Don't Close Your Eyes [TWD]

°•thirty two•°

Daryl grunts in pain and I quickly cry out quietly, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Panting heavily, he nods to me to continue.

The cloth I was using was originally part of my sleeve that I tore off specifically for this.  Not ideal, but if Denise taught me anything- it would hold for long enough. Daryl hisses, eyes clenching shut as I pull the cloth tighter around his arm.

"There's more of them coming," Glenn comments, eyes peeking out of the holes in the door of the van we'd been thrown into.

"It's like they're multiplying. This is a hell of a lot more than one outpost. That pendejo Gregory lied to us," Rosita growls, looking out of the window beside Glenn.

"That's as tight as I can get it," I tell Daryl, "It's too dark- I can't see if there's any fragments. You do have an exit wound, so it's possible you're better than it seems."

"Better than I feel, I hope," Daryl says, voice strained.

"You are," I tell him, wiping the sweat off his forehead and away from his eyes.

--

"Now, I need to know if you people have anything.. valuable on you?" the Savior we learned to know as 'Simon' asks, hands on his hips as he stands outside the doors.

"You took everything we have," Rosita tells him, her eyes glaring through his soul.

"No," he smiles, looking each of us in the eyes, "Not everything. Not yet."

He reaches over to Michonne, patting her cheek as his other hand brings his knife to her face. Her jaw clenches as he skims it across her jaw line before his wrist springs upwards and he cuts strands of her dreads off.

"This'll do," he nods, waving them around in front of her eyes.

"Why?" she asks, voice low.

"Something your friends can recognize you by.. They're on the way. Negan just wants them here faster."

--

"He said they're on the way," Rosita mumbles.

"The question is who," I say, pulling my knees to my chest.

"They'll be okay. They're gonna be fine," Glenn assures, his arms tight around me.

"But, why?" Michonne wonders, "Why would they leave Alexandria?"

"Just like y'all are," Daryl huffs, "Looking for me. Now, looking for us."

"Don't start that," Glenn tells him.

"Everyone's out here because of me," Daryl blames.

"Unless something else happened," Rosita says, laying her head against the wall of the truck.

"Don't think about it. Don't think about what might go wrong," Glenn says.

Michonne sighs, laying her head in her hands. Rosita doesn't make a sound. Daryl closes his eyes, cringing in pain.

I look up to Glenn, fear in my eyes.

"Don't," he repeats, brushing my hair with the arm that was around me, "Just don't."

I nod, laying my head against his chest. Carl's words play through my mind as I look to Daryl who still had his eyes closed.

'Just don't look away. Just don't close your eyes. Don't let anyone else cover them.'

Inhaling a shaky breath, I curl closer to Glenn, but keeping my eyes open.

--

Even though we were inside the van with the doors closed, the sudden eruption of the dozens of Savior outside whistling was ear piercing. Enough that Rosita and I both brought our hands to our ears, flinching at the sound.