The Walking Dead: Beyond the Lands of Whispers & Screams

By

Natalie Thomas

Chapter One

Alexandria Safe Zone, Five Years Ago…..

Dani and Daryl were into their third day of their honeymoon and showed no signs of slowing down. They mainly lived in the living room on the queen sized mattress Daryl had brought down from upstairs, saying it would be more convenient since they would be near the kitchen.

And the last three days were filled with passion and endless lovemaking, rarely stopping unless they had to cook a meal or take a shower. But for the most part, they stayed in their little comfortable bed by the fireplace, with all the curtains drawn on the first floor.

After another round, they both laid together spent and sweaty but blissful. Dani snuggled herself against her new husband, feeling so peaceful and content in his arms.

"Damn, woman. You're a goddamned tiger, ain't ya," he whispered as he held her.

"Well, you just bring the beast out of me," she giggled softly, perking her head up and giving him a small kiss on his lips.

Daryl grinned. "Funny. You don't mind me putting the beast in ya."

Dani lightly slapped his chest and sighed. "Daryl! You're so bad!"

"Yeah, but you like it," he smirked as he kissed the side of her neck, being so happy with her. He then leaned back and looked up at the ceiling with a little smile. "Ya know, I think things are gonna be all right."

Dani lifted herself on her shoulder to look at her new husband. "Well, things are going really good. The mill is being constructed. And there are plans for a huge community building as well. And with the patrols and the trading between communities, I'd say things are getting better."

He then frowned a little, concerning Dani.

"Ya know, everytime somethin' good happens, somebody shows up and fucks it up," he said with a little concern in his tone. "And I keep thinkin' when the next bad thing happens again."

Dani rested her chin on Daryl's chest and sighed. "I know. I get that too. But with Jesus and Eugene herding walkers away and patrols going back and forth on the main roads, I feel a little better. Right now we're just anticipating the worst because that's what happened to us before. But now I feel confident that things are only going to get better."

Daryl lifted his head up to meet his wife's gaze. He stroked the back of her head and watched her smile at him as he gently caressed her. "You always know how to make me feel a little better, Sugar," he told her.

Dani smiled so thoughtfully at him. "So do you, my beautiful man."

She lifted herself up to kiss him again and he instinctively rolled his body to meet hers, continuing to kiss her passionately.

And Dani smiled with each kiss, feeling elated and content that their lives are only just improving. She knew at that moment that every community will thrive and prosper and the fear they once had will fade away in their memories.

Alexandria Safe Zone, present day…

Dani awoke to someone kissing her shoulder. She smiled and lifted her head to see her husband Daryl gently stroking her back, continuing to kiss her shoulder.

"Good morning," she said, half tired and half pleased.

He grinned with those perfect steel blue eyes and gently pushed her on her back and placed his lips on hers in a lingering kiss.

"Honey, what about…."

"Shhh…don't worry," he whispered as he gently placed himself between her legs and kissed her passionately now.

At this point, she didn't want to stop him.

She felt his lips move down her neck and towards her breasts; making her moan and squeal at the delight he was giving her. Five years on and every time they made love was just like the first time.

She placed both hands on his face and kissed him hard, sighing sweetly between kisses. She so wanted him this morning before they had to face the world today.

"Mommy, Daddy, what are you doing?"

A child's voice immediately made them jump. Daryl quickly got off his wife as Dani pulled the bed covers over her breasts. They then saw their twin sons, Darren and Derrick, standing there in their pajamas, looking very curiously at them.

"Oh….hi boys," Dani smiled embarrassed, as Daryl looked very uncomfortable.

"What were you doing," Derrick, the oldest, asked again, standing with his twin brother who looked at them with that huge smile of his.

"Well….um…Mommy and me…" Daryl trailed off, not knowing what to say to a boy so young.

"Derrick, don't be silly! I know what they were doing," Darren told his brother and smiled at his parents. "They were hugging!"

Derrick's face turned into amazement. "Oh! They were hugging!"

Both boys immediately smiled at their slightly mortified parents as they looked at each other amused.

"Yes, Darren. You're right. Mommy and Daddy were only hugging," she told them, looking at Daryl with a giddy gaze.

"Yeah, well, Mommy was hugging Daddy more, boys," Daryl responded, which resulted in his wife giving him a light slap on his upper arm, giving him the look of what were you thinking, but humorously.

"So, you're both getting up now," Darren asked excitedly.

"Yeah! We're playing walkers and good guys today," Derrick responded.

Walkers and good guys was a game the children of the community came up with themselves. It was more of a form of Tag to them. Three to four children pretend to be walkers and try to grab the good guys. If the walkers grab one of the good guys, then the good guy becomes a walker. If the remaining good guys touch the walker's heads with a half cut water noodle, the walker dies. Dani thought it was a smart game for them to play so that they can prepare themselves for when they would have to kill actual walkers.

