The Lone Buck ↣ The Walking Dead

Prologue

It was a beautiful summers day in Georgia, the sun was out, the wind blew softly through the trees making them rustle slightly.

A young girl about the age of 7 was playing outside, making Daisy Chains and having a picnic with her special doll Samantha and her brother Daryl.

Her long dark brown hair flow in the gentle wind and her emerald green eyes sparkled in the sun. "Here you go Samantha." She smiled as she placed the delicate Daisy Chain around the dolls neck.

Daryl looked closely at her. "Do I get one of those?" He smirked.

Briony nodded and placed a bigger Daisy Chain around his neck. "Now you look pretty and like a princess." She giggled.

"Does dad know your out here?" Daryl asked her as he feared for her safety. She shook her head and looked back at the house. "I don't like it in there, that's why I'm out here. Dad always hurts me."

"Did Dad hurt you today?" He asked her quietly and she nodded. She undid her button on her sleeve and rolled it up revealing a huge yellow and black bruise covering her arm. "Come here." He lifted her arm and kissed the bruise and she smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Thank you big brother. I love you." He
gave her a rub on her back and sighed heavily. "I love you too, always." She let him go and picked up Samantha and started to speak to her. "Bri, I want you to know that even though Dad hurts you, he really loves you. The same with Merle."

"Why does dad hurt me?" Her gorgeous eyes looked up to him once more. "He isn't in the right frame of mind, you don't remember your mother but she died in a house fire. Ever since that time Dad changed. He got worse."

Briony looked out onto the horizon. "Did dad ever hurt you?" She wondered.

"All the time." He slowly removed his top and turned to show his back so she could see the scars that remained there.

"Hey guess what I found?" Daryl asked pulling out a camera from his bag. "A Camera?" Briony jumped up and got all excited. "Can we take a picture?" She asked.

"Sure we can!" Daryl angled the camera so it was in focus and in the right spot.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she placed a kiss on his cheek. He pressed the button and with a flash the picture took. "I'll go print this, then we can both have a picture each. When your upset and you think no one loves you, look at that and you'll see I love you. Okay?" She nodded her head as he got up and walked indoors.

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"Briony! Get down here now!" Will, Briony's father, drunken voice shouted from downstairs. Briony quickly made her way downstairs and into the living room where her father sat there, beer can in hand. "Yes father?" She trembled.

"Why didn't you do the washing up like I asked you too?" He slurred.

"I got caught up on my other chores that I didn't have time." He groaned and then got up and walked over to her.

"Go do it now." He spoke trying not to lose his temper.

"I need to finish my laundry."
"What did I just say! Do you want me to hurt you?" He screamed in her face and she ran into the kitchen.

This wasn't the first time he screamed at her. This was atleast the 20th time today. Now that she was 9 she only had a small amount of time to herself. Her father became dangerously strict.

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"You wanna come hunting with me today?" Daryl asked his sister. She was sitting on her floor tidying her room, putting clothes away.

"I have to finish my chores, otherwise dad will kill me. Literally." He chuckled and shook his head at her stubbornness.

"He's passed out, I checked."

Briony hesitantly looked at her brother. "You sure?" She asked.

"I'm sure. Nice bruise you got on your face there." Daryl spoke as Briony lifted herself off the floor. "What'd ya do this time?"

"Didn't finish my chores." He smiled at her and looked down at the ground then back at her. "You'll live darlin' let's go."

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Briony looked up above as the light sneaked through the gaps between the trees. "Look what I got for you." Daryl grabbed a bow and arrow and passed it too her. Her eyes lit up as she held the bow in her hand. "If you practise enough you'll get to hunt more often." She gleamed a smile at him then hugged him tightly.

Once Daryl had taught her the basics she became a pro. Grabbing the arrows from the bag behind her back, clipping them onto the bow and then shooting and hitting the target. She hit squirrels, birds and even got a bunny. Suddenly, a Buck came wandering through, Brionys eyes lit up.

"You know-" Daryl started obviously not seeing the Buck.
"Shh." Briony shushed him.
"Woah. You gonna go for it?" He questioned.

Briony shook her head. "Isn't it beautiful?" She paused. "Even if I did kill it dad wouldn't be very grateful. Let's just leave it be."
"Okay." Daryl replied, as they made their way slowly out of the forest.