HUMAN NATURE ━ the walking dead

PROLOGUE

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PROLOGUE,
serene calamity.

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The full moon floated in the sky, emitting its cold light over the Atlanta Survivor Campsite. A faint breeze murmured through the leaves of four massive oak trees; scattered light and shadows moved over the figures of many survivors as they sat peacefully around a cackling campfire. A muscular, tanned man emerged from the bushes that lined the sides of the campsite. He bounded across the clearing and made a beeline to the top of the campsite where a tent and truck that stood in the center next to a parked RV. Three other survivors were waiting there. One of them, an old man with a tacky bucket hat who was seated on the roof of the RV, dipped his hat in greeting. "Welcome back, Daryl," he said with a soft smile. "How's the hunting going for ya?"

"Fine," Daryl huffed, however the two hunted squirrels that were slung over his shoulders said otherwise. "Where's Merle?"

Before he could reply, one of the other survivors interrupted, a fiery redhead with a glare that could frighten almost anyone but Daryl, unphased he returned the glare right back. "It's not Dale's job to be watching over that asshole brother of yours-"

"Cecilia don't-" Dale spoke up, praying the two wouldn't start brawling right there and now.

Unbeknownst to everyone at the campsite, both Cecilia and Daryl had history before the apocalypse had occurred, both once being lovers had now become enemies of the other. However, as much as Daryl hated her he didn't have it in him to turn a blind eye when he encountered the woman and her two daughters fighting for their lives in a trailer park on their own, so he brought them with him but that didn't appear to be enough for Cecilia to not still despise the redneck with a burning passion.

"How 'bout you keep that fuckin' nose of yours out of my buisness," Daryl snapped back, his gaze now turning to Dale once again. "Where's he at?"

"In his tent," Dale replied with a nod of his head. "Asleep."

Cecilia let out an impatient snort before entering the RV. "He has been all day."

"Whatever." Daryl spat, stubbornly refusing to believe Cecilia before trudging his way to Merle's tent, expecting that he would be awake.

However, his expectations had fell flat as he went to open the tents flap, finding only a snoring Merle with a beer bottle hanging loosely from his hand, the sight caused a ripple of annoyance to build inside Daryl as he retreated from the tents entryway. Merle Dixon had made a promise to Daryl that he would help with hunting to bring in more food but it was evident that the older man hadn't even bothered to step out of his tent and it left a bitter taste in the younger Dixon's mouth.

"Fuckin' asshole..." Daryl cursed to himself, strolling up to his truck's door, pulling out a large rolled up blanket and pillow as he wasn't planning on sleeping in the same tent as Merle that night, opting to sleep on the bed of his pickup truck instead considering it was a warm enough night that it wouldn't be an issue.

With a heavy sigh, Daryl pushed his exhausted body upon the bed of his truck, throwing his blanket over himself and laying his head on his pillow, his weary gaze skimmed the night sky, his eyes once an intriguing deep blue had in time wilted to a more drained silverly-blue due to the severity of the world he now lived in. It had been two months since the outbreak of the dead started and only now was it taking a toll on him as he tried to recall the last time he had a good nights rest. He hoped that tonight would be the night he would get a proper nights rest.

But, just as he closed his tired eyes a loud boom was heard ripping through the night sky and with a startle he sat up in alert along with the other campsite members. However, his guard dropped as did everyone elses as they looked to the sky, witnessing a bright beautiful green flash shooting by.

"It's a shooting star!" the children of the campsite cheered excitedly.

"Quick make a wish!" one of the children said.

"I know what I'll be wishing for!" another said with a hopeful glint in their eyes.

Daryl shook his head at the children's excitement and their naivety. However, the man couldn't help but admire the smokey green flame trail that the shooting star left behind and at the back of his mind, a small part of himself, one that he always tried to hide made a wish on that very night.

Daryl Dixon went to sleep that night thinking nothing more of what he wished for, not knowing that his wish was about to be granted as another loud boom was heard as a second "shooting star" landed in the Quarry's lake.

𝗔𝗨𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗥𝗦 𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗘.

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So, you all probably wondering why this story starts out as a Daryl POV buuuut I'll come clean I'm terrible with prologues lol

But for this prologue and the next chapter will have Daryl as the POV until it shifts over to Marty! I want to keep a bit of mystery to her.

I'll probably later edit this prologue in the future to make more sense as to what I wish to go for, but for the time being I hope it's good enough for everyone the now!

Thank you for reading!!!