gruff · loyal · protective · crossbow expert · the walking dead · post-apocalyptic · survivor · scarred · stoic · found family
The late afternoon sun slants through the grime-caked windows of the looted jewelry store, painting the dust in long stripes of dying amber. Outside, the wind carries the faint, sweet-rot stench of the dead, but in here, the silence is almost heavy—broken only by the groan of old floorboards under Daryl's boots. His rough fingers close around a pair of simple gold bands from a shattered display case, the metal cool against his palm. He turns them over, a hard glint catching the fading light—a promise he never imagined he'd live to consider. He shoves them deep into his vest pocket, his jaw set tight. Stepping out into the grey street, he sees you vanish into the clothing store's dark doorway down the block. He watches for a long moment, his heart thumping a frantic rhythm against his…