A Survivor's Diary of the Apocalypse (TWD/Daryl Dixon)

S6Pt4 - Tell Me the Truth!

We were still running in the forest with about a quarter mile left when we ran into Glenn's group. With him was Michonne, Nicholas, and some other guys from Alexandria.
Rick and Glenn started discussing what each group was going to do, and Rick decided we didn't need him here anymore.
"I need to help." Glenn said.
"No. I need you and Michonne to lead them back home." Rick said. "Help out there."
"What happened to you?" Michonne asked and looked at my neck.
I sighed and took off the bandage. I felt it already closed and scabbed over, but my neck was stiff.
"The people who invaded... The Wolves, one of them attacked me, held a knife up to my throat." I said and saw them try not to stare. "They're all dead, but home is ruined. We need you guys to put things back in order there."
Rick nodded and cleared his throat. "You will need a different route back because of the herd."
Michonne nodded but Glenn sighed.
"Rick..." Glenn said, but he didn't budge. "Fine."
"If they start falling behind." Rick said and pulled Glenn in close. "You don't hesitate, you don't try and help. You run. Leave them."
"We got to help them." Glenn said back. "It's still who we are."
"Glenn listen." I butt in. "If they slow you down, that means Michonne can die. You can die." I said and put my hand on his shoulder. "We don't want that, and Maggie sure as hell can't have that."
Glenn sighed and finally agreed. I hugged him and for some reason I felt like this was the last time I'd see him.
"I need to come back." Glenn said and let me go.
I looked up at him and nodded. "You will."
Rick and Michonne nodded and I looked at Michonne.
"Good luck." I said.
"Thanks." She said and stared at me. "You too."
I already knew what she meant by that and I self-consciously covered my neck. They then turned around and disappeared behind the trees. Rick and I took one last look behind us before continuing on.
Eventually we made it to the front of the herd and stayed behind the tree line. I saw Daryl on his bike with Sasha and Abraham still following in the truck. The herd was a decent distance away from them and still on track.
I saw that Daryl was clearly frustrated and that was probably because he didn't know what was going on at home. I had to go back out there with him. I was about to run into the road when Rick stopped me by grabbing my arm.
"I need to go." I said and yanked my arm out of his grasp.
"It's dangerous." He said.
"It's already dangerous. How can I make it worse?" I asked as I rubbed my arm.
Rick sighed and glanced down at my wound. "How are you going to explain that to Daryl?" He asked.
"I don't know yet." I said. "I honestly don't want to."
I took another look at the herd and sighed. I looked back at Rick and hugged him real quick.
"I'll see you back at home. Be careful." I said.
"You too." Rick sighed.
I then walked away and ran ahead of the herd. I saw my chance to run out and took it. I stood in the middle of the road and saw Daryl speed up.
He stopped in front of me and I quickly hopped onto his bike. I held him tightly and sighed with relief once I touched him.
"Kell?!" He exclaimed.
"Hi honey." I said.
He shook his head and sat up straighter. I felt him tense up but I decided to rest my head on his shoudler and kiss his neck.
"What happened to your neck?" He asked through gritted teeth.
I sighed and held my breath. For some reason, for the first time since I've known Daryl, I was scared to tell him anything.
"These people attacked Alexandria. One of them found me... and umm.. held a knife up to my throat--" I said.
"He dead?" Daryl cut me off.
I sighed and nodded my head. "Of course."
I rubbed his shoudlers but there was still tendeness in his body.
"And Lee is safe. I made sure." I added and felt Daryl let out his breath he was holding in.
Daryl then whisteled and called out Sasha's name. She drove next to us and rolled down the window, and Abraham was watching the herd.
"How much left?" Daryl asked.
"About 15 or so. Just under five." Sasha said.
"Will you be good?" He asked.
"Good? What do you mean?" Sasha asked unsure.
"I need to go check on home." Daryl said. "I know a back road."
"What?!" I said. "Home is fine. We need to stay here."
"Kelley." Daryl sighed. "I need to go." He said and revved his engine
"You can't just leave us!" Sasha yelled out but it was no use.
"They'll catch up to us!" Abraham shouted, constantly turning back towards the herd.
"Daryl!" I said.
He looked at them and then glanced back at me.
"You'll be fine." He said.
Daryl revved the engine again and sped off.
"Daryl!" I yelled over the wind. "Daryl, STOP!"
He kept on riding and we were now long gone. I hit his shoulder but it didn't phase him. I looked behind us and the herd was barely visible. Daryl then turned right and sped down an empty road.
Nothing was behind us or in front of us.
Daryl took a few more turns and we were completely isolated.
"Daryl, stop man." I said.
"We're going home." He said.
"Home is fine. Sasha and Abraham need us now." I raised my voice at him.
He just shook his head and ignored me, and I was tired of it. I reached my hand forward and clutched the brake, making the bike halt to a stop. The bike balanced on its front tire and Daryl slammed his feet down onto the ground.
