Broken Arrows (Daryl Dixon)

11.

"In this world now you kill or you die or you die and you kill."
                                   ~The Governor
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Devore's POV~

       "What the hell were you thinking Devore? If I didn't hear you you could have died!" Daryl yells with frustration and worry all over his face.

      "I-I'm sorry Daryl.. I made breakfast and I heard something in the woods. I went to see what it was and found some wild flowers. I guess I got distracted while getting the Cherokee roses off the tree. I didn't hear it and I dropped my knife so I couldn't do anything." I quickly explain what happened up until this point. I think I got it all out in one breath.

       "You haven't killed a walker before have you?"  He asks me and his face softens.

      "No I haven't, that's the closest I've ever been to one of them..." I reply, looking away from Daryl.

      "I'm sorry. Remember that girl I asked you about, Sophia, she's been missing for a few days." I look down at my feet before continuing. "We were on the highway searching through cars when a huge herd came through. Most of us were under cars and Sophia thought the coast was clear, but two walkers started going after her. She ran into the woods and Rick, our leader followed her to protect her but she didn't stay put. That's why I've been out here searching. I still have hope that little girl is alive and I can't lose anyone else. God knows where my brother Merle is, where Sophia is, I don't know what I would do if you got lost out here." He reaches down and grabs my gun and the Cherokee rose off the ground. He hands them to me and gets the last flower off the tree. He looks at the flower for a minute before speaking. "I don't want anymore flowers blooming for people I care about." He hands me the last Cherokee rose and starts heading back to the clearing. I follow close behind, thinking about what he told me about Sophia.

      "I want to help you find Sophia." I tell him boldly.

       "First things first, I need to teach you how to properly kill a walker so you don't almost get killed." He turns around and gives me a soft smile. He probably feels bad that he yelled at me so he's trying to show he's sorry. I don't blame him for yelling. I would've done the same thing if I was in his position. We continue walking back to camp when suddenly he stops walking and holds up his hand, signaling to me to stop. I listening for whatever Daryl stopped for. I can hear groaning and the snapping of twigs behind us. Walkers. "Get behind me and get your knife out," Daryl whispers as he gets his own knife out and holds up his crossbow. I place the things in my hands on the ground and quickly grab my knife from where it was hanging off my belt, holding it up. "Now if I get hurt or are unable to help you, stab the walkers in the head and only the head. They aren't like people. If you stab them in chest or anywhere else you could end up part of their meal." He tells her and I nod. We get prepared for what's about to come towards us in the woods. I hope I'll able to kill the walkers on my first try. I know better than to use my gun because it could bring more walkers to us. Considering that I have never killed one before, that could be a death sentence. We stand still for a minute, tracking any movement with our eyes. Slowly about five walkers stumble out into out into the area before us and Daryl shoots the closest walker with an arrow. It crumples to the ground and he loads another arrow into his crossbow. The group of walkers are getting even closer. Daryl aims and shoots a second walker in the head. It ends up falling on top of the first walker that was shot. The deaths of the first two walkers do nothing to the ones who remain and they are about five feet away now. Daryl quickly loads one more arrow into his crossbow and pulls the trigger making a third walker fall onto the ground. At this point there are two walkers left and closing in. You can hear their snarling and the snapping of jaws as they inch closer. Daryl swings his crossbow onto his shoulder, taking his knife and plunging it into one of the walker's skull. He quickly pulls the knife out as the final walker is an arm's length away. He uses his foot to push the walker over onto the ground. He is about to stab it but stops. He looks to the right and grabs a long stick. He raises the stick above his head and plunges it through the walker's abdomen and into the ground.

"W-what are you doing? I thought that to kill walker you had to go for the head. Why aren't you killing it?" I question. The stick is acting as a stake, keeping the walker laying on its back. It's arms reach out trying to grasp Daryl and my legs.

"You're right, to kill a walker you have to strike it in the head. I'm not going to kill it though. You are." He tells me, kicking the walker's outstretched arm away and handing me his knife. "Consider it lesson number two in the apocalypse survival guide." Daryl says the last part of his sentence in a spokesperson voice making me laugh. "No, but seriously, it's your turn."

       "But.." I stutter. I twist his knife nervously in my hands.

       "No buts about it Devore," Daryl says. "Hold the knife like this. It will make it way easier for you." He turns the knife so the blade is pointing down when I holding it. I look at the knife, hesitating. Slowly, I make my way over to the right side of the walker. Daryl takes my knife and stabs it through the walker's right arm, pinning it down and steps on its left so it can't grab me. I kneel down and it strains it neck trying to get me. I carefully place my hand on the walker's forehead, forcing it on the ground and stab the knife into its head. It stops moving immediately showing I had done it right. I take the knife out of the walker's head. It's covered in blood and goo that I'm guessing is was it's brain. I let the knife hang from two fingers and look at Daryl in disgust. He laughs and takes the knife from me, wiping it on the walker's clothing. I stand up and grab my things off the ground as Daryl pulls the arrows out of the walkers' heads. I start slowly walking so Daryl can catch up. When he catches up he walks at the slow speed I'm walking at. I feel pretty good about killing that walker by myself.