Dani leaned over in their bed and rubbed Derrick's hair a little, making him laugh. "We will, but first you both go downstairs and Mommy and Daddy will be right down to make you breakfast."

"Okay," Darren chirped up. He and his brother then left their room and Dani and Daryl could hear their little footsteps march down the stairs.

Dani smiled widely, still embarrassed by their fraternal twin sons walking in right before they would have sex. Daryl started to snicker.

"Those boys of ours. We gotta start locking our door at night," he said to her.

Dani shook her head. "I don't think that's a good idea. What if something happens in the middle of the night and the boys need to get to us and they can't open our door?"

Daryl thought about it for a moment and then he nodded. "Hell, ya know better than I do. I was thinking of….."

"I know. Me too. But I promise, tonight, we will make up for this morning." She then got out of bed and put on her long nightgown and bath robe. "Now we have to go downstairs and fix breakfast."

"Aaawww…I got blue balls, Dan," he told her in disappointment.

Dani merely looked at him with a smug smile. "You'll survive. Now get up."

Daryl then smirked and put on his boxers. He then pulled on his black faded t-shirt that had some holes in it. He followed Dani down the stairs where they found their sons sitting on the couch and reading Dora the Explorer books from the Alexandria Library. Daryl leaned over the couch to his sons and they grinned at him.

"So, what you boys want for breakfast," he grunted, chuckling as his sons giggled at him pretending to be a grouch.

Both boys looked at each other and smiled excitedly. "Pancakes," they both said in union.

"Pancakes? Hell, you both had those yesterday," he answered back being playful.

"We love pancakes," Darren perked up at his father.

"And bacon," Derrick chirped back, making his daddy laugh.

"'Kay! Gonna see what me and your momma gonna make ya," he said as he walked over to the kitchen where his wife was already mixing the ingredients together. He smiled at her and kissed her cheek.

"I'll make the pancakes, Daryl. You get started on the bacon and potatoes," she told him. He smiled at her and obliged. She mixed the ingredients together as he started up the frying skillets and retrieving what he needed from the fridge.

Soon they began making their breakfast together, listening to their sons laugh about the books they were reading together. Dani looked over her shoulder and saw them play with toy trucks on the beaten down coffee table. It made her squirm a little because they were playing in an area where they were most likely conceived.

After fifteen minutes, breakfast was served. Their sons hurried to their places at the table and waited eagerly to be served their favorite morning meal. Dani placed a medium sized pancake on each of her son's plates and poured a little maple syrup they've made a few months prior. A piece of bacon followed by a small portion of fried potatoes completed their meal and Dani started to cut up their pancakes into small pieces for her boys.

Daryl started to eat his meal as he watched his two boys receiving their plates. One by one they took their forks and started to eat happily.

"Thank you, Mommy," Darren, their little pixie child, said with a huge smile on his face. He was at least three minutes younger than Derrick and had the most engaging smile. Since he was two months old, he would just look at you and smile so widely at you, forcing you to adore him. He was also very smart, speaking full sentences at the time he was two and was now reading at a first grade level. However, he was sensitive and would feel bad if someone picked on him. His brown hair was short and curly and he had his mother's deep ocean blue eyes.

"This is really good, Mommy," Derrick, their oldest son, told her. Even though he was still young, he was beginning to pick up on things. At age three, he became aware of the monsters outside their walls and knew right away that one day he would grow up to help kill them. Naturally he was very good at walkers and good guys, practicing his skills to become a walker killer just like his own father. His blond hair was cut short and he had steel blue eyes just like his dad. He was easy going with the other children but wanted to grow up fast already.

"Daddy, when can I start to kill walkers," Derrick asked him.

Daryl grunted as he looked at his son. "Well, boy, you gotta be bigger than ya are now. You're too small to handle a gun. So I'd say ya gotta be eight."

"Eight," Derrick cried out, feeling dejected. "But that's a long time! I'm only five now!"

"Sweetie, your father is right," Dani told him, rubbing his back. "You are too small to handle weapons. And a walker could easily pick you up and gobble you up. You don't want that, do you?"

Derrick looked disappointed. "No. But I'm the best at walkers and good guys! So I know I can kill real walkers, not fake ones."

"Of course you are, Derrick. But real walkers is different," Daryl leaned over the table to talk to him. "When you get bigger, I promise I'll take you out so you can kill a walker." He then turned to Darren who looked a little disturbed. "And you too, Darren."

Darren sighed as he looked down. "I don't like the walkers. I want to read more books and play Chutes and Ladders."

