In The End | Daryl Dixon

Chapter 39: Forgive me

Bob was missing. 

 Rick, Tyreese, Daryl, and Sasha had gone out together to search for him while the rest of us sat in the church hoping that he would just miraculously walk through the door. So, when they came back with no Bob, the pit in my stomach formed.

"What are you doing?" Sasha asked Gabriel, "This is all connected. You show up, we're being watched, and now Bob is gone." 

"I don't-I don't have anything to do with this." Gabriel said dumbfounded.

Sasha pulled out her knife and stepped closer to Gabriel. 

"Shasha, put it away." Tyreese pleaded. 

"Who's out there?" She ignored her brother, getting into Gabriel's face. "Where is Bob?" 

"I don't-" 

"Where is Bob?!" She shouted, her voice echoing off the walls. 

"Please, I don't have anything to do with this." Gabriel put his hands up in surrender. 

Rick had reached forward and grabbed Sasha by her hand, gently pulling her behind him as he stepped forward, now face to face with Gabriel. 

"Why did you bring us here?" He asked. "You workin' with someone?"

"I'm alone. I'm alone. I was always alone." Gabriel said. 

"What about the woman in the food bank, Gabriel? What did you do to her? 'You'll burn for this.' That was for you. Why?" Rick grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt, "What are you gonna burn for, Gabriel?! What did you do?!" Rick shouted before tossing Gabriel to the side. 

I watched as Gabriel's lip quivered before taking a quick breath to speak, "I lock the doors at night. I always lock the doors at night... They started coming, my congregation. Atlanta was bombed the night before and they were scared, they were looking for a safe place, a place where they felt safe." The tears were now falling down his cheeks, guilt ridden on his face. "It was so early.. And the doors were still locked... There were so many of them and they were trying to pry the shutters and banging on the sidings, screaming at me. And so, the dead came for them.. Women... Children... Entire families calling my name as they were being torn apart, begging me for mercy." He slid down in front of a pew, bringing his knees to his chest sobbing. 

Glenn was stood in the back of the room by the windows when a whistle coming from outside could be heard. He moved over to the window to peek out of it,

"There's something- there's someone outside lying in the grass." Glenn said as he rushed for the door, but not before Sasha beat him to it. 

"Bob!" She screamed, collapsing to the ground beside him.

I stared at him lying in the grass, body not moving a single inch before I noticed his leg was missing from the knee down, a bandage soaked in blood wrapped around the stump. 

"Get Bob inside! We'll take care of them!" Glenn directed as he took a swing at a walker. 

Sasha and I grabbed ahold of each side of him, rushing to carry him inside as we were being surrounded by walkers. 

We set Bob down in front of the first pews, while everyone else rushed inside, Rick an Daryl pushing pews in front of the door to keep the dead out. 

"I was in the graveyard. Somebody knocked me out. I woke up outside this place. It looked like a school." Bob lifted his head to look towards Rick, "It was that guy, Gareth. And five other ones. They were eating my leg right in front of me. Like it was nothing. All proud like they had it all figured out." 

I felt a familiar bubbling feeling form in my stomach, as I felt the blood rush to my cheeks. I gritted my teeth together as I looked away from Bob. I felt a gentle hand on the small of my back causing me to look up towards the source. Daryl stared into my eyes before nodding, acknowledging my anger.