I looked around the trees in fear. I don't know how long it's been, but I'm alone. Mommy gave me her knife and told me to run and don't look back. Once I ran away from the monsters, I heard a gunshot. I've been alone ever since. It's gotten dark 4 times, but I was too scared to sleep by myself. I'm very tired, it's getting hard for me to stay awake. I held my blankie tight in my hands as I looked for someone to protect me. Then I heard a loud snap. I quickly turned around and saw a monster coming towards me. "No." I cried, backing away from it. It kept coming towards me, growling and reaching while snapping it's jaws at me. "Help me!" I screamed, feeling my back hit a tree. I couldn't move. At all. I felt stuck. I started crying more when I saw an arrow pierce through the monsters head. It fell to the ground right in front of me. I shrieked and closed my eyes. "Hey, sweetheart. It's okay, yer okay." I heard a gruff voice say. I opened my eyes and saw a man with a crossbow. He crouched down in front of me and looked me over. "Are ya lost?" He asked. I nodded and latched onto him. "Hey, where's yer Mommy? Yer daddy?" He asked, holding me close to him. "I don't have a daddy. And mommy gave me her knife. She told me to run. I heard her shoot her gun once and I've been alone ever since." I cried. "How long has that been?" He asked. "It's gotten dark 4 times. I haven't been able to sleep by myself. I'm scared." I cried, holding onto him tighter. "Ya haven't slept in 4 days?" He asked. "I can't. I'm scared." I cried. "Is this yer blanket?" He asked. "Yes. Mommy said she got it for me when I was born." I said, pulling back to look into his blue eyes. "Alright, hold on tight." He said. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he stood up. I felt him tie my blanket around myself and him, keeping me close to his chest. Once he got it secure, he brushed the hair out of my face and adjusted my blue bandana. "Get some sleep. Yer safe now. I've got ya." He said. "Promise?" I asked. "I promise." He said. I nodded and cuddled closer to him, clutching his shirt in my small hands. I closed my eyes and slowly felt myself fall asleep.
I woke to the sound of a scream and someone yelling 'mom!' I jumped in fright, but my savior calmed me by putting his hand on my head. "Shh, it's okay. I got ya." He said. "Who screamed?" I asked softly. "Probably the kids from my group. Musta seen sumthin that spooked 'em. It's okay, I won't let anything hurt ya." He said. "What's your name?" I asked quietly. "Daryl. Yers?" He asked. "Dixie Mae." I said. "Huh, never heard that one before. I like it." He smiled. "Are ya good to walk now?" He asked. I nodded and he untied my blankie, gently setting me on the ground. He let me hold my blankie close and I just followed him. I heard voices the closer we got, so I clung to his pants leg. "It's alright, Dixie Mae. I ain't gon' let no one hurt ya." He told me. I nodded but didn't let go. When we walked around the big rock, I noticed weapons pointed at us. I quickly hid behind Daryl's leg in fear. He stopped when he noticed them, then I saw his gaze float to the dead deer. "Son of a bitch." He cursed, walking forward. He seemed mad and I lost my grip on his leg as he stormed over to it. "That's my deer!" He yelled. I stayed where I was, not wanting to get in between him and his anger. "Look at it. All gnawed on by this filthy, disease bearing, motherless, poxy bastard!" He yelled as he kicked the dead monster that ate his deer. "Calm down, son. That's not helping." The older man tried. Daryl got mad and stormed over to him. "What do ya know about it, old man? Why don't ya take that stupid hat and go back to 'On Golden Pond'?" He snapped before turning and looking back at the deer. I felt tears flood my eyes as I watched him. The last time I saw someone angry like that is when mama had a man over. He didn't like me too much and I accidently spilled my juice. That was the first time I got hit. "I been trackin' this deer for miles. Gonna drag it back to camp, cook us up some venison." He said as he pulled his arrows out of the deer. "What do ya think? Think we can cut around this chewed up part right here?" He asked, looking around. "I would not risk that." A dark haired man holding a shotgun said. "That's a Damn shame." Daryl said as he walked back over to me. He picked me up and looked back at his group. "I got us some squirrel- bout a dozen or so. That'll have to do." He said, ignoring the confused looks he got from everyone as he held me. Then I heard something gross and scary. Daryl set me down and I clung to his leg again. "Come on, people. What the hell." He said as he aimed his crossbow. He shot the monster through the eye and I squeezed my eyes shut. "It's gotta be the brain. Don't y'all know nothin'?" He asked, picking me up again. I buried my face in his shoulder as he started walking. Once he got up towards the camp, he set me down. I walked beside him, staying close. "Merle!" He called out. "Merle! Get your ugly ass out 'ere!" He called out again. "I got us some squirrel! Let's stew 'em