Loving You || Daryl Dixon

Chapter Twenty-Five- Till You Come Back Home

Jordyn's POV

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   For days we walked up and down the river looking for Rick. We even walked as far as the Ocean to see if he was there. Daryl and I spent so much time out there looking for even the slightest clue.

  
***Six Years Later...***

   It had been six years since Rick disappeared. I say disappeared because we never found a body. We never found a body, or a walker, nothing. We didn't find shit, Rick was on that bridge six years ago and then he just vanished into thin air.

   It pissed me off more that he was just gone without a clue. The only thing of his we found was his gun.

   Daryl and I scavenged the woods and river for him the last six years. We even walked through the river to find even his body. Every old campsite we found we searched, hoping it was from him. Maybe he got amnesia and forgot who he was. I came up with different reasons why he was gone, I refused to believe he was dead.

   We went back home empty everyday and by the fourth year we went out once a week to look. Most of the other people helping us quit early on, everyone believed Rick was dead.

   I honored his last words, "Jordyn, just stay there. Tell Michonne and Judith I love them. Lead our people the way we planned Princess, I love you"

   I took over leading Alexandria alongside Michonne. I was still the top person on the council too. I was determined to keep building the life Rick and Carl imagined, I was doing this for them and the children.

   Wren was about five-six years old, she looked more and more like Daryl everyday. Everyone always said she looked like me, but she was Daryl's twin.

   Judith grew up a hell of a lot. Even though she wasn't Rick's daughter, she looked just like him. Michonne was pregnant with Rick's son RJ right before Rick went missing. I helped deliver him months later.

   Things were going good, despite missing the biggest part of us.

   We were invited by the King to a fair at the Kingdom. It was to reunite the three communities. Michonne said no. Ever since Rick went missing things have been different. We were hardly communicating with the others and became strict on allowing new people in. Regardless, we were going to that fair.

   Judith went on a run with Aaron, Rosita, and a few others. When they came back they had people with them, five of them. "Who the hell are these people?" I asked. "They were in the woods and needed our help, Jo" Judith said.

   Talk about dejavu. "Your bother did the samething when he was your age. What's wrong with you?" I asked, pointing to the girl with the bleeding head.

   "She hit her head pretty hard on a rock" another replied. "Let's get her to the infirmary" I said. "Jordyn we can't take them in, you know Michonne won't allow it." Aaron said. "Respectfully, I'm in charge. They need help and I'm going to give it, I'll deal with Michonne later. Carl did this samething years ago, and those people turned out to be family" I replied.

   I was stitching up the one girls head, the others of her group stood around me. "How long have you been here?" The guy asked. "A couple years now. The wall were already up when my group got here, there was a leader before who passed. Then my uncle took over and now me" I replied.

   "Is your uncle still here?" He asked. "It's a long story, I know he's alive but he's not here. That's why Michonne was being a hard ass with you. We haven't been taking new people in" I said.

   "I'm Luke, that's Yumiko you're stitching, that's Kelly and Connie, and Magna" Luke said. "I'm Jordyn. You're more than welcome to stay and rest awhile, but once we have our council meeting that'll be our final decision." I said.

   We had our meeting and Michonne gave the big no to it. Everyone else was for them staying. "You're head of council. Why don't you get final decision?" Magna asked. "Michonne has more say on the council than I do, I fall just under her in that aspect. She's head of security, I'm head of Alexandria. We couldn't come to an agreement" I replied.

   The next morning I was helping the new comers get ready to leave, Michonne road up on a horse minutes before they left. "We'll take them to Hilltop. They might take them in. Ride along with me" Michonne said.

   I nodded and saddled up a horse. I kissed Wren after i dropped her at the sitters. Daryl was out in the woods with his dog, Dog. Some nights he'd be out there for hours, but never explained why. We loaded them into a wagon and brought Siddiq with to keep an eye on Yumiko.

   "Why the sudden change?" I asked Michonne on the road. "I can't let them stay here but we can try Hilltop and if not there, the Kingdom. I won't have them dying in the woods" She replied.

   "What if both places say no? Then what? Face it, we all fell off after years of no contact." I said. "Then we'll figure it out" she said.

   We drive them to where their rig was to collect their stuff. Only when we got there the place was trashed.

   We arrived at Hilltop in the morning. News was Maggie took Hershel and left, she joined Georgie's group. Jesus was now Hilltops leader.

   Rosita lied in an infirmary bed at Hilltop, Jesus and Aaron found her out in the woods.

   I wrapped Jesus in a hug. "Hey you" I smiled. "Hey momma Jo. How's babygirl?" He asked. "Great, getting way too big" I replied. "Bring her by sometime. I miss her" Jesus smiled. They weren't as forgiving with Michonne and the others. I visited a few times over the years but Michonne was always pissed after.
  
   I heard Daryl's bike a bit later. I hugged Carol and Henry, they were with. "What're you doing here?" Daryl asked. "If you'd spend more time at home, you'd know we brought new people" I grumbled. "Babygirl. What's with the attitude?" Daryl asked. "Nothing" I said and walked off.

   Jesus and Aaron said that Eugene was still out in the woods in a shed that Rosita left him in. I went with them, Daryl, and Dog to find him. We road horses and left shortly after.

   We got to an open field and the herd of walkers was just circling each other. "You ever see them do this before?" Jesus asked. "No never" Aaron said. "It's fucking weird. They've never done this before" I mumbled.

   We back tracked since Rosita's path ran right into the walkers. Aaron and Jesus were a bit behind Daryl and I. We didn't say anything to each other. He had me a bit ticked off if I'm honest. We stopped in the field and Daryl listened to the wind, the herd was coming for us. Daryl could tell based on the way the wind carried their sounds.

   Daryl threw a timer and we took off the other way. We hid in the woods and watched from a distance, the herd seemed to have doubled. The timer went off and the herd went for it, we ducked off back into the woods.

   I trailed a bit behind Daryl, Jesus and Aaron behind me talking. "Are you upset with me?" Daryl asked. "No" I replied. "You've said less than ten words to me today" Daryl said.

   "You've barely been home. We agreed to stop looking for Rick and you still aren't home that much" I said. We'd come up on the shack that Rosita left Eugene in. I walked off from Daryl.

   He told us about the herd and how it's been through there twice already and that it was on its way back. "When they passed by, they were whispering to each other" Eugene said. "They were talking?" I asked.

   Just then Dog started barking and when we looked out the window the herd was back. "There's no way that's the same herd" Daryl said. We picked Eugene up off the floor and carried him out the door.

   "We can get back to the horses if we go this way" Daryl said. Jesus and Aaron balanced Eugene's weight out, Daryl and I had our knives out and ready.

   We hurried back to the roads. "They're hot on our asses" I mumbled. "They shouldn't have backtracked or followed us to the barn. It's makes no sense" Jesus said. "The dead are evolving" Eugene said.

   "There's no way in hell. It's been years since this started and now all of a sudden they can talk? Bullshit. Something is going on" I said. The storm  was picking up. Jesus wanted to draw the herd away while the rest of us got Eugene back to Hilltop.

   "If anyone goes, it's me." Daryl said. "I'm going with you, and don't tell me no" I said. Daryl nodded and we went the opposite way Jesus, Aaron, and Eugene went.