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I'll Keep You Alive If You Show Me The Way

Chapter 5: Sisters

"Oh, Lori you should have seen the look Daryl gave her!" Carol giggles.

I grinned at them. I was sitting with Carol, Lori and a seventeen year old called Beth near the campfire. Sam's head was rested on my lap and I remembered how much I missed him. Beth and Lori were giggling while we told our story of the events that's took place earlier that day.

"How did you manage to get all that stuff though?" Beth asked, nodding at the bags.

"Have you never shopped on Black Friday?" I questioned.

They laughed quietly in response. Carol pulled a packet of cigarettes and a lighter from her pocket. I raised an eyebrow at her.

"They're Daryl's," she said handing them to me.

I nodded and got up from the forest floor, brushing myself off. I walked over to Daryl, who was leaning against a large tree furthest away from the group. He didn't look up from his arrows. I leaned against the tree beside him, our arms lightly brushing. I knotted mine across my chest the packet still in my hand.

"Do I get a hello?" I asked watching the fire.

He grunted in response. I rolled my eyes and took out a cigarette. I lit it up and held the packet to him. Hesitantly, he took one, leaning down to the matches flame that I held in my hand. I watched as Rick entered the clearing with Hershel following behind. He looked at the bags set down by the fire. His eyes found mine. I let out a slow smokey breath watching him. Lori got up and was speaking to him. He nodded and walked over to us.

"Thank you," he said to me. I shrugged.

"You guys should sort through the clothes," I said pushing myself away from the tree.

"I managed to get a bag of women's clothes and a bag of men's," I threw the men's clothes to Rick.

He opened it up and looked inside. Glenn, T-Dog and Hershel joined him.

"Also, I got a load of baby crap, medicine and some other stuff," I told him bringing the cancer stick to my lips and taking a slow drag.

"Lori's not due for months," some one pointed out. I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, well you don't even know where you'll be in a few days."

"Did you get food?" Hershel asked, sounding so hopeful.

"Was gonna," I muttered glancing at Daryl. Daryl scowled.

"Hey, don't blame me!" he snapped.

"Everything was going fine till you showed up hollerin'!" I threw the butt of my cigarette to the ground and stomped the life out of it.

Daryl marched over to me so that his face was only a few inches from mine.

"Maybe if y'din't run off by yaself."

"I was able to manage better by myself, you dumb hick!"

Daryl raised his fist to punch me. I stiffened and braced myself for his fist to connect with my jaw. When nothing happened I opened my eyes to see Rick had a hold of Daryl's arms. Daryl yanked his arm free and and quickly left the clearing.

"To hell whicha! Why wait till mornin'?" he called back before disappearing through the trees.

"The fuck is up his ass?" I grumbled.

"What did he mean?" Glenn asked.

"I told him I was leaving tomorrow," I shrugged.

"What? You can't!" Carl cried.

The others nodded their heads in agreement.

"I don't think I'm good for the group," I said to the ground.

Rick laughed shortly.

"You brought us all this stuff and you say you're not good for our group? Ignore Daryl he'll warm up to you eventually."

My eyes found his and I slowly nodded.

xxx

I sprang to my feet at the sound of the tent being ripped open.

"Sorry," Rick whispered, glancing at Carol's sleeping body.

He nodded for me to follow him. I pulled on my combat boots and grabbed my bow and quiver, slinging them onto my back. I stepped out of the tent and walked over to Rick who stood with Glenn, T-Dog and Daryl with Sam trailing behind me.

"Hershel and I found a house close by. I think we can clear it out. It's the only shelter for miles," he told us with hands placed on his hips. I nodded.

"Y'not takin' her are ya?" Daryl barked pointing at me.

I rolled my eyes.

"Give it a rest, Daryl," I sighed, following Rick out of the clearing towards the cars.

I walked beside him, he didn't seem to mind. He and I actually shared a conversation about Carl and others in the group. He opened the pickup truck door for me and I slid into the passenger seat smiling at him. He got Sam into the bed of the truck. Then he walked around to the other side and hopped into the driver seat. The engine roared to life and we followed Daryl's motorbike along the paved road.

"I've been told your mom's a cop," Rick said glancing at me quickly and back to the road again.

I froze.

"Yeah."

"What was her name?"

"Jessica Benning," I muttered.

I watched as recognition crossed Rick's face.

"I knew her!" his smile faltered when he looked over at me.

"Sorry for your loss."

"Don't be," I replied.

Oh, how I wished she had lived to be torn apart by the dead. We fell into an uncomfortable silence.

"Hey," he said softly. "I just wanted to thank you again, for saving Carl and thinking of Lori out there. Means a lot."

"It's fine," I smiled, watching Daryl turn to the left and down a gravel drive.

We followed him down to a white wash house with peeling paint. The bottom floor windows were boarded, the second floor windows were smashed, the frames broken and the front door hung off it's hinges. We hopped out of the truck as Glenn and T-Dog joined us. Sam trotted to my side.

"So how do we do this?" T-Dog asked.

I did the same thing as I did yesterday and walked towards the building. I felt a rough hand grab my wrist.

"What y'doin'?!" Daryl asked.

"Clearing out the house," I replied pulling away from him.

Sam ran through the front door and started barking.

"That dumb mutt's gonna get us killed!" Daryl shouted after me as I walked around the side of the house.

"Follow me!" I called back.

Not looking to see if they were I found the back door. I kicked it down and called Sam. Not long after he galloped out followed closely by nine, extremely hungry walkers. I loaded up my bow and took down two. Rick was by my side in seconds.

"Don't shoot, we don't want more showing up!" I said to him.

He nodded and watched as they spilled out of the house. Daryl finally dragged his stubborn butt over to us and helped me take them out. Once they all lay lifeless, T-Dog and Glenn dragged them away one by one. I told Sam to stay, I turned to Rick, who nodded and led Daryl and I into the house.

