In The End | Daryl Dixon

Chapter 75: Worth

The sound of screaming ripped me from sleep so violently that I was on my feet before I was fully awake. My heart pounded against my ribs as I blinked away the haze of exhaustion, trying to make sense of the chaos erupting somewhere beyond the bedroom walls. Another scream echoed through the house, followed by the unmistakable sound of a struggle. The moment I realized it wasn't a dream, I reached for my sword resting against the nightstand.

Pain shot through my wrist as my fingers wrapped around the handle, but adrenaline drowned most of it out. Throwing the covers aside, I hurried toward the door and pulled it open.

The hallway beyond was absolute chaos.

People stumbled from their rooms in various states of panic, some armed, some still half asleep. Shouts echoed from downstairs while frightened voices called out names and warnings. At first, I thought walkers had somehow gotten inside Hilltop, but as I looked closer, a sick feeling settled in my stomach.

The people attacking us weren't strangers.

They were ours.

Faces I recognized lurched through the hallways, blood staining their clothes and their eyes clouded over with death. Every single one of them had been injured during the Savior attack. Some had been stitched up by Siddiq only hours earlier. I had seen them alive.

"Jordyn?!"

Daryl's voice echoed up from downstairs.

My head turned instinctively toward the sound.

That single moment of distraction nearly cost me.

Something slammed into me from the side, driving me hard into the wall. The impact knocked the air from my lungs as rotten hands grabbed at my shoulders. Instinct took over immediately. I shoved at the walker with my good hand, struggling to keep its snapping teeth away from my face. My injured wrist screamed in protest as I fought for leverage.

The walker lunged again.

I shoved harder.

Its head snapped back just enough for me to finally see its face.

My stomach dropped.

"Tobin..."

The name escaped me before I could stop it.

For a moment, everything else disappeared. Just hours ago, I'd watched him bleeding in the yard. I'd watched Siddiq patch him up. I'd thought he was going to be okay.

Now there was nothing left behind in his eyes.

The realization hit me like a punch to the chest.

Tobin lunged again, his teeth snapping inches from my face, and reality came crashing back. Tears stung my eyes as I tightened my grip on my sword. There wasn't time to grieve. There wasn't time for anything except survival.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

Then I drove the blade forward.

Tobin collapsed instantly.

I stood frozen over him for a moment, my chest heaving as I stared down at his body. Grief twisted inside me, but it was quickly interrupted by the sound of pounding footsteps racing up the stairs.

A second later, Daryl appeared around the corner, taking the steps two at a time. Rick, Tyler, Maggie, and several others followed close behind him. The second Daryl saw me standing there with blood on my sword, his eyes immediately swept over me. He barely glanced at Tobin before his attention locked onto me completely.

He crossed the distance between us in seconds.

"You hurt?" he asked, grabbing my shoulders and quickly checking me over.