Survival in Numbers (Daryl Dixon/The Walking Dead)

Chapter Fifteen - The Single Gunshot

Emma avoided Shane's eyes throughout that evening, and his approaches. Glenn had told her that Daryl was more than happy not to put up with Dale's reading, and he had even informed her that Shane had asked him if he could take his watch duty with her.

Emma just hoped that Daryl didn't take Shane up on the 'I'll cover your watch' offer.

The red head hated the quietness of the camp. Ed and Carol had disappeared off to bed, the latter without any dinner and in floods of tears. Ed had dinner in silence, but she heard him telling Carol to 'Stop crying' and that 'Sophia was stupid enough to run off, it'll serve her right to be scared for one night. She won't be doing it again, anytime soon'. Emma visibly flinched when she heard a slapping sound.

She skirted around Shane all evening, moving to take her position on top of the RV once she had taken a look at T-dog's wound - Daryl had given her Merle's stash of drugs - to which she had given the African American a small dose of something for the pain.

She took a seat beside the red neck, her right shoulder beside his left. He kept his eyes on the traffic snarl in front of them whereas she had her eyes on the empty road behind.

He said nothing.

"Rick said you and Ed had a...difference of opinion out in the woods?"

Daryl grunted, and Emma thought that was going to be it, until he continued, "He was tryin' to convince us to leave Sophia out there. Said she needed to learn 'er lesson."

Emma's mouth fell open, although she had overheard Ed say the same thing to Carol earlier that evening. "He was worried about her though-"

"-Don' even think'a defendin' him!"

"Hell no!" She exclaimed in a loud whisper, "Oh my God, I just can't believe he was worried about her and then just turned around and said that as if he didn't care-"

"-He was in front'a the group."

She scoffed, "Like that makes a difference to him."

Daryl fell into silence again, to which Emma didn't mind. How could he think she was defending that man? She had seen the bruises on Carol, and she could see as plain as day that the man terrified that little girl. Although she couldn't believe that the woman was still with him, she wasn't one to judge.

"Why're you avoidin' Officer Meathead?"

"Shane?"

Daryl grunted.

"Is it that obvious?"

"Either you've been skirtin' around 'im since the walkers passed us, or you're practicin' ballet."

She sighed, "It's nothing."

He scoffed, "You're a terrible liar, Princess."

"I'm not lying." She said, "It's just not worth bringing it up."

"S'tha why you got the chinaman to swap watches with me? So Shane won't bother ya?"

"He's Korean."

"Whatever." She heard his eyes roll. "So is it?"

"Yes." She replied honestly, "I'm sorry if that offends you-"

"-Nah, I ain't bothered." He replied, "Ah'd rather piss of Meathead than listen'ta Golden Pond read about fish hooks."

"Is it really that bad?" She asked.

"I ain't never thought about cuttin' my ears off before yesterday."

She laughed at that, and used the binoculars in her hands to scope along the tree line to see if Sophia had appeared. All was quiet.

"What did you do with those marshmallows?" She wondered aloud.