Both Eyes Open - Daryl Dixon (under editing)

Nightmare.

Lara sat in the tree above the large tent Rick, Lori and Carl slept in that was set up at camp, one of her legs swinging back and forth, the other tucked up against her chest, her chin resting on her knee.

She watched as everyone began to leave the barn, and make their way back to camp. She watched Daryl lead the prisoner, alive, back to the shed he was being shackled up inside, as Rick rejoined the others beneath her.

Lara looked over her shoulder as everyone gathered around Rick. "He's being kept as prisoner for now." He announced, and the group then dispersed, all with mixed feeling about the situation. Lara looked back forward, at Daryl, who was still in the shed, illuminated by the light from an old fashioned lantern, rejoining the prisoner with the shackles. It wasn't long before he was rejoining the group.

The farm seemed quiet, and less sinister for the first time in a while.

Until a loud male screech filled the air.

The atmosphere thickened and tensions rose. Everyone stood and became alert of their surroundings. Lori was sending Carl inside the house. Daryl had picked up the lantern and bolted toward the house.

"T-dog, get a shotgun now!" Rick bellowed, pacing toward the field.

Lara dropped down from the tree and looked out toward the field, having spotted Dale on the ground hidden by grass, a dark, skinny figure atop of him.

"Dale!" She screamed, and set off sprinting.

"What was that?!" Glenn panicked, pacing in front of the house, "What happened? What happened?!" He freaked to Maggie, standing on the porch.

"I don't know-- Go!" She yelled at him, pointing after Rick, running down the field, with Lara and the others.

"No! Dale!" Andrea yelled.

Daryl was the first to reach him, and he tackled the walker off of him, driving a knife into its brain as quickly as he possibly could. He moved immediately over to Dale, as Lara reached them. The pair dropped to their knees beside him, and shared one terrified look, before both standing and yelling for the others.

"Help! Over here! Help!"

"Hang in there, buddy-" Daryl said, dropping to his knees and panting to Dale, who looked up at him in agony, eyes wide, blood pooling from his stomach. The walker had quite literally tore him open.

"Dale, don't you go clocking off on me! Not today, sir!" Lara chided him, cupping his face in her hands and directing his eyes to her.

"Who is it?" Carol asked in a fluster a the group finally reached the three. Lara shuffled up as Rick fell to the ground by her side.

"Oh, my God... Oh, God. - All right, just listen to my voice. Listen to me, all right? Just listen to me. Okay, hold on now..." Ricks head suddenly whipped round to the others and he yelled at them, "Get Hershel! He needs blood. We gotta operate now!"

"Hang on, Dale. Hang on." Andrea pleaded, grasping his hand in hers.

Lara stood up out of the way and paced back and forth, blood boiling, choking on her own breath, before two arms enveloped themselves around her. At first she tried to rip away from them. She struggled against the hold with all her might until she gave in. She fell back against someone's chest, and let out a heart-wrenching sob.

She turned in the arms to find Daryl, blurry by her vision, but tearful nonetheless, and she collapsed against his chest, sobs wracking her body. He knelt with her still in his hold, beside Dale and relaxed his grip so she could turn to face the dying man she had come to respect. They had all come to respect.

"Listen to me. Come on- Okay? You just listen to my voice. All right, please, Dale?" Lara begged, hovering beside him, wiping stray tears from both his face and her own.

Rick turned and bellowed, "Hershel! We need Hershel! Look at me. Dale, we're gonna help. We're here. Just hold on- hold on. -"

Hershel came over as quickly as he could and slowed to a stop, frantically asking, "What happened? - What can we do?-"

"Can we move him?" Rick asked between sobs.

Hershel sighed and truthfully told him, "He won't make the trip."

"You have to do the operation here." Rick started, in a frenzy, standing up and pointing wildly from Glenn to the house, "Glenn, get back to the house!"

Hershel grabbed Ricks arm and stopped him, "Rick." He said calmly, and shook his head solemnly.

Rick turned on the spot, looking lost as he shouted, "No!" Into the air.

"He's suffering." Andrea said in a small voicemail looking up at the men standing around the incident.

"Do something!" She cried.

"Oh, God..." Rick breathed as he drew his pistol from its holster, wiped his face and held it out, pointing to Dales head. Shane and Hershel, amongst others began to look away, and Rick froze.

Lara felt Daryl move from behind her his warmth dissipating. She leaned away from Dale, onto her backside on the ground,  she watched Daryl slowly take the gun from Ricks hand. Rick nodded, shaking, and stepped back, hands on his hips as he watched his friend kneel down beside Dale, extending the gun.

"I'm sorry, brother..." Daryl mumbled, before pulling the trigger.

It felt like a collective breath was released, now that Dale wasn't suffering, whilst collectively a heavy weight had dropped onto everyone's shoulders. Lara covered her eyes in her palms, her face screwed up in tears, as she let the sobs shake through herself, like Andrea, Carl and a few other were. There were no words spoken. Just sniffles and moans while tears were being shed.

Lara flinched when she felt an arm hug around her back, and another hook under her legs, but she relaxed as she felt herself being lifted off the ground, and she felt the steady pace of footsteps underneath her leading back out of the field, away from Dales body, away from the group mourning.

Her head was buried into the leather of Daryl's vest, and her hands clutched at the fabric of his shirt for dear life. Her only sort of solace was to be found in Daryl's soft whispering of encouragements and calm words above her ear as they walked.

"It's alright. It's over. It's alright now. It's done. Come on. You're alright. I got ye'. We're alright."

~~~

Lara woke with a start the next day, and sat bolt upright. She was safely inside her tent, covered by her blanket, still fully clothed bar her boots.

Had it been a nightmare? She rubbed her face with her palm, and noticed how tired and dry her eyes felt as she did so. She felt exhausted.

Mentally drained.

It took her quite some time to register that she was not alone in the tent. She heard a soft snore emanate from her left and she looked behind her to see Daryl, conked out on the floor, deeply asleep.

Feeling a little awkward, she reached her hand out and pushed him onto his back with her hand, which startled him awake.

"Wha- huh? Times it?" He asked.

"Time you explained what you're doing in my tent." She sniped.

All colour from Daryl's faced drained as he looked at her. 

"Don't you remember last night? Ye' didn't want to be left alone after." He said solemnly.

Lara's face fell, and she clutched the blanket, her fingers turning whit with blood loss, as she stared at him blankly.

"It wasn't just a bad dream?"

"No."