Living Like You're Dead

“Someone’s after us?” Rick said.

“Well at least watching us, and for some time.”

“Why would they do that?”

“Maybe they want this place.”

“Maybe… they want us…”

“Come on… not the cannibals again.”

“We don’t know who it is, except that they’re watching us.”

“What if they’re the ones who set the fire?!”

“They might be, but we don’t know!” Daryl said.

“We need to hide out, catch one of them.” Merle said.

“Catch? Like hunting?” Rick questioned.

“Well we need to know how many there are… what we’re up against.”

“You sure they aren’t walkers?”

“No someone’s been sitting there for hours at a time.” Daryl said.

“I think we should just leave.” Lori added.

“Who to say they won’t follow us or something?” Glenn said.

“Glenn’s right, they may have followed us here, maybe even set the fire…” Daryl said. Daryl realized that even away from walkers danger always found them. Cannibalistic people, homicidal people, walkers, accidents, everything affected them no matter what.

“Just figure it out quick. I don’t have a problem with killing these fuckers.” Daryl left to go check on Addie – whom he found to be sound asleep. The stitches still clung to her face. Hopefully he could cut them out soon – and even though he knew it would – he hoped it wouldn’t scar too badly. He didn’t like leaving her alone with people possibly near… and hostile. He had to be there to protect her.
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After hours of lying awake beside Addie his mind had began to spin. He had to protect her. Because he had let her down so many times… her face was scarred because of him, she nearly died, he’d left her alone… and then there was Merle. He should have been there for her ready to stop anything.

But this time he was. Because when he saw the two dark figures in the tree line he was ready. His crossbow had been loaded since he’s sat down and he easily, and quietly hoisted himself out the window and retreated into the cover of trees.

He heard breathing; they were close to him… he found himself concealed beneath a thick tree, the branches hung down providing extra coverage. Daryl was being stupid, be he was naturally reckless and he had this unbearable need to keep these people away from the house and away from Addie.

There were only two of them. Any he could easily kill them, but what if there were more? What if this was only the beginning of some planned attack? He needed them to speak… give themselves away.

And they did just that when they grabbed him and put a knife to his throat.

“Well well well…”

“What do we have here?”

Daryl could hear a woman’s voice, and a man’s.

“Seems like the spiders found a fly.”

“What should we do? Eat him?” a flash went through Daryl’s mind, of course more cannibals. And if they were in any way related to the last three – they were going to be very angry cannibals.

“No… at least not yet. We could let him squirm for a little while longer.” Daryl actually was tying to worm his way out of the grip of the very large man. His hands and muscles were huge it was almost impossible for Daryl to break free.

“Tell me are you the one that kill my dear family?” the woman cooed into his ear.
Daryl stayed silent. “Oh come on, you can tell me, I won’t tell them.” She winked. She seemed strangely calm about finding half her family shot to death. Or at least she did seem calm until she raked her fingernails across his face. She dug deep scratches down his neck and pressed the knife harder into his skin. “Now talk.” The wind escaping from his mouth was wheezing, the force on his neck was nearly crushing his trachea rendering him almost unable to breathe. “Give him a little slack there Bear.” What kind of person is named bear? Daryl thought silently. He now regretted him solo mission after all.

“Come on… I saw the graves they weren’t even buried.”

“They turned.”

“And you just threw them in a grave?”

“They climbed out. Maybe you should count the bullet holes.”

“And where’s Jeremy? Did you keep him?”

“He’s dead too.”

“You didn’t even have the decency to bury them together? They are family you know…”

“Died separately.”

“Picking us off one by one…” she laughed. She gripped his throat tightly and looked tightly in his eyes. “Guess I’ll just have to do the same.”