Indestructible (Daryl Dixon Love Story)

Close Call

Warning: This story will only occasionally go with the show's plot, but other than that, this story will be mine and will probably go in a completely random direction. Enjoy.

P.s. Trailer added in the first chapter! :)

We drove for hours, days, weeks. Sometimes we would stop and raid towns or lone houses, like the one we were rolling up on just now. Sure enough everyone slowed to a stop in front of the large but moderate building. I climbed out of the IWV and stretched with my recurve bow high above my head, I heard and felt a few cracks run up and down my spine, we needed to find a spot to settle down, a place to hole up in. Driving around wouldn't be an option for much longer. Gas was running low for the others, even Daryl had loaded his bike on the back of one of the trucks.

"Raksha, you ready." It wasn't a question, it was a statement. Daryl walked towards the back of the house expecting me to follow. We had somewhat of a system, or more a regular routine. Daryl and I always checked the house's surroundings, we were quiet shooters so we could remain stealthy as we made our outside surroundings safer for everyone. His one and only rule was that we stick together and didn't split up. So I pulled an arrow from my sheath and walked at my leisure, yet still stayed alert behind him. When he came to a sudden stop I immediately rushed to stand beside him, he gave me a look I had received at least a half dozen times that meant a Walker was in the area. I nodded in return and cocked my head to the side, I heard the sound of leaves crunching underfoot to my left, as we both raised our bows in it's direction, I noticed something odd about the sound, whatever was coming towards us was fast and treading lightly. I shot Daryl a puzzled look and he returned it. We both stayed standing stoic with our weapons raised, waiting to see what would cross the tree line.

When a dog stepped out I almost laughed out loud. "It's a damn mutt." Daryl shook his head but didn't sound angry. He bent down and snapped his fingers at the dog, it took a few tentative steps forward sniffing at the ends of his fingers before allowing him to pet it. "We're not eating it." I blurted out. "I didn't plan on it." He gave me a quick look and scoffed. He stood up and the dog sniffed at my boots, I leaned down and stroked it's soft black ears. "It's a boy." I noticed. "What should we call it?" Daryl asked seriously and expectantly. "What about...Harley." He gave a ghost of a smile and nodded. "Harley it is, let's go see what Rick thinks."

As we gave the area a once over we headed towards the front, when Sophia and Carl saw the dog walking between Daryl and I, they ran over with their faces lighted up by wide smiles. "Is that what I think it is?" Andrea asked bemused. "Came right up to us." Daryl nodded and then looked over at Rick. "The girl wants to keep the dog, already named him. Calls him Harley." He called out. I decided not to add in that he too showed interest in the animal sticking around, and that it had been his idea to give it a name. "Can we please?" Carl looked up at his dad obviously begging. Rick somewhat cautiously walked over to the dog and bent down stroking his ears like I had done. "Can't believe he's made it this long." He mumbled a little surprised. "C'mon Rick, what's it going to hurt?" Lori also joined her son in pleading. "He'll be my responsibility- and if he becomes a liability I'll get rid of him, no questions asked." I added in. With a grim smile and a shake of his head he let out a small laugh and finally relented. "Hell, I don't see why not." "Well I do, it's just an extra mouth to feed." Shane, who had been silently looking on until now, called out. "It can come out of my share." I shrugged. "I'll remember you said that." He smirked and made his way into the house. As the kids fawned over the happy dog under Carol and Dale's supervision I followed the others inside to see what we could salvage. It wasn't much, just a few cans of food and a gallon of water.

"We need to go hunting." Daryl stood next to me as I looked out of the wide window in the kitchen. I glanced at him before giving a single nod in agreement. "I think Shane and I will join you." Rick added in from behind. I looked back in acknowledgment before finding my way through the front door. I walked towards the IWV and grabbed a hunting knife out of the passenger seat, I felt my new pet watching behind me and grabbed a granola bar. I leaned down and fed the large German Shepherd the whole bar and rubbed his soft head. As he took his last bite, I walked back towards Rick, Shane, and Daryl, I noticed it looked like Rick was arguing about something with Carl and saw Shane and Daryl's amused smiles. "I'm not a kid anymore." Carl stomped his foot only solidifying the fact that he was indeed just that. "We can't afford any distractions right now." Rick sighed. "I'll look after him, it's about time the boy learns to hunt." I said to Rick as a now hopeful Carl looked on. "Alright fine!" Rick cried out exasperatedly. "Ask your mother first!" He tacked on as Carl ran back to get a small rifle. "Are you sure you're up for this?" Rick turned his attention back to me. "Yeah, it's no problem. Really." I said with an assuring smile.

