The Field Of War || Daryl Dixon

18. The Farm.

Everyone jumps at the sudden sound, each looking around for threats. Lori stares off into the trees, her eyes wide and worried. Something doesn't feel right to her.

Blair hopes that the gunshot was from Rick and Shane and not someone else wandering in these woods. She decides to push it in the back of her mind for now. There is nothing any of them can do.

"Let's stay calm," Blair tells them, "Daryl and I are gonna work on getting him down this ravine. I need the rest of you to keep watch and tell us if you see anything," Nobody moves, "We all heard the shot, but we can do nothin' about it. So let's check for Sophia and then get back to the road." People nod to themselves and begin to find places to stand or sit that give them a good vantage point.

Blair elbows Daryl lightly, "Let's do this. I'll spot you."

Daryl huffs and hesitantly positions his bow on his back so it won't get in his way. He then places himself on the dirt and vine-covered wall and begins the climb down. Daryl has never been much of a climber. He's always preferred to keep his feet on the ground.

But on the flip side, Blair grew up climbing things. It was one of her favorite hobbies as a kid. She was just naturally good at it. Her family thought it was a phase at first until she never stopped.

Blair lies on her stomach, peaking over the side at Daryl's descending form. He's already nearly halfway down.

"Slow it down, will ya'? You're rushing, and you'll get yourself killed," he glares up at her, "And if you fall, then I gotta go down and get you. But then, of course, we'll both be stuck because I can't carry you. So go slower."

"I know what I'm doin', lady," Daryl complains.

"You don't, so quiet down."

Daryl doesn't protest this time and does as told, slowing down. He wants this all to be over with. There's a small chance Sophia is actually in the ravine, so part of him doesn't know why he's even attempting this. But then there's that small chance that she could be. Or maybe there's a sign of her. A trail. Something. That's what makes it worth it.

"Move a little to the right. Your left foot should feel rock under it. Step on that. It'll give you more stability. The dirt isn't compact enough." Blair watches him carefully as if she could reach down and catch him if he were to step wrong.

Daryl listens and grunts as he moves his body. His foot finds the rocky part of the wall, and he breathes, feeling more confident in himself and her notes. He goes to grab onto some visible vines to help ease himself down more, but Blair quickly stops him.

"Don't grab those!" Blair yells. She curses herself, knowing that yelling at a time like this is bad for many reasons, "You will fall immediately. If you see any that are dug into the wall or in the dirt, then grab those. They'll be more stable." Daryl's heart quickens at the change in her tone. He could've died right at this moment if he had gone with what he thought was right.

His fingers grip onto some vines in the dirt, and he tugs on them to test if they're stable. A relieved breath leaves him when they don't break. Daryl's legs burn with every step-down, the worry building in him and his confidence plummeting. He's never been afraid of heights, and he can't say he is now, but falling is not the way he wants to go out.

The ravine didn't look so tall at the top, but climbing down feels like climbing Everest. And while Daryl doesn't know what that's like, he can assume it feels something like this.

Blair doesn't see any more issues coming his way the further he goes, so she feels that it's safe enough to check on the rest of the group. She looks back at them sitting around silently, some of them looking over at her. She notices that no one besides Andrea is actually looking around them. The rest stare down at the ground, picking at their nails or examining their weapons that they've already looked over multiple times.