When the dead roam - (Daryl Dixon)

Chapter 8 - reliving memories

Lou sat in the infirmary, her legs crossed in front of her on the small bed. The painkillers were slowly making their way into her system, allowing her to move a little more freely. She eyed the unusual male that sat at the foot of the bed, his skin was slightly muddy and the arms were ripped of his jacket. He intrigued her, something about him was different. With every breath she took in she forced herself to restrain from thanking him. The last thing she needed was anyone to think she was a damsel in distress yet she still uttered the idiotic words that were always present in heroic novels.

"Thank you" shit

Daryl turned his attention to her, his eyebrows furrowed together in confusion as to why the seemingly shy girl had actually communicated with him.

"Yer' welcome"

"I probably would have bled out if you weren-" she was cut off by the privacy curtains flying open and an unconvincingly concerned brother storming towards her. His tanned hands were balled into fists at his side. The curly brown hair was roughly scraped back and tied onto a bun that sat directly on top of his head, showing every inch of his deceivingly beautiful face. The plaid shirt he wore hung open across his torso, showing the plain white shirt that hugged the muscles underneath.

"Lou! Oh my god Lou" he breathed, his voice spilled with worry but his eyes, as usual, told a different story. Lou ignored his gaze. She immediately drew her attention the blood stains on her hands, attempting to find something other than the obnoxious man in front of her to occupy her time. "Lou please"

"You need to leave" she demanded, casing a disgusted look his way.

"Lou ple-"

"I said get the fuck out"

"I need to make sure you're okay" he whispered towards the tempered girl.

"Oh please" she scoffed "tell me, when the fuck did you starting caring?"

She watched as Daryl shifted uncomfortably in the plastic chair that sat at the bottom of her bed. His eyes kept flicking between her and her brother, anticipating the next move as he - for some strange reason - prepared to defend her. He could tell she scared. The pain displayed in her eyes wasn't easily missed, only to Daryl, the pain didn't seem physical. Something in her eyes screamed trauma. She was afraid of him.

- - - - - - - - - -

The noise from Deanna's party could be heard from across the small town, so loud in fact that Lou couldn't believe that I hadn't drawn the attention of any nearby walkers. She couldn't even hear the tapping of her shoes across the dark sidewalk as she strode through the cold breeze, back towards her small sanctuary. The smell of spaghetti danced through the air towards her, alerting her stomach of the delicious food she would shortly consume.

Instead of the two familiar voices she was used to, three could be heard echoing their way through the house, making their way from the dining room towards the large front door that Lou clicked shut behind her. Curiously she made her way towards the open room at the end of the corridor, only to find Daryl sat at the table with the two men that had agreed to share their commode with herself.

"Lou, saved you a seat" Aaron smiled, patting the chair next to him, encouraging her to sit down opposite the intriguing male she had spent the day with. Awkwardly, she made her way around the table, breathing in slightly as she slipped behind his chair and made her way around the wooden table. Daryl nodded at her, unsure how to handle the current change of situation as he swallowed his mouthful of food and wiped his lips on the leather sleeve of his black jacket. Carefully, Lou moved her bad arm towards the table, wincing as she picked up her fork and began to twirl the long pasta around the metal tongs.

"How's you arm?" Eric asked, attempting to discreetly kick his boyfriend under the table, cursing him for not asking sooner.

"Sore" she stated, nodding her head as she played with her food "The food is delicious"

"How would you know?" Aaron chuckled "You've been spinning that same mouthful around your fork since you got here"

Lou could feel Daryl's eyes on her, with his plate already being completely empty he couldn't understand how she hadn't already devoured the meal. He could tell she felt un-easy and he found himself hoping that he wasn't the reason why.

"I guess I'm not that hungry" she lied, dropping the metal utensil on the plate.

"Your brother stopped by earlier" Eric sighed "He was looking for you"

"Well he found me" she stated, crossing her arms over her chest half covering the blood stain that still remained on the fabric.

"What'd he do?" Daryl asked, immediately regretting his bold question as she watched her entire body tense. In a panic his eyes bounced from each body at the table, hoping someone would break the awkward silence that he had regrettably created.

"Her daught-"

She couldn't let Eric continue. Living the event once was enough to satisfy her for a lifetime, she didn't need to relive it. Before her hands had the chance to shake she slammed them onto the table, pushing her chair into the wall behind her and standing up sharply. "I can't do this"

She could feel the light tears making their way across her waterline. The salty droplets threatening to fall down her light pink cheeks as she shakily walked away from the table, wrapping her arms around herself as she made her way out of the tension filled room. She could hear Eric mumbling apologies to their house guest as he started to clear the table, allowing her time to drop onto the bottom step of their porch and out of ears reach.

As much as she tried to deny it, she was haunted by the memories of her daughter. The first time she held her. The tight grip she had on her thumb when all of her tiny fingers grasped it. How her small lips would curl slightly at the edges when she began to smile. The sound of her bare feet down the hallway as she took her first steps, only learning run a few weeks later and finding new adventures around every corner. A small brown birthmark that sat on the left side of her neck, a centimeter below her perfectly designed jaw line. Her touch. The feel of her short arms as they wrapped around Lou's legs. The love.

Love dies in the end; along with the person you foolishly allowed into your heart