Ten minutes later I was traipsing through the woods with an over excited kid at my side and a jolly dog on my heels. "Look, right there, what do you see?" I stopped Carl and pointed at the indentation in the dirt clear as day. "Is that from a deer?" "Very good!" I said proudly. The dog sniffed around and took the lead taking us wherever he smelled the creature last. Thank God the animal had proven itself useful already. We walked on and Carl got noticeably more quiet, I could still feel his excitement though.

"Right there!" He elbowed me as Harley crouched down staring at a small buck. I raised my bow but waited to shoot as Carl took a small step forward staring at the creature in complete awe. But as I watched on, the deer snapped it's head up looking in the opposite direction as us, I heard Harley let out a low growl, and without realizing it my body was flying towards Carl covering him up completely. I heard the shot and felt it not even seconds later hitting my side. I let out a cry but kept Carl covered. Was this an attack? Was another group eliminating competition? I heard someone running towards us and saw a man who looked white as a ghost. This was an accident he had been after the same deer we were. I pried my already healing body away from the small boy and wrapped my wound quickly in a bandage I always carried with me, I couldn't let the group see it, especially since their would be no evidence of it ever being there tomorrow. "Are you okay? I'm so sorry! One minute it was the deer standing there and then the next..." He trailed off as I let out an inhuman like growl. Before I could attack the man for his stupidity Rick, Shane and Daryl were by my side. I watched Rick's face pale as he saw my blood on Carl's shirt. He snatched his son up and franticly looked for any wounds. "It's okay dad! I'm okay!" Carl tried to calm his father. After Rick searched the boy and let out a relieved sigh his eyes cut over to me. "Raksha? How bad is it? Are you okay?" "It was just a graze, it will be healed up in no time, it's hardly even bleeding." I lifted my shirt and showed the white bandage that barely held a speck of blood. "Who the hell are you! What the hell were you thinking?" Daryl had the man pinned to a tree, and was steadily screaming in his face with a noticeably thicker accent the angrier he got.

"It was an accident, swear it was, I didn't mean to hurt anybody!" The man stammered visibly upset. "You could have killed them!" Shane added in and was obviously as angry as Daryl was. "I thought I did, could have swore I saw it, thought I really killed that woman..." The poor man's face got even whiter than it had been as he stared at where he shot me. I almost felt bad, the shot really should have killed me, if I were normal. "What's your name?" Rick growled out glaring at the man. "Otis, my name's Otis." "Are you alone Otis?" Daryl chimed in pushing the man further against the tree. "We have a farm, Hershel, he can help you!" Daryl and Shane both shot a look at Rick, Rick looked at Carl, then to me and nodded his head slowly. "We have more people." The man only nodded in return.

As we made our way through the woods back to where our group was Daryl walked solemnly beside me. Carl had offered to carry my bow and I felt somewhat naked without it. As I thought about snatching it back Daryl cleared his throat. I looked up at him and noticed he was staring at me. "You really fine?" I thought I saw a small amount of sincere worry in his cool blue eyes before they darted off to the tree line. "Yeah I'm good." And I really will be...tomorrow.

When we made it to our people, everyone immediately noticed the stranger and the blood, my blood, on Carl's shirt. Lori pushed her way through and practically did the same thing to her son as her husband did. As Carl explained to everyone what happened Lori let go of him for a moment to throw her arms around me. "Thank you!" She mumbled against my shoulder. I smiled in return and hugged the woman back. "She's a regular guardian angel." T-dog joked. "First Sophia and then Carl." Andrea chimed in. I let out a sheepish smile and shrugged. But before everyone could get all warm and fuzzy Rick spoke up. "Otis here has a safe place for us to stay." Everyone snapped their attention back to our leader. Without even questioning where it was or who it was with, everyone gathered their stuff and loaded it all back up. I let Harley jump in first before I climbed into the IWV and started it up. As I once again followed behind the line of vehicles, I couldn't help but wonder who this Hershel guy was, and if the farm was really safe.