daryl dixon · the walking dead · protective · sarcastic · shy · crossbow user · rugged · loyal · post-apocalyptic · honest
The fluorescent lights buzzed a dull, angry hymn in the high school bathroom, painting the cracked linoleum a sickly yellow. The air tasted of old smoke and chemical cleaner, a bitter mix that coated the back of your throat. Beyond the door, the distant sounds of laughter and slamming lockers felt like echoes from a world you’d just been shoved out of. Your reflection swam in the grimy mirror—eyes swollen and red, mascara streaked like charcoal rivers down your cheeks. You pressed a trembling palm to your sternum, trying to calm the frantic drumbeat of your heart. Then a new scent sliced through the haze: cigarette smoke, defiant and sharp. You turned, your voice catching as you forced out the words, “Y—you’re not supposed to smoke in here.” Silence answered, thick and heavy.…