Daryl's Angel (10th Anniversary Edition)

Chapter 48: Waiting for War

When I hear the rumbling of a motorcycle outside, I'm quick to hand Judith off to Beth and hurry outside. Carol and Carl pull the gate open as Daryl rides through, followed closely by Rick and Hershel in the other vehicle. I hold my breath, anxious for news. I can't read Daryl's expression as I approach him.

Even so, as he puts the kickstand down and turns to face me, I smile softly at him. "How'd it go?" I ask.

His lips purse. "Rick'll tell everyone."

On cue, Rick passes us, en route to the cell block. "Get inside," he calls.

We obey. In the cell block, we stand in a loose half-circle with Rick at the head. "So, I met his Governor," he says. "Sat with him for quite a while."

"Just the two of you?" Merle asks.

Rick nods once. The rifle tucked beneath his arm shifts. Merle exhales and pushes himself off the wall, muttering something to Glenn before circling around to linger beside Carl. Glenn's jaw clenches.

"He wants the prison," Rick continues. "He wants us gone. Dead. He wants us dead...for what we did to Woodbury."

A lump fills my throat and I swallow it back, hands clenching at my sides. I look at this group, these people who have become my second family, the closest friends I've had in years, and I don't feel strong. There are so few of us.

"We're going to war," Rick says.

No one speaks. His words are heavy, sagging my shoulders, and Rick bows his head before leaving the block. Maggie hooks her rifle over her shoulder. Daryl locks eyes with his brother, the two of them sharing a look, then a nod.

I stay rooted in place.

I wonder if the people of Woodbury share the same sentiment as their leader, but then I remember how they screamed for my death, for Daryl's. I know they were scared. I'm a stranger to them, someone who invaded their home and attacked their friends. Even if I could get near them, I doubt they'd listen to a word I have to say. I'd be dead before I could raise my hand in greeting.

"We should hit them first," Merle says. "Get the upper hand while we still can."

"There's no upper hand to get," Carol retorts. "They have the numbers. They already broke down our front gate." She shakes her head. "We should leave and live to fight another day."

"No," Michonne says. Her dark eyes flit to Merle, briefly. "If he wants revenge, he'll hunt us down even if we run. We'll never be safe."

"Maybe, but if we get far enough away...it'll be more trouble than it's worth to follow," Hershel says.

I know we can survive on the road, but I can see a possible future here—stability, if anything—and I don't want to leave it behind. Am I willing to fight for it, though?

"We have to stay together," I say. A few heads turn. "Whatever we decide, we have to be united in this. If...if we're going to war, we can't be fighting each other too. It'll only weaken us."

Silence. Hershel pushes himself up from his seat on the stairs, hiking his crutches beneath his armpits. He nods to me.

"I agree," he says. "I'll talk to Rick."

He makes his way out and people start to disperse, but I'm still stuck.

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"Is this really all we can do? Sit around and wait?" I ask.

"The other option is going out there and starting the fight," Maggie says, cleaning her gun. "We agreed not to do that."

"We wait for Rick's call," Glenn adds.