Broken Wings (Daryl dixon x Reader)

Chapt. 24: Humanity Lost

The group had gathered in the living room to discuss what to do with Randall, everyone except Carl, Jimmy, and Beth. I was leaning up against the wall near the piano where Glenn sat, while Dale had a hand leaning against it. Daryl, as always, stood in the back.

"So, how do we do this? Just take a vote?" Glenn suggested.

"Does it have to be unanimous?" Andrea asked.

"How about majority rules?" Lori proposed.

"Well, let's...let's just see where everybody stands. Then we can talk through the options."  Rick answered.

"Well, where I sit, there's only one way to move forward." Shane began.

"Killing him, right?" Dale asked with sarcasm, "I mean, why even bother to take a vote? It's clear which way the wind's blowing."

"Well, if people believe we should spare him, I wanna know," Rick replied.

"Well, I can tell you it's a small group, maybe just Glenn, Y/N, and me." Glenn looked up at him, he was feeling guilty, I could tell.

"Look, I think you're pretty much right about everything all the time, but thi-"

"They've got you scared."  Dale interrupted him.

"He's not one of us, and we've...we've lost too many people already."

"Y/n? How about you?"

"Seen enough death already both now and before, he is just a kid, he is scared, he just got with the wrong people, that is all."

"He could lead those people back to us," Shane interjected.

"Maybe some of those people are already here," I mumbled.

"What?" Shane said, offended, "Why don't you repeat that?"

He scoffed and shook his head. "Damn bitch, maybe you got hit by Austin cause you said stuff like that."

"Shane, that is enough," Rick commanded. Shane stood there shaking his head and huffing.

I looked at the ground, hiding back in the corner, all eyes were on me, I felt embarrassed, and like I wanted to cry.

"How about you? Do you agree with this?" Dale asked Maggie, all eyes were off of me now, I could feel Daryl's eyes boring into me still.

"Couldn't we continue keeping him prisoner?" Maggie suggested.

"Just another mouth to feed," Daryl muttered, no longer boring into my head like he was, but leaning against the wall to the side of me.

"It may be a lean winter," Hershal advised.

"We could ration better," Lori recommended

"Well, he could be an Asset. Give him a chance to prove himself." Dale pleaded

"Put him to work?" Glenn suggested.

"We're not letting him walk around," Rick replied

"We could put an escort on him," Maggie interjected.

"Who wants to volunteer for that duty?" Shane said with disgust.

"I will, Y/n sure will, she already bandaged him up," Dale said quickly.

"You did what?" Daryl asked in a low voice, looking at me with both anger and what looked to be worry.

"I don't think any of us should be walking around with this guy," Rick told us.

"He's right, I...I wouldn't feel safe unless he was tied up," Lori said, agreeing with him.

"We can't exactly put chains around his ankles, sentence him to hard labor,"  Andrea said. She was right, that wasn't right either.