TWD ~ Daryl + Reader ~

Help...

The bike stops about two towns over outside a shopping center. No walkers outside, probably multiple inside. The car pulls in behind Daryl and you as he kills the motor. As you drift your leg over the back of the bike, holding onto Daryl's shoulder for stability Glenn, Abraham, and Sasha get out of their car.

Looking more closely at some of the stores, you see a few of them have already been cleared and gutted for supplies.

"There are still a few stores that don't seem to've been touched yet."

Daryl continues to sit on his bike as Glenn lays out the floor-plan for who takes what stores.

"Abraham and Sasha, you take the store on the far end it doesn't seem to have been touched, Daryl and I will take the big store on the other end."

"What about me?" Glenn looks at you as the others look at him.

"No offense, but I don't know you or particularly trust you. You can go through the already cleared stores and see if there's anything left."

Your first instinct is to argue, but instead, you just agree with him and catch the bag he throws at you.

Abraham and Sasha start down to the other end of the shopping center as you start to go into the store that sits in front of you with its doors already open. However, you all stop when you hear Glenn and Daryl's confrontation.

"Come on Daryl."

"Nah," Daryl replies while still sitting on his bike, "there ain't nothin' much left here." Daryl glimpses at you then looks back at Glenn, "There's a food n pharmacy market down the road, hadn't seemed to've been touched when I saw it." Abraham and Sasha are closer now, "I'll take the girl and check it out."

Daryl motions his head for you to get on the bike. When you slide on he starts the motor and drives out of the parking lot and onto the road, without stopping even when Glenn goes to say something.

ᐧ ᐧ ᐧ

The place Daryl spoke of is about 7 miles down the road from where you left the others.

'I have been at Alexandria for two days, I have answered every question and haven't told any lies. And yet they still don't trust me when it comes to simple stuff like supply runs with other people. Figures.'

Daryl parks the bike and turns it off. You get off the bike then Daryl does. Daryl walks up to the door of the store and taps the glass with the handle of his knife. Then he backed away, waiting for walkers to come to the door.

"Glenn doesn't like me very much, does he?"

"Nah."

"Why?" Daryl looks over at you, but his head jerks back to look at the door where walker after walker starts piling up.

"Dammit."

"I only see six, we can take 'em." You pull out a few throwing knives that you took from Gregory's personal collection before you left Hilltop.

You think you see Daryl almost smirk as he says, "A'right."

Daryl moves up to the doors and pushes his knife in between them. He counts down on his fingers from three, looks at you, then opens the door.

One, two, three. All three of your throwing knives are gone right off the bat. One missed its mark but the other two were dead on. You take down the third walker with your brother's pocket knife he left at Hilltop.

As you pull your brother's knife from the walker's head you look up to see Daryl looking at you. "What?"

"You said ya ain't been outside Hilltop for a year?"

"Yeah." You stand up from the walker and go over to the two with your throwing knives in them and pull your knives out.

"Ya don't act it." Daryl walks over the dead walkers and into the store, you follow.

Most of the food was produce and meat, making the whole place stink. But what made it stink less was the stuff left in the pharmacy part of the store. Behind the counter were a few kinds of medicines, you didn't know what you were looking for so you started putting it all into your bag. Not much, just enough to partially fill the bag Glenn gave you.

Clank. Growl. Clank. Growl.

You stand up from behind the counter and see about fifteen walkers, many in butcher attire. They get within clawing distance, you just stand there watching them. You're pulled by the collar of your shirt by Daryl away from the counter. You fall back onto the floor and watch as Daryl pulls the metal shutter down on top of a few of the walkers' fingers, breaking them off with the amount of force he uses. They bang against it.

"Why didn't ya move?" Daryl reaches a hand down to help you up.

"I just."

"Just what? Huh?" Anger seems to rise in his voice. "Ya think this is a game? Ta see how close they get 'fore they bite ya?"

"No." The door handle to the door that leads to the rest of the store starts to move. "Is there another way out of here?" Mellow, your voice is mellow, but you feel panic start to rise.

What Daryl says doesn't help. "Nah, we've gotta wait 'em out." Your left-hand grabs your right index finger and starts to squeeze it tight.

'Don't panic, (Y/NIC). Count backwards, (Y/NIC). You're okay.' Your brother's voice plays through your head.

"Ya a'right?" The banging from the shutter and door grows louder in your ears. "(Y/N)." You walk backwards until your back hits a supply cabinet, you jolt forward straight into Daryl's grip. "(Y/N), ya a'right?"

Your vision goes blurry for a second. Your left-hand pulls and twists your right index finger out of place. Your vision comes back into focus as the pain from your finger sets in.

"Oh, shit." Your left-hand releases your right index finger as you look down at it. "I did it again."

Daryl's hands on the outside of your arms shift as you all into him. Black.