I pushed Daryl's back and got off the bike. He jumped off and stared at me.
"The hell were you thinking?! You could've killed us." He yelled.
"You should've listened." I yelled back.
I held my throat in pain and gently rubbed it. Daryl finally took a look at me and saw the blood on my hands and got a good look at my neck.
"You're telling me home is fine after someone did this to you?" He asked and caressed my neck.
I grabbed his hands and held them.
"I told you, they're all dead. It's fine there, but not here." I said.
Daryl sighed and I caressed his hands.
"Daryl, please. We just need to go back. Rick told us to--" I started to say, but Daryl yanked his hands away from me.
"Oh, screw him." Daryl cut me off. "You don't understand! I need to go home! I don't care what Rick said."
"Why?" I pleaded. "I was there myself, everything is fine. Don't you trust me?"
"I need to see it myself Kelley!" He raised his voice at me. "I need to know if it's still safe for my baby!"
I just scoffed and then took a step back.
"Your baby?" I asked rudely.
"Our baby, Kell." He quickly corrected.
I crossed my arms and shook my head. "No. NO! He's your baby." I sarcastically said.
"Well, he is mine too." Daryl said.
"No shit Daryl." I yelled. "You think I don't know that?"
He just threw up his hands and stared at me.
"What do you want from me?!" He yelled.
"The truth!" I yelled back. "What happened to us?!"
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"You think I haven't noticed the way you've been with me? Ever since Terminus, since we were stranded out on the road, you've treated me like I was dead weight." I yelled.
"That's not true." He said.
"Then what is? Because you don't talk to me anymore!" I yelled.
"Oh, sorry I couldn't be attending to you every second because I had to focus on keeping you alive! You were pregnant Kell and we were in some deep shit!" He yelled at me.
"I know that!" I cried. "I went through the same thing, you're acting like I didn't!"
"I don't understand what you want me to do right now." He said and started pacing back and forth.
A long moment of silence passed and the tensions were still high.
"You think I'm weak." I said outloud.
"I never said that." He instanly said back.
"You didn't have to!" I said. "I saw it in your eyes everytime you looked at me. And then Lee came around and all I wanted to do was be with him--"
"I--" Daryl said.
"No!" I yelled and pushed his chest. "Do not interrupt me!"
"Kell--" He started to say.
I pushed his chest again and screamed in frustration.
"Fuck you Daryl, listen to me!" I cried.
He put up his hands and stepped away from me.
"Fucking, don't you get it?" I yelled. "I carried him in my stomach for nine months, I went through the absolute pain of birthing him, and now I have another piece of me in this fucking nightmare of a world that is my responsibility to protect!" I said and touched my chest. "That is MY baby! Not like how I adopted Judith or Carl, but Lee is my own blood and screw you for thinking that makes me weak. Being a mother has only made me stronger."
"I never said you were weak!" Daryl yelled back. "Don't you think if I thought you were I would've left a long time ago?"
"Then I don't understand you anymore Daryl because I can't possibly think of anything else that would make you hate me." I yelled.
"I don't hate you! I love you Kelley, more than anything--" He said.
"And I do too, but I can't tell anymore. You don't show it!" I yelled. "So what happened?"
"Nothing happened." Daryl said and shook his head.
"Clearly something did." I said and walked over to him. "So tell me."
"No." He said.
I got closer to him. "Tell me what happened to us. What happened to you?" I said.
"Nothing happened to me!" He raised his voice.
"You liar, tell me the truth!" I raised my voice back.
"That is the truth!" He yelled.
"What is?" I yelled.
"You know." He yelled.
"Tell me the truth Daryl!" I yelled in his face.
"I was afraid!" Daryl yelled. "I-I still am... I'm afraid okay!"
I sighed and just looked at Daryl who I saw had tears forming in him eyes. I couldn't help but cry too and wiped my tears.
"It's okay to be afraid. That's what keeps us alive." I said. "I'm always afraid, but that's why I have you."
I gently put my hand on his chest and he let out a sob. I sighed and pulled him in for a hug.
"You are the one person who has been there for me through everything. You are my rock." I cried. "I can't lose you to your fears. You have to be better than that. You are better than that Daryl..."
Daryl nodded and looked at me. He caressed my face and wiped away my tears, and I did the same to him.
"I'm so sorry." He said.
I just nodded and tucked his hair behind his ear. I calmed down and slowly pulled him in for a kiss. He hesitantly put his hands around my waist and soon pulled me into his embrace.
We stopped our kiss to get some air and he wiped the last of his tears from his eyes.
"I do love you Kell. And our baby." He said.
I just nodded and looked away to hide my fresh tears.
"You are the strongest person I know..." He said as he hugged me and buried his head into the crook of my neck. "Stronger than I will ever be..."