Chapter Twenty-Eight

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"I hear something inside." I said quietly, crouched near the front door of an old boarded up house.

Rick nodded. "I hear it too. Sounds too big to be an animal."

"What's the plan then? Do we take the house or keep going?" I heard Glenn ask from somewhere behind me.

Rick shook his head. "We need a place to rest. I don't know if all this movin' around is good for Lori right now."

I could see the pained expression in Rick's eyes. He was worried about his wife. I think all of us were. She was looking pretty pregnant these days, and with supplies always running so low, I was always hoping we would get some sort of break soon. I don't think anyone was really ready to think about what we would do when it came to for her to have birth. The only one with any sort of medical experience at all was Herschel, and then even he was only a vet. It was a sticky situation no matter how you looked at it.

"I'll go in, take out any walkers and search the place. Make it secure." Daryl said in a gruff voice. I opened my mouth to say I would cover him, but he shot me down with a single look. "You're stayin' put. Keep an eye out for any walkers out here. Rick can cover me."

I bit my tongue back and nodded. There was no use arguing. Daryl rammed the door with his shoulder until it gave way and swung open. He lowered into a crouch and quietly disappeared inside, Rick close behind him. I kept my ears open for any indication that things were going bad. All I heard, though, were the sounds of a quick scuffle and a body dropping to the floor. Then two pairs of footsteps as the two men searched the house up and down. Finally, Rick stepped out onto the front step and nodded at me and Glenn.

"It's clear. Get the others." He said.

Glenn turned to get the others, who were waiting in the cars, while I carefully stepped over the threshold and into the house. It was old. The floors creaked with each step and the faded flowery wallpaper was peeling off the walls. I could tell that this was a place that had been abandoned long before the end of the world. I stepped into the kitchen and made a face. The walker Rick and Daryl had taken down was lying in the floor in a rotting, disgusting heap. I gingerly stepped over the corpse and joined Daryl at the kitchen window. He was holding back the shredded, moth eaten curtain as he intently surveyed the backyard.

"That thing reeks. We gotta get it outside." I said, wrinkling my nose.

"Probably don't smell too much worse than the rest of us." He muttered. I smiled wryly, though he was most likely right. None of us had had a proper shower in days. I was starting to forget what it was like to be clean again. "Backyard looks clear, though. We can drag it down the back steps."

"Let's get it over with then." I sighed, not exactly excited about the idea of putting my hands on the corpse.

Daryl turned from the window, a smirk on his lips. "What? Scared to get your hands dirty, city girl?"

I rolled my eyes. I wasn't going to take the bait, not today. Instead, I made my way over to the fallen walker and gripped it underneath its armpits. I did my best to ignore the smell, though it was strong and hitting me right in my gag reflex. God, this thing stank. "Well, come on then, Dixon."

He raised his eyebrows slightly, looking amused. I wasn't sure if he was impressed with me actually helping him, or just impressed with the fact that I hadn't puked my guts out yet. In a second, he had joined me, grabbing the walker by the feet. I grunted as we picked up its heavy body, stopping once to pry open the back door, before carefully stepping outside and down the steps. We carried it a good couple of feet away from the house, dropping it in the grass. I wiped my hands on the back of my jeans, stepping away from the body to take a breath of clean air.

"Nice work. Didn't break a nail now, did ya?"

"No." I answered shortly. I turned and made my way back towards the house. "And don't call my city girl, you redneck hick." I called over my shoulder. I heard him chuckle a little before I disappeared inside, leaving him to follow after me.

Everyone else was gathered in the living room. Lori was laying on one of the old, dusty couches. I perched on the arm of the couch, giving her a small smile. "How you feelin'?" I asked.

She shrugged. "Alright, I suppose. Shouldn't complain."

I took one of her hands on mine, trying to ignore the fact that she looked much too tired and pale to be feeling just 'alright'. Daryl appeared in the room a second later and leaned against one of the walls.

"Gonna go do some huntin' 'fore it gets too dark." He announced. "Rick, you wanna come?"

My eyes searched the room for Rick and I found him looking out through a gap in one of the boarded up living room windows. He turned back around at the sound of Daryl's voice. His eyes flickered to Lori, filled with serious concern. He let out a heavy sigh. "We need food, badly. I just don't know if I should leave Lori right now…" He trailed off. Rick crossed the room and I stood to let him take my spot next to his wife. "Someone should go, though. You shouldn't be out there alone."

"I'll do it." I piped up suddenly. I felt all eyes in the room flicker to me. Even I was surprised I had even offered. I wasn't even sure why. I think, maybe, I was just looking for an opportunity to make peace with Daryl. A good way to start was proving I was capable of handling myself. "I can do it." I said again.

Daryl snorted. "You can do what? Git both of us killed?"

"Maybe it'd be better to let Glenn or Herschel go instead, Charlie." Beth said quietly from her seat.

I placed my hands on my hips, trying to look defiant. "No, let me help. I can do this."

"You can't even hunt." Daryl drawled, appraising me with his eyes. I thought I heard a hesitant note in his voice, though, and jumped at it.

"Come on, Daryl. You know I can handle myself in the woods. Maybe I'm not the best hunter, but I sure as hell can watch your back. Trust me." I said. "Please."

Daryl narrowed his eyes a little, chewing on his lower lip. I knew he was seriously considering it. "Alright fine." He said finally. "You fuck up once, though, and you ain't gonna git another chance."

"Fine." I said nodding. "Let's go."

