RIDE OR DIE | DARYL DIXON

a handful

"SO YOU AND DARYL?" Lori watched Rick heading towards camp, getting ready to go back to the city for the lost Dixon. "That's your plan?"

Willow and Glenn stood beside each other, Rick shooting Glenn a look. "Oh, come on." Glenn sighed.

"You know the way, you've been there before. In and out, no problem. You said so yourself."

Glenn took off his hat, rubbing his head anxiously.

"I'll come." Willow spoke up. "I've been in Atlanta for a little bit now. I may not be as familiar with it as Glenn, but I can help." Not only that, but it was another chance for her to possibly find her brother.

Rick looked over to her, a glimpse of doubt in his eye for a second, but he nodded.

Daryl grunted off to the side, wiping his arrows with a red cloth. "My day just gets better and better, don't it?" Willow glared at him.

"That's just great, now you're gonna risk three of our people, huh?" Shane said with a disgusted look on his face, glimpsing towards Willow and Rick. "You're putting every single one of us at risk, just know that Rick. You saw that walker." Shane pointed out into the woods. "It was here. It was in camp. They're moving out of the cities, we need every able body we got."

"Seems to me what you really need her is more guns." Rick responded, tilting his head.

"Right." Glenn stepped up. "The guns."

"What guns?" Willow questioned.

"Six shotguns, two high-powered rifles, over a dozen handguns. I cleaned out the cage back at the police station before I left." Rick answered, turning his words back to Shane. "I dropped the bag in Atlanta when I got swarmed. It's just sitting there on the street waiting to be picked up. 700 rounds, assorted."

Shane finally eased up at the thought of having more guns to protect camp.

"Got any bolt cutters?" Rick asked Dale and Jim who sat against the open front of the RV. Rick was able to bargain the bolt cutters with a gun for Dale and the radiator hose from the truck once they got back. Sudden honking from the truck made everyone jump, Willow looking back to see Daryl kicking the horn of it.

"Come on, let's go!"

Willow let Sienna fall into the care of Carol until she got back from the trip, kissing her little head lightly before heading to the truck. She felt like she could puke, leaving her daughter behind, but it would happen eventually.

Glenn sat behind the wheel and Rick in the passenger, leaving Daryl and Willow in the back of the truck. They sat awkwardly, Daryl muttering curses under his breath as they made their way toward the city.

"You take that thing everywhere?" Willow asked daryl, nodding her head toward the crossbow by his side.

He didn't answer, just a subtle nod as he picked at the skin around his fingers.

"I have an older brother too." She spoke softly, trying to loosen the tension between everyone. "His name's Ashton, but my father and I called him Ash." She smiled at the memories that popped into her head. "I found him a little bit ago, but got separated again back in Atlanta."

"And?" Daryl scoffed, obviously bored and not wanting to hear any of it.

"I'm still holding onto hope for him." She scooted her knees into her chest. "You should for your brother too."

He glared at her. "Ain't got no hope for nothin'."

-

They left the truck on some abandoned railroad tracks a few blocks out from the building Merle was left at, walking the rest of the way, but taking notice of where they had left the truck so they can return.