Daryl Dixon x Reader romance

Chapter 23

⚠️May contain spoilers and triggering events⚠️

I distanced myself from everyone for the next few days. Hershel said it would be safer if we slept inside we I did most nights.
I wanted to be away from people , including Daryl.
I packed my backpack and left a note.
"Don't come looking for me. If you see Daryl tell him I'm sorry." I left that note in Maggie's bedroom, and I took my backpack and left.
I couldn't deal with more death, especially with Daryl not talking to me.
I entered the woods when it got dark but I heard someone. It couldn't have been Daryl because he came back after Dales death. I saw Shane carrying Randall into the woods. I knew no one else knew about this, maybe Shane decided to kill him.
I kept walking, ignoring whatever was going to happen to that group.
I sat in the middle of the woods, about a 10 minute walk away from the farm.
I leaned my head against a tree and thought about everything. I heard some noise near the farm but I couldn't tell what had happened.

The sun started to rise and I hadn't slept. I haven't eaten for 2 days again and I hadn't talked to Daryl in 4 days. The last time we talked was Dales death, and all he said was my name. So it's been closer to a few weeks.
I stared into the sunset when I heard a walker. I pulled out my knife and realized I heard multiple. I started to see them, and then I saw more, and more. Too many.  It was a herd. They were headed for the farm.
I got up and ran back as fast as I could, even though I knew it would take me a few minutes to run back.
I kept running until finally I saw light.
It was fire. Someone had set the barn on fire. My first thought was maybe they tried to bring walkers into the barn and burn them alive but there were too many.
I ran up the field and to the gates. Everyone piled into cars and people were shooting walkers. I pulled my gun out and ran up the steps and into the house, shooting walkers on my way. "Daryl!?" I called out. There was too much noise.
I shot some more walkers and left the house, only seeing fire, darkness and walkers. The cars were gone and I didn't see anyone in sight.
I walked on the road by myself, realizing my biggest fear had come true. I was alone, and everyone was gone. The sun got brighter as I walked down the road, staring at my feet.
I saw a gas station and went inside, there weren't any walkers to my surprise.
"Perfect." I sarcastically whispered to myself, grabbing the chocolate bars that were left. There was only a one bottle of water but it was better than nothing.
I slid down on the ground of the gas station and ate the chocolate bars and drank the water. I searched through my backpack and I had a few cans of food, but nothing to last me more than a week.
I boarded up the gas station and decided to stay there if no one was at the highway where we left things for Sophia. I slept on the gas station ground overnight.  I woke up several times from being cold, or having nightmares.
In the morning I got up and started walking towards the highway. It took almost the whole day to walk there. The sign for Sophia faded and I couldn't see them anywhere.
I fell to my knees when I realized I had lost everyone by trying to leave.
If I had just stayed at the farm I would've at least known if they were alive. I cried in my hands for awhile until I heard walkers. There were only 3.
I hopped in one of the cars and waited for them to pass.
I passed out from being so tired and fell asleep in an abandoned car on the highway. I woke up just as the sun was rising. It must've only been around 6am.

As I left the vehicle in the morning, I pulled out a map from my backpack.
"Okay. I can go North..." I said to myself, while I stared at the map.
"Or I can continue looking for them." I said again.
I knew if I went North I would've had a good chance at finding other people and surviving.
If I continued looking I might die before I found them. They could be long gone by now.
I scrunched the map up and stuffed it back in my bag, and checked all the cars for any gas.
There wasn't much, but enough to get me somewhere.
I started one of the cars up and it took awhile before it decided to start moving. I drove around the cars and up the road.
I didn't see anyone. Only the dead.
Tears filled my eyes but I knew I had to keep driving.
"You're okay." I whispered to myself.
I drove for 15 minutes before the car started smoking. I stepped out of the car and headed back into the woods. It almost felt normal except that I was alone.
I walked for what seemed like forever, until it got dark. I holed myself up in a tree and listened to the dead walk by for hours. I didn't sleep for more than an hour.
I opened my backpack and ate some of the granola bars I found in the cars and drank the little water I had left. Beth had gave me a tiny mirror back at the farm.
I flipped it open and looked at myself. I was covered in dirt and blood already, and my eyes were bloodshot.
I looked like a mess. I closed the mirror and stuffed it back in my pocket.
When I got out of the tree, I decided to try to find someone, even if it wasn't who I was looking for.
A few weeks later:
Weeks must've passed and I had just been scavenging what I could, and trying not to pass out from hunger or exhaustion.
I hadn't run into anyone. Sleeping in trees, or in random buildings had been my life for almost a month.
I limped through the woods, my feet aching. Walkers followed behind me but I ignored them.
"Y/n?" I haven't heard someone's voice in weeks.
I spun around at the shock of a voice. It was Andrea.
"Oh god." She cried as she ran up and hugged me. I hugged her back.
"Where are the others?" I asked. Andrea shrugged her shoulders.
"I got caught up in a crowd. I think they made it." Andrea said.
"I got stuck too. I've been alone for weeks, like you." I said.
Andrea looked at me. "Oh , I'm not alone." She said.
I looked around her. This woman stepped out from behind a tree. She had beautiful dark skin, and dreads. She carried walkers on a chain with no arms or jaws.
"She's not as scary as she looks." Andrea whispered.
"Michonne." The girl said. I nodded my head.
"Come with us." Andrea said.
Without feeling like their was any other option, I stuck with Andrea and Michonne. Hopefully they had some food and water or just a safe place.