Dani smiled at him, her eyes widening. "I know, honey. But you have to learn sooner or later how to fight like Mommy and Daddy did. That way you won't become a walker too."

Derrick shrugged. "I know. But I don't like it."

Daryl stuffed some potatoes in his mouth and breathed heavy, looking at his son. His eyes twinkled a little. "I hate it too, Darren. But it's what has to be done."

"Yeah, Darren. So don't be a chicken," Derrick spoke up, laughing at him.

"Stop it, Derrick! I'm not a chicken," Darren cried out loud, looking distressed.

"Yeah you are! You're a chicken!" Derrick began flapping his arms and making caw sound like a chicken.

"No I'm not! You're being mean," Darren shouted.

"Hey! Derrick! Stop that," Daryl spoke to him in a very firm tone that made Derrick a little jumpy. "It ain't nice to make fun of anyone. Especially your brother. Don't ever be mean to him."

Derrick looked down, feeling guilty. "I'm sorry, Daddy," he replied with a little sob in his throat.

Daryl nodded. "Now apologize to your brother and be friends."

Derrick looked at Darren, whose lip trembled. "I'm sorry, Darren. I didn't mean it."

Dani turned to Darren and touched his shoulder. "Now what do you say," she asked him.

Darren looked down at the table, not glancing at his brother. "Thank you," he replied in a meek tone.

Dani and Daryl looked up at each other and nodded, knowing they did the right thing right there. Parenthood was not at all easy. They love their sons very much but sometimes have to be firm with them. And Daryl struggled with himself, making sure he wouldn't smack his children for any infraction they've committed. Like his own father did. His father would have slapped him and Merle and not for hurting each other, but for being loud. On the day they were born, he promised not to become that terrifying man at all.

And Daryl still kept his hair long though Dani would cut it for him when he asked her. And when he got angry he still looked scary. But most of the time, he had a gentleness with the boys who had looked at to him as a true hero. They were five years old and very proud of their daddy. He still hunted and did afternoon patrols of the roads. And he would also help Jesus, David, Eugene and Aaron herd large groups of walkers away from the reinforced roads and communities. But if there wasn't a dire emergency, he would be home in mid afternoon to help Dani with their boys.

And Dani, at 42, still looked good herself, despite the little wrinkles forming around her eyes. Although she kept up with rifle shooting and occasional hunting, she had resigned herself to teaching English to the children and some teens who decided to continue their education instead of apprenticeship. She would also help with the sowing crops and harvests. And soon Derrick and Darren would begin kindergarten. Sometimes she had to look at her family in wonder and amazed at how much they all had grown.

~0~

After breakfast, Daryl and Dani helped their kids get ready to go outside. Then they dressed themselves. Daryl still wore his vest with the angel wings as Dani wore a simple green t-shirt with light blue jeans and brown boots. They put their gun holsters on and called out for their kids to get moving, which was followed by the pounding of footsteps across the hall and up to the front door.

"Now boys," Daryl began, leaning over his small sons. "What do you always do?"

The boys thought for a moment. Then Derrick spoke up in a small, unsure voice. "Um..always know where we are and what we're doing."

Daryl smiled. "That's right. Now, what do ya do if you see a walker inside these walls?"

"Run and find someone we know and tell them," Darren spoke up.

"That's very good. And what do you do afterwards," Dani asked inquisitively.

"Don't run away. Stay with you," Derrick answered confidently.

"That's good," Daryl replied, pleased at how smart his boys were. "Now let's go."

Daryl swung the door open and the boys ran outside together giggling with their parents walking behind them, passing by their own vegetable garden they had planted well over five years ago. Daryl snuck his arm around Dani's back as they watched their sons walk ahead, waving hello to everyone passing by.

Daryl smirked as he saw the boys getting a lot of attention. Everyone who came by them smiled and would say, "Why if it isn't the Dixon boys! What good boys they are!" It made Daryl proud to see that the Dixon name was now a name of pride and not filled with shame. The boys were full of smiles as they walked with their parents towards Rick's and Carol's house. They passed by the large community building on their left where they say people coming and going, handling the usual business of Alexandria.

They saw Rick on his front porch watching Judith pick flowers with Carol. He waved over at the Dixons and they smiled back at him.

"Hey Rick," Daryl called out to him as they approached. The boys saw Judith dressed in her pink t-shirt and blue shorts and ran up to her. She turned around and smiled at them.

"Hi Judy! Wanna play walkers and good guys," Derrick chimed.

Judith smiled. "Yes! I'll be a good guy," she said.

"No, I wanna be the good guy," Derrick talked back with whining in his voice.

Darren smiled. "How about you be a walker first and then the good guy?"

