What a Wonderful World

Driving aimlessly was not fun. I was beginning to get frustration to be honest. And I'm sure everyone else was too. But I wasn't going to say anything to Rick. I knew that he was doing the best he could and it must not have been easy making decisions for everyone else when he probably didn't even know what was right anymore.
I was told about what they had encountered before I met them. How Rick's best friend went crazy with power. I sympathized for him. Something like that must have been difficult. Carol even told me about her little girl Sophia. This group had seen their fair share of tragedy.
"That flannel your boyfriend's?" T-Dog asked out of no where one day. We had stopped to try our luck with finding gas at a small, isolated gas station. We had found just barely enough for all the cars. Everyone was out of the cars, stretching their legs.
"The flannel?" I asked quietly, trying to distance myself from the others.
"Yeah," He replied, pulling a beanie other his ears, "It's too big to be yours."
"It was my brothers," I told him shortly. He must of gotten the hint because he nodded his head and looked away. I didn't really want to talk about Mason still. It was still so new to me. Not being with my brother every day. It was like a fresh wound.
"What happened to him?" Daryl asked loudly.
A few eyes looked over at me, waiting to see if I'd answer the question that they already knew. I stepped closer to him, trying to figure out what he was getting out. It wasn't like he cared at all. Sure we had joked a bit. But he only cared for himself. Right?
"Why do you want to know?" I challenged.
He scoffed at my tough act and said, "You know everything about us. Who we lost. We know next ta nothin' 'bout you."
I just rolled my eyes and walked away from him. I was not doing this right now. First off, I wasn't ready to talk about Mason with anyone. And second, he was being a dick. He muttered under his breath something I couldn't hear as I got back into the car and slammed it shut. Fucking prick.

Hallelujah we found a house. It was as if the heavens had blessed us for once. We had found it by complete accident. Lori had gotten car sick and stumbled upon it in the wood. It was large enough to fit us all comfortably for a the night if not for a couple of days. It was brick and looked sturdy to handle weather and walkers alike.
Once we boarded up the doors and windows, we made a fire and ate some food, loving the feeling of being inside for once. I knew I was. I figured Lori, Rick, and Carl would stay in one of the rooms. Hershel in another one. That left two more bedrooms. Maggie and Glenn soon claimed one. And I suggested that Carol and Beth take the last one.
I threw down my bag in the living room, not really caring where I was to sleep. As long as I was near the fire burning in the fireplace. I laid out a few blankets on the floor. It set it up next to the couch and in front of the fire. I looked around once to see if I was alone. I was. I figured Daryl and T-Dog were on watch or something.
I lifted my shirt and tore off the bandage over my wound. It was starting to look better but Hershel said to still keep it easy. I fixed myself up and put Mason's Air Force shirt on. It was too big for my small frame, but it made me feel a little better.
Like on cue, Daryl walked in, catching my eye. It was completely dark except for the fire behind me. And the way the fire illuminated his tanned skin made shivers roll up my spine. I could see how his hair had been growing a bit more. A few strands were in his eyes. He looked attractive to me. And I froze, suddenly realizing that I probably couldn't look at Daryl the same anymore.
"What?" He asked, oblivious to what had just happened.
I shrugged trying to play it off. I was embarrassed that I had been staring at him for that long. I bent over and began straightening up my bag. "Just trying to see if you're still gonna be pissy with me."
He didn't like that. He didn't like that at all. He just shrugged off his leather jacket and plopped down on the couch. I followed suit and curled up under the blanket, my back facing him. I needed to calm my racing heart.
Sleep did not come easily. I had fallen asleep for a few minutes at most. I dreamed of Mason and jolted awake. I couldn't keep my mind off of my brother. I missed him so much. I thought about how strong he was. How funny he was. He was the life of every party. He could make you laugh like no one else. He was the person to go to when you needed to talk to someone.
I thought about his dimples and how when I looked in the mirror, I saw my dimples and thought of him. I thought about his messy hair and how it somehow worked for him. I then realized that I needed to talk about him. I needed someone to listen to me talk about my big brother.
I peeked over my shoulder at Daryl. He was simply laying on his back and staring at the ceiling. After a moment of arguing with myself, I turned over onto my side to face him.
"My brother was in the Air Force," I said softly. Daryl looked at me with his same stone expression. I waited a moment to let him know if he wanted to just sleep and not hear me talk, then he could. "He was supposed to be serving active duty overseas before the world ended but he came home because our mom had cancer and she wasn't doing so good.
