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paintyoureyeswithavividmind · 1 year ago

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close to home | chapter seventy four

plot: the return of the whisperers sends the reader into a spiral

series masterlist

Pairing: Eventual Daryl Dixon x f!reader Word Count: 3,872 Warnings: violence, blood, typical twd A/N: enjoy the next chapter lovelies

Josie was giggling wildly as you blew raspberries into her stomach. The four-month-old baby sitting on your lap had blossomed into one of the most giggly babies, and you couldn’t resist tickling her or making her laugh somehow.

You smiled down at your daughter’s beautiful face before you scooped her up and pressed kisses on her fuzzy little head. Her hair was as dark as her daddy’s, with eyes as blue as the ocean not fifty yards from you.

“Ya ready?” Daryl asked from behind you.

You nodded and handed him Josie and watched his delicate touch. He gently bounced her up and down and kissed her cheek, only making her giggle even more. Which made Daryl smile so wide it made your heart flutter.

“I’m glad we brought her.” You leaned against the dresser. “I’m glad we brought all the kids.”

“Me too,” Daryl agreed quietly, focusing on his daughter. “We gonna have to bring her back lots so she can see the ocean.”

You grabbed your metal bow and ran your hands along the two names Daryl transcribed. Daryl Dixon and Josie Dixon, one on each limb of the bow. So, the two of you always knew what you were fighting to get home to.

“I’m excited to finally get to use this,” You shouldered the quiver and the bow. “Even though I’ve been practicing since you got it for me, killing walkers over the fence is not the same.”

Daryl didn’t answer you, and you looked over at him. He was too engrossed with Josie, playing with her in his arms. “Earth to Dixon. We got places to be.” You teased.

“How ‘bout ya go out there and I stay here?”

You snorted and walked over to him. “How about we both stay here?”

Daryl was about to agree to that when you both heard Michonne calling for you. He sighed loudly and kissed his daughter’s cheek. “Can’ ever get a damn minute.”

“Come on, old man. We got people to train. Let’s drop Josie off with the other kids and get going.”

***

You walked alongside Judith and Michonne, the bow heavy in your hands. You weren’t using it as an archery weapon today. You were using it as a sword. With the tips as blades, you needed more practice hand-to-hand with it than with an arrow. Which is what you’d been doing since arriving at Oceanside a few days ago.

So you walked with Michonne and Judith as Aaron called out formations and made calls. You glanced around at all the faces you rarely got to see. Most of them needed training to deal with walkers, and if the whisperers did return, they needed it for them, too. They needed to practice fighting in a group, in formations.

It reminded you of simpler times back at the prison.

Michonne called out for the hand-to-hand combat, and you followed her through the opening in the ranks toward the steady flow of walkers. You could feel Daryl’s eyes on you, ensuring you were okay.

The first walker you approached was gnarly. It was blotted with seawater, and its skin seemed like it was almost melting off. Seaweed was curled into openings in its body.

You grimaced as you twirled the bow in your hand before striking. With one sweep, the tip of the bow cut its head in two, and its body dropped. You spun around, ducking as another walker reached for you. With a swift kick to its back, it dropped. You grabbed your machete, tossing it in the air to catch it on a good angle, and brought it down into its skull.

When you heard Michonne yelling, you looked up to see Jerry and Ezekiel moving away from the door to the boat. Within a second, the door and the wall itself fell, and a dozen walkers poured out.

You smiled.

Formations were made as the training group launched an organized attack. You brought down walker after walker using the blade of the arrow. Each time it cut through a water-logged skull, you felt your adrenaline rush. Each twirl of your body, each pull and push. You felt more alive than you had in months, finally outside the walls of Alexandria.

You, Michonne, and Daryl took care of the outliers while the main group took on a majority of the walkers. So when they were all dead, everyone was breathing easier.

“That was actually fun,” You said as you approached Daryl.

“Ya sick sometimes, ya know that?” Daryl said to you as you washed the tips of your bow off in the waves. “Ya say the craziest shit sometimes.”

You laughed and slung the bow over your shoulder. “I’ve been locked away for months. This is the first time I’ve been out of Alexandria. Let me have my fun.”

Daryl swung his arm around your shoulders and kissed your temple. “Uh-huh, let’s just hope our daughter ain’ inherit ya psychopath genes.”

***

You were standing barefoot in the water with Josie on your hips, watching your friends pull in nets of fish. Kelly and Connie were among them, and you waited impatiently to speak to them. Something was off with Kelly, but you weren’t sure what it was. And Connie signed too quickly for you to understand. They arrived this morning, and you hadn’t had the opportunity to say hi to them.

But finally, she noticed you and the sisters walked over. Connie immediately cooed over Josie, and you were more than happy to let her hold your daughter for a while.

I’ve been working on my signing. Needed something to keep me from going crazy, you signed.

Connie gave you a surprised look. Damn, I finally see you again and you had your baby and are signing better? All I’ve done is garden.

You and Kelly shared a laugh, and she spoke as she signed. “Looks like you learned quite a bit. We heard her name is Josephine?”

“Josie for short. She’s four months old, happy, and healthy.” You said, your hands moving quickly so Connie could understand.

The three of you started talking about the mask Judith found earlier and the few search groups that went out to see if they could find anything. You all seemed worried, but you tried to reassure them that, hopefully, it was just the storm that brought it in. Still, with your luck, you doubted it.

Eventually, Daryl found you, and Kelly and Connie had to go back to work. So you soon stood smiling at Daryl while he held Josie.

“Carol don’ seem right,” Daryl said, his voice low. “Imma take her out and talk to her away from everyone. Wanna make sure she’s good. Ya gonna be okay here?”

You gave him a look and took Josie from his as he passed her on. “Yes, I think I will be perfectly fine, surrounded by all our friends. Go. Make sure she’s okay. She’s been on that boat since before the summer started.”

Daryl kissed the top of Josie’s head and then yours. “I’ll be back soon, I promise.”

“I’ll save you a dirty diaper.”

Daryl gave you a look as he walked away, and you laughed quietly and looked at your baby. “What do ya say, sweet girl? We save daddy a dirty diaper. Mommy doesn’t need to clean anymore ever again.”

Of course, the four-month-old only tried to grab your nose as a response, but you smiled regardless. “Alright, alright. Let’s get you fed, sweet girl.”

***

“(Y/N), where do babies come from?”

You looked up from a feeding Josie to see Judith staring at you with that quizzical look she had. It reminded you of her older brother. You cleared your suddenly dry throat. “Why are you asking about that?”

“Well, you and Daryl had a baby. And Michonne had a baby with Dad. I just wanted to know.”

You bit your lip as you switched Josie around. Judith had seen you breastfeed a million times by now because she wanted to know everything about everything. Still, you kept yourself covered. “Well, when two people love each other and decide together that they want to have a baby, they have to, um, have a special type of hug.”

Judith gave you that look that told you she wasn’t buying a word.

“Look, babe,” You said, “Why don’t you ask your mom this question, okay? I think she would much rather have this conversation.”

“But I wanna-.”

“Jude,” You gave her a warning tone. “I know you’re curious, and I love that about you, but right now, I’m trying to feed Josie. Do you wanna stay and talk about something much more interesting?”

She smiled and sat down on the couch next to you. “Can you tell me a story about me? About when I was a baby?”

You hummed as Josie finished, and you could finally start burping her. You stood up to do so, gently rocking her. “A story about when you were a baby. Okay, well, let’s see… did I ever tell you about what happened after we lost the prison?”

She shook her head.

“Well, I was with your aunt Carol and an old friend named Tyreese. We managed to get you out when you were probably about Josie’s age, maybe a little older. And we were on the road with you for days, missy.” You glanced at Judith, who was smiling.

“I bet I made lots of noise.”

“You sure did,” You smiled at the memories from so long ago. Had it really been so long? “But we kept you safe. And then we found our family and brought you back to your dad and brother.”

“Is that why mom used to let you take me outside the walls? Because you’ve taken care of me for so long?”

“Probably.” You said. Technically, you knew Judith longer than Michonne did. But you didn’t need to tell Judith that. Instead, you settled with a nicer version. “I’ve been caring for you your whole life, babe.”

Judith smiled and came over to you. She tickled Josie’s foot and looked up at you. “Just like you will for Josie. And I’ll watch over her, too.”

You chuckled and cupped her cheek. “Exactly. Now go find RJ and play, okay?”

***

An hour later, most of the scouting parties were back. Daryl was still off with Carol, but you weren’t worried about the two of them. Nothing could bring down those two. You’d told Michonne about Judith’s questions, who seemed less than thrilled.

You had just settled Josie in at Oceanside’s mini daycare for all the community's children when a bang louder than an explosion came from above, and you watched with wide eyes as something burned its way into the atmosphere.

“(Y/N)!”

You quickly grabbed Josie again and went to Michonne and the kids. Before you could even try processing what had happened, Eugene was calling from Alexandria with an urgent message, so you all ushered to the radio to listen to him rattle on about forest fires and tell Michonne we needed all communities pitching in.

Oceanside was a scramble as you and Michonne barked out orders. Groups were divided up, and water was getting geared up.

You were in the middle of talking to Connie when Daryl came to you. “We gotta get Josie with the other kids. Ya gonna stay with her?”

You shook your head and looked at the dark clouds of smoke a few miles west in the sky. “No. We need every hand we can get. There are enough people staying back to watch the community and kids. Judith will look after Josie.”

Daryl nodded and took the baby from your hands. “I’ll drop her off, I heard Michonne yellin’ for ya.”

You kissed your daughter’s head briefly before telling Daryl you’d meet him with the rest of the prepping community.

It killed you to leave your daughter because you hadn’t really left her since she was born four months ago. But the fire was important. So you looked back for only a second to see Daryl getting her settled with the rest of the kids, and then you went to find Michonne.

***

It was well into nighttime when the community got to the fire, and you worked tirelessly alongside Daryl and Michonne to get the gear out. You helped Daryl get the makeshift water tank on his back, and then he helped you into yours.

When you got the fire, you felt like passing out. It had already spread decently and was climbing up several trees. You looked up at Daryl, who seemed just as worried as you. And it didn’t help that you were in Alpha’s territory.

“Daryl…” You said.

He glanced down at you, and you could see the sweat on his face already. You knew yours matched. “Let’s just stay close, okay? Don’ need to be worryin’ ‘bout ya.”

You didn’t argue because you felt the same.

So you and he worked on the south side of the fire with Cyndie and a few other women from Oceanside, spraying water and hitting it with mopes as fast as you could. It seemed like nothing you did was helping, and the smoke was making you feel sick. You only paused to get more water, and when Daryl made you put on his handkerchief to keep from inhaling too much smoke.

Everyone worked until the sun rose, and still, the fire was blazing. That was also when more walkers started showing up. Someone wheeled over the cart of weapons, and you handed Daryl his crossbow and then grabbed yours.

You’d only taken down a few when more trickled out of the woods, and you knew it would be overrun. When they got too close, Daryl grabbed an ax, and you watched him take out the closest one to you.

Then you spun the bow in your hand and stepped forward, taking out two with the blades within thirty seconds. You heard a commotion from behind you, and you glanced quickly to see the team that was supposed to be digging the trenches join you. And behind them were Alexandrians.

You sighed with relief as another walker approached you. You kicked it away from you, and it stumbled backward until it fell, and then Daryl sunk the ax into its skull.

That was right when the walkers caught fire, and you shook your head. “Daryl, we need to go. Now!” You yelled over the noise.

He glanced between you and the incoming walkers and then ran toward you, pushing you forward. When you caught up to everyone else, you grabbed another arrow and joined the firing team while Daryl worked at bringing a tree down.

It could’ve been hours before the last walker dropped, and everyone got back to work on the fire. It probably was another few hours before the fire was finally out, and you collapsed in exhaustion next to a tree. Yumiko, who you’d been working with, sat next to you and offered you her water bottle.

“Thanks,” You mumbled before taking a sip. “What a shit fucking day.”

***

After the fire, you, Daryl, and Josie went home. The both of you definitely had breathed in too much smoke, and it took a few days to breathe better. And getting Josie home was a top priority for you and him. You didn’t need to be there if more walkers were drawn out. You were confident that Oceanside and the fighters from the other communities that stayed could handle it.

Besides, your top priority was Josie. It wasn’t Oceanside. No matter how hard of a pill that was to swallow.

Even when she woke you and Daryl up at dawn for a feeding.

You were sitting at the kitchen table as you fed her and watched Daryl stumble around the kitchen tiredly. He was still in his sleeping clothes, as you were, and you stared at him when the bottom of his shirt exposed his stomach when he reached up to grab something from the top cabinet.

Then he returned to making you both something to eat, and you looked down at your daughter. She was nearly finished, and you couldn’t wait to set her down. Your back was aching. You hated breastfeeding.

“Ya want an apple with ya food?”

You glanced up at your husband and nodded. “Thanks.”

Josie finally finished, and Daryl took her to burp her so you could eat. You rested your head in an open palm as you did, nearly falling asleep in the bowl of oats. But then Daryl was sitting by your side, putting Josie in the playpen in the living room and shaking your shoulder.

“Ya okay?”

You nodded and leaned your head against his broad shoulder. “Tired.”

“Well, eat. It’ll make ya feel better.” He gave you a sliced apple.

“You’re always trying to feed me,” You complained before biting into it.

Daryl grunted but didn’t say anything as he ate. The two of you finished eating in one of the comfortable silences you loved so much, and you kept looking at your husband occasionally. He’d changed so much since his brother’s death. Not that you didn’t admire him before. This new Daryl was something else. He’d taken on such a leadership role, and he did so much for the community and for you.

In a wave of appreciation, you moved from your chair to sit on his lap. He looked at you with tired eyes, but his arms wrapped around you tightly as you leaned down to kiss him deeply. “God, I love you so much,” You mumbled against his lips.

His fingers squeezed your waist, bunching up your nightshirt, and you could feel his fingernails digging into your skin. “We should go upstairs so ya can show me just how much ya love me,” He said.

“How about I get on my knees and suck your dick right now?” You whispered before biting down on his lip.

Before he could reply, you heard the front door burst open, and you immediately jumped off his lap. Michonne walked quickly into the room with a look on her face that made your stomach drop.

“Walkers.”

***

Forty-nine hours later, blood sprayed on your face as you blood your bow blades from a walker's skull. Your head spun as you did so, nearly losing your balance. You’d been at this for two days, and waves of walkers kept coming. You’d already been outside the walls several times with the parties sent out, and you weren’t sure how long you could take it.

