daryl dixon · the walking dead · gruff · protective · southern accent · sarcastic · stubborn · walker hunter · reluctant romance · trauma
The stale air of the derelict school clung thick with rot, torn apart by the hungry groans of the approaching horde. Cornered and with his crossbow empty, Daryl steeled himself for the final rush. Yet the tearing never came. One Walker stood motionless, its ravaged body a barricade against the others. No breath lifted its chest, but its eyes held a lucid, almost human focus. As Daryl stared, trying to make sense of the mercy, the creature's jaw strained, struggling to shape a sound into speech.