A rusty old piece of chain linked fencing off in the corner of the prison was her secret escape route from the rest of the group. Using her shoulder, she pressed hard up against it, pushing it open just enough so that she could squeeze down underneath, the edges scraping against the old leather vest she wore.
Emma then glanced quickly towards the direction she had last seen Daryl jog off in. She had left quick enough that she was just able to see a flash of him disappear into the thickest part of the woods in a direction she had never been before. With a heavy sigh, she pushed the fence back together as best as she could, making sure that no walkers were able to use their dead hands to somehow pry open the fencing.
With a touch to the top of her old, rusty hunting knife just to make sure that it was still attached to her hip she made her way after Daryl, walking briskly through the grass, a hop and skip into a jog every now and then as she push past into the woods that bordered around the prison and opened up into another large field with a road in the distance.
Emma could just barely make out what looked to be two figures, one coming and one going. Then again, it could have just been two walkers passing each other. But as she neared the figure that was coming closer to her, she saw that it was Michonne.
"Michonne!" Emma called out, picking up a jog to meet the woman halfway.
Michonne's eyes narrowed at Emma, her hand dropping from the hilt of her sword as she noticed that Emma would be no threat to her.
"Jesus Lord, Michonne. Where 'ave ya' been?"
"Dixon." Michonne stated slowly, eyeing Emma up and down, "Merle Dixon."
"What? What 'bout Merle?"
Michonne let out an aggravated sigh as if she had expected Emma to know exactly what she was talking about. "Didn't Daryl tell you?"
Emma's eyes narrowed, and shaking her head she tried to think back to anything that Daryl could have said about Merle that she might have forgotten, but nothing came to mind. "N-no. He ain't said nothin' 'bout Merle. Just you and Merle's been gone?"
Michonne took a long pregnant pause, debating whether or to tell Emma, and Emma could tell. The woman who stood before her was strong, statuesque and yet just a glimmer of a feeling flittered through her eyes, and Emma knew something wasn't right.
"It doesn't matter what has happened. Daryl went off to go get him. He doesn't want anyone to follow."
"I gotta go git them both." Emma replied almost breathlessly. Michonne yet again stared at the woman silently.
"That's your choice. Don't blame me if you don't make it back."
Emma mouthed out the words 'I won't' as she picked up a jog past Michonne. She had seen Daryl fall onto the road and had briefly remembered over hearing him and Rick discussing some sort of old barn like building with a silo they had met that governor that everyone was so on edge about.
And as she jogged down the road, thankfully to have not come across any walkers that came too close to her, the buildings came into view along with the thumping sound of music.
She picked up the pace, yanking out the old knife to have it ready. Walkers were ambling towards the car as music blasted from it, shaking the whole car. She picked an alternate route, dodging around the other side of the building.
Coming around the corner a walker met her face to face. Letting out a dry cry, it reached for her. The skin of its face peeling from its cheek, its rotting teeth poking through the side.
Cursing, Emma raised her free hand, holding back the walker by its shoulder as her other hand came up to stab the walker through the eye, and as the walker fell down to the ground in a slump, its eye came off onto the end of the knife with a clean movement.
Grimacing, she wiped the knife off on her pants, letting the eye roll away.
"No!"
A heartbreaking cry caught her ears just as she was about to continue on her way. It was Daryl.
Emma stepped into high gear, racing around the other corner of the building to find Darly on his knees, and Merle in front of him, dead and gnawing on a body. Her heart stopped and shot up to her throat as she watched in pain as Daryl cried out for his brother. She watched as he fought the urge to kill him, hoping that maybe he would come back, but he wasn't going to.
Daryl pushed and pushed at his brother as he staggered towards him again and again, until finally he stabbed him under his chin, falling to the ground on top of Merle. Emma watched again and again as Darly stabbed his brother time and time again in the head until Merle no longer existed.
Her face felt hot, her heart, heavy. It took a few minutes for Daryl to finally turn around and when he did and the two of them locked eyes, her emotions fell apart. Emma's chin quivered as she reached to Daryl who looked like the life had been drained out of him, too.
He said nothing to Emma as she wrapped her arms around Daryl in a firm hug, soft, heavy sobs escaping her body.
Slowly, one arm slid up behind Emma's back, his fingers locking in her hair as he pressed his cheek against the side of her head. "Don't…talk 'bout it." Daryl mumbled, pulling away from Emma as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
He glanced over his shoulder briefly at the body on the ground and swallowed hard. With only the motion of his head back towards the way they came.
Things were going to change, Emma could feel it. And as she glanced over at Daryl she could only hope it wouldn't change him for the worst.
