Different Worlds |Daryl Dixon Fan Fiction- The Walking Dead|

Thirty Two: A Beaten and Torn Man Stole the Heart of a Beautiful Girl

                  It'd been a few days since the realization between Cory and I. We hadn't talked much since, only when absolutely necessary. It was pretty awkward between us, although I did try and act like I hadn't even known he liked me, and didn't know if he still did. However, it was proven hard, because he was terrible at hiding it.
Daryl was a completely different story. Now he was showing quite a bit more public affection. I didn't like that he was almost rubbing it in, but I couldn't really complain, because he wasn't treating me much differently than he did when we were alone. I had to admit that I liked it, who wouldn't? Holding me close while we talked with someone, grabbing my hand when we were walking across the yard. He was being irresistible.
Right now, though, a bit of the group was out. They'd left early in the morning to check the gas stations on the highways. They were due to come back by supper. So, that left me, Mom, Maggie, Carl, Judith, Carol, and Tyreese home. Maggie and I both worked outside together, checking the fences, since we were both missing our partners. Judith was inside with Mom and Carol, Carl was doing barnwork, and Tyreese was watching Maggie and I front the barn perch.
Maggie and I were on our last stretch, just heading to the hill to go down and check the last bit of fence down there. It was the only part of the yard that couldn't be seen, so we checked it most often. However, due to lack of people, it hadn't had its morning check. I doubted that made a difference, though, since it was the most quiet side of the fence. No animals could be seen from that side, so hardly any walkers tried to pass through.
We walked the few feet until we came to the top of the hill, and looked down on the fence. Our eyes stretched across it, checking the piece of land. I heard a commotion, though, which caused my eyes to skip the first half of the fencing, and rest on the giant crowd of walkers passing by. However, they weren't passing by. Upon closer inspection, they were fighting the fence, which was caving in. I fell to the ground, out of sight, pulling a frozen Maggie with me.
"We have to go back," I said calmly, "tell the others, and prepare." Maggie nodded, unable to speak. Why now? Why when almost half of our group wasn't even here?
We crawled out of sight, then got up and ran for the house. We waved our arms at Tyreese, who shouted down to who I assumed to be Carl in the barn. They both got out of the barn, heading for the house to meet up. Maggie and I didn't say anything, going straight inside so the others could hear, too.
"There's a herd over the hill, they're breaking the fence." I breathed, panting.
"Are we going to leave? Are they heading straight for the house?" Mom asked, worry masking her face.
"No, they're headed more towards the apple tree. If they get too close we can leave, head for the one behind the barn like we're supposed to." I explained. "I'm not sure what they heard that got them so determined to go through the fence, but they're trying."
We packed bags, packing them into the truck quietly. We set up the car seat, too, just in case we had to make a quick escape. I didn't want to leave, just in case the others came back. However, we might have to. The herd was too big for us to handle, but it looked like it was definitely having a bit of a struggle breaking the fence.
I went outside with Carl, and we rounded up Thunder and Boot, putting them inside. There wasn't much we could do with the cattle, so I got Barnie to herd them closer to the front of the house, so that if they did make noise, it couldn't be heard from behind the house, down the hill.
"I'm going to sit watch on the barn, stay inside and stay quiet. Here," I handed Carl a walkie-talkie, "if there's any sign of anything and I can't make it into the house, I'll talk to you on this."
"Why wouldn't you be able to make it to the house?" he questioned.
"If they come up the hill, we're going to want to leave. So, I'll tell you and get in the truck and get it started. And you guys can get in. Quick and easy." I told him before shoving him towards the house. He didn't say anything, just kept heading in the direction I'd set him in.
I began my climb up to the barn perch. I looked behind the hay to see Cory's things that he left in the barn for when he wanted alone time. His notepad wide open to a used page. I looked out of the window, peaking behind the house to make sure all was okay, then headed back behind the hay.
On the page was a drawing of a familiar girl, along with a short paragraph written beneath. I clued in that the girl was indeed me, and picked up the book. I read the paragraph: