my angel ➶ ➶ daryl dixon

t w e n t y s i x

Aspen's POV:
I rode on the back of Daryl's bike for what seemed like a couple of hours. However, when we stopped, it was still dark outside with no sign of the sun. I quickly hopped off and went to stand by Rick. Daryl ended up on the opposite side of the circle from me and Thomas was lurking in the shadows of the tree line.

Rick faced the group and we all looked around to see who made it. I saw that Beth was crying and didn't see her boyfriend, Jimmy, around. I also didn't see Patricia. I felt my eyes fill up. She was a sweet lady and she didn't deserve that ending. Yet again, it seemed liked nobody deserved the endings they got nowadays.

I continued to look around and didn't see Shane anywhere. I didn't wonder at first, I just thought he would soon show up. I didn't see Andrea either, so I figured they were together. But as everyone began to talk and he still hadn't shown up, I began to question wether he was alive or not. Finally after I had given it a while I butted into the conversation.

"Excuse me, does anyone know where Shane is?" I asked, looking at Rick as his face dropped and he pressed his mouth shut.

"Rick? Did something happen?" I pried. He didn't responded, just stared at his feet.

"Rick?!" Finally he looked up at me.

"I killed him." He stated. I stood there shocked. I knew I had thought I had nothing but hatred left for Shane, but he was responsible for my birth. He still had always been a part of my life and he wasn't always bad. Just when his and my mom's marriage fell apart and he began drinking.

Rick looked at me with pain in his eyes as I backed away and sat down on a tree log that had fallen over. The group had made a fire and I stared into it as I mourned the loss of my father. Not the loss of the man he had become, but the man he was.

The tension grew in the group and I could hear them targeting Rick. However, I just zoned out until I heard someone approaching. I turned and saw it was Thomas slinking towards me. He tried to sit down beside me, but I scooted away.

"Aspen..." Thomas sighed.

I didn't turn my head, but I did let him move a little closer. He sighed and looked at me. "Aspen, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to become so harsh. It was a stressful situation and I didn't want you getting hurt."

I finally looked at him and immediately regretted it. I saw the regret in his eyes and I believed him immediately. I was trying to stay mad at him, but my resolve disintegrated with one look at his lips.

"It's okay." I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

His lips turned up into a small smile and he reached across the log to grab my hand. I felt a blush creep its way up my cheeks, but I hoped the fire hid it. "So, I heard about Shane, are you okay?"

I looked into his eyes and couldn't read the emotion behind them. "I guess. He might have been an asshole now, but he wasn't always this way. Before I turned thirteen he was actually a great dad. He went to all my volleyball games and all my band concerts. He never missed one." I sighed and stared off into the fire again. "Then, him and my mom started to fight. It seemed like they were always going at each other about something. Then he began to drink. Suddenly, the fights became physical. My mother would be covered with bruises and cuts that she tried to hide under her clothes." My voice cracked and I felt tears getting ready to flow.

"My mother soon left him, but that meant that she also left me. My dad was gone all the time after that. If he wasn't at work, than he was at the bar. He became cold and lost all evidence that the man that he was before. I threw myself into my school work and sport and that's how I ended up captain of my high school volleyball team and valedictorian." I stared into the trees and felt tears slipping down my face.

"Then we ended up finding the group and I refused to call him Dad. I don't regret it, I just wish he could've pulled himself out of the hole he was in." I sighed as more tears slipped down. Thomas let go of my hand and put his arm around me. I leaned into him and closed my eyes. I could feel someone's eyes on us though.

After a while I couldn't take it anymore and opened my eyes. They instantly met Daryl's piercing into mine. I could see them accusing me of going back to Thomas. I shuddered slightly and began to move away from Thomas. He tried to keep me beside him, but I resisted and moved to where the group was talking.

"This is not a democracy anymore!" Rick yelled and stormed off. I could tell there had just been a heated argument and everyone was whispering in little groups after Rick left. I just stood there in silence until Carol came up to me.

I acted like I didn't see her and started to turn away when she grabbed my arm. "Aspen, wait."

I jerked away from her. "Don't touch me!" I hissed.

She was stunned by my words, her mouth slightly agape but she soon recovered. "Aspen, why do you hate me? I don't know what I did to offend you." She said.

I felt my face turn red when all the anger I had kept inside. "Offend me? Oh, you did nothing to offend me Carol. You know, you're just constantly all over Daryl, but of course that doesn't matter because why would he want me? I'm just a little girl with a stupid crush. He should go with the woman who can give him what he's looking for. I'm just a girl that can't get her thoughts straight. It's probably the hormones! Because let's blame everything on the hormonal teenager! So, no Carol, I'm not mad at you!" I turned around, ready to stalk off when I ran straight into Daryl.

"Oh just lovely." I muttered, spinning away from him and taking off in the other direction. I soon began sprinting, running deeper and deeper into the woods. After a while, I couldn't run any longer and I collapsed in a heap on the ground, sobbing. I had just basically revealed my feelings to Carol and Daryl was right there to hear them. I kept crying until I heard something come up behind me. I looked to find a walker. I let it get close to me, and then I tried to stab it in the head. However, I missed and it fell on top of me.

I was so tired from running that I didn't have enough energy to fight it off. Do I want to fight it off? I wondered. Do I really want to live through this life when the man that I can't get out of my head will never feel the same way?

I felt my arms dropping lower and lower, my thoughts wondering how painful it would be for a walker to eat you alive.

I finally gave in and let the walker drop on top of me. I felt it's hot, sticky breath on my cheek as it began to take its first bite....