Wild Roses ~Daryl Dixon Love Story~•

Nebraska

Rose P.O.V
I woke up sharply. I remembered the dream so vividly it felt like it actually happened. I looked around and found myself in a room, most likely in the farm house. I went to move my arm but quickly noticed Glenn sitting in a chair with a firm grip on my hand. He was fast asleep. How long was I out? I carefully removed my hand from his and held my head in my hands. The throbbing in my head had dulled to an ache. I got out of bed and noticed my hands were slightly bandaged. I peeled one back to see nail marks in my skin. Did I do that? What happened? My head was swimming with questions until it hit me like a brick wall. Sophia. A panic rise to my throat as I carefully stepped into the bathroom and cleaned myself up. My eyes were puffy and my mouth tasted coppery. Another question to ask Glenn. I decided to go outside and see the others. I'm guessing the events of today hit everyone hard, the mood was sad. I couldn't help but feel terrible for passing out and leaving the group. Judging by the sun I had only been out for a few hours. I jogged over to my things and grabbed my bow. My head felt slightly dizzy as I tucked my gun into the waistband of my jeans and headed to the forest. I hadn't found much, just 3 squirrels which I strapped to my quiver strap. I jumped down from a tree I was in and landed with a soft thud. I clutched my head as I started to feel dizzy again, grabbing the tree for extra support. "Ya shouldn't be out here." A gruff voice said from behind me. "I'm fine" I snapped, knowing it was Daryl. I was still pissed from the fight we had, and I wasn't giving up easily. "No yer not, now git yer ass-" "I said I'm fine! Jus leave me alone. I can handle myself." I interrupted. My stomach growled loudly. Great timing. I clutched my guy as a wave of pain washed over me. "Apparently you can't, go eat. Can't have ya passin out and gettin yerself killed." He said stalking off towards the group. I badly wanted to punch him, scream, something to let the anger out. Instead I just kicked the tree and walked back to the group. I ran a hand through my hair when I saw Rick and Glenn walking over towards the cars. "Hey, where y'all going?" I asked jogging to catch up with them. "Can't find Hershel, going to check the local bar in town. We think he's staring to drink again, and we need him back here to help with Beth." Rick said placing his hands on his hips. "Count me in BabyBlue." I said with a small smile. "You sure?" Glenn questioned. I could see worry painted on his face. "I'll be fine. S'only the bar" I chuckled and headed toward the car. I hoped into the front seat while Rick drove and Glenn sat in the back. I was staring out the window watching the trees and grass fly by letting the wind hit my face when I heard someone clear their throat. I turned slightly to see Rick glancing over to me. "You ok?" He asked shyly. I didn't know if he knew about the whole dream thing, but by the look on his face he knew. I felt a blush rise to my cheeks from embarrassment but hid it well. "I'm fine," I said quietly hoping he'd drop the subject. The town was a ghost town. It looked like it had been raided and deserted. It was eerie and silent, no walkers anywhere. That struck me as odd. I already had a bad feeling about this. I shared a look with Glenn and knew I wasn't the only one who had a bad feeling. We walked into the bar and the familiar sent of whiskey filled my nose. I noticed Hershel sitting at the bar filling his glass. "Hershel?" Rick said announcing his presence. "Who's with you?" He replied blankly. "Rose and Glenn." "Maggie sent them?" Hershel asked. "They volunteered, They're good like that." Rick said. "How many have ya had?" "Not enough" Hershel slurred. I could tell he already had about 6 rounds. I shared a quick glance with Glenn and noticed he was very nervous. "Let's finish this all back at home. Beth collapsed she's in some, sort of state. Most be in shock and I think you are too. Rick tried to reason but I could see this wasn't going anywhere. "Maggie's with her?" "Yeah but Beth needs you." Rick pushed. I shifted feeling very uncomfortable with this bad feeling in my gut. "What could I do, she needs her mother, or rather to mourn. Like she should have done weeks ago. I robbed her of that, I see that now." Hershel took another swig from his glass, most likely