S u r v i v o r s [ Daryl Dixon ]

Chapter 39

"My team... we saw it early on, back when we were on one of those first scouts, finding out what was around here. There was a camp at the bottom."

I watched Heath, who arrived in Alexandria this morning. It was also then that I found out that there is a valley nearby where walkers are trapped. Hundreds of zombies that are slowly starting to free themselves from there and were a threat to us.

A next threat.

And now we were all sitting in Deann's living room, trying to come up with any kind of plan.

"The people, they must have blocked the exits with one of those trucks back when everything started to go bad. They didn't make it. They were all roamers" Heath continued. "Maybe a dozen of them."

"No one's been back since?" Maggie asked.

"DC, every town worth scavenging are all in the other direction. And I never really felt like having a picnic next to the camp that ate itself."

"So all the while the walkers have been drawn by the sound and they're making more sound and they're drawing more in" I said.

"And here we are" Glenn glanced my way, and I knew what that meant.

We had to go to the field again.

"Now what I'm proposing, I know it sounds risky, but walkers are already slipping through the exits" Rick began. "One of the trucks keeping the walkers in could go off the edge any day now. Maybe after one more hard rain. That exit sends them east. All of them. Right at us. This isn't about if it gives, it's when It's gonna happen. That's why we have to do this soon."

"This is-- I don't even have another word for it" Carol began again, playing the unassuming woman the people of Alexandria saw in her here. I had to admit, she was really convincing. "This is terrifying. All of it. But it doesn't sound like there's any other way."

"Maybe there is" began a tall man whose name I didn't know. "I mean, couldn't we just build up the weak spots? I could draw up plans. I worked on the wall with Reg. Construction crew-- we can try and make it safe."

"That's a very good idea" I said softly. "But it's not enough. Even if we could, the sound of those walkers is drawing more and more every day. Building up the exits won't change that."

"We're gonna do what Rick says, the plan he's laid out" suddenly said Deanna, who had been standing by the window until now and not even looking at us.

"I told you all, we're gonna have Daryl leading them away" Rick said and I felt a knot in my stomach. I didn't like that part of the plan at all.

"Me, too" said Sasha. "I'll take a car, ride next to him. Can't just be him. I'll keep 'em coming, Daryl keeps 'em from getting sloppy."

"I'll go with her" Abraham reported.

"I'll go with Daryl" I said.

"No" Rick looked at me and nodded. "I have something else for you, but that's later."

I narrowed my eyes, I didn't like his look, but I didn't say anything.

"We'll have two teams" Rick said. "One on each side of the forest helping manage this thing. We're gonna have a few people on watch from now on. Rosita, Spencer and Holly. So they're out. So who's in?"

"Me" Maggie was saying, and Glenn suddenly leaned over to whisper in her ear. Only because I was sitting right next to them I could hear what they were talking about.

"You should keep an eye on her" Glenn said. "Keep going with the plans you talked about."

"I know, but this is important" Maggie said.