One way or another [Daryl Dixon]

[20] INTRODUCTION.

"There is always someone who cares who cares for you without your knowledge."
-Anonymous

Since we found him in the woods, Theo had clung to my side, and after a meeting with the council, we all agreed that the young orphan would stay in cellblock C with us all. His mother had just died, and the only person he seemed to want to spend time with was myself or Glenn surprisingly.

I'd learned he was a shy, frightened child initially, but also quite smart; his mother must have taught him well. Theo knew roughly why he needed a knife, though he didn't really understand the walkers just yet.

The small child would follow me everywhere. At night, he would nuzzle his little head against my chest and play with my hair until he fell asleep.

When I woke up this morning, my arm was wrapped around Theo's body. I wiggled my way out of his grasp, slipped on my boots, and smiled down on the still sleeping child. His lips were slightly parted, his eyes were tightly closed, and he had his thumb in his mouth. When they weren't attracting every walker in the radius, children were a blessing.

While tiptoeing down the stairs, I noticed that not many people were awake, except Carol, who was seated at a table with a book in her hands and an apple.

"How is he doing?" Carol asked quietly, motioning up to my cell, where Theo was still fast sleeping.

Carol chuckled at me while telling me to repeat my phrase as a yawn took over and made my words indecipherable.

"He's settling in."

Carol stood up and walked over to where we kept the food, she tossed me two granola bars and apples.

"Who's keeping watch?" I wondered.

"Give them to pookie." She said.

My lips curled up in a smile, hiding a giggle as I went out of the cellblock. The nickname told me everything I needed to know. Daryl was on duty this morning.

The morning sky was lit up with bursts of orange, yellow, and tinges of blue as the sun began to rise, creating a beautiful sunrise. When the world was normal, I never used to take in all the beauty. However, I now value these moments far more than I expected; getting up early was sometimes a blessing. Looking at the morning sky, I guessed it was around five o'clock, maybe a bit earlier.

As I made my way over to the newly constructed guard tower, I noticed the two angel wings. The crossbow was neatly laid out on the floor, along with the sniper rifle Rick suggested we bring up in case anyone on guard saw something. I went up to Daryl and stood next to him, scanning the scene. When I handed him the apple and granola bar, he muffled a 'thank you' before starting to eat it.