Barely Surviving // TWD // Daryl Dixon #Wattys2016

Chapter XV -- Illusory Safety

"No, Carl. You can't blame yourself for that, it wasn't you fault, okay?" I told him, putting both my hands on each of his shoulders and looked him straight in the eye. "But I don't want you to go alone again, if you want to go for a walk and don't want your parents around, tell me and I'll go with you and if you see another walker you must tell us, okay? I won't let anything happen to you."

I wrapped the boy in my arms, he was really shaken up but I think he didn't cry. He hugged me back really tight, like if he was afraid and only I could protect him.

"Thank you," he said as he pulled away. "And please give the gun back to Daryl and if possible don't tell him it was me."

"Carl?" He just nodded to let me know to go on. "Why are you giving me this? Why not tell your parents?"

"Because they wouldn't understand. They freak out easily, you don't. You've calmly listened to me and didn't start shouting at me like they would have had, and I trust you," he told me. "Besides, you and Daryl seem like you are really close, I figured he wouldn't be so mad if you give him his gun back."

"I'm happy you trust me," I said, giving him a small hug again. "You can always trust me, but you should trust your parents as well, if you don't know how to talk to them, I could help you."

"I know," he said with a tiny small. "Thanks."

"Now let's go, we need to move our things into the house and unpack."

The living room and the extra rooms in the house were full, Beth wanted me to stay with her but of course many people didn't like the idea but it was the only place left and we weren't going to do anything stupid, we had gotten over that or at least I was.

I grabbed my things and took them upstairs, Beth was making some room for my stuff, I smiled at her and put my things in a corner. I barely had two trousers and around six shirts so it really wasn't much.

"Thank you," I told her.

"No problem, I love having you around."

After I got all of my stuff settled which didn't take long because I barely had stuff now, I went outside and saw Daryl and Rick, looking at a map and planning where to take Randall.

"Take him out to Senoia, hour there, hour back, give or take," Rick told Daryl. "We may lose the light, but we'll be halfway home by then." I smiled as I heard Rick say the word 'home', a word we hadn't been able to say in weeks.

"This little pain in the ass will be a distant memory," Daryl said. "Good riddance."

"Carol's putting together some provisions for him, enough to last a few days," Rick said. "That thing you did last night..."

"Ain't no reason you should do all the heavy lifting," Daryl told him.

"So are you good with all this?"

"I don't see you and I trading haymakers on the side of the road. Nobody'd win that fight," Daryl said.

I approached them then and they both acknowledged me, they smiled at me and I smiled back at them. I had been thinking about what Carl told me and I wondered what I should do for a long time and I decided I should tell Rick what Carl said earlier. I hoped he will still trust me after this. I took Daryl's gun from the waistband of my jeans and handed it to him, he was going to ask me where I got it from but I spoke, turning to look at Rick.

I was going to tell Daryl I found it on the ground on my way here but I was going to tell Rick the truth and Daryl was going to listen and it was just fair for him to know.

"Uh, Rick, I need to talk to you," I said, getting very nervous.

"Sure, what is it?" Rick asked.