Too Far Gone // D. Dixon

chapter thirty-two

The adrenaline was still pumping through their veins as Maren and Daryl stumbled to a halt, desperate for a moment of rest. Daryl collapsed onto a nearby log, his fingers fumbling with the ropes binding their wrists.

"Do you think we lost them?" Maren gasped as she leaned against the same log, her lungs burning from the exertion as Daryl quickly ripped the rope from her wrists.

Daryl's eyes darted back and forth, scanning the trees for any sign of their pursuers, "I don't know..." he muttered, his brow furrowed with worry.

As a walker shambled closer, Daryl quickly retrieved a weapon from the bag and dispatched it, the dull thud of the blade echoing through the forest. Snatching up the radio, he tried to make contact with their allies.

"Sasha, Abraham, are you there?" he called out, his voice strained. The static that crackled in response only fueled Daryl's growing frustration. Slamming his fist against the rough bark of the tree behind him, he let out a guttural growl of anguish.

Maren placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, her eyes filled with determined resilience, "Hey, we'll get out of here, we always do." she said, her voice low but unwavering. Daryl met her gaze, finding solace in the unwavering strength that burned within her. He knew she was right – they'd faced insurmountable odds before and emerged victorious. But this time, the stakes felt higher, the danger more immediate.

"We need a plan," Daryl said, his eyes scanning their surroundings, searching for any advantage they could exploit. They couldn't afford to be caught off guard again. Not this time.

Maren nodded, her mind already racing, formulating strategies and contingencies. They'd come too far to give up now. With a renewed sense of purpose, they set about trying to devise a way out of their current predicament, their only goal being to survive and regroup with the rest of their group.

Looking down at the bag, Maren couldn't help but call for Daryl. It was insulin. They couldn't take this, Maren just couldn't. With one look, Daryl knew what she was thinking. They have to take it back. That didn't mean they'd give up everything else too. 

"Just the insulin..." Maren spoke, to which Daryl nodded. 

The forest around them remained silent, save for the occasional rustling of leaves and the distant moans of the undead. Maren and Daryl knew they couldn't afford to let their guard down, not even for a second.

They had to be ready for whatever lay ahead.

                                                                                - TOO FAR GONE -

"Drop the gun. Drop it," Daryl ordered, his crossbow held tightly in his arms, "Give it to us. We came all this way...what you got for the duffel? You put me through too much shit just to give it back...principle of the thing."

When silence followed, Maren spoke, "What've you got besides this gun?"

Sherry spoke this time, her voice low, "Nothing."

Daryl spoke again, throwing the bag to the trio, "Take it. It's all there."

The three of them just looked at Daryl and Maren. They didn't know if it was shock or gratitude. Either way, none of it really mattered in the end.

"Good luck. You're gonna need it." Daryl spat, listening as trees started to tumble down. Someone was coming. Daryl quickly grabbed Maren, pulling her away with him as they hid behind a tree. If there were more people, they'd need to stay out of sight. This wasn't their fight.

Listening in, the saw a truck come through the woods.

"Let's end this." A man spoke.

"It's ours. We earned what we took." Sherry yelled back. The trio looked scared shitless, Maren didn't miss how they protected each other. Clearly, this group had made some enemies from the inside.

The man did not relent, "You're gonna return what you took. You're gonna pay for the gas
it took to come out here and for all the time these men took out. It's over. You know the rules-"

Sherry interrupted him, "Your rules are batshit!"

"We're not going back, Wade. We're done kneeling!" The man had screamed back, defending Sherry.

"Don't change the subject, asshole." The man, Wade, got back in the truck and suddenly even more people surrounded them.

Daryl, knowing he couldn't just stand by any longer, whispered to the trio, "Come on. Hey, that way." And so off they went. They had run for a good while, found a solid spot to hide that was out of site. They couldn't stay here forever, but it would work for now. It had to. 

With the only sounds being that of rustling leaves and birds chirping, the group sat quiet. Watching. Waiting.

"We thought you two were with them. We knock you over the head, tie you up, threaten to kill you...why the hell did you all come back?" The man asked, looking at Daryl and Maren for answers.

Daryl took a deep breath, "Maybe we're stupid, too." Daryl pauses again, "So you knew 'em? Still you thought we were them?"

The man sighed, "Where we were...we were there since the beginning. We still didn't know everyone. Back when we first threw in with them, it was as good as a place as any. Then when things got harder, people got harder. Human nature kicked in and it became a truly unique kind of shit show." 

Sherry spoke now, "People will trade anything for safety, for knowing that they're safe." Maren nodded at that, she had known that all too well. Knowing how people are now.

The man continued, "Everything. So they got nothing left except just...existing."

"Hey, nobody's safe anymore. Can't promise people that anyhow." Daryl said, his voice layered with a certain level of regret. Maren looked at him, watching him slow his pace a bit.

"You could promise the people who want to hear it." 

When the woman, Tina her name was, ran off again...the group had followed. One of the houses in the forest, clearly very much burnt, had been one the pair had babysat, now dead and burnt to death. It had been their doing, unknowingly. Tina wanted to honor them, but they weren't dead. No, they had turned. 

When she let out a scream, blood had flooded her face. She'd been bitten. Maren sighed, watching as Daryl took out the walkers and Sherry ran to her sister. This was the way the world was now, anything can happen. Things happen so quickly, you barely see it coming.

Deciding to dig graves at the site, Daryl paused, "How many walkers you killed?" With no response, he urged again, "Just answer the question."

"A lot..." He spoke, "A couple dozen at least." The man had answered.

"How many people you killed?" 

"None." The man responded, and Maren shot Daryl a look. She found that hard to believe, seeing as this man had threatened to kill them many times before.

"Why?"

The man scoffed, "Why haven't I killed anybody? Because if I did, there'd be no going back. There'd be no going back to how things were." There was a silence, and Maren wondered if this could work. If this guy could actually come back with them to Alexandria. Maybe it could work.

Daryl cleared his throat, "We're from a place where people are still like they were...more or less, better or worse."