RIDE OR DIE | DARYL DIXON

eliminate the threat

THE BARN DOORS and walls weren't thick enough to drown out the sound of Daryl's fist pounding against Randall's face.

Willow had decided to stay outside of the barn in case Daryl needed anything. She could hear Daryl yelling at the man for answers, followed by a loud grunt, bones cracking, and Randall yelling out in pain. She thought it would make her feel better, to hear Randall screaming in fear and pain, but she didn't feel anything at all. It almost, actually, bothered her.

She had noticed that the barn fell silent for a little too long.

She hoisted herself up off the ground and opened the barn door just enough to peek through the crack of it. She could clearly see Randall's face beginning to swell, blood dripping down his cheek and being spit from his mouth. She watched as Daryl grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, slamming him back up against the wall.

"How many in your group?" Daryl asked, wiping his blood covered fist on Randall's shirt.

Randall shook his head, his eyes clenched shut in pain.

Daryl took his knife out of the holster, the metal scraping against the leather material, immediately alerting Randall.

"No, no, no, no, no. Come on, man!" Randall's eyes were full of fear as he stared at the sharp tip of the knife.

In a swift motion, Daryl slammed the knife into the floor between Randall's legs, yelling at him again. "How many?"

"30!" Randall finally gave in, his body tensing away from the knife. "30 guys."

"Where?" Daryl held the knife in one hand as he used the other to further rip a hole into Randall's pants, tearing off the bandage on his leg.

"I don't know, I swear!" Randall cried out through a clenched jaw. "We were never in any place more than a night."

"Scouting?" Daryl brought the tip of the knife to healing wound on Randall's leg, digging it in slightly as he pressed for more answers. "Planning on staying local?"

"I- I don't know! They left me behind!" Randall began to sweat.

Daryl didn't like that answer.

"Did you ever pick off a scab?" He began to dig the knife deeper into the wound.

"Come on, man!" Randall squirmed under the blade. "I'm trying to cooperate!"

"Start slow at first." Daryl looked up at the man, sliding the knife down the wound. "Sooner or later you just gotta rip it off."

"Okay, okay!" Randall couldn't take it anymore. "They have weapons- heavy stuff, automatics. But I didn't do anything."

"Your boys shot at my boys, tried to take this farm." Daryl yelled in his face, spit flying from his mouth. "You just went along for the ride? You're trying to tell me you're innocent?!"

"Yes!" Randall screamed through heavy breaths. "These people took me in. Not just guys- a whole group of 'em. Men and women. Kids too- just like you people."

Daryl started to back off the more Randall spoke.

"We go out, scavenge- just the men." Randall looked up at him, keeping an eye on the placement of the knife. "One night we- we found this little campsite. A man and his two daughters- teenagers, you know? Real young. Real cute."

Before Randall could say another word, Willow kicked in the barn door, barreling towards Randall with her knife in her hand. "You son of a bitch!" she screamed at him. Randall started yelling as she got closer. She had gotten only inches away when Daryl wrapped his arms around her shoulders, lifting her up and taking her back away from Randall. She thrashed under his hold, trying to get to the pathetic man in front of her, but he was too strong. He took her all the way back to the opposite wall, finally putting her down, but keeping her against it.