Both Eyes Open - Daryl Dixon (under editing)

A Town called Wonderland.

(I'm baaaack 😉
This chapter I dedicate to the wonderful @artificial_avian, @icecreamstars, @SkylarPayne13 and @jordynel09 for being so positive and uplifting with their words, and honouring my work with their votes. Thank you guys so much!)

Lara's head jerked upright as she woke, stiff and sore, having fallen asleep with Carl lying on her knees and her back upright against a wall of the barn.

In all honesty she was somewhat surprised that she had any sleep at all. After the storm calmed down and the walkers gave up their attack the group dispersed in the barn, many still on high alert, but most succumbing to sleep fairly quickly due to their exhaustive travelling.

The last three to give in to sleep were Daryl, Maggie and Lara. She could even recall the last words she had spoken before drifting into a sleep.

~
"Can't sleep?" Daryl grumbled lowly from the back of the barn.

Lara looked down to him with heavy eyes, shaking her head.

"No." she replied, absentmindedly running her hand through Carl's unkempt hair. The boy remained at her side the moment the group agreed to stay in the barn. Lara felt a strong attachment to the young lad, and although he was completely oblivious to it, he reminded her of her brother.

"How come?" Daryl pressed on, pulling his knees up to his chest and hooking his arms around them, his hands clutched together to hold his comfortable position.

Lara looked down at Carl with a soft smile.

"Truthfully..." she swallowed the lump in her throat, "I'm worried about ye." She smiled weakly up at him, and her eyes quickly falling back to Carl.

Daryl's face grew confused and mixed with emotion, and Lara could feel his frown through the darkness.

"I won't go to sleep till I know your alright, Daryl." She told him honestly, looking up at him as she spoke, soft but firm.

Daryl tensed for a half second, not used to hearing Lara using his first name. It was an unusual thing for him to hear. He looked down at his hands, covered in mud and grease and all sorts he couldn't quite identify.

"Am fine." He grunted, not expecting the snort that escaped Lara. He peered over at her with her head back and her shoulders bobbing up and down a little as she tried to contain her laugh.

When she finally could she looked at him with a beaming face.

"You know I'm not a complete dick right? I can tell when you're lying. It's not exactly rocket science." She said, raising her eyebrows awaiting a response.

Daryl looked down at the dirt, flickering a half hearted glance back up at her before looking to his left at the others in the group.

"You're hurting." She said aloud, barely more than a whisper, but Daryl heard her nonetheless. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye as she kept staring at him, her features soft in the cracked moonlight that trickled in from the slats of wood around the barn.

"It's okay to feel hurt sometimes. We all get that way." She told him. "It's also okay to forgive yourself. In this world, no matter what we do, someone's going to die. So let it go."

Daryl looked at her with admiration, feeling the smallest amount of weight lift from his sore shoulders.

"Will you sleep if I do?" He heard her ask after a minute of silence.

He hasn't broken his gaze with her, even as she looked down briefly at Carl sleeping on her knee, and look back at him a moment later.

He nodded, with the tiniest smile evident in his eyes.