RIDE OR DIE | DARYL DIXON

peaches

RICK AND MICHONNE had been gone for a few days while the others returned with news and with Gabriel. 

"They live in a mound of... garbage?" Willow sat on the counter, trying to understand what Aaron and Tara had been trying to tell her.

Aaron nodded. "They agreed to join us in fighting, but not without guns. They want a lot of them."

Willow let out a heavy breath. "I mean, are we gonna be able to find that many? We've been scavenging for miles and we can hardly find a can of beans."

Tara leaned against the counter next to Willow with her arms crossed. "Rosita's been out there day and night. Told me last night she's found a few and left them at the drop off. Aaron and I found two more, but it's not nearly enough."

"Well, what's out next best bet?" Willow asked, gesturing to the map Aaron was holding. "I'll make a run out there today."

Aaron unfolded the map, laying it flat on the island counter. His finger trailed along the paper until finally stopping at a point that was no more than an hour drive. "A few miles north of the Kingdom. I wouldn't count on it much, being that close to their settlement, but it's the best we can do for now. Rick and Michonne are covering about 25 miles in each direction from the Junkyard. Eric and I will take the west side."

Willow nodded, hopping off the counter and taking one last glance at the map, familiarizing herself with the roads. "As good a day as any."

"Well, hold on-" Aaron stopped her. "You're going out there alone?"

Willow shook her head with a smile. "I've got someone."

-

She shut the trunk of their car, looking at a smiley face drawn in the dust on it. It was hardly there as more dust had began to cover it. She bunched up her sleeve in her hand, about to wipe it away, but she watched Carl's finger retrace each line, making the picture clear again.

She looked at him, sharing the same smile the picture did, and he returned it to her as they both rounded the car and got in.

She drove through the open gates of Alexandria, watching them shut in the rearview mirror, a sigh slipping through her lips.

"You like being out here?" Carl asked, but it sounded more as a statement.

She kept her eyes on the road, weaving their car through the others that they used as barricades. "Originally, no. I hated every second of it."

"What changed?"

"Being inside those walls- I just don't want to get too comfortable with it anymore. I don't want to let my guard down." She took the wheel in one hand and rested her other arm on her door, leaning into her hand. "Being out here reminds me of that."

"I used to think being there would make us weak. But that was before we ran things." He leaned back into his seat, letting his legs stretch out. "I know you don't want to let your guard down, but- you've got to let yourself enjoy it. You've earned it, just like the rest of us."

She glanced to the side of the road as they quickly approached a few walkers stringing along the side, only in view for a few seconds before they passed. "I've always felt like I've owed it to everyone- coming out here, fighting these fights- the dead and the living. I thought I was crazy for doing it. I'd leave my daughter and go out into the world knowing how dangerous it is... but I still feel like I owe everyone. Especially your Dad- and Glenn. God, I owe them both so much, you don't even know."

Carl shifted in his seat, turning in her direction slightly. "You never told me how you and my dad met."

"When I got split up with my brother back in Atlanta, Sienna and I kept hitting dead ends." She explained, remembering it as if it was yesterday. "Your dad and Glenn found us in an alley. They had walkers on their asses, but they still saved us. No questions asked and no hesitation."