RIDE OR DIE | DARYL DIXON

blood against blood

GLENN COLAPSED onto the cold floor of one of the buildings the group forced their entry into.

"Where's that woman?" Maggie asked, supporting Glenn as best she could.

Willow looked around for the woman that had been leading them, but her presence lacked.

"She was right behind us." Willow said, peeking out one of the windows in hopes of seeing her.

"Want me to go look for her?" Daryl suggested.

"No." Willow answered immediately, drawing back from the window and turning to him. "Last thing we need to do right now is split up."

"We gotta get them out of here." Rick said, pointing to an exhausted Maggie and Glenn. "She's on her own."

"Daryl-" Glenn spoke between pooled up blood on his gums. "-this was Merle. He did this."

Rick, Daryl and Willow stood dumbfounded at the mention of the other Dixon brother, who they had presumed was dead all this time.

"You saw him?" Rick questioned Glenn.

"Face to face." He answered. "Threw a walker at me. He was gonna execute us."

Willow took a moment to catch her breath as she looked at Daryl in her peripheral. She studied him hard, trying to read him and how he was feeling, but it was almost impossible. His face stood still and expressionless. 

"So my brother's this 'governor'?" Daryl asked Glenn in confusion.

"No, it's somebody else." Maggie answered for him as she tugged on his shirt. "Your brother's his lieutenant or something."

"Does he know I'm still with you?" Daryl asked again, a sliver of hope in his voice.

"He does now." Glenn sighed. "Rick, I'm sorry. We told him where the prison was. We couldn't hold out."

Willow crouched down beside Glenn, rubbing his back gently, trying to comfort him as much as possible. She felt bad that he felt the need to apologize. In her mind, if it was her, she would have done the same thing.

"Don't. No need to apologize." Rick said calmly before rushing back to the window.

"What's the plan Rick?" Willow asked in fear. They had been holed up in that building a lot longer than she was comfortable with.

"They're gonna be looking for us." Maggie added.

Rick took a moment to think to himself before responding. "We have to get back. Can you walk? We got a car a few miles out."

"I'm good." Glenn said strongly, adjusting himself to his feet. 

Maggie and Willow took a hold on both sides of him, supporting him as much as they could to help.

"Hey, if Merle's around I needa see him." Daryl stepped closer.

Willow glanced up at him from underneath Glenn's shoulder with sympathetic eyes. She wanted nothing more for him to be with his brother, but it didn't seem like that was the best decision considering what he had done to Maggie and Glenn. 

Daryl had a look of desperation in his eyes, something that Willow had never really seen before, and that only made her heart hurt more for him.

"Not now." Rick responded. "We're in hostile territory."

"He's my brother." Daryl pleaded, his tone much softer than usual.

"Look at what he did!" Rick raised his voice. "Look, we gotta get out of here now."

"Maybe I can talk to him. Maybe I can work something out." Daryl continued to fight for his brother.

"Daryl." Willow reached out for his hand but the second she touched him he drew away.