Survivor - TWD (Daryl Dixon)

Chapter 22 - No Sanctuary

Nelly

I don't look back as I walk, forcing myself to focus on moving forward. The air is heavy, clinging to my skin like a second layer. The shadows of the trees stretch long in the daylight, creeping like dark fingers across the forest floor. Every instinct screams at me to turn around, to go back to them, but I can't. Not now. Not with everything I'm feeling. I have to push those thoughts down, suffocate them. I can't afford weakness.

It's the next day, and I haven't stopped walking. All night, I roamed the woods, the sound of leaves crunching underfoot and the distant moans of walkers filling the silence. I'm tired, but I know if I rest, if I stop, I'll turn back. I'll go back to Terminus. I'll go back to them.

I stay on the tracks for a while, walking mile after mile through the woods, my muscles aching with exhaustion. The woods are eerily quiet, the only sound my boots against the dirt. Just as I'm about to cross another stretch, I hear it. A baby crying.

I freeze, my whole body stiffening as the sound echoes through the trees. A small herd is moving in that direction, drawn to the sound. I grit my teeth, forcing myself to keep walking. It's not my problem. I don't need to get involved.

But the baby's cries grow louder, piercing the air, tugging at something deep inside me. I stop, the sound gnawing at me, my feet refusing to move forward.

I think of that morning at the prison, waking up to the sound of soft baby cries. My chest tightens, but I push the thought away. 

I can't catch a break.

Without thinking, I draw both of my swords, their familiar weight settling into my grip. I dart off the tracks and into the woods, my feet pounding against the earth. The cries grow closer, and I slice through the walkers as they stumble toward me. One. Two. Four fall with swift motions, their bodies hitting the ground with a sickening thud.

And then I stop, my breath catching in my throat. My swords lower slightly as my eyes fall on the person standing in front of me.

Carol.

She's standing there, knife in hand, poised to fight. But the second she sees me, she freezes, her eyes widening. Her knife clatters to the ground, her hands flying to her mouth in shock. "Oh my god..." she breathes, and before I can say anything, she rushes toward me, pulling me into a tight embrace.

I stiffen in her hold, the air forced out of my lungs as she squeezes me against her. My ribs throb from the pressure, but I don't say anything. Behind her, Tyreese stands, staring at me, holding Judith in his arms. The sight of her, safe and alive, makes something in my chest loosen, but I push it away.

I pull Carol off me gently, my eyes locking with hers. Before I can say anything else, I hear the unmistakable snap of a twig behind me. My head whips around, and my stomach drops as I see another herd heading our way.

"Go, go!" I whisper-yell, urgency filling my voice. I lead Carol and Tyreese through the woods, our footsteps quick and quiet as we take cover behind a dirt hill. We crouch low, holding our breath as the walkers shuffle closer, the sound of their groaning filling the air.

For a moment, I think we're trapped. But then, gunfire rings out in the distance, echoing through the woods. The walkers stop, turning toward the noise. It's coming from the direction of Terminus.

My blood runs cold. The gunfire sends a jolt through me, and I can feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I stare in the direction of the shots, my mind racing. What's happening over there? Are they okay?