Witchcraft | A Daryl Dixon Love Story

The Dixon Brothers

Daryl's Point of View

"What d'ya think is wrong with 'er?" I asked my brother, eyes locked on the sleeping girl curled up on my lap, "She's barely moved this whole time..." I trailed off, getting lost in thought at what could have happened. The small knife in her hand was covered in a thick, dark substance and she was so exhausted that neither of us could wake her up.

"I think the real question here, brother, is what's wrong with you," Merle said, a snarky grin present on his face, "Never seen you so bent up about a chick before," he finished, continuing to drive through the dark forested backroads. My eyes narrowed as I tore my glance from the girl and shot Merle a disapproving look. "Don't be givin' me that look lil' brother, I ain't the one risking both our lives for someone we ain't even know," Merle challenged, looking towards me before returning his eyes to the road, "You think a puny girl with a dinky knife like that could've taken down a dead one? Nah man. She definitely got bit," Merle finished, no emotion present on his face.

I looked back down at the girl, still motionless as she slept, "She don't look sick or nothin', just tired," I snapped back at Merle, even though I knew he had a point. I didn't know this girl, didn't owe her anything, but I was taking an unnecessary risk by helping her. The thought of leaving her out there by herself just didn't sit right with me, especially with how the world was now. "Why d'ya think she came back anyway?" I asked under my breath, not expecting, or really wanting, an answer from Merle.

"Little girl lost in the woods at night, being chased by scary monsters," Merle said rhetorically, accompanied by an unsettling laugh, "You really gotta ask that question? She saw two strong men and figured that was her key to survival," he stated like it was fact, "'Specially with how sweet you were bein' on 'er earlier," Merle turned to look at me, the snarky grin returning to his face.

"Man, the hell you talking' 'bout," I raised my voice, becoming defensive, "I ain't ever been sweet on no one, let alone some strange girl I found in the woods," I glared down at the sleeping girl, only to have my features soften almost immediately. The hell was with me today?

Merle let out another light laugh as he turned onto a different road, heading towards the mountains, "You think yer foolin' anyone lil' brother? You let 'er hold your hand when those scary bombs went off," he mocked, letting me know he didn't buy any of the shit I was selling, "And that face you made once you realized she was in the truck? I never seen anyone make a face like that, all worried and-"

"Man SHUT UP," I allowed my voice to raise further, getting fed up with Merle more and more by the second. My sudden outburst made Merle swerve slightly, running over a bump in the dirt road, making the truck jolt upwards before returning to flat ground, which in turn caused the girl to spring up and smack her head against mine.

"Son of a bitch," we both said in unison, her rubbing her forehead and me covering the part of my jaw she hit her head on while Merle stopped the truck to enjoy the scene before him.

"I don't know who taught you to kiss lil' brother, but that fer sure ain't the way," he managed to get out through his fit of laughter.

"Dude, I know I broke into your truck and all, but god damn it you need to know when to shut up," the girl said forcefully, glaring at my brother, which made me begin to laugh before she turned her attention to me, "And you wanna tell me why I was on your lap in the first place?" she questioned me, eyes narrowed as she pushed herself off of me and onto the middle seat.

"Least I didn't put yer ass in the bed of the truck, princess," I sneered at her, not quite knowing what else I expected once she woke up, "Coulda left you out there fer dead too, but I didn't," I finished turning my head to look out the window.