Lenora was having a nightmare, once she fell asleep. Her dreams were plagued with walkers, and the idea of Carl being shot along with Sophia being lost was still in her subconscious, even when she wasn't awake.
In her dreams, she looked down at her skin. Noticing the rotten and decay look of it. Pieces of her were a grimy greenish color and the looked seemingly lifeless. As she looked at her arm she noticed the bite mark on her shoulder. As she opened her mouth to speak the only thing that came out of her mouth were animalistic groans. The ones of a walker. When she looked up, she noticed the figure of Daryl, pointing his pistol right at her forehead.
She placed her arms up, going to tell him to stop but nothing happened except groans and the walker version of her advancing towards her next meal. Quiet tears were rolling down his face as he cocked the gun. "I'm sorry Lee," and with that he pulled the trigger.
She shot up quickly as Carol slammed the door shut behind her, jolting the young girl out of her sleep. She sat up panting heavily, attempting to regain her breath and stop shaking.
She looked over again as the door opened and closed again, this time Daryl coming through the door to the RV. He looked over at the girl.
"Thought you went to sleep." He spoke gruffly, walking towards the girl.
"Nightmare." She said simply. She wasn't fond of using many words. The less the better in her opinion.
"Wanna talk about it?" He asked her and she shook her head before reconsidering.
"Actually-" The girl said becoming slightly more comfortable around the man. "maybe a little bit."
Daryl sat down on the half booth next to the girl. Slowly realizing and accepting that she was beginning to come out of her shell more and more with each interaction.
"I was bit" She started playing with her thumbs in between. "But this time, I already turned. It felt like I could control myself but every time I tried to speak or ask for help I just growled and decayed a bit more. Then when I looked up, you were there with a gun pointing at me. You said you were sorry, then I woke up."
"Lee," Daryl spoke softer than usual. Realizing the girl was now crying quietly but trying to hide it, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled the young blonde into his side.
"I don't wanna die Daryl." She whimpered softly.
"I'm not going to let you die Lenora." Daryl assured the girl. "I'll die before you do. I'll do my best to make sure of it."
A month ago, Daryl never would've imagined he'd be stepping up like this. Here he was reconciling a girl that didn't want to die, protecting her with his all, and looking for another lost little girl in the woods. Merle would call him soft if he were here.
They sat there in silence for a long time. Daryl lightly rubbing the back of the young girl until she eventually fell asleep in his arms. He felt awkward, but he refused to move and wake her. When Dale came into the RV minutes later, he gave the man a strange look.
"Shut it." Daryl huffed before leaning back in his seat and closing his eyes for the night.
"I didn't say anything." Dale said.
"Don't care."
___
The next day, when Lenora woke she was still being held by Daryl. She sat up awkwardly and looked around. After falling back asleep, her nightmares seemed to have ceased, and the people around the cabin of the RV were at least a little more considerate now. That was probably caused by the harsh glares coming from Daryl anytime someone made a loud noise around the girl.
"Figured you wanted to sleep a bit longer." Daryl spoke with a shrug, standing up to relieve some of the numbness that was a result of the deadweight that had been laying on his legs all night. "We're heading to the farm, you riding with me?"
Lenora looked around at her surroundings for a second, realizing that Andrea was passive aggressively fiddling with her gun again and that Carol was in the back crying.
"You." She said quickly, scrambling out the door. She got to her feet to quickly and stumbled a bit, completely forgetting about her stumble and rolled ankle yesterday.
"Slow down kid." Daryl said gruffly, grabbing his crossbow off the table and fishing the keys out of his pocket. "You ever been on a bike before?"
"Nope." Lenora told him popping the 'P'.
Daryl swung his leg over the bike and scooted up to make enough room for the small girl. "Hop on, and hold on tight."
The ride to the farm was short, and Lenora could feel herself squeezing Daryl's waist harder with each acceleration or bump that happened. Especially when they were driving on the gravel road leading straight into the farm.
When they got off the bike right in front of the house she hopped off of it first and heard Daryl take in a deep breath, muttering something about her vice-like grip. People began to pile out of the house quickly, some strangers, and some of their group.
"How is he?" Dale was the first to speak up.
"He'll pull through." Lori said, her voice laced with relief. "Thanks to Hershel, and his people."
"And Shane, we would've lost Carl if not for him." Rick said nodding towards Shane who had a newly shaved head. Everyone began to embrace the worried parents in a hug, while Lenora and Daryl stood back taking in the new surroundings.
"How'd it happen?" Dale was the one to ask the dreaded question.
"Hunting accident." Rick said. "That's all, just a stupid accident."
___
There was a small funeral for one of Hershel's people that died to help save Carl. The old man Hershel spoke, before asking Shane to speak on behalf of Otis' last moments.
As Shane spoke, Lenora noticed his tone shift, and the newfound lifelessness the man held in his eyes.
"If not for Otis, I'd never have made it out alive. That goes for Carl too, it was Otis, he saved us both. If any death ever had meaning, it was him." Shane spoke before placing a rock on the tower meant to be Otis' gravestone.
As the group dispersed the funeral, Daryl stayed back a minute with a hand on Lenora's shoulder to keep her there as well.
"Lee?" Daryl asked.
"Yeah Daryl?" She spoke quietly.
"Stay away from Shane, somethin ain't right." He spoke staring off in the distance as the mentioned man was hobbling along to the house but seemingly looking over his shoulder for something every couple minutes.
"Yeah." The young girl agreed. "Something ain't right."
____
Word Count: 1147
really hope you enjoyed these Lenora/Daryl moments. I really love writing this book <3
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Hero
Fanfiction"I was staring death itself in the face before you came out of nowhere like a damn hero and saved the day" "I ain't a hero Lee." "Yeah I know, you wouldn't look good in tights." ____ In which 11 year old Lenora Drake is left by her parents to fend...
