❛ SURVIVOR'S HEART ! ❜
chapter twenty-nine ―― yeah, dummy

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ CHARLIE SAT ON THE SWING next to the rv, her knees pulled up to her chest as Mason sat next to her, she had a book in her hands. She chewed on her lip as she turned to page, her brown eyes completely focused on the page and Mason chuckled at the girl as he kept them swinging at a steady rhythm.

"What?" She asked as she looked up from the book, her eyebrows creased.

"I forgot how hyperfocused you get when you read." He hummed, his arm stretched along the back of the swing. "Where'd you find that book anyways?"

"Beth let me borrow it." She closed the book, keeping her thumb between the pages. "She's nice, said I could read as many books as I wanted for as long as we're here. I missed reading."

"I know you have." He patted the top of her head and she swatted at his head before opening her book again but she had only gotten three sentences in when Andrea shouted – she was on watch.

"Walker. Walker!"

"Just the one?" Rick asked, using his hand to block the sun so he could see as he looked across the field and Andrea looked through the binoculars. The other's had moved so they could see, Charlie left the book on the swing and pulled her knife from its sheath.

"I bet I can nail it from here." The blonde rushed out, bending down for the rifle.

"No, no, Andrea. Put the gun down." Rick told her as Glenn grabbed a hatchet, T-Dog grabbed a bat, Shane grabbed a pickaxe, and Mason and Charlie each had a knife.

"You'd best let us handle this." Shane told her.

"Shane, hold up." Rick tried to stop him. "Hershel wants to deal with walkers."

"What for, man? We got it covered." Shane huffed, ignoring his best friend as he and the others stared across the field – Charlie stayed close to the rv, she knew that it was probably best that she didn't put too much strain on her shoulder. Andrea raised the rifle and looked through the scope.

"Andrea." Charlie called out in warning but the blonde ignored her as she lowered the gun and laid with her stomach against the roof of the rv. She looked through the scope again.

"Andrea, don't." Dale tried to stop her.

"Back off, Dale."

"You could shoot one of the guys."

"Shut up, Charlie." She huffed, not looking away from the scope. And Charlie huffed, her hand tightening around the handle of her knife to the point her stitches hurt, she looked out at a field, her eyes squinted but she could see anything.

"Dale, binoculars?" She held her hand up and he grabbed them before handing them to the girl and she put them over her eyes. She could see that they had stopped, Rick had his gun raised then she spotted the walker. He was covered in mud, had blood on his forehead, but saw the crossbow on his back. "Don't shoot. That's not a-" She was cut off by a single gunshot and she watched as Daryl fell to the ground. "No!" She shouted, her eyes wide as she let her hand fall to her side with the binoculars.

"No!" Rick shouted back as Andrea looked up from the scope, a smile on her face. All the shouting and the gunshot had gotten the attention of those that were in the house and they ran across the yard as Charlie looked up at the blonde that was on the rv.

"You better hope you missed." Charlie said as she started across the field, Mason close behind her with Andrea and Dale following them. Rick and Shane had Daryl by his arms, his feet dragging with his head hanging to the side. "Please tell me he's alive." She panted, looking from her brother to Daryl.

"Unconscious." Rick told her before looking at Andrea. "You just grazed him."

"I told you not to shoot." Charlie glared at the blonde as they made their way across the field.

"But look at him. What the hell happened?" Glenn asked, pointing at the unconscious man who was covered in blood. "He's wearing ears."

"Fashion statement." Charlie mumbled and Rick ripped the ear necklace from his neck and threw it to the side.

"Let's keep that to ourselves."

"Guys, isn't this Sophia's?" T asked as she held up the doll the girl had been carrying around since Morales' daughter had given it to her.

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ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ "I FOUND IT WASHED UP on the creek bed right there." Daryl explained as he laid on the bed Charlie had been in before as Hershel stitched up his side and Charlie held a rag to the gash in his head where Andrea had grazed him. He had told her he could do it himself, but she smacked his hand. "She must've dropped it crossing there or something."

