RIDE OR DIE | DARYL DIXON

oceanside

"64 WASN'T ENOUGH?" Willow scoffed. "How many more guns do they need?"

"A lot." Rick rubbed his eyes with his palms. "They agreed to let us keep some while we look for more."

She shook her head, tapping out her cigarette in the ashtray. "I'd call the deal off. 64 is more than enough."

Rick shifted his weight, leaning against the banister of their porch. "Tara told me something the other night."

Willow's interest was piqued. 

"She came across another settlement while on her last run. They call it Oceanside. Told me they have good numbers and plenty of weapons- guns and ammo."

She raised an eyebrow. "Why did she wait to tell anyone?"

Rick turned to her, rubbing the stubble on his chin. "Their people saved her. Took care of her and sent her off with a few guns."

"Okay..." Willow said, still unsure. "But still, why didn't she say anything sooner?"

"They've had a run in with the Saviors. They tried to fight them on their own, and it didn't end well." Rick trailed over to her side, sitting down on the porch floor, fidgeting with a bullet between his fingers. "They killed any boy and man over the age of 10. Tara made a promise with them. She would turn her head the other way- forget about them. They thought that would keep them safe."

Willow took a deep breath and let out a shaky one at the image her mind conjured up.  

"Look, they're not gonna join us in this fight unless we make them." Rick finally stopped beating around the bush and was rather blunt. 

"Make them?" She looked at him with a hint of doubt. "Sounds like they've already been through hell and back. We're just gonna traumatize them more. I mean- how would we be any better than the Saviors, then?"

He nodded, taking it into consideration, but he already had his mind made up. "With them, we'd have an army."

She still wasn't fully on board with the way Rick wanted to handle it, but her mind kept circling back to the long run. They need the people and they need the guns. They need an army.

"There's something else you need to know..." Rick said, his voice trailing off. "Daryl's not at the Kingdom anymore."

"What?" Willow asked frantically. "Why? Where is he?"

"He's safe." He said fast, trying to ease her up. "He went back to Hilltop, but he's gonna be going with us to Oceanside."

"That wasn't the plan." She said in frustration. "He can't just be out and about, and he can't stay at Hilltop. They're gonna find him and they're gonna take him again, Rick. I can't-"

She slid down the banister and down onto the porch next to him, curling her fingers in her hair. "They can't take him again, Rick. I can't lose him again. Our daughter can't lose him again."

"I know-" He said quietly, resting his hand on her knee. "I know."

"Please talk him out of it." Willow practically begged. "Promise me you'll try to talk him out of it."

Rick gave her knee a squeeze and gently nodded. "I promise."

-

Oceanside was only about two hours south of Alexandria. Rick spent the majority of it running through the plan numerous times, but Willow's mind was occupied with other things. She rehearsed everything she wanted to say to Daryl to convince him to go back to the Kingdom, but a part of her knew he wouldn't agree. She ran through scenarios of Rick talking with him, having some hope that maybe he'd listen to him, but she still wasn't certain.