Last One Standing ~ TWD Daryl Dixon

139

Hello my friends! So I ended up having to split this update when it reached a staggering 7,000 words. I hope you enjoy this one! Things are picking up!!!

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Daryl

It was almost an hour before I had the heart to gently change Jo's path so she was heading towards Hilltop instead of away from it. I could have told her outright and it wasn't that I wouldn't have enjoyed seeing her scowl at me and get all flustered. Truthfully I loved that. She was adorable when she was scowling at me. She would be pissed if I ever told her. 

It took the hour for me to convince myself heading back towards one of the communities was the right answer. Once the two of us were deep enough in the trees that we couldn't see or hear anyone else I started to feel better than I had since I got back. I would never admit it, but that knot of fear and worry over Jo was gone too. Out here we were safe. Communities were supposed to be safer for us, but all I wanted to do was leave. I didn't want to go back to Hilltop. I didn't want to face what was back there waiting for us. 

It would be so easy for Jo and I to just keep walking and never look back. We were headed west, a weeks time and we would be deep in the Appalachian mountains.  Winter was coming but we were strong enough to survive winter in the mountains. 

It was the most selfish hour of my life as I trailed quietly behind her, using the crossbow to kill any walkers we came across. After I shot the last one Jo stopped and glanced back at me frowning. 

"We should have come across the road by now..." she said thoughtfully. 

I nodded, ripping the bolt from the walkers skull. I sucked in a breath as the words to ask her to run with me caught in my throat. Selfish and cowardly. Jo wasn't a coward, she wouldn't leave our family and honestly neither could I. 

I glanced up at the treetops. "Think we turned a little west," I said casually not wanting to outright lie to her. 

Jo groaned and leaned back against a tree. She was limping on that bad leg and it made me feel bad for making her go further on it than she needed to. I reached into her bag and pulled out a bottle of water. She took it from me with a grateful smile. I could tell she was still hurting and tired, but she was putting on a brave face. 

"Ya wanna stop for a bit?" I asked, trying to sound casual, knowing she would see it as a weakness and wouldn't want to admit she needed the break after being on the move for so short a time. 

Like I thought she snorted and turned back more south so we would get to Hilltop. 

"Ya know, ya shouldn't push it," I said thoughtfully after moving for another half hour in silence. 

She glared at me over her shoulder. "I'm fine," she growled at me. 

In that moment a growling came from in front of us. I hefted my crossbow and aimed at the first walker to appear. There were more behind it however and after I dropped the first one Jo pulled her knives. She threw two knives from a distance but there were still four more walkers shambling towards us. 

She pulled two more knives to fight with. I fired another bolt and the walker dropped. I was just reloading when Jo ran at the walkers. 

"Jo! Goddamnit!"I shouted after her. This was exactly the shit I was talking about. 

She jumped forward kicking at the first like she normally would have. Whatever she was thinking about, she wasn't thinking she was still hurt. As soon as she landed the kick in the walkers chest she cried out and fell back. She hit the ground, clutching at her ribs while the next on came at her. Swearing, I ran towards her. I smashed the walkers skull in with the butt of the crossbow and ripped a new bolt out to stab the last one.