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

S8Pt16 - What Comes After

After defeating Negan, the Saviors went back to the Sanctuary, and since then have been improving bits of it. We started tolerating each other, slowly putting our differences aside, and began creating a real life for all of us.
Daryl and I were in a truck, driving to the Sanctuary with Dwight in the bed of the pickup. We were going to let him go back to sort out his stuff, plus I had to talk to Eugene. After the bullets misfired on the battlefield, I knew then that it could've only meant one thing.
We parked outside the entrance of the Sanctuary, and Daryl told Dwight to stay in the truck for now. I then got out and saw Eugene walking down from the balcony with a box of fresh vegetables in his hand. I whistled at him, and he nodded as he put down the crate and walked down towards me. Daryl leaned on the open door of the truck and watched me from afar, and I waved Eugene over, and he slightly jogged up to me. We stared at each other, and Eugene wasn't sure of what to say first, but I knew why I was here.
"What happened to the guns?" I then asked, breaking the silence. "I want to know, was that you?"
"It was." Eugene said and nodded. "I introduced a sabotaging aspect to the manufacturing process unbeknownst to my colleagues, inspired by Gabriel's purposeful ineptitude. And a few things you imparted to me before I vomited on you. Ergo, I created a modicum of phooey for a full kablooey." Eugene explained.
"Why'd you do it?" I then asked him.
"You were right, and I was wrong." Eugene said. "Even though I turned my back on you guys, I was being misguided. I knew that I didn't want you to die, and I'd like to believe that, besides all previous encounters and duels, that you all are still my friends."
I just sighed and nodded my head, and looked at Eugene, who stared back at me. I then leaned back and for good measure, I raised up my fist and socked him in the jaw, and he grunted in pain. I heard a couple gasps and Daryl scoffed in shock. Eugene just held his face and looked back at me, and I was shaking my hand because the punch hurt me a little.
"That's for the puke." I then said.
"Fair play." Eugene said and rubbed his jaw.
"We'll talk soon." I said.
I then walked away from Eugene back over to the truck. Daryl whistled at me and I just opened the truck door. I sat down and closed the door, and Daryl did too. He put his hands on the keys in the ignition and just started chuckling to himself. 
"You feel better?" He asked me.
"Yup." I said and shook my hand again. "Son of a bitch has tough bones."
Daryl just chuckled again before turning on the engine, and we left the Sanctuary. I didn't know what Daryl had in mind, but he was taking us into the forest. I knew he was going to do something with Dwight, and he wanted me there with him to witness, but I could only guess what Daryl was planning.
Once we got far enough into the forest, Daryl parked the truck and turned off the engine. We both got out, and Daryl told Dwight to hop off the truck.
Dwight nodded and jumped out the back of the truck, and now he and Daryl were staring at each other in the small clearing surrounding us. I just crossed my arms and leaned against the truck to watch, observing what Daryl was about to do to Dwight.
Dwight then sighed and looked Daryl in the eyes, who was completely silent. "I know why I'm here." Dwight said and paused. "I know what I did to Denise. To Kelley. To you. Other people. And it doesn't matter why. I knew I'd have to face it... to pay, and I should. I'm ready."
Then my stomach sank, and I knew what was going to happen now. I was going to witness Daryl execute this man. I didn't want this. I didn't want to watch, but I continued listening.
Dwight then smiled to himself and chuckled up at the sky. "I got to see Negan taken down, and that's enough." He said and took a deep breath. "Me? I'm a piece of shit. There's no going back to how things were..."
Dwight then dropped down to his knees and bowed his head. He took another deep breath and instinctually started crying.
"I'm sorry." Dwight said and looked up at Daryl. "Look I'm so sorry. Please." He pleaded and cried. "Please."
"Shut up." Daryl just said.
He then tossed the keys to the truck at his legs, and Dwight was still crying as he picked them up.
"You go, and you keep going." Daryl said. "Don't you ever come back here again. If I ever see your face around here again, I'll kill you... I'm not doing this for you, I'm doing this for me. So, go out there and make it right."
Dwight held the keys tightly in his hands and kept crying, but Daryl walked away. He approached me and I smiled at him. He didn't kill Dwight, but instead gave him a chance. He saved someone today, and I was proud of that.
I held out my arm and raised my hand up to his face and caressed his cheek. I felt a tear sliding down my face and chuckled at Daryl. He just bowed his head and I brought my forehead forwards to touch his.
"I proud of you, Daryl." I whispered, and he just nodded. "I love you." I then pulled away and grabbed his hand, holding it tightly. "Let's go home."