Red // Daryl Dixon

Chapter 25

Bob eyed the fence.

"Army came and put these fences up. Made it a place for people to go. Last week, when we spotted this place, there was a bunch of walkers behind this chain-link, keeping people out like a buncha guard dogs." I explained.

Rossary touched the fence, her other hand on her knife.

"So they all just left?" Bob asked.

"Give a listen." Sasha said.

Realization grew on Bob's face when he heard the music coming from far off.

"You drew them out?" Bob asked, his brows raised.

Sasha nodded. "Put a boombox out there a few days ago."

Glenn stepped forward. "Hooked it up to two car batteries thinking it would've drawn them out by the end of the week. Thankfully, they were gone sooner than that."

My eyes found Rossary's. She glanced at Bob, an untrusting look in her eyes. It was a common occurrence for her to not trust anyone, but this felt more like she was expecting Bob to turn on us.

I trusted Rossary to make the right call when it came to people. I shifted my weight so Bob was in my line of sight.

"All right, let's make a sweep. Make sure it's safe. Grab what you can." I ordered. "We'll come back tomorrow with more people."

...

Rossary

I walked through the tents silently, following the group's path. Zach was with me as we double checked for anything the group may have overlooked. I had never been on a run with Zach before, but I liked him.

He knew how to survive out here, to be quiet and watch out for whoever he was with. He rounded a corner and looked over his shoulder.

"This place is pretty empty," he said.

I nodded. "That's unsurprising. We're here for the things inside, not out here. I thought you were a glass half full kinda guy."

He laughed loudly. I shot him a look and he quickly quieted. "Sorry. And that's true, I think optimism is better than pessimism in any situation."

I hummed. "You're definitely a better person than me."

He shot me a humorous look.

I motioned for us to continue toward the store. Zach fell into stride beside me, lazily maneuvering through the tents. I didn't relax though. It was always when you least expect it that something bad happens.

I leaned against a pillar, directly across from Daryl who had already lit a cigarette that now rested between his fingers. He pounded on the window behind him twice. "Just give it a second." he muttered.

Zack smiled. "Okay, I think I got it." he said.

I shared a look with Sasha. "Got what?" I asked, my brow raised.

Zach turned toward me. His smile fell when he realized I honestly had no idea what he was talking about. "Oh, I've been trying to guess what Daryl did before the turn."

Daryl scoffed. "Yeah, he's been trying to guess for, like, six weeks."

Zach sat down next to the surly redneck. Daryl scooted to the left slightly, trying not to make his discomfort too obvious. "I'm pacing myself. One shot a day." I snorted. Zach turned to me, his smile confident. "You know what he did, don't you?"

Daryl snorted, as if the thought was absurd.

I smiled "Yeah, of course I do. He my best friend after all." Daryl looked at me, amusement dancing in his eyes. My cheeks burned and I looked away from him in an attempt to hide it.