Twelve

Chapter one

The air was thick in the boxcar. The confines and the tightness of the area was only part of reason for this trapped feeling Daryl was sure they all felt. He settled himself, back against a wall. His body welcoming the support as he waited. For what though he had no idea.

Days have passed since the prison fell. Daryl was relieved to see Rick, Michonne and Carl had survived. And, here in this prison of a boxcar were others, Glenn and Maggie, Sasha and Bob. It was such a relief to him to see them. They survive it. And it was so good to be together with them.

Why is it then did Daryl Dixon wish he was dead?

"They're fuckin' with the wrong people." Rick's statement just hung there. Suspended by the thickness of the air in that boxcar. The silence that followed only increased its tension. The last time they been together as a group was the prison. Before that bastard tore through those walls; before that fucking animal killed Hershel.

Daryl looked at Maggie, but quickly he looked away. He couldn't bear to look at her. 'How does he tell he lost Beth?' And Michonne? She wanted to hunt the sick fuck down instead of supporting; helping her, he stopped her. She was right. That shit that went down on them. That was on him.

All of it.

Daryl looked at other in the group. Glenn's group had others. Two women and two men. One of the women looked familiar to him. Glenn referred to them as friends. Daryl hoped they would be able to count on them. He surveyed the group again. Disgusted, he pushed himself away from the wall and moved to the back of the boxcar. He didn't want the others to see him. See him lose control. Ass kicker wasn't with them.

Daryl tried to draw in breath but couldn't. The amount of rage pent up inside him prevented him from doing so. He pounded the butt of his fist into the wall of the boxcar. A thundering sound reverberated throughout the car. Everyone turned to him. He coiled back his arm for another blow, squaring his knuckled fist to the confining wall. The blow was thwarted as a set of arms clutched onto his. Daryl followed through causing Michonne's to be swung against the wall. This sent the two of them to fall to the floor.

"Whoa! Calm down everyone! Let's just calm down and try to get a handle on this."

Rick tried to put the group at ease. Saying something about needed to stay focus or something to that effect. Daryl drew in a wavering breath now. It was such a struggle for him.

"I'm sorry" he said quietly to Michonne. Rick began to pace and spoke to the rest of the group. Daryl was oblivious to others, lost in his inner hell.

"Hey, it's okay." Michonne replied. "Just hang…"

"Sorry about it all. What happened at the prison?" In the darkness of the boxcar. Michonne couldn't see his tears. "You were right."

Michonne didn't say anything. Her hand rested on his arm as they sat side by side.

He continued quietly, softly. Michonne was stunned. She sat there and listened.

"I stopped you. You wanted to look for him but I stopped you." Daryl's voice crack as he spoke. "If I hadn't that bastard wouldn't have taken you and ..." Daryl stopped. Michonne could tell now he was crying.

Michonne put her arm around Daryl and pulled him close. He resisted. She moved in closer. Whispering in his ear she "shh-ed" him. She held him now, calmly stroking his hair. He apologized over and over.

Michonne's heart ached for him She had never seen Daryl like this. It had been days since the fall of the prison and he was carrying all this. She knew now it wasn't the place or time for blame but she did think back at all that had happen and Daryl was holding himself responsible for all of it.

"Daryl you can't do this. It is too much bear." Michonne tried calm him. "We need to find a way out here and you need help us."

They didn't need this. Not now. He nodded and pulled away from her. He leaned back against the wall. A ray of light spilled into the box car from a crack in the top panel. It fell upon Daryl's battered face, reminding her of the beating he took the night before when the two men jumped him. Daryl stood up to them, fought for them. Daryl being there saved their lives last night. Those wounds were evident but the beating he was giving himself was doing the most damage.

"We lost so much, Michonne."

"You found us Daryl. And we are with the others now."

Daryl shook his head. "Not everyone."

"They still may be out there. When we get out of here we'll see if we can find them." Michonne took his hand and stood up. "Come on, Daryl. Help us get through this."

Daryl stood and quietly, they joined the others.

"What is this? Who are these people?" Glenn asked Rick. They kept their voices low.

"We got here by following signs to this place. 'Those who arrive, Survive'. How long have you been here?"

"Maybe a day…day in half? Maggie replied "It's hard to tell. We were able to walk right in. The place looked deserted. The gunfire…what happened out there?"

We came in… hopping a fence. No one was in the yard. We found some people in a building. There was a woman in there broadcasting."

Bob stepped forward and join them. "I believe this is the group who was broadcasting on radio…" He turn to Daryl and Michonne "…on the med run we went on."

Rick nodded and continued on.

"They asked us to set down our weapons and they checked us for weapons."

"But they gave back what we were carrying."

"They did the same with us." Glenn added.

No one spoke. It was as if they waited for Rick to process this information or were bewildered by their situation. The tall man in the group walked the side of the box car and peeked through a crack in the panel. Rick followed the movement of this new member in the group, his scrutiny didn't go unnoticed by Glenn.

"That's Abraham. This is Eugene, Tara and Rosita." Glenn continued with the introduction. As he did so Rick kept his focus on Tara. It occurred Daryl, also Michonne, who she was. She was a member of the Governor group. The others in the group he never saw before, but her…Rick's gaze was fixated on her. Glenn stepped in front Tara, shielding her from Rick. Michonne took a step forward but Daryl touched her arm, stopping her from going further.

"They helped me find Maggie and the others." Glenn added. Rick shifted his stare to Maggie who, from her expression, seemed lost by the exchange. That day at the prison, Maggie, most likely stunned by seeing her father was taken captive, was oblivious to others in the group.

"This was a trap!" Rick blurted out. "A set-up and we walked right into it!" Rick became frantic. He took a pace, back and forth and then stopped. "A damn fucking trap," Rick lunged at Tara. "and she's behind it!"