The Walking Dead - Drained and Insane ([Daryl Dixon]Fanfic)

Chapter 19: Are you afraid?

“Daryl,” Evangeline breathed, “I…ah –“

“Don’t even start!” Daryl snapped, he was seething with anger, “When were you plannin’ on tellin’ me about this huh?”

The pain in his strained voice was like a stab in the chest.

“I-I wanted to be sure…” she whispered, hiding her fear by clenching her teeth and fists.

Daryl scoffed and furiously stormed up to her; despite the instinct to cower back Evangeline stood her ground. She bit her lip and swallowed the lump in her throat when she realised that she was actually afraid.

She was afraid of the man she gave everything to, who she let her guard down for. The fury, mixed with pain behind his eyes both hurt and frightened her.

“Sure or not you should have at least told me!” he bellowed, "You're real selfish you know."

"But -"

Daryl cut her off abruptly, "First you try to take your own life right in front of me and I was trapped behind iron bars," he seethed.

Evangeline looked down at her feet, the guilt sinking like a rock in the pit of her stomach.

"Do you know what it was like to almost loose you? How much that hurt me? You're selfish because you didn't think about anyone but yourself," Daryl was shouting now, "Did you even think about what loosing you would do to me?"

"I'm sorry," Evangeline said, her voice barely audible, it was the only thing she could think of to say.

"And now this," he growled, gesturing to her stomach, “Were you plannin’ on hidin’ it from me? Don’t think I’m good enough to handle it?”

Without realising, Daryl’s anger began to consume him and before he could realise what he was doing, he raised his hand high over his head. The action was enough to send Evangeline back a few steps with her hands covering her face.

She let out a strangled sob as tears dripped down her cheeks. Her cry of pain brought Daryl back and he looked from Evangeline whimpering to his hand that would have struck her. Seeing the fear in Evangeline’s glossy, bloodshot eyes and the quiver of her bottom lip felt like a blow to the head.

He lost control.

He lost control and he almost hurt her.

Daryl looked down at his shoes and slowly brought his hand down to his side.

Evangeline took a shaky, sharp breathe in and stood up tall, “No, I would never hide something like this from you,” she gulped, “I just didn’t think I would be good enough. They told me I wasn’t good enough to be a mother.”

She stomped past him, almost sucking all of the air out of him as she went. With a gulp he slowly looked up to see Hershel who shook his head in disappointed and too hobbled out past him, leaving him all alone.

“You ok dear?” the friendly voice soothed from behind her.

Evangeline sat amongst the tall soft grass that moved with the wind, caressing her skin as it wrapped and danced around her.

With pursed lips she looked back up at him and nodded. With a weak smile Hershel looked up at the forest ahead of them. The sun lined the tips of the trees as it sunk into the horizon and a slight hum of the breeze was music to his ears. It was a beautiful day. Evangeline turned and looked too, wondering if she could see the same thing that Hershel did.

She looked out at the forest, wondering what creatures slithered amongst the darkness. The darkening sky felt like a dome, trapping her in. Its majestic power proved how insignificant and weak she was. The foul, rotting corpses clawed at the fences, their glazed eyes glaring at her.