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

S6Pt5 - Road Rash

I was still in Daryl's embrace with my head resting on his shoulder. He was gently rubbing my back and kissed my head.
"I love you Daryl." I whispered to him.
"I love you so much Kell." He whispered back.
I looked up at him and stared into his deep blue eyes.
"It's just you and me right baby?" I asked.
"Of course." Daryl said and caressed my cheek. "You and me. Always has been and always will be."
"Lee is safe at home, I promise you." I said.
"I know." He said quietly. "I trust you."
I slightly smiled and was about to say something when the walkie talkie beeped. We heard static and then Rick's voice crackle over the radio.
"Daryl? Kelley? Hello?" Rick's voice crackled through the radio.
Daryl took it off his belt and sighed before responding. "We're here."
The radio went silent and then we heard a deep sigh coming from Rick. Daryl looked at me confused and I just shrugged.
"Rick?" I asked and got no response. "You there..?"
Daryl then handed me the radio and I grabbed it, starting to pace back and forth trying to get rid of the static.
"Kelley? Daryl? Can---hear m--" Rick said.
"Yeah, yeah a little." I said. "What's going on?" I asked.
"It's--" Rick said. "He's dead."
I instanly got a bad feeling and started to panic, and so did Daryl.
"Who's dead?" I asked clearly.
The radio static was loud until Rick spoke a single word.
"Glenn." He said.
The walkie talkie went silent and I just stared at it. I shook my head in disbelief, refusing to believe him.
"Rick?" I called back.
All I got was static.
"Rick, hello?" I said, raising my voice a little.
Then the walkie talkie beeped a couple times and turned off. The batteries were dead.
"What? No, no, no." I cried and hit it, hoping that would some how make it work.
"Kell..." Daryl said and reached for the radio.
I cried and threw the radio into the forest. I stood there in defeat and then sank to the ground with Daryl catching me.
"He can't be dead." I cried.
Daryl just hugged me and I think he was still processing what just happened.
"He was one of the best people I knew." Daryl said.
I just shook my head and stared at the road and recalled the last conversation I had with him.
"I promised him that he would get back home." I said quietly.
And then I remembered Maggie.
"Oh no.." I said and looked at Daryl. "What about Maggie? Her husband's..." I began to say but couldn't continue the sentence.
Daryl just sighed and pulled me in for a hug. I rested my head against his chest and then we slowly stood back up. I wiped my tears and sighed deeply, letting out one last sob.
Daryl grabbed my hand and I looked at him, then slowly down the long road.
"Can we go back to help with the herd now?" I asked him. "I don't want anyone else to die."
Daryl slowly nodded and I did too, then lightly kissed my forehead. Without another word and still holding my hand, Daryl walked over to his bike and we got on. I wrapped my arms around his waist and Daryl paused for a minute to bow his head then he looked back up. He turned on the bike, revved the engine, and turned back around towards the herd.
During the ride, all I could think about was Glenn.
"How did it happen?" I wondered. "How did he let it happen?"
But then again I thought... this world is never fair. It's always something goes wrong or someone dies. You just got to learn to expect the unexpected.
So, instead of crying over his death, I will do what Glenn would expect of us. To move on. To keep surviving. To stay human. Because that is still who we are.
For Glenn.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Alright." Sasha spoke over the radio.
"That's twenty." Daryl responded back with a new walkie talkie.
"642 on the left." Abraham said. "Go home and leave the herd here."
"Sounds good." Daryl spoke back and clipped the radio back on his belt.
We drove for a few more minutes and took a turn into a small abandoned town. As soon as we arrived, we were met with gunfire. We all swerved on the road, trying not to get hit with any bullets. Sasha and Abraham were trying to gain control back from their truck, and Daryl swiftly took the next turn. Out of the way of gunfire, we were faced with a group of a dozen walkers in front of us, and more gunfire.
"Shit!" I heard Daryl cuss.
I took out my pistol and started shooting, hitting some walkers and some people. Daryl turned the bike back around and sped down the road.
Next thing I knew, my gun flew out of my hand as the motorcycle skidded across the road. Daryl and I rolled off and I felt my skin scraping against the pavement.
We groaned in pain as we got up and saw a car turn the corner. Daryl ran over to his bike and picked it up. I ran over to my gun and Daryl revved his engine impatiently. After I got on we quickly drove away with the car chasing us.
Daryl drove faster than I thought the motorcycle could and we were a couple turns ahead of the car. Daryl quickly pulled over and I helped him bring the bike far behind the tree line. We ducked down and watched as the car chasing us sped past and continued down the road. We waited another minute just to make sure whoever that was was gone, and to catch our breath.
"Come on." Daryl said and touched my arm.
We got back on his bike and drove across the road to the other side of the forest. As we went further into the forest, it suddenly changed from green and luscious to black and burnt.
"Oh my..." I whispered in shock.
All the trees were dead, with piles of burned leaves and branches covering the ground. Daryl found a clear spot and parked his bike. We got off and he laid it on the ground and began camouflaging it to hide it.
I was standing still until I collapsed to the ground in pain and exhaustion. Daryl ran over to me and I just groaned. I held my side in pain and Daryl lifted up my shirt.
"Oh.." He said quietly.
"How bad is it?" I asked and looked down.
I saw I had road rash covering my side and I bled through my shirt. Daryl pulled my shirt down and I groaned as he help me sit up.
"Are you okay to keep moving?" Daryl asked.
I nodded and slowly got up. "I gotta be."
I then took the radio off of Daryl's belt and tried to contact Sasha and Abraham but all I got was static.
I tossed Daryl back the walkie talkie and just sat there. I bowed my head and felt a tear stream down my cheek.
"Come on Kell, we gotta keep moving." Daryl said.
I just shook my head and stared at the ground. "Everything's gone... just gone."
He then knelt down infront of me and lifted my chin.
"Kell, you're strong. We're gonna make it through this." Daryl said but I still didn't move. "Lee is waiting for us at home." He said.
I lifted my head to see him looking at me, and I saw that look of love I have been waiting for.
"We have to make it home." He said.
I nodded and he did too. "Okay." I whispered.
In the distance we heard a branch snap and we instanly turned our heads. I raised both of my pistols and Daryl did his crossbow. We looked behind a few trees until we came across two women with their hands in the air.
"You found us, okay." The older one said.
A second later, another branch snapped behind us. Before we fully turned around, I saw in the corner of my eye a gun.
The butt of the gun hit Daryl in the head and he blacked out. I then saw a man looking at me, and before I had any chance to shoot him he raised up his gun.
Everything went blurry, then foggy, then nothing.