Every day, the air grew colder. Fall had arrived, and winter wasn't far behind.
At first, when you started seeing your breath hang in the air, it was a relief. A respite from the suffocating heat of Georgia in the summer. The girls loved it. Sophie would puff out a big breath, watching the silver cloud. She called it "dragon breath." Lily giggled, growling like a fierce beast and playing along.
They made you smile. Even now, in this world with the undead and the constant fear, children were still children. After Nicole, after Mark, you'd been afraid they might never smile again. As you walked steadily along, their laughter reminded you there was hope.
But now the cold was no longer a toy. You'd wrapped the girls up in any extra clothes you had, but they still shivered. You needed to find shelter. Your little tent wouldn't do once winter came. It was barely enough now, too cramped and starting to tear along the seams. You needed a place with walls, at the very least.
"Alright, my dragons," You paused, turning and crouching down in front of them. "We need to find a lair. Dragons are known for their excellent eyesight, so I need you to keep a lookout for houses, okay?"
"Okay." Sophie nodded.
Lily tugged on the older girl's shirt. "Will there be treasure in the lair?"
"Maybe." You stood up, taking Lily's hand in your left and Sophie's in your right as you continued walking. "Most dragons start out with an empty lair. Then they bring treasure back to keep it safe."
"Oh," Lily said, furrowing her brow.
She always did that when she learned something new. Back in your third grade classroom she'd done it, like every piece of information was serious as life and death, to be taken in and considered carefully.
"You girls remember the Picnic Game? We haven't played that in a long while." You mused. "Why don't we turn it into the Dragon's Lair Game? I'll start-I'm going to my Dragon's Lair and I'm bringing...my map. You next, Soph."
Sophie thought for a moment, looking out at the orange and red leaves swinging in the trees. She let go of your hand, walking a few steps ahead and picking up a freshly fallen leaf.
"I'm going to my Dragon's Lair and I'm bringing my map and a maple leaf."
Lily squeezed your hand, smiling. "I'm going to my Dragon's Lair and I'm bringing my map, a maple leaf, and a bag of M&Ms!"
You smiled at that, remembering when she'd brought in a little bag of candy for each of her classmates on her eighth birthday.
"Ah, my turn again. Let's see if I can remember." You adjusted the heavy pack on your back. "I'm going to my Dragon's Lair and I'm bringing my map, a leaf, a bag of M&Ms, and...my favorite book."
"Which book is it?" Lily asked.
" Station Eleven by Emily St. Mandel. Maybe I'll tell you the story at bedtime once we've finished with The Penderwicks ."
"I'm going to my Dragon's Lair," Sophie moved on. "And I'm bringing my map, a leaf, a bag of M&Ms, Station Eleven , and my polka-dot dress."
The game kept Lily and Sophie entertained for a while, keeping their thoughts occupied and their memories sharp. By the time noon rolled around, with the sun shining through the thinning branches from directly above, the girls were fed up.
"Y/N, can we stop?" Sophie asked, her tone just north of a whine.
"Yeah, I'm hungry." Lily chimed in.
Unease twisted in your stomach. You didn't have time to waste on this. You considered suggesting another game, encouraging them to press on for just a little longer. But one look back at Sophie with her big, pleading brown eyes, and you were sunk.
"Okay," You sighed. "Just a few minutes, though."
You led them a few paces to the left, towards a fallen tree. Sophie and Lily sat down while you swung your pack down off your back to rest against the trunk. You pulled out your canteen, twisting off the cap and handing it to Sophie. Assessing the meagre food supplies left in your bag, the unease grew. You grabbed two of the remaining four protein bars, handing one to each of the girls.
While Sophie and Lily ate, you opened up your map. Ever since leaving the subdivision, you'd been heading southwest, towards the ocean.
Well, you were pretty sure you were heading southwest. You'd learned what you could from Mark, but the last few weeks without him...you were flying blind and you knew it.
You reached behind your back, fingers brushing the gun tucked into the waistband of your jeans. Without ammo, it was useless. You should have tossed it away long ago.
But you couldn't.
"You have to survive. For the girls." He'd said, hands wet with the blood leaking from the bite on his shoulder. "There's only one round left. You know what you have to do. It's okay, Y/N. It's alright."