trying to wash away that memory. "You thought there was a cure, can't blame yourself for holding out on hope." Rick said. "Hope," Hershel scoffed. I Also scoffed to but silent enough only Hershel could hear. "When I first saw you running across my field with your boy in your arms, I had little hope he'd survive." Hershel said looking Rick in the eyes. "But he did," Rick whispered. "He did. Even though we lost Otis, your man Shane made it back." I cringed at the thought of what Shane did to get back here. Did he kill Otis? "And we saved your boy. That was the miracle that proved to me miracles do exist. Only it was a sham, a big switch, I was a fool Rick, and you people saw that." Hershel slurred with tears in his eyes, taking another gulp from his glass. I refilled it for him. I ducked under the counter and grabbed a bottle of Jack Daniels. Maybe Hershel was right, there is no hope for any of us. The end is inevitable. I poured a glass and pounded it back, the whiskey burned my throat slightly but I was used to it. My alcohol tolerance was pretty high. "My daughters deserve better than that," He said looking up. I poured another round and hit it back again. "So what do we do just wait for him to pass out?" Glenn asked Rick. "Just go" Hershel said. I pounded back my third round, the effects of alcohol starting to kick in. "I promised Maggie I'd bring you home safe," Rick reasoned. "Like you promised that little girl?" That was cold, especially from Hershel. "So what's your plan, finish that bottle? Drink yourself to death, leave your girls alone?" Rick was starting to get frustrated. "Stop telling me how to run my family, my farm, you people are like a plague!" Hershel yelled getting out of his seat. "I do the Christian thing! Give you shelter, and you destroyed it all!" "The world was already in bad shape when we met." Rick spat, inches away from Hershel's face. "And you take no responsibility! Your supposed to be their leader!" "Well I'm here now! Aren't I?" Rick yelled. I was now standing over by the frame of the door with Glenn. "Yes, yes, yes you are.." Hershel stuttered sitting back down and taking another drink. "Come on, your girls need you now. More than ever." Rick demanded. I could tell he was desperate now, and it was starting to get late. "I didn't want to believe you. You told me there was no cure, that these people were dead not sick. I chose not to believe that.." Hershel looked like he was about to break down in tears any minute. "But when Shane shot Lou in the chest, she just kept coming.. That's when I knew what an ass I'd been. That Annette had been dead, long ago, and I was feeding her rotten corpse!" Hershel yelled. I thought I saw a tear fall. "That's when I knew there was no hope. And when that, little girl, came out of the barn, the look on your face, I knew you knew it too. Right? There is no hope. And you know it now, like I do. Don't you?" Hershel said. He was right. There is no hope. His words echoed in my head. I stiffened and didn't let any of my emotions show when Rick looked over at me and Glenn. "There is no hope for any of us." Hershel repeated. "Look I'm done, I'm not doing this anymore, Cleaning up after you. You know what the truth is? Nothing has changed. Death is death, it's always been there whether its from heart attack, cancer, or a walker what's the difference? You didn't think it was hopeless before did you? Now there are people back at home and they need us." Rick said. They all needed them, not me. "Even if it's just a reason to go on, even if we don't believe it ourselves. You know what, this isn't about what we believe anymore, its about them." I could tell Rick was struggling with what he was saying, like he was trying to convince himself. All of a sudden two guys walked into the bar. I slid behind the bar and watched as they walked in. "Son of a bitch. They're alive." The skinny one said. All of us were shocked. I glanced over to Glenn and shared a worried look with him. Our suspicions were right. The 2 men sat down at a table. I made sure my knife was in my leg strap before walking over to the guys and poured them some whiskey in a shot glass. "I'm Dave," The skinny one introduced himself. I could feel his eyes on my body and felt disgusted, but you get used to it being a bartender. "That scrony looking douchebag there is Tony." He said pointing to the fat guy in bar stool. "Eat