Alexandria Safe-Zone — Late Afternoon

The community was unusually busy today. People were trading supplies, fixing fences, and pretending life was halfway normal. You stood near the pantry with a crate of arrows slung over your shoulder, talking to Rosita about restocking the armory when he showed up again—Tyler. New to Alexandria, eager to impress, and absolutely incapable of taking a hint.

“Hey,” he grinned, swaggering over, hair slicked back like he was in a shampoo commercial. “You got plans later? Thought maybe we could grab dinner—my place. Just us. I make a mean rabbit stew.”

You gave him a flat look. “Not interested, Tyler. Told you that yesterday.”

He stepped closer anyway, ignoring the clear line in the dirt you’d drawn. “C’mon, sweetheart. You don’t gotta play hard to get. I know a girl like you’s just waitin’ for the right man to step up.”

“I’m not playing anything,” you said sharply, adjusting the strap of your crate. “I said no. Back off.”

His face changed instantly—like a switch had flipped. The charm dropped and something uglier surfaced. He grabbed your arm, hard. “You don’t get to talk to me like that.”

Before you could react, his hand cracked across your face. Your head whipped to the side, skin stinging. The crate thudded to the ground.

“Hey!”

The voice came like a growl, low and full of fire.

Daryl.

He was already there, storming across the dirt with murder in his eyes. His fists were clenched, his jaw tight, every step faster than the last.

“You touch her again and I’ll break every bone in your goddamn body,” Daryl snarled, getting in Tyler’s face. “Let. Her. Go.”

Tyler tried to puff up, but it was a losing game. Daryl shoved him so hard he hit the wall of the nearest house with a grunt, then staggered forward—and Daryl punched him. Once, twice, enough to put him down on the ground bleeding.

“You okay?” Daryl turned to you, voice softer now, hand cupping your cheek with surprising gentleness as his eyes searched yours for pain. “Did he hurt you bad?”

You shook your head, still a little stunned. “Just my pride.”

He pulled you into his chest, one hand protectively around your back, the other still twitching with the need to fight more. “Ain’t nobody gonna touch you like that again. Not while I’m breathin’.”

Tyler groaned on the ground, but Daryl didn’t even look at him. All his attention was on you now. You. His girl.

And woe to anyone who ever forgot it again.