Arrowhead ➳ Daryl Dixon

s i x t e e n

"Daryl?" Hershal motioned for the redneck to come forward. Daryl had been out on every search for the girls. Michonne had been on about one a day. Nobody really understood why the both of them were so dedicated- Daryl in particular. "Why don't you stay back for this one? Michonne already said she would go."

"Nah." Daryl tried to move past the man, but he was stopped by the crippled man.

"I know you're upset about all this... Why, I don't understand.. But we need you back here. As much as we would love to, we can't survive on vegetables and rice alone. We need some meat of some sort, Daryl." Hershal insisted. Nevermind, the dark bags under his eyes were beginning to worry Hershal. Daryl was strong, but every man had his limits.

Daryl clenched his fists. He knew that Hershal was right. "'Kay..." He said, surprising Hershal. "But I'm going tonight."

Hershal gave him a small smile. "You know, you surprised me, Daryl. After the Sophia ordeal back at the farm, I never expected you to become so... Dedicated to a search party again. I'm proud of you."

At the mention of Sophia, Daryl's shoulders slumped. Sophia had been Carol's little girl. Despite all his efforts to try and find her, she could never be found, because she had already turned. Likely the night that she had gotten lost, the day before Carl had gotten shot. Daryl had put all his energy into finding that little girl, only to find that she had been dead the entire time.

"I'll find 'em this time." He said, mostly for himself rather than Hershal.

And so, Daryl watched from the prison guard tower as the car rolled away from the prison. He silently prayed to whatever god was out there, that they would find a way to get through those walls.

- - -

Eventually, the group did return. Daryl hadnt left his spot on the guard tower, so he was aware when the car came rolling in. Michonne, Tyrese, and another prison group teenager filed out. When they slammed the doors shut, he knew they'd been unsuccessful.

Daryl had been imagining what it would be like when they brought Presley back. Would she be happy? Celebrate? Or would she leave right afterwards? While he hoped that she would be delighted and stay, deep down he knew she would not stay. Presley Iris Scott was an independent woman. While the group needed her, she was so sure that she didn't need them.

In a way, Daryl and Presley were alike, just as Michonne and Presley were alike. They were both pigheaded and strait forward, and claimed to be independent. However, everybody needed a family. Something to wake up to every morning and feel needed by. Daryl was needed at the prison. He brought back meat and he went on many of the successful weekly runs that they went on. Presley could be just like that.

While she had lived with her father, her life was not a soft one. It never had been, and now it never would be. She had been a hard worker the moment she could walk. He had taught her to survive the world, how to make money and thrive, but his main focus was surviving in the wild. It was as if her father had known that this all would happen.

Daryl, he had been forced to survive by his father, but in a different way. His father beat him, but never pushed him to learn like John had pushed Presley. He did it on his own. Just like her, he survived because he didn't know how not to.

Perhaps that was why Daryl was drawn to her... Because she was similar to him, but also so different. But of course, he didn't expect her to stay at the Prison just because he wanted her to. That didn't mean that he was about to let her just walk off, either. Saving her life hadnt worked.

"No luck." Michonne said when Daryl approached her. "We didn't have the people we needed to get over the fence... There's a tree that overhangs, on top of a small house. We can have somebody climb that tree and sneak around- check things out."

"I'll do it." Daryl said, but Michonne shook her head.

"you to stay here, Daryl. You've done enough for them. If there's another challenge, you can do it, but not this one. This one suits my criteria." She said firmly, trying to leave no room to object. Daryl being Daryl, of course, didn't see that as enough.

"No. I found Presley, she is my problem. I owe it to Sophia and Carol to bring back that little girl, Michonne." He spat. "I need to do this. I need to find them."

"No, Daryl." She said simply, before marching away without another word.

- - -

Michonne was pulling a car up to the gate when she saw Daryl trekking across the prison ground, his crossbow slung over his back. She could see that he was heavily equipped.

"Daryl, no." She said as she stood, adjusting the katana on her back. "I told you-."

"Don't ye know that I don't take orders well? I need ta go with you, Michonne. Two people can cover more ground than just one."

"I don't care." She turned. "There's a lot of women here, Daryl. You don't need Presley."

He glared at the woman before her. "I don't 'need' Presley!"

"Than why do you keep trying to save her?"

"Because-." He stopped short, shaking his head. "I don't need ta explain myself to you. I'm goin'."

- - -

Short. Lovable. Don't you just love that he keeps denying his feelings lmao.

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