Angel (Daryl Dixion x Reader)

~10~

   You pop your head up and over the stairs you'd been hiding behind. Only see the glass was indeed shattered. Yes, freedom! You immediately yank Carl and Sophia up from their crouching positions beneath you. "Come on!" You shout to everyone as you rush to Rick who was on the ground. Everyone else takes off, climbing out the broken window and racing for the vehicles. "Come on, Rick!" You yell while yanking your twin brother up off his back and into a run for the window. You both jump out together. Your gaze catching on Daryl, who was chopping off a walkers head. He pauses, and glances back at you. Seeing you dragging your twin bother out of the building. "Get into the vehicles!" You yell as you run up to Daryl, who was still watching for walkers. Obviously waiting for you to catch up to him. You release Ricks arm, only grab Daryl's hand now running for the truck with him. Daryl throws his bag and the two axes in his hand into the bed of the truck beside his bike, while you throw your bag and rifle in there too.

You whip the truck door open, ready to jump in when you see Dale and Andrea crawling out of the building. Your heart skips a beat when you hear the familiar sound of the explosives charging up. "Dale! Andrea!" You scream trying to run at them, but before you can take a step your grabbed by Daryl in the divers side. He immediately yanks into the truck with him. "Get down!" You scream at everyone out the still open passenger door. Able to see them ducking behind a sand bag wall. You were about to duck when you saw the flames starting to rise up and out of the building making your eyes widen. "Get down!" Daryl growls, actually pushing you down on to the seat and laying over top of you. Your hands shoot up over your ears as you squeezed your eyes shut. You didn't even realize you were screaming out as the explosion shook through out the cab of the truck. The vibrations radiating through your whole body made you see the images from Afghanistan you wished never to see again. It actually drug you back there for a moment. As brief as it was, it was horrifically vivid. Yet, just as soon as it started, it had ended. And then it was eerily still. The ear piercing sounds of war and death and fire were just gone, leaving behind an all too familiar ringing in your ears. The pressure of Daryl's body over yours slowly starts to let up, and you open your eyes to slowly sit up as well. Daryl's face was in pure shock and your sight follows his gaze to the now burning building. The once large facility was now reduced to nothing but huge pile of burning rubble. The flames burn high as they kick up into the afternoon sky. Lastly, the ringing in your ears slowly starts to subside. Only to be replaced with rumble of the large fire.

Daryl's eyes tear from the ablaze rubble to see Dale helping Andrea into the RV. He sighs slightly in relief, only to turn his gaze back to you still staring at the destroyed CDC. Your jaw was clenched tightly. Eyes distant and expression cold, almost completely unreadable as you held your dog tags so tightly it made your knuckles go white. He turns the truck on swiftly, yanking it into drive and pulling off with the rest of the group. You however, couldn't tear your eyes away from the destruction of the CDC. Where two people had just died. They were dead. Now, nothing but a pile of ash. So easily reduced to dust in the wind. "Hey," Daryl says gently. Finally snapping you out of your staring contest with the passenger side mirror that held the shrinking sight of flames of what had been the CDC. "Ya alright?" He asks you. Your eyes meet his briefly, and you can see the worry in them. "Yeah..." you manage to get out, despite the hurricane of memories and emotions that threaten to tear your chest out. "Are you okay?" You then ask when he notices your tone and slightly glossy eyes. Your tone was soft, and it sounded like you were about to break, which was true. You were actively fighting tears. The flood of memories you constantly fought every single day had passed through you like a tsunami when that explosion shook your bones, literally and figuratively. It rattled you, and he could tell.

"M'fine, Darlin." He says gently when he reaches over to taking your left hand down from your dog tags. Immediately lacing your fingers together to keep your hand occupied rather than letting you continue to spiral. You hadn't even noticed you still gripped your dog tags so damn tightly until Daryl reached out for your hand. In all honesty, it kinda surprised you when he did take your hand, but you definitely weren't going to complain. Daryl Dixon wasn't someone to do something like this for just anyone, and it meant the world to you in this moment. In that moment Daryl's hand in yours was holding you here in the present. He was keeping you from slipping into that abyss of darkness. He was willing to be your rock that kept you there in the truck with him so you didn't get lost in your mind.