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Salvation	By : madnad Category: S through Z > The Walking Dead Views: 8392 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: The Walking Dead universe & Daryl Dixon belongs wholly to Kirkman/AMC. Original character Lilith belongs to me. I make no money from writing of this story and it is strictly for entertainment purposes only. Do Not Repost elsewhere without permission

Chapter List
- 6
- 7
- 8
Lilith leaned forward, her hands rested on her knees as she struggled to gain her breath back. She stood up straight, and paced back and forth through the sun-bleached grass of the enclosure. There was a tarmac area round the side of the prison, some kind of exercise yard, but she preferred to run in site of the cell block's entrance, and Daryl's tower.
The sun was high in the sky, and the temperature was almost unbearable. Lilith's vest was drenched, and her cargo pants were clinging to her legs. Time for a cold shower, she thought. She headed to her cell and grabbed a clean vest out of her bag and a towel. As she left her cell, she almost collided with Daryl.
"Come on, we're going huntin'," he told her.
"Hunting? Hunting what?" she stammered.
"Food. What d'ya think?" he smirked at her. "You might wanna change though, I can smell you from here."
Her cheeks flushed, and Lilith narrowed her eyes in annoyance. "I was just about to head to the showers, actually," she spat at him, waving her hands containing the towel and clean clothes.
Daryl glanced at the clothes. "Well hurry up then. Time's wastin', girl"
She flashed him the dirtiest look she could muster as she slipped by, but he seemed untroubled by it. As she headed towards the showers, she realised he was following her.
"What are you doing?" she yelled. "Go wait outside!" Her face was scarlet but she was pleased to note he stopped in his tracks.
She marched off, relishing the thought of the cold water against her hot cheeks.
***
After a quicker shower than anticipated, and wearing her clean vest, she rinsed out her dirty clothes and took them back to her cell to dry on the makeshift clothes line she and Amy strung from the small window to the bars of their cell.
She grabbed her bow and quiver, making sure she put in the carbon arrows with the steel broad head tips, and headed outside where Daryl was waiting. As she approached, she saw that his cheeks coloured slightly, his shrewd eyes unable to hold her steely gaze.
She thought he looked embarrassed, but he didn’t apologise for his earlier rudeness or nearly following her into the shower. He quickly recovered, and walked towards one of the vehicles, issuing orders to her as they walked. His walk had the sinuous grace of a predator, like a wolf or a big cat.
"We'll drive to some nearby woods. They're quieter than around here. There's too many walkers drawn to the prison. When we get out of the vehicle, you follow my lead at all times. If I say run, you run. Don't be a hero. If I go down, you leave, d'ya understand?"
Lilith nodded. "Uh-huh."
"I'm serious," he reiterated, stepping closer to her, his blue eyes fierce.
"Yes, yes, I understand," she said, alarmed at his persistence. She watched as his eyes visibly softened, and seemingly millions of unreadable emotions danced across his face, the corners of his mouth twitching as if he was about to say something more.
Instead, he turned, and jumped behind the wheel of an old Land Rover. Lilith climbed in on the passenger seat, and sat in silence as he drove them out of the compound. She watched in the wing mirror as Glenn wheeled the gate closed behind them.
"I'm pretty sure I caught site of a large buck when I was in that area last time. We probably won't see it today. All I'm expectin' to get is a few rabbits. Damn buck's probably been eaten by some disease-bearin' motherless poxy-bastard."
Lilith laughed; one of those loud bark-like laughs when someone unexpectedly says something funny. The fact he took a walker eating prey he hadn't even caught yet so personally amused her.
"Oh, you think I'm funny?" He asked, trying to look insulted, but failing.
Lilith just laughed more, and nodded, tears now starting to form in her eyes.
Daryl smiled at her. It was the first proper smile she had seen on his face, and she had to admit, it looked good there.
"Shit, woman," he muttered as his eyes went back to the road, shaking his head at her delight.
***
After about ten miles Daryl drove the vehicle off the road and along a wide overgrown track further into the forest. When the track became too overgrown he stopped, and cautiously got out of the vehicle.
He scanned the area around them, looking and listening for the tell-tale sounds of clumsy walkers that could be heading towards them, attracted by the noise of the engine. Apart from a gentle breeze rustling through the trees, and the caw of a lonely Blue Jay, it was quiet.
It was a lot cooler under the canopy of the forest, and Daryl was relishing being out of the sun for a while. He glanced at his companion who was scanning the area wide-eyed looking for prey or walkers, he wasn’t sure which. He kept going, treading as carefully as possible, but Lilith was unwittingly making enough noise for the two of them. If we catch anything today it will be a fucking miracle, he moaned to himself.
A dart of grey on the trunk of a nearby beech tree caused Daryl to freeze and raise his bow, ready to fire. A second later, the carcass of a squirrel was pinned to the tree. He ran over, yanked out the arrow, and fastened the small mammal to his belt. It wasn’t quite a meal, but it was a start.
Lilith caught up with him. He leaned in close. "Wait here. That clearing over there is where I saw a couple of rabbits last time. Big 'uns too. There must be a warren around here. I'm gonna just go and stand a few feet away, over there, OK?"
She nodded, and he saw her turn her gaze to the clearing, an arrow nocked, ready to draw if she saw anything. He quietly moved about twelve feet round to the right, and a little closer to the clearing, hidden slightly by a rotting fallen chestnut oak. His senses were heightened, his hands ready to fire.
Silent minutes went by. He was impressed that Lilith didn’t fidget or make any noise. She stood like a statue, scanning the area. He noticed one or two more squirrels moving in the trees above, but he ignored them for now. He was after something a little bigger.
So focused looking for rabbits, he almost didn’t register the nearby snap of a twig on the forest floor. Something was making its way towards them from his 2 o'clock, and it was much bigger than a rabbit. His stance changed, and he brought up the bow. Whatever it was, it was moving to the left. He tracked its movement, not even glancing at Lilith. If it was a walker, he would be able to take it before it got anywhere near her.
A head broke through the thick foliage; a head that had horns, flared nostrils, and huge liquid black eyes. The buck froze, sensing their presence. It snorted as it sniffed the air. Daryl silently willed it to move further from its cover. From this angle, he didn’t have a clear shot. The lower branches of the pine tree it stood next to were blocking him.
What seemed like forever, Daryl waited for the buck to make a move. He considered stepping to his left to get a better shot, but he knew the second he moved it would be off. There was a thwack sound to his left, and he saw a shaft fly across the clearing, and thud into the creature's neck.
The beast was fatally wounded but not dead. With a scream it turned and ran. Daryl raced after it, he knew that it wouldn’t get far. After about thirty feet it slowed, then stumbled, weakened from blood loss. As he approached, its eyes turned to him, full of fear and distress. Daryl raised his bow and aimed for its heart.
"Sorry, brother," he muttered, and took the shot.
- 6
- 7
- 8
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Salvation