Daryl stood a few feet from you, his own knife embedding a walker. When it was dead on the spikes, he came over to you. He looked you up and down and sighed loudly.

This last wave was the biggest, and you sat on the curb to drink some water and eat food that someone had brought over. You hadn’t been home in a few hours, and you only went to check on the kids. You felt terrible leaving Judith in charge of Josie, but it was the safest thing to do right now.

“Daryl,” You called out weakly, and handed him your water when he came over. He took a long sip and then you made him eat something.

“Another wave, thirty minutes out.” You heard someone yell.

You wanted to cry.

Daryl sat down next to you and chewed on his fingernails. You could see how angry he was. You would be, too, if you weren’t exhausted. And the sun beating down on you didn’t help.

Your husband glanced at you and used his thumb to wipe away blood on your forehead. “Ya lookin’ real beautiful, ya know.”

You snorted and shoved your shoulder into his. “Shut up.”

You heard someone yell that a freak was approaching, and both you and Daryl ran back over to the gates. You stood beside Rosita as you watched one of those masked freaks approach the gate, and you heard someone call for Michonne.

“Fuck me,” You muttered.

***

Your hands were shaking as you left the community hall. You felt like you couldn’t breathe. Like a hand was wrapped around your throat. Your body was trembling, and you felt like you were going to throw up. No. You didn’t feel like you were. You knew you would.

You’d barely made it to the grass yard behind the community before you lost whatever food and water you had in your stomach. Your body was shaking worse as you knelt on the ground.

“(Y/N).” You shut your eyes when you heard Daryl’s voice, and then you felt his hand on your back. “Take a deep breath, darlin’.”

“You can’t go,” You choked out, wiping your mouth with the back of your hand and looking at him. His face was blurry through your tears. “Please don’t go. Please don’t.”

“Ya know I have to,”

Your heart was beating wildly and you felt a deep pit of desperation settle in your heart. “No. No. Please don’t go. Please. I can’t have you go out there, not after what happened. Please don’t go, Daryl,” You sobbed, reaching for his hands.

“(Y/N)...”

You shook your head. “Please don’t go. Please.” You gripped his hands tight. “No. I’m your wife, and I’m telling you no. She wanted you dead for what happened. She tortured me 'cause she couldn’t kill you. I can’t lose you, I can’t lose you,” You were hysterical.

“Okay, okay…” Daryl breathed out, wrapping you in a hug. “Okay. I won’t go. I won’t go, baby girl.” His hand ran down the back of your head as you pressed your soaked cheek on his chest.

“Don’t go…” You sobbed, “Don’t go…”

***

Twenty minutes later, you were passed out from exhaustion and your panic attack. Daryl was standing above you, holding Josie in his arms. He was worried about you. He felt sick over it. He’d never seen you like that--begging him not to do something for the community. You always knew how important the safety of the community was. It was something the two of you had in common.

But things were different now. Daryl had a wife and a four-month-old daughter. You and Josie were more important than anything or anyone.

So when Michonne came to tell him it was time to leave, he backed out. She was surprised but understood and instead asked him to help Gabriel look after the community.

Instead, he sat inside the house, kept an eye on you, and cared for Josie. Gabriel would be able to handle it. He’d have to. Daryl had to look after you.

***

You woke up before Daryl thought you would, and he’d been holding a sleeping Josie when you raised your head in panic to look for him. Relief filled you.

“You didn’t go?”

“I told ya I wouldn’t,” Daryl said.

You nodded and stood up. “I’m sorry.”

He shook his head, “Ya don’t gotta be sorry ‘bout anythin’, baby girl.”

#daryl x y/n #daryl dixion x reader #the walking dead daryl #daryl x reader #daryl dixon x reader #daryl fanfiction #twd #daryl twd #daryl dixon #daryl x you

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specialagentlokitty · 10 months ago

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Daryl x reader - our past lives bleed into the present

A/N: this is a criminal minds and TWD crossover

Sitting on the porch of your house, you looked at the little boy who was running around with the dog chasing him.

“Is this why I can’t have my dog?”

You chuckled a little bit, looking to the side as you watched the man sitting down next to you, and he held out a plate of pasta out for you.

“Aw you made me food? That’s cute.”

“Shut up.”

You took the plate and grinned at him, turning back to the boy who was running in the street.

“AJ come get your lunch.” Daryl called.

“I’m playing!”

“Aaron Junior come eat your lunch! I’m sure dog can wait!” You scolded lightly.

The boy grinned sheepishly, and you made his way over to you, sitting down on the step in front of him as Daryl passed him a plate.

You picked up your fork, taking a few bites of your pasta and you looked at Daryl.

“Are you not having any?”

“Not hungry.”

You ate half of the food he had brought out for you, then passed him the plate back.

Standing up, you kissed the side of his head.

“You need to eat, I know you don’t want to but until your back is better you can’t go out on runs.”

“It’s fine…” he grumbled.

You sighed, crouching behind him and lifted his shirt, looking at the badly bruised skin, and you ran your fingers along the raised skin of his scars.

Lowering his shirt, you kissed the back of his head.

“I need you to take care of yourself my love, okay?” You whispered.

Daryl sighed, looking up at you as you walked down the steps, and you crouched down in front of AJ, smiling softly at him.

“I’ve got some work to do, will you make sure Daryl behaves?”

“Yup! I’ll ground him if he doesn’t!”

You laughed a little.

“You’re gonna ground him huh?”

“Yeah! Then he can’t leave the house cause you can’t go outside if you’re grounded.” He beamed.

“You ain’t gonna ground me kid.”

AJ leant backwards a little bit, beaming brightly at Daryl.

“I’m gonna ground you forever! Then you can’t go anywhere!”

“Yeah? Well amma ground you too then.”

“Well, now that both my boys are grounded, I need to go do some work, but I’ll be back. And AJ?”

Your son looked at you with a bright grin.

“Eat all your lunch okay? You need to grow big and strong.”

He nodded his head.

You smiled, kissing the top of his head, and you leant forward, kissing Daryl’s cheek.

“I’ll catch you guys later, I love you both!”

“Love you mama!”

Daryl offered you a small salute as you jogged away to go help with some of the tasks around Alexandria.

Heading to the gate first, you met Aaron and Gabriel to help them set some more traps along the front and make it more secure.

Then you went to help Rosita clear the nearby area, then with some repairs, and finally you had a meeting with the council where you met back up with Daryl and AJ.

Your son ran over to you, jumping into your arms and you picked him up, standing next to Daryl, his shoulder brushing against yours.

“Are we ready for tomorrow?” Rick asked.

“We’ve got everything set up, horses, the lot.” You said.

He nodded his head, sitting down on the table.

“We’ll go to The Hilltop first, then Oceanside, then the Kingdom then make our way back.”

“Mama?”

You turned your attention to AJ, knowing that Daryl would fill you in on anything you were missing after.

Setting AJ down, you knelt in front of him, resting your arm on your knee.

“What’s up sweetheart?” You asked quietly.

He glanced around before turning back to you.

“Will you get aunt Carol to come? I want to see her again…” he whispered.

“Yeah? I want to see her again too.” You smiled.

“Will she come for a little while?” He asked.

“I’m not sure buddy, she might. I’ll ask her alright? If not maybe we can take you to the kingdom when Daryl is all better.”

AJ’s face lit up at the thought of this.

At the mention of his name Daryl crouched down, resting his arms on his knees.

“What are you dragging me into?” He asked.

AJ grinned brightly.

“Mama says we can go to the kingdom and see aunt Carol again!” He cheered quietly.

“So am gonna be dragged along?”

“Not if you’re still grounded.” AJ huffed.

“Well, maybe you’ll still be grounded too.” Daryl smirked.

“No! Mama don’t let him ground me!”

You chuckled a little, raising your hands.

“You grounded him first AJ.”

You stood up, ruffling his hair, placing a hand on his and Daryl’s head.

AJ placed his hands on yours, and Daryl poked his forehead.

“When we’re sure it’s all clear we can go to the kingdom.” Daryl said.

While they spoke, you walked away to speak to everybody about the plan for the next week.

It was going to be a week long round trip to all the other communities, do what had to be done, then get back to Alexandria.

“I don’t like the thought of leaving the place so defenceless.” You said.

“That’s why you, Gabriel and I are going with some others, everybody else on the council will stay here.” Rick said.

You nodded your head.

“Gabriel will be in have the carriage, we’ll have our own horses, one in front and one behind to make sure the path stays safe.”

“There’s been a lot more walkers around Rick, do you think Maggie will be okay to spare us some weapons when we get there?”

“I don’t think so, not if I speak to her anyway.”

“She has a right to be pissed off about your choice with Negan, I’ll speak to her, she’ll listen to me. I know what it’s like to lose the man you love.”

Rick glanced behind you, looking at Daryl and AJ.

You turned around as well, standing next to him, arms crossed over your chest as you listened to the two of them bicker.

“You still think about them don’t you?”

“Hard not to you know? But it’s been years now, AJ sometimes still asks about his dad, but he understands better now.”

Rick nodded his head.

“I mean you’ve got Daryl now.”

“It’s like having two toddlers Rick, like seriously, you leave these two in a room alone and someone’s either been grounded by the other or they’re trying to prove who’s the better man. You know what I walked into last night?”

“What?”

You turned to your friend.

“They were throwing acorns into the sink Rick, and that would’ve been fine except you know what was in the sink?”

Rick shrugged a little.

“Stones! My whole sink was full of stones!”

Rick laughed, patting your shoulder a few times.

“Come on, they’re best friends. Look at them.”

You turned back to Daryl and AJ, who was being held upside down by Daryl.

You smiled softly as AJ beamed brightly at you and Daryl smirked a little bit.

Daryl walked over, holding AJ a little higher.

“Take your creature back.” He said.

“No, that’s your creature now. He belongs to you for the next week.”

“Not until tomorrow, have the creature.”

AJ swung himself up, and you wrapped your arms under his, letting Daryl let go then you set AJ down on the floor next to you and he held your hand tightly.

“I’ll meet you at the gate at sunrise.”

You left the church, making your way back home, letting AJ run inside and you walked into the kitchen to start making dinner.

Daryl wondered in not long after, and he sat on the counter watching you.

“Fish in the fridge.”

“I don’t know how to cook fish.”

“It’s easy as fuck, I’ll tell you what to do, I ain’t cooking though.”

“No Daryl please? Fish is gross.”

“You eat fish!” He huffed.

“But I don’t know how to cook it! Please!”

You walked over, standing between his knees, bringing your hand up to brush some hair away from his face.

Daryl looked at you, leaning into your touch slightly.

“I’ll even offer to help?”

Daryl leant down, pressing a kiss to your lips, then to your forehead.

“Get outta here.”

You grinned, hugging him gently.

“You’re the best!”

With that, you jogged away going to spend some time with AJ.

You did this every you were going to be leaving the community, you would spend as much time as possible with him.

You and Daryl never left at the same time, so that way if something happened to one of you then AJ would still have the other one.

You helped AJ with his reading and writing while you were waiting for Daryl to finish making dinner.

“Mama?”

You looked to AJ.

“You’ll come home right?”

You smiled softly, holding out your arms and he shuffled over, letting you hug him.

“I’ll try my best sweetheart, but you remember what I said, right?”

“Sometimes we don’t know if we’re going to come home…”

“Yeah… but if I don’t come home you’ll have Daryl, and he’ll love you and take care of you and make sure nothing ever happens to you. Okay? He’s going to teach you everything you know…”

AJ nodded a little.

“I don’t like when you go away…”

“I know you don’t, but sometimes we have to go to keep you and everybody else safe. You remember what’s out there right?”

“The sick people…”

You nodded your head.

“Yeah, they sick people are out there. We have to make sure the sick people stay away.”

He nodded, resting his head against your side.

You carried on talking for a while until Daryl came to get you for dinner, and you listened to AJ tell Daryl about everything they were going to do while you were away.

When you were done eating, AJ went back to his room while you washed up the dishes.

“You’ll keep helping with his reading and writing right?” You asked.

“Yeah.”

You nodded, drying your hand on the dish cloth, turning around to look at him.

Walking over, you tucked your head under his chin, wrapping your arms around his waist.

Daryl wrapped an arm around you, placing his other hand on the back of your head.

“If you don’t come back am gonna kick your ass.”

You laughed a little bit, leaning back so you could look at him.

“I’m going to come back Daryl, I always do. I did when I was chasing psychotic killers, a few walkers won’t stop me.”

He hummed a little bit.

“Better not, didn’t marry you just for you to vanish and stick me with that creature.”

“That creature is your kid now, so suck it up.”

There was a loud thud from upstairs and you rested your head on his chest, trying not to laugh.

“I think he found your crossbow again.”

“I swear to god I don’t know how he does it…”

Daryl moved away from you, heading upstairs and you trailed after him.

You walked into your bedroom to find AJ sitting with your sword on his lap, a few of the books from the shelves scattered on the floor.

“Not my bow, not my problem.”

Daryl walked over to the bed and laid down with a small groan of pain.

“AJ, that’s not a toy.”

“But it’s so cool!” He whispered.

Laughing a little bit, you took the sword from him and put it back on its shelf, picking the books up to put them back.

“Uh huh, and who taught you to climb like that?”

You turned around to see AJ glanced at Daryl and they both looked at you quietly.

“Rick?” AJ grinned.

You hummed a little bit.

“I’ll have to have words with Rick.”

AJ climbed on the bed with a different book, tucking himself into Daryl’s side, and you laid with them, taking the book so you could help him read.

He fell asleep there, and you didn’t move him, Daryl fell asleep with his head on your chest, and you fell asleep not long later.

What woke you up was the sun coming through the blinds, and you got up to get ready.

Grabbing your sword, you put it on your back and took your gun, tucking it into the holster on your hip.

“Here.”

Daryl handed you his knife and you put it in your boot like he taught you too.

“I’ll meet you downstairs.”

He left, and you woke AJ up to say goodbye to him, kissing his head and reminding him you’ll come back as soon as you could.

AJ was that tired he went back to sleep not long after, and you went back downstairs to meet Daryl by the open door.

You ruffled the head of dog as he walked over and turned to Daryl.

“You gonna talk to Carol?”

“Yeah, I will. See if she’ll come back for a bit, we’ve got a lot to do though.”

Daryl nodded his head.

