When the dead roam - (Daryl Dixon)

Chapter 73 - On your knees

Rick paced through the vehicle, his hands placed on top of his head and eyes locked on the floor. "So what's the play? She needs a doctor"

"There are two more routes from here" Sasha said, tracing her forefinger over the parchment.

Louise crossed her arms over her chest and leant against the bedroom door. "They're probably waiting for us by now"

"But they're not waiting on us, per se, they're waiting on this rust bucket" Eugene said from his seat by the cracked window. "And they don't know the moment-to-moment occupancy of said rust bucket...and the sun sets soon"

"Okay, so we take her on foot and someone stays to drive the RV" Lou said, moving towards the table. "We've exhausted every other option and she needs to get there, like, yesterday"

"But what if they see that coming?"

She sighed. "It's a risk we're gonna have to take"

"Okay...everyone get ready" Rick said, grabbing the red fuel cannister and exiting the vehicle.

Lou rubbed the bridge of her nose as Aaron walked towards her. He placed a hand on her bicep and spoke quietly. "Are you sure about this?"

She shook her head. "No but I think it's the only choice we have"

"You stay here with Eugene" he said. "He's gonna use the RV as a diversion"

"We both know that isn't gonna happen" she stated, lifting her bow over her head and hanging it over her torso. "There is no way I'm letting her go through this alone"

"She's not alone"

"I'm going"

"Lou-"

"I'm going!" she stated. "Now help me bring her out"

- - - -

Her blade sliced through decaying skin, ending the undead life quickly and quietly. With a grunt, she pulled it backwards and kicked the body to the ground before stepping back into formation. The night sky above them provided little lightly and the tint flashlight in Carl's hand only added another meter to their vision but the group pressed onwards. They took care to avoid unnecessary noise. Maggie's life depended on their stealth and Louise was determined to get her to Hilltop unscathed.

The pregnant woman lay on a thin mattress, held in the air by Aaron, Abraham, Rick and Sasha. She was growing weaker by the second and their pace just wasn't quick enough. Louise stood on guard, silently taking out any 'walkers' that threatened to come close.

"Aaron please..." Maggie mumbled. "Just let me walk it"

"Just a few more miles" he whispered back, letting go of the mattress with one hand and pulling the blanket further up her body.

"We can't be that far now" Lou sighed, wiping the knife on her jeans.

"The baby-"

"Is gonna be fine" she said, placing a hand on Maggie's arm. "You're both gonna be f-"

She was cut off by the sound of two toned whistling echoing around them. At least fifty different voices played the same two notes over and over again as they surrounded the group. Louise looked around, frantically searching for any unfamiliar bodies but coming up empty handed - nothing but blackness surrounded them.

They were shook to their cores. Never before had any of them feared the high pitched sound of a whistle but the longer they heard the tune, the more Lou wished they had stayed in the RV.

"Go!" Rick yelled. "Go!"

They took off through the trees, weapons out in front of them. She ducked under branches and dodged trunks but the high pitched frequency still rang close. The group broke from the tree line and into the blinding light of a car beam. They stood hesitantly in their tracks, each and every one of them completely scared. Lou held up her hand up, shielding her eyes.

"Shit" she sighed as the Saviors strolled onto the road, still whistling. They were drastically outnumbered.

Vehicles blocked any escape route, boxing them in and she was willing to bet that if they tried to run, they would be shot before they made it back into the trees. There wasn't a single gap for them to escape through and there wasn't a pair of hands weaponless. Eugene's silhouette slouched in the light, his chubby frame kneeling on the floor in front of a black van.

"Good!" the leader from earlier said as he walked into view. "Welcome to 'where the hell you're goin', we'll take your weapons"

Nobody moved.

He raised his eyebrows and pointed his gun at Carl. "Now"

Rick shuffled on his feet, struggling to hold Maggie upright. "We can talk abou-"

"We're done talkin'. Time to listen" he snapped as he group paced towards them. Louise shoved a Savior back as he pulled on her bow and he laughed in response. The male rubbed his nose with the tip of his thumb and tried again. She glanced at Rick, who shook his head and then, reluctantly, she allowed the weapon to be pulled over her head.

One by one, they handed over their weapons and once he was satisfied, he continued with his instructions. "Alright...lets get her down and get you all on your knees. We have a lot to cover"

Lou took a step backwards as he approached the pregnant female.

"We got it!" she snapped, glaring at him.

He pursed his lips and nodded. "Sure. Sure"

She sighed shakily and helped Maggie climb from the mattress. The pregnant female clumsily clambered to her feet before dropping to her knees harshly a few feet away.

The male stopped in front of Louise, looking her up and down as he spoke. "I'm gonna need you on your knees"

Her eyes narrowed and she scoffed as she knelt down slowly, never once averting her gaze from his chiseled features.

"Dwight!" he yelled.

The blonde male, who had killed Denise not so long ago, pushed through the crowd, Daryl's loaded crossbow in his hand. The scar on the left side of his face seemed more threatening now. "Yeah?"

"Get 'em out"

As much as she tried to ignore it, Lou couldn't hide the panic in her face as she noticed the smears of blood across the sleek bow in his hand that glistened under the light.

"C'mon, you got people to meet" he grumbled, unlocking the black van doors as Eugene was dragged away.

Dwight yanked open the doors with a grunt and reached for the people inside. A breath caught in her throat as Michonne, Rosita, Glenn and Daryl were pulled from the interior. The hunter flinched slightly as a hand wrapped around his wrist, dragging him out of the vehicle and onto the dirt below. He landed with a thud and attempted to scramble to his feet, only to be grabbed by the back of his collar by the blonde Saviour. Each of the group had been hurt but the hunter was coated in fresh blood. A crimson stained blanket lay draped over his shoulders, barely hiding the gashes on his skin and his dark hair stuck to his face. His cheeks were damp and bruised - he had obviously put up quite a fight.

The second he noticed Louise, his eyes widened and he was filled with solid fear: the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, his palms grew sweaty and his heart began to race. Louise struggled to get towards him, the very sight of him making her blood boil but Rick discreetly held onto her wrist and shook his head at her once more.

"Maggie..." Glenn breathed, staring at his destressed wife, who looked even worse in the dim lighting.

"On your knees" Dwight growled, kicking the Asian man down.

Louise couldn't take her eyes off of Daryl. From her seat between Maggie and Rick, she had full view of his appearance and every inch of her wanted to kill Dwight for hurting him...for hurting Denise.

"Alright!" the thin male boomed. "We got a full boat...lets meet the man!"

He walked backwards to the RV, hit the door three times and stepped away.