Mark had pressed the weapon into your shaking hands, resolute in his decision. You had to hold it in both hands to aim properly, you were trembling so much.
Movement among the trees caught your attention.
You pulled your hand away from the gun, pushing away the memory. No time for that. Not now, not ever.
"Quiet." You held up a hand, silencing the girls' chatter.
You stepped closer to Sophie and Lily, looking out into the forest. One of the undead wandered a few yards away, groaning.
"Stay here." You ordered, "Have your knives ready."
The girls nodded, eyes wide and alert. You unsheathed your own knife from its place at your hip, keeping your gaze on the undead. Staying low and quiet, you moved in an arc, sneaking up behind it. Before it could see you, you jumped, driving your blade into its skull.
You pulled the knife free, wiped it as clean as you could on the ground before putting it back. You ran back to the girls, keeping watch for more of the hungry things.
"Are you both okay?" You asked, reaching for them.
"Yes."
Lily nodded, looking over to where the body lay, dead for a second time. You knew she was thinking about Mark.
"We need to keep moving." You pulled your pack back on. "There could be more undead nearby."
You helped the girls off of the log and to their feet. It was time to move on.
~
Another day passed before you found the house.
Truly, the place was more of a shack than a house, but to you it looked like your dream home.
You told the girls to wait outside while you made sure the inside was clear. All the windows were boarded up, leaving the interior dim and dusty. With your flashlight in one hand and knife gripped in the other, you crept through the abandoned house.
You found none of the undead, but the place had clearly been picked through before, with tables overturned and cabinets left open and empty. You backtracked to the front, finding the girls waiting with big, hopeful expressions.
"I think we've found our lair, my dragons. Come help me look for treasure."
The girls looked for food while you cleaned up the space, righting the furniture and clearing out some of the debris strewn across the floor. With a space cleared, you rolled out your sleeping bags and clothes to air out a bit for once.
Designating an area on the kitchen counter for food, you laid out the last of your rations. Sophie added some cans of soup and beans she'd found underneath the sink. Lily hefted an old camping lantern from behind the moth eaten sofa, staggering as she carried it over to you. You took the burden from her, setting it down beside your makeshift sleeping area.
Hands on hips, you surveyed the space. It wasn't much, but it was better than you'd seen in weeks.
"I think I heard a stream nearby." You said, grabbing the almost empty canteens. "I'm going to get us some water. Stay inside and away from the windows. See if you can find any books for reading practice while I'm gone, okay?"
"Do we have to?"
Sophie sighed and you could swear you saw an eye roll. The twelve-year-old got more and more like a teenager every day.
"Just because the world is different doesn't mean we stop learning." You kissed each of them on the top of their heads. "I'll be back in a jiffy."
The unease, the constant awareness and need for survival never left you. But walking through the woods in the autumn sunshine with a little more certainty at your back made you feel lighter. You crouched beside the creek, filling the bottles first before unsheathing your knife and cleaning the dried blood and gunk from the blade. Listening to the calming babble of the rushing water, you willed your mind to relax, if only for a moment.
The moment didn't last long.
You were a few yards from the house when you saw him. A figure, very much not one of the girls, as he rounded the farthest corner of the house. He held a crossbow in his arms.
The archer had yet to notice you, and in the few seconds of cover that remained, your mind worked at a mile a minute. From this distance, you had no chance with your knife. He'd get you with a bolt before you could take another step. He didn't know the girls were inside yet. You had to buy enough time for them to hide, or better- escape. You just had to distract this archer for a few minutes and trust that the girls would know what to do.
You pulled the gun from your waistband, aiming for his head. Sure, it was empty. But he didn't have to know that.
"Put the bow down. Now." You ordered, catching his attention.
He did the exact opposite, pointing his crossbow straight at you. Your heart rate picked up, fear fluttering in your stomach. Trying to keep the panic out of your expression and your breathing calm, you held your ground.
"You have a hearing problem? I told you to put the bow down." You repeated, raising your voice. "It would be even better if you lowered your weapon and went away. Quickly. "
You put extra emphasis on the last part, praying the girls were listening and would understand.
"I ain't got no hearing problem. And I ain't putting nothing down. Not when ya got that gun in my face." He had a twangy accent. Country boy .
You were shouting now. "I don't want to have to shoot you, but I will unless you lower the bow and go away ."
