Fallen Angels

3: Hurting

Daryl became surrounded by walkers when he heard a blood-curdling screaming come from deep in the depth of the woods. He turned around and there it was again.

The plea of help from his only child.

"Shit Clary," Daryl whispered as he ran past the walkers coming towards him.

"CLARY! CLARY!" Daryl called out as he ran through the woods

"DAD! DAD!" Clary had gotten herself up from the ground and was now completely surrounded by the groans and moans of walkers.

Her knife in her right hand was dripping a dark red metallic liquid and her face was splattered with the same substance. One walker began making their way towards her as she moved her hair back. She gripped her knife as she lured it towards her. The walker was now close enough to her to scratch so Clary stabbed her knife into the skull of it making sure that the brain was touched.

That's how you killed them.

You have to touch the brain. You have to make them brain dead.

From what she learnt the day before. She pushed the walker to the ground when she saw Daryl looking at her with a sorrow look on his face.

"Clary," The word escaped from his mouth.

"Dad I'm fine," Clary showed her arms to him, " See, they didn't get me."

"I shouldn't have sent you back to your uncle," Daryl pulled her close to him.

"It's okay, I'm fine. Your fine," Clary told him as she wrapped her arms around him.

***

The duo walked back to where they had set up and saw Merle gone.

"That son of a bitch," Daryl said to himself.

"There you both are!" Merle chuckled as he came out from the other side of the woods.

"WHERE WERE YOU!" Daryl shouted at him as he flung his bag on the ground.

"What's the problem baby brother?" Merle laughed.

"WHAT'S THE PROBLEM? DID YOU NOT HEAR HER SCREAM?" Daryl asked.

"I did. What happened to little Dixon?" Merle asked. At this point Clary thought that Merle was either high or drunk so she stayed quiet.

That's what she normally did anyway.

"WHAT- WHAT HAPPENED IN TO HER? SHE GOT SURROUNDED BY WALKERS! YOU DIDN'T BOTHER TO FUCKING CHECK?!" Daryl screamed at his older brother.

Clary had now gone towards the clearing to get away from all the arguing. Her brown hair was wet with walker blood, and her face had splats of the same substance.

"Claire! You alright?" Merle called out to her.

"I guess," Clarissa replied softly. Her voice wobbled and she didn't look her uncle in the eye as she spoke. Behind her she could hear leaves crunching and footsteps coming closer to her. She knew that it was nothing but still clutched her knife with dear life. She felt a hand touch her right shoulder.

"It's okay Clary. I promise you now, nothing will hurt you," Daryl looked at her as he moved her falling dark brown hair out of her face. He put his hand on the back of her head before pulling her to his chest. He heard her drop the knife. Clary hugged her Dad back, hesitate at first but she held him as tight as she could. He hurt him to see his only child in pain but he knew he couldn't do anything to stop her from forgetting what just happened. And believe me he knew what it was like to be hurt.

"You look like your mother, you know," Daryl told his child as he held her chin up gently. Clary loved her mum but hadn't seen her since she was five. She looked up at her father and smiled, he rarely ever talked about her mom, only when he was drunk. Which was hardly ever.

***

"Clarissa Rae Dixon! Come here," Daryl called for the tenth time, whilst Clary carved her name into a tree trunk. She turned around and saw squirrels cooking on the camp fire.

"Coming, let me finish this!" She shouted to her dad. Daryl rolled his eyes as he got up.  " Dad I said I'm coming," Clary said as footsteps got closer.

"Here," Daryl put his jacket around her shoulders, " You're probably cold." He saw what Clary was carving.  Clarissa Rae Dixon, Age 13. Date- 12/ 3 /2010. (I'm alive don't worry)

She looked back and saw Daryl smiling at her, " What?" She asked smiling back.

"Come on foods getting cold. Write my name there later aswell," Daryl wanted to check on her wondering if she was fine camping out after previous events. He thought it was best not too after seeing her genuinely smile.