Five Days

Our luck didn't improve much after the absolute shit show that was the CDC.

In fact, it got worse.

Atlanta was completely lost to the dead. Huge herds of walkers crawled over every area of the city and it became clear that we couldn't put off leaving any longer - most of the group saying goodbye to the area they'd grown up in, raised families in, knowing they'd likely never return.

Rick relented in his and Shane's battle about Fort Benning. Lacking another viable option, we'd set off on the hundred and then some mile journey with our fingers crossed and our stomach's empty. Our gas tanks draining as we put more distance between us and our former location.

I'd ridden with Rick, Lori and Carl again, Jacqui's absence feeling massive in the car. I know now that she chose to stay in the building as the decontamination commenced. She'd given up, no more energy to fight. Andrea had chosen to stay too, but Dale had managed to convince her to leave at the last minute, risking his own life in the process.

Sophia was missing. We'd stopped on a highway to syphon gas and search cars for food and water but were ambushed by a small herd. Most of the group took cover under cars, or in the case of myself, Daryl and an injured T-Dog, underneath the foul, rotting bodies of slain walkers.

Carol's daughter had become spooked by one that got too close, escaping into the woods with it following after her. Rick, Daryl, Shane and I all sprinted on her tail, the four of us splitting up to cover more ground once we made it inside the dense woodland. Rick had actually managed to reconnect with her briefly, ordering her to stay in a safe place while he took care of a walker, but the frightened little girl had fled. We hadn't been able to find her since.

As if a missing child wasn't enough, Carl was shot. It was an accident as the young boy joined the search for his friend; He'd survived thanks to a man named Hershel Greene, who'd been a vet before the turn and luckily had enough knowledge to be able to treat Carl's injuries.

As a result, our group was temporarily calling the Greene Family Farm home, while the search for Sophia continued. It was a sprawling area, with fields and woodland surrounding a beautiful, wooden farmhouse.

Hershel had allowed us to stay out of what I presume was guilt, his friend Otis being the one who shot Carl in the first place. Unfortunately, Otis also died shortly after our arrival. He ventured off on a run with Shane with for medical supplies and never made it back. The details are a little unclear on what happened, but I didn't quite believe Shane's version of events.

Daryl and I had spent more time getting to know each other. He was still as grumpy, scowling and standoffish as ever, but we'd forged our own kind of friendship since he saved my ass from the grenade. I'd decided to let him off being an douche to me earlier that same day on account of the whole life-saving thing.

Unbeknownst to him, I thought daily about the weight of his body pressing against mine as he shielded me from the blast in the atrium. I still fancied the pants off of him - and flirted with him for fun - but I'd accepted that my little crush was one-sided and tried to let it go. There was still something about the way I'd catch him watching me though, that I couldn't work out.

The group seemed to have accepted me as one of their own for the most part, which I was grateful for. Despite being hesitant to join them initially, too used to relying solely on myself, they felt like family now, albeit a very dysfunctional one.

Shane was the creepy uncle that your mum forced you to be polite to at family parties, even though he was old and sweaty and a little too handsy... To my knowledge, Shane wasn't actually that much older than me, but he was creepy. Things had been weird between him, Lori and Rick since the CDC. I'd have asked one of them why, but I just didn't care enough.

I, on the other hand, liked to view myself as the cool, child-free aunt that was always travelling the world and getting into hijinks. Dale was the caring grandfather and Glenn, the annoying little brother. Daryl was the uncle that the cool aunt wanted her hands on.

It was interesting how time seemed to work differently in our new world. Days often felt like weeks, and bonds deepened quickly. I guess that's what happens when you spend every day fighting together for survival. Things moved faster because you never knew when somebody could be taken from you.

I'd still not revealed much about myself to the group other than surface level stuff. Our old lives didn't seem important anymore, which was lucky in my case.

I didn't ask others about their shit, didn't ask me about mine.

Perfect.

The only person I was interested to know more about was Daryl, but despite our growing friendship, he still grunted at me more than he actually spoke, so he wasn't giving anything away.

