A/N: some Spence content before the new year (on the western calendar). Hope you all get to enjoy the day!
âGood morning sunshine.â
You winced at the sheer volume of his voice. âIf I could, id shove you off of the roof Derek Morgan.â
âFun night?â
You snorted and finally lifted your head off of the desk. âYou should be a profiler.â
That caused Derek to laugh, which made you wince and close your eyes. The sunglasses perched on your nose were supposed to be helping. They werenât.
âThatâs a nice hickey you got there.â
You grunted in response and tried to adjust your sweater collar so it would cover the hickey you missed this morning when you didnât look in the mirror. You had basically rolled out of bed, and into your car to make sure you got to work on time.
âWho gave it to you?â
âWhy donât you use your super duper profiling skills to deduce it or whatever Sherlock shit you wanna do.â
Derek snorted and shook his head. âor you could justâŚ.tell me.â
âDonât worry about it Derek.â You grumbled.
When Derek realized he wasnât going to get any answers out of you about it, he decided he was going to change tactics.
âMoving on from Boy Wonder?â
It was no secret that you had a crush on a certain nerdy doctor. And so Derek tried to use this knowledge to his advantage.
You crossed your arms and just raised your eyebrows. âIâm not dignifying that with a response,â
âPretty sure that was my answer.â He chuckled, sitting down in his chair and swiveling to look at you.
When you decided to just ignore Derek, and face your desk, he piped up again. âWhere is he anyways?â
âNo idea.â
It was like he was waiting for his cue from you. Spencer pushed open the doors to the bull pen and strolled in. He had his purple scarf around his neck, over his new coat that Henry (JJ) had gotten him for Christmas. It was a beautiful grey pea coat that kept him warm during these freezing winter months. Spender was carrying a tray with two coffees on it and what seemed like a bag from McDonalds, which seemed to be for you, since he was headed in your direction.
The smell of the food caused you to groan with joy and smile at the man walking towards you.
âMy knight in shining armor.â You muttered as he placed the whole tray in front of you. You placed a kiss on his cheek hasilty, causing him to blush a little.
âI got hashbrowns from both McDonaldâs and Dunkinâ, a little smorgasbord of grease for your pallet.â He whispered before taking one of the cups out of the tray.
âIâm going to marry you Doctor Spencer Reid.â You muttered, digging into the bag and pulling out one of the McDonaldâs hash browns and biting into it. The groan you let out leaned a little on the pornographic side, which made Derek raise his eyebrows at the sound you let out, and then at tinge of pink on Spencerâs cheeks.
You continued eating, clueless about the silent interrogation happening to your left, enjoying every single bite and sip of your hangover cure.
âDerek I can hear you thinking and itâs making my head throb.â
Derekâs eyes snapped back to you, as your figure swiveled in the chair to face him, casually munching on some of the fries, in a completely different mood then from two minutes ago before Spencer had walked in the room.
âSorry your highness. Iâm just curious as to why Boy Genius here is bringing you hangover cures.â
âWell itâs his fault Iâm this fucked up so he owes me.â You grumbled, swiveling around in your chair to face your desk. You pulled your lap top out of your canvas bag and started to set up for your work day.
âWha-how is it his fault.â
Thatâs when Spencer turned bright red and tried to change the conversation, or at least get out of it. âIâwell itâs notâŚIâŚ.hotch isâŚâ
Spencer basically ran across the bullpen and up the stairs to Hotchâs office, avoiding the conversation he almost just had.
âI donât think you wanna know.â You smirked and bit into the muffin from Dunks that Spencer had got you, not looking at the man behind you.
âIâm starting to think that too.â His eyes narrowed and he looked between where Spencer had run off to, and you.
Something was going on between the two of you, and Derek Morgan was going to figure it out.
Summary: Set in the future of the TWD timeline, this story follows Daryl, Y/N and her brother through their journey in the  world  of the undead. It wasnât like Daryl to let people in to his heart   easily, but it was Y/Nâs smiles that had captured him completely, and   before he knew it, there wasnât a scenario Daryl could think of about   his future that didnât have Y/N in it.
A/N: Wow, okay, so time passed really quickly, didnât it? Work had been tough for the past few weeks. Anxiety level was at a all time high, especially with the extreme lack of sleep. But Iâm so glad I managed to get this (really short) part written - such a nice gift for my sanity. I promise you the length of this part is not a reflection of my investment in the story. I am still very much invested in it, but for now, I just got to claim my sleep debt. I will be back. Do note that I may have written this with an extremely tired mind, so if there are any glaring story plot holes, PLEASE forgive me. Thank you for staying with me so far! It means absolutely the world to me. Comments and feedback are really appreciated! Let me know if the story has been interesting so far, or has it been a drag to read? Hope you guys are keeping well and healthy! <3 Photo not mine!
As she tore through the pieces of wood, shouting desperately for Daryl, Y/N saw from the corner of her eyes that a herd of walkers was now fast approaching her. Despite her growing resign that she may never see Daryl again, Y/N mustered all the strength she had to hit the walker closest to her with a piece of wood. She barely hit right in the head when the second, third, fourth walker had reached out for her with their rotten hands. It was a decision Y/N had to make at that split moment. She could stay and get devoured by the walkers, and possibly meeting Daryl again as walkers themselves. Or she could save herself, and come back to save Daryl when the coast was clear. No matter how tiny the chance was that Daryl was still alive, she had to hold on to that hope. How useful would she be to save Daryl if she was killed herself?
It was like a switch in Y/N was flipped on on instinct. Arming herself with her knife, Y/N fought through the growing herd. Adrenaline was coursing through her veins. She knew she had to make it out of this alive, or she may really never see Daryl again. Stabbing the walkers that were in her way in their head with her knife, Y/N managed to clear a tiny opening and made a dash for it and into the woods.
Surrounding her were fallen trees, a clear result of the earlier tremor. It made it harder for Y/N to run, as she had to either jump over or duck under the trees with every few steps she took. It was physically taxing for Y/N, but with a laser focus on Daryl, she never stopped. Even when she felt like her heart was giving out in the sheer tiredness, she never stopped. While the fallen trees were obstacles for Y/N, it also helped to slow down the walkersâ gains on her. Y/N soon realised that the growls of the walkers were getting softer, as she ventured further into the woods.
Daring for a moment to stop, Y/N looked around to assess her environment. She knew she couldnât go back the way she came from or she would meet the same herd as earlier. Not giving herself even a moment to catch her breath, Y/N turned back, but a significant degree away from her original route. Her compass, still inside her backpack, was left back at the cabin. All Y/N could do was to trust her gut instincts on her sense of direction. But being surrounded by nothing but trees was disorientating her quickly. To prevent herself from getting astronomically lost, Y/N began making markings on the trees with her knife while she tried to find her way back to Daryl.
She couldnât have ran for more than ten minutes when Y/N finally came to a small clearing. Hopeful that she was close to where the cabin once sat, and where Daryl was, Y/N picked up her pace even further. Unknown to Y/N however, she was running dangerously close to an old bunker. When the earthquake hit earlier, it had brought down the bunker, and with it the herd of past survivors were released from their version of hell. And this herd â they had heard Y/N and was closing in on her. Realising what was happening, Y/N swore under her breath. Shit. Although Y/N could hardly see them, she knew it was definitely a sizeable herd, and it would be hard to evade them. She was soon face to face with at least 20 to 30 walkers limping towards her from all directions. Knowing she had no choice but to fight and defend herself, Y/N readied her bloodied knife, her arms stretched out, ready to take them on with whatever strength she had left. This would be the first time Y/N had to fight such a big herd on her own. Y/N swiftly took on the walkers by stabbing them in the head. Despite the odds, Y/N had managed to take on almost half of them. But with all the running earlier and the physical exertion of driving her knife deep through the skulls of the walkers, she felt her strength slowly slipping away with every stab. It didnât help that her knife was now so bloody that Y/N feared it would slip right out of her hands if she didnât grab it hard enough.
