Mi Amor ~ Daryl Dixon

Chapter Twenty-Three

"We're not leaving." Rick says, the group surrounding him and look to him for answers.

"We can't stay here." Hershel says from his seat on the stairs. Maggie nods her head in agreement.

"What if there's another sniper? A wood pallet won't stop one of those rounds." She points out.

Beth leans over from the railing. "We can't even go outside." The sun peered through the barred windows behind them.

"Not in the daylight."

Glenn steps up looking to the group."If Rick says we're not running, we're not running." He tells the nervous looking people.

"No, better to live like rats." Merle says from behind the bars of the next room.

"You got a better idea?"

"Yeah we should have slid out of here last night and lived to fight another day. But we lost that window, didn't we?" He asks sarcastically. "I'm sure he's got scouts on every road out of this place by now."

"We ain't scared of that prick." His brother tells him.

"Y'all should be." He stops for a moment."That truck through the fence thing was just him ringing the doorbell. We might have some thick walls to hide behind but he got the guns and the numbers." He leans back slightly. "And if he takes the high ground around this place, shoot he could just starve us out if he wanted to."

Maggie rolled her eyes in anger. "Let's put him in the other cell block." She urged.

"No. He's got a point." Daryl says defending Merle.

"This is all you! You started this!" Maggie shouts at the man behind bars, ignoring Daryl.

"What's the difference whose fault is is?" Adrianna speaks up, standing up from the staircase. "What do we do?" Her eyes still never meeting Daryl's.

"I said we should leave, now Axels dead. We can't just sit here." Rick turns his back on Hershel. He stood up, quickly catching his balance with the crutches. "Get back here!" He shouted after Rick who stopped in his tracks from his tone. "You're slipping Rick. We've all seen it, we understand why but now is not the time. You once said this isn't a democracy, now you have to own up to that. I put my family's life in your hands. So get your head clear and do something." Hershel demanded.

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Adrianna layed flat on the bed. Staring at the top bunk. Her mind was reeling with ideas. Daryl was back, she should be happy. But she couldn't get over the idea of Daryl leaving her in the first place.

She hadn't talked to Daryl since he showed up. She tried her best to avoid him, which was difficult now that they couldn't go outside.

A shadow appeared in the corner of her eye and she froze knowing who it was.

"Hey." He grunted out, taking a step inside. When she didn't move or answer he knew that he messed up big time. He didn't mean to hurt her, he was just so caught up in his emotions he made an impulsive decision. A bad one. "Can I sit?" He asks, his voice softer this time.

She thought for a minute before nodding.

She sat up slowly, bringing her legs to her chest and sitting back up against the wall. She refused to make eye contact.

He layed his crossbow down in the same corner Adrianna and him would always keep theirs. He sat down softly on the edge of the bunk.

He took a deep breath before speaking. "Adrianna, I'm sorry. I know that means nothing but I need you to hear it from me, I'm sorry." His voice cracked on the last part. "I fucked up. I did. I should've never left you like that, hurt, scared, lonely..." He ran his hands over his face in shame. "I don't expect you to forgive me Adrianna, I don't. But I love you. I love you Adrianna." Adrianna's eyes filled with tears as she kept her head down. "Thats why I'm back." He took another breath. "I realized when I was out there that what I did was the biggest mistake in my life and I don't want to lose you."