Staying Alive//TWDFanFic

Forty Seven

The next morning, after an awkward morning of catching Daryl and Leah sharing glances, we're brought to, what appears to be, a torture chamber. Frost, one of the men that came with us from Alexandria, is strapped to a chair getting his finger nails torn off by Mark, I look away trying not show any emotion before locking eyes with Leah who appears to be doing the same thing. We both look back when Pope calls Daryl into the room, he challenges his loyalty by making Daryl take over for Mark. I knew what was going to happen and I didn't want to see what he was about to do so I stepped out of the doorway and put my back against the wall beside the door. I drowned out Daryl's yells and Frost's cries of pain by trying to picture Beth's face, it always comforts me but makes me heart hurt at the same time. I tried to think about what we would be doing right now if she was still alive, playing in the grass or drawing something, I tried to think of any possible scenario before Leah pushed my arm to get my attention, I glanced at her, "What?" Daryl stepped out to look at me with his hand out, "My knife." I pulled it from the holster on my side and gave it to him as he went back into the room. I hear Frost screaming in pain once again as Daryl yells for him to give us a location. Frost finally gives in and gives the location for the safe house where we were suppose to meet. I wait a few moments before Daryl leaves the room, I quickly follow after him.

Pope sent Daryl, Leah, Mark and I out to scout the location. Two other men I didn't know came along with us. We made it to the neighborhood and my heart dropped a bit at the thought of us actually catching them and what we'd have to do if we did, I shook the thoughts off as I stood beside Leah, Daryl went off to the side to set some sort of signal up for Maggie before following us into the house. I aim my bow as I check the rooms, "Clear!" I shout as I enter each empty room, the stench of old, moldy furniture filled the air. It was almost nostalgic for me so I looked around the last room for a moment before meeting up with the rest of them by the front door. "We've got to split up to cover more ground, they could've went to one of the other houses. Daryl's with me, Dixon, go with Carver." Leah says, Mark and I glance at each other before I notice Leah eyeing me. Daryl steps in front of me and gives his 'it's okay' nod before following her out of the back door. Mark grabs my arm and leads me out of the front door. He tries to spark up conversation with me a few times as we bursted through the front doors of a few houses and searched them. We got to the last house where everyone else was at, they already cleared it out and were standing by the front door, I immediately noticed Daryl standing on a rug a few feet away from everyone. He gave me a weird look that I took as Maggie and the others either were here or are here so I looked back at the others before anyone noticed. "Look, nobodies here. Stop wasting time, they could be running off through the woods by now." I say, Leah glares at me, "In a hurry to leave, Dixon?" She then looks at Daryl, "You know, I never asked, is that your last name too?" He nods slowly, she just sighs before Mark interjects, "You know, she's right. We need to hurry up and see if anyones making a run for it."

We made our way back to Meridian after a few hours of looking for nothing in the woods nearby the houses, it was dark when we got to the gates. We stopped a little bit behind everyone else, I noticed Leah watching as Pope and Mark walked off whispering to each other, glancing back at Daryl and I. I knew that look, Daryl and I looked at one another, "He knows." I whispered. He seemed worried by my words, "How do you know?" Leah turns around, "No, she's right. He knows something and I need to know what." I shook my head, "You don't need to know shit." Daryl turned me toward him, "Jo, don't." Leah smirked, "Don't worry Daryl, I can handle someone being bitchy toward me." She walks off like she won or something before we made our way through the gates behind her.

The next morning, there wasn't much to do so Daryl and I decided to walk around Meridian to see if we could map out where all the important stuff is. Dog was trotting alongside us, Daryl stopped and lit one of his shitty homemade cigarettes before handing it to me and lighting one for himself, one of the reapers coming out of a door labeled, 'Food storage' catches our eye so we start walking toward him. "Need any help in there?" Daryl asks. The guy shook his head no, Daryl held out a cigarette, "Want one?" The guy nodded, "Sure." Daryl lit it for him and we watched as he walked off, we also noticed the guards by the gates were getting uneasy so we made our way over to them. Pope is yelling about something as we approach, Leah steps up and tries to take the heat from the guys he was yelling at before having a stare off with the Pope. "Why don't you take the Dixon's to find the god damn enemy?!" Leah nods before eyeing us, "Let's go." She seems slightly frightened which almost made me smile as I passed by her on the way out of the gate.