Before the Sunrise

[Daryl Dixon]

One would think that by now, Daryl would be used to having many other individuals around him. He wasn’t. Constantly people would be asking him questions, or trying to spark up conversation. He would try to respond, act friendly, but it just wasn’t him. He needed a break, so he decided in the early hours of the morning, slip out of the recreational building they were all using as a temporary home, and do a little exploration. Normally he would mention to some one where he was going, and he did, yet Paul had been half awake when he woke the younger man up from his sleep to tell him. He would have told Rick, but he feared Rick would have either A, wanted to come with him or B, told him he needed him for some chore he had in mind.

It wasn’t like his little excursion would be for nothing anyways. He would bring back whatever items he found useful. That was just what he did. Glenn had been good at it too, before everything happened.

He pushed the gym’s doors open, and slipped out without a sound. His bow hung on his back, knife at the ready on his hip, and if he really needed it, he had a .45 tucked in the back of his jeans. Opening the outside door, he was blasted with chilled air that washed away any sort of grogginess he still felt from not having a good night’s sleep. He rarely slept anymore. When he did manage to fall asleep he would be reminded why it wasn’t a good idea and be awoken from terror filled dreams. Dreams that reminded him of his faults, the things he wasn’t proud of, that bleach tooth bastard with a baseball bat.

Letting out a sigh, his eyes skimmed the surroundings, he wasn’t sure of the direction he would go. He remembered on their way into the island, he and Paul had passed a sign for the national park’s stables by the road’s bridge. Perhaps he would go see if there was anything of worth over in that direction. Walking down to the boat dock, there was a small gas powered boat they had managed to find to help them I and out of the island, since the only way in on foot had been destroyed. It had taken time to get everyone across with the one boat, but they had managed it. He had to admit, he saw the looks of feeling safe on their faces. Perhaps being surrounded by water contributed to that. Although, they still required a watch just in case.

He threw his pack into the boat and started to untie it when he heard movement from behind him. Instinctively he pulled out his knife as he turned around ready to strike.

”What the hell! Don’t’ you know not to sneak up on someone like that?” He eyed the younger woman, trying to remember her name. She had been with them for some time, yet he was terrible remembering things. Jennifer? No that wasn’t it. He returned his knife to it’s spot and wondered what she was doing following him. Or was she following him? Either way he waited for an explanation.

Jackie Bonner

[Jackie Bonner]

The sun still had not yet risen from it's slumber by the time, she had finished up taking care of a small child. A boy, Alex, who had been sick for what seemed like a long time. Jackie could remember when he was brought in by a few members of their group who had had been out on a supply run prior to the group's boarder crossing. The boy was no younger then four but, he's story struck a cord in her. The boy's mother had been stricken with an illness that plagued the body over time. Without medical help she succumbed to her illness but, not before making sure her son was taken care of and in good hands. Jackie knew that the mother had died from cancer since she had seen what it had done to her grandmother all those years ago. It had ate her alive to the point where she was unrecognizable. She had taken care of her grandmother when she was staying under watch at the medical university's hospital and now she was was taking care of Alex just like she had with her grandmother. Yet she no longer had the medical devices that would help her but, she was trying her best. She had stayed up all night with him and when he finally fell asleep. His coughing got worse. Jackie knew that she had to make a supply run to the houses across the river this morning. She was low on supplies and Alex wasn't the only patient she had tired to take care of since the group had made the recreational center their temporary home until they could figure out where to go to next.

Jackie gave Alex a gentle look before she gathered her things and made her way back across the gym floor to the spot where she had claimed as hers. Putting her things away in a small bag that she had kept her medical supplies in, she heard a door creak open across the way. Turning her head quickly she could make out in the dim early morning sunlight a male figure stepping out into the cold. The figure was mostly that belonging to one of the original members of Rick's group. Daryl or the redneck as some had come to call him. Yet like so many these days, he too couldn't find comfort in the arms of sleep itself. Deciding not to worry about what he could be up too. Jackie turned back around and zipped up the front pocket of her the backpack which she used throughout her college years. Her student id still hung from that particular zipper although it was now dirty from the elements.

