Flip Side {Daryl Dixon}

{Suspension Bridge Effect}

The chill of the air woke Eevee from her sleep. No heat seeped into her back so she knew that Daryl was already awake and probably out hunting. She yawned and stretched out her cramping muscles before tugging on her boots and strapping on her gun belt. The days were getting shorter and colder with each sunrise. It'll be winter soon.

"Maybe it'll snow some." Eevee slid on the pilot jacket and started to make her way across the field for the farmhouse in the distance. It was a long walk, but she didn't mind the journey. It gave her a second to gather her wits before throwing herself into the fray of their everyday life here. As she passed by the barn, the snap of skin against skin caught her ear followed by groans and whimpers from the guy that Rick couldn't leave behind.

"How many?!" That was Daryl. He was interrogating the kid? And by the sound of that punch it was Guantanamo Bay type of interrogation.

"Uh 30- 30!"

"Where?" The boy didn't answer fast enough, his scream of pain telling her that the Dixon was going after his hurt leg.

"I don't know I swear! We were never anyplace more than a night!"

"Scouting? Planning on stayin local?" His prisoner could only stutter about how he didn't know anything since they left him behind. "Did ya ever pick off a scab?"

"Come on, man! I'm-I'm tryin to cooperate!"

"Start real slow at first..." Eevee cringed at the agonized growls of the kid. "Sooner or later, ya just gotta rip it off!"

"Okay! Okay. They have weapons- heavy stuff, automatics. But I didn't do anythin!"

"Yer boys shot at my boys, tried to take this farm!" Her mouth lifted in a soft smile when he called Rick, Glenn, and Hershel his boys. He may be camping away, but his heart was still invested in the group. They became his family without him even realizing it. They became hers too.

"You just went along fer the ride? Yer tryin to tell me yer innocent?!"

"Yes! These- these people took me in. Not just guys- a whole group of them. Men and women, kids too. Like you people! Thought I'd have a better chance with them, you know? But we go out- scavenge. A man and his two daughters- teenagers, ya know? Real young. Real cute. Like that girl with the voice like a bird I heard after my surgery." Eevee covered her mouth with her hand as he told his story. She knew what happened already, there's only one ending to a story like that.

"Their daddy had to watch while these guys- they- and they didn't even kill him afterwards! They just- they just made him watch as his daughters. They just left him there." The girl had had enough of the conversation and so she stalked away from the door to find Rick and see if he needed her for anything.

That boy sounded so familiar.

She found Rick standing with the group waiting for the interrogation to be over and she leaned against a nearby tree as she worked to remember that voice.

"Oh, my god." Everyone looked over at her as it all clicked in her head.

"What's wrong?" Her answer was stopped by the appearance of Daryl. His knuckles were busted and bleeding but the look on his face drew their attention the most.

"Boy there's got a gang, 30 men. They have heavy artillery and they ain't lookin to make friends. They roll through here, our boys will be dead. And our women, they're gonna-" He looked over at Eevee as that boy's story echoed through his mind. "They're gonna wish they were."

"What did you do?" Carol asks as she pointed to his fist dripping blood to the dirt.

"Had a little chat." He slipped by her, stopped by Eevee as she grabbed his wrist to look at the injuries. "I'm fine."