Bringing his hand up, he brushed his knuckles your cheek, and you leant into his touch, closing your eyes.

“I’ll look after him, he’ll be fine.”

“I know love, I know you will. I trust you.”

He leant down, softly brushing his lips against yours, and you leant up to kiss him again, moving your hands around his neck.

Daryl pulled away, pressing his forehead to yours, brushing his hand along the bandage on your face.

“I love you Daryl…” you whispered.

He let out a small grunt, and pulled away.

“Love you too.” He mumbled.

He gestured for you to go down the street.

“Get gone.”

You laughed, patting his chest a couple of times as you went towards the gate.

Rick was stood there holding the reins to two horses, and you took the brown and white horse, jumping into the saddle.

“You take back I’ll take front.” Rick said.

“Sounds good to me.”

“Remember the plan if we get split up?”

“Head to the nearest community, wait a few days then come back.”

He nodded and you set off, keeping a close watch on the surroundings.

The sun was blazing hot, you were sure you were going to have a horrible sunburn at some point.

You saw Rick hold hand up, and you rode past the others, making your way over to him, turning your horse around to keep an eye on the ground from behind.

“We’re not making it through those walkers.” Rick said.

“Can we get around do you know?”

He shook his head.

“Not with the cart, too heavy, too much noise.”

You nodded your head, looking behind you.

“One horse could make its way around though, I think I have an idea.”

Rick furrowed his brows a little bit.

“Well, if one of us can get ahead of them, lead them to the side just far enough away for the others to get through before regrouping at the hilltop.”

“What if they don’t show up?”

“Carry on, we stick to the plan.”

“It’s too risky, there’s too many of them for one person.”

You sighed a bit.

“Then we wait it out for now, but if nothing changes so we have to move Rick.”

“I know, I know. We’ll slowly move closer until we’re still in a safe distance and can watch better.”

You nodded in agreement and that’s what you did, you got a little closer, and you circled the group, making sure to keep an eye out.

You guys made it through and carried on the round trip.

It took a little longer than expected but when you saw the gates of Alexandria you were relieved.

The gates were opened and you rode through, jumping down from your horse and you handed the reins to someone.

“Hey Michonne?” You called.

She turned around.

“Where’s my dumbass husband?”

“Behind you. Seriously, a dumbass?”

You spun around, picking up AJ as he ran at you, holding him in your arms, and Daryl walked over, kissing your forehead.

He wrapped an arm around your shoulders, turning to the gate.

“Where’s the rest?” He asked.

“Not fair behind, stopped by The hilltop to pick up some people that stumbled their way across there, going to bring them back here soon.”

He nodded.

You turned around to Michonne.

“Rick asked if we can get a space ready for them, it’s a pretty big group.”

“I’ll see what we can spare.”

You, AJ and Daryl wondered away from the gate, taking a small walk around until Daryl got called away to help with some preparations.

You held AJ’s hand.

“Hey, they’re here. And little AJ had a guest.” Aaron smiled.

AJ gasped, tugging you back towards the gate and you jogged with him, and the moment he saw Carol he ran over to her.

She swept him up into a hug, and you smiled, turning to Michonne.

“We’ve got some space in the church for now, we’re still rebuilding some of the houses, so they’ll have to stay there for now.”

You nodded your head.

“Any idea why Maggie passed them along?”

“Something about looking for somebody, said they’d find them here, that’s what Rick told me.”

“Makes sense, do we know who they’re looking for at least?”

“No idea, maybe he’d know.”

Carol walked over, and you pulled her in for a hug, smiling softly.

“It’s been a while…”

“I know I’m sorry, we’ve been so busy.” She sighed.

You nodded, grinning a little at AJ.

Daryl stood next to you, crossbow in his hand, over his shoulder.

“Getting them sorted now, found a few guns on them, no ammo though.”

You nodded.

“Hey (Y/N)?” Rick called.

You turned around, looking at him and he walked over.

Before he could speak, you heard someone shout your name and you furrowed your brows, turning to the new voice.

“Oh my god it’s really you!” A woman squealed.

She went to run forward and Daryl stood in front of you, holding his crossbow out and she immediately stopped.

You stared at the faces who stared back at you in just as much shock.

“They’re looking for you.” Rick whispered.

You reached out, placing a hand on Daryl’s arm, and he looked at you, lowering his crossbow, but keeping you slightly behind him.

“We thought you died…”

You turned to the man.

“Hey Rossi…” you whispered.

The BAU team stared at you in a mixture of shock and amazement, with worry in their eyes as they saw how much your appearance had changed

#the walking dead #the walking dead x reader #the walking dead x you #the walking dead x y/n #the walking dead imagine #twd #twd x reader #twd x you #twd x y/n #twd imagine #Daryl Dixon #daryl dixon x reader #daryl dixon x you #daryl dixon x y/n #Daryl Dixon imagine

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bloodspl4tt3r · 2 years ago

Text

"the last apple" daryl x reader

summary: after years of fighting for your life and running home to home, your story finally ends and you say goodbye.

cw: angst, blood, death, typical twd stuff

note: this is my first writing! though i primarily speak english, i struggle with grammar sometimes. i hope you all enjoy and support me! please leave requests, i'd love to write more!

it'd be a lie if you said you weren't afraid of death. everytime you went out there, you were afraid.

you planted a tree with the love of your life about 8 years ago, an apple tree. a few apples grew from here and there. your tree wasnt perfect, but it was yours.

you knew you were going to die, you knew. but you refused to believe that you could die when you were so in love, when you were as happy as you could've been in this shitty world.

your body laid on the road, in a pool of your dark red blood. the sun made the blood all over you glisten as you just laid there. you tried so hard to move. so hard to stay alive. so hard to be there for daryl because you knew for a fact that you didnt want to leave him.

you couldn't do anything in the state that you were in. pain emerged from your injuries and you wanted it to stop. you were suffering, and the only thing you could've done was tremble in pain, fear and sadness.

who the hell were they to take away your life? you were so angry. so desperate to stay alive, but no matter how hard you fought, in the end, you lost.

as your limited time begins to pass, you can't help but cry. tears fell for daryl, for your family back at alexandria, hilltop, oceanside, commonwealth. tears fell for your family that never made it through this, or before this. tears fell for you, because you were angry.

all you wanted to do was see everyone, one last time. you knew you'd never see them again, and it killed you. you laid on the road in a pool of your own blood, gasping and crying, trembling and whimpering.

you'd die there with no one, when all you wanted to see was everyone.

you knew you had a few seconds left. your vision blurring, your hearing fading away. but you could hear footsteps. you tried to look as best as you could. the only thing you could make out was a figure that you knew was daryl. you tried your best to smile, but you cried.

that was it for you. your body laid on the ground lifeless. daryl screamed, cursing out loud. he cried, holding you, wishing he was there when he was supposed to.

he'd kiss you one last time, crying and talking to you as you just laid there. he gently made sure you didnt come back as a walker. he was trembling, and he was mourning you.

he'd bring you back in his own two arms, cleaning you up before you were placed in a casket. he'd place your favourite photo of the two of you in there with you, so you wouldn't have to be alone like you were before. he'd bury you himself, just beneath the apple tree that you two grew together.

he'd sit there, crying for you, wishing that your death wasn't real. he'd tell you about how much he loved you, and how much he wished he could hold you.

and after all that, was when the last apple had fell.

#daryl dixon x reader #daryl dixon #twd daryl #the walking dead #angst #twd angst #daryl dixon angst #daryl dixon x reader angst

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walker-bait-1973 · 1 year ago

Text

8 Years Part One

Photo Edit by Me

A Daryl Dixon/ Sybil Tremont Fanfiction (Daryl x OC)

Background information: It’s assumed the reader knows the world of TWD. This Fanfic takes place after Alexandria, Hilltop, Oceanside, and the Kingdom are established and at the height of success. Carl is dead. The communities are bound by a doctrine created by Michonne. Rick is presumed dead. Daryl and Michonne never lost hope and searched for several years for Rick without luck. Daryl had a short relationship with Leah. The Saviors disbanded with Negan in a jail cell in Alexandria. The Whisperers have been defeated, and Lydia is a valued member of the Hilltop homestead.

18+

Daryl x OC (Female)

Warnings: Violence, Alcohol, Slow Burn, Fluff, Smut

Part Two

Master List

Chapter 1: Caramel

The summer of 1990 was a record-breaker for heat. The sun shone brighter than ever by early June. While people around Atlanta were finding ways to keep cool, Merle Dixon along with his younger brother Daryl, and their motorcycle gang pulled into the local 7-11 to get some ice-cold brews. They were headed to Pine Lake for a party. Merle and two of his buddies went inside for drinks.

“Hey Merle, get some snacks too!” Daryl yelled after him. Merle shot him the middle finger, laughed, and went inside. Daryl lit up a cigarette. As he listened to the group talking and laughing, a small group of young ladies walked past them. Daryl’s attention averted to have a gander at these five women. One, in particular, stood out to him. She was a curvaceous woman, with an ample chest, wide hips, and thick thighs. Her long ebony curls bounced in a neat ponytail as she walked in flip-flops with painted red toenails. She was wearing a pair of cut-off blue jean shorts that hugged her apple-shaped bottom. Her skin was a delicious shade of caramel, tanned from the hot sun no doubt. Her red halter top complimented the shade well. As she passed him he said, “Hot day.”

She nodded curtly, eyeing the pale-skinned man in the grey tank top as her friends giggled and they went into the store. She stopped for a moment to look over her shoulder at him, “You better watch yourself, you’re gonna get burned.”

He smiled slyly and playfully smacked Terry in the chest as the automatic door swung shut, “damn!”

“She’s outta your league, Daryl.” Terry chuckled as Daryl rubbed his dirty blonde goatee. He was already plotting what to do next.

“Naw… she ain’t.” He took a breath before heading into the convenience store himself. Terry looked at Buck and sniggered.

Inside, Daryl could hear Merle’s loud voice back by the beer cooler laughing with Sam and Joe. He casually walked down one aisle with low shelves, spying on the girls over by the Slurpee machine comparing flavors. He paused by the snacks and perused the various chips, raising his eyes often to watch the girls as they laughed and poured themselves the thick icy beverage. He glanced back praying his brother wouldn’t come up while he made his move. He walked to the girls and said, “Hey, ‘s y’ flavor?”

“Caramel” sucked slowly on her straw before saying, “Cherry.” A pair of large green eyes framed with long lashes lifted to look at him. He felt his insides turn to mush, as a boyish grin crossed his face.

He followed her outside and as she started walking away with her friends he called out, “’s yer name?”

Looking over her rounded shoulder, “Sybil.”

From that moment on, he was hooked.

Chapter 2: The Receipt

Alexandria

Daryl rolled over, restless in his bed. He heard footsteps thudding on the basement ceiling. Judith and RJ must be over for breakfast. He sat up, Dog instantly licking his face.

“Down, boy…” he grunted. Dog jumped to the floor and waited patiently by the back door for his morning walk. Daryl shirked into some clothes, donned his boots, and opened the door. Dog ran out into the dew-covered grass behind the house to do his duties. Daryl whistled, beckoning for Dog to join him as he walked down the road toward the Alexandria main gate.

Rosita and Aaron were up on the platform, keeping watch for possible trouble.

“Good Morning, Daryl!” Aaron called out. Daryl waved quietly and moved along, toward the community center where many of the residents chose to eat together. He walked in, nabbed a fresh loaf of bread, and returned to Carol’s house.

“Good morning Uncle Daryl!” Judith exclaimed running to him as soon as he closed the door.

“Mornin’ Jude,” he answered as she hugged him around the waist. He put his arms around her shoulders and hugged her in return. RJ joined them and gave Daryl a high five.

“Come on, Judith… RJ… let’s get you fed before classes.”

“Y’ heard Aunt Carol… c’mon and get to the table.” Daryl grabbed a knife and started cutting up the bread for toast. Carol served the kids fresh scrambled eggs, apple slices, and orange juice. They munched on the yummy food while Carol poured Daryl his first cup of coffee. He leaned against the counter sipping it, his mind wandering.

He went weeks before he saw Sybil again. This time, she was at a grocery store as a cashier. What luck Daryl had! He spotted her immediately as he carried the armloads of food to the register. He decided to go through her line, affording him a great opportunity to talk to her again.

“Have a nice day,” she was saying as she handed the receipt over to the customer in front of him.

He scratched the back of his neck as she started cashing him out, “find everything you were looking for?” She lifted her eyes, a smile on her face, dimples adorning her cheeks.

“Naw…”

“No? Is there something I can help you with?”

“Sure. Y’all could give me y’ number.”

She chuckled, “You’re mighty confident.”

“’ Member me?”

“Not sure that I do,” she replied, toying with him. There was no way Sybil could forget those deep-set blue eyes and that handsome face.

“I can make it so y’ never f’get me again.” He leaned on the conveyor belt, stopping it.

“Oh yeah?”

There was a line forming behind him.

“You’re right I’ll never forget you if you get me fired,” she feigned being cross.

“Give me y’ number an’ I’ll pay m’ total.”

“I don’t even know your name,” she said, “that will be twenty-eighty-seven.”

He pulled out thirty bucks. When she returned his change, she handed him his receipt.

“Daryl. M’ name’s Daryl.”

She smirked, “have a nice day, Daryl.”

He grabbed his bag, frowning. As he put his change in his pocket, he realized she’d written a phone number on the back of the receipt.

She winked at him and started on her next customer’s order.

“… Daryl?”

Daryl looked up from his mug at Carol, “Huh?”

“I asked what your plans were for today. Where were you just now?”

He shook his head, “Nowhere. ‘M thinkin’ of takin’ a ride t’ Hilltop.”

“Yeah? If so, could you take a few things for me? I made Maggie some curtains for Hershel’s room in the Barrington House, and there are some parts that Eugene needs for the radio.”

He shrugged, “Yeah, get t’ stuff t’gether n’ I’ll take it w’ me.”

He took a plate of eggs and set it on the floor for Dog. Dog chowed down while Daryl munched on a piece of toast.

“Alright, go get washed up and Uncle Daryl will walk you to school on his way out.”

“Okay,” Judith looked at her younger brother, “get your stuff.”

Once Daryl delivered the kids to class, he and Dog ambled to the gate where Carol was waiting for him. He shouldered his pack and strapped the box of things to take down on his motorcycle. Carol squeezed his shoulder, “You have a safe trip, okay? Tell everyone I say hello. Oh, and I nearly forgot. Judith wrote Hershel a letter.” She slipped it into his hand. Daryl smiled.

