Hiraeth (The Walking Dead)

Chapter 8

"What?" Daryl repeated to the ex-cop.

"You need to slow your roll, man," Shane advised in a warning tone. "Think about someone other than yourself. Not all of these people can defend themselves if this girl goes bananas and tries to kill someone. If she does kill someone, that blood is on your hands."

Daryl simply gave a small grunt towards Shane, taking an absentminded drag from his cigarette before burning it out on the fence, then brushing away the embers. The hunter stood again, ignoring the man behind him.

"Daryl," Shane called again as the hunter began walking away. "Remember what I said."

Daryl made no attempt to reply as he walked away to his tent, slinging the strap of his crossbow over his shoulder. He let what Shane said go in one ear and out the other as he zipped his tent open again, looking for the girl.

Cailey was on her back on the hard ground, her knees bent up with her arms crossed. Her face was much more relaxed than usual as her eyes remained shut and her lips were just slightly agape. Daryl silently set his weapon down on the opposite side of him than Cailey was at, sitting on the thin sleeping bag Carol had insisted on giving him. He lied on top of it, essentially mirroring Cailey's sleeping position with crossed arms. He slowly closed his eyes, letting sleep come over him.

It had to have been hours before Daryl was woken by the rising sunlight coming through his tent. He blinked his eyes several times as his hand instinctively went to hold the crossbow to his right, and he turned his head to the left as he remembered Cailey. The girl was already sitting up, her legs crossed as she starred at the tent wall with pursed lips.

"Whaddya doin'?" Daryl asked, sarcasm already beginning to come from his voice.

"Whaddya think?" Cailey asked boredly, still staring and zoning out straight ahead.

Daryl gave off a small huff and turned to his side away from the girl, lying for another minute before inwardly sighing and picking up his crossbow. "C'mon," he instructed as he stumbled out of his tent. "I'm hungry."

Less than a half hour later, the two hunters were side-by-side in the middle of the forest, Cailey limping next to Daryl- who had a rather thin squirrel slung over his shoulder. Cailey had made an attempt to shoot at a bird, however it was entirely too high for even Daryl to hit before it would flee.

Cailey froze in her tracks. Daryl stopped, watching her face twitch as she listened. He could hear small animal steps running. The younger hunter swung her bow around slowly, pulling an arrow back. The string made a small thwump as she let it go.

The arrow hit something soft to Cailey's far left. A gopher lied frozen on the ground, the arrow stuck straight through its eye. The brunette stepped several feet over to pick up the arrow, staring at her catch with it still hanging on the end of the stick.

"Let's go," she decided monotonously.