The very definition of fighting a losing battle couldnât be even more apparent when more and more walkers, hearing the sound of the commotion, approached her from all angles, with their snapping jaws aiming toward Y/N. She looked desperately for an opening to make a run for it, but the walkers were too close.
An image of Daryl and her brother flashed through her mind as she faced the grotesque and rotting undead in front of her. I canât give up now. Not now. I need to see them again. Y/N thought as she continued slashing and kicking and pushing with whatever energy was left of her. The herd soon advanced faster than Y/N could fend them off, and she was finally pushed off balance causing her to fall backwards and hitting her head against a tree. All Y/N could see before she blacked out was the chattering teeth of a walker coming for her head. In her absolute sheer tiredness, Y/Nâs mind had begun playing tricks on her â or so she badly hoped, as the face of the walker looked uncannily like a face she knew almost too well. âNo⌠Daryl.â
ASummary: Set in the future of the TWD timeline, this  story  follows Daryl, Y/N and her brother through their journey in the  world  of the undead. It wasnât like Daryl to let people in to his heart   easily, but it was Y/Nâs smiles that had captured him completely, and   before he knew it, there wasnât a scenario Daryl could think of about   his future that didnât have Y/N in it.
A/N: Woah, sorry for the long wait for part 5! Itâs a super short one as compared to the previous parts. Work had been cwayyyyzeeee lately and I fell sick haha. :/ But glad to be back and writing again! Please enjoy part 5, even though itâs really short. :( As usual, comments and feedback are really appreciated! Photo is not mine, but all mistakes in this one are mine.
Y/N woke up the next morning to the dying embers from the fire. Sunlight was now creeping in through the cracks of the cabin, the warmth hitting her face. She rubbed her eyes lazily and took a moment to orientate her surroundings. Her boots were tossed near the fire, and her underwear, bra and jeans laid next to it. Memories from the night before quickly came rushing back to her and Y/N felt her face burned. She looked down and noticed that she was wearing one of Darylâs shirts. His shirt was at least three to four sizes bigger than her, and it was long enough to cover her bottoms. She donât remember putting it on, but figured that Daryl must have slipped them on her while she was asleep. Y/N held on to the hem of the sleeves and brought it close to her face and smiled. She could smell Darylâs scent, and a light hint of menthol from his cigarettes. Just his scent alone brought comfort to her.
Daryl was nowhere around, so Y/N picked up her underwear and jeans from the floor and put them on. She hadnât bothered with her bra as Darylâs shirt covered her well. She felt close to Daryl, and wanted to leave his shirt on. Stuffing her bra into her bag and putting her boots back on, she ventured out of the cabin to look for Daryl. She didnât have to look too far as Daryl was standing near the side of the cabin, his crossbow raised and pointed at a lone walker. He took down the walker effortlessly before noticing Y/N looking at him.
Darylâs heart skipped a beat when he looked up from his side and saw Y/N standing there wearing his shirt and looking at him. He almost forgot what he was doing as his fingers fumbled around the arrow he was trying to retrieve from the walkerâs head. He heard Y/N approaching him and the next thing he knew, Y/N had wrapped her hand firmly around his and pulled out the arrow. âThanks.â Daryl muttered awkwardly, not trusting his own voice. He looked up and their eyes met, his face turning red immediately. Seeing Y/N with his shirt on did strange things to Darylâs heart. He couldnât explain in words what he was feeling, except that he felt an urge to grab Y/N and keep her close to him forever. He had never envisioned a domestic life before this, but meeting Y/N and being intimate with her changed all that. He wanted that domestic life he never thought he would want. He wants to wake up next to Y/N every morning, kiss her on her lips, prepare breakfast for her, cuddle with her on the sofa with a movie. He wanted all that. He wanted to have a normal life with Y/N.
âI, erm, I hope you donât mind me keeping your shirt on?â Y/Nâs voice brought Daryl back. Suddenly extremely aware of how awkward her hands were dangling by her side, Y/N began playing with the hem of his shirt so her hands could have something to do. âNah, of course I dunmind. It suits ya better than it does me.â Daryl chewed on the insides of his lips, his face still flushed, but he was smiling. Y/N smiled back at him.
âIâm hungry.â Y/N said casually as they walked back to the cabin. Instinctively, Daryl took out a bag from his backpack and handed it to Y/N. âEat up. We got a long way ta go tâday.â He instructed. Y/N looked into the bag and saw a piece of leftover squirrel meat from the night before. Daryl had especially saved it for Y/N, which meant he hardly ate much for dinner. Y/N smiled at Daryl. She couldnât fathom just how lucky she was to have met Daryl. Y/N never thought it was possible, with the world what it was, but she was wrong. To Y/N, apart from Andrew, Daryl was the one and only good thing in this world. And she had found him. Â
âLetâs share.â Y/N said as she tore the meat into two and handing the bigger piece to Daryl.
âM okay. Ya have it.â Daryl shrugged.
âCome on. Now whoâs going to take care of me when you pass out from hunger, huh?â Y/N teased, her hand extended again and pushing the squirrel into Darylâs hand. With more insisting from Y/N, Daryl finally took the squirrel from her.
âCheers!â Y/N laughed as she smacked her share of the squirrel against Darylâs before popping it into her mouth. Daryl smiled and did the same.
Daryl and Y/N spent a nice and peaceful morning sitting at the front gate of the cabin. The skies were extremely cloudy, and the air was beginning to feel dry. After their light breakfast, they packed up all their belongings and got ready to leave the cabin behind. They wanted to cover as much distance as possible for the day. Y/N was a few steps in front of Daryl at the gate, when she felt a sudden sharp jolt coursing through her body from the ground. For a moment she thought her head was spinning. She had dizzy spells often throughout her life, but this felt different. Y/N struggled to stand straight and her vision continued to spin. She looked behind her at Daryl and saw that his face had turned white. He too was holding on to the walls of the cabin, struggling to stand upright.
âItâs an earthquake!â Daryl shouted as he reached his hand out to grab on to Y/N. The ground was shaking more vigorously now and within a matter of seconds, Y/N was thrown off balance and she fell outside of the cabin, further away from Daryl. Y/N felt the wind knocked out of her as she hit the ground on her back. Despite hurting from her fall, she wasted no time and quickly fought to regain her footing to get to Daryl. But as she did, she saw the cabin collapsed in front of her like the crumbs from an apple pie. The rumble from the ground that had caused Y/N to fall had also caused Daryl to lose his footing before he could get out of the cabin. He was now trapped underneath the remnants of the cabin.
Panicking, Y/N half ran and half crawled on her hands and feet to get to the cabin. It was a relatively huge cabin, and all that greeted Y/N was a pile of rubble. She choked on the dust as she frantically removed the wood pieces by pieces, hoping to see Darylâs face with every piece that she removed. The ground had finally calmed down by then, but it was still difficult for Y/N to manoeuvre the rubble. They were big and heavy and the wood pieces were broken, with exposed splinters. It didnât stop Y/N from digging though. She knew Daryl had to be somewhere in there, and she had to find him.
