A Broken World

Chapter 34

Chloe's POV

I vaguely remember waking up in the middle of the night and Daryl comforting me. I'm so embarrassed I'm pretty sure I had another nightmare. Daryl's snoring lightly next to me, his arm draped over me as I lay on my side facing him. I look up at his sleeping face and push some hair behind his ears. I'm not going to let my emotions drive him away, I'm going to be strong for him like I was when we first met. So much has changed since then including me. Daryl moans as his eyes flutter open, I didn't realize I started playing with his soft hair again. His lips lift into a small smile, and I can't help smiling back.

"I'm sorry I was so clingy last night," I tell him.

"Don't be sorry," he says reaching out for me.

"Can we just not move from this bed for the rest of the apocalypse?" I question.

He laughs and my body responds with warmth. He pulls me into him and kisses the top of my head. I love how somehow we are able to just pick up right where we left off. There's no awkward getting to know each other again, it just feels so natural and for the first time since this mess started I finally feel somewhat happy.

"So how did you wind up all the way up here?" he asks.

"College, I was attending Gallaudet University studying sign language. I really wanted to work with the deaf community..."

As I speak Daryl gently rubs my arm and I fold myself into him a bit more. It hurts a bit to talk about it because I did all of it for Liam. It's been a few years, but the pain has never subsided.

"It took me a few years after you left to save up to go. I had to move out of that house, I went and lived with Katelyn for a few years to save up money. I'd just moved to the area and was in my second year when shit hit the fan," I say. "Liam was up here visiting me, I did get to see him a bit after everything. I'd only just reconnected with him for about a year before everything started to happen," I stop because I'm about to get emotional and I'm tired of crying.

"I knew you'd get out of there," he tells me.

"At least one of us had faith. Right before I had the money to pay for school I was at my lowest point, lower than when you left. I'd been hit hard struggling never thinking I'd make the money. I was missing Liam a lot, he wrote me but that was really all the contact we had. I missed you... I was just not in a good place," I tell him.

"I've been there more times than I can count," he tells me.

"What about you?" I ask. "How'd you end up here?" I ask.

"It's a much longer story than yours," he laughs.

"I'm okay with that," I say. He smiles down at me.

"Merle and I grouped up with some of the people you'll meet, Carol who you've met was a part of that group. We've been to a lot of places, I've actually lived in a prison," he laughs.

I can't help it I laugh with him. Thinking about how hard Daryl tried to stay out of prison it's funny to think of him ending up there.

"Merle must have loved that," I say.

"Actually he really wasn't too fond of that group, and we'd been split up for a while. Anyway we ended up trying to make our way to DC and ended up in Alexandria, and we've been in this area since," he says.

I look up into his eyes he's the same Daryl, but different in so many ways. Since the world changed everyone who survived had gone through a lot of shit. We've done things we may not have done if the dead didn't come back to life. People who never even held a gun or a knife have, people who never would have killed before have killed. It's a new world and with that new world change has not only occurred around us but within us.