Silent Fighter- ENGLISH VERSION

Merle

The way back to prison was silent. Daryl's head was buzzing with so many thoughts and questions that he didn't really ask himself how Jodie actually got to him in the woods. But he had other questions that filled his head. Which he wanted to ask Jodie all at the same time, even though he already knew she wouldn't answer. Why was she in Woodbury? What did she have to do with Merle? Why had she fled before the governor drafted the army? How well did she knew Merle?

He remained silent, did not want to corner her, but looked at her just before reaching the edge of the forest. Embarrassment lay in his eyes when he finally hummed: That... that thing in the forest, that stays between us, right? "

The girl looked at him seriously and then just nodded. Then she pulled her eyebrows up and pointed at her mouth, and he understood. She seemed to want to tell him: I am mute, who am I supposed to tell? "

He just nodded thankfully to her, and together they entered the prison again.

They looked at the people in the courtyard. The children were playing, people were working and for a moment everything seemed very absurd, as if the apocalypse didn't exist. Everything seemed so...normal. But that was an illusion, people had died, Merle had died, and that was real. Daryl turned to Jodie, who returned his gaze.

"I'll see you at the watch shift," he only said and she nodded before they parted.

Daryl watched the little girl walk across the yard. It had happened again without his help, but he knew things would be different now. Both connected a little, and inside, he was sure to have found himself a friend in Jodie.

He knew he had a lot of questions about Jodie, and he would ask them.

They sat together on the guard tower, eating their lunch in silence, staring at the edge of the woods.

Finally, Daryl broke the silence, he couldn't take it anymore.

"Hey... I just wanted to know what you and Merle had to do with each other," he said to her.

Jodie looked at him, hesitated a few seconds before she pulled out the pen and the paper and started writing.

Her pen flew over the paper, and it took her a while before she finally stopped and passed the note on to Daryl.

He saw her staring at the horizon and began to read.

"I didn't spend much time with Merle, didn't have much to do with him. But I noticed him, and there were a few moments between us when we realized that we weren't really that different. At first, I just thought he was an asshole, but then I found out he was just trying to find his brother and hide his feelings. We didn't talk much, but we understood each other,"

"What kind of moments were there? "said Daryl.

Jodie schien nachzudenken. Sich zu erinnern. Erst dann nahm sie erneut Stift und Papier und schrieb erneut.

Jodie seemed to be thinking, remembering. Then she took the pen and paper again and wrote again.

"The first time I saved his ass in a fight. He got in a brawl with one of the men, and he pulled a knife behind Merle's back and tried to attack him. I punched those guys in the face and saved Merle. As a thank-you he shouted at me, but I think he was rather surprised that anyone would have saved his life."

Daryl snorted, he could imagine that. Merle, who was always so convinced that he and Daryl were no more than Rednecks that no one cared about.

"He caught me outside, I was fishing, he was hitting on me, and I hit him. He asked me why I was out here, and I explained to him so I'd be left alone, and he seemed to understand. He asked me where my family was, and I couldn't tell him, and then he finally told me about you.

He didn't believe he'd find you anymore, but what he sometimes believed was that I was you. That I wouldn't care what other people think of me, and you wouldn't either."

Daryl looked at Jodie, who returned his gaze calmly, firmly, and he saw in her eyes that she was right.

"You escaped. How did he get you out? "

Jodie again wrote the answer to a note she passed on to him.

"I found out the Governor had taken someone prisoner, and I found out what he did to that woman. From this moment on, I didn't feel safe anymore, and Cole wasn't feeling good either. Merle caught us packing, and he was the Governor's right-hand man, and I thought he was gonna rat, but he didn't. He just helped us do it, gave me the photo and smuggled us out, and I think he finally did the right thing."

Daryl looked up from the note.

"Did he...Did he say anything? "

Jodie hesitated and then nodded, wrote him the answer.

"He wanted me to find you and tell you to get your ass up. And he said he hopes I know what I'm doing out there."

Daryl just nodded, and once again, the grief in him came up, and tears shot him in the eye, but swallowed it with an iron willpower. He didn't want to cry again like some fucking girl.

He gulped a few times. Jodie seemed to feel how moved he was by all of this, so she didn't look at him to make it easier. Yet she reached for his hand, gently squeezed it and held it. She made it clear to him that she was there for him, and Daryl briefly returned the pressure of her hand, thankful for accepting him as he was.

Daryl took a deep breath and got back together again, and then Jodie wrote something on the note again and was reluctant to hold the note.

There was a question about it.

"Do you know what happened to Merle? "

Daryl swallowed again, and Jodie gave him a special.

Daryl looked at her, tears shimmering in his eyes.

"He helped us and sacrificed himself. He was ... a jerk, but in the end he was my brother. He did the right thing and helped us. I found him ... and I put him out of his misery," he said halting.

His voice sounded rougher than he intended, and a tear ran over his cheek. Jodie reached out and wiped it off and gently caressed his cheek. Daryl felt the soft fingertips on his skin which had an oddly calming effect on him. It's like petting a troubled dog to calm him down.

He also saw Jodie shed a few tears. Silent and without making a sound, she also cried about Merle's loss.

And Daryl just wiped away the tears and growled in a calming manner.

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Things had changed since then: Jodie came back to visit Daryl more often, brought him things and watched him, and he just let it happen. Although they still didn't talk much, it was different now, a kind of invisible bond that had arisen between them. In the meantime, Jodie also made progress in other ways, sneaking into the forest more often, practicing with the crossbow, and getting better and better. Now she tried to hunt, but she also got better as a shooter. She has proven herself in every work, that had to be done. Rick and the other adults started to appreciate her more and more. Roderick, on the other hand, sank further and further down and caught some of the comments from the adults. He still had the kids on his side, but ever since Jodie beat him up, the kids had a certain respect for her, and not everyone got involved in some nasty attack against Jodie again. His status was shaky, and it was only a matter of time before he was pushed off the throne.

It bothered him, but Jodie had now made it clear that she would not put up with everything anymore.

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