Summary: Set in the future of the TWD timeline, this  story follows Daryl, Y/N and her brother through their journey in the  world of the undead. It wasnât like Daryl to let people in to his heart  easily, but it was Y/Nâs smiles that had captured him completely, and  before he knew it, there wasnât a scenario Daryl could think of about  his future that didnât have Y/N in it.
(Photo not mine!)
A/N: Hi! Really hope the series has been enjoyable! Please leave a comment/feedback if you think the pace is too slow/too fast or really, anything you think about the series so far. Thank you so so much for reading. Please enjoy part 4 of the series. It contains some adult contents, so mature adults only, please! Please scroll away if youâre underaged, and I promise you the next chapter will be right on track, and you can still read it and understand the story without reading this one. Thank you!
Warnings: Some adult contents. Mature readers only.
Daryl immediately felt his face burned as Y/Nâs soft lips came into contact with his. He didnât flinch, like he would have in the past, instead, he stayed perfectly still, almost frozen in his seat. The only part of his body that was moving was his heart, that was banging against his rib cage so hard that it was almost as if it was trying to climb out through his mouth. As soon as her lips left his, he immediately felt himself physically craving for it. He looked at Y/N momentarily before looking away. He wasnât used to feeling like this â feeling loved and wanted. But Y/N had showed him, so simply, nothing dramatic or theatrical that he was deserving of love. It was scary, but Daryl knew then that life was worth living as long as he had Y/N with him.
Y/N reached out and took Darylâs hand in hers and squeezed it before interlacing her fingers with his. Darylâs calloused fingers closed in and their hands fit like two perfect puzzle pieces. They just sat there in the car, in comfortable silence, their fingers intertwined, gaze forward, enjoying each otherâs company. The threats of the world were far too real, so moments like these were important to them.
When they went back to the warehouse at night with a couple of squirrels they caught, Gerald approached Daryl gingerly and apologised for what had happened. Although Gerald didnât know them well, he knew from the get go that Y/N and Daryl were a thing from the way they looked out for each other, and the connection they had. He was new to the group, and he wanted to respect the dynamics. For Gerald, he did admitted that he felt attracted to Y/N for her gentleness and kindness in taking care of him, but it was a boundary he knew not to cross. The rational side of Daryl knew that none of what happened on the first day they met were on purpose. However, the irrational side of him couldnât bring himself to be friendly with Gerald. He maintained a distance from him as much as he could, but he didnât let his personal issues with Gerald ruin the atmosphere of the group. Still, Daryl saw the potential in Gerald with his walker dispatching skills. He prove to be a valuable member to the team.
With Gerald in the group now, and his ankle all healed up, Andrew decided that they should split up to cover more grounds. The warehouse seemed to be a safe place to camp in now, but they would soon run out of food and water if they donât find a more sustainable plan. Splitting up would allow them to hopefully look for more permanent and sustainable camps. While Daryl and Andrew were perfectly fine camping out, they both had the same goal, and that was to bring Y/N to a camp where she would be safer.
Daryl found a yellowed, slightly torn up map inside the warehouse, and planned a route each pair would take. They decided to make the lighthouse their rendezvous point because it was half way across in the map, and a prominent landmark to meet and make their next plan if they donât find any camps en route. Y/N gathered some pieces of paper and a pencil and hand drawn the map, since there was only one copy for the four of them. The plan was to take no more than two weeks to meet at the rendezvous point. Andrew would go with Gerald, while Daryl would pair up with Y/N.
Before they parted ways, Andrew pulled Daryl aside to speak to him. âPromise me sheâll be safe, yeah?â Andrew asked, his voice hid a hint of worry. âDonâ worry, Iâll keep her safe and bring her back to ya.â Daryl nodded and the two men shook hands. Although Andrew was hesitant to let Y/N be away from him for so long, he really trusted Daryl. Andrew then walked to a slightly tearful Y/N and gave her a long hug. âPromise me Iâll see you in two weeksâ time?â Y/Nâs voice was soft, as she bit back her tears that were threatening to fall down her face violently. âI promise. Weâll see each other again.â Andrew replied. He too, was trying to hold back his tears. Ever since the outbreak, he had never let Y/N out of his sight for more than a few days on end. This was going to be the longest they would be apart and they were both naturally worried about each other. Andrew leaned in and gave Y/N a kiss on her forehead, and wiped away her tears with his hands. With a final goodbye and exchange of âI love youâs, Andrew and Y/N parted ways with their partners.
It was tough for Y/N knowing that anything could happen to either of them during the two weeks they were apart. Despite her reluctance to say goodbye to Andrew, she understood it was necessary. Seeing Y/N tear up was hard for Daryl too. Y/Nâs usual smiles were gone, and in place was tiredness of what the world was taking from each of them. He approached her and placed a hand on her shoulders. He gently lifted Y/Nâs head with his other hand to level with his, and with as much conviction as he could muster, he told her everything was going to be okay. Y/N looked back at Daryl, her vision clouded by her tears and nodded her head. She knew she needed to snap out of it. She wrapped her hands around Darylâs waist and rested her head on his chest. âThank you. Iâll be okay... And weâll be okay as long as weâre together.â Y/N whispered. Daryl responded by wrapping his own hands around her waist and tightening the hug.
Compared to the ruins and destruction around them as evidence of what the town had gone through, Daryl and Y/Nâs journey was pretty uneventful. They never had to run away from any herds of walkers, nor did they run into any dangerous situations with other survivors out there. The both of them were constantly moving to keep up with the pace, but as night fell each day, they would set up their camps where it looked safe. They were making good speed, despite the lack of food and water. Daryl had been keeping track of the number of days theyâd been travelling for, and by the placement of their location in the map, Daryl assured Y/N that she would be seeing Andrew in a few daysâ time. Y/N was excited to see Andrew, but at the same time, she was feeling worn down for having found nothing on their route. There were no livable camps, nothing they could make permanent. She hoped Andrew was doing okay, and hoped they would have more luck out there.
Two nights before they were supposed to reach the lighthouse, Daryl and Y/N found an empty hut in the middle of the woods and they decided to set up their camp there for the night. It was the first camp they have found with at least some walls as coverage. After they had locked down the hut, Y/N sat down in front of the fire that Daryl had made, and patted the ground next her and gestured for Daryl to join her. As soon as Daryl sat down, she placed her head and rested her weight on his shoulders. Daryl pulled up his knees to his chest and made himself comfortable. One of his arms were wrapped around his knees, while his other arm was resting idly in the space between Y/N and himself. Y/N neednât had to say a thing to Daryl, but he knew she was feeling disappointed with their lack of discovery. He wanted to comfort her, but he wasnât sure how. He gently moved his idle hand to free himself, and as soon as he did that, Y/N woke up from her nap. She sat up quickly and muttered a âSorryâ to Daryl.
âCome âere.â Daryl said, lifting his arm to create a space for Y/N to lie back down on his shoulders. When Y/N saw Darylâs gesture, she couldnât help but smile. Y/N didnât need to be asked twice. She rested her head on Darylâs shoulders again, and this time, he wrapped his arm around Y/Nâs shoulders and gave her a comforting squeeze. They sat there for a few minutes, the only sounds were the cackling fire, and the insects chirping accompanying them. Right outside the four walls may be a decaying world but inside this dilapidated hut were two people, who were each otherâs worlds, and they were perfect.
