Daryl always put on a mask, an impenetrable facade that made him appear indifferent, as if he didn't care about anything or anyone except for himself. He pushed people away, deliberately keeping them at arm's length, but I knew better. I had seen glimpses of something more beneath that hardened exterior-something real, something human. It wasn't obvious, and it wasn't easy to see, but it was there. I didn't know the full extent of his story, of the pain and the ghosts he carried with him, but I could tell that behind his rough edges, there was a man who cared.
The more I watched him, the more I saw that contradiction in him-this mix of isolation and vulnerability. I didn't know him the way I wanted to, but at the same time, there was a strange, inexplicable feeling that I did. It was as if there was something familiar in him, something I recognized, even though we'd never truly shared our pasts. His eyes, especially, told a story all their own-a silent narrative of hurt, survival, and loss. There was a depth there, something raw and honest, as though his life before all of this had shaped him into someone who had learned not to trust, not to hope.
I found myself wondering what kind of life he had before the world fell apart-what his family had been like, what his childhood had been shaped by. I could imagine the kind of father he had-a man whose influence left deep scars, someone who might have made Daryl believe that showing emotion or affection was a weakness. It wasn't hard to guess that the lessons Daryl had learned were ones forged in silence and pain, things that had made him pull away from others and close off the softer parts of himself.
Daryl Dixon x Fem!OC
It's been three years since Alyssa Grimes disappeared, leaving behind her family and the life she fought so hard to protect.
But Alyssa didn't vanish-she was taken.
Found bleeding out in the woods after a postpartum hemorrhage, Alyssa was captured by the Civic Republic Military (CRM), an elusive and powerful organization. desperate to escape. Her attempts were cut short when she came face-to-face with a soldier whose presence shook her to the core.
Rick Grimes. Her father. Alive.
But the reunion wasn't what Alyssa had hoped for. His warning was sharp and urgent: Alyssa must hide her identity as a Grimes. She mustn't reveal who she truly was, or what she knew of their family. This was a different world with different rules.
Under Rick's instruction, Alyssa adopted the name "Alyssa Dixon," claiming no connection to rick. When questioned about her condition, she lied, saying her child hadn't survived and that grief had driven her into the woods. It was a lie meant to protect her family-Daryl, Nova, and little Abel-but it weighed heavily on her heart.
Forced into the role of a consignee, a laborer under strict CRM control, Alyssa resisted at every turn. She attempted to escape multiple times, driven by the need to return home to her family. Each attempt only brought herface-to-face with Rick's frustration and anger.
Alyssa caught the attention of Okafur, a high-ranking CRM official. Recognizing her strength, he had a vision: Alyssa and Rick working together to reform the CRM from within. But Alyssa had no interest. Her only goal was to escape, with or without her father's help.
The deeper she dug, the more Alyssa realized the CRM wasn't just a threat to her family-it was a threat to every community fighting to rebuild in the post-apocalyptic world.
Torn between loyalty to her father and her desire to return home, Alyssa faces impossible choices. Will she convince Rick to fight alongside her? Or will she have to take down the CRM without him?