Broken Arrows (Daryl Dixon)

6.

Walking Dead Quote of the Day:
"I may be the one walking away, but you're the one who's leaving. Again."
-Daryl Dixon
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Devore's POV~

"I'm going to go back to the highway to check it out. Keep a gun near just incase. Remember, only shoot if you need to." Daryl tells me, grabbing his crossbow. I grab a gun from the weapons backpack and set it down next to me.

      "How long do you think you'll be gone?" I turn towards him.

       "Probably 10 minutes at most," He replies and disappears into the woods. After Daryl leaves I go to a near by tree, a willow tree, and collect a whole bunch of branches off the tree. I carefully lay the leaves in a large rectangular shape on the dusty ground about a foot and a half away from the fire. I go back to the tree and gather some more branches  before laying them down as another layer on the ground. After I finish laying the second layer down I grab the blanket from the tote bag along with my journal and the gun from their places by the log. I go to the bed of branches and leaves I made on the floor and lay down with my journal in front of me. I place the gun near the journal and lay the blanket over me. I start writing my journal entry for the day using the light from the fire to help me see.

Dear Survivor(s), August 20th

Hey, it's Devore again. Today was very eventful unlike the days before today and the world seems as if it's starting to crumble even more. I woke up abruptly today because of some noises coming from the basement. I quickly got up thinking that it was one of those things and that it somehow got into the house. I snuck downstairs only to find a man holding a crossbow. I immediately dropped my bat and raised my arms. I was so afraid he was going to shoot me making my whole body tremble. After what those people did I believed everyone was a monster. I braced myself for the impact of the arrow, but it never came. All that came after I opened my eyes was a bright light. The man's name is Daryl Dixon. He tells me we should leave because some walkers may be coming to my house. Walkers. A better name for things that are lurking around. Daryl lets me gather some supplies like food, medical, and weapons before he says he will bring me to his peoples' camp. After gathering up my supplies we went outside through the basement sliding door. We snuck along the backside of the house only to be stopped by two walkers. They were what was left of my poor parents. I could tell by their clothes and the visible burn marks on their faces. I froze. I couldn't deal with it. The mental wounds I got from that night are still very fresh and it felt as if someone just put lemon juice in them. Daryl ended up killing them and we ran into the woods near my house to hide. We were waiting there till we believed it was time to run to the cars sitting in the driveway. Some nearby walkers came toward the cars after they saw us. We pulled out of the neighborhood and drove for awhile along the highway before Daryl pulled off to the side of the road. I followed only to find out the reason for pulling over was two huge herd of walkers. We grabbed the important supplies and hurried into the woods. After walking for awhile we found a clearing and decided to camp there for as long as it took. We started getting dinner ready over a fire that Daryl taught me how to build. Before we were able to finish cooking the beans I spotted some walkers coming toward us. We quickly climbed up into a tree and stayed in it for awhile before Daryl was able to pull their attention away from the fire and to the highway. We finally ended up having beans and they actually weren't bad at all. Daryl finished his beans and went to the highway to see where the walkers were at. Right now I'm laying on a bed I made from willow tree branches and leaves and writing to you. I crossed another day off the calendar earlier leaving 7 more days until I turn 16. In ending this entry I hope that Daryl and I survive being here in the woods while we wait the walkers out. I also hope the place and people that Daryl was talking about will accept me into their group. I want to be surrounded by humans again. Not people who have lost their humanity or those who are already dead and walking around again, actually real people.
~Devore Caverly

By the time I finish my journal entry Daryl is still not back. I get up from the bed I made, which is surprisingly comfortable. I go into the woods where I am hidden from the fire's light and use the bathroom. It's not the same as using the toilets at home compared to the outside, but it'll have to do. I finish my business and go back to the clearing to sanitize my hands. I look around for something else to do and see some big palm leaves laying on the ground. I have an idea involving those leaves and the sewing kit that I found hidden in the first aid kit. I gather 10 palm leaves and bring them close to the fire. I sit down crisscross on the makeshift bed and take two of the palm leaves and put them in front of me. I place them together and take the knife from my pocket, cutting the edges of the leaves to make straighter rectangles. I take a needle and some thread from the sewing kit and start sewing around the edges leaving an opening about the size of my hand. I cut the strings and stuff three other palm leaves including the scraps from the ones I cut into the 'pillow' I am making. I finish sewing the pillow closed and lay it on the bed near the top right corner for Daryl. I follow the same steps with the last five palm leaves and make a second pillow for myself. I lay my pillow in top left corner before putting the knife back in my pocket and the sewing kit back into the first aid kit. Returning to the bed I grab my gun and lay on the left side away from the fire. I put my head on my new pillow and cover up with the blanket. I look up at the semi-hidden stars for awhile before I feel myself slowly drift off to sleep as the fire's dying glow illuminates the clearing. I'd have to say today was actually a pretty good day considering I finally found someone else in this world. Actually, he found me.