Beauty and Her Beast (Daryl Dixon Fanfic)

14

I woke up in the middle of the night, unable to fall back asleep. I had a dream about Zach and couldn't rid my thoughts of him. Also, Carol wouldn't stop crying and Andrea was reloading clips. So I sat there, running my fingers over the large scar on my side. I looked over when I saw Daryl get up, strapping his crossbow to his back and grabbing a flashlight. He stood in front of Andrea. "I need my clip now." She handed it to him and he loaded it in his gun.

I closed my eyes but soon felt Daryl nudge my foot. I stared up at him as he held out a hand. "I'm gonna walk the road. Look for the girl. Wanna come?" I nodded and took his hand, letting him pull me to my feet. I grabbed my guns, holstering them. We walked outside and he turned the flashlight on, shining it at the woods.

Dale saw us and the corners of his mouth twitching slightly as he tried to hide a smile. "We're going for a walk. Shine some light in the forest. If she's out there, give her something to look at."

"You think that's a good idea right now?" He asked.

I sighed. "Dale, we'll be fine." I nodded to him as Daryl and I walked down the road a bit before hopping over the side rail.

As we trudged through the woods, Daryl cleared his throat. "I heard you mumbling in your sleep again, Charlie. You okay?" He asked.

I nodded. "Do I really have a choice?" He chuckled dryly.

I sighed. "Do you really think we're gonna find Sophia?" I asked him.

He shined the flashlight at my face then scoffed. "You got that look on your face same as everybody else. What the hell is wrong with you people? We just started looking."

I stared at him. "Well, do you?"

He shrugged. "It ain't the Mountains of Tibet. It's Georgia. She could be holed up in a farmhouse somewhere. People get lost and they survive. It happens all the time."

I swallowed down a lump in my throat. "She's only 12, Daryl." I whispered, trying to hide the sound of my voice cracking.

"Hell, I was younger than her and I got lost. Nine days in the woods eating berries, wiping my ass with poison oak."

"You never told me that. How'd you get home?" I asked.

"My old man was off on a bender with some waitress. Merle was doing another stint in juvie. Didn't even know I was gone. I made my way back though. Went straight into the kitchen and made myself a sandwich. No worse for wear. Except my ass itched something awful."

I tried and failed at hiding a laugh. He shined the flashlight on me again. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, that is a terrible story."

We both laughed a little. "Only difference is Sophia's got people looking for her. I call that an advantage."

I pulled my knife from its sheathe, fiddling with it. I sucked in a sharp breath as I accidentally cut my palm. "Shit." I cursed under my breath. The blood poured out fast. I leaned against a tree and Daryl came over, inspecting it.

He chuckled, tearing off part of his shirt. "How do you always manage to hurt yourself, Charlie?" He asked. I shrugged as he wrapped the fabric around my hand, tying it tightly. I winced and looked at Daryl, who was staring into my eyes, as if he was searching for something.

I didn't realize he was still holding my hands until they slid down my arms and down to my hips, sending warm shivers up my spine. He leaned in and just as his lips brushed mine, there was a rustle from behind him. He quickly spun around, holding up his crossbow and ready to fire. Damn walkers. We walked slowly towards the sound and saw a small camp. A tree branch rustled and I put a hand over my mouth. There was a walker hanging from the tree by a rope. Nothing left of his legs but bones and left over rotten flesh.

Daryl shined his light on a note on the tree. "'Got bit. Fever hit. World gone to shit. Might as well quit.' Dumb ass didn't know enough to shoot himself in the head. Turned himself into a big swinging piece of bait. And a mess." I groaned, leaning over. I felt bile rising in my throat.

"You all right?" He asked.

"Trying not to puke." I replied, holding my stomach.

"Go ahead if you gotta." He said.

"No, I'm fine. Let's just talk about something else for a minute. Tell me how you learned to shoot again." I said.

"Gotta eat. That's one thing these walkers and us have in common. I guess it's the closest he's been to food since he turned. Look at him, hanging up there like a big pinata."

He shined his flashlight on the walkers legs. "The other geeks came in and ate all the flesh off his legs." Here we go. I threw up what little I had in my stomach and started coughing.

I stood up straight, wiping my mouth. "I thought we were changing the subject." I said, spitting.

"Call that payback for laughing about my itchy ass."

I wiped my hands on my jeans. "There wasn't a lot that came up." Daryl shrugged and turned around. "Let's head back."

I stopped him, grabbing his arm. "Aren't you gonna..." He shined the light on the walker again.

"No. He ain't hurting nobody. Ain't gonna waste an arrow neither."

I sighed and grabbed his crossbow from his hands, aiming at the walker. "I will." I released the arrow, silencing his growling and snarling.

"Waste of an arrow." Daryl said, taking the crossbow and walking away. I followed after him, keeping my distance. He almost kissed me earlier and now he's acting like it never happened. Daryl slowed, letting me catch up.

He glanced at me. "Something on your mind?" He asked. I shrugged. He stopped me, grabbing my arm.

"What, Daryl?" I asked, attempting to pull my arm away, but his grip tightened.

"Charlie, you need to quit lying to me. I ain't stupid. I know there's something wrong. So tell me."

I shook my head, knowing there was no avoiding this any longer. "You, Daryl." I whispered, a faint blush my cheeks. "You're always on my mind. I never felt like this when we were kids but now I just...I can't think straight. I can't-" I was cut off when his lips landed on mine. I kissed back almost instantly, my hands tangling in his hair and pulling him closer. His hands traveled to my hips, squeezing them tightly. Then he pulled away. Much too soon in my opinion. But we weren't safe out here.

"Don't be soft." He chuckled and rolled his eyes, taking my hand.

He nodded his head towards the highway, which was right above us. We climbed up the small hill and over the rail. When we were in sight of Dale, Daryl dropped my hand then entered the R.V. without a word.

"Charlotte, hang on." Dale said. I stopped in front of him, hiding a small smile on my face. He smiled at me. "Was Daryl holding your hand?" He asked quietly. I nodded and put a finger to my lips, heading inside the R.V.