Barely Surviving // TWD // Daryl Dixon #Wattys2016

Chapter XXVII -- Reconciliations

"Being alone never felt right. sometimes it felt good, but it never felt right."

- Charles Bukowski, Women

I was woken up by someone yelling, I wasn't sure who was at first but then I realized it was Rick. I really didn't want to see anyone but I was scared the rampage was about Michonne so I forced myself out of bed and rushed to where the yells came from.

"Get out! Get out!"

Right when I was going to walk inside the room, four people I had never seen before were walking out, looking really scared. They barely acknowledged me.

"Just go! Go! Go!"

Hershel and Axel followed them out, Rick stormed away, leaving the rest astonished at his reaction. Beth stood next to me.

"What happened? Who were they?"

"They came in when you were out looking for Maggie and Glenn, we had them locked here and we had kind of agreed we were going to let them stay but then Rick just... he just snap."

"Yeah, I heard."

"Are you hungry? I'm sure you haven't eaten since you came here the first time. I think we have some noodles."

"I'm fine."

To be honest I couldn't remember the last time I ate. I think it was the morning I left with Merle, almost two days ago and I wasn't really hungry but I was very tired even when I had just woken up.

I walked back into the cell where I was and lied down on my stomach, I used to sleep like that when the world was normal, then I would just lie on my side on my sleeping bag.

"Hey," Beth muttered, sitting next to me. "I know you said you weren't hungry but I got you something."

"Thanks," I said smiling a bit at her and taking the bar from her hand.

I sat up and opened the wrapper. I took a bite of it and it was really good, I wasn't hungry but I ate to not hurt Beth's feelings and because I knew I needed it.

"You look good," I told her. "So much better than the last time I saw you."

"Yeah, I just went through a hard time there, I lost it but I got over it. It doesn't make things any easier but at least I can bear them," she told me with a sad look on her face. "I'm so sorry... for leaving you. We all assumed you were dead, there were so many."

"It's okay, if you had come looking for me you would have died, I almost died. I admit it was horrible. We ran all night and all day, killing walkers. I was about to being eaten when Michonne saved us and..."

"Us?" Beth asked.

"Andrea and I, if it wasn't for her I would have killed myself right after I saw all the cars leaving, I never thought I could get out of there alive but she stopped me and she kept telling me to go on until we both ran out of strength and Michonne saved us and took care of us."

"Is she... is Andrea dead?"

"Oh, didn't you hear? Andrea's in Woodbury, she didn't want to leave and based on Merle, she and the Governor are together, I prefer not to think about that."

"I haven't really thanked you," she told me, grabbing my left hand. "For saving my sister. You could have stayed with us, you had just come but you decided to go to help her, so thank you."

"I couldn't leave her and Glenn there," I told her. "How are they, by the way?"

"They are good, a bit traumatized and well, Glenn has a lot of bruises but they are okay, they will be okay."