The man tilted his head, long bangs falling across his forehead. He narrowed his eyes, catching on. His gaze flicked between you and the house.
"Eyes on me, Legolas." You cocked the gun.
"Ya got people inside?"
"The only one you gotta worry about is me. I'm only gonna tell you one more time. Leave right now and you get to live. "
You risked a glance towards the house, dismayed to see two sets of big brown eyes staring back at you through a gap in the window boards. You set your jaw, trying to tell them to get out of there with a look.
Unfortunately, the stranger had seen them too. Instead of shooting you or going for the door, the ferocity slipped from his expression. He kept the bow up, still eyeing your gun, but he raised his other hand in a show of surrender.
"That ain't no place to stay for the winter. I got a group. There's about twenty of us. Kids, too." He said.
You didn't know why, but you believed him. He held your gaze as he spoke, free hand still up in surrender. Your grip on the gun loosened slightly as you listened to him. The shack was starting to look worse by the second.
"We have a place, food, shelter. I can take ya there if-" He stopped abruptly, hand moving in a flash as he released the bolt of his crossbow.
You inhaled sharply, squeezing the useless trigger out of instinct more than intent. So much for your plan. He'd killed you and he'd probably kill your girls next.
Except the bolt never hit you. Instead, the arrow whizzed over your shoulder. You heard the wet thunk of it hitting its mark. You spun around in time to see an undead as it fell, the arrow stuck right between its eyes.
More of the creatures followed on its heels, staggering closer. You counted at least seven, but who knew how many more could be hidden in the trees.
"Shit." You hissed, tossing away the useless hunk of metal and unsheathing your knife.
For the moment, you had to trust that the stranger wouldn't take advantage of the distraction. There was still a chance he was telling the truth, that he could help you. The undead only wanted their dinner. Of that you were certain.
One of them lunged for you, but you planted your boot into its chest, knocking it backwards into the undead behind it. You drove your knife through the first one's skull, deep enough to get the one beneath it as well. Blood splattered across your face as you pulled the blade free, but you didn't have time to care.
Propelled by adrenaline and instinct, you worked your way through the pack. Your knife got stuck in the next one, and as you struggled to pull the weapon free, another creature lunged. The arrow hit its skull before it could get anywhere near you. With one more tug, you successfully yanked the blade free. You could see the archer in your periphery, a few yards back, fighting against the undead with you.
Falling back towards the house, you counted only three more on your side. The first one went down easy, missing several limbs and moving slower than the others. While you finished off the second, pushing it back with your arm to get a clear opening, the third wandered past you, towards the house.
"Y/N!" The shrill scream sent a chill through you, right down to your bones.
You whipped your head around, seeing Lily standing just outside the now open door, with a terrified Sophie in the doorway behind her. The third undead staggered towards them, closing in fast. You jammed your knife in the undead's neck, not even noticing the blood that coated your neck and chest.
You ran, feeling impossibly far away from your girls.
"Lily!" You screamed, "Get back!"
Lily just stood there, frozen in fear. Sophie, too, could only stare as the undead loomed above them, hungry and ready to kill. You pushed harder, willing your legs to move faster. But you were too late. The undead grabbed Lily by her little shoulders, teeth bared.
The scream tore itself from your throat as the arrow flew, stopping the undead just inches from tearing the child's flesh. The creature fell, knocking Lily down with its weight.
You skidded to a stop, dropping to your knees in front of them. Desperately, you pulled its cold fingers away and held her up. Searching her with your hands and your gaze, you checked for bites and scratches. The child trembled in your grasp, big tears falling down her cheeks.
You pulled her into you, holding her close. Sophie was crying now too, stumbling over to you. You pulled her into your embrace as well, cradling your girls to your chest.
"You're okay." You whispered, patting their backs gently. "It's okay, it's all okay now."
The squelch of a knife being pulled from a body behind you reminded you that your reassuring words weren't entirely true. You turned, pushing the girls behind you. You stood up, facing the stranger.
He slung his crossbow across his back, but still eyed you warily. You held his gaze, sheathing your knife but keeping your hand on the handle.
"This place you have," You said. "It's secure?"
"Yeah." He scoffed, as if the question offended him. "Th'prison about three miles west."
The prison. You were much farther south than you'd thought.
