Red ~ TWD (Daryl Dixon)

What Can You Live With?

This day just wouldn't end. I missed the days when no one cared what I thought or needed my help. Maybe I should just take a page out of Henry's book and curl up with some liquor until this mess passed us by.

Sighing, I rounded the building, Daryl falling into step beside me. "Ya heard?" I nodded. "Rick's here. He's already at the gate."

The group huddled around the gate looked agitated, worried glances passing between everyone. You'd think by now we'd be used to people showing up and starting shit. I glanced up and saw Rick standing on top of the platform overlooking the front gate. I could faintly hear someone responding outside but couldn't make out the words.

"There's a lot of them. Same one's we faced at the cemetery," Glen confirmed, "Rick and Maggie are trying to reason with them, but they want the girl. Their leader, Alpha, says she's, her daughter."

Darly and I shared a look before I focused on Glenn. "She wants to stay."

Glenn shuffled his feet, face unsure. "One person versus everyone here...that's easy math Alex."

"And it wasn't with the Governor or the assholes at Terminus? It doesn't matter how many are out there. We aren't giving up a fucking inch. We've fought too hard to cave now."

Glenn sighed, hands on his hips. "I'm with you."

I looked glanced at Daryl, and he scoffed, "Like ya gotta ask."

Rick stomped down from the lookout, his high heels clinking against the metal as he shook his head. He was muttering under his breath as he stopped in front of us.

"Did they surrender?" I joked, smirking.

He snorted, "Not exactly. They have two of ours, Alden and Luke."

"Who?"

Rick gave me a drool look before continuing like I hadn't spoken, which felt rude. "She'll hand them over, unharmed, if we give up her daughter." He paused, looking at the ground, grinding his teeth. "She wants to talk to our leader."

"Well, guess I didn't get all dressed up for nothing," I replied, already striding toward the gate.

"Woah, woah, woah Alex. You're our leader?" The amusement in Rick's voice was insulting. "At best your our..."

"Executioner," Glenn finished for him which earned a growl from my husband. Glenn muttered a hasty apology before putting distance between them.

"Potato, po-tat-o. Let's go ladies, I have babies waiting for me."

Rick, Daryl, and I made our way out of the community and down the dirt path leading to our first line of defense. Alpha and her cohort were all standing around the gate, all wearing faces of the dead except for their leader. Not that she looked better without the rotting flesh draped over her face.

"She looks like she's ridden way too far and been put away without a bath."

I laughed at my own joke before noticing no one else was joining in. My husband had stopped walking and had his eyes closed, head tipped back to the heavens like he was hoping for divine intervention. Rick was pinching his lips together hard in an effort to stay quiet.

"Was I even close?"

Daryl huffed before resuming walking. "Fuck no."

Oh well. I couldn't be expected to be good at everything. Law of averages.

We stopped in front of the gate, taking in Alpha and her creepy posse. She inspected us just as thoroughly, which was somewhat disconcerting. She looked like a poster child for the pitfalls of choosing the dark side.