~

Today marked five days since Sophia went missing from the highway and into the woodland leading to Hershel's farm. There were endless searches taking place - especially by Daryl, who was spending long days in the woods trying to track her.

Today, we were heading out to look for her together.

I was awoken early by the redneck hammering hard on the window of Dale's RV, where I'd been sleeping as I didn't have a tent of my own. It wasn't even properly light yet and I struggled to rouse myself. Daryl's circadian rhythm was unnatural.

"Get up, let's go!" he called through the glass impatiently as I gave him the finger.

Good morning to you, too, Daryl.

I'd slept in my clothes as they were clean for once, so I quickly rearranged my mane in a hairtie, grabbed a protein bar and a bottle of water, and stepped outside. Daryl was studying a map, scratching his chin mindlessly.

"What's the plan lieutenant?" I greeted my eager companion for the day.

I'd actually been out with Daryl on the second day of Sophia's disappearance, when he'd sworn blind he wouldn't go with me again, as we'd ended up wasting precious search time yelling at each other.

We're both stubborn as hell with a temper to match, so it was a recipe for disaster, especially considering how on edge we all were; one child missing and the other fighting for his life. Tensions were high, to say the least.

I'll admit that I also took great pleasure in winding him up. He was so easy to make uncomfortable, and I relished in seeing his ears go red as I teased him. Something made me feel like I was the only one he'd let get away with it, and I loved that.

Despite telling me he'd rather, 'eat a squirrel's nutsack' than have to trek the woods with me again, here we were. Shane was out of action with an ankle injury, and Rick was recovering from giving Carl a whole lot of blood, so those I'd assume to be his preferred partners weren't available.

Andrea had insisted on going with him yesterday, and I think a day in the woods with her had shown him that actually, putting up with my dirty jokes and sassy attitude wasn't all that bad. Andrea had stormed out of the woods in tears sometime after lunch, abandoning the search. At least I just threatened to shoot or dismember him and got on with the task... No big drama.

"This whole part here we can do today easy." Daryl told me, pointing out a pretty large area on the hand-drawn map.

"You feeling hopeful?" I asked. We'd gotten a lot better at the whole conversation thing recently and it was nice to speak to him knowing that seventy-five percent of the time I could expect a reply - grunts and 'mhmh's' included in that figure.

"Yup." He replied, sounding as upbeat as I'd ever heard him. "Cos we're gonna locate that little girl and she's gonna be just fine."

A positive Daryl Dixon? That's a new development. I'll take it.

"You think she's found shelter? Water?" I asked him. It was still a blisteringly hot summer and I was anxious about Sophia's ability to survive on her own for much longer.

"Am I the only one zen around here?" he replied, "Good lord."

What on earth had got into the usually scowling hunter today? I'll pretend it's because he's so happy to be spending the day with me. Really, he probably found a copy of Playboy in the woods or something.

We'd been in the trees for a while, scanning for anything that could indicate the direction Sophia had travelled in, when I started to get bored. I was fully invested in the task at hand, but I needed some entertainment along the way.

"What's your best joke." I asked Daryl as he examined the trunk of a large tree, face deep in concentration.

"Huh?"

"Your best joke. Let's lighten the mood.

"Mood's already light." he retorted as I pulled a face at him.

"I'll tell you one then. Ready?" I questioned. He side-eyed me, already looking impatient.

"I'll take that as a yes. What noise does a perverted frog make?"

"What?"

"What noise does a perverted frog make?" I repeated.

"Uhhh... Dinner." he said plainly. This guy did not understand how jokes worked.

"Rub it!" I chuckled, alone.

At least I saw how much of a riot I was.

We paused as we came across a walker hanging from a tree, it's feet chewed off by some of the local wildlife, skin slipping from its features. It looked a bit like Ghostface from Scream. I refrained from doing a Skeet Ulrich bit in character, knowing Daryl wouldn't appreciate it. He doesn't deserve my impressions.

Undead Tarzan writhed and snarled but didn't come close to freeing itself. I clocked a note attached to it's chest and peered in closer.