"But it was just us. He was all I had. And we found these people and I thought we were gonna be okay, you know? I was so sure that we were gonna be okay. And I guess it was for him. But I don't think he realize what was happening to-"
I trailed off suddenly. I didn't want to go that far into my personal life or my past. I snuck a look at Daryl to see him still looking at me. He didn't question what I had meant or what people we had found. Which I was thankful for. I returned my gaze to the leg of the couch which I had been staring at, memorizing its every groove.
"I remember this one time when Mason was 12, he stole our parents' car so he could get some milk for his cereal. He always told me that there was no way to start your day without cereal. So he gets in and starts the car, he back out of the driveway and slams right into a telephone pole. My dad comes out screaming at him. Telling him how much trouble he was in. And I was sitting on the porch just laughing at him. I was four and I guess everything was funny to me.
"But my mom comes out screaming, 'My baby! My baby!' And we all thought she was talking about Mason. She was talking about the car. And I just remember laughing at them because it was so funny to me.
"Mason was the crazy one but he was also the stronger one. He took care of me and was always there for me. Even before the walkers. It didn't even register to him what would happen to him at any given time. It just thought about me. And now he's gone and I'm alone."
It was silent as I stared at that couch leg, a few tears rolling down my cheeks. I heard Daryl sigh to himself, causing me to look up at him with my big blue eyes. I was too tired and vulnerable to care that my face was wet from tears.
He simply rolled on to his back and whispered, "Your brother sounds like a tool."
And I lost it. I just exploded in laughter. I couldn't help it. It was so funny to me because I used to call Mason a tool all the time. It was our little joke. And it was funny to hear someone else say it too.
I eventually stopped laughing and rolled away from him again and closed my eyes. "Thank you, Daryl," I said to him. And I meant it.

I rounded up my clothes the next day to wash them in the river near the house. I already offered to help Carol wash everyone's clothes. They were all looking pretty rough and the smell wasn't the best. Plus, I was tired of just sitting around. So when I grabbed several bags from the group, I headed out the door and up the river.
As I threw the bags on the ground, I could feel someone near me. I looked up and around, not seeing anyone. Standing still, I kept my eyes open away from the house staring into the wood. A slowly took a step back, hitting something causing me to job and flinch away.
I spun around to see Daryl. "You scared me!" I huffed out, trying to catch my breath.
"Second time I've done that," He said, referring to the morning that I tried to leave.
I nodded, recalling that day. Honestly, I'm glad I didn't leave. I realize now that I probably would not have made it out there on my own. We all needed to stick together. "I guess so."
"Was gonna ask ya if ya wanted to head out in the woods with me," He said, "Was gonna see if I could track a deer or somethin'."
I bit my lip. Daryl asking for my help? He must have felt sorry for me because of the night before. I wasn't a total mess but I knew that he could tell how broken I felt. I looked back at the bags of laundry that I promised to help Carol with. But I honestly wanted to go with him.
"I'm sorry, Daryl," I said turning back to him, "I told Carol I would help her wash clothes. Maybe next time?"
He nodded and then lifted up a small bag and shoved it into my arms. Inside were his clothes. "Guess I need to give you this then."
I rolled my eyes at his smirk then threw his bag with the others. When I looked back up, he was already heading into the wood. I watched him take a few steps before I found myself shouting to him.
"Daryl," I shouted as he turned back around towards me, "Next time."
He nodded again and before I knew it, he was hidden by the trees. I sighed and lowered myself to the ground, pulling out Daryl's clothes to wash. I felt a slight pain in my stomach where the glass had made contact but I wasn't sure if it was much to worry about. I was just washing clothes after all.
Carol showed up a few minutes later and began throwing clothes into the water next to me. It was silent for a little while until Carol started asking me about my life before and about my school. I told her how I had been majoring in Criminal Justice to be a criminal profiler.
"So you must be pretty good at reading people then," She concluded, wringing out a shirt that belonged to Beth.
I shrugged and replied, "I suppose. It really depends on what the situation is and the person."
She nodded, taking in the information. I liked Carol. She was someone that I knew I could trust. Just like everyone else in the group. I knew that I could trust these people. They had taken a risk and took me in. Which I hoped they didn't regret. I was beginning to care about all of them and worry whenever they left. Depending on how you looked at it, it was a blessing or a curse.