up!" He said as he set his crossbow down. "Daryl, just slow up a bit. I need to talk to you." The shotgun man said. Daryl stopped and turned to him, me still clutching his jeans in my hand. "Bout what?" Daryl asked. "About Merle." Shotgun man said. "Hold on, I wanna know who the small child is." The older man asked. "I found her in the woods. She was alone, said her mother told her to run." Daryl said. "What's your name, sweetheart?" The man asked man. "Dixie Mae." I said softly, still holding tight onto Daryl. "You wanna come over here?" He asked. I shook my head and wrapped both my arms around daryl's leg. "No. Wanna stay safe. Daryl is safe. Stay with Daryl." I said. "Leave her alone, she's still scared to death." Daryl snapped. "Harsh tones could be scaring her more." A brunette woman holding a small boy said. "Who's she holdin' on to?" Daryl snapped at her. I tightened my grip on his leg and looked at the woman. "Stayin' with Daryl means I'm safe. He promised me." I said to her. "Okay, sweetheart. I believe you." She said and gave me a small smile. "Now what bout Merle?" Daryl asked. "There was a, uh, there was a problem in Atlanta." Shotgun man said. Daryl looked around at everyone and I saw sad looks on all their faces. "He dead?" Daryl asked. "We're not sure." Shotgun man said. "He either is or he ain't!" Daryl snapped. "No easy way to say this, so I'll just say it." A different man said, walking up. "Who are you?" Daryl asked. "Rick Grimes." The man said. "'Rick Grimes'. Ya got sumthin ya wanna tell me?" Daryl asked harshly. "Your brother was a danger to us all, so I handcuffed him on a roof, hooked him to a piece of metal. He's still there." Rick said calmly. Daryl gently pushed me off of him and I felt small arms wrap around me, keeping me away. "Hold on. Let me process this. Yer saying ya handcuffed my brother to a roof and ya left him there?!" Daryl yelled at Rick. "Yeah." Rick nodded. Daryl looked really mad. He then threw the squirrels at Rick and tried to attack, but shotgun man tackled him. "No! Leave him alone!" I cried, trying to get to him, but this woman was holding me back. "Let me go!" I screamed, scratching at her arms. She hissed in pain, but didn't let go. I saw Daryl pull out his knife and look at Rick. "Watch the knife!" Someone yelled. Daryl swung at Rick, but Rick dodged it. Daryl tried again, but Rick and shotgun man stopped him. Shotgun man had him in a headlock. "You'd best let me go!" Daryl yelled. I finally got free from the woman's arms and ran over, hitting shotgun man. "Let him go!" I screamed, before biting his arm. He yelled in pain, but still didn't let go. Someone then grabbed me again and lifted me up so I couldn't get free. "Daryl!" I cried. "Choke holds illegal." Daryl said to the man. "You can file a complaint." Shotgun man said. "Come on, man. We can keep this up all day." The man said, now taking Daryl to the ground. I just kept crying, trying to get free. "I'd like to have a calm discussion on this topic. Do you think we can manage that?" Rick asked Daryl. "Do you think we can manage that?" Rick asked again when Daryl didn't answer. Shotgun man let Daryl go and he fell to the ground. I bit the man's arm and he dropped me, letting me run back over to Daryl. I ran into his arms and stayed there. "What I did was not on a whim. Your brother does not work and play well with others." Rick said to Daryl. I just clutched his dirty shirt in my small hands, glaring at Rick and everyone else. "It's not Rick's fault. I had the key. I dropped it." A black man said. "You coulda picked it up!" I snapped, glaring at him. "Well, I dropped it down a drain." The black man said. Daryl's head dropped and I felt something wet hit my shoulder. He wiped his eyes harshly and stood up with me in his arms. "If it's s'posed to make me feel better, it don't." Daryl snapped, walking away while glaring at the black man. "Well, maybe this will." The black man said. Daryl stopped and looked at him. "Look, I chained the door to the roof- so the geeks couldn't get at him. With a padlock." Black man finished. "It's gotta count for something." Rick said. Daryl wiped his eyes with his free hand then looked at everyone. "Hell with all y'all! Just tell me where he is, so's I can go get him." Daryl snapped. "He'll show you. Isn't that right?" The brunette woman asked, looking at Rick. Rick was quiet for a second before nodding and looking at Daryl. "I'm going back." He said. Daryl scoffed and started walking away. When we got to his tent, he crawled in and set me down on his sleeping bag. "Ya stay here. Don't go near any of 'em. I'll be back soon with my brother, and we gon' be leaving this place. I'll keep ya safe." He told me. I nodded and gave him another hug. "Promise you'll come back?" I asked. "I will come back and get ya. But don't get close to any of 'em out there. I don't want ya feeling upset when we leave." He said. "I promise, Daryl. Hurry back." I said, then kissed his cheek. He kissed my head then walked out. I cuddled up under my blankie and closed my eyes, quickly going back to sleep.