'Got bit.

Fever hit.

World gone to shit.

Might as well quit.'

How poetic.

"You doing it?" I asked Daryl, who raised his eyebrow in response. "I can't reach with my knife and there's no point in using the Glock. The rest will hear it."

"Nah. He ain't hurtin' anybody. Waste of a bolt."

I examined the walker's noose, "A bolt for a question?" I posed.

"What type a' question?"

"Anything. Like when you played truth or dare as a kid." I tell him. "You can ask anything you want and I can't lie."

'Ain't never played no truth or dare."

"Well here's your chance to pop your cherry." I encouraged him, as I lifted a piece of material from the floor. It was a similar colour to the shirt Sophia had on when we last saw her, but this wasn't it.

Daryl sighed, raising his crossbow and quietening the walker instantly. I felt better knowing we were leaving one less walker in the woods for Sophia to stumble across. Sure, it wasn't a threat right now, but you never know when that rope could snap or be chewed threw by an animal and setting the hungry dickwad free.

"Okay, What's your question?" I smiled at Daryl, grateful he'd indulged me.

"I gotta ask now?"

"It's not much of a game if you don't actually do the playing part." I rolled my eyes.

"Ain't out here to play."

"Then why'd you shoot the walker for me?" I asked, genuinely confused.

"To shut ya up." he teased as he rubbed mud between his fingers, watching as it fell to the ground.

We continued following Hershel's map to a much denser area of the woodland, keeping our eyes peeled for any sign of Sophia, or more walkers. Daryl, crouched over the ground at regular intervals to look for tracks. I was a decent hunter now, I could track if the conditions were right, but it would be handy if he'd teach me more sometime.

"I'll ask you a question instead then." I told him. I could literally feel his irritation seeping through his skin as he ignored me, but I persevered. Searching was tedious task and I wanted entertaining while we were at it - even if that was at the expense of Daryl's patience. It was so worth it.

"Why don't you ever smile or laugh?" I dove straight in, "Why are you always channelling Mr Heckles?"

"Who?"

"Mr Heckles, Rachel and Monica's grumpy downstairs neighbour..."

He looked at me blankly.

"From Friends..." I expanded. I was certain everybody had seen at least one episode of the classic show.

"Wow." I decided to abandon my reference, returning instead to my original question. "So why don't I ever see your face not in that..." I pulled by best scowling Daryl face. He did not look impressed.

"Ain't a lot to smile about." He shrugged, rearranging the weapon on his shoulder.

I started to reply, when I heard growling on my left. I pulled my knife from my belt and drove it straight through a walker that looked curiously like Prince Harry, only to see bunch of its friends approaching in the background.

"Heree we goo." I singsonged, spinning my knife in my fingers.

I went hand to hand with the first few to approach, Daryl covering me with his crossbow, taking out walkers on the peripheral. I took down numbers two, three and four without breaking much of a sweat, stepping back to let him finish off the ones that I couldn't be bothered to wander over to.

That was one of the things I'd grown to appreciate about Daryl - he didn't doubt my abilities in the field. Dale was always worrying about Andrea, Rick about, well, everyone. The rest of the camp knew how capable I was too. I'd been added to their rota for watch now, which mainly consisted of me sitting on top of the RV and staring into space. The farm didn't seem to have too much of an infestation.

Nobody batted an eyelid about me carrying my gun - like they did with Andrea - or venturing off on my own.

Occasionally, I even saw a flicker of something that looked a bit like awe from Daryl as I fought, which made me feel ever-so-slightly giddy.

I squatted down to wipe my knife off on a patch of dry grass once we'd neutralized the walker party. Daryl had lowered his crossbow and was inspecting his map, when I thought of a joke I was certain he wouldn't be able to scoff at.

"Why isn't there a pregnant Barbie do-" was as far as I got before an unnaturally stealthy walker lurched from a behind a nearby tree, taking me by surprise in my crouched form and pinning me face-down as its buddy also approached.

