𝐏𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐔𝐌 (𝐷𝑎𝑟𝑦𝑙 𝐷𝑖𝑥𝑜𝑛)

𝐹𝑖𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑛

We stalked through the woods in silence for a while with Daryl in the lead and Glenn and me not too far behind. A long, fallen tree trunk came across our path and Carol took the opportunity to sit herself down and let out an exacerbated sigh.

"So this is it? This is the whole plan?" Carol folded her arms in a frustrated manner. Lori set her backpack down and pulled out her water. We were all a exhausted, despite the shade that the forest provided for us.

"I think the plan is to whittle us down into smaller and smaller groups," Daryl answered as he leaned back against another tree, crossbow casually resting in his hands.

"Carrying knives and pointy sticks," Andrea said bitterly.

"I see you have a gun," she gazed down at Lori's hunched over figure.

I looked towards Glenn and saw the same frustrated look that was probably ever-present on my face as well. He didn't seem to be enjoying the group's drama either. As for Daryl, he quietly looked on at the rest of us from his place against the tree.

"You want it?" Lori snapped with a stern look across her face and pulled her pistol from its holster, "Here, take it."

I sighed and lowered my backpack.

"I'm sick of the looks you're giving me, all of you."

Andrea took the gun from Lori's outstretched hand. I slid off my baseball cap and decided to redo my ponytail. The friction of my hair against the cap had caused a few strands to come loose.

"Honey, I'm sorry for what you're going through but you have got to stop blaming Rick. It is in your face every time you look at him," Lori said to Carol, "When Sophia ran, he didn't hesitate, did he? I don't know if any of us would have gone after her the way he did."

I finished looping my hair through the dark brown hair tie and let my arms fall in my lap. My gaze wandered over to Daryl. He looked the most calm I had ever seen him, he was quiet and listening intently to what Lori had to say. 

"Y'all look to him and then blame him when he's not perfect. If you think that you can do this without him, go right ahead, nobody's stopping you," Lori finished and took a quick sip from her water. After a quick moment of silence, Andrea held out the gun to Lori. They exchanged a quick look before Lori snatched her pistol back.

"We should keep moving," Andrea said to her.

I fastened my cap onto my head once again and gathered my backpack. Glenn held out a hand and I took it, letting his weight help lift me back up. Everyone else quietly resumed their walk and as I neared Daryl, we both shared a look. 

His eyes were soft and neutral as if a storm had just passed right through him, leaving a clean slate for him to look upon the world with. He cocked his head to the side, motioning me forward, and we all continued on our trek.

✯✯✯

Daryl walked at the front of the small group, crossbow slung over his shoulder and his mind once again clouded with all of the events that had transpired. He was usually able to keep a level head in the face of stress or danger, but sometimes his thoughts would get the best of him. Still, no matter how he felt, he knew that staying sharp and vigilant at all times was essential.

After the herd of walkers had passed through the cars and Sophia ran off, everyone had raced out from wherever they were hiding to see the commotion. While Daryl was making his way through the cars, he spotted the girl scrambling out from under a white van like a wild bird escaping a snare: her face pale and frightened, the shirt he had given her ripped open at the top. He remembered stopping for a moment after she ran off, only to see Shane emerge from under the van as well. 

He assumed that the herd was what unnerved her. Yet, he sensed that something else may have gone amiss between those two. Daryl had noticed on multiple occasions that her demeanor would change whenever Shane was around. He didn't know why he gave a shit, or why it still bothered him. It's not like the girl's well-being was his responsibility.  

A single gunshot suddenly broke through the woods and everyone froze. Daryl whipped his head around in the direction of the shot; it was back towards the way they came. He slightly lowered his gaze and found the group all staring up at him, waiting for him to react.

✯✯✯

Daryl had no intention of letting the gunshot we heard slow us down. He brushed it off and told us to keep moving, so we did. 

After what felt like hours of combing the woods for Sophia, Daryl decided to call it quits and head back towards the highway. The sun would begin its daily descent soon and almost everyone was out of water.

We waded through a garden of long grass, exhaustion beginning to make itself known in the soles of my feet. Despite being in the shade, the humid air heavily weighed down my body. 

"How much farther?" I tried not to sound too tired as I asked my question, seeing as Daryl was the only one who didn't seem fazed by our hike through the woods.

"Not much, maybe a hundred yards as the crow flies," he answered gruffly.

"I don't know what that means, but okay," I took off my cap and wiped the sweat that had been building up on my forehead. A part of me was grateful for the grueling exercise, it kept my mind off of what had happened: the van, the shirt, the buttons. I wanted a more permanent excuse to forget, a reason that made me feel something other than ugly and used inside. 

A shrill scream echoed through the woods around me. I quickly snatched my knife out of its sheath and whipped around. Andrea was gone.

"Andrea?!" Carol shouted into the trees as everyone broke into a run towards the cries for help. I didn't notice Andrea wander off, much less where she wandered off to. Her screams intensified as we further sprinted into the thick woods, over bushes and fallen trees, whatever came across our path.

We broke into a small clearing where Andrea lay on her back, kicking at a decaying walker when suddenly the familiar sound of thundering hooves preluded the bay horse that came galloping out of nowhere, the rider smashing the head of the walker with a baseball bat.

"Whoa," the woman coaxed her horse down to a halt and stuffed the bat into a saddlebag.

"Lori? Lori Grimes?"

We all came to a stop before the woman and her horse. A mixture of shock and relief ran amongst the group.

"I'm Lori."

"Rick sent me, you've gotta come now," the woman stated in an urgent tone. She was pretty, with short brown hair that reached just below her ears.

"What?" Lori's voice shook and a dazed look had taken over her face.

"There's been an accident, Carl's been shot," the woman continued, "He's still alive but you've gotta come now."

I stood still in disbelief, my hand still clutching my knife tightly. Somehow, I felt like I had just walked into a dream.

"Rick needs you, just come," the woman demanded and Lori quickly shed her backpack and started towards the horse.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, we don't know this girl," Daryl protested, attempting to block Lori with his arm, "You can't get on that horse!"

Lori ignored him and hopped onto the saddle, settling herself behind the strange woman.

"Rick said you had others on the highway, that big traffic snarl? Backtrack to Fairburn Road, two miles down is our farm. You'll see the mailbox, the name is Greene," the woman gathered her reins and dug her heels into the horse, "Hyah!"

And as quickly as she came, the strange woman and her horse were gone.

✯✯✯

(𝑷𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒏 6/18/20)