As time went on, I began feeling more pain around my wound. There was only a few more clothes to be washed so I asked Carol if she could get the rest while I attempted to find somewhere to hang the clothes to dry. She of course accepted, sending me on my way.
I managed to find some string laying around the house and strung it up between two trees. As I began pinning up the clothes with things I found around the house (clothes pins, binder clips, paper clips), the pain was getting to me. Was I really putting that much stress on the wound? I tried to ignore it until I was done.
Night time came sooner than I thought. But I was somewhat glad because I was really tired. Everyone was sitting around the living room, eating out of cans and laughing. Daryl had no luck at finding an animal to eat. But we had plenty of canned goods to go around. I picked up a can of corn, opened it, then starting to head outside.
"Coraline, you okay?" Beth asked, grabbing everyone's attention.
I nodded, smiling at the blonde girl before me, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just need to get some air. Didn't know washing clothes could put so much stress on your body."
Walking out of the house, I was hit with a brisk, cold wind. I didn't mind so much. It felt pretty good after being inside right up against the fire. I laid back on the hammock that Glenn had made that day. Kind of impressed with how comfortable it was. I swayed in silence and ate my corn. It was a nice, peaceful night. I hadn't seen any walkers at all today which kind of surprised me. It was nice for once.
I heard the door open and emerged was Daryl. I smiled at him slightly, then returning my focus on the stars above us. He walked closer and leaned against the beam support that the hammock was tired around.
"Ya feelin' okay?" He asked suddenly.
I nodded, "Yeah, just still a little sore."
"Should probably change the bandage," He mumbled as he went inside. He wasn't gone long. Just a minute or so and he was back carrying a few things. I hopped out of the hammock and sat down on the steps, letting him sit beside me with the medical supplies in his arms.
That's when it happened. He reached to lift up my shirt a bit, trying to help me. And I flinched away. It wasn't a voluntary response. I really hadn't mean to flinch that badly. But Daryl's hand snapped away from me like I had burned him. I avoided his gaze for a minute. What was wrong with me? He wasn't Philip. He wouldn't do that. None of these people would hurt me physically. I guess the fear was still in me. I feared that the abuse would always win.
"I can do it," I whispered.
I peeked up at him through my eyelashes to see him nod. He didn't storm off mad at me like I had expected. He didn't even ask what the hell that was about. It was like he understood what I had been through. Like he knew that I had been abused.
He watched as I replaced the dressing in silence. I made sure to really clean it out since I probably sweated a little bit under my jacket when I was working. After I was done, we sat in complete silence. I didn't know what to say really. I don't think 'Sorry but I was abused and raped by a crazy lunatic that called himself the Governor so I flinch at any form of contact' would be the greatest explanation.
"I'm on watch tonight," He grunted into the silent air, "Can go back in and sleep if ya wanna."
I simply nodded in response, desperately wanting to get away from that situation. I gathered up all the trash and supplies and headed back inside without a single word. I laid down the blankets like the night before and got under the right away. T-Dog on the couch next to me snored slightly. It was a nice distraction that eventually helped me go to sleep.

"Get up! Everyone get their things! Hurry!"
I woke up to hear shouting. Was that Rick? I rubbed my eyes, trying to figure out what was going on. Rick seemed stressed out as he was herding everyone into the living room with their things ready to go. I followed suit and listened to Rick say that there were walkers surrounding the house as I pulled my boots on my feet.
The moans of the dead could be heard throughout the house. We ran around, trying to find an exit that would let us out of here safely. There was a small window in the bathroom that someone could fit through and probably round up the cars or distract the walkers.
"I'll do it," I offered, knowing that Maggie and I were the only two that could fit other than Carl and Beth. And they were out of the question.
Rick hesitated before asking, "Are you sure?"
I nodded pulling my bag over my shoulders and pulling my knife out. I listened to Rick as he explained to me that I would just have to make a lot of noise and draw them away from the cars. I pushed up the window and sat on the seal as Daryl came into view.
"Ya don't have ta do this," He whispered to me.
I just smirked at him and repeated what he had said to me nights ago when I asked him if he needed sleep, "Don't think I need ya worryin' about me."
And with that, I slipped out the window with ease. Once I was on the ground, I killed the walker that noticed me first. Then I started shouting and hitting my knife against the gutter on the side of the house. The walkers groaned and turned their direction to me. Shit. What had I just agreed to? I started leading them in the opposite direction than the cars, killing them if they got too close.
