Daryl's Girl

Chapter 45

I grabbed the lantern from the side and sprinted out after Daryl, as he'd already taken off ahead of me. The two of us running into through the field, heading in the direction we'd first heard the calls. Passing the camp and pile of burnt bodies when there was another yell. This time sounding a lot clearer and full of pain.

I took my knife from my belt and caught up with Daryl, running along side him towards the sound. The yelling slowly becoming a constant scream. It wasn't until we got closer we heard what it was. It sounded like...Dale. Then he came into view. 

He was laying on the ground with a walker on top of him. Struggling to keep it away. 

Without hesitating, I dropped the lantern and quickly ran over, diving on the walker to push it away from Dale and forced my knife into its skull. I then pulled it out and wiped the blade on my jeans as I stood up, putting it back into my belt. It wasn't until I heard the sound of wheezing and spluttering that I turned around. A lump forming in my throat. The walker had ripped open Dale's stomach and he was bleeding out on the ground. I didn't know what to do.

"Help! Over here!" Daryl yelled as we heard the others shouting over to us. "Help! Run!" 

As he yelled, I crouched down besides Dale, trying to think of something I could do to help, but what would I do? I couldn't carry him back. Couldn't stitch him up. The chances were there was nothing anyone could do. He was dying. Instead, I just looked at the old man laying on the ground staring back at me. He knew it too.

"Dale, you're gonna be alright. The others are coming." I said as I looked up and saw the others running across the field with their flashlights. I could hear Andrea, over everyone else, yelling Dale's name. Then I thought of something I could do. "You should know, Randall's alive. Rick didn't go through with it. They're keeping him locked up for now." I told him. The first of my tears falling shortly after.

Dale forced a painful smile and nodded his head. If anything, if he was to die, he had to know it wasn't for nothing. I had to try and keep his mind occupied.

Soon enough, Rick reached us and ran over first, putting the palm of his hand on Dale's head. "All right, just listen to my voice." He was then quickly followed by the rest of the group. Andrea immediately dropping both her gun and her torch as she lay her eyes on Dale and came to keel down besides me. "Okay, hold on now. Hold on."

One by one, they all gathered around us. Everyone stopping, bringing their hands to their mouths in complete shock at what lay before them.

"He needs blood. We gotta operate now." Rick continued. "Hang on, Dale. Hang on. Listen to me. Listen to my voice, all right?" His tone becoming more frantic by the second. "Please! We need Hershal!"

Dale looked back at him with wide eyes and nodded before he looked at Andrea. She was also telling him to hold on, stroking his face with her hand. I was just speechless. I couldn't think of anything else to say. That was when Briana came over, helping me to my feet so that I was out of the way, wearing the exact same look as everyone else. She was just as lost for words as I was.

"We need Hershal!"

Almost immediately, Hershal appeared from behind me, pushing past us all to crouch down next to Dale. "What happened?"

"What can we do? Can we move him?" Rick asked, and with one look in Hershal's direction, I knew the answer. We all did. I just didn't want to believe it. 

"He won't make the trip." Hershal replied sympathetically, shaking his head.

Rick wasn't convinced. "You have to do the operation here." He insisted, standing up and pointing at Glenn. "Glenn get back to the house-"

"Rick!" Hershal cut him off, shaking his head again. He was serious. There really was nothing we could do.

"No!" Rick yelled, turning away.

We all felt the same as he did standing with tears in our eyes around Dale. In my eyes, he was like the glue that held the group together. The one who grounded us.

I watched as Rick turned back around, composing himself as he pulled his gun from his belt before squatting back down besides Dale. He was so evidently in pain. It looked and sounded like he couldn't breath. The look on his face was one of fear. Non of us had seen him like this. He was always the calm one. The one who fought for the greater good. The one who wouldn't rest until he'd done right by everyone.

That was when, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Carl approach us, but instead of standing with us, he went straight over towards the walker I'd just killed. He looked at it and then ran back over to me and cried, holding onto my waist as he sobbed. I placed my hand on his back as he did, turning him away from Dale and looked over at Lori. She was staring straight back at me. 

This was hard enough for the rest of us, let alone a child.

"He's suffering." Andrea stuttered between sobs, listening to Dale's gasps. "Do something."

If there's one thing that I've had to learn in this world, it's that one, you never let your own turn and two, you don't ever let them suffer. Even if I hate the idea of having to kill someone, letting your loved ones turn or die a painful death is like losing them all over again. It stays with you and you can never get rid of the guilt.

Rick sighed and raised his gun at Dale's head. His hand was shaking and his finger wasn't over the trigger. He didn't want to do it, and I can't say that I blame him. Some of the others looking away once they saw what was happening, but nothing it. I looked over at Rick again to still see him standing with his gun pointed.  

He couldn't do it. 

Instead, Daryl slowly made his way over and, with no protest from Rick, took the gun from his hand. He then knelt down and held the gun close to Dale's forehead. Just like Rick, he didn't want to either, but he knew what had to be done.

"I'm sorry brother." He mumbled and took one last breath. 

I closed my eyes and turned Carl away. The gunshot loud as it echoed over the empty terrain. Dale was gone. 

I can't say I blame Rick. I wouldn't have been able to do it either. We all loved Dale, but someone had to. Daryl being the only one strong enough. That didn't mean that he didn't feel it too as he hesitated for a moment before he stood up and walked around to me. 

He pulled me into a long side hug, letting me cry onto his shoulder. Carl running over to Rick where they embraced. Everything was falling apart and with Dale out of the picture, it left some people the freedom to do whatever they wanted with no one around to watch them...