“I’ll make sure he gets it.”

Chapter 3: Lending A Hand

Hilltop

Daryl sped into Hilltop, Dog in tow, and parked close to the barn. He got several waves from various community members and was warmly greeted by Maggie. She wrapped her arms around him for a big hug, “Been a long time, stranger,” she remarked, squeezed his shoulder, and knelt to pet Dog.

“Too long,” Daryl confessed, nodding in acknowledgment toward Jesus and Tara.

“Damn right it’s been too long,” Tara piped up, “tell us, what’s everyone been up to?”

“Y’ know,” he shrugged, “same old. Ain’t much t’ tell.” He patted his jacket pocket, “Got somethin’ f’ Hershel though.” He pulled out the envelope and handed it to Maggie.

“A letter from Judith?” She ran her fingers over the front of the makeshift envelope.

“Mhm. Seems they’re becomin’ pretty good pen pals,” He smiled.

“They are. It won’t be long, they’ll be on the radio talkin’. I think Hershel has a lil’ crush,” Maggie’s toothy grin spread.

Daryl grunted, “I got stuff f’ Eugene too.”

“He’s up in the attic monkeying with things, I’ll run it up to him,” Jesus said knowing full well how Eugene liked to talk people’s ears off, and Daryl was more of a quiet man.

“Thanks f’ that,” Daryl remarked looking around, “Where’s Connie?”

“She’s at Oceanside with Kelly and Luke. I know you’re disappointed,” Maggie teased.

“I’ll catch her soon ‘nough.” He shrugged, “’m here now. What can I do t’ help out?”

“We have a few cabins to build. Wanna help with that?”

“Sure,” he nodded, walking with Maggie to the area of expansion past the orchards. He was greeted by Alden, one of the blacksmiths, who was delivering a box of nails.

“Daryl, good to have you here,” Alden smiled, handing him a hammer.

“Jus’ tell me where t’ go.”

He pointed to one of the cabins already in progress. Daryl joined in immediately. As he worked with the others, it wasn’t long before he was sawing logs, roofing, and throwing himself into the job at hand. Daryl didn’t mind hard work. When the frame of the cabin was finished, he felt a sense of accomplishment and moved onto the exterior walls.

When he paused to take a cigarette break, he spotted Lydia making her way over to him. She had a wide smile on her face, her long black hair hanging loosely around her shoulders. Elijah was holding her hand, the same goofy smile on his face. Daryl smirked. Young’uns.

“We brought you some water. You’ve been working hard,” Lydia handed him a canteen.

“Thanks,” he said, swishing the cold liquid in his mouth. Felt cool and refreshing on this warm Spring day.

“We were going to head to Alexandria for a visit, but now seeing as you’re here, we won’t leave until you do. If you don’t mind.”

“Naw could use the company,” he answered, patting her shoulder.

“Great! I miss everyone. And I wanted to see Negan.”

Frowning, “What y’ need t’ see him for? He ain’t no good, Lydia.”

“I know his past, and I know how you feel about him-”

“You don’t know all ‘bout that sumbitch.” Daryl never talked with anyone in his family about what transpired when he was held prisoner at Negan’s compound, Sanctuary. Tortured, starved, stripped down for humiliation…

“I suppose I don’t. But he stuck up for me when those kids attacked me. If it weren’t for him, I might not be here. I don’t need you to understand it, but I won’t sneak around to talk to him.”

Daryl had to give her credit for being so upfront about her connection with Negan. It was true that he helped her one night when three members of Alexandria ganged up on her. It was also true that one ended up dead at Negan’s hand. It was an accident, but with Negan’s history, it nearly got him lynched.

“I don’t understand it, an’ I don’t like it. But I ain’t gonna stop ya.”

That’s one thing Lydia admired about Daryl – he didn’t treat her like a little girl. He talked to her as if she was an adult, and she respected that. Too many people tried to treat her like a child. She was seventeen, and beyond her years in many ways.

Daryl tossed her back the canteen, “Back t’ work. Y’ know, y’all could help out. Get done a lot faster.”

“I can swing a hammer,” Elijah smirked, “I’m gonna help out.”

“I’ve got some other things to do, but then I’ll be back over.” Lydia kissed Elijah before leaving. Elijah blushed and cleared his throat.

“C’mon,” Daryl spoke up, “ ‘s getcha that hammer.”

Chapter 4: First Date

(One Week Later) Daryl drove up to the house where Sybil lived. Already outside, she’d been waiting for him. She laughed when he turned off his motorcycle.

“I just knew you were going to show up on that thing.”

Daryl looked down at the bike, “’s my ride.”

She nodded, “Oh yeah… it’s your ride alright. I’ve never been on one before.”

“Well, y’all will have the time o’ yer life then.” He smiled. She walked over in a pair of tight-fitted jeans, her hips swaying practically mesmerizing him.

“Interesting way to start a first date,” She commented, sliding on behind him. Her hands went to his waist, clutching tight as he kicked the motor on and took off down the street.

“Shouldn’t we have helmets?” She called into the wind. Daryl swung the bike onto the main road.

“Naw… yer fine.”

She laughed, “As I said before, you’re mighty confident.”

Daryl enjoyed the feeling of her behind him, her hands tightening their grip. He lowered his left hand and pulled one of her arms around him tighter.

“You’re bold,” she remarked, but slid her other arm around, locking her hands in front of his stomach.

“So are ya.”

They drove along Pine Lake, one of the first places he could think of to take her. When they got off the bike she said, “You’ve got me alone, in the woods. Should I be afraid?”

“I didn’t keep y’ alive on that bike only t’ kill ya in the woods,” He smirked. She laughed. It was music to his ears; so light and genuine.

“Been t’ Pine Lake ‘fore?”

“Oh yes. This is the main hang-out spot. You?”

“Come here a bit.”

They walked a trail along the east side of the lake, quiet at first.

“So that gang you’re with…” she finally cut the silence as she studied the trees, “been with them long?”

Daryl shrugged, “yeah. They’re kinda family. My big brother Merle started hangin’ out w’ some guys an’ it went from there.”

“How many of you are there?”

“Just one,” he teased.

“Ha ha,” she rolled her eyes.

“’ Bout twenty or so. Why?”

She shrugged, “Just curious.”

She pulled a leaf off a branch and twirled it between her fingers.

“Y’ thinkin’ ‘m gonna be trouble?”

“I don’t know… are you?”

“Maybe,” he stopped walking and pointed, “look,” he whispered, “a doe.”

She squinted, “Where?”

He extended his arm with his fingertip pointing, “Between them two birch trees. See her?”

After a few moments, Sybil smiled brightly, “I do. She’s beautiful. You have a keen eye.”

Daryl shrugged, “maybe.”

“Do you spend a lot of time in the woods?”

“Quite a bit. How ‘bout ya?”

“I love nature, but no… I haven’t been camping since I was a kid.”

“Yer missin’ out.”

“I suppose I am.”

“C’mon, I wanna show y’ somethin’.”

“Okay.”

They continued casually down the trail until he veered off it, onto an unbeaten path.

“Okay, now I know you’re going to kill me,” she teased.

“C’mon,” he rolled his eyes. They came to some tall rocks, “Up f’ a lil’ climbin’?”

Hands on hips she looked up at the rocks, “Should I have worn hiking boots?”

“Naw… them shoes are fine.”

She looked down at her vans and was thankful she’d chosen them.

“Alright. Let’s go. Show me the way.”

“It ain’t gonna be as hard as it looks. Found an easy way to get up there.” He motioned for her to follow. He went around the right-hand side of the stone goliaths.

“See here,” he pointed in front of him and upward, “almost like someone made a trail in them rocks.”

“They look like they have stepping stones cut into them.”

He started up the incline, turning around every so often to make sure she was still behind him. She was eagerly bringing up the rear, keeping close.

“’s is the hard part,” he said, reaching for her hand, “lemme help y’ up the rest o’ the way.”

She took his hand and he pulled just enough to get her over the final ledge. She took a breath and looked down behind her whistling, “We are up high.”

He nodded, “Higher than it looks from down there.”

She noticed a singed area and a pile of wood.

“You come here often?”

He nodded, “’s m’ place t’ getaway. C’mere… an’ look.”

She joined him on the opposite side of the rocks and looked out. What a sight to behold. She could see the large lake in its entirety from this vantage point, and the multitude of trees on the other side. The sun was bright in the sky. She felt as if she could reach out and touch it. The rays warmed her face. She turned to look at Daryl. His blue eyes were studying her, gauging her reaction. The humongous smile on her face was enough for him. He was convinced that she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on.

Daryl rolled to his side and stared into the darkness inside the hay mound sighing. He didn’t sleep much, to begin with. And even less since the world fell. Thinking of her made it near impossible. He sat up while Dog rustled through the hay to rest his head in Daryl’s lap. He brusquely pet the dog's head. Dog whined. He’d been with Daryl so long that he could read his emotions.

“S’ alright, boy. ‘ll get through it. Always do.” He got to his feet, stretched, and said, “C’mon. ‘S go f’ a walk.” Daryl and Dog made their rounds, checking the sentinels on the wall, joining them for a bit to watch for walkers or marauders.

“You’re up early,” Cal commented, shaking out his foot that fell asleep.

Daryl shrugged, “Always am. Don’t need much sleep.”

“I don’t know how you do it, Dixon,” Cal continued.

Diane looked over at the two men, “Be thankful Daryl doesn’t sleep much. He’s saved a lot of our asses more than once because of it.”

Cal knew it was true and agreed, “Oh I know he has. It’s just when I manage to have some time to rest, I conk out. Sometimes for half a day.”

People meandered about as the sun rose, and Daryl found himself back to work at the cabins.

“You know, there’s always one of those here for you,” Jesus said, holding up a board to be nailed.

Daryl said, “Hate t’ take a place from someone else. I don’t mind the hay mound or a tent. ‘M easy.”

“So have you completely set down roots in Alexandria?”

Daryl shrugged, “Dunno if I set roots down anywhere.” The truth was the man had huge bouts of wanderlust and couldn’t sit still for too long before needing to be out in the wild again. He went with Aaron sometimes to look for more people to bring back to the communities. He brought messages from one community to the next. He also liked to provide food, go on scavenging runs; anything to keep himself busy.

People that knew him knew he was this way. They noticed a big change when Rick infamously blew up the bridge that was to connect everyone to save his people.

Daryl disappeared for three years. During his search for Rick, he met a woman by the name of Leah. No one knew about the affair he’d had with her except Carol. Dog had discovered an old house that seemed abandoned one day during their travels. But it wasn’t empty. That’s when he found an ornery woman living there that didn’t want him anywhere around her land. After about a year they began to talk, her more than him, and in a few more months they shared food. After that Daryl realized how lonely he was; one thing led to another and the two became involved. It didn’t last long. Daryl pulled away for several reasons: he wanted to continue looking for Rick, and he couldn’t allow himself to feel what he once felt for Sybil. When he was with Leah, she knew he was far away in his mind: thinking about his brother, and she had no idea what else. He couldn’t open up to her. That took years and trust. Something he knew he could never have with her. She put conditions on him and gave him ultimatums.

“It’s your brother or me.”

“It’s your family or me.” He was not a man who responded well to conditions. He wasn’t about to choose a woman that wanted all or nothing. So he walked away, never looking back.

Chapter 5: The Race

After two weeks of working on cabins, several were finished thanks to the hard labor everyone put in. Daryl wanted to reward them all with some venison, so he decided he’d head out before the light of day to hunt.

Dog stayed in step with Daryl as they silently made their way through the forest. He’d seen deer droppings which decided the direction they would go. Tell-tale signs of a foraging deer were seen everywhere if you were observant enough. Daryl was a master of tracking. He held his breath as soon as he saw the three-point, lifted his crossbow, aimed, and fired. The arrow hit its mark between the front shoulder and the ribcage, piercing the heart. The deer dropped where it stood, feeling no pain. Just the way Daryl liked it. No suffering.

He set to work right away field dressing the internal organs before he heard the groans of Walkers coming from the left.

“Shit,” he muttered, hefting the deer over his shoulders, “c’mon Dog,” he called, quickly making his exit. The organs would keep the few Walkers busy. At least enough for him to get safely away.

He returned at dusk with his prize, congratulated by many, and thanked personally by Maggie.

“Can’t have them people be veg’tarians,” Daryl teased, taking it to hang out back.

“Oh no, too many vegetables will make the people weak,” Maggie teased. Daryl eyed her between his curtains of bangs, a smirk on his face.

“They’ll appreciate it to be sure. We can do a lot with poultry and beef…”

“But there ain’t nothin’ like venison,” he cut in.

She nodded, “Right.”

They heard kids laughing and spotted Hershel and the other kids playing with Dog. Dog of course loved all the attention.

“Seems good to have them bein’ kids, huh?” Maggie asked, sighing. She had to dig deep to remember the days of misspent youth and no fear. Riding horses with her sister Beth, playing in the fields, and nights catching fireflies.

Daryl nodded as he shoved his bloodied hands into a basin of water, “Mhm… they ain’t had it so good, growin’ up too fast ‘cause t’ way t’ world turned out.” He dried his clean hands on a rag and watched the kids for a bit, a small smile on his face.

“Can’t catch me dog,” Marigold yelled out, her laugh echoing through the trees.

(August) ”You’ll never catch me, Daryl!” Sybil yelled, swimming faster out towards the floating dock in the middle of the lake. Daryl however was an experienced swimmer and was soon closing in on her. The thrill of the chase caused Sybil to start laughing and slowed her down in speed. Daryl slowed his pace, waiting for her to gain her wits and start moving faster again. Soon her hands were touching the dock.

“Damn, y’ got away,” he said, holding the edge of the dock with his hands. She splashed him playfully.

“I know you let me win.”

“Did no such thing.”

She giggled, “Okay… deny it all you want.” She caressed his damp cheek, “I’ll still give you your reward,” she moved closer and kissed his wet lips before pulling up onto the dock. Daryl could feel his stomach flip flop and his heart quicken in reaction to her affection. It was their first kiss. His cheeks reddened and he pulled up onto the dock next to her, their feet dangling in the water. He’d been pursuing her avidly for several months. His first thoughts of just wanting to bed the woman passed once he realized there was so much more to her than just a beautiful body. She had spunk, a clever mind, and kept him on his toes. He’d never met anyone like her before. Sybil seemed to enjoy her time with him, and this kiss just solidified what he was hoping for. He knew that other guys were trying to get her attention, he wasn’t blind. But the more she accepted offers of dates from him, the less concerned he became with them.

