Till Death Do Us Part: A Daryl Dixon Story (The Walking Dead)

13

The morning sun and the new day that came with it was eerily quiet; even more so than the abandoned streets of Atlanta that Rick and I rode on. The silence made me uneasy and it didn't help that I was loading stones into a wheelbarrow with Beth, Maggie's younger sister. Shane, Glenn, Maggie and Jimmy were helping. Lori and Rick were inside with Hershel and Carl. Patricia was somewhere in the house too.

I let a larger rock drop on top of the pile when I heard the vibrating hum of a familiar motorcycle coming up the farm road. I shielded my eyes with my hand as I watched the bike lead the way. It was Merle's bike, I remembered. Once, when Daryl and I were still dating, and Merle had passed out drunk at our apartment, Daryl asked me if I wanted to have some fun. In a rush of whispers and silent laughing, we snuck out the apartment with Merle's keys. If I knew one thing, it was that Daryl had always admired Merle's bike. It was a rush, sitting at the back, my hair blowing in the wind. Daryl and I both wore Aviators, and I loved that his face bore a smile. My hands were clamped around his waist and I was laughing, carefree. Thinking about that day made my stomach twist over –Daryl and I had so many beautiful memories together and it made me wonder if memories were the only thing left between us.

Daryl parked his bike, and the RV came to a halt behind it. T-Dog went inside to fetch Lori, Rick and Hershel. As soon as Daryl got off his bike, his eyes darted between the figures until they rested on me. He gave me a once off scan from my head till my toes, and looked away.

'How is he?' Dale asked, as Rick walked down the porch steps.

'He'll pull through,' Lori answered, a smile of happiness and relief on her face. 'Thanks to Hershel and his people.'

'And Shane.' Rick quickly added. 'We'd have lost Carl if not for him.'

I noticed how Dale and Shane exchanged odd looks, and I was sure I wasn't the only person to pick up on that. Shane was dressed in Otis's oversized overalls and shirt, and he sported a new haircut. I eyed him warily. I never forgot that unsettling conversation we shared in one of his weaker moments on top of the RV. I don't think he forgot what he shared that night too because he eyed me suspiciously. I was starting to worry about him, but as my eyes flickered back to Daryl's figure leaning against his bike, I remembered I had bigger things to worry about.

—

I stood next to Carol as Beth packed on a stone on the heap made in honour of Otis. I should have felt bad for not paying attention to what Hershel was saying, but I was much too caught up with Daryl. I wasn't angry when I woke up and Rick told me what my dearest darling did to me at the CDC, but being in the same vicinity as him enraged me. My anger slowly and steadily built as the funeral ceremony went on. Daryl didn't even look at me once. His arms were folded and his eyes fixed on the ground. I didn't understand why he insisted on knocking me out with his gun to get me out. If he had just been more gentle and sincere I would have gladly followed. I admit that I pulled that stunt out of pure desperateness, but when he was yelling at me I kind of felt relieved at my choice. Daryl just wasn't the same person I fell in love with.

'We were about done.' Shane's voice interrupted my thoughts. I watched him carefully, everybody did.

'Almost out of ammo. We were down to pistols by then. I was limping. It was bad. Ankle all swollen up. "We've got to save that boy."  See, that's what he said.'

Shane visibly became emotional. I noticed how Dale watched him with scrutiny.

'He gave me his backpack. He shoved me ahead. "Run," he said. He said, "I'll take the rear. I'll cover you." And when I looked back...'

Shane limped forward towards the pile of rocks. 'If not for Otis, I'd have never made it out alive. And that goes for Carl too. It was Otis. He saved us both. If any death had meaning, it was his.' Shane ended his speech and piled on a rock.