The Fear (The Walking Dead / Daryl Dixon)

Chapter 37 - Hold On

I'm trying to cut back on the third person segments, but I love so many of the scenes and they're still important, but I can't have Kat in every one of them.

"We're not leaving." Rick said adamantly.

We had closed the gate into the courtyard and were now inside the cell block. Merle was locked away where Tyreese's group had been and it was now the following day. We had gone to sleep, or slept as much as we could, to rest up before any more decisions were made that we were once again discussing now.

"We can't stay here." Dad stated.

"What if there's another sniper? A wood pallet won't stop one of those rounds." Maggie said. The governor had positioned a sniper who had snuck up on to one of the guard towers. Maggie had taken him out, but not before he had killed Axel.

"We can't even go outside." Beth said.

"Not in the daylight." Carol added.

"If Rick says we're not running, we're not running." Glenn spoke up.

Rick, Glenn, Maggie, Carl, Michonne and my dad were all on the bottom floor, dad sitting on the steps. Carol stood at the top of the stairs and I stood next to Beth who held Judith with Daryl a metre away outside our cell.

"No, better to live like rats." Merle chimed in from behind his bars in our dining area.

"You got a better idea?" Rick asked.

"Yeah, we should have slid out of here last night and lived to fight another day. But we lost that window, didn't we? I'm sure he's got scouts on every road out of this place by now.

"We ain't scared of that prick." Daryl stated, looking down at his brother.

"Y'all should be. That truck through the fence thing, that's just him ringing the doorbell. We might have some thick walls to hide behind, but he's got the guns and the numbers. And if he takes the high ground around this place, shoot, he could just starve us out if he wanted to." Merle stated.

"Let's put him in the other cell block." Maggie stated, playing with her hands nervously, Merle putting her on edge.

"No, he's got a point." Daryl stated.

"This is all you, you started this." Maggie turned on Merle, almost yelling.

"What's the difference whose fault it is? What do we do?" Beth spoke up after Carol had taken Judith and moved to the top of the stairs, beginning to walk down.

"I said we should leave." Dad stated. "Now Axel's dead. We can't just sit here." Rick looked over to dad before turning around and beginning to walk away, but he didn't get far. "Get back here!" Dad yelled after him, standing up on his crutches. He rarely yelled, he wasn't the type. In fact I don't remember him yelling like that since Maggie's rebellious stage at 14. Dad moved after him quickly. "You're slipping, Rick. We've all seen it. We understand why. But now is not the time. You once said this isn't a democracy. Now you have to own up to that. I put my family's life in your hands. So get your head clear and do something."

Rick stared back a moment and then nodded.

"I'll go out, see what it's like out there and then come back. Everyone just hang tight till then." Rick said before continuing on his way, grabbing a pair of binoculars on his way.

Carol sighed, rocking the baby a little before walking down the steps after Beth to feed her. I turned and went back to my cell where the only thing I could think of to do was sharpen my machete. I stood with my back to the door, using a rock on the blade. It was a minutes before Daryl came in, quiet enough that I didn't notice until he spoke.