Solitude -> The Walking Dead

14

My eyes observed Daryl as he left the RV in which Carol was staying. He was headed for the house which I found strange. As far as I knew, he had his own tent.

His movement, however, stopped when he saw me sitting on the porch. A flash of surprise lit up his eyes and despite the dark, I could see how blue they were. The image of them from the CDC still remained in my head.

"What's up, Dixon? Shoot anyone with an arrow while I was out?" I asked.

For a split second, there seemed to be amusement swirling in his eyes. It did feel as if though I imagined it though. I was waiting for a sarcastic comeback, but none came. Instead he glanced at my stomach.

"You okay?" He asked.

I frowned at the lack of bickering as I found it unusual. Daryl Dixon has never ignored an opportunity to argue with me. I shifted uncomfortably as I realized this was a real conversation.

"I'm getting there." I said.

It felt strange to talk to him without insults. But it was also strangely not as horrendous as I thought it would be. Even five seconds of no arguing was surprisingly pleasant. Never thought I'd say that about him though.

"That's good." He commented.

Our eyes connected and he quickly looked away. I wanted to look away as well but I couldn't. What the hell is wrong with me? This bullet must be be screwing with my head somehow and I'm not happy about it.

"Why are you here, Daryl?"

We never did... this. He doesn't check up on me and I don't check up on him. We're not even friends. That word doesn't exist in our vocabulary. He seemed uncomfortable by the question as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"I don't know."

That was followed by a shrug and brief eye contact. I nodded at him accepting the answer. This was new territory for us. I didn't want to fuck it up. If I'm going to stay in this group, I might as well minimize the amount of enemies.

"Okay."

-----

I heard commotion in the house and it made me feel wary. Ryan entered my room and I raised my eyebrows in a silent question. Ryan hesitated at answering before sighing and giving up.

"So, uh, Andrea shot Daryl." He replied.

My jaw dropped as I tried to process his words. Just last night, I was talking to him on the porch and now he might be dead. When thinking about his death, I always thought I'd be involved somehow.

"What do you mean she shot Daryl? Why? I mean, we've all wanted to but still." I said.

"Apparently, a horse threw him off and one of his arrows lodged itself into his side. He then limped back to the farm and Andrea thought he was a walker." He explained.

A sigh escaped my lips as I leaned further into my pillows. If Daryl was dead, Ryan would have mentioned it by now. So that must mean he's just wounded, kind of like me. Perhaps we can bond over almost getting killed by dumb people.

"Damn Dixon. Always getting into trouble." I mumbled.

There was a knock on the door and I looked up. It was Carol. She was carrying a plate with food for me. My eyes softened at the action. Of course she'd be the one to show such affection. I didn't deserve that kind of kindness.