RIDE OR DIE | DARYL DIXON

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THEIR TRIP BACK HOME was prolonged for far too long. 120 days too long. The Kingdom fell to shambles as their plumbing pipes gave out, completely exploding and demolishing a few of their buildings. It flooded the streets, and a few homes, leaving them with no choice but to evacuate. Everyone pitched in to try to fix it, but they had been having problems with it for a while, and there just simply wasn't anything left to fix. 

By the time they were back on the road, autumn was replaced by a cold winter. Snow had already fell and created a large white blanket along the ground. The air was insanely frigid, and they had to bundle up twice to truly keep warm. There was a brief moment in time when the snow began to stop falling, and it only rested along the earth. The sun was hidden behind grey clouds, and made no attempt to melt any of it. Not that it would either way. The atmosphere around them was cold enough to let the snow sit comfortably, and it wasn't going to be going anywhere anytime soon.

Willow tugged her jacket closed, stuffing her face down into the black scarf she had around her neck. Her nose was cranberry red, and her eyes watered as the wind hit her face along their trek. After growing up in the south and hating the blistering heat, she always thought she'd be all right in the snow. But nothing burns like the cold.

She took a long glance at the wagon to her right being tugged along by a few horses. Her gaze was held on one of the 11 crates in the back of it, strapped down with the other 10 so they wouldn't tumble around too much as they made their journey back. Just looking at it alone made her feel sick, knowing that her brother was inside of it. But the idea that it was only his head...

She rushed around the end of it, squeezing past some people and doubling over in the snow covered grass along the side of the narrow road. Her eyes watered more as the breakfast she had hours ago made a reappearance, burning the back of her throat as it came up.

"Hey," Daryl was quick to her side, pulling back a few strands of her hair that had fallen down in her face, "you all right?"

She nodded and wiped her mouth with a gloved hand, feeling around her backpack with the other for some water. She swished it around in her mouth before spitting it out and taking a few more sips. 

"Here." Daryl fished through his pack and handed her a few granola bars. "Eat."

She shook her head and stuffed her canteen back in her bag. "No, I'm fine."

They began walking with their convoy again, but he still held them out to her. "You need to."

She knew he wasn't going to take no as an answer, so she took the three granola bars, stuffing two in her pocket and tearing open one. "Thanks."

He bit his lip with a nod and looked ahead of them at the wagon she had been surveying. Bonnie, Sienna, and Sibby rode in the front of it, bundled together to keep each other warm. "They seem to be doin' better."

She chewed slowly and had to force herself to swallow. "Yeah, they are."

"And are you?" He looked at her through the sides of his eyes.

She wanted to laugh at his question, but she kept quiet. "Eventually."

The truth was, they were doing better, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt.

"This one?" Bonnie sniffed, gesturing to the last pike in the line.

Willow nodded, but didn't look up from the ground. She didn't want to see it again- the stick, the blood. None of it. But Bonnie wanted to see for herself, and Willow brought her out so she could.

"That woman... she took the one thing that mattered most to me. The one thing that kept me from slipping through the cracks." Bonnie's voice wavered as she wiped away a few snowflakes that fell onto her lashes.