She laid back on the dock, the sun’s rays kissing her wet skin. Her hair spread out above her head like a dark halo. Her red one-piece showed plenty but left just the right amount covered to let the imagination run wild.

Daryl chewed his lip for a moment, “Sybil…”

“Mhm?” She hummed, shielding her eyes from the bright sky as she looked his way.

“’S a band playin’ at a bar next weekend. A local band… thought maybe y’all would like t’ go.”

“What kind of music?” she asked him curiously.

“Heavy stuff. Ain’t no room for country shit.”

She grinned, “You’ve got yourself a plus one then. I think it would be a lot of fun.” The idea of being squished in close to her was on his mind. He was still a man after all.

“Rememberin’ the good old days?” Maggie asked. Daryl stopped chewing his lip.

“Gonna go find somethin’ t’ do.”

Chapter 6: Scavenging Parts

“Hey, Daryl…” Jesus caught up with the archer after morning chores, “Eugene needs some parts for the solar panel he’s been working on and gave me directions to a place he thinks I can find those parts. Wanna ride with me, help me out?”

Daryl nodded as he finished brushing a horse down, “be ready in a few. Lemme finish up here.”

Jesus drove fast down the road. Daryl stared at the directions, “A bullfrog’s hop t’ the right of a… what t’ hell is this?” He asked, scratching his head.

Jesus laughed, “It’s directions. Eugene wrote them.”

“F’ fuck’s sake. Two leagues past the old maple tree… ‘s a million maple trees out here!” He threw the instructions on the dashboard. Jesus smirked, “Don’t kill me. I wrote those just to tease you.”

“You bastard,” Daryl huffed, but smiled in the end, “figures. Where’s them directions at?”

Jesus pulled a paper out of his front pocket, “Here.”

Daryl read them quickly, “’s more like it.”

When they rolled up to the old rusty warehouse, Jesus cut the engine and looked over the list Eugene had given him. Daryl got out and started scouting for Walkers, and anyone else who happened along the way. He and Jesus cleared out a small group of the dead before breaking the chain lock on the door to head inside. Pigeons flew in the disturbed air kicking up dust and dirt. The men covered their mouths, Daryl quickly pulling his rag from his back pocket. He tied it over the bottom half of his mouth. Both were silent as the grave as they passed through the large building in search of any trespassers alive, or undead. Once they were certain it was empty, they set out to find each of the things Eugene wanted. It took longer than they expected since neither knew where to start. Searching boxes, and reading labels… they’d found two of the five things before dark.

“Looks like we’ll be staying the night,” Jesus huffed, wiping the dust from his hands onto his pants.

“Mhm,” Daryl lowered his backpack and brought out some salted dried venison, doling out some pieces to Jesus.

“Thanks,” Jesus said as they sat on the cold cement floor.

As they settled in for the night, Daryl volunteered to keep a watch out.

“T’morrow we hit them boxes upstairs. Can’t see shit now.”

“Agreed. I didn’t think this would be a two-day trip. I’ll just catch a few winks.”

(1 Year Later) “Sybil, get on over here, woman!” Daryl had called out over the heavy strains of guitar on the jukebox to his girl.

Sybil’s green eyes danced with merriment as she set her beer on the bar and made her way over to the young man who beckoned her. She laughed as he snaked his arms around her waist.

His nose brushed against her ear as he said, “Dance w’ me.” As if she was ever interested in dancing with someone else. She slid her palms flat against his chest as they moved to their own beat. It certainly didn’t match the fast drum solo in the Motorhead song. But finding their way to sway their bodies together had never been a problem. They began to sweat there under the hot lights, their friends milling around them. Some were dancing, others playing pool, and still, some just drinking and sharing conversation.

Daryl’s brother Merle was leaning on his old lady, licking salt from her neck as he downed another shot of tequila. He followed up with a lemon wedge from her cleavage as his loyal gang cheered him on.

“ ‘s get outta here,” Daryl said into Sybil’s ear, “ ‘s gonna get crazy t’night.”

“It’s well on its way,” she said, gripping his hand. They made a quick exit and soon were taking off on his bike. The wind whipped through Sybil’s untethered hair. The exhilaration from the cool air and the feel of her cheek against his back were enough to make Daryl giddy. He pulled up to her apartment and as he walked her to the door she stopped, key in her hand.

“We’ve been seeing each other for a while now,” she spoke up, her eyes staring into his, “and you’ve been good to me, Daryl. Come inside. I want you to stay the night.”

His jaw twitched. He’d been excited for this moment, he wouldn’t deny it. But now that it was here, he felt a sense of pride. He’d spent his time getting to know her. There was still so much to learn. And tonight would be another lesson in the ways of Sybil.

There was no small talk as her roommates were already in their respective rooms sleeping. He hadn’t been in the apartment at night unless there was a crowd of sorority sisters having a party. He and Sybil preferred being out of the house and hanging out with his gang often. She closed her room door there in the dark and turned on a dim lamp next to the bed.

She smiled at him, walking close, her hands caressing either side of his face as they began to kiss passionately. His palms rested on the flat of her back, rubbing slowly up and down as their mouths opened to explore like so many times before. It was more intense though, with pure need behind each tongue lashing and twisting together. A small groan lifted from his throat as she stepped back from him. They stared at one another, the soft glow from the light accentuating her features. The shadows delved into her curves and along the line of her legs.

“Help me out of this skirt, will you, Daryl?”

Daryl heard a noise that caught his attention. He went to investigate but seeing that it was a raccoon he shooed it away before walking the interior of the building alone. He placed a cigarette to his dry lips and lit it. Staring out one of the wide warehouse windows, he saw a few Walkers milling about near the truck. He puffed out some smoke and moved on toward the opposite end.

Sybil was more amazing than he could’ve imagined. Her body was perfection to him, and as she lifted on top of him, her hair swung down her back. He tangled his fingers into it before rubbing down around her ass while she ground her hips on top of him. He breathed as if through honey, labored, and sweet. As she rubbed his chest, a little pout curled on her lips as she neared the height of pleasure, calling out to him. He rolled her to her back, taking her breath away as he kept the rhythm up, bringing her to orgasm. He came in sync with her. He looked down at Sybil, the sweat beading on her forehead, their wet bodies sticking together, and he felt something he’d never felt before – fulfilled.

“Kiss me…” she gasped, still feeling the aftershocks of their lovemaking.

“Ain’t gotta ask, Syb…” He lowered his mouth onto hers, sucking her lips slowly, delightfully before withdrawing. He lay back, his chest still heaving as she lay her cheek upon it, listening to his fast heartbeat. He opened his legs, and she nestled her lower half between them, her stomach resting on his groin, not uncomfortable. He rubbed her saturated back, fingers slipping in the sweat, her hair pasted to her shoulders and his chest. Their bodies fit together like an intimate puzzle. Their hands locked together, fingers woven tight, his free hand cradling her. It was at that moment he knew his heart belonged to her.

When the first hint of light came through the windows, Jesus was up. He and Daryl searched the remainder of the building and found the rest of the items for Eugene by midday.

When they got outside, the Walkers from last night were still wandering around the truck, and seeing the two men, started lurching towards them.

“Dammit,” Jesus uttered while Daryl shot the closest in the head and then pulled his knives. Jesus round-housed one right in the skull, its rotted head exploding from the connection. Daryl took out two, a stab to the front of each temple, and Jesus took down the last one.

“ ‘ll drive,” Daryl said once everything was packed into the back of the pickup. Jesus tossed the keys to him. On the drive to Hilltop, Daryl was reliving those moments with Sybil still. Waking up with his legs wrapped around hers, her body still on his. He could almost feel her warmth, smell her perfume. He swerved almost hitting a Walker in the road. Jesus looked over at him, “Are you sure you’re up for driving?”

“Yeah, ‘m fine.” He sped up to get past the gathering herd quickly leaving them in the dust.

Eugene was pleased as he met the men getting out of the pickup.

“Did y’all find everything?” he asked as he pulled back the tarp over the parts. He went over the list and marked each item off, “Well done, you guys. I know these doodads don’t look like much, but when I get ‘em all put together, we’ll have some fine additions to those cabins y’all been working so hard on. Electricity! Creature comforts.”

“Glad we could help,” Jesus said as he and Daryl unloaded.

“Did you meet up with any trouble?” Maggie asked as she picked up a small box from the back.

“Naw,” Daryl responded.

“Nothing we couldn’t handle,” Jesus added.

( 1 Month Later) Carver College

Daryl spotted Sybil and her friends in the throes of students in the cafeteria. She’d been pouring over textbooks for a test coming up in English Lit class. He breathed hot air on the back of her neck, “Hey babe.”

She smiled as she whispered, “Daryl…”

Mandy sniggered, “You two are something else.”

Daryl kissed Sybil lightly and slid into the chair next to her.

“Where have you been?” She asked in a hushed tone. She hadn’t seen him in four days. No explanations, no phone calls, “I was worried about you. I thought something might have happened to you!”

“Naw, no need t’ worry. ‘M here now.” He rubbed her hand slowly.

She picked up her books and excused herself from her circle of friends. Daryl grabbed them to carry for her. Once they were outside she turned to him, “Where have you been?” She asked him again, “You just disappeared.”

“I had t’ go outta town w’ Merle.”

“To do what?” She asked curiously.

He shrugged, “Just some odd errands, ain’t no big deal.”

“Daryl, it’s a big deal when you’re dating someone, and you just disappear. What if something happened to you?”

“Syb… don’t need t’ keep tabs on me. Ain’t nothin’ gonna happen t’ me.”

She frowned, “I’m not keeping tabs. Why are you keeping secrets?”

Chapter 7: Unavailable

The deer was finally ready to process. Many offered to help him, but he kindly rejected those offers. He wanted to work alone and get things off his mind. His memories were flooding in and he couldn’t build the dam fast enough to keep them at bay. It was close to the time of year when he first met Sybil. Even though people referred to parts of the year by the period of Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter, Daryl knew it was around June. He felt it in his heart, and thoughts of Sybil were at their pinnacle. He sharpened his knife on a whetstone til the blade could slice easily through the meat, and as he removed the hide, he halted suddenly.

(6 Months Later) Sybil looked up from the bed, “Where are you going, hot stuff?”

He zipped his jeans, “gotta go outta town f’ a few days.”

She sat up, slipping on one of his t-shirts, “where? You never say.”

“Nothin’ y’ need t’ worry y’self over, Syb.” He rubbed her shoulders slowly, “Y’ won’t even have time t’ miss me.” He kissed her lips.

“Your brother is a troublemaker. Why do I have the feeling you two get up to no good when you’re gone?”

He shook out his head and started working the hide again, bound to have the hide salted and stretched before dinner. His workworn hands rubbed the salt into the thin layer of skin remaining, and as he was stretching it, he could smell dinner. His stomach rumbled. He covered the meat with an old tarp and went to join the others.

That night he sat by the campfire longer than most. The dog was sleeping by his foot, basking in the heat from the flames.

(One Year Later) Daryl knew it was late. It was nearly one. He’d been out fucking around with his gang, causing a ruckus, getting into a fight with another gang, and then Merle suggested they all go out for drinks. Daryl had a few and lost track of time.

“Shit, I gotta go!” He told his brother.

“What? Why?”

“’S Sybil’s birthday. ‘M late.”

“You’re so whipped. Hell, she’ll have another one next year.”

“That ain’t the point!” He said goodbye to his friends and rushed out to his bike. When he got to Sybil’s apartment, he could see the windows were dark. He pulled the present he had messily wrapped out of his saddle bag and went up to the second floor. He knocked on the door, and Theresa answered.

“What are you doing here, Daryl? Don’t you know how to tell time?”

“Jus’ wanna see Syb… don’t need y’all givin’ m’ a hard time. Lemme in.”

“Why don’t you just go and try to make amends tomorrow? You’re on her shit list you know.”

“Who’s at the door?” Sybil called out behind her. Daryl looked over Theresa’s shoulder and saw Sybil tying up her silky robe.

“Syb… ‘s me. I wanna come in.”

“I’ve got this Theresa…”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, you go on back to bed.”

Daryl ducked his head in shame, “Happy Birthday.” He held out the gift. Sybil’s hands were on her hips.

“Kind of late for that. My birthday was yesterday. It’s nearly two. What happened?”

“Got caught up w’ the boys. I lost track o’ time s’ all.”

“Oh, that’s all huh? My birthday didn’t matter much to you then, did it?”

“That ain’t true.”

“Sure it is. If you cared, you’d have been on time. You get with those guys and forget everything.” She pulled him into the room, and looked at him in the light, “And what the hell happened to your chin?”

Daryl instinctively touched his jaw. He must’ve gotten a bruise from the fight.

“You’ve been fighting again?”

“Weren’t much o’ a fight,” he half–laughed, “We got ‘em good.”

She stared at him angrily, “I can’t believe you’re missing the point here.” She wiped tears from her eyes, “I don’t think this is going to work out.”

“What? Y’ breakin’ up w’ me?!”

“Yes, I am.”

“Because m’ late f’ y’ birthday?”

“You just don’t get it. You didn’t show up. You didn’t call. And when you finally do show up you don’t feel one inch of remorse for it all.”

“Said I was sorry, Syb. Don’t be like that.”

“No, you didn’t apologize. You bragged about a fight. I don’t want to be a part of this. I expect more from the man I care about.”

He wiped his eyes, blaming the smoke from the fire, and decided it was time to head back to Alexandria. He’d leave as soon as he finished preparing the meat for Hilltop.

Chapter 8: Camping

Daryl waited a couple weeks for Sybil to cool off after their split.

“You’re better off without her baby brother. Now you ain’t tied down to one woman, you can date any y’all want.”

“Don’t wanna date anyone else. I want Sybil,” he muttered, wiping his greasy hands on a rag. He turned over the engine on his bike, bringing it back to life after its tune-up.

“Well she don’t want nothin’ to do with your sorry ass. She thinks she’s too good for ya! There’s plenty of other bitches that are interested in ya.”

“She ain’t a bitch, Merle. She’s different than them other girls.”

“Ooh, are you in love, pussy?”

“Why am I tellin’ y’ anythin’?” He put his tools away, and said, “Goin’ out f’ a bit.”