âDaryl?â Y/N whispered, not wanting to wake Daryl up if he was asleep. A soft grunt told her that like her, Daryl was wide awake.
âMm?â Daryl responded. Y/N lifted her head from his shoulders and turned to face him, switching her legs to a cross legged position. âI donât care how the world is like out there,â she began, her eyes darting across Darylâs. âIâm really glad youâre here with me.â Y/N bit her bottom lip and felt her face flush as she said those words. She really meant it. Â She was aware that life could go on being like this until the day death caught up with them, but she didnât care as long as she had Daryl there with her until their eventual end.
ââM really glad too... that ya âere with me.â Daryl replied. Even though Daryl didnât know what love really meant, he felt himself falling deeper and deeper for Y/N every single day he was with her. Her smiles and contagious laughter were his strength, her positive outlook for a world with probably more dead than living was his hope, but most of all, Daryl was falling for Y/N simply for who she was. For as long as he could remember ever since meeting Y/N, he could never imagine a day without her.
They held on to each otherâs gaze, until they werenât anymore. Without a word, Y/N and Daryl closed their eyes and leaned in. As soon as their lips touched, they crashed against each other, hungrily and passionately. Y/N brought up her arms and wrapped it around Darylâs body, while Daryl cupped her face with his hands. Soft moans escaped their mouths each time they come up for air. Y/N moved her hands to Darylâs front and worked on his buttons. Her fingers quickly displaced the buttons until she could feel Darylâs bare chest. Daryl also had his hands on the hem of her shirt and pulling it upwards. Y/N disengaged from Darylâs lips momentarily so he could lift up her shirt over her head. As soon as her shirt was off, she leaned against Daryl again to take his lips back.
Daryl slowly moved Y/N to lay down on the floor and climbed on top of her. Y/N lifted her waist so Daryl could remove her jeans. She laid her bare bottom on the cold floor and wasted no time in unbuckling Darylâs belt. Daryl stood up slightly so that he could slip off his pants. Y/N smiled and lifted her head and brought Darylâs face down with her hands to continue kissing him. They took time to understand each otherâs rhythms and needs, but they were soon moving in perfect tandem, moaning against each otherâs ears as they both climaxed. Despite the cold, they were both covered in sweat when Daryl crashed down next to Y/Nâs heaving body. Y/N turned to look at Daryl, and traced her fingers around his beard lovingly, initiating a small smile from Daryl. It was true, they saw each other as their world, and it really didnât matter what the world out there was like as long as they had each other. Y/N snuggled against Darylâs chest and within seconds, fell asleep to the rhythm of his heartbeats. Â Â Â
Summary: Set in the future of the TWD timeline, this  story follows Daryl, Y/N and her brother through their journey in the  world of the undead. It wasnât like Daryl to let people in to his heart easily, but it was Y/Nâs smiles that had captured him completely, and  before he knew it, there wasnât a scenario Daryl could think of about  his future that didnât have Y/N in it.
A/N: Hi everyone, hereâs the third part of the installment, with a peek at a jealous Daryl! Itâs shorter than the usual parts, and I know the link between paragraphs are pretty bumpy to read. Sorry! (Any writers out there that also feel like the very same piece of their writing is written by different people depending on their mood that day?) Itâs literally almost 4.30am as I am posting this, so I believe there must be quite a number of mistakes. But really hope youâll still enjoy it! As usual, photos/gifs are not mine, but any mistakes in this are certainly mine.
Two months into their constant moving, they met and saved a lone man who was almost attacked by a walker. It was pure coincidence that they had walked past that back alley that day when he was there. Before the walker had a chance to sink its foul mouth on the manâs face, Daryl had shot and killed the walker off with one swift arrow. Y/N quickly ran towards the man to help him, only to find out he had suffered a bad sprain on his ankle while trying to fight off the walker. His injury would have indirectly killed him had Daryl not acted when he did. The man introduced himself as Gerald. After losing his friends two weeks ago, he had been out there on his own, surviving, while grieving his loss â a feeling Daryl, Andrew and Y/N knew all too well. As the night was approaching, they quickly helped Gerald into an empty warehouse down the street and stayed with him.
Although Y/N had no medical trainings, she knew what was needed to be done to remedy a sprain. Daryl and Andrew worked together to lock down the warehouse and Y/N worked on nursing Geraldâs ankle. Using the gentle glow of the moonlight through the warehouse windows, she gently removed Geraldâs boots and carefully wrapped a piece of cloth around the ankle to compress the area. She then grabbed a few empty flattened boxes from the warehouse shelves, stacked them up and instructed Gerald to elevate his ankle. Satisfied and convinced that Gerald was comfortable and resting, she stood up. But after squatting for almost five minutes by then, her legs had fallen asleep. As she tried to stand up, her legs gave way, causing her to fall straight down onto Gerald. Her head swiftly hit Geraldâs, and their lips almost touched. Still reeling from shock from the sudden fall, but otherwise uninjured, Y/N heard a low grunt from behind her and then a hand pulling her up. She grabbed on to the hand tightly and looked up to see a flash of darkness on Darylâs face. Before Y/N could make out his expression, it was gone. âThanks.â Y/N muttered, feeling unsettled by Darylâs expression.
Daryl felt an emotion he had never experienced before when he saw Y/N nursing Geraldâs injury. He knew that Y/N was trying to be nice, but seeing her so close with Gerald had aroused that emotion from somewhere within him. He didnât recognize what he was feeling, except that he wanted to pull Y/N away from Gerald and keep her next to him, just for him. He didnât like seeing her touching Geraldâs legs, even though he fully understood what she was doing. When Y/N fell on Gerald and their lips had almost touched, he felt the immediate urge to rain down his punches on Gerald, even when he was fully aware that the fall was unintentional. Having no full understanding of the emotion he was feeling, he stayed away from Y/N that night, much to her disappointment. Few words were exchanged between them that night. Y/N felt that Daryl was avoiding her, even though she had no idea why.
âCanât you tell how Daryl is feeling?â Andrew rolled his eyes at Y/N where she sat, unable to fall asleep. Daryl was at a corner, his eyes closed, seemingly asleep. âCome on, sis. You really donât know?â Andrew tutted.
âWhat? What do you mean?â Y/N frowned. She was still feeling uneasy about her interaction with Daryl earlier that evening. Andrew sighed dramatically and shook his head, unable to believe how Y/N could have missed it. âHeâs obviously jealous.â Andrew said matter-of-factly. Â Â
âWhat?!â Y/N whispered-screeched. âHeâs⌠jealous? Of what happened with Gerald just now?â She looked suspiciously at Andrew.
âWhy else do you think he was acting that way, huh? Think about it.â Andrew patted Y/Nâs shoulders and walked away. And Y/N did thought about it. Could Daryl possibly really be jealous of her and Gerald? They had only just met, and beyond his name and what happened to his friends, Y/N barely knew Gerald. She was just helping out a fellow survivor, and there was nothing more beyond that. Y/N turned to look at Darylâs sleeping face. She quietly stood up and moved over the Daryl, and laid down next to him. Even after the evening they had, Y/N still wanted to be as close to Daryl as she could. She would clear things up with him when morning comes.
