Beauty and Her Beast (Daryl Dixon Fanfic)

15

I held onto Daryl's jacket tightly as we sped down the dirt road that led to the rest of our group. We pulled right up to the house and Daryl put down the kickstand, letting me get off first. "How is he?" Dale asked as Rick and Lori approached.

Lori smiled. "He'll pull through, thanks to Hershel and his people."

"And Shane." Rick added. "We'd have lost Carl if not for him."

We all hugged, our group reunited. When I stepped back, I was surprised to feel Daryl's hand slip into mine.

"How'd it happen?" Dale asked after hugging Rick.

"Hunting accident. That's all. Just a stupid accident."

~*~

We all stood around Otis's grave, the man who lost his life while on a run with Shane, each of us putting a rock onto the large pile, one by one. There was no body, so we had to improvise. I went up after Beth and grabbed a rock from the wheelbarrow, gently placing in on the pile.

"Blessed be God," Hershel held a bible to his chest. "Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Praise be to him for the gift of our brother Otis, for his span of years, for his abundance of character; Otis, who gave his life to save a child's, now more than ever, our most precious asset. We thank you, God, for the peace he enjoys in your embrace. He died as he lived, in grace." He looked at Shane, who seemed to be distracted. "Shane, will you speak for Otis?" He asked, taking a step back.

Shane shook his head slightly. "I'm not good at it. I'm sorry." He mumbled.

"You were the last one with him. You shared his final moments. Please. I need to hear. I need to know his death had meaning." Patricia begged Shane.

He stared at her for a moment before nodding. "We were about done. Almost out of ammo. We were down to pistols by then. I was limping. It was bad. Ankle all swollen up. 'We've got to save the boy.' See, that's what he said. He gave me his backpack. He shoved me ahead. 'Run.' He said. He said, 'I'll take the rear. I'll cover you.' And when I looked back..." Shane trailed off, not finishing the sentence.

I found it rather hard to believe his story. He hobbled over to the wheel barrel and grabbed a rock. "If not for Otis, I'd have never made it out alive. And that goes for Carl too. It was Otis. He saved us both. If any death ever had meaning, it was his." He directed his last words directly at Patricia. I could see it in his eyes, though, he wasn't telling the story how it happened.

~*~*~*~

I stood next to Daryl by Carol's car, his hand brushing against mine every now and then, causing the corners of my mouth to lift, a barely noticeable smile on my face. "How long has this girl been lost?" Hershel asked Rick as Maggie came over with a map.

"This'll be day three." Rick said.

Maggie spread the map across the hood of the car. "County survey map. Shows terrain and elevations."

Rick leaned forward. "This is perfect. We can finally get things organized. We'll grid the whole area, start searching in teams."

Hershel shook his head. "Not you. Not today. You gave three units of blood. You wouldn't be hiking five minutes in this heat before passing out. And your ankle- push it now, you'll be laid up a month, no good to anybody."

Daryl shifted, standing up straighter. "Guess it's just me. I'm gonna head back to the creek, work my way back from there."

I pulled him to the side, crossing my arms. "It's not just you."

He shook his head. "No, Charlie, you stay here. I need to know you're safe."

I scoffed. "I can take care of myself."