SORE LOSERS -003
"Walker. Walker!"
Matilda and Dale heard from outside of the RV, they shared a look before stumbling out of the vehicle.
"Just the one?" Her father asked, coming over to the blonde woman.
Matilda reached up her hand, shielding her eyes from sun as she tried looking out into the field for the walker.
"I bet I can nail it from here." Andrea picked up the rifle as Rick shook his head.
"No, no, Andrea. Put down the gun." Her father ordered the blonde.
The dark haired girl pulled out her bow as T-god and Shane came from the tents.
"You'd best let us handle this." Shane said, holding an pickaxe.
Rick held out his hand, stopping his friend. "Shane, hold up. Hershel wants to deal with walkers."
"What for, man? We got it covered." Shane said dismissively.
"Damn it!" Her father cursed, hurrying into the RV and grabbed a gun.
Matilda stayed with Dale and Andrea, watching as her father sprint after her dickface of a friend, T-dog and Glenn. Her head snapped up to the blonde woman when she heard the rifle cock.
"Andrea, don't you dare!" Matilda said, quickly. "You can't shot!"
The woman ignored the pleading of Dale and Matilda as she set herself up right for a clear shot.
Matilda's head ping-pong between the woman and the four men running towards the walker.
"Andrea, don't." Matilda shouted.
"Shut the fuck up, Matilda."
The dark haired girl watched in realization that the walker wasn't a walker when the four men stopped in front of it.
"That's not a walker." She shouted. "Andrea, that's not—"
Bang!
A gunshot rang out as Andrea fired the shot causing the person to hit the ground. Matilda took off running as she yelled.
"Andrea, you idiot!"
Dale and Andrea hurried after the girl, running as fast as they could behind Tilly. When Matilda got closer, a gasp escaped her lips seeing Daryl hanging from Shane and her father, unconscious.
Matilda shoved Shane out of the way, hooking Daryl's limp arm around her shoulder. Worry and anger bubbled in her stomach as Andrea yelled.
"Oh my god! Is he dead?"
Shane shook his shaved head "Unconscious. You just grazed him?"
Matilda sent the woman a glare. "I told you not to shot, you idiot."
"But look at him," Glenn stated, pointing at the redneck.
Matilda glanced down at Daryl, his clothes were torn. His skin was bloodied and scratched.
"What the hell happened? He's wearing ears,"
The dark haired girl looked down at the man's neck to see three bloodied walkers ears. Her father snatched the necklace off and throw it on the ground.
"Let's keep that to ourselves."
"Guys," T-dog called out making
the father and daughter stop.
A tattered doll was in his hand and Rick immediately recognized it.
"Isn't that Sophia's"
***
"I found it washed up on the creek bed right there." Daryl said, pointing to the map while Hershel stitched him up. "She must have dropped it crossing there somewhere."
Matilda leaned against the dresser behind her, her arms across over her chest.
"Cuts the grid almost in half." Her father said, glancing at his daughter and Shane.
"You're welcome." Daryl said, wincing.
The dark haired girl motioned towards the stitch. "How's he lookin'?"
Hershel finished off the stitch, glancing at the woman. "I had no idea we'd be going through the antibiotics so quickly. Any idea what happened to my horse?"
"Yeah, the one who almost killed me? If it's smart, it left the country." Daryl said sarcastically.
Tilly smiled in amusement as her father rolled up the map and handed it to her.
"We call that one Nelly as in Nervous Nelly. I could have told you she'd throw you if you'd bothered to ask. It's a wonder you people have survived this long." Hershel explained, wiping his hands on a rag.
Matilda headed towards the door, passing Daryl with a smile. "Glad your alright, Dixon,"
Daryl nodded, giving the woman the most tiniest of smiles as he watched her leave.
When Tilly, Shane, and her father left the room, her mother quickly got to her feet. Lori looked at her daughter, before moving her eyes onto her husband.
"He'll be alright." Her father said, getting the worried mother a one-armed hug.
Lori looked back at her daughter, reaching slowly and placed her hand in Tilly's. Even though, the mother and daughter's relationship was on the rocks, Lori could see what happened to Daryl mildly effected her daughter.