Y/N volunteered to follow Daryl on a run the next day so she could catch him alone to talk. It was a good sign for Y/N that Daryl hadnât objected. Knowing that Y/N needed her time to sort things out with Daryl, Andrew offered to stay behind with Gerald. While they scavenged the nearby buildings, Y/N stayed close to Daryl, and seeing that he was no longer avoiding her, she felt relieved. Although few words were spoken between them, Y/N was no longer feeling as unsettled as she was the night before. It was almost as if things had gone back to normal between them. After an entire morning of walking and killing walkers they meet, they finally settled down inside a car they found in a parking lot for lunch. As Y//N and Daryl shared the bag of wild berries that they had packed, she cleared her throat, finding the right words to say to Daryl.
âDaryl?â Y/N finally spoke up. âCan I ask you about what happened last night?â
âMm?â Daryl mumbled. He was no longer eating the berries, but was visibly chewing the insides of his lips. Darylâs eyes darted between her and outside the windows, avoiding to look directly at Y/N. Y/N didnât know then, but Daryl had heard her conversation with Andrew the night before. It was the first time he had felt the way he felt, and had Andrew not pointed it out, he would not have connected his emotion to jealousy. It was new to Daryl, but as soon as he knew what he was feeling, he understood immediately what had made him felt that way.
âWere you⌠jealous?â Y/N whispered shyly. She looked at Daryl and waited for him to look back at her. When he did, she saw him respond with a gentle, almost unnoticeable nod. A smile crept across Y/Nâs face. She felt something tingle in her heart.
âI didnât like seeing you with Gerald.â Daryl finally said, breaking the silence. Y/N let out the breath she had subconsciously held and looked up at Daryl, their gaze meeting. âWhy?â Y/N daringly probed.
âI donât like seeing you so close to him, is all.â Daryl replied, looking away. Y/Nâs chuckles brought his gaze up again. Daryl looked at her, confused. âYou were just repeating yourself! You didnât answer my question.â
Daryl grunted dismissively. A part of him was afraid to tell Y/N the reason of his jealousy. Daryl felt silly, and maybe even ashamed about the reason why. Gerald was a lot younger than he was, making his age closer to Y/Nâs. Daryl had no idea until Gerald came into the picture, that he was insecure about the age gap between him and Y/N. Seeing Gerald and Y/N together, albeit an innocent interaction, had inevitably made him felt that Y/N would be better off with someone younger, someone like Gerald. Seeing how Y/N and Gerald had almost kissed was even harder for Daryl to bear. He knew it was an accident, but that doesnât stop him from feeling robbed of Y/N from him. That kiss, even if it was an almost-kiss was supposed to be his, not Geraldâs. Daryl knew he was being absolutely ridiculous and stupid, but he couldnât stop that voice in his head.
When Daryl didnât answer, Y/N spoke again. She felt a strong wave of courage to do what she was about to do, and she wanted to do it before she lost the courage again. âIt was an accident. I didnât kiss Gerald.â Y/Nâs voice quivered slightly. She leaned in close to Daryl, and gently planted a kiss on his lips. âYouâre the one I want to kiss.â Â Â Â
Summary: Set in the future of the TWD timeline, this story follows Daryl, Y/N and her brother through their journey in the world of the undead. It wasnât like Daryl to let people in to his heart easily, but it was Y/Nâs smiles that had captured him completely, and before he knew it, there wasnât a scenario Daryl could think of about his future that didnât have Y/N in it.
A/N: Second part of A New Normal is here! Check out Part 1 here. Just a quick note, for readers who canât relate to having an older brother, Andrew can be read as an older cousin, or a friend. He doesnât have to be a biological brother. :) Comments and feedback are appreciated! As usual, photos/gifs are not mine, but any mistakes in this are certainly mine. Hope you enjoy this second part! Itâs doesnât have a lot of action going on but hope you like the fluff!
Daryl loaded his crossbow with the arrow he had just dug out from the walkerâs head and slung it across his back. Y/N watched him from the sidelines and got increasingly intrigued by him. Darylâs hardened and tough exterior was evidence of a man who looked like he had carried the weight of the whole world on his shoulders all his life, yet beneath that shell sat an inkling of a kindhearted and tender man. She didnât know Daryl, but she felt safe with him, as with Andrew. Daryl had after all just saved her from a walker.
âYa gon be okay alone out here?â Darylâs stern expression was now softer, gentler. Despite having just met her, Daryl was worried about Y/N going on her quest alone. It was almost like an occupational disease after years of taking care of people around him. Daryl immediately felt a strong sense of responsibility for her, like he wanted to do anything in his might to keep her safe for as long as the world allowed. He was almost instantly attracted to her, like a moth to a flame â or a walker to brains. It wasnât that he had no faith in her survival skills, but because the world â or whatever was left of it â needed her smiles. He needed her smiles and he needed to protect it at all cost.
âYeah, Iâm going to be. My brother shouldnât be too far from here.â Y/N wanted to leave, but there was a disconnect between her brain and her legs. She continued to stand exactly where she was, across from Daryl. A part of her didnât want to say goodbye. She felt a strong, undeniable pull towards him. And Daryl hadnât moved from his spot either.
Daryl held on to Y/Nâs gaze, his mind racing to think of the right words to say. He didnât want to come off as a creep wanting to follow Y/N, but he didnât want to see her leave either. Silence hung thick in the air between them. Y/N cleared her throat in an attempt to break the silence, although she had not exactly thought of what she was going to say.
At that very moment, Darylâs ears picked up the sound of rustling leaves and breaking twigs not far from where they were and the sound was coming from all directions behind them. The low growls were getting increasingly noticeable, so was the smell of rotten flesh in the air. From the sound of it, Daryl estimated the herd to be at least 20 to 30 walkers. The earlier tussle between Y/N and the walker must have attracted the herdâs attention to their location. His instincts immediately kicked in and his very first thought was to get Y/N to safety. On his own, he would have easily taken all of the walkers down, but he wasnât about to risk Y/Nâs life.
âLetâs get outta here.â Darylâs urgently called. Y/N turned and saw that walkers were fast approaching them, their jaws hanging like starved animals. They were both in plain sight of the walkers. Daryl pointed towards the direction in front and gestured for Y/N to run. Quickly and steadily, with the knife firmly in her hands, she followed behind Daryl without turning back. As Daryl ran, his mind was focused on one thing â Y/N. Ever so often he would turn back just to check if she was still there. Through the rush, Daryl saw that her smiles were gone now, replaced by a look of determination and fight.
Daryl moved quickly and silently with Y/N hot on his heels until he spotted a secluded area that would hide them away from the walkers. It was a tiny opening obscured by a thick foliage and just about enough space for two adults. Grabbing Y/N by the arm, Daryl shoved her inside the opening before joining her. Y/N watched in bated breath as the walkers staggered right past the spot they were hiding, completely unaware of their whereabouts. Soon, the sound of their growls became softer and softer, until she couldnât hear them anymore.
