Marching With the Dead (Daryl Dixon FanFiction)

•Chapter 23•

•Chapter 23•

•Grace's POV•

My legs were tired as we neared the steps of the cabin. Once I reached the porch, I rested my hands on my knees and breathed heavily. Joe and his group rushed out to make sure everything was alright and stood there stunned. We had made it out alive, thankfully.

"Any problems?" Merle asked them out of breath. Joe shook his head,"Just a few walkers and that was about it. Dan didn't make it. Tony saw him get shot back there." Everyone stayed quiet as we stared at the ground. Dan was massively overweight and he had greasy, brown hair. He always struck me as a pedophile, but it was Len who pushed me the first night. I guess his death gave him the memo not to mess with me or Daryl would have his ass.

"Grace, you alright?" I nodded my head at Joe who asked the question and sighed,"Yeah, I just need some rest and water."

I left them on the porch by heading for the door and pushing it open. Inside stayed remotely the same since we got here. The fire was crackling slightly and their bags were on the counters. I'm guessing we were leaving since we didn't accomplish what we needed to. We could stay here. We have working showers and warm beds, but Terminus is on the hunt for us and it's not safe. David will come after me. I know that far more than I should. He could care less about Daryl. I escaped from his clutches too many times.

I heard the door open up behind me and I watched as the men filed in and sat on the couches. I stood by the staircase and waited for someone to say something. I caught a glimpse of Joe looking at me with a serious look,"So, Grace, when you leaving?"

Dammit.

"What?" Daryl questioned not a second later before the question was asked. He was standing beside his brother by the fire. He had a worried expression plastered on his face. His crossed arms unfolded as he gave me a questioning stare.

"I'm leaving in a lil' bit so I can get outta your hair. I've been wanting to go for awhile," I said like it was no big deal. My insides churned as I stared at the now seething with rage Daryl. I could tell his emotions were boiling over as he took a step closer to me.

"Why? All I ever did was protect you and now you think you can just ditch me?"

"Protect me? You dragged me to a place that had tried to kill me before and got me locked up in a train car! You killed my friends! My family!" I pointed to the direction Terminus was in as I shouted.

"You're still hanging that over my head? That was before I knew you!"

Everyone watched on the edge of their seats waiting for the next retort. I glanced at Joe who sunk back in his chair and watched the scene unfold.

"It doesn't matter! Face it, Daryl. We're better off that way."

His expression was one of disgust as he paced in front of his brother. A small vein popped out on the side of his neck which only showed when he was extremely angry. His glare made me feel vulnerable and weak. The Dixons had a way of doing that. "You're afraid," he snarled,"You're afraid that one day that I might slit your throat in the middle of the night."

"That's the coward way out. That ain't you, but you sure took it when you murdered my people!"

"Will you shutup about that! You can't use that as your excuse forever. I don't blame you for being mad, but don't hang that over my head all the damn time. I already feel bad enough."

I let out a scoff,"Just let me leave and you don't have to worry about feeling bad. You can forget about it."

I was tired of the conversation so I ran upstairs. "You're gonna regret it!" I heard him shout at me as I neared the top. I ignored him and went straight to my room with my bag on my shoulder.

I threw my belongings on the disheveled bed and let out a heavy sigh. What was I going to do? I was mad at Daryl and now its the other way around. Why did Joe have to bring that up? I would've been perfectly fine if he kept quiet and I could have snuck out in the dead of the night. There would be no fighting or worries.

I heard a knock on my door and immediately snarled,"Go away, Joe, I don't wanna talk.

"Well, too bad 'cause it's not Joe."

I turned to the voice abruptly to see Merle opening the door. "What do you want?" I snapped. He shrugged his shoulders and looked around my room,"Jus' came to talk."

I stayed silent as I rummaged around the room looking for supplies to take with me. "I know that we murdered your people isn't the only reason why you wanna leave. I jus' want to know the other reasons."

I stopped my pacing and glared at him,"David is chasing me. He wants me more than y'all. I'm just keeping him and you safe."

"He still owes you. Even after all those things he did for you. You saved his life while he did things here and there."

I walked across the room and opened the closet to find some small garments and clothes. I pulled a jacket out since the cold days were getting closer by the minute and put it on. It was a heavy duty coat that was slightly too big for me, but I needed it.

"Well, if he wants to pay me back, he can let me go. That's how much he owes me," I said as I zipped up my bag and put one strap over my left shoulder.

Merle let out an irritated sigh and took a step closer to me,"He loves ya, Grace. Ain't that enough to convince ya to stay? You're safe here. You have all these men that care about ya, but you wanna go on your own."

"When did you start caring about me Merle?" I scoffed,"When will any of these people start caring about me. I'm nothing to them. Most of those guys see me as a sex toy. The only reason they want me to stay is so they can hold me down sooner or later."

"You're not my favorite person in the world, Grace, but if Daryl cares about ya then I do to. Hell, we've been through thick and thin. You're like my sister in uh way."

I passed my hand over my face irritated with all this pleading for me to stay. They don't even need me. I'm just a burden to them.

"I'm keeping you safe. I'm keeping Daryl safe. I told you, David's after me and I'm not risking your lives so you can have someone to annoy everyday. It's better to kill one and save the others than risk everyone's lives while you don't know the outcome," I sighed before grabbing the door handle.

A hand grasped my wrist tightly. I glanced at Merle who had a pleading look on his face. "Don't do this, Grace." I shook my head not wanting to talk about the situation anymore. I flicked off his wrist and opened the door wider. "Goodbye, Merle."