I headed straight up the stairs. I kicked open three doors, one bathroom and two bedrooms. The smaller bedroom smelt of rotting flesh, on the bed lay two girls. They were holding hands, one was holding a gun. Blood had splattered the pillows and headboard. They looked alike so I guessed they were sisters. My heart dropped as my mind flashed to my sister. Was she alive? Was she one of them? Or had she made a choice like this? I was angry now, I hadn't had time to think about my father or sister since the world had gone to hell.

I shut the door and walked to the fourth door. I kicked it but it wouldn't budge. I jiggled the handle. Rolling my eyes I pulled the only clip from my pinned back hair. I began picking the lock. Finally it clicked and I pushed it open carefully, hearing the familiar sound of a walker. I looked up to a snapping monster hanging from the ceiling. The ropes fibers made audible stretching sounds as he swung trying to reach me. I walked past him and checked the en suite. Nothin'.

I heard a thump of a fallen body behind me. The floor boards creaked. Shit, I shoulda dealt with him! I spun around with my bow raised at head-level and jumped out of the en suite. I sighed with relief seeing Daryl standing there. He raised his hands when he saw me.

"One day I'm gonna shoot you in the face, Dixon," I spat.

He shrugged his shoulders and left the room. I followed him down the stairs and met up with Rick.

"Glenn and I are gonna go back and get the others, you guys and T-Dog stay here. Keep an eye out," he instructed walking with us out through the front door.

We stepped onto the porch and watched as he and Glenn got into the two cars and drove off leaving only the motorbike behind. I sat down on the step and started putting arrows back into my quiver.

"Ya ok?" Daryl's Georgia accent broke the silence.

I nodded, examining my arrows. He leaned against the barrister of the porch looking down at me.

"What's your deal, Daryl?" I asked him with a sigh.

"Whadd'ya mean?"

"I mean, one minute you hate me next you're asking am I alright," I rolled my eyes, catching him shrug his shoulders.

I didn't push any further, I didn't really care too much either. He sat down next to me.

"Was it the two girls?" he asked.

I looked at him and nodded. Our eyes connected. Green to blue.

"Kinda, I dunno reminded me of my sister I guess," I shrugged breaking the eye contact.

He turned his head to the side slightly.

"Rick handcuffed my brother, Merle, to a roof," he said.

I breathed out a laugh and looked away from him.

"Went back the next day, he had cut off his hand. Couldn't find 'em."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be, he's alive somewhere, knowin' my brother."

"Where you close?"

"Sometimes."

I nodded.

"What is your sister's name?"

I smiled at he spoke about her in the present tense, meaning he believed she was alive.

"Sarah," I said looking back to him.

We held each other's gaze again. Broken, by the sound of T-Dog dragging bodies down the stairs. Daryl placed a hand on my shoulder before getting up and helping T-Dog.

xxx

"What do we do about food?" Carol asked.

"I say we eat the dog."

"Shut up Daryl,"I laughed.

"We have enough tinned food for now. We can't survive on junk food," Rick said, looking at me.

"I had cravings,"I said, shrugging.

Rick, Lori and Carol smiled.

"Maybe tomorrow, Daryl, you could go hunting?"Rick asked.

Daryl nodded once folding his arms leaning against the fridge.

"Bring, Harleigh with you."

"What?" I asked.

I could almost see Daryl groan internally.

"You know how to handle a bow. We don't want anything or anyone to know we're here."

I didn't argue. I was too tired to. I walked over to Lori handing her a bundle of clothes I had been carrying. She smiled and took them, putting them into the sink. The house still had running water. It would be my turn to use the shower after Maggie. I started opening some of the cabinets. Not knowing what I was looking for, I came across a cabinet with alcohol in it. I grabbed the bottle of Jack Daniel's just as the shower stopped.

"Taking this!" I said holding it above my head and making my way towards the stairs.

The water was freakin' freezing. I wrapped a damp towel around me and looked at the bottle of Jack Daniel's and a pair of scissors sitting beside the sink. I opened the bottle and took a swig. The mirror showed my face. I had a cut across my cheek and a bruise on my forehead from god knows what. But I was used to this kind of stuff.

I lifted up the scissors to my neck, realizing how easy it would be to end all this now. I mean, we'd soon have to move out of here... What was the point? The group wouldn't care they have everything they need. I sighed and shook my head and began snipping at my hair. It once fell to my ribs, now only to my shoulders. I cut my fringe shorter also, so that it didn't cover my eye. It was choppy but didn't look too bad. I laced my fingers through my fringe and pushed it off my face looking down at the long strands that had fallen into the sink.

I began to clean up. Then I pulled a stripey black and dark green top on and some black ripped jeans. I walked out of the bathroom taking swigs from the bottle. I bumped into something solid, looking up I saw it was Daryl.

"Hello again." I giggled.

"Watch where y'goin'," he muttered.

I saluted him and walked around him. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me back.

"Y'cut your hair."

"Yeaaah,"I said.

"Suits ya," he mumbled. I grinned and turned away to go downstairs.

Comments

I'm super sad because I've realized this may never get updated. It's legitimately the best story on this site

wolvesyroses wolvesyroses
1/17/16

Oh I really love this story. I hope it gets updated >< please update!

Gilyflower Gilyflower
3/25/15

This is the most amazing story ever on this site ever please update. Harleigh is amazing and you are a great writer.

reddeadwalker reddeadwalker
10/21/14

Amazing writing, as always.

SierraaDixon SierraaDixon
3/22/14

Holy crap please update!!! This is one of the best I've read in a long time!!!

elissa_mirinda elissa_mirinda
3/16/14