Y/N finally let out the breath she was holding and looked up at Daryl just as he turned to face her. A soft laughter escaped Y/Nâs lips, which made Darylâs heart swell and his heart rate increase. He looked away quickly, afraid that his face would give him away if the sound of his heartbeat against his ribcage doesnât. Standing face to face with each other, Y/N was suddenly extremely aware of the lack of space between her and Daryl. Her head was almost touching his chest, and she could feel it moving up and down with his panting breaths. There was a rhythmic sound of a constant thumping, almost as if someone was playing drums right inside of Y/Nâs cochlear. She later realized that it was the sound of her own heartbeat that she was hearing, which she attributed not to the run she just had, but to the feeling of closeness between them. There was no way they could have caught the sound of each otherâs heartbeats over their own. Although the walkers were now long gone, they continued to stay where they were, the absence of space looked as if they were both stuck together. Daryl closed his eyes for a second, mentally willing his pounding heart to slow down. When he opened them, he saw Y/N looking up at him, her expression unreadable.
âYa okay?â He asked, as they finally stepped out of their hiding spot with Daryl fussing over the cuts on Y/Nâs face and arms from the sharp branches. âYe â Yes, I, uh, I am.â Y/N whispered. Seeing the way Daryl fussed over her, making sure she wasnât scratched or bit anywhere made her cheeks burned. For some reason, she tried to hold her breath, as if afraid that even the slightest movement from her would break the moment. Without missing a beat, Daryl reached out to touch Y/Nâs face to examine the cuts she must have gotten when she was squeezing through the foliage. That simple act, which would have been natural for most people, shocked even Daryl himself. His old friends wouldnât have pegged him as someone who would easily show his affections for a girl he just met, and yet there he was. âHow about you, are you okay?â Y/N finally breathed, to which Daryl simply nodded in response.
âI, uh, should go. I need to find my brother.â Quite a long time had passed since Y/N was separated from Andrew and as much as she enjoyed these moments with Daryl, she didnât want Andrew to worry.
That was the moment Daryl knew he had to say something. It was now, or never. He needed to see Y/N again and to know she was safe, at least until she found her brother. In the current world they were in, tomorrow was not a given nor guaranteed. He may never see her again if he didnât say what he wanted to say. âIâll go with ya.â He half-grunted, half-whispered, evading Y/Nâs eyes while pretending to be busy adjusting his crossbow.
Surprised, yet strangely elated with Darylâs preposition, Y/N smiled. There were no words required. A bond had been forged between them and while they didnât yet know, they were about to be bound together like each otherâs new family.
Andrew soon came into view, not far from where Daryl and Y/N had started off from. He was visibly stained with blood all over his body. Seeing her brother again, Y/N dashed forward and threw him a hug. âAre you okay? Are these blood ââ Y/N gasped.
âThe walkerâs.â Andrew replied, relieved to see Y/N. When the herd came through moments ago, Andrew had been worried. The herd came from the direction where he last left Y/N more than an hour ago and he couldnât help but worry if she had managed to evade, or at least fight them. He took down the walkers with ease, and quickly traced his trial back to look for her. From a distance, he saw her running towards him with a man next to her, his disheveled hair obscuring his face. He immediately reached for his gun, a weapon he only use during emergencies, ready to shoot, but the look on his sisterâs face had been⌠happy, smiling. She hadnât seemed afraid of the man at all, nor did she looked like she was under any kind of threat. Still, the sudden appearance of the man kicked in all of his protective instincts.
âWho are you?â Andrew asked as he stared directly into Darylâs eyes, gun trained on Darylâs forehead. Y/N was all he had, and if he had to kill someone who was a threat, he would have no qualms. Daryl on the other hand had made no moves to reach for his crossbow.Â
ââM Daryl.â Daryl nodded at Andrew.
âHe saved my life back there. Twice.â Y/N quickly interjected, tapping on Andrewâs arm to lower his gun. Andrew shot his sister a look, but his hand remain raised with the gun. âAre you hurt?â
âNo Iâm fine. Just some cuts from hiding from the dead but otherwise fine. Look at me, I still have all my limbs!â Y/N smiled and spun around with her hands in the air, her light chuckles filling the spaces between them. Andrew nodded and looked back at Daryl again, holding the gaze for a moment before lowering his gun and returning it to its holster. Daryl watched as Y/N twirled around, her loose pony tail flying behind her like a kite in the sky. His heart felt full again when he saw Y/Nâs smile and hearing her laughter ringing in his ears. It was enough to light up even the darkest of times heâd experienced and he wondered where that smile had been in his life all along.
âI think we should move together.â Y/N steadied her footing and proposed the idea to Andrew and Daryl. Daryl had proven to be an experienced walker-killer and was quick witted, but most importantly, although Y/N didnât want to admit it, she just canât bear to say goodbye to Daryl. Where they are living in now, it wasnât like she could just call him on the phone to meet up at the coffee shop down the street any time they wanted. Any day could be their last day on earth, and she wasnât ready for that day to be last time she saw Daryl again. She was afraid of Darylâs rejection, but she was even more afraid of her brother rejecting her preposition. Trust donât come by easy, not when the alive were more dangerous than the flesh eating corpses.
It wasnât like Daryl to allow people in to his heart so easily. He was happy and contented on his own and heâd rather be that way, so he could avoid the heartbreak when someone left or died. Just like so many others who were still surviving in this crazy world, Daryl had had his fair share of losses. People he loved, people he cared for, so cruelly taken down. But he was conflicted. On one hand he really didnât want to part with Y/N, but on the other, he was so afraid of opening his heart to her, only to have his world torn apart someday. He weighed the cost in his head and finally decided to risk losing Y/N later than losing her now without even trying. Daryl held Y/Nâs gaze and nodded in agreement before turning to look at Andrew.
Y/Nâs heart and spirit immediately lifted upon seeing Darylâs simple nod of his head. She got to see Daryl again, and even if it was only for another day, it would have made all the difference. She turned to look at Andrew, silently anticipating, praying. She understood the risk it involved, inviting a stranger into their midst. While Y/N had never been a hundred percent accurate with her character judgement in the past, she gravitated towards Daryl naturally and her instincts told her he was a trustworthy guy. Y/N nudged Andrewâs arm lightly to elicit a response and finally Andrew nodded too. âThanks for saving my sister back there.â Andrew called out to Daryl, and Daryl nodded in response. âBut if you tried to harm my sister in any way, I would not hesitate to kill you.â Andrew leaned in towards Daryl and whispered.
Even after years of being alone, it wasnât hard to get used to Y/Nâs presence in his life. She was like a rare flower in a land of the barren, her energy bringing hope to an otherwise hopeless future. Every day in this crazy world, new walkers were made when people died and there never seemed to be a way out of it. But having each other was all they needed to not just simply exist, but to live. Daryl, Y/N and Andrew travelled together for weeks, scavenging new camps left by now-walkers, hunting for animals, looking for shelters.
Just within the first week, it was already easy for Andrew to completely trust Daryl seeing the way he looked out for Y/N. He was quiet yet absolutely badass when dispatching the walkers and keeping them out of Y/Nâs way. He was resourceful and almost anything he touched could be used creatively and effectively as a weapon. Andrew could see that Y/N was smitten, she once spent an entire afternoon naming random objects and betting with Daryl that he could turn them into a weapon. âI bet I can throw you a cotton ball right now and you would have made it into a deadly bullet or something.â She laughed, her admiration for Daryl exuding like the noonday sun.
Andrew felt assured with Daryl looking after Y/N. He could tell there was a spark between them and he could tell clearly that Y/N liked Daryl as much as he liked her, although the two of them had never openly admitted it. Andrew had never seen Y/N so happy like she was now since the day shit hit the fan. Daryl and Y/N grew closer and closer, and even though Daryl still wasnât the type to show physical affections, Andrew swore he caught Daryl attempting to hold Y/Nâs hands on multiple occasions.
