Too Far Gone // D. Dixon

chapter thirty

"What the fuck is that?"

Daryl's face flashes in panic, looking around at the walkers, "Sounds like a horn or somethin'..."

Maren sighs, looking frantically around, "I don't know but it sounds like it's coming from...home."

The horn was blaringly loud, the shrill sound spanding for miles. The direction was so clearly from Alexandria. The worst part of it all was that the walkers were being steered off course because of it.

"Rick!" Maren spoke into the radio, "What the fuck just happened back there?"

Rick was quick to get back to her, "Half of 'em broke off. They're going towards Alexandria..." he paused, "We ran ahead, there's a horn or something loud coming from the east. It's not stopping."

Daryl grabbed the radio from Maren, "I'm gonna gas it up, turn back-"

Rick interjected that idea, "We have it. You keep going." 

Daryl sighed, but couldn't let his friends get hurt, "They're gonna need our help-"

"We gotta keep the herd moving-" Rick retorted, his voice growing more winded and tired. Maren could tell he was running, probably barely keeping ahead of the walkers.

"Not if it's going down, we don't." Daryl spoke, trying to figure out what to do.

Rick took a deep breath before speaking, "The rest of that herd turns around, the bad back there gets worse...Daryl?" Rick needed him to keep on, him and Maren both. It was crucial for this whole plan to work. This herd had to miss Alexandria.

Daryl was quiet for a moment, "Yeah, I heard ya."

- TOO FAR GONE -

The pace was agonizingly slow, the only sounds were the rumble of Daryl's motorcycle and the loud groans of the walkers behind them.

Speeding up to ride alongside the car, Daryl spoke, "Hey, we gone five miles out yet?"

Abraham responded, "Give or take some yardage. You got a reason for asking?"

"Next intersection we're gonna spin around and go back." Daryl said, and Maren looked at him curiously. What? That wasn't part of the plan.

Abraham's face was just as shocked, "The plan is to go 15 more."

"Yeah, I'm gonna change that," Daryl said, "Five's gonna have to work."

"The magic number's 20. That's the mission," Abraham nearly pleaded, "That's making sure they're off munching on infirm raccoons the rest of their undead lives instead of any of us."

Sasha spoke up, "You want to go, we can't stop you. But without you two, they could stop us."

Daryl paused, taking in the sight of a Alexandria sign. Maybe he'd stay, maybe he'd go. Either way, Maren was going with him.

"Nah, I got faith in ya."

- TOO FAR GONE -

It had been a while since Daryl had made that turn. It was much longer until Rick had come through on the radio again.

"Won't be long now. They're almost here. I'll get them going your way again." Rick's voice spoke. Maren didn't have to look at Daryl's face to know what he was probably looking like. 

Sasha quickly rang through her end, "How 'bout that, Daryl?"

He's gonna be coming our way.

Rick paused for a moment, "There's gunfire coming from back home. We gotta sit with it and hope they can handle it. I think they can. They have to. We keep going forward for them, can't turn back 'cause we're afraid."

"We ain't afraid." Abraham was sure about that. After everything they've had to do...they could manage this.

"This is for them. Going back now before it's done, that'd be for us..." Rick's voice droned off, his silence coming back, "The herd has to be almost here." Suddenly, Rick's end of the line become muffled. Like he was going to speak again but something happened.