Left to Wander • • Daryl Dixon

Chapter Seveteen

We had been searching for months... Scavenging for any supplies, food, first aid, anything. Hell Daryl killed an owl and it tasted just like pheasant. Who eats owls? But... We need more than a measly owl, Lori's baby bump was quite obvious at this point and we didn't know how much longer we had until the new baby finally said hello. We had plenty of weapons just... Not much ammo. We found some here and there but we basically were finished with plentiful ammo when the herd came through Hershel's farm. Everyone was starting to age... The winter passed brutally and we all had a look of somewhat relief but it hit us all hard. Like a brick or if you were to run into a wall full force. We came across houses. Only one had a lot of cans and that was a living plot. It soon became over run and we didn't manage to grab any cans so we were back at square one with the food issue.

We stopped on another road, stopped to see our options of where we could go. We had already traveled to most of where we could. That, or a herd cut us off. We were running out of places and time. Hershel commented on Lori's condition, she can't handle all the moving soon. In the meanwhile, Daryl and I went out to hunt for food. After all, owl isn't the most filling thing amongst 10 people. We had been wandering on the old railroad tracks before we noticed across a small stream, a prison. Walkers were roaming in the field but otherwise the main area seemed clean.

"That's a shame." Daryl mentioned as we stopped for a moment and I started to think of what we could. I suddenly had a pop of a thought.

"What if we go in and just make a run for the actual entrance? Kill the walkers in our way and just hurry through." I offered and he gave a signature side glance as I waited for his opinion. He looked back to the prison and gave a slight nod.

"That could work." He mumbled and we hurried back to the group to give the news. Everyone had started packing up which was easy on our part.

"Rick! Up the road, there'll be an entrance. It's a prison, a little overrun but we have enough ammo." I mentioned and I could see everyone brighten up at the finally good news. Daryl and I climbed onto his bike as we led the way, going off the road a bit so we could slip through the fence to make it easier to clear it out for us. We got into the walk way of gravel to move from tower to tower. We ran seeing the gate was open. We had to come up with some sort of plan.

"If we can shut that gate, prevent more from filling the yard, we can pick off these walkers. We'll take the field by tonight." Rick started the plan rolling. The field was the start of the plan and seemed like a good start to clean this place out. At least for the time being.

"So how do we shut the gate?" Hershel made the big point stand out. We didn't know how to get that gate closed, let alone who was going to shut it in the first place. Without hesitation, one person spoke up.

"I'll do it. You guys cover me." Glenn, of course the one to speak up and it surprised me actually. He hadn't want to be the sole errand boy ever since he met Maggie and I don't blame him. He had someone he cared about. Of course, I did too but nothing had happened really in the span of the months that had passed, he kind of... Shut down ever since that night I fell asleep in his arms.

"No. It's a suicide run." Maggie interuptted not wanting Glenn to go. They loved each other and honestly it made me smile. It must have been nice to feel that in love. I shook the thoughts away not wanting to have self pity on myself.

"I'm the fastest." Glenn refuted to her argument. He had a point, he was the fastest of all of us and I looked around the group before I was about to offer to go before being cut off.

"No, you, Maggie, and Beth draw as many as you can over there. Pop 'em through the fence. Daryl, Naya go back to the other tower. Carol, you've become a pretty good shot. Take your time. We don't have a lot of ammo to waste. Hershel, you and Carl take this tower. All right. I'll run for the gate." Rick made the final game plan and we all knew our place. We nodded and dispersed. Daryl and I going to the farther tower we had passed. We ran back to the tower. We climbed through to cover Rick and it all started. He ran from the main entrance all the way to where the walkers were spilling out from the prison. He made it into the guard tower right next to where the gate closed and I let out a relieved laugh.

"He made it. He did it!" I said brightly with excitement and we continued to clean the field for Rick, shooting and watching the walkers drop like potatoe sacks. Once gunfire ceased I looked to Daryl, overcome with happiness I pressed my lips against his eagerly. He tensed beneath me in shock I assumed. As i pulled away his cheeks had a bright pink to them and we left our positions running to our finally open field that was going to be ours to roam. We had a fence, a field, safety. It felt great, we can definetly get used to this feeling. I stretched out and gazed over at Daryl in pure happiness. I noticed his cheeks were still a light pink from before and I laughed excitedly.

"It feels so nice to stretch and have space!" I exclaimed and fell to the grass laying in the sun happy that things felt just a little bit normal. I stared up at the cotton candy blue sky that had white fluffs spreading across the sky. I noticed Daryl stand over and bend over staring down at me, I had a stupidly big grin plastered on my face and he gave a smirk.

"Y'know I've never seen you actually smile. You look good with it." He lowered his tone with the second part with a slight husky sound to it and I felt it was my turn to blush as my cheeks heated up slightly embarrassed by the comment.

"Well I haven't smiled in a long time as is." I said gently as I had a sheepish expression upon my face. "Help a lady up will ya?" I asked playfully and he gave a confused expression.

"What lady?" He asked and I rolled my eyes with a huff, it made him chuckle. Hearing his laugh made me smile gently. He held out his hand and I grasped his hand, standing up with his help.

∆∆∆

It had gotten dark and we started a fire, Daryl and I were instructed to keep watch as the fence was still unsure whether it would hold or not. Carol had climbed up the stairs a bit to give us some food from the group.

"You guys need to eat something. Need to get your strength back." She said with a gentle smile and I sat on the edge of the flipped over truck as I ate.

"Thanks Carol. It's kind of you to think of us." I said an hugged her with one arm as I ate. Daryl started to eat his own and I gazed up at him, hoping that it would be possible to get to know him now in a closer sense since we were safe now. Carol climbed down to go back to the group and I smiled as she left sitting on the edge of the truck still. I took a deep breath, looking at my lap.

"Hey Daryl? I'm sorry." I mumbled softly and I heard him shift to what I guess to look at me.

"For what?" He asked in that grumbling tone and I sighed softly smoothing out my hair slightly. I rubbed the back of my neck as I stood to look at him.

"For freaking out on you back at the farm. I know you hadn't meant to walk in on me." I started and he let out a scoff of a chuckle.

"Thats what you're sorry for? That was months ago. I totally forgot about it." He said in disbelief that I was bringing it up again. I shook my head and looked out to where walkers tried to get through the rather sturdy fence.

"I didn't. It's cause of my scar. I don't know if it was totally visable but it's just a bad memory. I thought I should tell you, seeing as we could die any day. I... I had a lung transplant when I was ten. It was christmas day and it had started to snow out. We thought we weren't going to have snow on that christmas so as a kid I was excited and so was Vincent. He ran downstairs in obnoxious big slippers to come see and... He knocked our christmas tree over and started a fire. Smoke filled the room and I had survived, my brother got me out but he was burned badly himself. So his lung was the only one who matched and he died just a day before the surgery." I explained my eyes starting to threaten tears. I rubbed my eyes and sighed. "My dad always blamed me for Vincent's death but I wasn't the one who wore oversized bear slippers." I grumbled softly and I felt my cheek noticing it was damp and tear covered. I sighed and wiped my eyes frustrated.

"God damn. You've been through a lot." That was Daryl's reply and I let out a small chuckle as rubbed my eyes more.

"Thanks. There's more that I could tell you about, but that's all for now. That's all I can handle." I mumbled and I felt his arms wrap around mine. I placed my hand on his forearm, standing there for awhile not wanting to talk, or move, or do anything really. I just wanted to stay in the strong hold, knowing I was safe.