At Stake is part two of the continuing saga The Dead Heart. If you haven't yet done so please read part one. I hope you enjoy the story and please review!

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to The Walking Dead, AMC or any of their affiliates. This is purely for entertainment purposes and is a fan created fiction. This story does not reflect the actual Walking Dead series and doesn't claim to be anything but a fan (me) expressing my appreciation for the characters and the wonder that is The Walking Dead. All OFC's (Original Fictional Characters) are a product of my own imagination. Any resemblance to anyone living or dead is purely coincidental.


At Stake

Chapter 7

Liddy pulled herself to her feet. She went to the porch and hooked the knocker into the bell, the moment she saw Jake she would ring the bell. Liddy was banking on Daryl's feelings for the girl. She knew he would go to her but it would be too late. That is if her worthless kids didn't screw it up. She had half a mind to call the walkers while Jake and Bobby were out there. She wouldn't, not out of loyalty to her children but because she needed them for her survival. Liddy looked out into the empty space between the barn and the fields. "You best not screw this up!"

.

Stevie punched Jake as hard and as often as she could. The boy whined and covered his face. How he acted in the barn was the polar opposite of how he was now. When he had her alone and was attacking her he was bold and dangerous. Now he acted like a little baby. Stevie assumed that Daryl's presence made the difference. She felt herself being lifted off of Jake but that didn't keep her from kicking and swinging, he was going to pay for what he did.

She swung at the person grabbing her, not realizing it was Daryl until her fist slammed against his strong, muscular chest.

"Stevie! Stop, we've got to move!"

Daryl could hear their moans and knew they were coming. From the sound of it there were quite a few walkers in the cornfield. He pulled Stevie towards the path that led to the open lot.

"My bike… we can get to my bike from here."

As soon as Daryl yanked Stevie away from Jake the boy was on his feet. He and Bobby ran towards the house. Daryl could tell Stevie wanted to go in that direction but he felt they had a better chance getting the hell out of here. The path was overrun by walkers and Daryl emptied the shotgun before tossing it into the dirt. He grabbed Stevie's hand and made a mad dash towards the house.

"We've got to get there first!" Daryl screamed at her. Stevie looked over her shoulder. "Don't look back just run!"

.

The moment Liddy saw her boys running through the back field she rang the bell. Its sound echoed through the land. She didn't know that just beyond the barn the dead chased Stevie and Daryl.

Bobby stepped into a rut in the field and fell hard, twisting his ankle. He rolled on the ground in agony.

"Jake, help me!"

Jacob stopped running long enough to look back at his brother. "I…I can't. I'm sorry!" He waved wildly at his mother. "Mamma get inside!"

Liddy stood there frozen in place as she watched Stevie and Daryl run past Bobby. The dead swarmed her son and his screams made all of them stop and stare in horror.

Jake notice that not only the migrant workers were there but two of the walkers he knew instantly. "No! No! You said they went to Atlanta! You lied!"

Liddy covered her mouth to stifle her screams as her eldest son Jr tore a piece of flesh from Bobby.

Daryl was the first to move again. He shoved Stevie towards the shelter. "Go, run!"

His movements snapped Liddy back to reality and she made a mad dash to get inside.

Jake continued to scream. "Liar! He's dead, both of them are dead!" It was enough to draw some of the walkers away from Bobby's corpse. One of which was Jake's father.

Liddy looked at Jake still clinging to the hope that they could survive this and get inside. "Please Jacob, come now!"

The boy refused to move and was surrounded a moment later. Her hopes of having one of her sons survive vanished with Jakes screams. Liddy couldn't give in, wouldn't surrender herself to them. Her own survival was always more important to her anyway.

Stevie opened the hatch, climbing inside. "Hurry Daryl, please!"

Daryl could hear the fear in Stevie's voice but there was something he had to do first. He shot a walker that was getting too close for his comfort. Liddy made it to Daryl but he shoved her hard sending her onto to her ass in the dirt.

"This is what you do here? All those cars were people you took in! Weren't they? You're going to face what you did and you're going to do it today!" He backed up to the opening and climbed inside slamming the hatch shut. Liddy pounded on the door, screaming for Daryl to save her. Her screams became primal a moment later, as the dead surrounded her.

"Go inside." Daryl didn't want Stevie to hear Liddy being ripped apart. He didn't want her to see the dead trying to get inside either. He hoped to God that the hatch was strong enough to keep them out.

Daryl held Stevie, reassuring her of their safety even when he didn't feel very safe himself. She cried in his arms until exhausted, she drifted off to sleep. Daryl refused to turn off the light He didn't give in to the need for sleep. He had to make sure they were okay before he did. It was quiet inside the shelter save for the sound of the generator. Around four in the morning Daryl climbed off of the bed to head to the toilet. The flush blocked out the sound coming from behind him.