The Fear (The Walking Dead / Daryl Dixon)

Chapter 64 - Amazing Grace

We were grabbing our weapons and we were going out. we were marching in the direction of the school, but we weren't going the whole way there. There was one thing we were sure of. One thing Rick was positive of... they were watching us. So we'd show them something they'd believe. We left Tyreese and Rosita with the kids, Bob, Eugene, and Gabriel inside the office with just a few weapons and we were marching out into the night, leaving the impression that the church was undefended. 

We found our own hiding place. The thing about the church was that it was easy to see people in the dark when they were around it because it was out in the open. But once we were covered in the trees, they lost their strength.

There was seven of them. Gareth was leading. One more than what Bob had said, but not an issue if we got them unsurprised. We crept back, staying invisible. We moved slowly, stepping quietly back up the front steps to where they had left the front door open.

"How about the priest? Father you help us wrap this up we'll let you walk away from this. Just open the door and you can go, you can take the baby with you. What do you say?"

It was silent for quite a few beats... and then Judith began to cry.

They had found which door to go to and were crowding around it. Two people were closer to the door and Rick motioned for me to shoot the one on the left while he took the right. Two shots and they fell. The remaining five turned in surprise, but they didn't shoot, only kept their guns aimed to the door.

"Put your guns on the floor." Rick commanded.

"Rick, we'll fire right into the room so you lower your..." Gareth was cut off when Rick shot another bullet into his side and he yelled out in pain.

"Put your guns on the floor." Rick said again as he stepped closer, the rest of us moving with him. "And kneel."

"Do what he says." Gareth groaned. Slowly one by one they got down on their knee. I began to move further off to the left where I could see one man disappearing as he knelt behind the chairs. He was closer to the wall while the others were just as easily accessible down the middle column. We all moved, making sure each of the members of Terminus had one person to watch them. Abe had one, Sasha, Michonne, myself and of course Rick while the others remained as back-up.

"No point in begging right?" Gareth said.

"No."

"Still... you could have killed us when you came in, there must have been a reason for that." 

"We didn't want to waste the bullets."

"We used to help people... we saved people." Gareth began. "They came in and... after that..." he was in a lot of pain, his face contorting as he groaned before trying to compose himself again. "I know you've been out there, but I can see it. You don't know what it is to be hungry. You don't have to do this... we can walk away. And we will never cross paths with you again, I promise you."

"But you'll cross someones path. You'd do this to anyone, right? Besides..." Rick holstered his gun before reaching for my machete he still carried, "I already made you a promise."

Rick lunged forward as Gareth screamed. Then we all attacked. Some tried to fight back. Abe's man reached for a gun, I just saw Abe kick it away and heard a stray gun fire before my own man made a move for a knife at his side. I jumped back from the sudden swing and just after I had a green tipped arrow pierced through the man's hand and the blade dropped to the round. I grabbed my own bowie knife, jumped forward again and drove it up hard through his side and between ribs, piercing his heart as he fell onto his back. I ripped it out and then brought it down again into his chest, repeating the process in blind rage until I found my breath running out and I final blow pierced his skull.