The End of a New Beginning // Daryl Dixon

Part 90

Meredith

I glance over to Eugene, seeing him staring off into space, visibly shaking from today's events. I kept wondering whether they heard the same things I heard.

"We're gonna be okay." Eugene's shaken voice fills my ears. I give him a light nod.

"Rosita's gonna find the others. She's gonna tell them where we are, and they're all gonna come back for us." I say softly. He nods his head. He blinks twice before swallowing hard.

"But...you know, in the midst that we happen to not make it out of this alive...I just wanted to let you know that you were somebody who's made a great impact on my life. We may not talk on a personal level all too well, but still. I've learned some things from you and I've always appreciated everything you've taught me throughout these years. Thank you, Meredith." He nods. I show him a small smile and nodded my head. I opened my mouth to say something, but the sounds of growls fills my ears. I press my ear against the wall of the small cabin, trying to get a better listen of the walkers outside.

I noticed a small hole on the side. I turn my head and peeped through it. Just outside the barn, I could see the herd of walkers passing by. I felt a bit safer knowing we were in this little cubby spot. Though, I worried that maybe we'd be spotted or heard or something and we'll for sure die tonight. Wherever Rosita is, I sure hope she's gotten better luck.

Daryl

Aaron, Jesus, Dog and I hid amongst the trees in a large field. We spotted a herd of walkers in a field.

"It's about 130, 140 of 'em." I announce to the others.

"You ever see them do this before?" Jesus asks me, pointing at the walkers. They were looking a little odd. What I noticed them doing was walking around in circles.

"No." Aaron shakes his head. "Never."

"Rosita's back trails goes right through 'em." I say. "We should get the horses, circle around, then we'll pick it up on foot."

"What about them?" Aaron asks me.

"What about 'em?" I ask.

"They're just milling around." Jesus frowns. "That's not normal." I turn my eyes back to the walkers, shaking my head.

"No. No, it ain't." I say. A rush of wind blows by. I turn my head in all directions, seeing the dark clouds beginning to roll in. In the distance, I could hear thunder rumbling through the sky. "We should go. There's a storm comin."

*****

Nightfalls, the wind picked up, thunder and lightening grew more and more intense. We all held our flashlights up, pointing around to keep track of where we needed to go. Rosita's tracks lead us through the woods and back out into the field before we followed them to a barn. I approached the back opening and look down at Dog.

"Go on, boy. Go find 'em." I wave at him. Dog jumps into the barn and rushes off, walking all over before standing in the pile of hay and sniffing, digging and whining.

"Move." I demand. He jumps off the pile of hay and stands off to the side. I walk over to the pile and began digging up the hey, finding a small latch.

"Eugene. Meredith. Are you in there?" Aaron asks. There's a brief moment of silence before we ear a shaken voice.

"We're here." I pull up the latch and find Meredith and Eugene snugged together. I reach down and pull her out as Eugene groans in pain.

"Di-Did you hear them?" Mer asks, her fingers digging into my forearms.