Knife Edge [Daryl Dixon]

Chapter Seven - Lost in Living (1/2)

Where is the life we have lost in living?
T.S. Eliot

Daryl drove the truck from Hilltop to Alexandria with Rick brooding in the passenger seat. They traded supplies from the run for fresh food, even some milk, but Rick wasn't happy and Daryl knew why. It was another strained visit. 

Maggie met with them no problem but it was far from the friendly visits of before. She stayed behind her desk, flanked by Alden and Jesus, using her advancing pregnancy as an excuse not to get up. She drove a hard bargain too.

When Daryl came last time to tell her what happened to George's group she said it made no difference. Hilltop would not commit to searching for the group that took Sarah. He left, hoping time would change her mind. It hadn't. 

First Rick, then he, tried to bring her around, but she shut them down, going into a drawer and throwing a pile of Polaroids on her desk. They were of red and white vehicles her people had seen while out on runs. Most of them were deep in trash and clearly hadn't been moved in a long time but Daryl showed willing and took them anyway.

Rick tried pushing her to commit to more but the photos were as far as she was willing to go and in the end, they left. 

When Daryl was packing the truck to return to Alexandria, Jesus was hanging around trying to get him alone. In case he wanted to talk about what was happening between Maggie and Rick, Daryl stayed well out of his way. He needed time to think. He didn't know if Maggie was saying no because it was Rick that was asking or because she didn't think this group was a threat. Whatever her reason, she was wrong. 

In the rear view mirror, something flashed. It was a deer dashing across the road behind them. It got him thinking. Spring was coming. The palest green flush was spreading on the trees. Buds beginning to uncurl. And that meant hunting... 

Rick interrupted his thoughts, 'Did Maggie seem alright to you?'

There was nothing else he could say, 'She ain't been right since Negan killed Glenn.'

Rick gave a heavy sigh, 'No, I don't suppose she has. But whatever Maggie thinks, we'll need to pull together to take this group down if it comes to it. How many fighters do we have?'

Daryl conceded the point, 'Not enough.'

'Let's get everyone to meet at Hilltop when we're going to Richmond next week,' Rick said. 'Maybe if Maggie sees everyone else is on board, she'll come around.'

Daryl nodded, it was worth a try, but he reckoned Rick wasn't going to get the show of support he was looking for.  

He thought that was an end to it but then Rick shifted in his seat, 'There's no good time to tell you this but I heard from Eugene that Dwight is still at the Sanctuary.'

Gripping the steering wheel hard, he grimaced, 'Aw, this just keeps gettin' better and better.'  

'Eugene needs someone who knows the Sanctuary to help hold it together,' Rick argued. 'Dwight was a worker, a Savior, and one of Negan's lieutenants.'

Daryl rolled his eyes, almost amazed with frustration, 'You hear yourself? You really okay with lettin' a Savior back in charge of the Sanctuary?'

Rick shook his head, putting his hand out between them, 'No, I'm not okay with it but we need the Sanctuary to work. We need what it produces.'

'Bullets,' Daryl answered.

He grated it under his breath but Rick heard him and agreed, 'Bullets.'

    After unloading the truck at the stores, Daryl walked back to the house with Rick. 

As they approached, Sarah was in the gap between the caravans training with her knives. She was flipping her knife from the forward to reverse position, and sweeping around for the head shot to take down whatever was behind her.