Travelling wasnât easy. A journey that would have taken them 3 hours took them 3 days on foot. It was a stroke of luck one day that they found a car that still had some kind of fuel in it, and it was even more of a miracle that when travelling down that winding road in the car, Daryl spotted a motorcycle abandoned along the side, almost hidden from sight. He quickly got out of the car and picked up the motorcycle to check its state. There was a hint of a grin on his face, which Y/N caught a sneak of, when he realized the motorcycle was working.
Y/N grinned, watching Daryl from the side as he admired the two-wheeled metal like a kid who had just been given an unlimited cartoon time. âCan I ride with you?â Y/N chirped excitedly, bringing Darylâs attention to her. She turned to look at her brother, who rolled his eyes at her in response. Daryl looked at Andrew too, waiting for his approval. He would love to bring Y/N on a ride, but he was worried about overstepping Andrew. Darylâs worries were unfounded though because there was no way Andrew could say no to Y/N. And he knew he could trust Daryl to keep her safe.
âHop on then.â Daryl said as he threw his leg over the seat like second nature. Y/N laughed excitedly as she did the same. It had been years since she had last ride pillion on a motorbike. The pure excitement was like finally getting into the roller coaster she had been queuing hours for. She snuggled in onto the seat behind Daryl and waved to Andrew who was now in the driverâs seat of the car next to the bike.
Y/N wasnât afraid to let herself laugh out loud. The sound of the engine was louder than her laughter anyway. She grabbed tightly onto Darylâs waist with one hand, and raised her other hand in the air, enjoying the cool breeze kissing her cheeks as Daryl brought her down the road. It felt so freeing with Daryl there with her, the sound of the engine and winds in her ears drowning out the hungry calls of the walkers.
Unknown to Y/N, Darylâs face was positively flushed. The gentle pressure and the warmth of Y/Nâs arm around his waist gave him comfort, a comfort he didnât know he was yearning for until he met her. A comfort that felt so much like home that it was unnatural for Daryl who had never felt the comfort of a home his whole life. He never knew he would find this simple comfort in the most unlikely of worlds. Bit by bit, Daryl was learning to receive intimacy from another person because of Y/N. Slowly but surely, the walls he had built were coming off brick by brick, mortar by mortar because of Y/N. He watched Y/N through the rearview mirrors and saw her beautiful face looking skyward, her eyes closed and a contented smile on her lips and his heart swelled. He wanted to freeze time at that exact moment where it was just him and Y/N, and none of that dead shit happening around them. The irony though, had the undead not happen, he probably would have never met Y/N.
Summary: Set in the future of the TWD timeline, this story follows Daryl, Y/N and her brother through their journey in the world of the undead. It wasnât like Daryl to let people in to his heart easily, but it was Y/Nâs smiles that had captured him completely, and before he knew it, there wasnât a scenario Daryl could think of about his future that didnât have Y/N in it.
A/N: Hi guys, this is my first time writing a fic of our TWD badass, Daryl Dixon. Itâs gonna be a long one, and a work in progress. I write because it makes me happy, and I hope itâll make you happy too. The intro for this fic would be pretty long, and Daryl wouldnât appear until slightly later, but I thought it would be important to touch on Y/N and her brotherâs background since we already know Darylâs background pretty well. Iâm not a zombie apocalypse expert, and neither dare I call myself a TWD expert (Iâm not, please pardon me if I get some facts wrong!), so some parts of the story may not be realistic. It is most certainly strayed from the current universe since this is meant to be set in the projected timeline after the eventual season 11, which of course we donât know yet how Darylâs narrative would be changed or if it would at all, (or do we?), so this story may or may not make sense after season 11 ends (maybe think of this as a spin off?). I do hope you like it, and donât mind the fact that it is set way in the future of the universe. As mentioned, itâs still a work in progress and I donât know how many parts itâll be. But writing this is extremely cathartic for me so Iâll continue writing for as long as my brain (and my full time job) allows. Comments and feedback are welcomed and appreciated! Please sit back and enjoy this journey with Daryl. :)
Photo is not mine. All mistakes in this are mine, please pardon them.Â
There arenât many moments in Y/Nâs life where sheâd just sit on a spot, completely and utterly at a loss. The camp where sheâd called home for the last month was gone â just like that. Along with it, the people she considered her family. When an unexpected rogue herd of walkers stumbled across the cabin, she was out on a supply run with her older brother, Andrew. By the time they had came back, the cabin was in shambles and the smell of the dead overpowered their senses. Y/N stood rooted to the ground in shock behind the bushes, throwing a look of fear at Andrew. Biting back a scream, knowing itâll give her position away, Y/N looked around, hoping to see a familiar face. A familiar face that was alive. There was none. It was too late for them to do anything to salvage their family, their home. There were too many walkers to take on and honestly, nothing much left for salvation.
Y/N had no idea how long she was behind the bushes watching the dead feeding on mangled bodies of people she once knew. She knew she had to move, but her feet wouldnât allow. It was as if they were locked in position, trapped in the nightmare of a scene before her. The only comfort she could gather was seeing quite a number of fallen walkers with slash marks on their heads â meaning they had put up a strong fight against them.
âCome on, we got to go.â Andrewâs voice called out, his hand grabbing hers nudging her to move. There was a catch in his voice, although he tried to hide it. Still in shock and tears, Y/N willed her legs to move. Just one foot in front of another, just one foot in front of another. She had to keep her mind focused on what was in front, and to keep her legs moving forward. Y/N followed him, almost in complete auto-pilot.Â
Without actually knowing how long or how she even managed to keep in tandem with her brotherâs pace with her state of mind, he had led Y/N to a spot in the woods where the two of them finally crashed on the hard grounds. Y/N was shaking violently as she buried her heads between her knees. She had no idea if she was shaking because of the nip in the air, or because of shock. A low growl shook her awake from her reverie. She looked up to see a lone walker approaching from the right. Reaching for her hunting knife from her belt holster with her shaky hands proved to be a tremendous task. Y/N finally managed to unsheathe the knife and plunged it hard into the walkerâs temple right before its jaw got onto her. She had no idea she still had that strength somewhere in her.
âAre you okay?â Andrew had walked over to her just in time to plunge his machete into the head of another walker that had approached Y/N from her blind spot. âThanks. I didnât see it coming.â Y/N mustered her strength and stood up before kicking the walker in its head with a mixture of anger and disbelief.
âI donât, I cant ââ Y/N finally allowed herself to sob into Andrewâs shirt. While there were only a few people in the group to begin with, she have had time to know them through this shitstorm and had grown to like them like her own family. They were the people she had been moving with for years. They had lost some people in their journey, but theyâd never lost all of them entirely before. To lose them all at once was devasting. But all in all, she was glad her brother was there. Andrew was fiercely protective of her, especially in this new world. She wouldnât be alive and standing today if not for him. All her survival skills, her knife works, hunting and tracking skills, had all came from him. Y/N was not prepared for this world at all. Without Andrew, she would have become one of the walkers a long time ago. But she was a fast learner, and had more than proven her survival skills. Despite all that, she never lost her sense of hope and cheerfulness, that was until that day.
She was thankful for Andrew for giving her the time to grief while he single-handedly took down more than a dozen walkers while she was still in a daze. She felt horrible, leaving her brother to keep her alive knowing he needed his time to process everything too. Andrew didnât say anything, he just kept her alive.
