Trapped Within Ourselves (A Walking Dead Fanfic)

Finding What's Lost

After what felt like hours, he still held me in his arms. "I can't believe you're still alive" he murmured ruffling my hair.

All the emotions I had strongly bottled up were finally spilling out. The tears wouldn't stop coming. Just for an example, picture this. Everything you have is taken from you, all your family, friends, pets, belongings, your world is gone. You have nothing. And then something that had left, returns. Imagine if someone dear to your heart was dead, and now they're alive again. Yeah, that's exactly how I felt.

Someone cleared their throat causing me to avert my gaze in their direction. I could tell the cough had come from Rick because he was the one with the only nerve to speak right now.

"I hate to interrupt this, moment, but how do you know Daryl Tali?" Rick curiously asks. Well he did deserve an explanation, they all did.

"Tali right here" Daryl spoke up "Is my little sister." I heard someone gasp and looked to see Carol covering her mouth. 

"Daryl!" she shouted "you never told me you had any siblings!" 

"I told ya'll bout Merle" he said keeping an arm slung over my shoulder lovingly. 

"Please, we've all met Merle, and he puts the douche in douchebag" the asian one Glenn snorts. 

I raise an eyebrow at them "You've all met Merle?" 

A few nod "Yeah, and if you turn out anything like him you'll be out on the streets fighting for yourself" Glenn glares over at me. 

"Hey! Threaten my sister again and see who loses their hand this time!" Daryl snaps angrily at him. 

Glenn throws his hands up in retreat "Okay sorry" he backs up.

"Daryl it's fine" I promise him which almost immediantly releases tension from him. " I'm nothing like Merle, in fact, I hate Merle. I feel bad for all of you who have met him."

It takes them a minute but finally they all nod. 

"Alright, she seems like the harmless type who can kick a lil' ass when need be" Rick nods "Welcome to Team Prison Tali." 

I burst into a smile and I couldn't help but notice a lot of people in the room were smiling too. Carl had his sheriff hat tipped down and half a smirk painted on his face. Beth had a smile, maybe bigger than mine. 

"Finally! Another girl!" Beth squeals excitedly. 

Carol, Michonne, and Maggie all slowly turn to Beth who just made herself a victim. 

"Oh you know what I mean!" She laughs. 

Later that night Daryl and I decided to catch up. "So what happened with Annika and her family?" he asks biting into a piece of squirrel meat. 

A year ago, I wouldn't even have thought about killing a squirrel. Let alone eating one! But now here I was eating squirrel with my brother, who up until a few hours ago I assumed was dead, chatting about myold bestfriend and her family.

I shrugged biting into the tender meat "I had to leave, I just couldn't stay with them." 

"You might as well have jumped off a bridge because that's practically a suicide mission!" he shook his head "Leaving a family with all the supplies to survive, what were you thinking that day?" 

I shrugged "I felt empty until now, nothing were living for, nothing worth dying for, I had nothing." 

He took a deep intake of breathe before smirking "Well, I'm here now. And I won't leave you if you don't leave me." 

I laughed "I won't, but you gotta pinky promise." 

He shook his head "I ain't using my damn pinky to promise anything!" 

I pouted "Oh come on Daryl! Please!" 

He shook his head "I love you, but I will never, never promise anything with my pinky!" 

Oh Daryl how I've missed you.