"Hey Hope. Wake up."
I open my eyes, blinking away the sleepiness from them. Daryl kneels by my cot, looking at me.
"We've got a lot of work to do," he says.
I nod, getting up and rubbing my eyes.
Daryl stands up, waiting for me, a gesture that surprises me. I get up, grabbing a comb and quickly brushing my hair before we exit the tent together.
"Daryl! Hope!" Glenn calls to us. We walk over to him.
"Can you guys start, you know, smashing some brains? We don't want anyone reanimating," he tells us, pointing to the dead walkers and people. "T-dog and I will burn and bury them."
We both nod. I pull out my knife and begin stabbing walker heads.
I notice Andrea still sitting by the RV, cradling Amy's body. Lori is near her, probably trying to convince her to let Amy go. It's obvious Andrea didn't sleep all night, and I sigh. I haven't lost anybody close to me, or at least, I wasn't nearby.
I keep stabbing, feeling less and less disgusted after each destroyed brain. The new way of life has started to toughen me up already.
"Hey Hope," Daryl says to me. I turn to face him. "Somethin's happenin' over there."
I stab one more walker in the head. "Let's go see."
Daryl and I walk over to Rick, Lori, and Shane, who seem to be in a heated debate.
"We need to deal with her the same way as the others," Shane argues.
"I can tell her," Rick offers.
He moves away from the group and strides towards Andrea. She pulls a gun on him. Rick backs away with his hands in the air. He returns to our little group, shaking his head.
"That dead girl's a time bomb," Daryl snaps, putting in his thoughts. "She could turn at any minute!"
"Leave her alone. She's grieving," Lori says, looking at Andrea.
Daryl grunts and goes to help with the bodies some more. I follow him.
Daryl and Morales start dragging the dead body of one of the campers towards the fire. Glenn stops them.
"What are you doing? This fire's for walkers. Our people go there," he says, pointing to another spot.
"They're all the same to me," Daryl says.
"We don't burn them!" Glenn says, his voice raised. "We bury them! Put them with the other people."
Daryl glares at Glenn, but he and Morales pick up the camper's body again, dragging it over to the correct pile.
"You reap what you sow," Daryl grunts as he drops the body.
"You know what? Just shut up," Morales retorts.
"Y'all had this comin'! This is what you get for leavin' my brother for dead!" Daryl yells. He storms off.
"Daryl!" I call after him.
He doesn't turn around. I look at the rest of the group. They all look sad and tired.
"I'll deal with him," I offer.
"God bless your soul," T-dog says, wiping his forehead. "At least one of us has some tolerance for him."
Everyone else nods in agreement as I take off after Daryl. I see him go into the tent, and I slow down to a strolling pace.
"Daryl?" I ask, knocking on the tent door. "Can I come in?"
No response. I unzip the tent and climb in. Daryl sits on his cot with his head in his hands.
YOU ARE READING
Daryl's Angel (Book One in the Apocalypse Angel Trilogy)
Fanfiction"Why're you bein' so nice to me?" "I would want the same if I were you." Hope Starling was alone when the dead started rising. She had always been alone, with parents that had disowned her and no friends to help her. Inside the department store in...
