Red ~ TWD (Daryl Dixon)

What Hurts the Most

"The town was overrun," Deadpool explained, lips quivering. "He split off with Nicholas."

I kept my arms around Maggie, her body shaking from fear and exhaustion. She didn't need this. None of us did, but her most of all. She was pregnant, and now her husband was missing. It was bad enough Deadpool didn't know what happened to him, but to know he was out there with only Nicholas to watch his back made me feel sick.

"Boy got the idea that if he lit a fire it would stop the walkers from headin' this way," Merle interjected, "I'd have gone myself, but I'm slower than a Sunday afternoon."

That actually made Maggie laugh, and I gave my brother-in-law a tiny smile. I was so relieved when he showed up with Deadpool I almost cried. He looked no worse for the wear, but just as I'd feared they couldn't control the herd, not all of them, not after the horn.

"The fire never got lit. We had to keep going. I'm sorry." Deadpool's shoulders slumped in defeat. She blamed herself for not bringing back Maggie's husband.

I wanted to ask about Daryl, but it felt insensitive. He was most likely alright, or at least better than whatever situation Glenn was in at the moment. He was with Ariel and Sasha, leading what was left of the herd away. He had a vehicle, weapons, and solid backup. Glenn had none of that.

"He said if he got stuck, he would find a way to send us a signal."

Maggie's head snapped up, eyes boring into Deadpool. "A signal?"

"Open the gate!" I bolted from Maggie's side, running to the gate. Too many people were shouting to make out anything other than the loud, "Open the gate!"

The man standing by the gate moved too slowly for my liking so I shoved him out of the way, unlocking it myself, and pulling it open.

"Alex, wait!" Maggie yelled.

"Firecracker, don't ya fuckin' dare!"

I ignored both their frantic pleas. I didn't stop, didn't think, I just reacted. I couldn't control what was happening with Daryl. I had no idea if Glenn was even alive. The list of things I couldn't influence was a mile long, but this, this I could do. I slashed at a lone walker stumbling out of the woods with my knife, the slice cutting horizontally across her face and dropping her.

"Oh my god!" Apocalypse Barbie screamed from behind me.

"Keep it open!" I hollered, sprinting forward.

Rick was running down the street, a herd hot on his heels. I pulled my PPQ, pumping my legs harder, trying to close the distance between us before the unthinkable happened. He looked bloody and beaten, knuckles scrapped, face battered, and clothes in tatters. A walker lunged for him from behind, and I raised my weapon, firing. Rick never broke stride as the bullet sailed over his shoulder, missing him by only inches. The walker flew off her feet, her flailing limbs knocking into two more walkers and sending them sprawling to the ground.

I was able to give Rick some breathing room, but there were still a sizeable number of walkers hot on his heels. With no visible weapons he was forced to drive his shoulder into the chest of a walker, tackling it to the ground to avoid a bite. He popped back up quickly, and I fired three shots, killing the walkers reaching for him. I reached down, grabbing hold of his arm and yanking him forward.

"Come on, we gotta go!" He staggered to his feet, exhaustion and injury making his movements sloppy and slow. "Go!"

I shoved him in front of me before turning and back peddling, continuing to shoot walkers. The herd was enormous, and I felt a ball of dread expand in the pit of my stomach. I recognized the feeling for what it was, fear. Our lives were hinging on the group leading the herd away, somehow finding a way to keep them on track after the horn. Clearly, it hadn't worked, and that might prove fatal for everyone in Alexandria.