me Dave" The fat one said. "Hey maybe someday I will. We met on I95 coming out of Philly, damn shit show that was." I scoffed a bit knowing someplace as crowded as Philadelphia was going to be trouble. "Hey pretty lady, Why don't ya come over here and laugh a little with Ol' Davey." Dave said earning a laugh from Tony. I rolled my eyes. "In your dreams, asshole." I spat. "Oh feisty!" Dave said laughing again with his fat friend. I bit my tongue, holding back all the colorful insults I had dancing in my head. "I'm Glenn, and that's Rose. It's nice to meet some new people." Glenn said introducing himself. "Rick Grimes" Rick said handing out shot glasses to everyone. He handed on to my but I poured out the whiskey he gave me and filled it up with Jack. I preferred Jack anyways, I've known it longer. "How bout' you pal, have one?" Dave asked Hershel. "I just quit." Hershel slurred slightly. "Unique sense of timing my friend," Dave scoffed. "His name's Hershel, he lost people today. A lot of them." Rick said. I bowed my head slightly and hit back my shot. I refilled the glass again, earning another lustful look from Dave. I mentally barfed at the thought. "I'm truly sorry to hear that, to better days and new friends, and to our dead, may they be in a better place." Dave said raising his glass. "Amen" I muttered sucked back another shot. "Not bad huh? I got it off a cop." Dave said pulling out his gun. I reached for my gun and gently pulled it out, flicking the safety off. "I'm a cop," Rick said. "This one was already dead," Dave laughed. I had a bad feeling now. "You fellas are a long way from Philadelphia" Rick said "Feels like we're a long way from anywhere!" Dave said cutting Rick off. "So what drove you south?" I asked finally speaking up. "I can tell you it wasn't the weather, but if there's more girls like you I'd better come down here more often." Dave said. I rolled my eyes. "I dropped 30 pounds in sweat alone down here" Dave added. "I wish" Tony said finally speaking up. Tony was actually a bit more intimidating than Dave. "First it was DC, heard there might be some sort of refugee camp-" "Wishful thinking" I cut Dave off earning a chuckle from the group. "The roads were so jammed we never even got close, decided to get off the highways into the sticks and keep hauling ass. Every group we came across had a new rumor about a way outta this thing." "One guy told us the coast guard was at the coast sending ferries out to the islands." Tony spoke up. "The latest was a rail yard in Montgomery sending trains to the middle of the country, Kansas, Nebraska,-" "Nebraska?" Glenn questioned cutting Dave off. God Dave talked a lot. "Low population, lot's of guns" Tony answered. "That's pretty smart actually" I said. "Ever been to Nebraska kid? There's a reason they call them fly over states." Dave said to Glenn. "How bout' you guys?" Oh shit. I muttered in my head. I don't want these dumbasses coming back with us. "Fort Benning eventually." Rick stated. I knew Fort Benning was a bust. My brother told me all about it. I flashed the blade of my knife glancing at his name. I almost broke down right then and there. I can't go with Rick's group anymore, I have to look for Hunter. I made a mental note and shoved it aside for later, another thing my brother taught me. "Hate to piss in your corn flakes officer but uhm, we ran across a grunt who said they were stationed at Benning," My attention snapped towards Dave. Was it my brother? "Said the place was over run by LameBrains." Dave said quietly. "Rick he's right, my brother knew about it all, For Benning's gone. There's also no coast guard either, My brother's in the Navy." I added pushing my hand in my back pockets. "The ugly truth is, there is no way out of this mess" Dave said. He acted sad, but it seemed like him and Tony were hiding something. "We just keep going from one pipe drain to another hoping one of those freaks don't grab you in your sleep" "If you sleep" Tony added. Yup they were up to something. "Yeah it doesn't look like you guys are hanging your hats here. You hold up somewhere else?" Dave questioned. There it is. "Not really," Rick replied blankly. He had a good poker face, Dave looked genuinely confused. I pulled the gun from my waist band discretely and checked the chamber. 