Silent warrior: A Daryl Dixon Fan fiction

Chapter 21: Nightmares

"Daryl!" I yell out loudly. I'm standing on the edge of a cliff with walkers closing in. I don't know what to do and I'm afraid I've come to the end. I reach around my waist for my gun but it's not there. I go for the knife but it's gone as well. I start to panic that the only way to escape is to end it by jumping. The ground beneath me begins to crumble as I inch back as far as I can. The first walker gets close to me and I go to push it away but I get caught off guard when it's Flax. He goes to naw at my face but I can only move to the right and let him plummet to his death. Behind him 2 others get close and I recognize them as Lara and David from the camp that burned down. They lean forward to attack and I side step again just in time for them to fall to their death as well. As the others get closer, more familiar faces fall to their final death below as I dodge them. Only the dead faces soon turn into live ones but they keep falling to their death, even as I reach for them. Maggie walks next to me looking like her self with the eyes of a dead one and I shout her name "Maggie! Wake up!" I grab a hold of her arm but she continues to zombie walk forward. "STOP!" I shout out doing everything I can to hold her back from falling. Eventually though, I have to let go and she plummets down. After her Glenn, Carol, Michonne all walk past me to their deaths. I try to stop them all but I am just not strong enough. The walkers have come to an end and I lift my head up and turn away from the dark pit everyone I ever knew lies.

"You did this to them" his voice says to me. I squint my eyes to see where he stands and the silhouette of an armed man gets closer. I know it's Daryl and I run forward towards him.

"Daryl, they are all dead. Everyone. They all just jumped!" I cry into his shoulder once I reach him. He doesn't respond or lift his arms to hug me in return. When I realize this I pull away and look into his green eyes. They are just as dazed as the others "Daryl, no" I whisper to him "not you too!" I try and shake him from whatever trance he is in.

"You're the reason they are all dead. This is all your fault." He says before brushing past me to get closer to the edge.

"Please don't do this. No! I didn't mean to!" I shout after him and follow behind. I use all my strength to pull him back but it doesn't make any difference.

He shakes his arm to try and get away from the grab but I cling to it desperately "don't leave me!" I beg him with more tears falling from my eyes. He gives one more strong tug and I fall to the ground hard. When I look up to grab a hold of him again he takes a step forward to the edge "Daryl!" I shout out waking myself up.

I'm sitting up in a cold sweat. Daryl is still on the bed next to me and he's looking just a little bit confused "everything alright?" I nod in his direction but tears keep going down my face. "What is it?" He asks with a head tilt.

"I'm going to get everyone killed" I whisper out my fear.

"Not this again" He rolls his eyes and walks away from the bed. He goes over to the window and peers outside. I'm taken a back by his response and just let him walk away. Something outside must have caught his eye because he huffs out of the room quickly. I want to follow where he is going but I know I wouldn't be able to keep up. I hear the front door slam and I try and quickly make my way to the window where he just was. Just as I reach the window I see him storming up to Carol, Abraham, Sasha and Flax whose resting on two of them. I can't see what he is saying but I can tell he is livid.

Carol pushes him forward a little bit and the other two begin to move again with Flax. Daryl motions towards them and keeps his posture tense. Carol rests her hand on his chest while saying something back to him. He keeps yelling things past her and at her but she keeps a calm composure. He eventually turns around and storms back towards the house. I make my way back to the bed right before he gets back into the room "what was that about?" I ask him when the door shuts.

"nothin" he says slouching back in the chair.

"Where were they taking him?" I ask giving up the unknowing act.

He gives me a dirty look annoyed I even asked if I knew and reluctantly tells me "to get some meds. Guess he's got a bad infection and gettin worse."

"Oh, okay" I say back not really knowing what to say. Daryl and I don't speak again the rest of the day.

Later, Maggie comes into the room with some food "here you go" she says with a smile. She places it down on the bedside table and goes to leave.

"Maggie, wait!" I call before she can leave the room. Daryl still sits in the room quietly keeping his eyes trained on the knife he's spinning under his thumbnail. She turns around stopping her feet and waits for me to speak.

"When can I get cleaned up? These stitches are starting to kill me!" I say trying to avoid scratching them.

She gives me a sorry expression "they have to stay dry for another 2 days. Sorry Shannon." she shrugs then retreats out the door.

Although I want to be annoyed I remind myself I'm lucky enough to be in a place with any kind of water and decide to give myself a sponge bath "Daryl.." I say leaning up and out of the bed. He looks to me expressionless. "I'm gonna clean myself up. Can you help me to the bathroom please?" I ask him not waiting for an answer. I stand up and he gets up quickly to help me to the other room. As we walk into the hallway. He helps me into the bathroom and stands there when I adjust myself in front of the mirror. I wait for him to leave but he just stares at me. "Uhhh.. I'm okay now. Thanks." I say lowly trying not to make it awkward.

"righht.. well uhh.." he mumbles stepping backwards "holler if yew need anything" and he's out the door.

I turn the bathroom tub on and let it get hot before I clog the drain. I know it'll take a while to rinse my matted hair so I want the water to stay as warm as possible for as long as possible. When it's filled half way I start with rubbing my arms with the loofa. It feels so nice against my rugged skin and I scrub harder and harder at the dirt. I don't know how long it takes but I scrub until I'm raw, making sure any trace of Flax is gone. I move myself onto my knee' and as close to the tub as possible. I dunk my head into the tub and rub my hands through it. I let the water drain into the drain and turn the tub back on while I rinse it with soap. A few minutes later I feel clean enough and let my hair drip onto the floor. I wrap myself in a towel and try and hoist myself up from the floor using the counter. I go to leave the bathroom when my foot slips from the wet floor. I try and get a hold of something to keep my footing but it doesn't help. My head hits the marble and I fall flat on my ass.

The room spins as the door opens but I know it's Daryl "are you serious??" He grunts when he see's me.

"I slipped" I say back grabbing at my head. He comes over to where I'm lying on the floor and scoops me into his arms. I try and reach the towel to my head but it's covering my body so the blood pours out from the cut. He puts me down on the bed and pushes his forearm to my head.

"can't you do anythin' without hurtin yourself" he mumbles under his breath.

I look up to him angry at his comment and go to push him away "if I'm such a pain in the ass then why didn't you let me leave" I say putting my hand to my head now to try and stop the bleeding. I expect him to come back at me with another snarky comment but instead he just stands up and leaves the room. I stay perched on the bed in my towel with my hand covered in blood when Maggie walks in the room a few minutes later with a medical kit and sad eyes.

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Thanks for reading! Really excited for the next few chapters to be posted!

Q: Have you ever needed stitches (for an accident)?

A: I cut my thumb open in the 2nd grade at lunch trying to open a tabbed tuna can. Ouch. Got McDonald's afterwards though 👍😋