"I can take ya there, but you've gotta answer some questions first."
Now, without his crossbow in your face and the undead approaching, you could properly look the archer over. He was dressed practically, long dark sleeves and pants under a worn leather vest. He knew how to blend in. Probably a hunter based on the weapon and how easily he'd snuck up on your little camp.
He wasn't terribly tall, but he looked strong-the shirt tight around his arms and chest. He kept his expression stony, but he continued to hold your gaze, blue eyes locked in on your own. He was a man who'd done things and seen even more.
But then so had you.
You thought about your girls, holding tight to the back of your shirt. You thought you could handle this. You thought you could keep them safe.
You were wrong. Without this stranger, you would have lost Lily.
"Okay." You nodded. "Girls, go inside and treat the water while I talk to..."
"Daryl." He said. "Daryl Dixon."
"Daryl." You nodded before turning to the girls. "One drop of iodine each, okay? I'll be there in a minute."
You brushed back their hair, smiling softly. You pried Lily's hands away from you, crouching down and making her look at you.
"It's okay, sweetpea. Daryl and I are just going to talk. Go inside with Sophie."
Sophie kept her eyes on Daryl, unsure of leaving you alone with him. Lily grabbed the older girl's hand and they disappeared back inside the ramshackle house.
You settled your hands on your hips, facing Daryl again. "What do you need to know?"
"Y/N, right?" He tilted his head, stepped closer.
You nodded, holding your ground. "Y/N L/N."
"How many walkers ya killed?"
"The undead?"
Daryl nodded. You looked back at the bodies strewn out across the forest floor and did some quick addition.
"Forty-seven." You answered easily.
"How many people?"
Your breath caught in your throat. The gun lay a few feet away, dark against the orange and red leaves.
"You know what you have to do." Mark's voice echoed in your mind, followed by the gunshot.
You met Daryl's gaze again, trying to keep the emotion from your voice. "Just one."
He studied you, and you knew he'd heard it. Daryl's gaze softened, and you had the strangest sense he knew exactly what you'd done.
The last question came out in a rasp. "Why?"
This answer was easiest of all. Your expression sharpened, the conviction clear and hard in your voice.
"For my girls. To keep them safe. To keep them alive."
Daryl studied you a moment longer, gaze tracking from your head to your toes. He chewed the inside of his cheek, eyes narrowed as he made his decision.
"Okay."
"Okay?" You couldn't help the bubble of hope that expanded in your chest.
"I'll take ya to the prison. But y'all gotta come now. The light won't last long and I ain't fixin' to be out after dark with all them walkers."
You had two options-risk it out here in the cold with almost no food and only your knife to protect the girls, or take a chance on Daryl Dixon.
You nodded, coming to your own decision. "We'll come with you. Give me five minutes to get everything together."
You didn't wait for a response, turning and heading into the house. Lily and Sophie sat on top of their sleeping bags, heads bent together as they whispered. Their attention snapped to the doorway at the sound of your footsteps.
"Get all your things packed up." You said, "We're leaving."
"But we just got here." Sophie argued, standing up.
You grabbed your pack, shoving the food off of the counter into the bag. Lily didn't protest, she just silently rolled up her sleeping bag, passing it to you. You stuffed it in along with your own.
"He was going to shoot you! We saw it out the window. We can't just leave with him."
"We can't stay here, either." You reasoned, putting your hands on her shoulders. "We're too exposed here, Sophie. You saw the undead that just came through. Without Daryl's help, Lily might have died. He decided not to shoot me, and I've decided to believe him."
Sophie huffed an exasperated breath, but she walked over to her sleeping bag and rolled it up as well. You zipped up your pack and slung it across your back.
"Got everything?"
The girls nodded, one with a smile, the other with a scowl.
"Alright, let's go."
Daryl led the way, crossbow hanging across his back. You stayed a few inches behind him and slightly to the side. The weapon shifted slightly as he walked and you noticed the design on the back of his black leather vest- a pair of angel wings. How appropriate.
Sophie and Lily walked close behind you, holding hands. You kept Daryl in your view at all times, willing to follow but not quite ready to trust. You kept your hand near the knife at your hip. Just in case.
The four of you walked in silence for about a mile until Sophie finally spoke up, words rushed and sharp.
"How do we know we can trust you?" She'd clearly been keeping that in for a while.
