The Fear (The Walking Dead / Daryl Dixon)

Chapter 62 - Peace

Daryl and I separated a little from the others when we started moving the next morning. Him with his crossbow and me with the compound bow. He managed to get three squirrels while I walked away with a grand one, but I still grinned quite proudly at my one lonely squirrel as I handed it to him and he tied it to the others.

Daryl scoffed and then tapped me on the arm. "Let's head back." We caught up to the others, coming up beside them through the trees. They couldn't see us at first and when we came into full view we saw every gun pointed in our direction ready for a threat. "We surrender." Daryl joked, holding up his hands. Rick motioned us to follow him a few paces away from the others and Daryl didn't need to be asked before he began to explain. "No tracks, no nothing."

"So whatever you heard last night..."

"More what I felt." Daryl explained. "Someone was watchin' us. Could have been somethin'"

Rick nodded before turning back to the others as Daryl and I took the lead. Light running footsteps came up behind us and Luke and Molly ran along in step. We had left the car and float up on the road, taking with us all the supplies we could carry and Michonne had been leading Nelly in my absence, but I soon took her back.

We knew where Betty was if we needed her, but a day out in the woods was needed. Both for hunting and to see if we could find a house or something to rest up in for a few days.

We hadn't been walking long before a scream for help pulled us up in our tracks. "Help! Help! Anybody help!"

"Dad, come on!" Carl urged as Rick pulled us all to a stop. Rick stared back, uncertain on what our move should be. The possibility of a trap ran through his mind as he hesitated, looking at his son and then around at everyone else. "Come on." Carl begged.

A short brief nod spurred everyone into action, running for the screams of help and finding them coming from a man trapped on top of a large bolder, walkers surrounded him as he scrambled away from their reaching hands. One grabbed hold of his leg as he pulled it back, now screaming in a panic. There were four. Four walkers reaching for this man who had no weapon and on closer inspection I realised... was a priest.

Carl shot one, Rick took another and Michonne and Carol the other two. A fifth came around the corner, going for Carol as she was trying to rip her knife from the skull of her walker, but Daryl took it down with an arrow. I slowly made my approach, mallet ready, but mostly just curiously staring at this man.

"It's clear." Rick announced. "Come on down." He was terrified. It was clearly written all over his face and his entire body seemed to shake as he tried to find his way down. The shakes seemed to subside as his feet hit the ground, but there was still nervousness as he looked around. "You okay?" Rick asked him.

He held up a hand with one finger and then doubled over, puking up a pale yellow liquid that quickly turned to bile right at Rick's feet who looked less than impressed. Carl cringed and looked away while Daryl scratched the back of his head and I held up my hand to cover my mouth and nose with a fist to stop myself from throwing up with him, the vomit acidic smell burning through my sinuses.

Daryl threw me 'really?' look as I composed myself and turned back to face the man as he also began to recover.

"Sorry." He said. "Yes." He finally answered Rick's question. "Thank-you. I'm Gabriel."

"Do you have any weapons on you?" Rick asked.

He started to laugh and held his hands out to the side. "Do I look like I would have any weapons?"

"We don't give two short and curlies was it looks like." Abe shot back as I cracked a smile, our knew trio of friends very rapidly growing on me.

"I have no weapons of any kind. The word of God is the only protection I need."