Living On A Prayer (Daryl Dixon/ TWD)

Chapter 22

Daryl

It took me awhile to find Rick, and when I did he was standing right next to the man I very much wanted to kill. I clenched my fist, trying to keep my cool. "Boy there's got a gang- 30 men. Heavy artillery and thay' ain't lookin ta make friends. They roll through here..our boys are dead. And our women, they're gonna wish they were."

"What did you do?" Carol asked, her eyes on my bloodied up knuckles. I shrugged, "Had a little chat. Rick, I need ta' talk to you a minute. Alone."

"Nah man," Shane said. "Anything Randall told you all of us need to hear."

"Nah," I spat. "Not this they don't."

"Let's take a walk," Rick quickly intervened, catching on to my hostility. I nodded, my glare fixed on Shane as I followed him away from the camp. Once we were out of ear range I stopped him.

"I ain't sugar coatin anythang. Somethin needs ta be done about Shane, man. I know what he did to y'all yesterday - to Adasyn. Threatnin' to kill her, I know it all. I won't question ya. Your a good man, ya have your reason for bringing him back. But I'm tellin ya - he needs ta' go. And I don't want him around Ady at all. If you don't take care of this soon, I will man."

"Hold up- threatened to kill her? Adasyn told you this?"

I shook my head, "Randall did. Overheard Shane tellin Ady that he would kill her, pin it off on him and then kill him too."

"And you believe him?"

"Look, last night after Ady woke up I asked her what happened. The minute I brought it up I could see the fear in her eyes. I ain't never seen Ady scared of anyone or anythang but last night she was down right terrified. Told me she slipped takin'down a walker. The both of us know better than that - especially after that incident at the barn. He wasn't afraid to hit her then and that was right in front of tha group man. This was alone."

Rick ran a hand through his hair and I noticed then how tired he looked. He was coming apart at the seams. "You're right. Let me handle this Randall situation, then I'll - I'll do what I need to with Shane."

**

"The point of us comin out here is tryin ta get away from you people," I called out as Dale approached our camp.

"Don't be so mean," Ady scolded, adjusting herself on the ground. "Did Ashlynn send ya?"

"Ashlynn? No, she's not worried about you, she thinks you're safe out here with Daryl."

"Yea it's cause she is."

"We're all concerned about you Daryl, your new role in the group."

"I don't need my head shrunk, this group is broken."

"You act like you don't care."

"Yeah it's cause I don't."

"So, live or die you don't care what happens to Randall?"

"Nope."

"Then why not stand with me?" Dale asked. "Try to save the kids life since it doesn't matter one way or another?

"I didn't peg you for a desperate sum'bitch."

"Your opinion maters, Daryl."

"Ain't nobody lookin' ta me for nothin'."

"That girl sitting over there that you whisked away from everyone else, she looks to you. Am I right?"

"You are," she replied, her eyes locked on me. It took me a moment to compose myself and turn my attention back to Dale. I could sit right here on this log and watch her all damn day long.