I Need You (Daryl Dixon Fanfiction)

Chapter 32

Daryl-

After everything calmed down, and I got settled in, Ruth and I were sitting in our new room, in our new bed, well new to us they were old and used. She was nuzzled up into my side, sleeping soundly, I missed the calmness in her face when she was asleep. I brushed my fingers up her arm, feeling her smooth skin. I pushed my fingers through her hair gently, careful not to wake her. I just missed her so much, I needed to take her all in. The small freckles that decorated her cheeks, nose, and forehead, the sun bleached streaks through her brown hair. I nestled into the bed next to her, still holding her in my arms, not wanting to let her go, or leave her again. I rested my head against her cheek, and closed my eyes, quickly falling asleep in our dim lit room.

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"Dwight go!" I grabbed a nearby Walker, sliced its stomach open and threw its insides at Dwight covering him in it," get out of here I'll lead them away!" I shoved him in the direction of the Kingdom, and ran for the signal fire.

I pulled out the small pack of matches and struck them against a tree lighting them, and tossed them into the pile of wood, setting it ablaze. A large group of walkers went for the fire. One of the stragglers I grabbed and covered myself in its guts. I ran as quickly as I could back to Alexandria, by the time I reached it I saw the horde had already reached the gates, the fire didn't hold them back. I ran to the end of the wall and fired my gun up into the air several times, getting the hordes attention. They started to migrate toward me, and I began to walk, I didn't know where I was going, I just wanted to get this horde away from here.

That's when Beta found me, he grabbed me and threw me to the ground, he drove his knife toward my chest, but I punched his arm to the side, then punched him across the face, knocking him off of me. I jumped to me feet running at him taking him to the ground, I pulled out my knife, and tried stabbing him. He punched me in the arm, making it momentarily limp, dropping my knife, and rolled me off of him. He jumped on me, and tried several times to plunge his knife into me, only to fail every time. I got him off of me, then stomped on his face several times, until he was limp. I took his knife and plunged it into his chest, tearing it through him. I took off his his skin suit, using it for myself, and continued to lead the horde away; dragging his body along until he reanimated.

I was looking for anything or anywhere to ditch this horde, but after about a week of leading them, I still found nothing. I knew I could leave them at this point, but I didn't want any chance of them coming back, or giving anyone else trouble. I would take small catnaps through out the day, and I ate anything I could get my hands on, the Walkers never bugged me, not once. They continued to follow me, I guess they thought I knew where something good was. I'll be honest I don't know how much time passed, walking night and day, and the several catnaps threw me off. Finally after a long time, I found a canyon, with the Walkers several yards behind me I was able to check it out to see how deep it was, and check for any exits. This place was just a crater, with no way out, that I could see. So I lead them toward the canyon, firing my gun in the air several times again. I quickly ran into the mounds of rocks to the side, and climbed up the highest rock watching them dive over the cliff to their end. One by one, ten by ten, they went over, and I watched every last one of them stumble into their new home. There was a handful of stragglers left and I shoved every one of them over the cliff. Completely wiped out, I stumbled my way back to Alexandria, looking for places to sleep along the way.

It took me longer to get back, since I was resting longer, and looking for shelter every night. I had ditched the skin suit halfway there, I kept it so long because I was killing the walkers that had wondered off along the way. When I finally got back to Alexandria, the gate was bent to shit, and busted open, the place was completely burnt down; some of the houses still stood, just singed, but at least 70% of this place was just black piles of ash. I searched the whole place, to see if anyone was still here, no one. The garage that had all the clothing still stood, I swapped out my Walker muck stained clothes, for a black zip-up, a trench coat, and jeans. I stayed here a few days, eating what I could find, trying to get my strength back; pigs feet was one of the things I ate, one of my favorites. My house, Ruth and my house, our house, was one of the unlucky ones, it was burnt up. I searched through the ashes and burnt wood to see if anything survived, nothing. When I had scavenged the whole community I moved on to the Hilltop. It took me a few days to get there, it was just a black smudge as well. I searched the place for survivors, nothing. The fire here was worse, the Barrington House was just ash now, nothing here survived, no food or water. How long was I gone?

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I felt my body jump, as I woke up, the room was dark, it was still night, only the moon shined. I got up and went over to the window, looking out at the stars, I remembered the nights I was out there looking at the stars as I walked on and on. I'll be honest I don't know how far I walked, I didn't see any signs, or land markers. I sat on the window bench, looking out the window, seeing Ruth's pack of cigarettes sitting by the window. I studied the small pack of cigarettes, looking at the little doodles and scribbled phrases on it. Ruth always decorated her pack, I didn't know why, even her matches and lighters had doodles on them. I stuck one between my lips, slid the window open, then lit it. The familiar cloud drifting from my mouth out into the night.

I wasn't sure how much all this had changed me, I felt the same, in a way I felt happier, I guess. Maybe I was using the happy to cover up my emotions like Ruth did. I could see that she had clearly changed, she didn't use happy anymore. She seemed broken, beaten down, like it had finally caught up to her. She introduced me to Henry her new friend, I wonder how much he had gotten out of her, how much he knew about her, about me. I looked over at her as she slept, her hair tossed around her head, her mouth open, as she took deep relaxed breaths. She was a very sound sleeper wasn't she, or was it just because I was here? For all I know she didn't sleep much while I was away. Since the last time I had seen her, she seemed like she had aged, her eyes seemed tired, her face seemed a little different, everything inward and outward had changed. Hopefully the change wouldn't push us apart, I don't think I could handle that, I needed her. I still don't know why I went off and played hero, I could've just as easily went back with Dwight, and been with Ruth. For some reason I didn't, and I don't know why.