my angel ➶ ➶ daryl dixon

f i f t y s i x

We had been kept in the train car for a few days. We had received limited food and water, and could only see the outside world through cracks in the wood. I had gotten to know the new faces fairly well, and it was nice to have a bigger group again. They shared the stories of their travels, and how they had found our friends.

Even though we were stuck in a pretty cramped space, it was nice to be in a relatively stable place with Daryl. I spent pretty much all day by his side or in his lap, and he didn't seem to have many complaints.

However, the group was growing restless. The men had been sharpening belts and zippers to create weapons. Today was the day we would attack.

"Alright we got four of em pricks headed our way." Daryl said from his vantage point through a crack in the door.

"We all know what to do." Rick said to the group. "Go for their eyes first, then their throats." He readied himself by the door, and we all crowded around behind him.

"Put your backs to the wall at either end of the car!" A man yelled from outside, but no one budged. I glanced at Daryl, and he looked down at me, giving me a reassuring nod. Everyone tightened their grip on their weapons, and I held my gun up. Metal began to shift, but the door didn't move. Suddenly, the skylight above us opened, and a canister was dropped into the car. 

"Move!" Abraham yelled, and we all scattered to the ends of the train car while smoke quickly filled it. We all began to choke, and I couldn't see more than a few inches in front of my face. I felt a pair of hands grab my side, and I kicked in the direction of the man's groin, earning a satisfying grunt. I moved away from the man, only to be grabbed by another. I cried out as a sharp pain filled my left leg, and I fell to the ground.

The door to the train car was pulled open, and the smoke began to disperse from the room. I watched as two men pulled an unconscious Daryl through the opening and I called out, "Daryl!" But it was no use, he had clearly received a serious blow to head. I was dragged out a few minutes behind him, but Daryl was no where to be found. Everyone else is on the ground in front of the car except for Rick, Glenn, and Bob.

A man walks up and stands over top of me. "Such a shame the pretty ones go to waste." He sneers, as his foot fills my vision, and everything goes black.

*****

My eyes slowly open, as a ringing fills my ears. The air is full of smoke, and Terminus is in chaos. I can see a large fire in the distance, and people are running towards it. I sit up, but nausea quickly fills my body. I turn to my left, puking. I wipe my mouth, and look around for the others. Maggie, Sasha, and Carl are just a few feet away from me, but I couldn't see anyone else. I try to stand up, but my leg gives out.

I bite my lip to suppress a scream as I look down, and see that my ankle is badly swollen. I feel a hand on my shoulder, and jump back, until I see that it is Maggie. "Are you ok?" She had to practically yell to be heard over the mayhem.

"My leg." I point to it, and her eyes widen.

"Let's find our people." She beckons Sasha over, and Carl follows her.

"Aspen!" Carl's eyes are filled with worry.

"I'm alright buddy. Nothing too bad." He obviously didn't believe me, but hopefully it reassured him a bit for now. Maggie threw one of my arms around her shoulder, and I scooted up to a standing position. Gunfire echoed around us, as we made our way around the train station. I managed to keep up pretty well, using Maggie as a crutch.

There was no sign of our friends, but the number of walkers around us was growing. Sasha and Carl were trying their best to keep them at bay, but it was quickly becoming unsafe. "Maggie we need to find somewhere, and fast." She nodded her head, and we quickened our pace. As we turned a corner I crashed into a large torso, and fell to the ground, grimacing in pain.

"Abraham, thank god." Sasha said as Maggie helped me back up. Rosita, Eugene, Michonne, and Tara were all with him. We had found at least the majority of our group.

"You alright?" Abraham asked me.

"Not really no. One of the guys did something to my ankle." Abraham looked down to my now purple leg.

"Let's get out of here." Michonne said, making her way through the alley, and towards the chain link fence. The group surrounded me and Maggie, making sure no walkers could get to us. A few shots were fired above our heads, and Abraham aimed his gun at the sniper who had shot them, when he was shot off the roof. I spun my head to see Rick aiming his gun at the guy. He began to run towards us, followed by Daryl, Bob, and Glenn. I sighed in relief, and kept making my way towards the forest.

I felt Maggie give a little under my weight, and we almost fell, when a pair of strong arms caught me. "I've got er." Daryl said to Maggie, and she gave him a smile, making her way to the front of the group besides Glenn. I turned into Daryl's arms, and he wrapped himself around me.

"I thought you were dead." I whispered.

"Nah. It gonna take more than some dumbass cannibals to take me out." He chuckled, and wiped a tear from under my eye. "What happened to ya?"

"Some guy messed up my ankle pretty bad." I sighed.

"Ya ok?"

"Much better now." I gave him a small smile and a quick kiss before we caught up to the rest of the group.

"It's not over til they're all dead." Rick said as he rummaged through his bag of guns that he unburied.

"Like hell it is. That place is on fire." Rosita responded.

"Their fences are down. They'll run or die." Maggie tried to reason with him.

Before anyone else could try to explain to Rick why his plan was a bad idea, a branch snapped from behind us. We all turned toward the noise, where we were met with a battered Carol. Her eyes filled with tears as we all made our way towards her. "Did you do that?" Rick asked her quietly, referring to the explosion.

She nodded, and Rick wrapped her in a hug. "You need to come with me." She said, and we fell in step behind her.

*****

We walked along a dirt path for a bit, before we reached a wooden cabin. Carol walked up the steps ahead of us, and knocked on the door. Tyreese stepped out, holding a small baby. My jaw dropped as I realized who it was. Judith.

Rick dropped his guns and sprinted towards the house. He scooped Judith up in his arms, and cradled the baby. Carl was quick behind him, and the two shared a loving embrace. Daryl helped me make my way over to them, and I rubbed the baby's cheek. She was so small and pure, such a rare sight in this dark world.

Rick smiled at me with tears rolling down his cheeks, as I felt a few wet my own. Our family was back together again.