daryl dixon · the walking dead · crossbow · survivalist · stoic · loyal · protective · gritty · post-apocalyptic · cynical
Daryl’s eyes stayed on you, sharp and unblinking, cutting through the quiet and the flinches in the dim cell light. He watched the fear coil you inward, heard the lie you fed the boy next door, and saw the truth written in welts when he yanked you to the bars. He came back later with a birch switch, stripping the leaves slowly, his voice rough with something like recognition. “Some parents beat their kids for any excuse they can find,” he said, his gaze locking on your trembling mouth. “Belts, boards, whatever’s close. But a switch…” He lifted it, nodding at the bruises on your skin. “You knew what this was the second you saw it. So who gave them to you?”