Home Is Your Heartbeat ('Home Is' Book Two - Daryl Dixon)

Chapter 20 - Come Back and Stay (Paul Young)

DARYL

Glenn had told me....while we were on the road to Washington. A couple of days before Aaron took us back to Alexandria.

We were in such a bad place. All of us half dead from lack of food and water. Soul dead as well.

"We can make it together, Daryl. But we can only make it....together! "

He meant them words and somehow knew? That they were exactly what I needed to hear at the time.

And now, whenever I crawl back into my bad place? I imagine her holding me close and remember those words of his.

They bring me back. And I always come back....sooner or later.

But not everyone is.

We're tryin real hard here at Alexandria. Cos some of us know that it's our last chance. If we have to go back out on the road again and fend for ourselves? I doubt we'll be doing it as a family.

I have Rick's back and always will. But he's still in the mindset of using force if necessary. To get these people to start seein things for what they really are. And learn how to protect themselves in the new world.

Because if they don't? Then people a lot more disagreeable than us will swoop in and take it all away from them.

Kill them maybe....or somethin worse.

Lots of things have happened since we arrived, loads of mistrust had built up between us and them. We lost one of ours, and they lost one of theirs. Then Tara almost died. Because they still act like spoiled brats.

They want us here. But it all seems to be on their  terms, according to Rick and Carol.

I have to keep believing.

That there are still good people out here. If we keep lookin and never stop....we'll find them.

And when we do, we'll take them back to Alexandria. Make it strong and teach everyone how our reality is nowadays. So we can protect our home and keep living.

That's what me and Aaron are doin.

Together.

Right now.

*

We spotted a guy wanderin in the scrub. Looking like he knew enough to survive? Only we lost sight of him before we could get closer.

Found ourselves at a food supply depot. Aaron wanted to check it out before we started heading back home. Which is now over fifty miles away.

"We do this? Then it means we're giving up."

"But you saw it for yourself last night, Daryl. There are bad people out here, too"  He reminded me.

Yeah  🙁

We found a girl, naked and tied to a tree. Tortured, raped....then left for dead. And for  the dead.

"That's why we gotta keep lookin for the good ones!"

"Yes, we need more people. But we also need to feed them"  He argued back.

So we started killing off a few Walkers wanderin around the depot, then broke in through the gates. Making tracks for the half dozen or so trucks lining the loading docks.

Aaron got all excited, finding some number plates he wanted for his collection. He'd made up a whole wall in their livin room outta them.

But he was even more pumped by the prospect of semi-trailers full of cans to boot.