Broken (A Walking Dead/Daryl fanfiction)

Chapter 17- Doe

WE BROKE A THOUSAND OMG FJSKTNSKAKFBSH
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"We've lost so many people." Beth said, looking around the prison. It seemed empty from all the death and grief.
"We've lost some protection." Rick commented. Although it was a bit heartless, he was right. With all those people gone, and our numbers dropping, safety and upkeep of the prison is now more difficult.
"At least there's less mouths to feed." They all turned to me as I said it. I rolled my eyes.
"What? You were all thinking it too. Food has always been a struggle. There were too many people. At least now it's a more controlled number." I shrugged my shoulder. They all had a facade over their eyes, showing that what I said was in fact 100% heartless. But I saw underneath it; they knew I was right.

The council survived. Other than Carol, every other member made it through the strange illness. Daryl held me closer at night, and Jess barely let me out of his sight. Even though I was the one between us who didn't catch the disease.

Sue has made friends with the other girls left in the prison. She confided to me about what happened to her mom, and I listened to her. She sobbed into my shoulder as she told me her story.
"How old are you honey?" I asked her.
"6." She cried out softly. She was so small for a six year old.
"When's your birthday?" I tried to distract her. She shrugged her shoulders and stopped shaking. Her tears still rolled down my back.
"How about we go find Daryl? Talk him into a piggy back ride?" She giggled and nodded her head. I smiled triumphantly and placed her feet on the ground. We walked out of my cell, and then exited out the front door. Daryl is usually outside. I hold my hand up to my eyes to see better, and I spot him by the water bucket to my left. I shake Sue's arm and we walk towards him.
"Hey Daryl how about a piggy back ride for Sue?" I asked him. He stopped drinking the water and turned towards us. Sue had a happy grin on her face. There was no doubt Daryl could see her tear stains and red, puffy eyes. He immediately crouched.
"Yeah alright. Climb on doe." Sue giggled loudly and hopped onto Daryls back. After she was secure, he walked over to me.
"Doe?" I asked him about the nickname.
"Yeah, doe. Cause she got them big brown eyes." I smiled.
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Harley crouched in a playful position as he wagged his tail at Scout. Scout pretended to pay no attention, and then randomly pounced. The two chased each other around the inside of the yard, while the few little girls left giggled uncontrollably. I laughed at the sight.

It was a good day. The sun warming my skin, but the clouds still out to provide shade when needed. It was warm, but not hot. The smell of the rotting corpses ruined the over all environment, but it has become normal to everyday life. Daryl set out early this morning to go hunting, and I stood waiting outside for him to return.

I've never been the kind of woman to worry about their man, but something with Daryl sparked a fire in me. If he wasn't by my side, I would quickly worry sick if I didn't remind myself that he was fine; Daryl can take care of himself. I direct my attention away from the girls, and watch the woods for any sign of the tall man. I carefully look over every inch of the forest line, but see nothing. Giving up, I look back to the only source of entertainment. Scout is now chasing around Sue, while Harley is chasing around the other girls. They playfully bark at the girls, while jogging a good distance behind them. I know my dogs can run a hell of a lot faster than they are, but for the sake of the girls they don't. That's why I adopted them, because of their intelligence.
*flashback*
I wonder through the building, kicking empty cans out of my walkway. I killed the few walkers that were left standing in the building. Normally there would be more, but I found some in the front with their heads beaten into. It made me cautious as to who was in the building, but the idea of another human being made me excited. I hadn't talked to a person in so long. My boots click softly on the tile floor as I check out each room. I peer into a room with no windows, and a gate to slide down for security. A tent lay in the corner of the room, and a small supply of food lay in the center. The temptation of food was too much, and I entered the room. Two growls erupted the moment I stepped inside. I raised my sword quickly, whipping around in the direction of the noise. Two large dogs stand a few feet away from me. Their hair is sticking up, and drool is dripping from their mouths. They look well fed for dogs in a apocalypse. The one to the left raises its nose and sniffs me, and then sits down. His companion does the same. Both are still watching me with warning, but at least they don't look ready to attack at any sudden movement. I lower my sword to my side, before completely dropping it.
"Hey guys." I say. They tilt their heads slightly in the same direction. I move toward the tent and they begin to growl softly. Hoping they won't attack, I stick my arm in and move the flap back. The sent is what hits me first, and I have to move my other arm to my nose to cover up the smell and keep from gagging. A body lay bloodied and rotten. A large bite is on the wrist, and a gunshot wound in the head.
"This your master?" I ask the dogs. They whine slightly. I close up the tent and back away from the horrid smell.
"Alright then. If you don't mind, I'm going to take the rest of his food." I begin stuffing the cans into my pack, and the dogs remain sitting a few feet from me. In an effort to befriend them, I stick out my hand.
"Come here. I'm not going to hurt you." The one on the left lowers his ears, but the other walks forward slightly, and then pauses.
"Come on." I encourage. He steps forward more, and then lays on his belly. He crawls the rest of the way to my side. I place my hand on his head and gently pet him. His tail wags. Soon the other dog joins us and I'm petting him too.
"You know, I haven't had friends in a while. You could come with me?" Of course they don't respond, they're dogs. But just being able to talk to someone begins to make me feel better. I could use the companionship, and I could train them for protection. The extra mouths to feed will be difficult, but nothing I can't handle. Standing up, I lead them away from the room.
"You're going to follow me now. I'll be your master." I suddenly remember that they probably had names, so I turn back around and squat beside them. Checking their necks, I find collars uncomfortably imbedded in their necks.
"That's gotta hurt." I pull out my knife and they whine and back away.
"Hey hey hey! I'm not going to hurt you. Come here." Eventually they crawl to me. I use my knife and carefully cut away at the first dogs collar. Once it's off, he shakes his head and wags his tail a little. I smile and check the name tag.
"Scout." I say, and the dog perks his ears. I move to the other dog and slice off his collar.
"Harley." The dog sticks his tongue out and wags his tail. I smile wider and pet them both, then I stand and begin to walk away again.
"Alright Scout and Harley. I am going to teach you to hunt, and to kill. If you don't already know that is."  We head out the way I came in.

Ever since then they don't leave my side. I trained them on how to hunt, and to bring back their kills to me before eating. I taught them to listen to my command to defend or to be friendly. They were surprisingly quick learners, which lead me to believe that they wanted to survive this world just as much as I did. I just wished one of them was a girl, so I could hopefully be able to bring puppies into the world and train them as well. But luck can't always be on my side.

The picture of me being surrounded by a pack of dogs made me laugh out loud. It looked like something from a movie.
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Sorry if this was a short chapter, but yay! Updates! Thank you all who have voted and commented, it means so much to me that people are actually reading AND liking my story. It feels pretty good. Anyway, hopefully I will be able to update soon!

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-Bethany