Little Dixon (Daryl Dixon)

Everything Has Changed

((Avery's POV))

"Rick!" I screamed as I ran towards the man. My gun was raised and I began to shoot the walkers around him.

He's gonna die, I thought. There's too many...

I never realized how much I admired Rick until that moment. Fear flooded over me as Daryl, Merle and I tried to kill all the walkers. Rick let out a frustrated scream as a walker tried to bite into his flesh. Seconds before it's teeth met Rick's neck, an arrow shot through the walker's skull, making it fall to the ground. That was when Rick noticed us, and his blue eyes filled with relief.

We slowly killed off all the walkers without anymore problems. Once the last walker fell to the ground, Rick told us what was happening.

"The Governor brought his troops here," He explained, out of breath. "They crashed through the gates... let loose walkers into the courtyard and just... attacked us."

"Where are the bastards now?" Daryl asked, searching the area for the Governor.

"They must've left," Rick said. He turned to Merle and gave him a grateful nod, "I'll talk to the group about letting you stay. You're gonna have to camp outside until we can trust you, however."

Merle shrugged, "Whatever ya say, officer friendly."

-

The group agreed with letting Merle camp outside. Though they weren't exactly happy with the idea, they wouldn't let the man starve out of his own.

Daryl and I brought out a tent and a sleeping bag for Merle, and set it down on the east side courtyard, farthest away from us. Merle sat on a stump and eyed us skeptically.

"Look, little brother, I'm sorry 'bout earlier," He said cautiously. Daryl just grunted.

"Should've thought 'bout that then," He muttered.

"Ya can't be mad at you big brother... can ya?" Merle snickered. I rolled my eyes and continued to unroll his sleeping bag, letting the two brothers talk.

"Actually I can," Daryl retorted. "Ya were hittin' on my girl when I told ya to lay off."

"Man, I was just doin' it to bug ya," Merle said, throwing up his arms for dramatic effect.

"Yeah, well it's too late now, bro." Daryl muttered. He threw his brother a bottle of water. "We'll bring ya food later."

Without waiting for an answer, Daryl grabbed my hand and began to walk away from his brother. I glanced back at Merle with sympathy in my eyes. I knew what it was like to be rejected by your siblings...

-Flashback-

My sister, Scarlett, and I were having one of our many fights. Scarlett was the oldest of the three siblings in my family. She was 21 at the time I was 13 and Dylan was 17.

Let's just say Scarlett wasn't the best girl. She partied a lot, drank even more. And she made some bad mistakes in her life.

I slightly envied the beautiful girl. She was a natural brunette, but she died her hair the color of red velvet, and had purple contacts in her eyes. She had all types of boys- and girls- falling for her. I knew that she wasn't the right type of girl that I should've envied, but I only envied her looks, not her actions or personality.

"Mom and dad told you to watch us!" I yelled to my sister. "Not go out and get your ass drunk!"

"You don't tell me what to do you little shit," Scarlett spat. "I do what I want. Dylan's 17, he can take care of you!"

"Mom's gonna kill you," I muttered, narrowing my eyes at my sister.

"Whatever," Scarlett said, rolling her eyes. She grabbed her keys to her car and stormed out the door, leaving Dylan and I alone.

"It's okay, A," My brother assured me. "You have me."

That night, Scarlett got a little too drunk... and was in the wrong place. A man pulled her out of her car... he took her to a field and raped her, killing her immediately after. That night was the last time I ever saw my beautiful sister. I never told anyone about my sister. My friends, those who knew her, never knew exactly what happened to her... I hadn't told any about her. And I didn't think I ever would. She wasn't the best person, but she was still my sister, and I loved her nevertheless. Though I wasn't sure if she loved me back...

-End of Flashback-

I felt slightly bad for Merle, but he kinda deserved it. Daryl was probably getting revenge from when they were kids. Though I didn't know them, I could tell they didn't have the best of brother to brother relationships, probably worse than usual. Daryl probably got put down everyday by his judgmental brother. And now he was just getting revenge.

Michonne had really ended up coming back with us. Her and Carl had become close; they'd talk like the best of friends. It made me happy, though I kinda missed how Michonne and I used to be. Carl needed a friend. He was only only child in the group, beside Judith, who couldn't do anything.

Nothing really changed while I was away, even though that was only 2 days. Beth had taken on the role of being Judith's "mother", so I wasn't really needed there. My skills with weapons was fully back, so that's what I spent most of my time doing. I'd spend the days checking the perimeter, though Daryl wouldn't let me go alone. He said that he didn't trust Merle, and he didn't want me going outside alone.

Ever since I came back from Woodburry, Daryl had been a lot more protective and... romantic, I guess. Probably because his brother was there, and he wanted to get it through his thick skull that I was his.

Hershel would check me over everyday. He claimed that he was still "checking my throat", though I didn't think that was the reason. I kinda suspected something, and I was slightly worried. Was something wrong with me?

Hershel was doing the daily check-up, and he was listening to my heartbeat. Once he was finished, I decided to confront him about it.

"Hershel?" I started cautiously.

"Hm?"

"Is there something wrong with me?" I questioned. Hershel stopped what he was doing, and I could tell he was thinking. After a moment, he sighed and looked me intently in the eyes.

"When- uh when you hit your throat, I also noticed something that I'm sure you don't know," Hershel said quietly.

"What is it?" I pressed curiously. I wanted to know what was wrong with me. Though I worried it was bad.

"Avery..." Hershel sighed. "Avery, you're pregnant."

I stared at the old man in shock. Surely he was joking! There was no way I could be pregnant... especially now!

"I-I am?" I choked out. Hershel nodded slightly, searching my eyes carefully.

"Does... uh Daryl know?" I questioned quietly.

"No. I wanted you to be the person to tell him," Hershel told me. I buried my face into my hands and sighed. I was pregnant... during a zombie apocalypse!

After what happened to Lori, who knows what would happen to me. It was my first time... and there was really nothing I could do about it.

The real problem was; how would Daryl react to it?