Nightfall brings another set of danger â the temperature had dipped drastically. Y/N worked with her brother to build a makeshift shelter with leaves and twigs. Andrew had also got a small fire going to provide a bit of warmth. If the walkers doesnât get to them, the elements most certainly would. Satisfied with the perimeters, lined with makeshift cans and marbles to alert them when any walkers enter the camp, Andrew gestured for Y/N to sleep while he kept watch.
Y/N tucked herself in next to the small fire and tried to sleep. But of course sleep eluded her. Every time she had her eyes closed, all she could see was the grotesque bodies of her friends back in the cabin. She kept your eyes close despite that, hoping to catch at least a little sleep. Y/N knew she would be in no state to fight for survival without rest. Andrew sat next to the fire and finally allowed himself to process the events of the day. Most of the people in the group had been his friends since he was a child. He had grown up with them, went through triumphs and heartbreaks together. Losing them was painful. Losing them and not being able to do anything for them was painful. He looked at Y/N who had now finally fallen asleep and willed himself to stay strong. He couldnât â he wouldnât let the same thing happen to his sister. Y/N was his only family left.
Three hours into Y/Nâs fitful sleep, she woke up in a pool of sweat despite the night cold. Before this all happened, Y/N always slept like a log. An earthquake could literally be breaking her room down and she would have no idea. But in this new normal, her body had adjusted itself to wake up within a few hours and it had learned to survive on a couple hours of sleep each night.
She saw Andrew throwing logs into the fire to keep it going. Approaching him silently, she gestured for him to sleep while she took over the watch. Nodding his head, he vacated his space before taking over hers. Y/N was on high alert, determined to keep her brother safe while he catch his much needed rest. Andrew had been there for Y/N all her life. She was only a couple of years younger so they were very close since young. This trip was supposed to be a break from work, but instead, they were thrown with an even bigger shitstorm than they could imagine. Y/N almost laughed when she thought about the irony. She would choose to go back to her office job any day over this. Before long, the cackle of the fire begin to diminish as the day broke. Y/N looked up at the skies, trying hard to fathom how this was the very same sky before the world had turned into hell. The sun still came up in the East and the morning birds still sang, but nothing else about the world right now was the same.
Gathering up all of their belongings, Y/N and Andrew set off for another day. They had to find a more permanent shelter, a sturdier shelter than twigs and leaves at least. Stopping by the creek to gather some water, Y/N took the chance to splash herself with the cold water. As the water hit her face, she perked up. Having not had a shower for days, Y/Nâs skin was starting to itch and peel. Her feet was swollen with blisters and her arms were filled with dried scabs from all the cuts she sustained while running away from walkers. Y/N looked at Andrew with a longing in her eyes. She needed that shower. Convinced that the area was free of walkers, Andrew gave in and gave her privacy while Y/N washed yourself. He told her he would try to track something for their food today and set off with his bag, gesturing for Y/N to follow when she was done. A smile almost crept up Y/Nâs face as she washed away days of sweat, dirt, and walker blood off her body. She hadnât dared to take her time though. Once she was done, she quickly put on a fresher set of clothes that she had and set out to look for Andrew.
Feeling more refreshed, Y/N tried to put on a new perspective of how life was going to be moving forward. She was determined to continue living, living for the friends who couldnât. She was going to continue living for Andrew. She didnât want all of Andrewâs effort teaching her survival to go to waste. Y/N followed the tracks on the floor, hoping to find Andrew soon. No more than 10 minutes into following the tracks, she heard a slight ruffle of leaves to her left. It was so slight it was almost unnoticeable. It canât have been a walker â a walker would have made a louder noise than that. It was most certainly a person. She smiled and moved towards the direction where she heard the sound from, anticipating to see Andre.
âHey, did you managed to ââ Y/Nâs whispers faltered into complete silence when a tall, crossbow donning man with striking blue eyes, greeted her. The man had his crossbow trained on Y/Nâs head. She stopped in her tracks, knife in hand ready to strike.
âWho are you?â The man demanded. Not only was his crossbow trained on Y/N, his eyes were trained on her too.
âY/N.â She spoke calmly, hand still steady on the knife. While she knew sheâd be dead with his arrow before she could attack him with the knife, she werenât about to go down without a fight if she had to. Y/N looked at the man, trying to download as much details about him as she could. He wore a long sleeves black shirt with two top buttons missing, a pair of cargo pants that were slightly ripped on some parts and his boots carried the obvious evidence of blood and someone who had been out in the open. Y/N tried not to wince as she stared directly into the manâs eyes. Although his hair covered the side of his face, she could make out his stern expression â an expression of someone who had been surviving on his own. But behind all that, she just had a sense, a strange and unspoken sense that he wasnât a dangerous man.
âLook, Iâm just looking for my brother, all right? I donât mean to walk into your zone.â Y/N explained. âIf you promise not to shoot me, Iâll just turn around and be on my way.â
Adrenaline from meeting a lone stranger in the woods had had blood rushing to her ears, muffling her surrounding sounds. As she prepared to turn and leave, the man spoke again. âBehind ya!â That was when she heard it â the unmistakable sound of a walker behind her. As a reflex, Y/N bent her body forward and side stepped, but in her haste to evade the walker, she had missed her footing. Y/N cursed under her breath but quickly regained her posture. She raised her arm, ready to strike, but before she could, the walkerâs dead weight had pushed her, causing her to fall backwards on the hard ground, losing her knife in the process. Y/N quickly worked to fight the walker off but all she heard was the hustling sound of an arrow and the silenced growl from the walker. Feeling the full weight of the walker now, she pushed it off and saw that it had an arrow right smack between itâs eyes. Y/N turned to look at the man as he approached the walker. With one foot on the walkerâs head, he pulled out the arrow with one swift motion with his free hand. He then turned sideways to look at Y/N.
âThat was really cool.â Y/N couldnât help but chuckle slightly. Seeing that the man had made no move to point his crossbow at her again, Y/N relaxed. She spotted and dug out her knife that had been partially buried during the fall and tussle with the walker.
âThat was really cool.â Y/N couldnât help but chuckle slightly. Seeing that the man had made no move to point his crossbow at her again, Y/N relaxed. She spotted and dug out her knife that had been partially buried during the fall and tussle with the walker.
âThanks. I owe you.â Y/N gestured to the walker on the ground as she dusted herself off. âWhatâs your name?â She smiled.
Daryl was immediately captivated by Y/Nâs smile and the sound of her chuckles. Earlier when he had heard someone approaching, he was ready to strike, ready to take them down if he had to. But as he heard Y/Nâs voice for the first time, he knew immediately that she was no threat. He hadnât seen or heard another personâs voice for days. But even if he had, there was something about Y/Nâs voice and her smiles that enchanted him. Despite the situation the world was in, Daryl was comforted to see a smile that seemed to make him forget everything else.
âDaryl.â
âIâm sorry again, you know, for walking into you.â
âSorry for taâ crossbow on ya head.â Daryl nodded his head slightly at Y/N as apology.
âWeâre even then.â Y/N smiled again. It was nice meeting someone else in this crazy world of the dead. Something about Daryl had made her feel a sense of comfort and calm, despite just meeting him a few minutes ago. Daryl looked away, feeling his face flushed from seeing her smiles. There had never been anyone who had that effect on him before. Her smiles were a huge contrast to everything he had come to know in the last ten years. He wanted nothing but to remember them.
