When the dead roam - (Daryl Dixon)

Chapter 71 - Okay, friend

Louise had ran towards the RV quicker than anybody would have thought possible. Her breathing was hitched and beads of sweat dripped down the back of her neck but as she jumped up into the vehicle, she didn't care.

"Maggie, hey, you okay?" she asked, dropping to her knees next to the small cabin bed that Maggie resided on. The pregnant woman had derailed quickly. Her once pale skin was a sickly shade of grey and her lips were an alarmingly dark blue. A worn pink blanket lay draped over her body, loosely covered one half of her body as her temperature fluctuated rapidly between hot and cold.

"Lou..."

"I'm here, you're gonna be alright" she said, pulling the blanket up to her friends neck "Where's Glen?"

Maggie coughed. "He went to get Daryl back with Michonne"

"Okay, well, you'll just have to settle for me then I guess" she sighed. "You cut your hair?"

She nodded bleakly.

"I like it, it suits you"

"Here" Maggie said quietly, holding out her hand towards the worried female. A small hair tie sat on her palm. "I saved it for you"

A soft chuckle escaped her lips as she gratefully took the band from her. "Thanks, we'll get you help, alright? Sit tight"

She pushed herself up from the floor and walked towards the front of the RV, tapping Rick on the shoulder as she passed him. The Sheriff offered her a small smile and returned to his conversation with Sasha and Carl. Abraham sat in the drivers seat, his fiery red beard blowing slightly in the breeze from the open window. He nodded at Lou as she slipped into the seat beside him and tied her hair back.

With each mile they drove, Maggie grew worse and their hopes for her to be okay lessened. With a heavy sigh, Lou ran her hands through her hair and rested against the window with her eyes closed.

"What the bitch?" Abraham breathed, effectively knocking her out of the second of peace that she had.

"What in the holy hell is that?" she gasped, leaning forwards in the seat.

"What?" Rick yelled from the back of the vehicle.

Lou narrowed her eyes. "Enemy close!"

Slowly, Abraham pulled the vehicle to a stop, a few meters away from the blocked road. A group of seven men stood strategically over the concrete, scattered lightly around a large car.

"We doin' this?" Abraham asked, looking back towards Rick.

"No" he answered. "We're just gonna talk to them"

One by one, they exited the RV. Their weapons were kept at their sides as they followed the Sheriff towards the enemy. He kept his hands in the air and stopped a few meters from the front of the vehicle.

"We can make a deal, right here, right now" he yelled.

The tallest male stepped forwards and laughed. A perfectly fitted grey shirt hung over his body, stopping just above an impeccably clean pair of jeans. His skin was clear, not a single blemish of blood or dirt resided on his body. He was too...tidy.

"That's right, we can. Give us all your stuff" he stated. "We'll probably have to kill one of you. That's just the way it is, but then we can start moving forwards on business. All you have to do is listen"

"Yeah...that deals not gonna work for us" Rick sighed, a smirk evident on his face. "Fact is, I was about to ask for all of your stuff, only...I don't have to kill any of you. Well...any more of you"

The male chuckled and glanced at his gun. "Sorry, my deal is the only deal. We don't negotiate"

"Well, then, me and my people are leaving"

The group backed away towards the RV and cautiously clambered up the steps.

"Okay, friend. Plenty of ways to get where you're goin'"

Rick stopped in front of the door and turned back towards the Saviours. "You wanna make today your last day on earth?"

"No" he shrugged his shoulders. "But that is a good thing to bring up. Think about it. What if it's the last day on earth for you? For someone you love? What if that's true? Maybe you should be extra nice to those people in that RV, 'cause you never know" he snapped his fingers together. "Just like that. Be kind to each other...like you said...like it's your last day on earth"

Rick nodded and laced his fingers through the door handle. "You do the same"

The door slammed shut behind him and the vehicle reversed slowly.

"We got a route" Lou said to Rick, beckoning him towards the small table that was covered in a map of their surrounding areas. "It's a longer trip by a third but we'd get the scenic safety"

"We could see them from all angles" Sasha agreed, nodding at them as she traced her fingers over the paper. Louise stood from her seat and reclaimed her position at the front of the vehicle.

"Okay" Rick sighed. "Lets go"

It wasn't long until the group were stopped again. Another, larger, group of Saviors blocked their next road, guns in hand. Abraham hit the steering wheel in frustration.

"Bitch nuts" he grumbled. "We makin' our stand?"

"Yeah" Carl said, leaning over the drivers seat besides Louise. "We end it"

"No" Rick grumbled. "Not now. They've been waiting, their ready. With one of us behind the wheel, that's five on sixteen. We're gonna play it out way, how we want it. Right?"

Carl sighed and nodded his head. "Right"

"Right, go slow"

The group shot at the air as the RV reversed and Lou couldn't help but wonder who they were warning. More Saviours, or their group?