting her head on my chest. “Don’t worry, we’ll get you out,” I tell her bluntly. She removes herself from me and then attaches our similar brown eyes, with the only difference that hers were much larger and were outlines with these thick, black eyelashes. “Mom died and so did Dad--or my other Dad I guess. So did Selena, I don’t really know how I made it... But I did. Peter saved me and we ran into The Governor and he let us come live here.” I recognized the names she said as her younger sister and older brother. Every time she referred to the man that raised her as “Dad” I felt this tremendous pang of remorse, considering I hadn’t ever been there in her life. When Peter and Selena’s parent’s got separated for a few years, I was Jen’s one night stand that got her knocked up which I hadn’t heard about until I was contacted one day that I had an twelve-year-old daughter. Jen never allowed us to get too close so I saw her one weekend a month and every other Tuesday for an hour, until all of this happened when she was on vacation up in Maine. I’d just figured she hadn’t made it or that she’d be better off without a Dad like me; hell, all I had to look up to was a burn-out mother who died, and an abusive father. I didn’t know shit about being a parent. But I did, however, love Nora with all my heart and would die if it meant she could live. “I can’t just leave Pete.” “Okay, but we need to keep you safe. I will get you out of here as soon as I can, okay?” “You need to hurry up and go out there and do what you have to do. Don’t worry about me; I will make it either way. I’ll see you some day, Dad,” she kisses me on the cheek with her chapped lips that had little bumps because of the way her braces pressed against them. “Bye. I love you. I’ll see you then.”