I Need You (Daryl Dixon Fanfiction)

Chapter 12

Rue-

I woke up feeling a pair of strong arms wrapped around me. I jolted my eyes open, seeing Daryl looking at me, with his crooked grin. He brushed his fingers over my cheek, I moved his hand away, and lightly rubbed the small scars on my cheek.

"They're just from arrows." I lightly smiled. We both sat up, cracking, and popping, stretching, getting the tired out of our bodies.

"Let's get this damn deer." Daryl grunted standing up outside the tent, stuffing his feet into his boots." We gotta start headed back, hopefully, we'll see somethin'." He grabbed my hand pulling me out of the tent.

I stretched again, reaching high above me, then bent down touching the ground. I grabbed my jacket, the smell of sweat was strong, maybe I would take my hoodie off. I pulled it off, folding it neatly, sticking it under the cans in my pack. I rolled up the blanket tightly, fastening it to my pack again. I helped Daryl take the tent down, and roll it up, I tied it to his backpack. We grabbed the rest of our things, like the rabbit skin, that I tied flat to my pack, and headed back to where we came from. We wanted to be back early morning tomorrow.

We got back to the open field, looking the area back and forth. Both our weapons drawn and ready to fire. There was an elk standing out in the middle of the field. We circled the field trying to get a better look at it, then I heard a gun cock, and I quickly turned, pointing my bow and arrow in the direction of the gun.

"Well, that vest looks awfully familiar." The man said looking at Daryl." Dwight took it from ya right?" There was a few more men standing behind him.

"Who are you?" I said, Daryl tensely stood behind me, aiming his crossbow back and forth between the men.

"You know us, the Saviors, thought we were living in peace didn't ya, chill out, we're only looking for Negan, we want him back." The man evilly smiled at us," now put down your weapons." We both stood our ground, he whistled and another man, aimed his gun at us." Please?" The man said.

Daryl tossed his crossbow onto the ground, then looked at me, my arrow still drawn back.

"Ruth." Daryl urged quietly. I sighed, and slowly started to put my bow down, crouching down with it.

"Good." The man said, then I quickly lifted my bow, pulled my arrow back and released it, it struck him in the neck. In that same moment, there were two loud gunshots, it felt like something ripped through my ribs, and my hip, and I winced falling to the ground. Gunshots rang out, five quick ones, and all the men fell to the ground.

I was bent over with my arms wrapped around myself, pain seering through my body." Where were you hit?" Daryl knelt down in front of me.

"I think in my side." I rolled over on to my right side that wasn't hurt, and lifted my shirt up, exposing a bullet wound in my ribs, and another one below my pant line." Ah," I cringed," not good, not good." I laid my head back. Daryl untied the wool blanket from my pack, and started cutting chunks out of it, holding them against my bleeding wounds, making me wince. He tied a strip around my ribs tightly, then tucked the other into my pants, letting my belt hold pressure on it.

"We're closer to the Hilltop, I'll take ya there." Daryl scooped me up into his arms, and started carrying me out to the road, so he could get to the truck faster. About an hour and a half  later, of him running full speed with me in his arms we found the road, the truck still miles away." Stay awake, alright." He panted.

I rested my head against his shoulder, and had my hands wrapped around his neck. My eyes wide opened watching the trees pass by, I felt my warm blood oozing out of me, as my pulse raced with adrenaline. What felt like a lifetime later we arrived at the truck, Daryl threw the branches out of the way, and slid me into the passenger seat. He threw water onto the windshield, and hopped in, using the wipers to clean the mud off.

He loudly revved the engine, and peeled out, driving quickly down the road." Ya still awake? Stay awake okay." I was laying down, my head rested next to his leg, I had my hand placed over my bullet wound in the ribs. I was breathing quick struggled breathes, looking out the window as the trees whizzed by." Hey, hey look at me." He pulled me up, putting my head in his lap," deep breaths." He looked from me back to the road, breathing deeply, showing me how I needed to breathe.

I wasn't sure if this was more for me, or him. I closed my eyes and started breathing deeply, everything felt like it was becoming an echo, even the pain was fading. Then I heard Daryl yelling shaking my shoulder," Rue, Rue, open your eyes, look at me!" I snapped my eyes open taking in a pained breath.

"Are we.. there?" I wheezed in painful breaths.

"Almost, just stay awake." He said quickly, as he swerved, probably a Walker in the way.

"I'm... dying." I swallowed hard. Daryl grabbed my free hand, and squeezed it, over and over again, trying to keep me awake.

"You're not gonna die, you hear me, you're not gonna die." It felt like time had slowed down, I could hear my slow breaths echo in my ears, everything was becoming blurry, I couldn't hear what Daryl was saying to me, it was just a quiet echo now.

The truck jerked to a halt, and Daryl jumped out, pulling me out of the truck, carrying me in his arms. I heard muffled words said back and forth, then Daryl ran quickly, taking me quickly off somewhere. Everything became one big blur, until it went black.