RIDE OR DIE | DARYL DIXON

pain to power

DARYL, AARON, AND EZEKIEL woke up bright and early the next morning to dig out the graves. It was a tough effort with how frozen and cold the ground and soil was, but it took them less than two hours to dig out 11 small holes for the burials.

A small group gathered at the end of the graves, watching as the men lowered the crates into each one and shoveled the dirt back in.

Willow, Bonnie and Sienna stood in front of Ash's grave as Daryl shoveled the last bit of dirt on top and smoothed it out with the back of the shovel. He then took one of the stones from a nearby pile and laid it at the head of the grave as the final mark that someone was laid to rest there. 

Bonnie wiped her eyes a bit as they became hazy and crouched down, gently placing a folded note under the stone. "Rest easy my love."

She stood back up and gave Willow a tight hug, letting Sienna crouch down now. They all watched her lay her hand along the mound of freshly dug dirt, smoothing it out and patting it down.

"Uncle Ash, I wish I could've thanked you." She said quietly. "You saved me and let me see my Mom and Dad again."

Willow's heart wrenched when she heard Sienna's voice crack. She crouched down to her level and rubbed her back gently.

"For a while, I didn't know I had an uncle. I didn't even know what an uncle was... but I know now, and I know you were the best." Sienna stopped for a moment, reaching up with her gloved hand and wiping her eyes harshly. "And now I have to remember you for longer than I have known you."

Sienna reached into the pocket of her puffer jacket and pulled out the necklace Willow had given her. She held it up, looking at the pretty flower petal that was preserved in it before draping it over the stone. "Love you Uncle Ash."

Sienna stood up and Bonnie took her hand and rubbed it between her own while Willow remained crouched down.

She could feel their eyes on her, but she ignored it and focused on where her brother's remains were buried. She spoke to him like they were the only one's there, even if she wouldn't hear anything back. "There's not enough words in the world that I could use right now to thank you. For not giving up. For finding me again, and for saving my daughter's life... For being the best brother a girl could ever ask for." Her voice broke and she stopped for a moment, hanging her head and watching a few of her tears slip off her cheek and onto the ground. "You fought for me so many times, Ash... And now I'll do the same for you." She wiped her nose on her sleeve and looked back up at the stone with the necklace draped across it and the folded note beneath it. She felt a deep anger bubbling inside of her for their loss- a brother, a lover, an uncle. He was so many things to them, but he was taken like he was nothing. She's envisioned ways she would kill Alpha for what she took from them. She practically dreams about it every night, and she knows she still will until she makes it a reality. 

"My wrath will prevail over my mercy." She whispers with her hand pressed into the dirt. "I love you, big brother. Keep waiting for me."

She stood back up when she felt Daryl's hand on her shoulder, and she put her own hand on top of it to keep it there.

"You ready?" He asks her, taking a quick glance at the front gates of Hilltop where the group gathered.

She looks at their packs he's carrying for the both of them and nods, taking a few steps away from the grave and over to Ezekiel. "Thank you for doing this."

He smiles and gives her a small but firm hug. "Be well, good lady. But don't be a stranger."

She smiles and nods. "Wouldn't dream of it."

-

The route back to Alexandria wasn't nearly as bad as their way back to Hilltop. The winter storm came to an end, and the only thing left in its wake was a few feet of snow that they walked along.  The temperature was still cold, but it was bearable without the still falling snow and the biting winds.