Marching With the Dead (Daryl Dixon FanFiction)

•Chapter 22•

•Chapter 22•

•Daryl's POV•

The car was dark except for the small cracks in between the sheets of rust and metal. I sat beside Grace and waited for her to come to. David had stripped me of my crossbow and supplies before hanging it next to the door. I guess it was a reminder of who was there.

Hopefully, Merle will come back for us. He might have the assumption that we're dead, but he might just check to make sure. I'm sure my own brother wouldn't leave me behind, but you never know.

Grace's breathing became more labored. I glanced down at her realizing that she was starting to stir. Her eyelids fluttered open and she blinked a few times. "Grace," I whispered as I moved around so she could see me. She slowly lifted her head off of her arm that she used as a pillow and stared blankly at me.

"Where are we?" her voice cracked when she asked me. I shook my head,"We're still at Terminus. You got attacked and now we're in the train car."

She immediately shot up and looked around her. She whipped her head back and forth as if not being able to comprehend where she was. We were almost in the dark since night was nearing us. I could barely see her worried expression in the poorly lit car.

"How long have I been out?" she asked rubbing her forehead while attempting to sit up. I shrugged my shoulders and sighed,"A few hours at the least."

"How do we get outta here?" I could tell Grace wanted to avoid any contact with me, but what is she supposed to do when we're locked in a train car together?

"I dunno. I'm guessing Merle an' the others are gonna come back for us." I only hoped.

She let out a scoff and leaned back to rest her head in the wall,"You really think those assholes are gonna come back? They might be throwing a party since we're gone. Daryl, I told you this was a stupid idea, but no, you had to go and play puppy dog to Merle."

I ignored her snide comment and stared at the ground. This was going to be a long night.

---

Grace curled up in the corner of the car shivering. Her body jerked and shook. I lay a few feet from her with my hands behind my head. It was about 55 degrees outside and being in this tin can didn't help. I was quite cold myself, but I probably had on more clothes on than Grace. She only wore a t-shirt, cargo pants, and combat boots. I had my vest, leather jacket, and a few other things.

"C'mere," I said loud enough for her to hear. She glanced up at me and then back at the ground. She was still mad about the truth, but I wasn't going to let her freeze because she was angry. "Jus' c'mere," I said in a more demanding tone.

Grace finally gave in and scooted closer. She nudged her face into my chest while she clutched at my jacket. I slipped off my vest and draped it around her.

The silence kept gnawing at me. It was only a matter of time before I said something stupid. "I'm sorry," I whispered. Grace looked up at me with a questioning stare. Without saying a word, she went back to her original position. "Grace, I'm not the one who killed your people. It was Merle. I knew it was wrong, but..."

She didn't let me finish before she shot up and snarled,"And you didn't stop him!" Her piercing glare made my insides churn. I was hesitant to answer since her sudden response scared me. She crawled away from me as I sat there dumbfounded.

Why didn't I stop him? I could have saved so many lives if I just told him to stop or didn't steal from them at all. I glanced back at her to see her back turned to me as she stared at the wall. She sat Indian style and pressed her head into her hands.