The Fear (The Walking Dead / Daryl Dixon)

Chapter 4 - Cherokee Rose

"I'll gather and secure the weapons. Make sure no one's carrying till we're at that clearing off site. I do request one rifleman on lookout." Shane added at the end. "Dale's got experience."

Everyone turned to face my dad, waiting for an answer. "Our people would feel safer, less inclined to a carry a gun." Rick argued and my dad slowly nodded. "Thank-you."

"No firing for small numbers." I insisted and Rick nodded.

"That stuff you brought..." Maggie spoke up, changing the topic, "got any more antibiotics, bandages, anything like that?" She asked, knowing we were running out fast.

"Just what you've seen." Andrea replied as Shane and Daryl began to walk away.

"We're running short already. I should make a run into town." She said to dad.

"Not the place Shane went?" Rick asked.

"No, there's a pharmacy just a mile down the road. We've done it before." Maggie replied, nodding towards me.

"See our man there in the baseball cap?" Rick asked, turning around and pointing to Glenn in the distance. "That's Glenn... our go-to-town expert. I'd ask him along just to be cautious." Rick offered, trying to help in anyway he could.

Dad gestured for Maggie to go and speak with him, saying she should take Glenn with her before turning to me. "You're going out there to look, aren't you?" Dad asked and I nodded sharply.

"You don't have to do that." Rick cut in.

"Kat's my eldest... she makes her own decisions and she doesn't do anything she's not willing to do." My dad replied for me. "And she knows the land better than anyone, even me."

"I don't mind, really." I insisted. "Besides, there's only a small window for this kind of thing. If Shane and yourself can't go out today, someone else needs too."

Rick nodded, "Thank-you. You should speak with Daryl, get a plan for the day." I nodded back and sent my dad a small smile before picking up my hat off of the bonnet of the car and placing it on my head, walking away to find Daryl.

He hadn't gone far and was standing by his motorbike, packing a few things away before he was to heading out.

I spoke first once he saw me approaching. "Rick told me to speak to you. I'm heading out, going to search the woods a bit."

Daryl's eyes flick over me quickly, from the heel of my tan cowgirl boots that had my dark, ripped skinny jeans tucked into them, to my grey singlet with my dark grey and white plaid shirt hanging unbuttoned over it, to the tip of my straw cowgirl hat. Not in a creepy way, more in a way that said he clearly thought I was made of the wrong material for the job.

"You'll slow me down and you have no weapon." His voice wasn't harsh, but I wouldn't call it friendly. It was also deep and husky which probably didn't help.

"I never said I was going to work with you, Sparky." I stated back sarcastically with the slightest hint of a smug smile causing him to narrow his eyes just the tiniest bit. "I just need to know where exactly you plan on searching so we don't double up."

"I'll start at the creek where we first lost her then follow it up, back track and go the other way and then do a wide search in the direction back to the farm, won't go any further than three miles out from the creek."

"Alright." I nodded and turned on my heels, taking a few steps before he spoke again.

"You still can't go out there unarmed."

I turned back around, continuing to walk backwards. "You let me worry about that, Tough Guy." I actually got an eye roll this time as I turned back around and began my way to the stables.