Penance (Book One): Daryl Dixon x Sage Wilson

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Within an hour, we had reached an open field. It was surrounded by a wooded region, which we were currently in. I squint as I try to look out into the distance, and to the north I see a small building and smoke coming from the top of it.

"Daryl, look. It looks like a house," I hit his shoulder, pointing to the distance. "You think she went there by chance? I mean It's pretty close to the highway, maybe two hours out walking distance."

"Maybe, worth a shot." We continue to walk ahead, out of breath and leg muscles fatigued to shreds.

     Within moments, a loud bang sounded.

     I whip my head, seeing crowd depart from trees at an ungodly speed. I look to Daryl as he pulls out his crossbow, and I pull out my gun and aim it towards the source.

      "That sounded close by... do you think it's a group? Or our people?" I ask Daryl, looking around and through the tree like trying to find any movement.

    "I don't know, but we can't go out into that field. It'll make us a clear target." Daryl kneels down behind a clump of trees and I follow suit. The trees in the distance seemed to stand still, but there was distant shouting. I lean in, trying to make out what the shouts were saying.

"Get him to the farm, now!" A masculine voice cries out. I look to Daryl, who happens to be just a foot away from my face. I try not to make eye contact with his blue ones, but a part of me felt like I couldn't look away. He had a specific musk to him, whether it was a mix of motor oil, sweat, and poignant cheap cigars.

     I was finally able to shake off the awkward stare, standing up. "We need to go, they're heading towards the farm. I just heard them." I start towards the field, running in a steady pace with Daryl trailing behind me.

I look out to the left, trying to see who and where the people were that were running are.

     "Holy shit, Daryl!" I hit his shoulder as I point to the familiar man with a sheriff hat riding on full speed on a brown horse with another man, paired next to another horse with a woman on it. "It's Rick! But he's carrying..." I squint and try to see who he was holding, but then the gunshot snd screams registered to my brain.

     "Carl, shit!" Daryl finished

"Holy shit." I breathe as we start sprinting in full speed, trying to chase after the horses. The acid in my stomach was traveling up to my chest, and my legs were growing numb.

The farm seemed to grow closer as we ran faster, and I felt as if my legs were invisible and nonexistent. We start to close in on a white picket fence, a bit white farm alongside a red barn standing in a pasture.

     I see the horses parked outside of the house, a bigger man with a white beard and a girl with short brown hair standing and talking. I walk up to them with Daryl, my hand hovering over my gun. You couldn't trust any one nowadays.

     "We are the friends of the boy and the man that just rode in on your horse," I call out a bit as they notice me. The girl with short brown hair crosses her arms, and the big man looks down. "Mind me asking what the hell happened?"

     "I thought he was a deer!" The big man exclaims, looking down in disappointment. He looked on the verge of breaking down.

     "You shot Carl?" Daryl asks in an accusatory tone. "He's a kid!" Daryl jabs a finger in the guys chest, the girl putting a hand in her gun.

     "Daryl, stop. Please." I try to calm him down, so I could analyze the situation.

     "What happened." I ask one more time, but gesture to the girl.

     "The name is Maggie. Anyways. We were in the woods, Otis here was trying to find a deer. Shot blank in the trees, but we saw a kid and his dad come rushing out instead. Hauled ass to get him here." She says in her small southern accent.

     "Well is he okay?" I ask feeling my heart beat race faster. We couldn't spare another child lost to this damn world.

     "My father, Hershel. He's a doctor. He should have him patched up; was a shoulder shot but the fragments busted inside. If you want you can go inside and check on him." Maggie points towards the door and I nod towards Daryl as we go up to the wooden porch.

     Inside of the living room stood the whole group, their arms crossed and nails being bit. Lori walked back and forth, her hair tangled and her cheeks swollen. Shane leaned against the wall, rubbing his head, and the rest of everyone was on the couch.

     "Where's Carl?" Daryl demands as Lori points to the room down the hall.

     "Sophia?" Carol stands up, her hands clasped looking at me with hope. I bite my lip and shake my head, wishing I had better news. But that also meant they haven't found her either.

     Daryl and I both enter the room, Rick and a frail looking old man with white hair as white as Santa Clause digging inside of Carl's shoulder.

     "Rick?" Rick looks at us, tears in his eyes and blood soaked clothes from head to toe.

     "Jesus," I turn towards the wall, leaning my head against my arm.

     "Will he be okay?" Daryl asks, trying to conceal his nerves.

     "Should be an easy patch. Eight fragments in the shoulder, each one of them I was able to pick out individually. He lost quite a bit of blood but luckily Rick was a match." The old man speaks, his soft voice reassuring the worry filled in the room.

     This was one hell of a hay ride I wanted the hell off of.