Faded Scars (Daryl Dixon)

Chapter 12

I stood back from the funeral as Rick began. The wind blew over us as we all looked down at the freshly dug grave for our friend. "Dale could get under your skin. He sure got under mine, because he wasn't afraid to say exactly what he thought, how he felt. That kind of honesty is rare and brave." I heard Carol give small cries as she stood next to Lori. "He saw people for who they were. He knew things about us, the truth, who we really are. In the end, he was talking about loosing our humanity. He said this group was broken. The best way to honor him is to fix it." I looked at my feet and felt a small tear run down my cheek. I wiped it away and looked up at Rick. "We aren't broken and were going to prove Dale wrong, from now on we do this Dale's way, we honor him." He placed down Dale's hat and we stood around, you could see the sadness in everyone's eyes.

The day went by fast as no one spoke and silence filled the air. When night came, people moved into there tents and I laid in mine, staring up at the ceiling.

"How dare you!" He slapped me across the face and May ran over to help me up, but I moved her away. "I'm okay." I signed and she nodded, moving back with the others. "You work for me, and your lucky I don't shoot your ass right now." He pulled his gun out and aimed it at my head. "Do it, end me from this torment!" I shouted, my blood boiling. "Ryan, don't, she's the strongest one." Miranda said as she walked into the room. "Miserable brat, but time is all we need and then she'll break." She motioned to the guards and they grabbed me, pulling me into a white room. "Doctor." I hissed and the man came out with a long needle. "Disobedient delinquent." He punctured me in the neck with the needle and I barely felt the pain. He then pulled a rod from a fire and held it over me. "Soon you will break my dear, be it stress or fear." The rod came down on me and I cried out as it burned my flesh.

I jolted awake, my breath shaky. I walked outside of the tent and let the cold breeze run across my face. Grabbing my jacket, I headed for the far tent and could see the crackle of a fire. I hugged my chest as the cold nipped at me, my hair falling over my shoulders. I saw Daryl fixing up his crossbow and he became alert when I stepped into view. "Mind if I join you?" He motioned his head towards the bench and I sat next to him, and saw that he was messing with the string. "Here, let me help." I carefully reached over and fixed the delicate string of the crossbow as he watched. "Couldn't sleep?" He asked and added more wood to the fire. "Pretty much." I said and watched the fire crackle and spit. He raised an eyebrow and then laid his head into my lap, where I was looking down at him. "What about you, Hillbilly?" I joked and he scoffed. "Got better things to do." I rolled my eyes and ran my uninjured hand through his brown hair. He reluctantly closed his eyes as I continued and soon soft snores came from him, causing me to giggle. I ran my thumb across his forehead and then down his cheek. He seemed so peaceful when he was asleep, so calm. The fire sparked as I stayed there watching my surroundings and glancing down at a sleeping Daryl.

"How's your hand feeling?" Lori asked as I helped her wash clothes. "It's a little sore, but it's nothing new." I gently washed a pair of jeans and a shirt, then handed them to Lori, who hung them to dry. "You miss him, don't you?" She asked and I continued to wash, looking down at the water at my reflection. "We all do, it's not just me." I said, handing her a shirt. "You two seemed close though, like you saw him as a father figure." I ignored her and handed her a pair of jeans. "Scarlett—."
"Lori, please, I'm really not in the mood to talk." I finished up and walked away from her, towards the farmhouse. I was about to go through the door, when it opened and smacked me in the face.

"Oh my god, Scarlett." Maggie ran over as I rubbed my nose. "Are you alright, I'm so sorry." I placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a small smile. "I'm fine, why are you in such a rush?" I asked and pressed my back against the railing. "Heading out on a run with Glenn for more supplies." I nodded and she adjusted the bag on her shoulders. "Be careful out there, oh and you wouldn't mind bringing back some more clothes, would you?" She smiled and pulled out a small notepad. I wrote my name and "clothes" beside it. "Thanks Maggie." I said. "No problem, oh and get my dad to check out your hand, maybe clean it up again." I nodded and headed inside.