Chapter one hundred and seven
"Welcome to the commonwealth."
Thirty days had passed since Lance Hornsby made his offer.
Daryl led the way down a pitch-black corridor, with Judith, Caroline, and Rick clutching his jacket tightly. Uncle Daryl walked just a few paces behind them. Low, raspy growls echoed from every corner of the dark hall. As they rounded a sharp bend, decaying hands burst out from the shadows, snapping at them. The siblings pressed forward, passing a chain-link fence where more creatures rattled the steel. Suddenly, a figure slammed violently against a glass partition to their right.
A door directly ahead flew open, and a terrifying shape loomed in the threshold.
The three younger children gripped Daryl even tighter. "Get him, Daryl! Yeah, get him!" they urged frantically.
Daryl lunged forward, his fist clenched.
"Wait, wait—" Uncle Daryl called out, reaching to stop him.
It was too late. Daryl threw a hard punch, connecting squarely with the figure's face.
"Ow! What the hell?" a very human voice shouted.
Uncle Daryl quickly stepped between them, raising his hands in apology. "I'm so sorry, man. His sisters and brother got spooked, and he tends to choose fighting over running. Come on, guys."
He gently guided Daryl forward, letting Judith, Caroline, and Rick hurry past them. They all spilled out of the exit, leaving the dark haunted house behind as they stepped into the bright, bustling Commonwealth Halloween fair.
"You're gonna get yourself thrown in juvie," Uncle Daryl remarked, playfully shoving the boy's shoulder.
"Why, what happened?" Jerry asked with a grin, walking up to the group with his son beside him.
"He punched the actor," Judith shared.
Jerry burst out laughing. He reached into his bag and handed Judith a pointed witch's hat to complete her costume. Caroline was dressed up as a cowgirl, while Rick had decided he wanted to be cool like his older brother and skipped the costume entirely.
Jerry pointed toward a nearby game stall. "Apples?"
Daryl looked over at the game, watching a group of kids try to bite apples swinging from strings. "Pass," he muttered, turning on his heel and walking off.
Rick immediately trailed after him, with Judith and Caroline falling into step right behind their brothers.
The four siblings headed over to the bakery stall, where they spotted Carol working behind the counter.
"How's everything going?" Carol asked with a warm smile.
"Haunted houses are not our thing," Rick shared honestly.
Carol hummed in agreement. "Understandable," she told them.
"I don't think fairs are our thing either," Daryl shared. Carol gave him a knowing look, understanding exactly how jarring the crowd and the lights felt after everything they had been through.
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