Love & survival (Daryl Dixon x oc)

Twenty-Eight

We all sat there for a couple more minutes in silence before I stood up and walked out. I could hear everyone behind me do the same.

I walked back to my tent to grab my book and Carl was right behind me. "What's gonna happen to him." He asked.

"Can't say." I replied.

"Why?"

"'Cause it's top secret information. Now go and help your mom or something."

"Where were you last night?" Carl asked me after he almost walked away.

"What?" 

"You were with Daryl, right? You slept there. Oh, my god! Are you pregnant?!" He asked way to exitedly.

"No! I'm not. I- We- I didn't sleep there. I was awake all night, now let me get some rest." I had to put my answer together quickly.

"Okay, but are-"

"-No!" I firmly cut him off.

"Okay.. I was just wondering..." He mumbled and walked away. What is wrong with this kid, jezus.

I grabbed my book and sat outside in my chair. As expected Daryl showed up shortly after. "I need to be there tonight." He sighed as he positioned his chair next to me and sat down. 

"Rick, asked you?" I asked him, not looking up from my book.

"Yup" He replied. It was akward, the silence that fell after. 

I was at the exiting part of my book. Although I've read it more than enough times, I still felt the tension of this part. 

Daryl must've seen my concentration as I was reading. "Nice book?" He asked. All I did was nod, I really wanted to not be disturbed, but I couldn't say no to Daryl's presence.

After more akward silence I heard snoring form beside me. I looked up from my book and found that Daryl had his eyes closed. "Are you sleeping?" I asked. Why are you so dumb of course he's asleep, Emris.

Daryl opened his eyes, "Nah, I just wanted attention." He smiled, with teeth, an actual smile, like the ones in pictures. Daryl was smiling, at me, with his teeth visible. 

Why do his teeth have my attention? What's wrong with me? 

He 

Was

Smiling

"You just wanted my attention?" I managed to say. I couldn't think. I was just caught in his face. But as soon as those words left my mouth his smile faded. 

"You didn't respond 'cause ye were reading." He replied.

"So?"

"I came here to have a chat, or somethin'. Not, ye know, silence."

"Since when do you do 'chatting'?"

"Now"

"Am I dreaming or did you just change your whole personality or something?"

"Shut up." He threw a small rock at me and his smile reappeared. He was smiling again. At me.

We continued talking after that and I competely forgot about the book that was still posisioned in my hand.

---

Night fell and Randalls execution was in motion. Everyone waaited in camp except Rick, Daryl and Shane. We couldn't go to bed before we knew it was done. Everyone was silent, awaiting the three that were doing 'the thing'. We had to call it that for Carl. He couldn't know what was going to happen. 

Where was Carl? I hadn't seen him for a while. 

The barn opened and five silhouettes came out. One of them was small and wore a hat, Carl. 

Two of the silhouettes came back to camp, Rick and Carl. "We're ceeping him in custody, for now." Rick said. 

"I'm gonna find Dale." Andrea said happily as she sood up and walked towards the RV.

Daryl must already be back in camp, or at least on his way there. So I went there too. I needed to know what happened and by the looks of it, Family Grimes had a lot to talk about.

Before I could reach Daryls camp I heard screaming from behind me. Screams of pain. Terrible pain. 

Before I knew it, my legs were on the move, fast, extremely fast. 

Before I knew it, I reached Dale with his stomach ripped open. I found Daryl next to me. He pushed the walked that attacked him away and killed it. I was yelling 'Oh my gods'. "Help! Over here! Help! Run!" Daryl yelled waving his arms. He said somethings to Dale but I couldn't make out what. My stupid insitncts wanted to put preasure on the wound but I couldn't find out where. Dale's whole stomach was open. His guts bulging out and him crying in pain. 

Daryl pulled me off of Dale as the others had found their ways over to us and let them do whatever they were doing. 

"It's gonna be okay. Emris, hey, he's gonna be okay, alright? Just listen to me. Listen to my voice" He kept on telling me. He was hugging me tightly and had his hand on my head to prevent me from trying to look. 

I heard the others scream and cry in the background, I couldn't make up what they were saying. 

I could hear Dale's gargeling. He was going to choke on his own blood. 

Daryl let me go and all I heard was a gunshot and a killing silence that came after, apart from the cries of our group. 

---

I had fallen to my knees in the meanwhile. 

I felt my warm fresh tears running down my cheek. 

A vague shadow came towards me. It was saying something. I couldn't hear it's words. It was close infront of me. I felt two warm hands on my soaked cheeks. It was saying something to me, I could only make out the last thing he said, "Em..." 

I looked up. I had to blink a couple times before my eyes went back to actually-trying-to-see-something mode. It was Daryl infront of me. "Daryl..." My voice broke. "Is-?" His hands fell off of my cheeks.

"Yeah" He replied. His head dopped down as he did. 

He had fired the gun. 

He had put Dale out of his suffering. 

He did what Dale would've wanted. 

He did what Dale had accepted as his fate.

---

"Dale could get under your skin." Rick started when we were all gatherd up at a new grave filled with Dale's body, "He sure got under mine, because he wasn't afraid to say exactly a he thought, how he felt. That kind of honesty is rare... and brave.
Whenever I'd make a decision, I'd look at Dale. he'd be looking back at me with that look he had. We've all seen it one time or another. I couldn't always read him, but he could read us. He saw people for who they were. He knew things about us, the truth, who we really are.
In the end, he was talking about losing our humanity. He said this group was broken. The best way to honour him is to unbreak it. Set aside our differences and pull together, stop feeling sorry for ourselves and take control of our lives, our safety, our future.
We're not broken. We're gonna prove him wrong. From now on we're gonna do it his way.
That is how we honour Dale."