A Simple Coincidence // Daryl Dixon

17 | False Hope

Day 64

DARYL'S POV

I felt something moving on my chest, I heard whimpers.

What the hell-

"No"

I opened my eyes ready to get up and grab my crossbow, only to stop when I saw her.

Elleanore, with her head in my chest and my arms around her. My arms around her?

Wow

I let go of her instantly, but she didn't move, she was still asleep, and it looked like she was having a nightmare. Another one.

I wonder what's haunting her dreams. No! who cares!

I shook her slightly calling her name, but she didn't budge, instead, she wrapped her arms around my torso and held me tighter, she was trembling, and sweating. She looked so fragile and scared, so easy to break. Unlike her usual self. She would usually laugh and annoy the shit out of me but would put me in my place when needed. I hated her for that. How she stood up for herself, how fast she could turn serious, and how smart she was.

I would rather have her annoy me than see her like this. Shut up Daryl you barely know the girl.

One thing I had noticed that annoyed me even more was that I was on her side of the bed, I was the one who had went closer to her, I was the one who reached for her.

STUPID! I just hope she doesn't notice.

I convinced myself it was the alcohol; I was still drunk after all.

I shook her again, until she finally sprung up, looking around frantically with wide eyes, tears were streaming down her face and her breathing was rapid. She was fighting against her mind.

"Hey, did you lose your mind?"

When she finally noticed me, she looked shocked and confused. Her arms were still on my chest, while the rest of her body was almost completely over me. when she realized her stance, she jumped up and got off of me. Rubbing her forehead after wiping her tears trying to hide her face that had become a light shade of pink.

She didn't say a word instead she sat at the edge of the bed and started putting on her shoes.

Curiosity got the best of me and my mouth spoke before my mind could stop it, "Does it happen often?"

She froze, we were both surprised by my question, but oh well.

She slowly looked up at me, not meeting my eyes before she spoke in a low collected voice, "More often now. Well, uh, considering I've slept more in these two days than I have since the world ended. I was alone so I had to always stay alert. Barely slept. I guess it's just hitting me now" with that she got up and left, not allowing me to say anything. Not that I had anything to say to her.

ELLEANORE'S POV

Oh my, how could I be so stupid?

I had somehow ended up on Daryl. But it wasn't my fault, he was the one that had come over to my side. I had barely moved.

I had once again shown someone weakness, I had been vulnerable.

Stupid!

I needed to be more careful, I couldn't afford to look weak. Weakness meant death and most of all, I needed to get away from them.

***

After we had our collaborative breakfast, which felt like a camp mourning. Dr. Jenner wanted to show us something. Which we later learned was the test results from his labs that he'd done about the virus. I wasn't feeling well, something was up. I knew my body well, and it was telling me something is up. Yet I couldn't figure out what.

Maybe it was because the doctors explained the virus, and how there's no cure, or going back. Whatever the world had turned into was it, there was no beyond, no one to rescue us.

Everyone was shocked as if reality had just hit them, maybe they thought this was only temporary, that they would be rescued somehow. A part of me had thought that too, or maybe I was just creating false hope to keep myself alive.

Hope breeds eternal misery.

The doctors explained how the dead were "alive", how they had no mind, or memory. That they were just empty shells of who they used to be, surviving on mindless instincts.

Once the news had dawned down on us, Dale was the first to speak.

"I hate to ask one more question, but... that clock, its counting down. What happens at zero?" that's when the clock caught my attention. And if I knew anything about countdown, they usually meant trouble. Well, expect for new years and stuff like that.

"The basement generators... they will run out of fuel." Dr. Jenner stated looking down, as if he was hiding something.

"And then?" Ricks question was met with silence, "VI, what happens when the power runs out?" Rick called out to the robot machine thing that the doctors had been talking to earlier.

"When the power runs out. Facility-wide decontamination will occur" VI responded. We all need a friend like VI, who can have the answer to anything and everything.

I started laughing, gaining a few glares from the people around.

"Oh my God, we're all gonna go boom! Barbecue for the walkers. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the end of the world!" I said with a bow, I kept laughing and clapping my hands as I walked out of the room towards the kitchen. If I was gonna die, I was not gonna die hungry.

I wonder if it's better this way, meh, I'm gonna die someday. Might as well be now.

________________

Clarification: the day count is counting from the start of the outbreak, just to keep you guys aware of how many days pass by because it gets confusing.

Daryl and Elleanore  only met maybe 4 days ago, keep in mind they are two strangers who aren't just gonna be in love instantly. This isn't the Titanic.

BYE LOVELIES