The Dead World

Fourteen ~ On The Road

Three months on the run had been hard and it was going to start get harder as it slowly transitioned from autumn into winter, the group had started going house to house to scavenge but kept coming up short. 

The air was becoming frosty and the game in the area was fleeing or going into hybernation for the winter but the one good thing that came from losing the farm was that the group were becoming close, like family. They had too for survival.

They were also getting practice in for shooting and killing the walkers around them, honing in on their skills most didn't even know they had. They had seen three hordes so far all in different directions so the group was forced to keep their distance to stay clear of them but when opportunity presents itself, they had killed as many as they had too while working on getting practice in but never going out of their way to take them on. 

Some were better than others but some couldn't do much, like Lori who was now about 5-6 months along according to Hershel.

Phoebe did worry about where they were going to deliver the baby especially now that Hershel had started training Carol on how to perform a C - section due to Lori's complications with Carl they thought it would be a good idea to be prepared. But it was also the fact of after, they could barely find food for them, she didn't know how they'd provide for a newborn, Lori had spoken about breastfeeding but not getting enough food herself Hershel had warned she may not be able to produce.

"You alright?" Daryl asked as he lowered himself next to her on the steps of the house they'd just searched and she nodded.

"Fine just thinking" 

"bout?" he questioned looking at the woman beside him bringing his thumb to his mouth but before he could start biting his nail Phoebe's arm came up gently bringing it back down. She smirked at him when he rolled his eyes, she'd gotten into the annoying habit herself of everytime he bit his nails she'd stop him.

"The baby and Lori" she smiled gently dropping her smirk but he could see she was worried, Daryl had been trying hard to keep his distance from the girl but it was like wherever he turned there she was and for some reason he liked that. He liked being able to see her at all times, being able to protect her if something happened but he just couldn't allow himself to go down that road. 

Dixon men were lone wolves, it's just the way it was.

"They'll be fine" He offered her and she just nodded having heard that a thousand times, over the last three months her and Daryl had been spending a lot of time together. Always hunting together and taking watches but it was also the small things Phoebe couldn't help but notice. 

The fact that no matter where she stood he was always there either beside her or behind her like some sort of bodyguard or even her own shadow, the thought should've annoyed her but she found it sweet. He would also offer her small barely there smiles when she joked with him which didn't seem like much at first. She even questioned if he was just doing it to be nice but when she started watching him and noticed that he didn't do it with anyone else it was always huffs or grunts of amusement or he'd cover the smirk up but he would never offer them a smile.

Moments like that made Phoebe's heart pound, she wanted to ask him about it but she didn't have the courage in fear of ruining their new found friendship. 

"But what are we going to do with a baby?" she questioned the hunter resting her head on his shoulder making his heart flutter strangely.

"We'll be fine, they've got us and we'll all look after her" he managed to mutter once he worked his heart down from his throat. Daryl had noticed when she touched him, which seemed to happen a lot lately that he wouldn't tense, it was almost like he knew who it was because the other day Carol touched his back and he automatically tensed up, but later the same day Phoebe grabbed his arm laughing at a stupid joke Glenn had said and he just couldn't find it in himself to tense up.