Daryl's Angel: Saviour (Book Two)

Chapter 69: Honour

I start tossing smoke bombs as Negan rains down hellfire.

Alexandria burns and the night cracks with gunfire. I make my way down the street, dropping smoke bombs in an attempt to obscure myself and my family from the Saviours for just a little longer.

I pray that Tobin and Siddiq got Carl into the sewers in time and that everyone else was able to follow.

Half of the solar panels blow apart with such force that I nearly stumble. I manage to catch myself on one knee, but a pain rolls through my midsection as I stand back up, emanating from my back and hips, crossing my stomach. Panic seizes me, but the pain subsides to a dull ache in seconds. I keep moving.

A car nearby explodes. I shield my face from the heat, smoke burning my eyes and making me cough as it surges down my throat. I step back, looking around with bleary, watery eyes.

The church burns, the cross at the steeple a harsh black symbol against the backdrop of fire, and smoke chokes the air. I cover my mouth and nose with my shirt, taking a steadying breath as I keep making my way to the sewer entrance. The growing smoke and the darkness of the night make it harder and harder to see.

I hear the front gate crashing open, more engines rumbling, and I know that my window of opportunity is slipping away before my eyes. I just need to find the sewer grate before the Saviours catch up to me. The growling sounds of the dead are starting to get louder too, attracted by the explosions and gunfire to the broken walls of our doomed community.

I find the grate, squatting to grip the bars. It's heavy, but I manage to drag it away, giving me enough room to climb down.

"Hey! You!"

My head snaps up. Saviours run down the street, guns drawn. I grab my last smoke bomb, pulling the pin and letting the smoke pour out. I wave it around, creating a heavy cover, then drop it as I hurry down the ladder, dragging the cover shut after me.

Footsteps approach. Two men appear above me, looking all around themselves in confusion.

"The hell? Where'd she go?" one asks.

"Keep looking. Couldn't have gotten far," the other says.

They're right. I couldn't have gone far. It's a good thing that I didn't have to.

I turn and make my way through the dark tunnel, seeking out the rest of my community.

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I find the others huddled in the wide sewer tunnels. It's blessedly free of human waste, but the scent of mould and mildew remains. Multiple lanterns lend light to the situation, candles flickering as people huddle together, holding onto each other in comfort as our home burns above us. There is sorrow and terror everywhere that I look, uncertainty blanketing it all. Judith sits in Barbara's lap, asleep despite the noise that should disturb her.

Gazes lift to me as I approach and linger as I pass by, the stares making my skin prickle. I've never been in a situation like this one, where people look to me for leadership or answers.

I hear a tiny whimper, then rapidly approaching ticking steps as Tabitha greets me. She wriggles and licks the air, but doesn't bark, and I wrap my arms around her meaty neck in a hug. She sits down and lets me, tongue lolling, hot doggy breath by my ear.

"She was at Aaron and Eric's, still," I hear Tobin's voice, and I look up at him to find him approaching me. "She's a good dog. Listened to me and everything."

She's a very good dog. I tell her this as I pull away, scratching her tiny, floppy ears. "Good girl, Tabby." I get up, wincing again at the ache in my lower back. "We've got to stay low and keep quiet, alright?" I say, raising my voice just enough that the other Alexandrians perk up and pay attention. "We'll figure out what our next move is once Daryl and the others return."