"Sophie." You chastised.
To your surprise, Daryl stiffened for a moment at the sound of her name. Before you had time to wonder, he glanced back at the girl, smirking.
"Ya don't." He turned back, but you could feel him watching you from the corner of his eye. "But ya trust Y/N here, right?"
"Yeah." Sophie admitted tersely.
"Well she's got her eye on me and her hand on that knife. If I tried anythin' I'd be dead before I could regret it."
Caught, you felt your cheeks heat up. You kept your hand where it was, though, staring straight ahead.
"Did we do something bad?" Lily wondered.
"What do you mean, sweetpea?" You smoothed her hair with your hand.
"We're going to prison. Don't you have to do something bad to go there?"
You couldn't help but smile. Even Daryl let out an amused huff at her innocent confusion.
"No, Lily. You didn't do anything bad. The prison...it's not like it used to be. It used to be a place where you'd go when you did something bad. Sometimes good people went there too because the justice system isn't always fair-" You saw Daryl raise an eyebrow at that. "But we can talk about that another time. Now, the prison is Daryl's home. We can be safe there for a while."
"Like the neighborhood?" Lily wondered.
"Kind of." You said, keeping the memories at bay. "It's more like we all live in one big house with tall walls and fences."
Lily nodded, her learning face back on. She opened her mouth to ask another question, but you got there first. Daryl didn't strike you as a man of infinite patience, so you steered her in a different direction for a while.
"Why don't we play Quiet Eye Spy?" You suggested.
"Fine." Sophie agreed, looking morosely out at the forest.
You reached the treeline after another hour. The tall fences and guard towers came into view- along with the walkers.
Daryl held out an arm, motioning for you to stop. You obeyed, turning to the girls and putting a finger to your lips. They nodded, holding each other tighter at the telltale sound of the undead moaning.
Daryl beckoned for you to follow him, staying low and keeping quiet as the four of you moved around the perimeter towards what looked like a makeshift gate. The doors were red and lined by spikes on either side. A walker was already caught on one, stuck and flailing.
Daryl looked up towards the nearest guard tower. You followed his gaze, seeing movement inside.
"When I whistle, run for the gate. I'll cover ya." He whispered.
You nodded, grabbing each of the girls and getting ready. You watched as a door at the base of the tower opened and two figures emerged, a man and a woman.
Daryl put his fingers to his lips, letting out a quick, sharp whistle. You gripped Lily and Sophie's hands tightly, starting to run. The gate swung open slowly, the metal creaking and attracting the attention of a few walkers nearby. You could see them approaching in your periphery. As safety neared, you heard the rush of arrows flying behind you.
You glanced back at Daryl. He stopped for just a moment to slam his knife in between the eyes of one lunging closer.
He was still too far out, with several more walkers on his tail. You pushed the girls on ahead of you, telling them to keep going. Daryl had saved your ass twice now, and you refused to let that be the reason he died.
You pulled out your knife and turned back.
You caught up to Daryl as he reloaded, walking backwards. Moving past him, you kicked the closest walker in the chest, knocking it backwards into one of the spikes. You fell back to stand beside him as Daryl finally let his arrow fly, hitting the next one in the face.
"C'mon!" He shouted, grabbing your arm and running through the gate with you.
The two strangers pulled the gate closed. You skidded to a stop. The girls ran to you immediately, wrapping their little arms around you. You patted their backs gently, trying to catch your breath.
"Hell of an entrance."
You looked up, finding a woman smiling at you. She looked about your age, with short cropped brown hair and a pretty smile. The other person, a young asian guy, came to stand beside her, arms crossed.
"I'm Maggie," The woman introduced. "This is Glenn."
You extricated yourself from the girls' grip, stepping forward to shake their hands. "Y/N. This is Sophie and Lily."
"Nice to meet you." Glenn smiled. "Welcome to the prison."
You looked out past your new acquaintances. You noted a garden patch in the lawn, recently harvested it seemed. You could make out a converted prison-yard between two cell blocks, with water barrels and tables. In the distance, you saw a group of children running around an old basketball court with more people beyond. It looked like a home.
You turned to Daryl to thank him, but he was already gone. You watched the angel wings on his back getting smaller as he stalked up towards the prison.
"Alright girls," You took their hands again. "Let's go."