Dead Man Walking | Rick Grimes

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"June?" I snapped out of my thoughts and looked at the rough man beside me, flashing a small smile. He looked me over once, really studying my face. He's been watching me like a hawk since he learned that Rick and I had killed two people. I guess just trying to make sure that I was fine after the whole ordeal. "Let's get outta here." I looked at him and scrunched my eyebrows together in confusion. Get out of here? Oh god, is he gonna kill me? Has my constant pestering annoyed him that much? Nah, he's too much of a softie to get rid of me.

"And go where?" I asked him, letting an amused smile spread across my lips as he struggled to stand up. He finally stood, brushing himself off, and grabbed his crossbow before offering me his hand. I grabbed it, feeling the rough callousness that littered his palm. He pulled me up, making me stumble and crash into him as a laugh escaped my lips. Daryl has been unusually nice to me this past week, but you won't hear me complain! I could get used to this.

"I got an idea." He smiled at me as we started walking towards the west side fence. I laughed and brushed my hair back with my hand, making a mental note to brush it tonight. I winced at the mere thought of fighting through the pain of detangling this mess. Instead of focusing on that, I turned back to the man and smiled.

"That's a first." I joked, watching as a small smile spread across his thin lips. We continued walking until he led me into the woods, asking me quickly if I had my knife just in case. My hand flew down to my hip, fiddling with the handle as I looked around us, ensuring there were no walkers. I watched the trees sway in the warm summer breeze, their leaves crackling and some falling to the ground, crunching under our boots. It's going to be getting colder soon. We will need to start finding more winter clothes to keep warm. Daryl stopped abruptly, making me crash into him and rub the spot on my head where it collided with his shoulder. He looked around us before putting down his crossbow, a smirk playing on his lips as he turned to face me.

"You said you were some type of badass MMA chick before all this started." He began, catching my attention. What is he getting at? "We should fight; see who comes out on top." I smiled at him and looked around us, ensuring we were safe. The last thing we need is a walker coming out of nowhere and attacking us.

"I never said that, but thanks for the confidence boost." I chuckled at the man in front of me. I pursed my lips and thought about what he wanted to do, biting my lip as I looked around again, ensuring the coast was clear. A few rounds couldn't hurt much. I looked back at the man and smirked, dropping my knife at my feet. "You sure?" I asked him once more as I started to stretch out.

"Yup." He answered, popping the P at the end as he circled his wrists around to stretch the muscles. "After that ass-kicking you gave Shane, I've been itching to fight you." I scoffed at his words and bent down, stretching out my hamstrings.

"I don't wanna embarrass you, Dixon," I smirked at him. Daryl rolled his eyes and scoffed at me.

"Don't get your hopes too high, little girl," He said, his lips twitching, threatening to spread into a smile.

"If we're going to do this." I started as I stood back up and rolled my neck and shoulders, "There need to be some rules." Daryl scoffed at me and rolled his eyes. "No low blows. I'm saving your ass with that one." I smiled at him as I said this, "Once someone says stop, we have to stop. I rather we leave with maybe a few bruises and cuts than broken bones."

"That all?" Daryl asked impatiently as he jumped in place to warm himself up. I nodded at him and stretched my arms above my head, feeling the euphoric pull of my traps and rhomboid muscles. "Ready?" He asked me once, his pale blue eyes teasing me as he watched me lower my arms. I grabbed the hair tie around my wrist and hastily threw it in a ponytail, hoping he wouldn't play dirty and pull at it. I only like having my hair pulled in certain situations, and this isn't one of them.