Till I Die (TWD/Carl Grimes)

Chapter 46: Wait - Part One

Wait - Part One

You never can really expect whats coming. How it will. When. Not until its there, right in front of you. Shouting, shooting, and spilling blood. And all because of what? A grudge? No. It's more than that. Safety? your getting there... But it all leads back to survival.. and sacrifice.

"Carl" I shouted to nothing but broken walls and the crying wind that blew the ash from the prison around me. Everyone was either gone... or dead. "Daryl!" I shouted. I knew I only had moments to gather my things before the walkers flooded the place. I had no one right now, well I had Charming, but that didn't count. But this isn't where is started, so lets go back to this morning, a little before it started raining bullets.

Eight Hours Earlier

"Daryl's back" I said, holding Sophia's old doll in my hands well I sat on Carl's bed. legs draped over Carl's. "Just in time too. Can prevent people from dying now" Carl said, not taking his eyes off the comic he was reading. "Sophia is still dead" I whispered. "And it isn't your fault" Carl said, putting down his comic, and taking the ragged doll from my hands and placing it at the end of the bed. "feels like it is" I mumbled. Carl sighed and stood up, "I'll see you later, got watch with Tyreese" Carl said, leaving the cell. "I thought you do watch with Carol?" I said. "I think you should go talk to Daryl" Carl said before leaving the cell. I sat on the bed for a moment, just thinking. What does he mean by that? Did something happen? After about five minutes of being in the cell, i stood up, grabbing Sophia's doll on the way out. Dropping the doll off in my cell, I walked into the kitchen, where Daryl was sitting, staring at nothing but one of the prisons boring brick walls. "I'm suppose to talk to about Carol" I said, catching Daryl by surprise as I sat down next to him. "Seen her anywhere?" I asked. "Nu. Rick sent her away" he said right away, just getting it done with. "What?" I snapped, tears. "Why? When?" "Remember when we found Karen and Dave's bodies torched?" He asked, right away I knew what he was getting at. "It was her" I whispered, wiping the stray tears off my cheeks. "Why ya crying?" Merle chuckled, walking into the room. "Ya look like your puppy just died" "Shut up Merle" Daryl snapped. "How long have you known shes been gone?" I asked. "as soon as I got back" Daryl mumbled. "You got back last night! Why didn't you tell me? Why did I have to come to you? Don't have the balls to tell me?" I snapped, anger taking over the sadness. "Maxie!" He shouted. "You know what? Fuck you! Fuck all of you!" I yelled before turning my back to him and speed walked outside where I sat on the cement stairs, looking at my black high-tops that had blood stains.

Daryl's POV

I got up to follow Maxie when Merle grabbed my forearm. "Let me go man!" I snapped at my older brother. "Nah little brother, let her go. Let her calm down, you just told her her mother figure is gone. How do you think she feels?" He asked, calm. "Pretty shitty. I mean, I feel like shit. Carol was my best friends" I muttered, yanking my arm out of Merle's strong grip. "Ya best friend eh? Thought you didn't need anyone" Merle chuckled, "Little Darylina, you've gone soft" "I never said I don't need them! I just don't need you or dad!" I snapped and stomped away after seeing Merle's sad eyes. My eyes filled with tears but I shook it off, I never, ever admitted to needing someone, heck! I never admitted Carol to be my best friend either!

I felt a little guilty for saying that to Merle, but the man deserved it. Saying all that crap to Maxie and myself. I walked outside and saw Maxie on the steps, flicking her pocket knife open and closed. "Shouldn't play with that" I said as I sat next to her. We sat in silence before she murmured "I'm sorry for snapping" I just nodded. "It's fine. I did the same to Rick when he told me" I finally said. "And I'm sorry for Merle being a dick" I added. "That's not for you to apologize for, you ain't him" she sighed. "I'm his brother" " that's not the same" I wanted to argue, but she was right. "Think Carol will come back?" she asked, looking me in the eyes. I looked at her now shinny eyes and tear stains on her cheeks before answering. "I don't know. I'd like to hope so" "Hope is stupid" she said before standing up and putting her knife into her back pocket. "Don't say that" I said, still sitting on the cement stairs. "Carol always had hope, heck she prayed everyday for you and Sophia to always be okay. I'm sure she's doing that right now to!" "Well her praying ain't working! Sophia is dead! And now, I'm dying inside!" Maxie said, her voice going quieter near the end. "Maxie" I whispered. "No. Don't" she said before walking away again. I sighed in frustration and picked up a rock and whipped it at the ground sharply. This fatherly stuff is more difficult then I thought... Also, I have no idea how to even act like a father, never had one really growing up. "Hey Max!" I shouted at her before she was out of sight. I stood up and jogged over to her. "Still got that bow from when you first joined the group?" I asked. "Yeah, why?" she asked, raising a brow. "Well, i've never seen you use it, so I'm sure your rusty. Go get it and meet me at the front gates. "Uh.. ok" she said before I walked past her to wait for her at the gates.