17 rounds. "Those your cars out front?" Dave asked. "Yeah. What?" Glenn asked as I gave him a death glare. "We're living out of ours. Those look kinda, empty. Pretty clean, where's all your gear?" Dave asked. I think Glenn got why I gave him a death glare. "We're with a larger group, out scouting. We thought we could use a drink." Hershel lied. "A drink? Hershel I thought you quit. And I'm guessing she's the tag along bartender? A piece to look at?" Dave said chuckling with Tony. I'm not worthless. I bit my tongue again. "Well, we're thinking about setting up here, is it safe?" Dave asked Rick. I could tell Rick knew what was going on too. "It can be, I mean, I've killed a few walkers around here." I gave Glenn another death glare. We locked eyes and I gave him a 'Don't talk anymore your not helping' kind of look. "Walkers, is that what you call them? I like that better than LameBrains." Dave said. "So what, you guys set up on the out skirts or something?" I noticed every time Dave said something that was a lie or manipulative he crinkles his forehead. I guess I'm good at reading people. "The trailer park or something?" Tony asked walking over to the end of the bar. I clutched my gun and knife out of habit but played it cool. "A farm? Are you on a farm?" My heart leapt to my throat. Tony was humming and taking a piss, making my cringe. "Sounds pretty safe, you got food? water?" Dave asked. "You got coos like this one here? Haven't had a piece of ass in weeks. If you don't mind I'll take this one out back and do er' now," Tony said. I mentally threw up and moved away. If all of us weren't on thin ice right now he would have a few bruises. I could tell his comment irritated Hershel and Rick, but Glenn the most. "Pardon my friend here, these city kids, no respect," Dave said rubbing his temples. "We've said enough" Rick spat. "Now hey now, Just listen this farm, it sounds pretty sweet, don't it sound pretty sweet Tony?" "Yeah, pretty sweet" Tony answered looking at me and licking his lips. I flashed my knife in the sunlight so it glinted enough for Tony to get the drift. "Now how about a little southern hospitality. Now we got some buddies back at camp who are having a real tough time. I don't see how you cant let in a few more we can pull our resources, our man power" Dave tried to reason. "Look I'm sorry but that's not an option." Rick stated turning down Dave quickly. "Doesn't sound like it's be a problem." Dave pushed. "I'm sorry we can't" Hershel added. "We can't take in anymore" Dave didn't seem to like what Rick was saying. "You guys are something else.. I thought we were friends. We got people we gotta look out for too." Dave said. "We don't know anything about you." "Well that's true. You don't know anything about us. You don't know what we've had to go through out there. Things we've had to do. I bet you've had to do some of those same things yourself am I right? Ain't no body's hands clean on what's left of this world." Dave tried to guilt trip us but it wasn't working. I scoffed quietly. "Ain't nobody the same. Now let's take a nice friendly hayride to this farm and get to know each other" Dave Said with a sick smile. Not happening. "That's not an option." Rick repeated. It was like they were having a stare off. Both showing each other up. "This is bull shit" Tony said "Calm down." "Don't tell me to calm down, don't eva tell me to calm down" Tony said getting quite violent. I sat back as Dave yelled at Tony. "Woah! Relax!" Dave said Standing up. I un sheathed my knife and chocked my gun quietly. I knew something was about to go down. I had a bad feeling. "Take it easy, no body is killing anybody, no body is shooting anybody right Rick?" Dave said hopping over the bar next to me. "Just friends having a drink, that's all." Dave reassured, placing his gun on the table. "Ain't that right baby?" Dave said slapping my ass hard. I turned around and held my knife to his throat. "Right, baby" I said stepping away from him. "Now, where's the good stuff?" Dave asked dipping under the counter. "You gotta understand, we can't live out there. You know what it's like?" Dave said pouring drinks. Rick hand his hand instantly on his gun. "Yeah, I do. But the farm is to crowded as is I'm sorry." Rick replied. "What do you suggest we do then?" Dave asked, like he was challenging Rick. "I don't know, I hear Nebraska's nice" Rick dryly said. Dave just laughed and an evil glint crossed his eye. All of a sudden a gunshot rang out.