My Hunter || D. Dixon (On Hold)

Thirty-One - What He Can Handle

Daryl and Rick take off towards the shed. I look to Jessica, "You stay right there, Ya hear me!?" I yell running after them. We get inside and look around. Bloody handcuffs are still lying on the ratty blanket where Randall was, but he's gone.

By now, the whole group has gathered, asking what's going on. Caleb stood beside me, his arm around Jess, keeping her slightly behind him when they came up. "He must've slipped the cuffs," Rick says, coming out of the shed.

"RICK! RICK!" Someone yells and we turn to see Shane running from the forest. His nose and mouth are bloody. "He's armed! He got my gun!"

I glance at Caleb, raising an eyebrow. "Are you okay?" Carl asks him.

Shane gets closer to us. "I'm fine. The little bastard snuck up on me and clocked me in the face." He answers him, trying to not make Carl worry so much.

I curse under my breath and Rick jumps into action. "Alright, Hershel, T-dog, Caleb, get everyone in the house. Daryl, Luna, and Glenn come with us," He yells.

Shane looks at T-dog. "T, I'm gonna need that gun," T hands him the gun before starting to lead people off.

"Just let him go! Wasn't that the plan?" Carol asks.

I shake my head at her. "The plan was to drop him off far away from here unarmed, not on our front steps with a gun!" Shane yells.

"Get everyone back in the house. Lock all the doors and stay put!" Rick yells again.

They start to head back, I stop Jess and kneel down in front of her. "Hey, you listen to me okay? You don't leave that house. You stay right beside your daddy okay? Now somethin' happens you stay with Lori and Carl. You can't find them. You stick with Maggie and Beth. Got it?" I ask looking her in the eyes. She nods and heads off with the others.

Caleb grabs my hand for a moment and I nod to him. "Be careful." He says and I grip his hand.

"You too," I say before following the rest of the group. We head into the woods.

I don't bother using my rifle. The kick on the thing sucks, so I strung an arrow as we walk. "I saw him heading that way before I blacked out," Shane says as we walk.

I walk beside Daryl, eyes on the ground. "Daryl, Luna, you think you can track him?" Rick asks.

I shake my head at him. "I don't see nothin' here," Daryl replies, looking at the ground. His crossbow was armed and ready.

"There's no use tracking him. I saw him go that way, so we just split up and followed him," Shane says, his eye wide and crazed.

"This guy weighs a buck 25 soaking wet and you're sayin' he got the jump on ya?" Daryl asks, skeptical as he should be.

"I don't think that matters right now. Point is, that's what happened," Shane says.

Rick holds his hands out, motioning to calm down. "Knock it off. Daryl and Glenn, start heading up the right flank. Shane, Luna, and I will take the left. Remember, Randall's not the only threat out there," Rick says. "Keep an eye out for each other."

They head off and I look at Daryl. He grabs my hand and looks me in the eye. He pulls me to him and puts his lips on mine. How I want it to last forever. But we have a job to do. He pulls back and looks at me. "Be careful," he says.

I smirk at him as he had to me earlier today. "Always am, ain't I?" I turn and follow after Rick and Shane, we walk for a while, the sun goes down, and we don't find anything.

After a while, Rick starts talking, breaking the tense silence that's set in. "That looks pretty busted," Rick comments on Shane's nose.

Shane glances at him. "It's nothing. I'm fine," Shane says.