"Cuts the grid almost in half." Rick stated as he looked over at Shane, who had been watching as Charlie sat on the bed next to Daryl – his head was next to her thigh and his hand on her knee so it wasn't in Hershel's way.

"Yeah, you're welcome." Daryl huffed as he shifted a little.

"How's he looking?" Rick asked.

"Like death." Charlie mumbled as Hershel snipped off the excess of the stitches once he was done.

"Had no idea we'd be going through the antibiotics so quickly." The vet stated as he crossed the room and Daryl rolled onto his back, moving his hand up but Charlie smacked him again when he tried to take the rag from her. "Any idea what happened to my horse?"

"Yeah, the one who almost killed me?" Daryl huffed. "If it's smart, it left the country."

"We call that one Nelly." Hershel told him as he washed his hands before wiping them on a towel. "As in Nervous Nelly. I could've told you she'd throw you if you bothered to ask."

"Yeah, dummy." Charlie muttered, getting a glare from the man next to her and she just smiled at him.

"It's a wonder you people have survived this long." Hershel stated as she walked over to Rick.

"He's not wrong." The girl mumbled.

"I can do it." Daryl reached for the rag again as she put a little more pressure against his head. "Ow!"

"Let me help you, or I'm really gonna hurt you." She huffed as Shane and Rick left the room and Daryl sighed and let his hand fall back to the mattress. "You're lucky she's not a better shot." She told him and he looked up at her, her eyes were a little red and his brows pinched together. "What?"

"Were you cryin'?"

"No." She lied and he smirked as he looked up at her. "Okay, maybe a little. I saw her shoot you in the head. I thought you were dead, asshole." She huffed as she stood up, looking over at Hershel. "Let me know if you need any help, this one can be difficult." She tossed the rag at Daryl's face and he failed at catching it as the girl left.

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ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ AFTER SITTING THROUGH A VERY AWAKWARD, almost silent dinner, Charlie took the first chance she could to get away. She piled food onto a plate and made her way through the house and to the room Daryl had been in. She knocked lightly before opening the door.

"How you feelin'?" She asked, a smile on her lips as she closed the door behind her. She put the food on the nightstand as he rolled over to look at her – he had a bandage around his head and one on his side.

"About as good as I look." He grumbled, adjusting the pillow under his head as he tugged the sheet up over his torso.

"Well, you look good." She started sarcastically as she rounded the bed and sat in the chair, pulling her legs up to her chest. "Brought you some food, it's really good. Maybe not as good as that squirrel stew we never got to have, but it should do." He chuckled as he pushed himself up onto his elbows and looked at the girl.

"What are you doing in here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" She asked and his eyebrows pinched. "I'm hiding." He only looked more confused. "Dinner was so awkward, no one really said anything and when Glenn asked who could play the guitar it got even more awkward. Otis, the man who didn't make it back from the run for the stuff to save Carl, he was the one that played. So that didn't go over well. It was a disaster." She shook her head. "Would've been better with alcohol."

"What? So you can get drunk and sleep with Josh again?"

"Oh, low blow." She grumbled, her nose scrunched up as she closed her eyes. "Cruel." She shook her head but a smile pulled at her lips, even he couldn't stop the smile that pulled at his lips. "You know, you scared me today." His eyes dropped to the mattress. "I told you to be careful."

"Well, I ain't dead, princess." He shifted a little before looking up at her again.

"Nope." She mumbled. "But you scare me like that again and you will be." She added and he chuckled a little. "Now, eat your food." She told him as she shifted, letting her feet hit the floor as she pulled the book from her back pocket then she settled in her chair again as she kicked her boots off. She leaned back, kicking her feet up onto the bed as she opened the book.

"What are you doin'?"

"Reading. Shh." She told him as he sat up a little and grabbed the plate of food she had brought for him.

"You just gonna sit there?"

"I'm keeping you company." She mumbled, not looking away from her book. "Now, shut up and eat." He smiled to himself as he looked away from the girl as he picked up the fork that was on the plate. They sat in silence, neither said anything as he ate and the girl read her book, but the silence wasn't awkward at all. Daryl would glance at the girl a few times, but she was so focused on her book that she barely noticed him at all and he didn't mind.