Standing up, she threw the backpack over her shoulder and tucked her grandfather's old colt into her back pocket. With the sun rising over the mountain peaks to the east, the gym was beginning to get brighter with each passing second. She did not want to be questioned as to why she was leaving but, she had to do this alone as stupid as it sounded. The group's leaders would most likely tell her that she needed someone to accompany her but, it would take up too much time. Time that she could of used to get the medical supplies she needed. Jackie kept quiet as she made her way across the room following the same path that Daryl had recently took. The air was cold when she stepped out of the building. Cold enough to remind her of the memories that she had relived in her sleep. Pulling the collar of her jacket closer around her neck to stuff out the cold, she pushed followed towards the trail that would take her down to the river's edge. There was a boat that the group had found in order to make their way across since the bridge had been mostly destroyed leaving the park nothing but, a small island in a wide river bend. Reflecting back to the day where they found the boat which had been similar to the one her grandfather owned. It had taken them awhile to bus a small handful of people across but, it was accomplished without much difficultly. However, there had only been a selected few that knew how to operate the boat and she was one of them. Having grown up on Sullivan's Island. Boats of all kinds where the method of traveling next to the every day automobile.

Following the trail down to the boat dock, Jackie could see the old stables off to her left and still wondered if any of the horses remained. If they did then they were most likely died or near death. When the silence around her was broken by a sharp voice, Jackie jolted out of her thoughts to meet the owner of the voice. It was the man she had seen go out the gym door earlier this morning. Daryl. "Yes I know that it's not right to sneak up on someone especially in times like these." She said in her coastal carolina accent which seemed to clash with his georgia hills dialect. "Incase you were wondering I wasn't trying to follow you. I didn't know that you would be here." She had seen that question written clearly on his face. He seemed to be one of those people that didn't like to be in the company of others. A hermit crab as her grandmother had so gently put it. Although unlike her grandfather, Jackie was the type to give labels to someone. "Are you going across?"

Tag : Daryl Dixon

[Daryl Dixon]

He listened to her words. He knew she hadn’t meant him harm, but he had to admit he had been pretty startled by her. Maybe he shouldn’t have been so harsh. The thought lingered on his mind for a few more seconds before her question hit his ears. Looking back at the boat he nodded. “Yeah, figured I’d go see if I could find some things of use.” He looked back at her, she was obviously also hoping to ferry across. He slightly wondered what it was that she was up to. Granted it was none of his business. But then again, he felt he needed to make it his business. Not because it would be what Rick would have done, keeping tabs on everyone for their safety, but it was just because he felt he needed to be everyone’s protector. Also, there was the possibility that they could help each other out, if she was willing to work with him. Normally he preferred to do things by himself, but once again, he wasn’t sure if he should let her do things alone.

He wasn’t anyone’s master, and she seemed old enough and perfectly able to fend for herself, but he knew Rick would probably kill him if he knew Daryl could have prevented things if she ended up missing or something.

He wasn’t usually one for conversation, and one could probably tell he was just uncomfortable. He was trying though. ”Did you need a ride?” He wasn’t sure if that was the correct term for it, but figured what did it matter?

Jackie

Her name finally surfaced in his memory. She was the one who tended to their sick or injured. It wasn’t that he was a conceited individual, but he felt that introducing himself was pointless since he was well known among their people. Not that he wanted to be, but that was a different story all together. Also he felt the formality was a waste of time. He stepped down into the waiting boat and looked out at the water. The island was on a wider part of the river and it almost appeared as a small lake. Gazing across the water’s surface it appeared to be settled. His stomach turned slightly from the day they were all crossing after the had discovered and cleared the island. There had been wind and the water had been very choppy. Daryl himself had almost lost his minimal stomach contents. Thankfully though, things looked calm, and hopefully the water would stay that way.

He walked over to where the boat’s control panel and wheel were. Everything seemed to be in order. He took a mental note that he would have to probably find gas to siphon in order to keep their boat operational. They could always row, but he didn’t like the sounds of that option very much. Turning the boat’s key he looked over at Jackie and asked,  ” Want to be the captain?” He had operated many boats but he had seen her maneuver this one they now were in during their group’s crossing and figured she knew what she was doing. Yet he still felt like he should offer. Manners were something that Daryl Dixon had slowly learned in a world where it seemed like manners would have gone to shit. Then again he had had a good teacher to show him the light in their new world. He felt his chest and throat tighten a little and he decided to change his attention away from his thoughts.

As he awaited her answer, he looked over his gear one last time just to make sure that he had everything he needed for the trip. It wouldn’t be good if he forgot something important and then realized it all the way across the water. Although, he didn’t doubt his capabilities to find what he needed if he was to forget something.