𝕃𝕠𝕧𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝔽𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 | Daryl Dixon

51 | CLAIMERS

He woke with a start, eyes suddenly open and staring at the grey ceiling of the cell. He instantly forgot what his dream had even been about, his mind playing a cruel trick of waking him up in the middle of the night without telling him why.

Sitting up, the blanket fell to his lap, as his hands wiped over his face, rubbing his tired, stinging eyes. The moonlight shone through the high windows, seeping into the cell through the white bedsheet that hung over the door. The silver glow was anything but a comfort, part of him wishing he could switch it off, and lose himself in total darkness.

The only reason to keep the moon outweighed his annoyance by a million miles. The glow illuminated Tori's face, her hair down and flowing around her head on the pillow, making her look like a mermaid as she slept beside him. The blanket was tucked under her arm as she lay on her side, soft breaths leaving her nose.

Daryl lay back down, turning his body to face her, his arm resting over her hip. Leaning across, he pressed his lips to her forehead, then her nose. He cringed a little when he saw her eyes flicker, not meaning to wake her.

She barely opened her eyes as she asked in a sleepy whisper, "You alright?"

"Yeah," he whispered back. "Just had a dream, is all. Woke me up. I'm sorry."

"You wanna talk about it?" she asked. Her half-asleep rasp made him smile to himself.

"Nah, it's okay," he said softly. "Just go back to sleep. Love ya."

A tiny smile curled at the corners of her lips, her eyes staying closed as she stretched her arm out. "C'mere."

He didn't hesitate for a second, shuffling closer to her until he was in her arms, lying half on top of her with his face hidden in the crook of her neck. He immediately relaxed when he felt her hand in his hair, her fingers very slowly and softly scratching his scalp.

"What happened?" he heard her whisper. "In your dream?"

He sighed, kissing her neck a little before settling back down. "Can't remember it all. Just remember you not bein' there."

"Definitely a dream then," Tori pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "Cause I'm right here, ain't I?"

"Hmm. Yeah, you are," Daryl whispered. "Let's keep it that way."

Her chest rumbled with a very tired chuckle, "Deal." Her lips were close to his ear as she added softly, "And I love you too, ya big softie."

➳

Every muscle ached as he tried to force his legs to keep carrying him along the road. Sweat soaked through his clothes, his hair damp as it hung untamed over his face, restricting his already hazy view of the endless road ahead. The crossbow in his hand was weighing him down, making it impossible to gather up speed. And after an entire night of non-stop running, chasing a car he'd lost sight of hours ago, his legs finally gave out, and he let them. Collapsing onto the dusty asphalt, he admitted defeat.

Beth was gone.

It was his own damn fault. He told her run, to wait and meet him outside. Had he learned nothing? All he'd found when he got out of the house was her bag. Before he could call out to find her, the car with the white cross on its rear window zoomed right past him, taking the teenager with them.