The next twenty minutes were spent prepping for a short hunting tip. Daryl briefed me about a hundred times on what NOT to do and how to NOT get us killed. And I tried not to look annoyed. I didn't want to give him an opportunity to change his mind before we even left the house. If we ever did. Finally, though, the hunter announced he was ready and we made our way out the backdoor and into the darkened forest. He carried his crossbow in both hands, hunting knives strapped to the belt around his waist. The light became thinner the further we went and Daryl's footsteps became lighter, his eyes alert as ever. I tried not to make a sound as I trailed close behind him. It reminded me of all the summers we spent together, playing hide and seek in the woods behind our houses. I don't think we ever once finished a game. One of us either always got too bored or just gave up.

Daryl slowed to a stop before lowering to the ground, kneeling in the brush. "We'll wait here. Somethin's bound to come by sooner or later." I followed his lead and got into a crouch. His eyes flickered over to me, eyeing the weapon in my hands. "A baseball bat, huh? I don't remember your swing ever been that good." He said casually, turning away from me to scan the area.

"It's gotten me this far." I answered quietly. "Anyways, it was Gabe's. He gave it to me when he was little." I took a deep breath. I wondered if it would ever get easier to talk about him.

Daryl nodded, pausing for a slight moment. "You never finished tellin' me what the hell happened to him."

I bit my lip. I hadn't told anyone the story about the last time Gabe and I had been together. I supposed if I was going to tell it to anyone, though, Daryl would be the right person. "I don't know." I answered honestly, my voice a little shaky. "We got overrun by about two dozen walkers. He fought 'em off to let me get away. I don't know if he's alive. Or dead." The last word weighed heavy on my tongue. I tried so hard not to think about Gabe possibly not being alive, that I hadn't realized how alien it sounded to actually say it out loud.

"I'm sorry." Daryl said gruffly, taking me by complete surprise. I looked at him with wide eyes. He avoided meeting my gaze. "From what I remember, he was a good kid."

"Thanks." I answered, my voice almost a whisper. Right then, I felt like I wanted to reach out and put my hand on his arm. I wanted to mend whatever was broken between us. I resisted, though. This was something that would take time. I was pretty sure, though, that our relationship had just taken a pretty big step back towards that place we used to be in, almost a full decade ago.

Daryl suddenly stiffened, holding up a hand to silence me. "Quiet. Somethin's comin'."

I didn't hear anything, but I shut my mouth anyways and strained my ears. Sure enough, I few seconds later I heard the distant sound of twigs cracking and foot falls. It gradually grew closer and closer, though I still had no idea what sort of creature it was and from which direction it was actually coming from.

As if he had read my mind, Daryl answered my question. "Deer." He said simply, holding up his crossbow. I held perfectly still as I watched him, taking note of the sinewy muscles of his arms as he held the weapon taut, the concentrated sweat that glistened on his skin, and the determined, focused look in his fiercely blue eyes. I felt an unexpected pull in my stomach that went as quickly as it came. I didn't have time to think about what it meant, though, as an arrow was suddenly released from the crossbow and went whizzing through the air. We only waited half a second before Daryl was up and racing towards the direction his arrow had gone. I stumbled to my feet and hurried after him, assuming he had hit the deer.

We came to a clearing and Daryl knelt down to the ground. He dabbed the ground with a finger and lifted it to reveal a red stain. "Definitely hit." He muttered, more to himself than me. "It's hurt bad. This way." He stood again and set off.

I noticed that the trees began to thin as we continued stalking our prey. Daryl was stealthier than I was, though, and kept glaring at me over his shoulder every time I stumbled or tripped. I would mumble a barely audible apology and try harder. The next time I tripped, though, I decided to hang back a little and let Daryl's lead grow. There was an animal we desperately needed hurt and struggling out there. The last thing we needed was my clumsiness freaking it out more. As I slowed down, I was aware of the distant sounds of moans. I froze, all too familiar with the sound. It sent chills up my spine. "Daryl." I whispered loudly. He was too far ahead to hear me. I debated for a minute on what to do. I knew I would most likely end up regretting my next move, but I veered off the path Daryl was making and headed towards the sounds. Better to sneak up on the walkers and take them out then vice versa.

I jogged lightly through the woods, weaving around trees and carefully watching my footing now. The light was growing brighter and I knew I was nearing the edge of the forest. In a few minutes, I was standing on the edge of a field. My mouth dropped at what I saw looming in front of me. It was enormous, all concrete and steel. It was a sore spot on the land, but it was also the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. A grin stretched the corners of my lips and I fought the urge to let out a triumphant victory yell. This was it, our big break. This could be our new home. I never thought I'd see the day when I'd be this excited about a prison.

Walkers lingered around the tall fences, both inside and out. The prison yard was filled with dozens of them, but that could be taken care of. I had to find Daryl and then we had to go get the others. I felt almost giddy at my find. I whirled around and headed right back into the forest, hoping I could find Daryl and still be able to find the prison again. I didn't have to go far, though, before I spotted Daryl with a small deer draped around his shoulders. His eyes narrowed when he caught sight of me.

"What the fuck, Charlie!" He said angrily, stomping over to me. "I turn my back on you for one minute and you just disappear? Damn it, you were supposed to stay close, not be frolickin' around in the forest like this is some god damn picnic! Ya could have-"

I brushed aside his anger effortlessly, grabbing his arm. "Be angry later, but right now you have to see this." I tugged him in the direction I had just come from before letting him go and hoping he'd follow me.

He did, but now without complaining. "What the hell is so fuckin' important? I got a god damn dead deer on my back that I really don't feel like draggin' around the entire woods."

"This is worth it. You'll see."

Minutes later, we emerged into the field and the prison came into view. I turned to catch Daryl's expression. His eyes were wide. I was pretty sure the look mirrored my own the first time I had seen the giant fortress.

"So? It's perfect. Right?" I asked excitedly.

"Charlie, you're a fuckin' god damn genius." He said. His eyes met mine and I didn't miss the small smile playing at the corners of his lips.

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