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

S9Pt3 - When There's Tension, There's Me

The rest of us walked out of the museum by the time everything was all packed up and ready to move. Maggie then walked over and looked behind us at the museum.
"What happened in there?" She asked. "I heard yelling."
She made eye contact with me and I just stared back at her, and I knew she was staring at my face with fresh cuts and now a new hair cut.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" I then said.
I just walked past her, our eyes remaining locked as our heads turn. I then turned around first and refused to look at her again, and walked over to my horse. I untied him from the railing and groaned as I mounted him, holding my side with my hand.
"Kelley, let me check you out." Daryl said as he stood at the stirrups.
"I'm fine." I said and slightly lifted up my shirt, noticing a red line around my waist now forming. "It's just a rope burn, I'll be fine."
I then turned my horse around and looked at Rick. "I'm gonna scout ahead. I'll rendezvous with you down the road in 20. H'yah."
Before I could hear anyone tell me different, I kicked my horse into a trot down the streets of D.C, until I found myself galloping across the roads of Virginia.

~~~~~~~~~~

I was approaching the bridge we were supposed to take to get back home, but I found it destroyed. It broke in the middle of the bridge right above the river, and my only guess was the herd came through. With all their weight, they must've caved it in, fell, and got washed away. It even destroyed our walkie repeater we had here. Lucky for us though, at least a small portion of the herd must be gone now. Bad news is that it was going to take us a lot longer to get home.
I groaned in frustration when I saw the bridge, and because I felt my side continue to burn from the rope. I turned my horse back around and began galloping back to the group who I know was going to come this way. On my way back, I slowed to a trot when I heard the rev of a motorcycle, and slowed to a stop when Daryl drove up next to me.
"What'd you see?" He asked.
"The herds must've merged and came through. Tore down the bridge. We gotta turn back, use another route." I said.
"Alright." Daryl said.
"Let's go." I said, and then patted the horse's neck. "Come on."
I kicked the horse into a trot and waited for Daryl to catch up. We rode side by side with each other until we reached the group, and they all stopped.
"Rick, the bridge is down. You should go check it out." I said. "The herd must've went through there."
"They're moving quickly. They were just here, and now they're back." Michonne said and looked over at Rick.
"I wanna go look ahead, see if I spot the herd. I'll meet you at the bridge." I told him.
Rick nodded at me and then waved everyone forwards. I nodded back and went in the opposite direction. The roads were clear and I was just a mile from the next bridge when I saw the herd in a distant valley to my left. It definitely got larger, so I was right in thinking one of the groups merged with the other. They were miles wide and slowly headed our way.
"Damn it." I muttered.
I then galloped back towards Rick and the group, and check on an alternative route, before I met them waiting in front of the destroyed bridge. I halted to a stop next to Rick, and just shook my head when he looked at me.
"Another herd merged into Slivia, so now it's even bigger. One of them came through here and the back end took down the bridge." I explained.
Rick then got off his horse and inspected the bridge, finding the broken repeater.
"Yup, they destroyed that too." I sighed.
"What about Route A? Is that clear yet?" Daryl said.
I just shook my head. "Another herd is coming that way, it's too close." I said.
"We can get to Alexandria from this side." Michonne said. "Stay there till it passes."
"No." Maggie then said. "Route A has taken days to clear before. I need to get home to Hershel."
"We could take Route D. It's early enough in the day." Carol suggested.
"Keep an eye on the trade road in case anyone else tries to move through." Rick said as he turned around and then got back on his horse. "Gabriel, y'all can head back to Alexandria from here. The rest of us can go to Hilltop and Sanctuary. Stay the night, and head off from there." Rick said.
We all nodded and began moving, racing against time and the herd we knew was approaching.