“Go on then, run back to that highfalutin’ uptown bitch. She must have some sugar ‘tween her legs to keep ya comin’ back to her.”

He showed up at Save A Lot where Sybil worked. She wasn’t at the cash register, but he found her stocking shelves as he searched the aisles.

“Hey Syb…” he said as he approached. She stopped marking canned goods with the pricing gun and looked in his direction.

“What are you doing here?”

“Came t’ apologize. M’ sorry I was such a dick.”

“Are you? Because I have the feeling that the sort of thing that got you in trouble with me in the first place is going to keep happening.”

“Naw… it ain’t. What can I do t’ make y’ change y’ mind?”

She huffed, “You need to stop fighting. I knew full well you were in a gang when I met you. But I don’t think I realized what that entailed.”

He reached out and touched one of her curls, wrapping it around his finger, “I can stop fightin’.”

“Yeah, right,” She rolled her eyes.

“I can,” he insisted.

“Prove it.”

“I will. Supposed t’ be a lil’ somethin’ on Friday. ‘ll come an’ see y’all instead. Maybe I can help you study…” he leaned his arm against the shelf, keeping close to her, “what d’ ya say?”

“Give me a week to think things over. Stay out of trouble until then. I refuse to have a boyfriend that will probably end up in jail. You’re better than that.”

He screeched to a halt on his bike. Right in the middle of the road.

“Can’t go back to Alexandria.” He felt a tightness in his chest, “Just can’t. C’mon.” He veered off the road and pushed his bike into some bramble to hide it.

He and Dog made their way deep into the forest around them. He knew the area well. He retreated towards a long winding river that cut through a clearing and set up a little lean-to between two trees and dug out a hole for a campfire. He set up a perimeter and fashioned a spear from a sturdy branch to go fishing. He and Dog ate a fine catch of fish for dinner.

He lay back against a log and stared up through the tree branches as the stars peeked into the holes between the leaves.

Three months later, they were back together. It took him that long to convince Sybil that he was staying out of trouble. He hung with the gang but skipped out when any brouhahas took place. His brother and friends didn’t let him live it down. He took the brunt of their brutal teasing, keeping his focus on what he really wanted, Sybil.

He watched as Sybil tried to figure out the instructions to the tent she’d brought on their first camping trip. It was early Autumn, and the weather was still pretty warm. He snorted, “Don’t need that booklet. Didn’t need no fancy tent neither.”

“I wanted it to be special,” she huffed, “and I can’t make heads or tails of any of this.”

He walked over, grabbed the instructions, and tossed them in the fire.

“Hey!” She laughed, “How do you expect to set up this tent then?”

He set to work, “Syb… pull them ropes your way.” He handed her a spike, “Stick ‘em in the ground…”

He pulled the other side and did the same. He put together the supports inside, assembling the tent in no time. She smiled proudly as she looked at the results.

“I knew you were good for something,” she teased, messing with his short hair.

That night after hot and heavy lovemaking, they went skinny dipping in the river not far from their setup. She shone under the moonlight, her body dancing with the beads of water dripping down her shoulders, over her breasts, and into the water at her waist. Daryl joined her and as they made out she said, “I could stay here forever.”

How he wished he had.

Chapter 9: The Thick of the Woods

Daryl spent weeks wandering the woods. He’d become so silent, he didn’t even need to call Dog, Dog just knew when to come. He’d gone a longer distance with each day, following the river downstream. He’d passed some small makeshift cabins and checked them out. Even spent some nights in one or two of them. He fought Walkers. Trudged through a downpour. Played with Dog in different clearings they happened upon. They lived off fish, rabbits, squirrels, wild yams, and leeks.

(2 Years Later) Sybil and Daryl got an apartment together. They’d been together for well over four years, and things just fell into place. They were happy, content with life. She was in her fourth year of college, she wanted to be a teacher, and Daryl was working for a local garage fixing just about anything with a motor.

“C’mon Syb… y’all get that cute ass in here. ‘ll help y’ study.” Daryl wanted to be as supportive to Sybil as he could. Even when he didn’t understand what he was quizzing her on, he felt proud of his girl for being so smart.

“If I don’t know it by now, I’m never going to know it.”

“C’mon ‘s the hard stuff, Early Childhood Development,” He held up the book, “We’re gonna go over t’ ones highlighted. Y’all got the rest down pat.”

“Okay, okay,” She threw her hands up in the air.

“Listen… ‘s somethin’ y’ really want, right?”

“Yes,” she answered, her eyes locking with his.

“Then y’ gotta put the time in. ‘S been four long years, but ‘s almost over. Don’t give up.” He squeezed her hand gently as he leaned in to kiss her.

“What would I do without you?” She asked, rubbing his scruffy cheek.

“Fail t’ damn test,” he teased, wiggling his eyebrows. They both laughed, “Right. Question one…”

He smiled at the thought, on how she graduated in the top five of her class. He’d liked to have thought he was part of the reason for that, if she wasn’t so smart to begin with. Still, it was some of his favorite time back then, watching her mind work, the way she’d bite her tongue and look at the ceiling while she thought about her answers, and how she loved to be rewarded with kisses.

One evening, just before dusk he heard a scream. Another voice was yelling, “Over here… this way!”

Heavy footfalls, groaning, and growling. Walkers. He followed the sounds and before crashing through the brush, he surveyed the situation. About ten Walkers were surrounding a couple of women and a man. They were fighting the Walkers pretty well, but there were too many. Daryl aimed his crossbow, clipping one Walker in the head about to bite the man’s shoulder. He fell to the ground. Unsure of what happened, the people continued to fight. He unsheathed his two knives, broke through the brush, and took two out, slicing another at the knees. One of the women brought down a knife into its brain. The other woman shoved a Walker into a tree and split its head with a machete. Three more to go. The man was backing up, looking to see if there were any more, turned around, and got one mere moment from attacking him. Daryl wiped the blades on his filthy pants and looked at the people quickly.

“Thank you,” one of the women breathed, “I don’t know if we could’ve made it without your help. Imagine finding another living soul in the woods.”

Daryl nodded as Dog sniffed around for any other threats. The woman with the cleaver was kneeling, cleaning her blade on one of the Walker’s shirts.

“Yes, thank you.” She stood up and turned to face the man, “we wouldn’t have made it.” She brushed an arm across her grimy face and said, “Do we look as bad as you do?” She smiled at the light joke. Daryl did a double-take. He squinted his eyes and studied the woman closely. She wasn’t anything to look at from first glance being road worn and ragged. But he saw those mystifying green eyes he’d never forget.

“S… Sybil?” His voice broke from being quiet for so long. It sounded foreign to him.

“How do you know my name?” She asked, eyeing the stranger. He was caked in mud, grungy from head to toe, long filthy hair pasted to his dirtied face.

“’S me…” was all he could muster taking a step closer. The woman looked deeply into the man’s eyes.

“Syb… ‘s Daryl…” he patted his chest.

“Daryl?” Her eyes widened. With sharp analysis, she determined that under that mess was the man from her past when everything was right in the world. Her throat closed as she stood stone still. The air was so thick, no one spoke, but everyone was bewildered that Sybil could find someone in the middle of nowhere that knew her.

There was movement behind her and a voice, “Mom? Is it safe to come out?”

For Part Two Click Here

#walking dead fanfiction #daryl dixon twd #daryl dixon x oc #daryl dixon fluff #daryl dixon smut #daryl dixon fanfiction #daryl dixion imagine

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bambidixon · 6 months ago

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Oceanside is so beautiful it is such a shame that literally nothing interesting happens there, if I was in twd that would be my community fr

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eccentricallygothic · 6 months ago

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i am sorry but arat's execution was so fucking lame. the gang needed oceanside and they're a good ally but i do not like them. esp the stupid little girl in charge. and i am not really liking maggie much this season either. do one thing or the other ffs decide once and for all which way you want to go instead of dangling half cocked between two extremes. everyone wants to choose rick to avoid responsibility when it comes to it but then they keep going behind his back. a bunch of assholes, the whole lot of them. i also love how the rules bend to accommodate the gang but for everyone else they're the law. arat was RIGHT. simon would have killed her and things were different then. now is now. THATS THE WHOLE FUCKING POINT! like out of all the saviors her and that blonde girl laura i think are the only ones who were fr. i hate how the gang gives every other despicable fuck multiple chances but not the people who truly deserve them. for the bitching they do about moving forward they sure like to deep throat the past a whole fucking lot. we will follow rick. oh no ricks rules aren't the only rules. then something goes wrong they go crying to rick and following him again only for the same fucking cycle to continue. BULLSHIT. no hindsight no nothing. a bunch of idiots. dumbasses like them won't last more than a few days if twd was real. also it was not really ricks place to let negan live in the first place because we all know how he gets when someone hurts his family. the writing for this show is un-fucking-real and in a bad way. also jesus was maggies moral compass when he didn't need to be all throughout season 8 and now he suddenly decides he can't say anything to her??? they're all hypocrites. they keep chasing their own tails like total dumbasses and can't make up their minds or be fr for shit.

#kai rants twd #twd season 9 #the walking dead #rick grimes #twd rick grimes #maggie rhee #the saviors #negan smith #daryl dixon #rick grimes twd #twd maggie

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angelthefirst1 · 8 months ago

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The time of Jacob's (Daryl's/Israel's) trouble and Daniel's 70th week (Revelation) Part 1

Part 2 here.

So there are rumors going around that Daryl Dixon season 3 will begin filming in Spain 🇪🇸 this June.

Norman told a fan in NY just this past week, and while it's not officially confirmed, I've seen multiple accounts stating it's a reliable source, and it's all but confirmed.

I'm inclined to agree with them because there has been symbolism in the show that points to Spain 🇪🇸

Keep in mind that in the TWD universe, physical locations shift to symbolically represent a totally different location depending on the story they are telling. The main story is the biblical last days, so locations shift symbolically to tell this story.

With this in mind, I'm going to unlock some of the different locations and what they represent in the biblical narrative in this series, which will be over several parts. The title will eventually make sense to you.

We all saw Rick leave the show on a bridge, so what if Daryl finds Beth on a bridge? Very fitting right...

Well, the episode that gave us some Spanish clues was the episode where Tara (Daryl) fell off a bridge and washed up at Oceanside. 706

We all saw how Tara and Denise XX were repeats of Daryl and Beth.

Tara's story backwards is Bethyl's story.

Tara leaves the satellite station (a representation of France and its radio Eiffel tower)

Ultimately, the nest in France represents Israel because it's named after the Archangel Michael who is the protector of Israel, I've written about that here, and I'll confirm this more as we go.

So she starts in France (satellite), and then washes up in a representation of Spain 🇪🇸 (Oceanside)

After Oceanside she makes her way home to Alexandria to find out Denise is dead from an arrow to the head.

At Oceanside, she learns that the bridge she lost Heath on is the bridge on Windsor...

Daryl left home and floated past the Windsor bridge in Spain that is along the Gibraltar straight before washing up in Marseilles France.

In the backgrounds, here at Oceanside draped over the flag shaped blackboard are streamers of yellow, red, and a touch of blue and pink, making up the Spanish flag colours.

When she leaves Oceanside, she comes across a boat turned on its side, and she finds a first aid kit in it. Similar to Daryl's journey when he washed up in France. There is a lot of repeating imagery in this episode and DD1

Tara desperately wants to get home to Denise, who she thinks is alive (but isn't), opposite Daryl, who wants to get home, but he thinks Beth is dead.

Tara, on her way back (home) to Alexandria, goes to a store that has a sign saying sunglasses (a hint to the eclipse of episode 508) and the word Curios

The word Curios and its etymology gives us a plan of Daryl's journey, where he will go, and what he will find in the end.

The word means...

Something (such as a decorative object) considered novel, rare, or bizarre

It stems from the word Curious - from French curios, from Latin curiosus - meaning careful, inquisitive, from cura/cure.

The language origins stem from French, Latin/ Spanish, and Romanian (Roman empire).

The Spanish word is Curio, is something Norman recently posted about...

The term means a few different things, but they all work together to tell us how Daryl will find Beth.

It can mean bizarre or unusual trinket or art kept in a museum (Louvre) or to be curious for knowledge, (which is what TD's are) but it also can mean cure, and a thirst for knowledge will help lead people to a cure.

Inside this bizarre trinket shop, Tara gets herself orange sunglasses (eclipse symbolism, as everyone puts on special glasses to view an eclipse).

The red and yellow of the Spanish flag, make orange.

In this Spanish Curio shop, She also finds twin doctor bobble-heads, a representation of Denise (Beth/Cure) in "Spain" 🇪🇸

Norman also posted about Mr. Hyde recently, specifically Mr Hyde's bizarre. Remember that the term curios means bizarre trinket.

I recently wrote about the Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde statue found in the eclipse episode of 509 here.

These two doctor statues that Tara finds are a representation of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (light and dark, lies and truth, cure and fake cure)

In the background behind the doctor's statues, you will see squirt guns. They are a representation of vaccines that will ultimately be the cause that starts the outbreak in the first place, and it will be linked to the mark of the beast - antichrist who rises from a revived Roman empire. Cura

The beginning is the end, and the end is the beginning.

We also see in this same shot flower symbolism 💐 look at the flowers - death.

Patient Zero in TWD universe was a drug (pharmakeia) user who dies and comes back as the Immortally undead.

Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, good vs. evil.

The bible in the book of Revelation (which we know they are using as a template) describes the whole world being deceived by "sorceries" of "the great/powerful men on the earth", which in the Greek the word is pharmakeia, from which we get our word pharmacy.

Revelation 19.20

And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet (Pope in Meridian is linked to the false prophet) who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.

The mark automatically will lead to being separated into a "goat" at the sheep and goat judgements. I talked about that in my Millennium post.

The sheep represent those who have accepted the real human cure (Blood of Christ), and the goats represent those who have rejected the human cure and have taken the mark.

Taking the mark leads to burning up (fever of the virus) 🔥 eternally (immortal dead) in the lake of fire because it will be linked to changing human DNA to non-human DNA. The real cure (the blood of Christ/Beth) can only be applied to humans.

We saw the fake cure mentioned with Eugene in season 5 when he talks about the human genome project, which is a hint at genetic modification of the DNA, which will be linked to this mark causing zombies.

The beginning is the end and the end is the beginning.

Patient zero had a DNA change through a pharmakeia "squirt gun" poison "cure".

