I Need You (Daryl Dixon Fanfiction)

Chapter 29

Ruth-

I'd like to say I know how long it's been, but I don't, by my dad's count it's been at least three months. Three months since I felt his touch, seen his soft blue eyes, felt his lips on mine. I still didn't know if he was alive or dead, I just accepted the fact that he was probably dead. I continued to wear his vest, it had his musk embedded in it. I was sitting in the window of my room, the third floor up. My dad's community held a lot of apartments and old shops, so there was plenty of room for everyone that came here. Since I had been here they had made a few improvements to the apartments, making a couple of the rooms bigger. The top floor was one big apartment, it was like a house up there, three bedrooms, an office, kitchen and bathroom. One of the families lived up there, my dad lived in a different building. My dad offered me a place where he and Tucker lived, but I just wanted to be alone.

I took a puff from my cigarette, rubbing the leather vest between my fingers, loving the feeling. I had on a black lace bra under the vest, and boy short underwear, something I found in one of the shops here. Well actually I traded a crotchet doily for it, but whatever. I didn't come out of my room very often, it was rare to see me outside of my room. So I just lounged around in my underwear, and Daryl's vest most of the time. When my dad wasn't buried in tasks he would come visit me, Tucker was too busy with his new girlfriend to come visit me. There was an old man down stairs that I visited and helped him roll cigarettes, he was my hook up, and one of the runners was his hook up for the supplies. The old man was like my best friend, we chatted, and he told me his war stories. His name was Henry, how he came to find this place was pretty intense, he was a barbarian of an old man. He wasn't a little old man, his arms were the size of boulders, his legs were tree trunks, he was a very fit old man, that you could tell had stories. He had a well groomed white beard and curled mustache, he kept his grey and white hair slicked back, his body was decorated in tattoos. Even though he was very intimidating he was a very sweet man. How we met, I was smoking a cig, and he came up to my room and pounded on the door. He smelled my cigarette and asked if I had anymore, obviously I was running low, so he took me in and taught me how to make them. So now I go down every other day and help him make them. He trades them for books, and rare finds.

I'll be honest I stopped taking care of myself, I'm sure I smelled awful, but Henry was too sweet to say anything. My hair was just a collection of knots that I kept tied up on my head, occasionally I loosely braided it, letting it rest on my shoulder, I hardly did that though. I would spend the day drawing, trying desperately not to let Daryl's face fade from my memory. I wish I had a picture of him, everyday I went over the regrets I had. It drove me mad most days. There were a lot of patched up holes in my walls. My apartment was a studio apartment, just a living room, bathroom, and kitchen. I didn't have a bed though, I only had a couch that I slept on, a pillow and a blanket for bedding. So anyway I'm sure you're wondering what happened to Alexandria, well, the gate caved in due to the weight of the Walkers pushing on it. Then, everything was burnt down, Beta's doing, wasn't for sure, but if he was still out there, he was probably looking for us, for me. So without Alexandria or the Hilltop, oh yeah forgot to mention the Hilltop was burned down the night before the horde arrived at our gates. I had forgot to mention that's why we went to the Kingdom that day. Doesn't matter I'm in Smalltown now. That's what they called us, it's a dumb name I know, but this place looks like a biker joint, mixed with a daycare. Everyone here is rugged, badass, and covered in leather and spikes. So Daryl's vest helped me fit in. I put out my cigarette on my calf then went over and pulled on my grimy jeans. I pulled on my hoodie, then put my- Daryl's vest back on.

I went downstairs to Henry's room, and softly knocked." C'mon in." He said roughly. I opened the door and he smiled," good afternoon dear." He said in his deep voice.

"Afternoon Henry." I said shyly.

"Didn't think you were gonna come see me today." He said cheerfully.