Survivor (Daryl Dixon Fanfiction) *COMPLETED* {The WATTYS 2021}

Chapter 43: Just Don't

"Defend your beliefs with Courtesy & Compassion but defend them." - Jeffrey R. Holland

Destiny's POV:

"Thanks guys, perfect, just wonderful...Let's get this show on the road." I sighed as I watched Daryl stomp off and raised an eyebrow at everyone crowded around our room.
"Let's move it! We're still going on the Walk to the other safe place, Daryl just needs to cool his head, now let's go, every minute wasted is Daylight passing." I ordered everyone as I walked past them and into the big open common room.
"Wait, what about Daryl though, don't we need him to-" Dylan was saying, until I whirled back around and came face to face with him.
"Please do not push me right now Dylan, nor you Merle. I already want to hit the both of you, for getting Daryl even more angry then needed, just so you know I did Have Him under control...As I said earlier, we are allowing him to cool his head, understand?" I crossed my arms across my chest and waited for him to try to fight his case.
"When we leave here, we stay by each other and pay close attention to everything, the path is semi marked so no one gets lost, but this is your escape route and you must try to remember how to get to it, should anything get really bad." I turned toward all the group as they stood there looking at me.
Yes, I can be calm and collected on the outside, but right now, every thought was whirling around Daryl and his concern about going to Woodbury.
"All right I'll be in the lead, Firecracker, your in the back, to keep everyone on line and protect everyone. That was going to be Daryl's job but now it's yours." Merle spoke up and took command and I just scoffed at him.
"Uh-huh, it would've still been Daryl's job, had no one interfered with our Private argument." I sighed and shook my head.
"Quit being Sassy back there Des! Now let's move out, like Firecracker said, keep close and pay close attention, I don' like explainin' or Showin' more then once." Merle scoffed as we all headed out the back of the prison, through the broken Brick wall and into the woods.
I held my Katana close, I also had my Bow and arrows strapped on my back. Hopefully we won't run into too many Walkers and Hopefully Daryl stays safe on his own.

"Here it is, it ain't perfect, but it'll beat gettin' killed and it's stocked already with canned and other unperishable food." Merle sighed, as he swept his prosthetic hand around to the semi hidden Bunker.
"Take a look around and get acquainted with everything, but don't take any food from here guys, who knows if you'll need it, should any of you have to come here." I told them and they all smiled as they headed in and some of the group were looking around outside.
"Merle, Dylan, come here, lets get this over with. Lord knows I hate talking as much as you hate listening, but this needs to be done." I groaned and pinched the bridge of my nose.
Merle and Dylan tried to blend into the group, but I wasn't going to do this when we got back to the prison, because I wanted to talk with Daryl, hopefully he'd cooled his head by then.

I walked over to a tree about ten feet away and faced the entrance of the Bunker (Who says you can't do two things at once), so I could keep an eye on everyone, while I was talking to the two block heads.
Merle and Dylan walked toward me, looking like kids entering the Principles office or something. Dylan stood in front of me with his hands in the back pockets of his worn jeans and Merle just stood there impatiently.
"Alright you first Merle...It's not that I don't or Didn't appreciate you jumping in on Daryl's and my disagreement, but next time please Just Don't.
"I had it under control, yes he was livid, but if I let him say what he was gonna say, he would've been fine. If anything you jumping to conclusions and jumping in like that, just made it worse." I explained the situation to Merle and he scoffed.
"Hey, I know my Brother and it's easy ta ferget jus' wha' Gender is standin' in front of ya when yer that pissed. The way I see it, I did ya a favor Firecracker, ya shouldn't be angry with me, what ya really should be doin' is Thankin' me and you'll see that Darlina will understand that too, jus' as soon as we get back ta the Prison." Merle smirked, patted my shoulder with his real hand and not his prosthetic.
"Okay, sure. Say that is the case, then what the hell ever, I was wrong, I'll apologise and Thank you, should that happen. However, I'm not entirely sure that he'll calm down that fast, you see...he has some anger issues, so I'm fully expecting him to be livid or pissed when we get back and I'm completely okay with that. But do us all a favor and don't push him, if he is still angry, please Merle?" I all but begged him and he stood there with his arms crossed against his chest looking bored.
"Understand, that I'm not claiming to know Daryl in the short time I've known him, but he would NEVER lay a hand on me. It doesn't matter how angry he is, or was, I trust that he would NEVER hurt me and as cheesy as it sounds, I love and Trust him." I quickly explained, so that Merle wouldn't get angry.
"Look Merle, I know the type of environment that you and Daryl have grown-up in; and I know that Daryl would never lay a finger on me, EVER." I made sure I made it apparent that Daryl wouldn't ever hurt me.
"Because He never wants anyone to know what it feels like to be mentally and physically abused by the one person that's supposed to love and protect you. 'Your past is, what has been done to you, not who you are'." I smiled as I quoted My Mom, she said that to me a year or so ago.
"What your father did to you and Daryl, that was never OK and you know that. So, why would you think that Your brother would do that to his women, is beyond me. If anything, he's mad that you would think so low of him." I explained to Merle, hoping that he understood me.
"Merle, what our fathers did to us, is something that I would NEVER hold that against you, Daryl or anyone else. Hell mine wasn't too much better...not that I'm justifying ANY Violence towards Women, but please tell me that you know what I'm getting at Here Merle?" I sighed, cocked my hip and looked him in the eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it, but if it turns out Darlina is cooled down when we get back, then you'd best remember ta Thank Me." He chuckled his husky chuckle and pulled me into a hug.
It's still a bit odd for me to get a hug from Merle, because I am hardly the one to initiate the hug and I never pegged him as the 'huggie' type.
"I will, don't you worry, I don't have too much pride to admit when I'm wrong." I joked with him and he just scoffed.
"Okay, let me put this into perspective, so you'll understand where I'm coming from on this. Let's just say that, I came in between you and Carol, while you were in the same situation that Daryl and I were in. Then what if I said what you said to Daryl, How would that make you feel Merle?" I asked him, with one hand on my cocked hip and an eyebrow raised.
"Well shot, you always gotta make this personal and make me feel like shit. I get it, now leave me alone woman and don't ever bring Carol into hypothetical shit like that again, ya hear me Firecracker." Merle scoffed, walked off without so much as a backward glance, or even asking that we were done and I shrugged my shoulders before I turned my attention towards Dylan.