I was beginning to panic, not really thinking this whole thing through. I hadn't heard any cars. And I wasn't sure how I was going to make it out of here alive. Rick and I hadn't really thought that bit through I suppose. What was taking them so long? I could only be the distraction for so long. But I continued to clang and shout, calling them ugly sons of bitches.
I finally heard the cars roar to life and I tried to scream over it. I kept moving and screaming out. I just wanted everyone to make it out okay and away from here. But I was soon backed up against the house with two walkers close to me. I lounged and killed the first one while an arrow shot at the next. I looked up and saw Daryl standing in the bed of the truck with his crossbow raise.
"Come on!" He shouted as the truck stopped for me to get in.
After, I plucked the arrow out of the walker's head, I took off running for the truck and with the help of Daryl, I jumped into the bed with him. As Glenn stepped on the gas and pulled away, I stumbled and fell on my butt with a yelp. I was breathing heavy and my throat ached from screaming. But it was over. I did it. I laid back, laughing at myself in triumph.
After about twenty minutes of driving, we pulled over on the side of the road. I was just coming down from my adrenaline rush as I hopped out of the bed of the truck. As soon as my feet hit the ground, I was engulfed in a hug by Maggie. I felt awkward, but I hugged her back. When she let go, Carol replaced her. I wasn't used to this hugging thing. I mean, the last person to touch me like this was Philip so.
"Cor, you okay?" Lori asked, using my nickname.
I nodded, taking deep breaths, "Yeah, I'm good. Just, next time I'll let someone else be the distraction."
The group dispersed to make sure that gas was good on the vehicles and what not. But Rick stayed behind and motioned for me to follow him. We walked a little bit away from the others.
"Why did you volunteer to do that?" Rick asked once we were out of hearing distance from the others.
I was taken back by his question. Did I do something wrong? I blinked at him and then shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know," I replied honestly, "I didn't really think about it. I just did it. I mean, someone was gonna have to. And I wasn't going to let Beth or Carl do it."
He studied my expression before his face broke out in a smile. He laughed slightly before putting his hand on my shoulder. I stared at his hand uncomfortably but let it slide.
"Coraline, you've become a valuable member of our group," He said, causing me to be startled by him once more, "We have all come to trust you and care about you. You're one of us now."
I smiled sheepishly back at him, feeling like I was being awarded by my father. I just nodded, not knowing want to say. What was I suppose to say? Thanks? No, that didn't do it justice. So I just remained silent as we made it back over to the others. I looked around the group and thought about what I thought of them all. Individually, I looked over their faces realizing that I cared about them too.
But as my eyes laid on Daryl, his were on me. I didn't shy away and of course he didn't either. He had saved my life like I had saved his. A small smile curled onto my face as we had our stare down. He eventually couldn't take it and looked down, a smile resting on his face as well.
We decided to head out and drive for a little while longer, just to really separate us from the herd. Without thinking, I climbed into truck next to Daryl and let out a sigh. I could feel his eyes on me as I propped my feet up on the middle section between us, getting more comfortable.
"What Rick want?" He asked as he started up the truck and followed the other cars in front of him.
I raise an eyebrow at him, wondering why he wanting to know. But I replied, "He officially welcomed me into the group I guess. Said that I was one of y'all now."
"Well, ya offer yourself up as bait and ya kinda have ta get an invitation," He joked, making me laugh softly.
"Guess it was kind of stupid," I muttered as I looked out the window into the night sky.
Daryl hummed in agreement, not taking his eyes off the road. We sat in silence for awhile which let my mind wonder a bit. Did Daryl try to stop me from distracting the walkers? Did that mean that he cared what happened to me? I shook my head in response. Ever since that night that I had opened up to him, I had seen him differently.
I didn't want to call it a crush because that sounded so middle school. And we were in the middle of the zombie apocalypse. There was no time for crushes or relationships or anything like that. But then my mind rebuttal itself by thinking about Glenn and Maggie. They had found each other in this mad world and were together happily. But they were different.
Daryl had something about him that made my mind wonder. He could be mean and cruel. But he was funny. He had a great smile and he cared for everyone in the group. Even if he didn't show it. Still, I couldn't possibly think about doing anything with Daryl. I was just a used up vessel of a girl that once had her dignity. That's what Philip always told me. And I believed him.