OUTLIVE.
❝The dead were never the enemy.
It was the living. ❞
THE WALKING DEAD.
DARYL DIXON.
BOOK TWO of the LANCASTER SAGA.
[ SEASONS 4 - 6 ]
*****
*I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters. I simply write to write. Astrid, any addi...
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[ xli. the alexandria safe zone ]
august 3rd, 2012
➸➸➸
THE WALK BACK FROM the overrun warehouse to the highway, where promised vehicles awaited, was quiet. The dry, afternoon air periodically broken only by the distant hum of Aaron—Daryl's companion—and Morgan's low conversation drifting ahead. Astrid and her hunter trailed silently them, their hands interlocked.
Astrid could feel Daryl's gaze, and she steeled herself to meet his eyes. The reality struck her again like a brash gust of wind. This was not a dream. He was here, beside her, flesh and blood.
A smile cracked across Astrid's face as their eyes locked. "What's got your attention?" She wondered.
"You," He replied easily. "Never thought I'd lay eyes on you again."
Astrid's smile faltered then. There was still so much unknown that she dared not ignore. She needed answers from her time in the dark, regardless of how much it might hurt her to hear them. "What happened, Daryl?" She asked. "I remember Grady . . . The deal, the exchange . . . Then . . . nothing."
A shadow swept across her hunter's face, a curtain falling over his eyes as if he were reliving a nightmare. She hated to be the one forcing him there. But then, with a deep breath, he whispered:
"You died."
Confusion carved deep lines into Astrid's brow, her mind struggling to reconcile. Before she could grasp the shattered pieces, Daryl continued, "We got you and Beth out, but Dawn wanted Noah after," He said. "You stood your ground. You stabbed her, too. So, she . . . she shot you in the head. I . . . I took her out before you even hit the ground."
The memory suddenly rippled through the Lancaster women. The sensation of scissors in her hands, the white-hot anger that had consumed her. She could feel her fists automatically clenching as they walked, the raw fury of that moment still buried deep within her.
She knew instantly that Daryl was not lying, nor evading any details of the day she had 'died'. His eyes held an honesty that cut through her soul. Still, the outcome was a dagger to her heart. But in a twisted way, it made sense, too. If she harbored such venomous hatred, she would have no hesitations about striking down whatever stood in her way. She might have been more surprised to hear she had not stabbed the policewoman.
Astrid released a breath she had not realized she had been holding. "Well, at least we managed to save Beth," She sufficed, attempting to diffuse their conversation. It was clear that Daryl did not want to talk about the passing weeks any more than she did. "No matter how long it took," She added.
At her comment, Daryl appeared to grow squeamish. He shook his head at her softly. "I wish I could say it was worth it," He murmured. "We lost her two weeks after we thought we'd lost you. And Tyreese, a week after that."
