Tragic Coincidence | Daryl Dixon

Epilogue.

I wish I could say that everything was ok....That everything ended up just the way it was supposed to. But that wasn't the case. It has been ten years since the apocalypse started, and things were just as shitty as they have ever been. I looked down at my son, my poor boy who was hardened by this life he was born into. His hair was long and shaggy, a deep brown just like his father's and my own. His bright blue eyes were cold, too cold for the young eight year old he truly was.

Henry was tall for his age, already my height at eight years old. Fighting walkers everyday along with the stress of trying to keep his family alive has left him aged and larger than the average child. Walking across Henry I would have guess he was thirteen, not eight. He should have been playing with toys, running around at parks and playing video games. But poor Henry didn't even know what those things even were. 

By the time Henry was three he had perfect aim with a bow. When he turned four he could take apart and clean a pistol faster than any soldier I ever saw. At six my son was tougher than his father and I both combined, Daryl and I gave up on trying to keep him our young boy. And decided Henry could take care of himself. I never worried about him wandering off and getting himself killed, he was fearless much to my dismay. My son grew up knowing about weapons and surviving, so this world was all he knew. 

Henry held a large camo colored crossbow in his hands, just like Daryl. His eyes peeled for anything surrounding us in the woods. Daryl was walking in front of us, his stance identical to his son that was walking behind him. Beth was behind us, chatting happily with her boyfriend Bryan. Bryan was a soldier we ran across a few years ago at Fort benning, hes been with us ever since. He was a good man, and was only twenty when we found him. Of course, Beth and him were both a lot older now. 

I wasn't even sure what state we were in anymore, we've been turned around so many times I quit keeping track and just listened to whatever Daryl said. Henry nodded to me before running up and taking the lead with Daryl. Daryl reached over and ruffled Henry's hair and smiled. Henry of course glared at Daryl and shook his unruly hair out. 

Daryl patted Henry on the back and back tracked to walk beside me. "You alright?" he asked softly, looking between me and Henry who was walking ahead of us. I nodded and released the tension I was holding in my bow without realizing. "Our son needs some fun, Last time I saw him smile was when he was four" I said sadly looking back to Henry who was examining some blood on a tree. 

"I agree. But sadly this is all he knows" Daryl said. I looked over to him and noticed the greying of his hair, the stress lines more prominent on his face. We both were a lot older now, the stress of this life making us look much older than we actually were. But Daryl was still as handsome as he was the day I saved him in that ravine. "We've been heading to the coast, should be there any day now" Daryl said after several moments of silence. 

"Sounds good"

It felt like weeks we had been walking, in reality it was only three days. But I smelled the saltwater in the air before I even saw it. "What's that mom?" Henry asked, pushing me behind him as if the water would hurt me. He was looking across the beach to the water with his crossbow pointed ahead. "Oh wow!" Beth said behind us, and she and Bryan both ran onto the beach with smiles on their faces. Henry still stood scowling in front of me, confused as to where we were.

Daryl and I gently pulled Henry along with us, Henry trying to pull away with every step. There were no walkers here, I figured there would have been. But the beach was peaceful and a nice place to rest for a while. Bryan and Beth had run into the water fully clothed and were splashing each other playfully. 

Daryl pulled me down beside him on the sand and pulled me into his side. I sighed and played with the warm sand between my fingers as I rested my head on Daryl's shoulder. "I love you" Daryl whispered into my hair as he kissed my temple. I smiled before turning my head and capturing his lips with mine in a short sweet kiss. Even after over ten years together, Daryl will always leave me breathless.

But the most amazing thing about today was standing right in front of me. Henry had dropped every bit of his gear on the ground. Every weapon laying untouched in the sand. Henry was sitting in the sandy shores on the beach, looking around at the beach with amazement. But when he looked over to see his parents wrapped in a tight embrace staring back at him. Henry smiled.

A/N!!!! IT"S FINISHED!!!! sorry it's so short, but I really didnt have too much left to write about with them! I loved writing this book, it was my first Daryl Dixon story and it was so fun to write about. I have another Daryl story that's been going for a bit, and I hope you all read that one as well. I love you all and thank every last one of you for your support :-)