Always || Daryl Dixon

Sixteen

I'm not sure how long it had been since the fall of Herschel's farm, seven, maybe eight months I can't be sure, we've been living from place to place trying to find enough food and warmth to keep us going, especially since Lori is about ready to pop any minute now. Our relationship hadn't really got any better since the night on the highway, I just tend to stay away from her unless I need to be with her for whatever reason. Merle had gone missing not long after that night, him and some others were out looking for supplies nearby but he never came back, we haven't found his body in walker form or otherwise, he simply vanished. Carol took it hard at first, closing herself off like she had when Sofia had gone missing but she's been back to her normal self more recently. Daryl however was a different story, he hasn't been himself since Merle disappeared, he's always out looking for him and he's been distant from everyone else except dad, including me, I'm not even sure what we are anymore.

"Their back!" Maggie yelled rushing to the front door of the house we were currently staying in, it wasn't much but there was just enough room for us all.

As she opened the door Dad, Daryl and Glenn rushes in telling us to pack our stuff up and get ready to move.

"Where are we going?" I asked as I rushed to throw the few items of clothing I had into my backpack along with a couple of blankets.

"I think we've found somewhere, somewhere safe." Dad smiled slightly.

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"And how exactly are we getting in there?" Maggie asked as we stood at the tree line looking at the place dad said we were going to be living.

A prison, it could be a safe place for us to stay, it had high fences and extra security considering it used to house criminals, the only problem was that the yard was full of walkers.

"We go in and clear the yard, if we can get that gate closed it'll be secure, we can push into the prison after that." Dad said pointing at a gate that closed the prison yard off from the outside world.

What seemed like a second later we had cut our way through the fences and was killing walkers left, right and centre until there was none left.

"We did it!" T-Dog cheered as we all checked around us making sure we were clear, the only thing left now was to close the gate and take the courtyard too.

"Daryl, Carol and Lyla, take these and get up to those guard towers and cover me as I run to the gate and close it. Everyone else bang on the fences to get their attention away from the gate." Dad instructed handing us shot guns giving him a nod we took off to the two guard towers.

"You two take this one, I got the other." Daryl grumbled before he took off to the other tower.

"Everything alright with you two?" Carol asked as we stood at the top of the tower taking down walkers that were getting too close to the gate.

"I don't even know." I sighed as I sent yet another bullet flying hitting a walker that had almost got dad. "He's been distance since Merle disappeared, it's understandable." I shrugged slightly.

"He'll get past it, everyone takes their own time to get over things." She reassured. "It's closed!" She grinned as she turned to hug me before we both ran back down the tower and towards the group.

"Well stay in the yard for tonight, we'll push inside in the morning." Dad told us, everyone plopping down after the tiring act of killing walkers.

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Almost everyone was asleep, Carl and Lori were huddled together, Carol and Sofia the same while Herschel, Beth, Maggie and Glenn slept close together, the last two holding each other. Dad was checking the perimeter once again although I think we all agreed that it was safe, at least for now. And Daryl was up in a guard tower keeping watch, the same place he'd been since we'd cleared the yard a few hours ago, Carol had taken him food and said that he just wanted to keep watch.