Stand By Me (Daryl Dixon)

N i n e

"Benjamin!" I yell after him, he turn around and smiles at me.

"Shay, how's it going?" He blushes.

"Have you seen Daryl? He didn't come back to the room last night and I'm worried he's going to do something stupid." I ask.

"I haven't seen him this morning, but I'm on my way to see King Ezekiel right now. We can walk together and you can ask him." His blush deepens and I chuckle under my breath. We walk side by side.

"You any good at that thing?" I gestured to his stick.

"I'm getting the hang of it. Morgan is a good teacher." He swings it around in an impressive motion, making me step aside and laugh.

"Maybe one day you can show me how to use it." I smile at him, and we are now outside the theatre. He nods and we walk inside. Again, it's like I've interrupted a secret meeting.

I walk down the isle and come to the front of the stage. The stares making me feel uncomfortable.

"Shay, you've graciously interrupted our meeting once again." Ezekiel steps up to where I stand, annoyed by my presence. "What can I do for you today?"

"Have you seen Daryl?" I ask looking almost straight up at Ezekiel. "He didn't come back to the room last night."

"Daryl isn't here." Morgan says from behind me.

"What do you mean?" Turning, my heart cracks at his words.

He wouldn't just leave. He promised that he wouldn't just leave. I can feel a lump in throat begin to form, but I swallow it down and blink away the tear that was threatening to come. He made me feel something yesterday that I haven't felt in so long but today he just left, making feel unwanted. Abandoned.

"He left this morning." He says.

"You just let him leave?" I knit my eyebrows together, "where's he going?"

"The Hilltop."

"Do you realize that when Daryl returns to the Hilltop alone, my brother might do something stupid, try to punch him. Again. He'll think I'm dead!" I yell at both Morgan and Ezekiel, looking back and forth, "I want a map. Or better yet I want the map and a car, or a horse. I want a horse!"

"You can't take-" Ezekiel is interrupted.

"She can take my horse," Benjamin steps forward, "I rarely ride her anyways. Shay can take her."

There was a pause. Benjamin smiles at me and I return it.

"All I need is a map." I say looking back up at Ezekiel. "I know you wouldn't want me out there by myself, but I can take care of myself. I've be doing it for a long time now."

I can physically see him take a deep break like he knew there was no changing my mind, "Jerry, please get a map for this young lady."

•

"This is Rose." Benjamin kisses the nose of his horse. "She's a really good girl."

"She's beautiful." Her dark mane long, the splotches of white contrasts brightly against the black. "I'll bring her back, safe" He laughs and we pull Rose to the gate.