In the Shallows

"He what?" I asked, my eyes narrowing into Daryl's baby blues, "You've got to be kidding me." I had neglected to go with the three to fetch the food because I felt absolutely disgusted being around that guy who eventually told us his name, Thomas. The name was innocent sounding until I paired it up with that mug.

He shifted in his position, holding his bow at a downward angle, "Look, I ain't want you anywhere near that prick but Rick wants ya to come. Says your good at watchin' people's backs."

"Yeah against walkers not living and breathing criminals." I crossed my arms tight against my chest, "Since when do you ever agree with letting me go to places?"

Daryl groaned, "Don't do this, Lex. Ya know damn well I've been backin' off like you wanted me too. I already told ya I didn't want you around him but Rick already plead his case."

I bit my lip, avoiding his stare and looking up into the ceiling, my eyes getting glassy. "I don't want to go, Daryl. Please don't make me go."

He sighed, he set down his bow, walking towards me, he placed his hands on my shoulders, forcing me to look him in the eyes, "Look at me," his voice was soft, the pads of his fingers rubbing my exposed skin, "what did I tell you when this hell break loose?"

I took a deep breath, my eyes locking on to his, "You were going to keep me safe and that I need to trust you."

Daryl nodded, "Exactly, you managed to not trust me on most things but I promised ya, Lex. I ain't plannin' on breakin' that promise ever." His hand reached up to my face, bringing it towards his, "He ain't gonna touch ya, not while I'm 'round. Because this," he growled, bringing my body close to his. I could feel the heat through my clothes, "is mine and it always will be."

My voice hitched in my throat as I watched the fire in his eyes burn thickly, my mouth opened but I closed it. I was still caught up in his words, because this is mine and it always will be. It made my brain spin with emotion. I nodded and pulled away from him, my hand pulling my gun from it's holster, checking the chamber and placing it back. "Fine but if he so much as touches me, I'm going to kill him."

He nodded with me, picking up his bow again, "I believe it. Did once before."

"Damn right." Short memories of that night at the bar played in my head, "These assholes better not get us killed." I followed him out of the cell block and into the room where T-Dog, Rick, and the five inmates stood. The hairs on the back of my neck standing up when my eyes met theirs, some of them seemed nice enough but it didn't excuse the fact they were criminals. My eyes landed on the table full of axes, crowbars, and make shift weapons, watching Thomas sort through them.

"Why do I need this when I got this." He pulled out the gun from his waistband, presenting it to us like it was a prize.

Daryl's husky voice rang out, "You don' fire guns, not unless your back's up against a wall. Noise attracts 'em, really riles 'em up."

Thomas scoffed, "Well I see you got a bow, sheriff and tough guy over here have weapons. Where's yours princess?" He gave me a smirk and it took everything in my power to not reach for one of the axes and drive it in his head.

I reached gingerly into my pocket, pulling out one of the many throwing knives, twirling the blade around in my fingers, I narrowed my eyes, "I've got these."

"You know how to use them, princess?"

I clamped my hand around blade, enough to make them jump back but not enough for blood to seep through. I gritted my teeth, "I don't know, why don't you take a step forward and find out."

"Enough. Just worry 'bout yourselves. My people can handle their own." Rick narrowed his eyes, "We'll go in two by two. Daryl will run point with Alex with the exception of T. I'll bring up the rear with you. Stay tight, hold formation. No matter how close the walkers get. Anyone breaks ranks, we could all go down. Anyone runs off, they could get mistaken for a walker, end up with an axe to head."

"And that's where you aim," Daryl added, "these things only go down with a head shot."

Thomas scoffed, glancing over at his friends, "You ain't gotta tell us how to take out a man."

T-Dog scoffed back, "They ain't men, they're something else."

"Just remember to go for the brain," I said, taking a deep breath and giving Daryl a look that pretty much said that I hated him for making me go. "brain."

They all gave us blank stares but eventually grabbed the weapons of the table, waiting for Rick to open the door, I followed Daryl on his side. We rounded a corner, slowly we cautiously started to walk forward.

"Man it's too damn dark in here," I think it was Oscar that spoke up but I wasn't really paying attention when they were offering their names.

Daryl glanced back, his eyes squinting, motioning towards his ax, "Gotta hold it up out in front of you, ya gonna hear 'em before you see 'em."

The southern man yelled out, "It's coming!"

I turned around, my voice low, "Shut up." Focusing back in front of me, I heard the snarling and moaning of a few coming from around the corner. Daryl and I exchanged glances as he told them all to wait with hand motions. He hardly got to three before they all ran yelling with their weapons raised high. I watched them as they pathetically tried to take out the two walkers. My jaw clenched, my eyes rolling to the back of my head, "Oh god."

Daryl looked over at us three, his face reading everything but impressed. They were doing the exact opposite of what we had told them to do. Instead of going for their brains, they were going after everything but that.

I cracked my neck side to side, gripping the end of the blade, I flicked my wrist, sending it whizzing past Thomas ear and straight into the walker's head, watching it drop dead, he angrily turned around, my finger pointed to my head, "Brain, remember?" I reached in my pocket for another knife and did the same procedure and took out the one that laid on the ground with the other two beating it up mercilessly. Walking forward, I yanked my weapons from their heads and clicked my heel, "Pay attention boys."

I waited for Daryl to catch up to me as we rounded that corner, coming up to a door way, he held up his bow, "It's gotta be the brain," the sound of his bolt sliced through the snarling and moaning air. "Not the stomach, not the heart, the brain."

Big Tiny rushed forward, his axe slamming down on another walker, "Like that?"

"Uh huh."

After their little lesson on how to properly take out these sons of bitches, Rick growled, "Stay in tight formation, no more prison riot crap." In seconds more started to pile in, suddenly this feeling became a little numb. I wasn't really comprehending, it was just second nature. My hands were moving in lightning speed as I took out one after the other, my body moving along with the group, keeping the formation tight and locked but all that went down hill when I heard a scream and gun shots following after.

I locked eyes with Daryl and T-Dog as we spun around on our heels and back tracked to where Rick stood with Thomas and Big Tiny, my mouth dropping slightly as Rick inspected his back.

"I'm telling you, I don't feel anything. It's just scratch."

Rick sighed, "I'm sorry man."

"I can keep fighting!"

"You cut that old guy's leg off to save his life,"

Rick snarled, "Look where the bite is."

"Guys, I'm fine!" Big Tiny yelled. "I'm just-I'm fine. Look at me, I'm not changing into one of those things."

Oscar spoke up, "Look man, there has to be something we can do. We could lock him up."

"Quarantine him."

"We gotta do something. Why you just standing there? We gotta save him."

I rolled my eyes, "There's nothing we can do. Whether it's scratch or a bite, it doesn't matter." I looked into his eyes, "You will change, it'll take time."

"You son of a bitch."

I screamed and backed into Daryl's chest when Thomas hit Big Tiny upside the head with a crowbar. My heart pounded at the sudden action, it happened out of nowhere and that scared me. He was unpredictable. I turned my head away as he continued to drive the crowbar into his head, trying to ignore the sounds that came with it. I flinched from Daryl's touch, giving him a hard expression telling him not to go there. I had already felt uncomfortable being near this guy and now I was even more concerned that he could potentially kill us.

Falling back as T-Dog led us, I walked alongside Rick with Daryl on the other side, "You see the look on his face?"

Rick barely turned his head, "He makes one move..."

Daryl's voice sounded like glass, "Jus' give me a signal."