Last One Standing ~ TWD Daryl Dixon

12

Daryl

I didn't breathe easy until we were in the woods. The moon had risen, giving us enough light to travel. Rick said it would take us hours before we made it back to where they left the car. Rick paused once we were deeper in the trees. In the dark I could make out two packs sitting behind a tree. He bent at the waist as he fought to catch his breath.

"We need to keep moving." Merle said angrily. He was still geared up, pacing around and anxious.

I leaned against a tree rubbing at my ribs where his first punch had caught me off guard. "They got anyone who can track in there?"

Merle snorted. "Not anymore."

"Than we're fine." I snapped. I was surprised by how pissed I was at Merle, and it wasn't all because of my ribs.

Rick held out a bottle of water to me. "You okay?" He asked.

I coughed once and nodded taking a deep drink of water. "Sore ribs, just bruised if anything."

Rick nodded, than turned to face Jo. She had hung back as we made our way through the forest. And now she was watching the woods around us with her back to me. Her knife was at her waist but she still had her hand resting on the grip. I tried to relate the woman standing in front of me to the one I had known months ago, but it just didn't seem possible that they were the same.

Maggie approached her from behind holding up the water.

"Here," Maggie said, she pressed her water bottle against the back of Jo's arm.

She must have caught Jo off guard or surprised her because Jo flinched away and then spun around to face Maggie, her knife was already out. Maggie squeaked in surprise and stumbled back away from her. Maggie tripped over her feet and dumped herself on her butt.

"Hey!" Rick yelled drawing his gun and leveling it at Jo.

Jo saw the movement and pivoted so her back was against the nearest tree, facing us all.

"Whoa, whoa whoa, Jo," I said. I stepped towards her so I was between her and the gun. I let my crossbow hang loosely at my side and held my other hand up so she could see I wasn't a threat. She was watching my hands and my shoulders, paying attention more to my body language than anything coming out of my mouth. Her eyes flickered at Rick and to Maggie as Rick pulled Maggie to her feet.

I remembered how Jo had jerked away from me when I was trying I help her through the gate. And again how I had startled her when she was fighting the Walkers. She was acting like a dog that had been kicked too many times. The sweat still glistened on her skin but she shivered as the breeze picked up and she looked a little shocky.

"Come on Little Brother," Merle called. "We don't got time for this. We gotta go."

I waved him off. Motioning for him and the others to back off. I was surprised when Merle actually listened to me and kept his mouth shut, only letting out a growl of annoyance. Rick didn't look convinced at first but when I gave him a hard look he finally complied and pulled Maggie back a few yards giving us the illusion of privacy.

Jo had seen me move my hands and sunk into that defensive crouch I remembered from the first time I saw her. Her eyes were hard and slightly glazed and I wasn't one hundred percent sure she was seeing me as anything other than a potential threat. She reminded me of a corner animal.