The older woman gave her daughter's hand a squeeze before letting go. Matilda sent her mother a rare smile before walking off to find her brothers.
Matilda had found them sitting on the porch, playing a card game. She took a seat next to Violet, ruffling each other their heads.
"What's ya playing?"
Carl looked up at his sister with a large grin. "Go fish! Wanna play?"
"Hmm, are you going to cheat like last time?" The dark haired girl asked, taking a few cards from Lee.
"Carl the Defender doesn't cheat!" Carl looked extremely offended. "Who do you think I am?"
Matilda, Lee, and Violet snorted and spoke together. "A go fish cheater."
"How do you cheat at Go Fish?" The youngest boy questioned, scrunching up his small nose.
"Don't know. But you figure out some way." Lee replied, placing down a card. "Do you have any seahorse?"
Carl shook his head. "Go fish. Maybe you three are just sore losers. Til, do you have any Clown fish?"
"Go fish." Tilly said making her brother pick me a card. "You literally win at every game! That's cheating me! Vi, any sharks?"
Violet gave a shark to Matilda. "Dang it. Maybe we are sore losers."
"No!" Lee exclaimed, giving Carl three clown fishes. "What the frick is that?!"
Carl placed down the four matching clown fishes with a grin. "Sucks to be you."
As the game finished, Matilda, Lee, and Violet all groaned as Carl had won.
Violet throw down her cards in irritation. "This game is rigged."
"No, you just sore losers." Carl smiled, happily as he collected the cards.
"Oh, you want to see a sore loser?" Matilda said with mischievous look in her eyes. "Wanna see, huh."
Carl's eyes widen as he took off running. Matilda sprinted after him before picking him up in her arms and throw him over her shoulder.
Carl's laughs rang out into the air as he gently hit the back of his sister. Violet and Lee joined the brother and sister, taking Tilly down and dogged piled her.
***
Later that night, Hershel became more colder towards the group as dinner was prepared by Carol and Lori.
The dinner was an awkward affair, the only thing that was heard was utensils scraping against the plates as everyone's eyes were wondered around the room.
"Does anyone know how to play guitar?" Glenn asked breaking the silence. "Dale found a cool one. Somebody's got to know how to play."
"Otis did," Patricia, Otis's wife, reveals, eyes glossing with tears.
"Yes, and he was very good too," Hershel added, placing his hand on top of Patricia's.
The room became silent once more, Matilda was handed a plate by Carol, who nodded towards the room Daryl was at.
The dark haired girl excused herself from the table before walking as fast as she could towards his room. The tension in the dining was overwhelming.
She burst into the room completely forgetting to knock and scared the living hell out of Daryl, who quickly covered himself with the sheets.
"Jesus, woman." He exclaimed, glaring at the dark haired woman. "Don't ya know how to knock?"
"Sorry, I forgot." Matilda said, nonchalantly. "I brought you some food."
She handed over the plate of food before leaning against the dresser behind her. Tilly watched as the redneck grunted as he pulled the plate towards him.
"Knock next time, ya don't know what a man doing behind a closed door,"
Daryl started eating as the dark haired woman let out a snort. "Nothing I never seen before."
The redneck glanced up at her with confused look. "What ya mean?"
"Boyfriend." Tilly said, referring to Brian.
Something flickered behind the man's blue eyes before he spoke.
"A boyfriend, huh. Where is he now?"
"Dead." She replied, nonchalantly. "Died in the invasion of my camp. He was a real dick sometime. Kinda glad he's dead. What about you, got a girl?"
"Nope," Daryl said, popping the 'p'
A comfortable silence fell between the pair as the scraping of his fork hit the plate.
"You're a hero, you know." Tilly spoke up, running a hand though her hair.
"I didn't do anything your dad or Shane wouldn't have done." The man replied, setting down his plate. His eyes glue on her.
"You don't need a reason to save people, Dixon. Carol needed a hero and you risked your life to find her little girl. You're as good as they are."
Matilda pushed off the dresser, moving towards the door. She gave the man a bright smile.
"A hero doesn't need a cape, Daryl. It's need a crossbow."