Derrick thought about it and nodded in agreement. "Okay! Let's play!"

Judith gave the flowers she had picked to Carol with a smile. "For you, Mommy," she said, making Carol smile. She then ran to her friends and started to play the game.

The children ran around the yard as their parents watched them closely. But Dani could tell that something wasn't right. Rick seemed a little sad today for some reason.

"So, how's everything, Rick," she asked him. Rick looked down sadly at the porch and sighed.

"Carl wants to go into an apprenticeship," he told them.

Daryl nodded. "You mean he's going to work for the mill?"

Rick shook his head. "Nah. He wants to train with Earl over in Hilltop."

Everyone remained silent for a moment. Carol began to speak, comforting her boyfriend.

"Carl's a young man now. Just turned nineteen. But this is very hard. Rick doesn't want to let him go," she told them.

Dani shrugged. "I was about his age when I had my own place in Chicago. Maybe this will be good for him."

"Yeah, but he'll be too far away," Rick said. "I was hoping for he'd stay a little longer."

"But being a blacksmith and all, Rick. That's a good trade. He'll learn a lot," Daryl said. "And Carl's a tough kid. Been tough since I knew him."

Rick shrugged. "I know. He adapted to all of this so he could live. And now we have everything under control and he wants to leave the nest. I'm trying to get it. He not a kid anymore. He hasn't been one since day one. Now we make a safe place for kids to grow up in and he's leaving." He grunted then. "Being a blacksmith is very valuable now. I have to think of that."

Carol hugged him and kissed his cheek. "Sweetheart, this is normal to feel this way. Children grow up and leave the nest. At least we have Judith." She smiled at the blonde little girl as she pretended to be a walker, snarling and growling at the Dixon twins.

That made Dani a little sad, knowing her children would have to leave the nest someday. But one thing that comforted her was that their kids were growing up safe. Something she never imagined before.

"And he'll be with Maggie, Glenn and little Hershel, Rick," Dani spoke up. "He'll be with family so he'll be fine."

Rick nodded. "You're right. I haven't told Carl that I would say yes, but now that I think about it, it's a good idea."

Dani smiled, knowing full well Carl would be okay. That kid had a resilient side to him and was growing strong.

Just then, Olivia ran up to Rick, looking panicked, causing Dani and Daryl to put their hands on their handguns. "Rick! Come to the gate," she yelled. "Jesus, David and Eugene brought new people here!"

Rick picked up Judith as Dani picked up Derrick and Daryl grabbed Darren. Carol followed behind, being very cautious about these new people. As they drew closer to the gate, they saw a woman in her mid-twenties standing with four other people, two women and two men, standing at the gate with Jesus and Eugene, looking like a deer caught in headlights. They were looking around in awe of the place they had just come to but Dani knew exactly what they were thinking. Were we good people?

Dani then saw David waving her over to the side of the gate and she walked over to him. "David, who are these people," she asked him.

David looked upset and he shook his head. "We fucked up," he told her. "We fucked up bad."

"What do you mean," Dani asked.

"What's fuck," Derrick asked, making Dani gasp a little but she wasn't too concerned about the language.

Eugene came over to her, startled. "We were driving a huge herd about ten miles away. We had no idea they were there."

"The herd we were driving away stumbled right into these people, killing one of them," Jesus replied. He then turned to the strange woman who looked so angry and sad. "I'm so sorry about what happened," he told her.

The woman's face grew angry. "You're sorry? It's bad enough that Bernie got killed out there! It's another when you bring us here and take our weapons!"

"It's just a precaution," Jesus told her. "You'll get them back after we can trust you."

"Um…..hello," Rick started, trying to get her attention. "I'm the leader of this community. I know you have concerns, but if you want to stay here, that's one of the rules. All new comers must surrender their weapons until we feel we can trust them." He then looked at her with concern. "Please let me trust you."

Dani slowly approached her, holding her son in her arms. "Please trust us as well. We are good people. But we have so much to protect, as you can see," she explained, referring to her children. "And we are so sorry about what had happened earlier. What is your name?"

The woman was still angry but she was beginning to calm down as she looked at Dani's sympathetic face, trying to assure her that everything was okay. Dani understood however that this woman was scared.

"Magna," she replied. She then turned to her group. "This is Yumiko, Luke, Connie and Kelly."

Dani nodded to each and every one of them respectfully. "I'm Danielle, but you can call me Dani. This is my son Derrick." She then looked over at Daryl still holding Darren, who looked a little scared. "And this is my husband Daryl and our son Darren. And we welcome you to Alexandria Safe Zone."

Behold! My first chapter of my sequel; Beyond The Lands of Whispers & Screams. It will be chaotic, of course. But I hope you like it! Please review! And thanks!