The Fear (The Walking Dead / Daryl Dixon)

Chapter 11 - You're Afraid

"No. Look, just... Did she take a gun?"

"I don't know. I wouldn't let her go out there alone." Dale stated, but before he had even finished Shane was walking away, jumping into one of the cars and speeding away.

It was silent for a moment more before we all eventually made our way back inside.

"Shall we eat?" T-Dog broke the silence.

"Might as well. Nothing else we can do for now." Dale replied.

Just like the last time we ate in silence and I was the first one into the kitchen, being a rather fast eater. Carol followed me with a few empty plates.

"You don't mind if I bail on the dishes, do you?" She asked. "I just want to go up and talk to Daryl again. See if I can get him to come back down and join the group."

"Sure, but my opinion, for whatever it's worth... you're better leaving him be, at least for now. Some people grieve better on their own." I shrugged a little.

"You didn't see him before... I don't want him resorting back to how he used to be... distant."

"Oh, I think I can imagine." I replied and Carol smiled a little. "Go, I've got this." I nodded, taking the dirty plates from her hands before she left.

But she only made it a few steps before turning back to me. "Actually... would you mind going instead?"

"Sorry?" I questioned, all to confused.

"It's just... I have already spoken to him briefly and he wasn't all that cooperative, but you seem to be good with people, you know how to handle them."

"You heard about me pointing a gun on Shane, right?" I questioned.

"I saw it... from a distance in the RV. Daryl took it off you." She paused for a moment. "Please, just try."

I reluctantly sighed, not particularly feeling like saying a flat out no to the women who just lost her daughter. "Alright, but no promises... and if he yells at me I'll be blaming you." I joked as she nodded and took over the dishes.

Grabbing an oversized hoodie, that sort of acted as the community go-to jacket in our house as it was always hung up on the hat stand and none of us actually knew who the owner was, I made my way outside and began to head towards the distant campfire.

I walked at a steady pace, in no hurry whatsoever and unaware of what I was actually going to say or what I had gotten myself in to. But before long I was only a few meters away from the fire and Daryl noticed me, looking up curiously and then back down at the flame, poking the hot embers with a stick.

"I came up here to get away from you people." He stated, clearly unimpressed by the number of visitors he had received today.

"Carol sent me."

"Well it's a wasted journey."

"I told her it was probably best to leave you be for the time being, but she's a hard women to say no to, particularly under the circumstances."

"Why would she send you?" He demanded, giving the embers another poke.

"If you come back down to the house you can ask her?" I offered, but not all that hopeful it would work. In fact I wasn't hopeful at all. Daryl looked up at me and then back down with no reply. "Well if you won't come back down to meet your curiosity you should come back down for food. There's a roast and baked potatoes... and salad." I added on the end earning myself another glare.

"I've got food." He responded which caused me to look to the left and see a few dead squirrels hanging over a rope he had tied between two trees.

"Well, you have the meat... really a Greek salad would go wonderfully with those." I mused, turning back to him. "Come on, do you really think I want to be out here anymore than you want me here? It's freezing, dark, the grass is wet, my dad isn't back yet and my sister is still essentially catatonic. I'd much rather be inside in the warmth with her, but instead I got roped into trudging out here to drag your ass back down to the much safer camp near the house." I rattled off, doing my best to stop my teeth from chattering. "Could you please just do me this one tiny little favor and come back with me before you get eaten by a Walker in your sleep because if I wake up and find out you have in fact been devoured after I failed to get you back then I'm going to feel really bad." No response. "Alright, Dixon... I mean I did help patch you up after you stole our horse, got yourself thrown off a cliff and an arrow in your side and were then shot in the head, but hey, if you want to be stubborn..." I trailed off as I briskly walked over to the campfire and reluctantly sat down in the cold grass next to it.