Maxie's POV

I was a little shocked when he asked me but agreed anyways. Haven't really had a father- a Daryl Maxie day before. I walked into the prison and went straight to my cell. I tossed the ragged doll that sat on my duffle bag of the ground and unzipped the bag, pulling out a wooden hunting bow and homemade arrows. pulling the arrows over my shoulder, I jogged out of the prison back to Daryl who was waiting patiently. "Ready?" he asked, swinging his crossbow over his shoulder. "Yeah" I replied quickly. he waved his hand at Rick who came over. "Gonna take Maxie out into the woods a bit, teach her how to shoot" Daryl said, gesturing to my bow. "one hour. You can leave for an hour. Don't go far" Rick ordered. "Whatever dad" Daryl joked as Rick opened the gate and we wandered out.

"Ya holding it wrong, relax a bit" Daryl said.. again. "Daryl I know how to hold a bow, this ain't a crossbow" I snapped at him, blowing a strand of hair away from my eyes. The only thing that made it difficult, was my two missing fingers, but luckily, I only need my middle and index finger to hold the arrow in place. I've been aiming at the small target that Daryl spray painted on the large oak tree for over four minutes and feel pressured with Daryl watching. We've only been here for a half hour, but it already feels like an hour. I had my headphones in and was listening to 'Jar of Hearts' by Christina Perri. Daryl pulled my iPod out of my leather jackets pocket and looked at the song. "You need a song that will get you heart racing, not make you emotional" He said, changing the song to 'Death Valley' by Fall Out Boy. "nothing wrong with emotion" I said under my breath so he couldn't hear me. "now shoot!" he shouted after a moment, catching me by surprise I shot the arrow to high, it just missed the target.. and the tree. "Daryl! Stop it!" I shouted as I went to grab my arrow that landed on the tree next to it, I yanked hard on the arrow but it was stuck "son of a gun" i muttered. I yanked harder on the arrow and a walker grabbed hold of my wrist, causing flashbacks of when I first met the group and went after Sophia who ran to the woods alone. "Daryl!" I screamed as I tried to escape the walkers grip. I didn't realize how far the arrow went till I turned my head slightly and saw nothing but tree and bush. I called for Daryl again before looking at the arrow in the tree. I used my right hand the best I could to hold the walker off, my hand slowly peeling away the rotten flesh on its neck. I held back the vomit and slammed my elbow on the arrow, breaking it in half. It fell to the ground and I cursed, that did not go as planned. With the walkers tight grip on my forearm, I retched for the back of my pants where my gun was tucked in. Pulling the weapon out I stuck it into the walkers mouth and pulled the trigger, the shot louder than it should of been. Was that an explosion? I asked my self, looking in the direction on the prison."Maxie!" Daryl shouted as he ran up to me, dropping his crossbow and pulling me into a tight- real- hug. "I'm ok" I said, out of breath. "But did you hear that? I think it came from the prison" I said after Daryl pulled away from the hug. "Came from the prison" Daryl said, picking up my bow, I didn't even realize I dropped, and giving it to me.

We made it back to the prison in about eight minutes and I was shocked at what I saw. Phillip was there, with an army, and with a tank, which fired at the prison, just missing Cell block C. "Daryl what do we do?" I asked as I saw Hershel and Michonne of their knees, Hershel with a sword to his neck. "Nothing at this moment.." Daryl whispered as he crouched down, slowly walking around to another opening in the gate. I followed after him, pressured of getting caught. Once on the safe side of the gate, we jogged around the homemade shed filled with garden tools and made it over to where Rick, Maggie, Beth, and Carl were standing. Once we were there, Phillip yelled "Liar!" and sliced the sword into Hershel's neck, causing Maggie and Beth to scream, even I fell like the wind was knocked out of me. I placed my hand on my gun, ready for what was about to happen.

Yet I wasn't prepared for it.