Leading to "burning up" and then eternal death in the lake of fire.

Fire with fire.

The thing is, everyone is infected, in this world and everyone becomes Immortally dead no matter if they get bit or just die of natural causes. So a real cure is needed and i believe it will come through Beth and Daryl's blood.

Taking the mark of the beast (fake cure will be the beginning of it all, the start of the outbreak, beginning to end) and will lead to disqualification of taking the real cure (Christ) who comes through the line of Abraham who was from BE'ERSHEBA or Be'er Sheva.

Fear the Walking Dead used beer 🍺 as a first hint at a cure because this region was where Abraham was from. There are so many biblical names in this show and they unlock the real meaning behind the story.

Beersheba was known as the location of Abraham's Well, a historical water well in Beersheba, Israel.

Abraham made 7 water wells in Beersheba, and this water and Beer symbolism is used in fear TWD to show us the location of the story but also the cure coming through the line of Abraham.

We see Sarah (Abraham's wife) as a big supporter of Be'er sheva in fear the walking dead. And yes Abraham in the show is another biblical clue i won't go into now, but he does mention Alpha and Omega beginning and end.

Beersheba marked the southernmost boundary of land in Israel. The proverbial phrase from Dan to Beersheba is used to describe the whole of the Promised Land—Dan being in the north, and Beersheba in the south.

Abraham was promised this land by God from Dan to Beersheba and that through his line, the cure would come. The well name also means agreement or oath.

In fear, TWD, it's Martha who poisoned the water.

In the Bible, Martha is the sister of Lazarus who dies of a progressive illness such as sepsis but Christ resurrected him. Lazarus is from Bethany which means house of affliction, everyone who drank the poisoned water in Fear was in Bethany (house of affliction), but the line of Beersheba heals them.

Jesus and Martha share this exchange...

“If you had been here (the arrival of Christ through the line of Abraham's well at Beersheba), my brother would not have died (Antifreeze). But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask” (John 11:21–22). Notice Martha’s faith: she firmly believed that Jesus (beersheba line) could have healed Lazarus of his illness. And her faith is not diminished by the fact that Jesus had arrived “too late.” (generations after Abraham and Sarah)

Jesus encourages Martha with one of His “I AM” statements: “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die

So curio and the bizarre trinket cure are pointing us to the biblical promised land and the line of Abraham from Beersheba.

We see Tara sit next to a sign inside the curio shop that says country hams. Abraham's country.

To reinforce this link to Abraham's land, we can look at Daniel in fear TWD.

Dan or Daniel (Daniel's 70th week), in fear, the walking dead, was taken by a man named Ephraim, one of the other tribes of Israel. He survives the fire through the tribes of Israel (Christ/Cure)

From Dan to Beersheba AbraHAM's country.

Daniel, in fear, the walking dead, has an orange cat with red and blue collar - red and blue make the royal purple. The cat is symbolic for the lion of the tribe of Judah.

The lion is the symbol of the house of Judah, and Jesus is a descendant of the House of Judah. Daniel and the royal cat are symbols of Beth and Daryl. We know Beth was recently seen advertised with the purple on resurrection Sunday

The Lion is something Norman posted about recently while in Hungary on his way to a wedding (eclipse) that Nova 🌟 was in.

In that post about the Lion, i asked the question if Norman was Hungry for his Beth?

I would say yes because at Meridian Daryl was seen with Leah (Beth) in his cage with red and blue shoe laces, like the cat/Lion.

Pope is a reference to the false prophet and anarchist rising during Daniel's 70th week which is just another way of saying the book of Revelation. They rise from Europe (revived Roman empire) Which is why i believe they took the show to Europe.

Back at Oceanside, we see Tara has a visible tattoo on her wrist when she washed up.

The visible ROMAN numerals on her wrist add up to 70. This is pointing to Daniel's 70th week.

Daniel (Who was the one that was put into the lions den, but they don't eat him) has a dream about the future of Abraham's line, and part of his dream was about a 7 year period of time known as the 70th week of Daniel. It's about what happens to Israel throughout the book of Revelation or end times.

Before we see Tara's 70th week (Revelation) tattoo, we see Cindy looking at a clock and watching the time counting down to the start of this time period.

The clock points to V111 and 1111, but the long hand is really on XX11 or 8.22. XX11 is 10.2 or 22.

We saw Carol get the numbers 22 Balaam's donkey symbolism for DD2. D=4 x2=8 (8.22)

Well, it literally links back to the promise God made to Abraham at Beersheba and to his descendants, which is, that the cure would come through his blood line (Christ) and God made a promise to Abraham's descendants saying "I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you" which is what the story of Balaam's donkey is all about.

So once again, The Book of Carol is the book of Revelation and Daniel's 70th week, and it's about the return of Christ (Beth)

I want to again mention the blood moon I wrote about here, which is associated with the Wolf of Rimini and the Antichrist rising in a revived Roman empire because another blood moon is scheduled in Spain 🇪🇸 on 03 14 25 next year.

Emily has written about watching the moon turn bright blood red from her tree house bed in the song Mortal. Again this is a reference to the Antichrist who receives a mortal head wound but survives.

Rev 13.3

One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast.

At Oceanside (Spain) Tara eats fish called "Perch" which is another term for a birds Nest. Tree house bed.

We get visuals of these perches or "tree house" nests at Oceanside.

When the group at Oceanside become aware of Tara intruding, they use a clicking sound to indicate a threat is near.

The clicking sound they make is the sound Grasshoppers make, when clicking their legs together. You will have to go re-watch it to hear the sound.

We know the grasshopper is linked to Beth and a museum from TOWL when Thorn says to Rick the girl they saved lived in a museum and hid in a GIANT grasshopper sculpture.

Well the "Giant" and "Grasshopper" symbolism is another link to the story of Moses, when he is leading his people into the promised land-Israel.

The verse they are pulling from in the story Thorne tells is Numbers 13.33

When Moses leads his people to the outskirts of the promised land, they send scouts ahead, to go into the land before entering it. This verse is what the scouts report back.

There we saw the giants and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”

They saw giants in the land and they seemed liked grasshoppers because they were so small in comparison.

Curio, bizarre, unusual, museum, giant, grasshopper all linked to Beth Spain (Oceanside) which Daryl gets to through France.

I will continue this series when i can, in future parts as there is so much to cover including how Daryl is Jacob (Israel) and what the moonshine, ethanol symbolism means.

If you have any questions just ask.

#team delusional #team defiance #bethyl #beth greene #team beth lives #beth is alive #beth x daryl #beth is coming #beth greene lives #td #emily kinney #twd daryl and beth #bible #zombie #tara chambler #abraham

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twdmusicboxmystery · 1 year ago

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Has Maggie mentioned how the people at Oceanside, Hilltop, Alexandria and the Commonwealth are doing? Like Elijah and Lydia. We didn’t get enough of them as couple nor did we see how Lydia truly copes with having only one arm. I mean she had that little convo with Aaron but to me it’s not enough it’s like they glossed over it.

I'm sure Elijah and Lydia will show up again. The actress who plays Lydia has been seen in France while the Daryl spinoff was filming. I'm not saying for sure that she'll be in it. And even if she were, it might be a flashback. But she's around.

She's also been seen at TWD cons lately. I agree that they ended that, and several other stories rather abruptly. But that's because the TWDU is not ending. It's expanding. So, I'm confident we'll see a lot of these characters again, either in the spinoffs or after them, when we think all the characters will come back together into a central show again.

We just have to be patient. Unfortunately. 😉

In terms of the other communities, we know there's sort of a "new Hilltop" because the other one burnt down. They rebuilt in another location, and we see some of it in scenes in Dead City. But they don't go into too much detail about that or any of the other communities or characters. This seems to be squarely Maggie's story and they're being kind of mysterious about what's going on with the other characters.

Wish I could tell you more, but that's all they're giving us. Xoxo! ☀️🔥💞

#beth greene #beth greene lives #beth is alive #beth is coming #team delusional #team defiance #td theories #td theory #beth is almost here #bethyl

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carlgrimesmissingeye · 2 years ago

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One thing I’m sure of is if I was ever in TWD, the beach walkers from Oceanside would make me piss myself more than ANY other walker. Am I the only one? Like those fuckers were scary covered in seaweed and barnacles with those wet ass groans. By far scarier than the variant walkers, the metal covered walkers Negan had, and walkers that are huge as hell.

#twd spoilers #the walking dead #my lovely moots

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maremote · 2 years ago

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if it was me and i was writing twd season 7 i would give daryl a slower prison break arc. i would either have carol leave entirely and have a road trip arc. or i would make the house near the kingdom she stays in 1. farther away. 2. dilapidated so she has to fix it. either way i would give her an arc where she is left alone from the characters she's used to defining herself in relation to. i would keep the negan carl relationship but i would make negan more insane and less human. commit to the bit or go home. i would make rosita smarter. i would make the oceanside episode more about exploring the community and less about tara trying to get out.

#og #twd

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nicothebug · 4 months ago

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𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙘 𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣

Name : Nico Mendez (she/her) Nickname : Nico Age : 25 Birthday : April 18, 1986. Occupation : Horticulturalist and greengrocer (before outbreak) Current residence : Orchard Hill, near Atlanta (before outbreak), the prison (in the near future).

𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠

Main roles : scavenger, farmer, hunter Skills : green thumb, good sense of direction, first aid, wood working. Weapon of choice : recurve bow and arrow

𝙢𝙮 𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙙𝙧

S/O : Daryl Dixon (27) Trope : friends to lovers

Family : Rafael Mendez (twin brother), Eduardo Mendez (grandfather, passed away several years before the outbreak).

Background : My brother and I were born in Atlanta and raised by my grandfather, Eduardo. He used to be a lawyer in the city, and after retiring, he started his greengrocer business.

Unfortunately, our grandfather passes away inherit the business and the house. When we both graduate (horticulture for me, nursing for Rafa), I start his old business back up and my brother gets a job at Harrison Memorial Hospital.

Early 2010, Rafa puts a stop to his career for the time being and helps me run the business.

The outbreak begins in late august of 2010. We barricade inside our home and stay there for two months, until walkers start piling up in our neighbourhood and it becomes too difficult to go out.

We move to a cabin belonging to an old survivalist lady that our grandpa was close to and stay there for five months. We plant some produce and (painstakingly) learn to hunt and get by. I find a bow and arrow in the cabin and start shooting again (used to do archery as a hobby before the outbreak).

At the end of our stay, the cabin was breaking apart and our survival skills were reaching their limit. We decide that staying near towns and small cities was our best option. During the next few weeks, we are constantly on the move (we briefly meet Michonne and Andrea, but we ultimately decide to split up with them). At some point, we come across a small group of secluded houses and decide to stay there for a couple of days.

First shift : in my dr, Lori gets pregnant one month earlier than in canon. Unfortunately, she gives birth and passes away while Rick and the rest of the group are still on the move (after the whole barn ordeal and before the prison).

Rafa and I watch from a window as Rick's group run into a house close to the one we were staying at. We decide to stay in and wait it our for a bit, but are cut short when Daryl and T-Dog come across us first and hold us at gun-point. I tell them that I know where they can get baby formula, and after some time, they agree to give us a chance.

We officially join their group and, a few weeks later, we find the prison.

Following events : No Negan and no Whisperers and no Governor and no Wolves in my dr, nope.

We're definitely staying in the prison for a bit, but we'll quickly realize that the fence situation is a ticking time bomb and decide to leave. We'll come across Alexandria and then it's chill from there...as chill as a twd dr can get lmao.

In the future, we'll probably build peaceful alliances with Oceanside, Hilltop and the Kingdom. I scripted that we'll never come across other violent communities.

Last updated : 12/11/2024

#the walking dead dr #nicoshifts #shiftblr #shifting to twd #shifting community #reality shifting

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paintyoureyeswithavividmind · 1 year ago

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close to home | chapter fifty five

plot: the reader and her group go into the city

series masterlist

Pairing: Eventual Daryl Dixon x f!reader Word Count: 3,670 Warnings: violence, blood, typical twd A/N: thank you for reading!!!

You were up before Daryl the following day. The clock on the nightstand read 3:51AM, and it would go off in nine minutes. You’d have plenty of time to get to the meeting point at dawn. You’d see many of your friends today, some of whom you hadn’t seen in a while. Despite getting up so early, you were looking forward to it.

Daryl was sleeping next to you, snoring away per usual. You moved from across the bed so you were against his arm, feeling his bare skin against yours. His skin was smooth as you laid your palm against his chest and leaned forward to kiss his cheek. Then another one, and another one after that.

He started stirring, and you smiled as he said, “Crazy girl.”

“Morning, handsome,” You said.

He sighed deeply and looked at you, but you couldn’t see him in the dark room. “Ya kept me up too late.”

You rolled your eyes and shuffled to get out of bed, wincing at the discomfort between your legs. “I’m sure that’s exactly what happened. You gotta hurry up, old man. The group won’t wait for grandpa to catch up.”

***

Most of the group was already at the meeting point when you and Daryl turned up. As soon as he stopped the bike, you were jumping off to hug your friends. Michonne and Maggie were first on your greeting list, then Jesus, Aaron, Tara, and everyone else. There were a few people you recognized from Hilltop but none that you’d spent much time with.

“We’re still waiting on the Kingdom; they’ll be here in a few,” Michonne told you.

Rick called your name and nodded his head before walking away, so you knew to follow him.

“You know, I’ll have to talk to Michonne about you.” You said as you walked up to him. “Me and her are both dating such old men.”

He gave you a look but smiled anyway. “How are you?”

“I’m fine, you? Judith?”

“Both good. How’s the Sanctuary? Anything I need to know about?”

You shook your head and crossed your arms. “Not really. Harvest isn’t that great, but we managed to make a decent amount of fuel, I guess. Most of the saviors are compliant. Some love what’s changed. I don’t know…”

“It can work,” He said.

You glanced back at the group and saw how well everyone got together. Oceanside, Hilltop, and Alexandria. Then you looked at Rick. “I don’t know. But I’m hopeful, Rick.” You lied.

He smiled at you, wrapped an arm around your shoulders, and guided you towards the group. About half a mile up the road, you saw the Kingdom coming in. “I know you are. That’s why I put you in charge of overseeing the communities.”

“That’s why? I thought it was because you were sick of my jokes.” You smiled.

Rick snorted as he shook his head. “Maybe that, too. And don’t think I didn’t notice that ring on your finger.”

