Blessing or a Curse? ➳ Daryl Dixon

5. Quick Run to Town

The dust settled silently and quickly, just as fast as Shane had started all of this. His ears were still ringing from all the gunshots, and honestly, he would be a bit concerned if any nearby walkers had heard it. None have stumbled by yet, but it was a lot of gunfire, even if they were pretty far out in the middle of nowhere. Shane was….. bonkers. Was the only way to put it. Did no one else seemingly get that vibe from Shane? Maybe they had been around him so long that they didn’t notice it, or they chose to ignore it. It was not the man that had been Rick’s partner before the shooting. He shakes his head, looking down at the hatchet in his hands, before looking back up at the mess scattered around the barn. This was a shit show. 

“Sydney?” 

He blinks in surprise, looking up, seeing the little girl in front of him and a little smile appears on his face. “Hey Sophia, what’s up? You okay?” The girl did look a little shaken up, and he wouldn’t be surprised if she was. 

“Oh, that was so loud. And scary.” Sophia explains, and Sydney nods in agreement. 

Sydney lays a hand on her shoulder, steering her away from the pile of dead bodies, not wanting her to have to see anymore than she already had. He has no idea how she’s been coping since she had returned from the woods, but she looks much better than she had just a short few days ago. “I know. But it’s over now. You don’t have to worry about it anymore. Where’s your mom at?” He hasn’t really met the woman, which is odd, you think she would’ve said something to him seeing as he had come back with her daughter. Not to thank him or anything, but to say anything at all. 

“I think she’s with Mrs Grimes, they’re like best friends.” Sophia explains, “I think she’s lonely since Dad died.” 

Wow. Well, that wasn’t what he had been expecting from the little girl. Preteen? He didn’t really know, but she was a child to him. Of course, children are always more perceptive  than you think they are and they pick up more than you think. “That’s reasonable then, I guess.” He almost cringes, not really sure of what to say, “You have uh, Carl though right? He’s around your age, I’m sure he’s your friend.” They were the two youngest on the farm, besides Beth and Jimmy he assumed, and the two sets were very different in maturity still. 

Sophia’s nose scrunched up slightly, “I guess so,” She pauses and looks around, before looking up at Sydney, “He’s a little annoying.” 

Sydney can’t help but let out a loud laugh, “Yeah, boys his age usually are.” He didn’t know enough of the little boy to find him annoying yet, but he’ll take Sophia’s word for it. Probably didn’t help that they were being forced to grow up in a post apocalypse world. “It’s cool though, you can hang with me. Unless I’m too old, not cool enough.” He jokes. 

“No! You’re way cooler than Carl.” Sophia enforces, as they stop at the main fire pit, and Sydney takes that as his cue to take a seat in one of the lawn chairs. He gestures for her to join him, as they both end up sitting side by side. “Great, I knew I would be.” Sydney responds, dropping his hatchet onto the ground next to him, looking around the camp. 

He could get used to this. 

Later, it had come time to make a decision of what they were going to do with the bodies that were now scattered along the ground outside of the barn. Sydney just stands by, returning when he noticed people had begun to regather around the bodies. Of course, he hadn’t brought Sophia with him, not wanting to put her through anymore of the dead today. They had spent quite a bit talking, and it was good to just sit back and talk to someone who wasn’t as burdened as you were. Anyways, he appears to have zoned out a tad, but when he checks back into reality he catches the end of the conversation, spoken from Andrea, “We bury be ones we love, and burn the rest.” She was talking to a boy who looked to be around his own height, and he figures that must be Jimmy, the one that Beth had gotten the clothes from.