midnight rain | daryl dixon

chapter 14: on the road.

Trigger warnings: generally none, this is kind of a filler chapter with a little bit of angst. 

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Nobody really slept well that night, whether it was because of the things Rick had said the night before or the constant fear of the herd blowing through - everyone was on edge.

Alison took this time to take stock of the things that had happened, she had essentially lost everything within a matter of a few days. Shane was also gone and now they had no place to go, things were a mess.

Ali tried to sleep for a little while, laying her head on her backpack as she stared up at the sky. There wasn't much noise, even though she was aware that many members of the group were also very much awake.

William didn't sleep at this point. He felt so lost and alone now. Even with Ali there, things weren't the same for him.

After trying to get some rest for what felt like forever, Alison eventually got up and took a few steps away from the camp to get some fresh air. She needed time to think, time to plan what to do next. There was a part of her, a small part, that wanted to just leave right then, in aid of finding her sister, but she knew she couldn't leave Maggie or Hershel as they were the closest thing she had left to family.

Alison pondered the things Rick had said the night before, the idea of him dictating the groups everymove made her noticeably uneasy. Ali made her way back up to the road, perching herself on one of the cars as she took a few sips from her water bottle as she contemplated her next move.

"You're s'posed to be with the rest of the group" Daryl stated to her as he walked up to stand next to her.

"I could say the same to you" Ali replied with a soft shrug, looking over at him.

"I'm on watch, what's your excuse?" Daryl asked, slightly concerned about her.

"Can't sleep" She stated plainly "I can't stop thinking about Lucy" Alison added.

"I know.. and I know what Rick said was outta line" Daryl responded "But if we can, if we get time, I'll help you look for her" He promised.

"Come a long way from wanting nothing to do with all of us" Alison mused, turning to him

Daryl scoffed "Just needed some remindin'" He stated, turning to her "C'mon, try get some rest, gonna need it" He added.

"Why?" Ali replied.

"Because tomorrow, I'm teaching you to hunt and track. You're good with a bow, could use some help huntin', s'pecially with how many people we've gotta feed" Daryl said with a shrug, ushering for her to come back to the camp.

Alison and Daryl returned to the camp, she laid back down in her spot and closed her eyes for a little while until the sun eventually rose and everyone had to get ready to move. Nobody was too sure what the next step was, but they were all grateful to be together.

Rick was oddly silent, only exchanging a few words with Lori, Carl and Daryl. Rick eventually decided to speak to the group about what was next.

"Alright, the priority today is supplies. We need food and fuel, so I suggest a few of you go on foot to find some?" Rick stated, looking around at everyone.

"Ali and I know the area the best, plus we're the fastest?" Maggie offered, turning to her best friend who responded with a nod.

"Ok, Maggie and Alison you go together. Daryl can go hunt and Glenn, William and T-Dog can have a look in the opposite direction?" Rick stated, to which everyone nodded in agreement "We don't have ammo to waste, so run before you shoot" the leader reminded the group.

Everyone got ready to go, Alison grabbing her bow and quiver before meeting Maggie up on the road.

"I'm surprised you didn't opt to go with Glenn" Alison said jokingly as the pair walked north to try and find a convenience store or something nearby.

Maggie chuckled, shaking her head "I wanted some time alone with you, you know, to properly thank you for what you did back at the farm" Maggie said softly.

Ali arched her brow "You don't need to thank me for anything, Maggie." She stated.

Maggie shook her head again "No, I do. If it wasn't for you, my daddy wouldn't still be here so, thank you." Maggie said, placing her hand on Alison's shoulder. Ali simply nodded in return.

The pair walked for what seemed like forever before they found a few houses, they had mostly been cleared out but they managed to salvage a few canned goods and a bit of pasta. Not much, but better than nothing.

Eventually, they found some cars. A few of them were completely out of fuel, but they managed to syphon a few litres here and there, also not much but better than nothing.

It was beginning to get cold, so they decided to call it a day and decided to make their way back to the makeshift camp. It was easy to retrace their steps and find the rest of the group.

When they got back, Glenn, William and T-Dog had already returned and Daryl came back shortly after with a rabbit and a few squirrels which would have to suffice. The fuel that they had gotten was distributed between the vehicles as Rick pondered what to do next.

"We are going to find a house for tonight, it doesn't need to be permanent but it's better than nothing" Rick instructed.

William looked at Rick "We found some decent places, no walkers in them and big enough for us" He suggested.

"How far out?" Rick asked.

"A few miles south or so, not far. We didn't get to properly check them out but they looked good" Glenn responded, to which Rick nodded,

"Okay.. Glenn, you lead the way, the rest of us will follow behind" Rick instructed as the group picked up their belongings and climbed into the vehicles. As before, Maggie stuck with her family and Glenn and William while Rick and his family took T-Dog and Carol with them and Alison instinctively joined Daryl.

The journey was short, a few miles at best. Rick entered first, followed by Daryl, followed by Glenn, William, then Maggie, T-Dog and Ali. They took turns in checking the rooms out to make sure they were clear of walkers, before they eventually settled down and made camp for the night. All of the vehicles were at the ready incase things went bad, which they hoped wouldn't happen but were prepared for.

The food that Maggie and Ali found was distributed, along with what Daryl caught. It was a better meal than the night before, so nobody was complaining - everyone was just grateful that they had made it.