Daryl's Angel (10th Anniversary Edition)

Chapter 53: The Only Way

"What's on the docket for you today?" I ask as I adjust my belt and secure my knife at my hip.

Daryl lays on his back, still half asleep. "Hunting, probably. Might have a council meeting later. Need to ask Hershel," he says. He rolls onto his side, looking up at me. "You?"

"Gonna see where the day takes me," I say. "Might ask Carol if I could take over storytime for today." I may have gotten Eryn a little too excited about Peter Pan yesterday.

He nods, then pushes himself up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He grasps my hips, tugging me closer, and I rest my hands on his shoulders. His hands trail up and under my shirt as he gazes up at me, all baby blues and dark hair and...

I exhale, closing my eyes. "You're evil," I mumble.

He smirks, squeezing my waist again. "I didn't say anything."

"You know what you're doing."

He tilts his head back, eyes hooded, and I can't help but lean down and kiss him. His hands move further up my torso, toying with me as he deepens our embrace. I sink onto his lap, his arousal pressing against me in the most delicious way.

"You sure you can't stick around?" he asks, trailing kisses down my jaw and throat.

I groan, eyes fluttering shut. "I mean...if you aren't busy—" I gasp as he nips my shoulder, a tiny bloom of pain joining the sparks running up and down my body.

A gunshot goes off.

We jump apart, grip tightening as we look towards our door, then back at each other. Daryl's up in an instant, lifting me off of him and putting me aside as he scrambles for his clothes. He yanks his pants on as I grab him a shirt.

He pulls it on and another shot goes off, then another.

"Shit," Daryl curses.

"Is that from D?" I ask.

Outside the block, I hear shouts.

"Help! HELP!"

"Please, hurry!"

Two girl's voices—Lizzie and Mika, sisters who joined us with their father a while back. The pure panic and terror in their voices makes my blood run cold.

Daryl and I race out onto the upper level of C as Daryl snatches his bow from the wall. Glenn is already running, Tyreese and Sasha right behind him.

"The hell's going on?!" Daryl shouts as we head for the stairs.

"Walkers in D!" Glenn shouts back.

"A breach?" I demand.

"I don't think so! We've checked everything!"

In the common area, Sasha locks the entrance to the Tombs and Hershel stands near her with a shotgun, face grave. We rush outside.

"Walkers in D!" I hear Glenn shouting.

"What about C?!" Rick demands as he rushes up from the fields.

"Clear! We locked the gates to the Tombs," Sasha reports from behind us.

"It ain't a breach!" Daryl says.

More echoing gunshots. Rick curses and follows us as we keep running. I get my knife out as we run, readying myself for the worst.

Yet, the second we enter D, I still don't feel prepared.

It's chaos in every sense of the word. Panicked screams, blasts of gunfire, and the endless snarling of walkers. Daryl snatches a shotgun from a man as we rush in, turning and tossing it to Rick without a thought.