"Bastards!" I raged as I struggled to reach the knife I'd dropped in my startled state. I twisted my body and tried to shift the first walker, who was currently getting a bit too fresh with me, only for it's partner in crime to collapse atop both us of, a bolt protruding from it's skull, as I saw Daryl plunge his knife into temple of the other one.

I panted slightly, now I'd broken a sweat.

"Because Ken came in another box!" I heaved out, looking at Daryl expectantly.

He looked furious.

"For fuck's sake Athena!" he roared. "Ya tryna get ya'self killed!?"

"Excuse me?" I questioned, genuinely confused, but with a sassy tone in my voice nonetheless.

"Ya don't take nothin' serious!"

"Chilllll Daryl." I implored him as I rose to my feet and replaced my knife in my belt, not meeting his angry volume. "It was fine."

"It didn't look fuckin' fine! Ya always pissin' about." His eyes seethed with anger.

He was so overdramatic.

"Watch your tone Dixon." I warned, but it was too late, he was in full-on Daryl tantrum mode.

"Tellin' God damn stupid jokes instead of payin' attention to what's going on around ya' woman!"

Okay, now I was ready to yell back.

"Sorry I don't have to pout and be fucking miserable all the time like you!" I spat, taking a step closer to him.

"Sorry you can't have the fuckin' sense to watch what's around ya when I take my eyes off'a ya for ten seconds!" he shot back, taking his own step closer.

"Pah!!" I laughed loudly, "You know full well I don't need you looking after me!"

"Sure as hell didn't seem that way while you were busy tellin' jokes about a fuckin' Barbie doll!"

"You know what Daryl - when we first came out here today, I was pleasantly surprised by your optimism about finding Sophia..." I'd lowered my voice a little, but it still had a bite to it. "I'm glad to see that lasted all of five minutes before you reverted back to your usual grumpy self!"

I hadn't realised how much closer I'd moved to him during my last retort, he was leaning back away from me slightly, as if he couldn't stand the thought I was going to try and touch him in some way.

"Fuck off!" he slung at me defensively, still at a volume that was ridiculous when we're trying to avoid walkers, "Don't know why I bother wantin' ta keep ya safe! Ya don't deserve it!"

He'd returned to his normal tense posture as he yelled, shoulders pushed back and fists clenched, seemingly no longer concerned about how close I was to him.

I took in his last words.

Don't know why I bother wantin' ta keep ya safe.

Our bodies were only inches apart, I could smell the woody aroma of a campfire and the faint scent of his last cigarette lingering on his clothes.

His eyes burned into mine, that blindingly blue stare that felt like it went straight though me into my being - rushing past my flesh and straight into my soul.

Why was I trying to convince myself I could just be friends with this man?

His eyes moved for a second, rapidly scanning my face, taking in my features, before he trained them downward to the ground, inching himself backwards as he did so.

"Gotta look after ya'self." he muttered, his voice gentle now, his outburst over with.

I didn't move or speak, I was still in a trance from those hypnotising eyes on mine. It took a few seconds for me remember where I was.

I looked around as Daryl sidled around me and dipped down to collect Hershel's map from where he'd dropped it to aid my walker predicament. His face blushing slightly and his breathing still a little heavier than usual.

No words seemed to be working their way to my brain.

Had Daryl eviscerated them all with his white-hot gaze? Never in my life did I not have a quippy remark when I needed one, and the tension in these woods right now desperately required breaking - but I was coming up flat.

Eventually, I found my bearings again, giving my head a little shake to help the process along.

"Well..." I spoke quietly, yet expectantly. "Did you hear the punchline? He came in another box!"

Daryl looked incredulous as he ignored me, folding the map up and tucking it in his back pocket.

"C'mon." he drawled out with that raspy southern twang of his. "Let's keep goin'."

This is my definitely my favourite chapter so far! ❤️

Were you hoping for a Dathena kiss?

This isn't going to be one of those insane slow-burns that teases you for 50 chapters... But who doesn't love a build up? 😜

Thanks so much for your votes and comments. Please keep them coming. They make me SO happy!