Marching With the Dead (Daryl Dixon FanFiction)

•Chapter 16•

•Chapter 16•

•Grace's POV•

I watched as the flames engulfed the familiar place. People's screams sounded in my ears. The explosion left an annoying ring in my hearing. I stood there glad we had planned it out.

I then recognized a face in the middle of the rubble. Daryl. He was fighting for his life against someone else I knew, David.

Daryl threw punches at him causing David to fall back in pain. "Daryl, stop," I shouted starting to run closer to them. "No, you stop," another voice said calmly behind me. I turned around and saw Merle smirking at me.

"You can't trust him, Grace. It's all a big lie," he smirked. I gave him a questionable look,"What do you mean?" He rolled his eyes,"Him! You can't trust him! He's lied to you over and over. He doesn't care about you. He left me for dead."

"You put that on yourself," I snapped,"We gave you the opportunity and you denied it!" He just stood there and stared at me.

"Merle, he's..." I stuttered, but he cut me short,"I don't care what he is! He's a worthless piece uh shit at best!" I took a step back from him disgust. I turned around to see that the two men had disappeared.

Merle let out a scoff,"Just don't come crying to me when he slits your throat in your sleep."

---

"Grace, wake up," I heard a raspy voice in my ear. My eyes fluttered open to see Daryl hunching over me. I jumped in surprise still in shock over the dream.

Was what Merle said true? Was Daryl not what he seemed to be? I mean, he saved me from a perverted man twice and one was his brother. I shouldn't trust Merle since I hadn't before.

Daryl leaned back giving me room to collect myself. "You alright?" he asked scratching the back of his neck. I nodded my head and sat up. I didn't want to talk about last night. It was all in the fray and I don't want to be reminded of it.

"Yeah, just... Nothing," I sighed. Without warning, my stomach let out a growl. I realized that I still had the cake Daryl gave me from last night stuffed in my bag. I unzipped the front pocket to my tan bag and saw the clear paper. I carefully pinched it not wanting to destroy my breakfast. Once I opened it, it automatically was devoured. I licked the paper clean and stuffed it in my pocket.

"I was gonna go out on uh a hunt in lil' bit if you wanted to come," he sighed starting to grab his weapon. I nodded my head quickly and headed for the door. I had nothing to collect since every weapon I had was on me. I also had a knife in my combat boots, but that was only for emergencies.

Daryl kept the door open for me as I jumped out. It was my first time to have the chance to observe my surroundings. The walls were gray and concrete was beneath us. There were worn down cars and trucks around the shed that the other men had claimed.

"C'mon," Daryl patted my shoulder and started walking towards the door that we came through. I then saw Joe propped up against one of the trucks, shuffling through a wad of money. I narrowed my eyebrows at him once he looked up from his cash. "I said c'mon," Daryl snarled now grabbing my arm and hauling me to the exit.

I looked away from Joe and at Daryl's frustrated expression. He threw down the metal handle of the door and stepped outside with me following. "What's your problem?" I snorted before I looked at the railing on the side of me.

There lay Len with a red hole in his left eye socket. Daryl let go of my arm and stopped his marching to let me take in the scene. His body was limp and bruises covered his face and skin. "You did this?" I asked pointing to the corpse.

I saw Daryl bite his cheek before he looked away from Len to me. "Not all of it," he said. I took a small step away from him and took a final glance at the body.

A sudden pang of guilt twisted in my stomach. This was the second death I caused in the past twenty four hours. He didn't die peacefully, I know that. He died in pain. Although, he deserved it.

"I'm sorry," Daryl sighed. I glanced up at him to see his sullen expression. "For what? You did what you had to," I said not looking at him. I stepped past Daryl to get to the stairs. He followed suit not to far behind. I unsheathed my knife and stepped closer to the woods. I felt Daryl's stare on my back which made me slightly uncomfortable.

•Two Hours Later•

We managed to bag a few rabbits and squirrels without using claim. Whoever kills it, keeps it. Daryl had more to eat than I did, but we have enough food already in our possession.

"So, how do you like it there?" Daryl asked as he stuffed a squirrel in his bag. I shrugged,"It didn't give me a very good first impression."

"We could stay at the garage, you know? With them or not, I'm staying behind," Daryl sighed starting to walk again after loading his weapon. I rose my eyebrows at him. He saw my expression and countered with,"Of course you'll be staying too, I hope."

I rose the corner of my lip slightly at him and started following him. "I still owe you my life," Daryl continued. I then remembered yesterday when I shoved him out of the way from being bitten. "Yeah, well, you payed that debt off last night, so," I shrugged.

"Nah, that wasn't life threatening though," Daryl tried avoiding my gaze. I let out a scoff,"You never know. He could've killed me afterwards to end my misery."

Daryl shrugged before his attention flew to something else. The rustle in the leaves startled me before I took out my knife. I pinched the blade and prepared for anything. Daryl shoved the butt of his crossbow against his shoulder and swung it from side to side trying to look for the threat.

"Merle?" Daryl breathed once his brother came into view with his hands up in defense. "Hell, ya'll are a sight for sore eyes," Merle smiled at us. He lowered his hands as he walked closer to us,"So, where are ya'll set up at?"

"How did you get out of there and why are you alone?" I asked motioning to his torn up clothes. The white tank top he had on before was now stained with sweat and dirt along with his jeans. "Well," he laughed,"You're little boyfriend I were lookin' for ya'll when the bastard left me behind to die."

I felt empty inside. The twisting in my stomach was becoming unbearable. Daryl glanced at me an saw the worry on my face. "You alright?" he asked while creeping into my view. I nodded my head reassuringly.

What if what Merle said in my dream was true? What if I mistaken Daryl to be the criminal when it was David I should be worried about? Maybe David lied to me. I couldn't trust him in the first place and that was the main reason why I didn't ask him to come.

"We got a set up back that way," Daryl said now turning to his brother and nodding in the direction we came from. "Oh, do ya now?" Merle chuckled starting to come closer to us.

I then felt him wrap his arm across my shoulder and turn me around back to the camp. "So, sweetheart, how's it been with ol' Merle not around?"

I glared daggers at him and threw his limb off of me. "Woah, babe. No need to get feisty here," he smirked throwing his hands like before. I kept my gaze the same. I rolled my eyes and started for the garage.