Determined to Endure: The 4th Installment in my Daryl Dixon Love Story

Chapter 11: Back at it

The next few days all blur together as I adjust to my new sense of self. I go through the motions of everyday life behind the walls like I'm suppose to but part of me is just waiting to get back out there. I'm not the same person I was before I went out. I've come to accept what we have to do to survive and understand that I'm apart of it. Daryl and I aren't on the same page either, and we can barely keep a conversation for longer than 5 minutes, "hey Sadie, Daryl! Wait up!" Denise calls to the two of us as we walk out of the house.

"What's up?" I ask as I turn around.

Rosita stands behind her, an attitude clearly present. Denise says, "I know where we can get some medicine." She passes over a map and Daryl takes it. She points to the location on the map and explains, "after I got out of DC, I just drove. I remember seeing it right when I realized I had no idea where I was going. Edison's Apothecary and Boutique. It's just this little gift shop in a strip mall, but if it's really an apothecary, they have drugs."

"How do you know they still got 'em?" Daryl asks her, eyeing her up through his hair.

She answers, "it isn't that far. I just wanna check." She looks between Rosita and Daryl, "and you two and Rosita aren't out scavenging or pulling shifts."

"We'll go." He says, gesturing to me.

Denise returns "I wanted to check. I just wanted to help."

"How much time you spend out there?" He asks back.

"None." She answers honestly.

"Forget it." He spits back with a shake of his head.

"I can ID the meds. I know how to use a machete now. I've seen roamers up close. I'm ready." Denise argues her side.

Daryl asks Rosita, "you good with this?"

"No." She answers, her arms crossed.

"I'll go alone, if I have to." Denise gets confident.

"You'll die alone." Daryl spits back.

"I'm asking you to make sure I don't." She returns to him.

Daryl looks to me then Rosita and she snarls, "I'm not babysitting her by myself."

Daryl grumbles, "fine, meet me at the gates in 15."

"I'm coming too" I tell him, as Denise and Rosita nod and walk off.

He looks at me and shakes his head, "naw, it's just a simple run. Stay here."

"I'm not staying here, I don't want to stay here Daryl. I'm coming with you." I push.

"Fine" He just mumbles.

We all pile into the front of a truck. Daryl drives and I sit on the opposite end, not wanting to be close to him at the moment. As we drive down the roads, Daryl does his best with the stick shift. Denise, clearly uncomfortable goes to utter, "It-- the..."

But she stops. Daryl looks at her strangely and asks, "what?"

"Forget it" Denise tries to push it aside.

The truck jumps and Daryl urges her, "no, what?"

"I think maybe you're disengaging it too soon." She starts explaining, "i've been driving stick since I was 15, usually beat-up trucks like this. I mean, before-- you know, before I left home." Daryl shifts again and the gears grind. I turn my head towards the window to hide him from seeing my smirk as she goes on, "my brother taught me, so I just know."

We come to a tree across the road and Daryl stops the truck. Daryl, Rosita and I hop out and Daryl tells Denise, "stay here."

Rosita and I move some branches and a man crushed to death under tree grumbles towards us, "I got it. "I throw my hand up and stab it quickly in its head.