You felt your cheeks heat up and touched your fingers to the ring on your left hand. “Yeah…”

Rick paused and looked at you. “I’m happy for you. I’m happy seeing you happy.” Then he gave you a big hug. “Congratulations. I’ll have to tease Daryl a bit, but I’m sure you understand.”

You laughed loudly as the hug ended. “He has a matching one, so go crazy.”

Rick shook his head as if to say this is too easy, and the two of you walked back to where the group was. The Kingdom had now joined you, and you smiled at Carol.

“Daryl, hey man, what’s that on your hand? Is that a ring or something?” Rick asked, sending you a wink.

And, of course, that caught everyone’s attention, and within a second, Jesus pointed out yours, and then there was a mix of laughing, cheering, and congratulations going around. Maggie gave you the tightest hug, and you covered your blushing cheeks with your hands.

When you met Daryl’s eye across the group, where both Aaron and Rick were still messing with him, you saw how red his cheeks were. But you also saw how happy he looked, making you smile.

***

Washington, D.C., was a ghost town; even the walkers were scarce. You assumed, for the most part, they’d migrated out of the dead city. They were probably all the damn herds you were having to dodge. The museum was quick to find, and two watch groups were set up on the streets while another group was sent into the building.

You walked alongside Carol and Ezekiel, whom you hadn’t seen in over a month. They filled you in on Henry and the rest of the community, and you promised you’d visit soon. You loved being at the Kingdom. Next to wherever Daryl was, the Kingdom was your second favorite place. And Ezekiel accepted you like a little sister, and you loved to mess around with Jerry.

Inside, the museum was a disgusting mess, and you walked around with a grimace on your face. Before the shit hit the fan, you would’ve loved to see the museum in its glory. But now, it was just a reminder of how ugly the world could be.

“You all have your lists,” Rick said as you all walked into a rotunda. You looked up at all the hanging banners. “Circle back here when you’re done. Be safe.”

Your group consisted of yourself and Daryl, Maggie, Carol, Ezekiel, Michonne, and Cyndie. The group was hesitant when you all came to a glass floor with about a dozen walkers underneath, but you’d all seen worse, so you crossed over it and headed up the stairs to the level you needed to get to.

After getting to the level, the group split into two, and you went off with Maggie, Carol, and Michonne. It felt nice with just the four of you--you wouldn’t deny it. You’d been through hell and back together, and after being spread apart for so long, it was lovely.

Maggie filled you all in on Hilltop's official election, and you weren’t surprised she’d beat Gregory. It would've been to her if you were there to cast your vote.

“Meanwhile, I live with a king,” Carol lightly joked, and the four of you laughed. “But I wanna know when Miss (Y/N) and Daryl exchanged those rings?”

You felt your cheeks heat up and you squeezed the handle of your machete--which you hadn’t realized you missed so much until Daryl got it back. “Last night, if you must know.” You held out your hand so they could all see the ring you knew they wanted to see. “It’s nothing crazy, he made it actually.”

“Made it?” Michonne asked you. “Out of what?”

“A broken part to the motorcycle I crashed,” You laughed. “But it’s perfect.”

Maggie wrapped her arm around your shoulders and kissed the side of your head. “It is. I’m happy for you, (Y/N).”

“I’m happy pookie finally settled down, especially with someone as crazy as him,” Carol joked, “Though we all knew the two of you would end up together. Even back at the prison.”

“You guys did not,” You said.

Michonne shook her head, “We did. We all did.”

“You guys suck, you know that? What, ya’ll would’ve put money on it if you could?”

“Of course not,” Maggie said dramatically, and you rolled your eyes.

“Let’s just find what we came for, shall we?”

***

The wagon creaked loudly as it dropped down another step, and you swore under your breath at the weight that your body was trying to keep up. The rope around your waist dug into your sides, and your hands stung from holding on so tight. Being on marble stairs didn’t help in your worn-down boots.

You were between Daryl and Carol, trying to help keep your side of the wagon steady. You could hear Rick directing it, and you were almost there. Rick took the lead when the glass floor came into play, and slowly, you got the wagon onto the ground. You could hear the glass shifting under the wagon's weight, and if it went down, you’d all be dragged with it.

But ever so slowly, it crossed the glass flooring. While Daryl and Rick took care of the canoe, you and Carol went to carefully grab the metal plow. You glanced back at Enid and Anne, who had the rope steady around the column.

You groaned as you lifted it and felt the rope tugging around your waist. You glanced at Carol, who was straining against the weight. You’d only taken a few steps onto the glass when the cracking quickened, and you heard Rick screaming to run.

The floor seemed to shift under your weight as you looked down for half a second, realizing it was about to break.

“Go!” You yelled to Carol, shoving the plow further into her grasp so the weight of it would bring her forward.

The glass broke from underneath you, and you screamed as you went down. The rope caught you at the waist but your body tilted head first towards the approaching walkers, and then you rocked back and forth until you were parallel with the floor.

“Daryl!” You screamed, grabbing onto the rope and trying to pull yourself up.

You could hear yelling from above you, but the walkers were too loud for you to pick out any voice in particular. Daryl was the only one you could pick out, and he was screaming at everyone to keep the rope steady.

Carol appeared in the open hole, and you could see the dread in her face. “Hold on (Y/N)!” She yelled.

“No, I think I’ll just let go!” You yelled up, lifting your legs to avoid the walkers grabbing them. You could feel their fingers just barely gliding against your back and legs. “Hurry up!”

A blanket was thrown over the edge of the glass, and then finally, there was Daryl. He was lying flat against the glass and had both arms outstretched towards you.

“Grab my hands, darlin’,” He said. You could see the worry in his eyes, which only made you worry more.

You took a deep breath and closed your eyes; you’d have to let go of the rope to grab his hands, and if you missed, you’d fall the distance you’d managed to keep yourself up, and the walkers would grab you.

“(Y/N), grab my hands!” Daryl yelled. “(Y/N), now!”

With one quick breath, you pulled yourself up the rope enough to reach up and grab his hands. Your legs flung downwards, and a walker grabbed your ankle, but you kicked it away and raised your legs as high as possible.

But you didn’t need to worry about it for too long. Daryl pulled you up quickly and dragged your ass out of the hole.

You were breathing heavily as he helped you stand and get off the glass, and you pressed your hands against your knees as you tried to steady your breath.

“(Y/N), are you okay?” Rick asked you, setting his hand on your shoulder.

You nodded, giving him a thumbs up as you breathed. Your abdomen was on fire after holding yourself up like that. You felt a hand on your back and looked up at your cousin. She gave you a nod, and you could visibly see the relief on her face.

When you stood up and looked for Daryl, he was right behind you. You gave him a nod and pulled his hand away from his mouth. “Don’t chew on your nails,” You reminded him.

He snorted and grabbed you, pulling you into a hug. You closed your eyes as you felt his hand cradle your head and his lips pressed firmly against the top. “I’m okay,” You reminded him. But you knew he could feel your shaking hands.

Rick had everyone moving after that. You still had to get the wagon out of the damn museum and into the street. Luckily for you, didn’t involve a glass floor, and it was a quicker process.

You helped Siddiq and Rick load up the wagon, and once everything was settled, you joined Daryl on his bike.

“You okay?” He asked you as you tied a handkerchief around your neck.

You nodded and leaned forward, giving him a kiss. “I’m fine, old man.” You sat down and smiled at him, pulling your handkerchief up so half your face was blocked off.

Daryl looked at you for another moment before doing his own and then started to drive.

***

Your head rested on the back of Daryl’s shoulder as he drove, with your arms wrapped around his waist. Your hands were under his shirt, pressed against his bare skin--which you knew he loved when you did, though he would always complain.

The bike roaring started to die down, and you lifted your head to see Rosita approaching you on her ATV. She stopped next to the two of you to inform you about the merging herds and a bridge having been removed. You groaned when you heard the news.

After doubling back to let Rick and the group know, you continued on your way to the bridge, which was a devastation in itself. So Rick decided that whoever wanted to would return to Alexandria, while the rest would take route D to Hilltop and the Sanctuary.

So that was what you did until the wagon got stuck in the mud. At that point, you wanted to cry, frustrated, and you knew everyone was probably feeling the same way.

Before long, you were pulling on more ropes trying to get the wagon out. That was when walkers showed up, and with one final pull, it came free.

“Let’s get out of here,” Rick said. You grabbed some of the gear that was on the floor and helped him toss it into the back of the wagon. You heard Rick call your name, and when you looked up, you saw there were even more walkers, with a decent amount getting closer and closer.

You grabbed your machete and followed Daryl and Michonne, taking down a few walkers. You grunted as you pulled out the knife of the last one, and when you felt a hand on your arm, you spun around with it raised but dropped it when it was just Daryl.

“I’m gonna stab you one of these days if you keep doing that,” You warned him as he pulled you away from the dozen or so walkers.

“Yeah, yeah,” You heard him mutter.

“We gotta go, now! Leave the wagon!” Rick yelled.

Daryl pushed you in front of him as you both started to run to catch up, but when Ken doubled back to free the horses, none of you were close enough to get to him before he was bit and then kicked in the chest by the horse.

“Fuck,” You muttered, pulling out your machete.

You, Daryl, Ezekiel, Carol, and a few others headed towards the small herd while Siddiq and Maggie went to work on helping Ken.

You and Daryl worked as a team to bring down each walker; he helped you when one got close, and you returned the favor. Eventually, they were dead on the ground, and so was Ken. So you loaded up what remained of the supplies, wrapped his body, and headed home.

***

You were exhausted when you got back to the Sanctuary. It was after sunset, and you could see lights from burning candles inside. The generators were off with no fuel, which was a newer development.

“Ya wincin’,” Daryl said as he watched you get off the bike.

“It’s been a long day.” You said after lowering your handkerchief. You moved into him and wrapped your arms around his neck and laid your head ontop of his. “I hope Maggie’s okay.”

“She’s tough.”

You kissed the top of his head and moved away so he could get off the bike. Everyone who hadn’t gone to Hilltop showed up and dismounted their horses. One of the saviors who worked with the horses took them, and you all headed inside the building.

Someone called out that it was Rick Grimes, the man who ended the war. It nearly made you laugh because, to you, he was just Rick. He was your friend, a brother more-like. An annoying asshole, brother. But you loved him; he’d done much to get that title.

Eugene approached you and Daryl and filled you in on what was happening, to which Daryl listened intently, but you just nodded. You felt the burning sensation of someone staring at you, and when you turned, there was Justin. He winked, and you scowled, taking a step closer to Daryl.

Which, of course, he immediately picked up on. Daryl stared at Justin for a few seconds before Michonne called him over, and he tugged you along with him.

You sighed loudly when you saw more writing on the wall. As Daryl and Michonne conversed, you still felt Justin watching you. You grabbed Daryl’s hand and intertwined your fingers.

After Daryl yelled at Justin to clean up the paint, which you knew had more to do with him staring at you than the paint itself, you offered to show Michonne where she would be staying the night--which she gladly accepted.

Upstairs, you felt like you could breathe again.

“I have some food in my room, I’m starving. You and Rick could stay there, Carol and Ezekiel will take the next room over.” You explained as you pointed to the room across from yours.

Inside, Michonne made herself comfortable on the recliner while you made peanut butter sandwiches; you sent two aside for Daryl. Alexandria’s bread was one of your favorite things in the world.

“Is this where you stayed when…?” Her voice trailed off.

You nodded and gave her one of the sandwiches. “Yes. The other wives, the ones who stayed, they kept their rooms too.”

It was quiet while the two of you ate, and you made a second sandwich for the both of you. Once finished, Michonne stretched back in the recliner and sighed dramatically, which made you chuckle.

“I’m really happy for you. You and Daryl make sense.” Michonne told you as you changed into sleeping clothes. “It’s crazy to think of where we were when we found them. Back at the prison.”

“I was by myself with just Tora,” Your heart ached as you thought about your cat and how long it’d been since you’d seen her. “You were with Andrea and then by yourself, too. Even after all the shit we’ve been through, I’m happy I ended up here. I don’t think I would’ve made it on my own.”

“You would’ve. You’re strong.” Michonne told you.

You laid back on your bed. “I wanna come home to Alexandria. Or even Hilltop or the Kingdom.”

“I’ve tried talking to Rick about it. He wants to bring you and Daryl home. He just doesn’t know who else could do this…”

You nodded as you sighed. “I know. Daryl’s doing a good job, a great job.”

“He has your help. Don’t forget that, (Y/).”

***

You’d fallen asleep a few hours later, waiting for Daryl. When he finally showed up, you woke from the noises and whined at the interruption of your sleep. He mumbled something to which you didn’t hear, but by the time he was in bed next to you, you were mostly awake.

“Come here,” You whispered to him, lifting your arm so he could rest his head against your upper chest. His arm draped around your middle and you brought your hand up to rub the back of his head. “Where were you?”

“With Rick, then Carol,” He said. You felt his hand dip into your shirt, and then his calloused fingers lightly rub your skin. “Carol’s gonna take over here for a lil’ while. Let me and ya take a break.”

“What?” You brought your hand to his bare back to trace your fingernails along the skin, which immediately caused goosebumps to rise.

“We goin’ to Hilltop tomorro’.”

You nodded at the news as relief filled you. Even if it was just for a little while, that was amazing. It would be like a vacation.

“Spoke to Rick ‘bout Justin. Says we can handle it the way we see fit.” Daryl said, and you nodded again. “Fuckin’ hate that motha fucka.”

You laughed and brought your other hand to his bicep. “Me too.”

The two of you sat in silence after that. You rubbed his back and arm, trying to soothe him. You’d thought he’d fallen asleep when he whispered, “I thought ya was gonna die today.”

You swallowed and pressed a kiss on the top of his head. “I didn’t. I’m here.”

His hand squeezed your waist, and he pulled you closer to his body. “Was so terrified to look down at ya, thought I’d see ya bein’ torn ‘part.”

“I’m okay, honey, I promise.” You squeezed his arm.

He sighed and nodded. “I hate ya goin’ out there, but I know ya need to. Wish ya didn’ have to.”

“Maybe I’ll just tell Rick to fuck off then.” You teased, and finally heard him chuckle. “Don’t worry about what happened today. I’m okay. You’re okay. And that’s that, okay?”

Daryl lifted his head and pressed a quick kiss to your lips. “I love ya.”

“I love you, too. Now go to bed, we got a long day tomorrow too.”

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