"Damn it, where's Daryl?" Rick was at his limit.
They had followed the kid, Miguel, to a run down auto body shop where his gang had Glenn.
"He was right behind me," Danni stated." Maybe he changed his mind about this. Went off after Merle on his own."
She was at once relieved and disappointed. He'd been making her uncomfortable and she hated his overbearing tone but found his swagger and cocky insolence compelling. She missed the tension between them when he wasn't around.
"Your hick friend is scared. He should be too. G would have taken one of those arrows of his and shoved it right up his ass. Puto's smart about that anyway." Miguel had gotten his bravado back.
"G?" Rick asked.
"Guillermo, he's the man here."
"Okay. We'll have a talk with him."
Rick would have preferred another body for backup but he knew they had no time to waste waiting around for Daryl to possibly return. He and Danni would handle it alone.
Rick sized up the woman holding a Remington 870 police issue shotgun. It looked extra-large in her hands. She was not what he normally saw back home in King County. It was a quiet, suburban place with plenty of good 'old boy lawbreakers around the outskirts. He and Shane had far more run-ins with the likes of the Dixon's than anyone like Danni. She had a style you wouldn't want your daughter copying. She looked fierce, like trouble.
Her black hair was falling out of its pony tail. She wore a t- shirt that barely covered a navel ring and tattoos above tight fitting black jeans low on her hips. Her silver skull and crossbones belt buckle was far from feminine. He studied her face and thought she was pretty, almost delicate, but trying to look hardened. He was glad he didn't have a daughter. He thought of Carl, relieved that boys were easier to raise. Still, she had done right by everyone so far. And, Glenn trusted her. That was the reason she was here now.
"You think you can stay calm, focused and listen to me?" He asked her.
"Yeah," She answered gravely. He believed her.
They crouched down, dividing the shotgun shells. As they were loading the guns, Miguel put his head in his hands.
"C'mon guys, this is fucked up. Give G the guns. He just wants the weapons."
"I can't do that," Rick answered.
He and Danni sat their backs against a crumbling brick wall, taking a last respite before walking into what could be a slaughter.
"You sure you're up for this?" Rick asked her one last time.
Before she could answer a pair of black engineer boots fell into her lap from above.
"What the fu-" she started.
Rick sprang and aimed his shotgun at the source of the drop.
"Daryl!" He lowered the weapon. "I could have killed you. You really are one stupid son of a bitch; you do know that."
"Best watch what you call me officer. Had somethin' to do." He answered Rick and nonchalantly said to Danni,
"Put those on."
"Where did you..."
"A couple of blocks back. Don't worry, she ain't gonna need 'em no more."
Indicating he had taken the boots off of a corpse.
She nodded.
"Hurry up." He ordered. "Those god damned useless shoes you got on now ain't gonna do shit for you out here."
"You don't think?" she asked sarcastically since it was about the fourth time he'd told her that.
"Seen a couple snakes in these lots around here; rattlers, Copperheads. I don't want to be sucking the poison out of your damn foot and have to carry you back." He shook his head. "But suit yourself, do whatever the hell ya want."
He pretended to focus on his crossbow. He held it out in front of him, checking the tension, but was taking a sidelong glance at Danni. She kicked off the tattered black tennis shoes and started pulling on the boots.. He thought she might have thrown them at his head instead, for the way he talked to her. He knew she didn't like it.
By this point, Miguel was rolling his eyes. "You two psychos are really weird, man."
"You want me to kick your teeth in?" Daryl threatened.
The boots were hardly worn at all. 8" height, a little roomy around her calf. The close fit surprised her. Only about half-size too large.
"Fit okay?" He asked noting the surprise on her face.
'Yeah, How did you know what size I am?"
"Your footprints. That's what they looked to be."
"You can use tracking skills for shopping, cool."
His face reddened. "Shut up. We ain't got all day."
"No, we don't." Rick interrupted. "Are you two finished fooling around?"
Daryl ignored him, checking his weapons.
"Daryl, what were you thinking?" Rick was still angry. "Leaving like that?"
""Don't matter. I'm here now."
"Look, I need to know that I can count on you."
"I said I'm here." He growled. "We goin' in or what?"
They stepped over a crumbling stone wall into the courtyard of the auto shop. Danni tread on shards of broken glass, from a million smashed bottles, rusted metal and other discarded trash in the lot overgrown with weeds. Daryl was right about her shoes. She smelled gasoline and motor oil. As they got closer, Rick motioned for them to shoulder their weapons and aim. Daryl raised his crossbow and she held up the shotgun and they roamed behind him. He pushed Miguel forward.
They approached the garage door, and as if G had been waiting for them, it immediately rolled up to expose a group of men, all armed. They were wearing the chinos, plaid button ups, wife beaters, and bandanas that cholo was known for. In front stood young Hispanic man to whom the rest seemed to look for direction. G. He calmly approached.
"You okay little man?" He asked Miguel.
"They're gonna chop off my feet!"
"Cops do that?"
"Not him, that hillbilly. The chica showed me some dude's hand he had. He did it before."
"That true? you gonna do something sick like that to my little cousin?"
"Look, things were said, mistakes were made in the heat of the moment," Rick said.
"You two don't look related. What's he to you?" G asked, sizing Daryl up.
"He's part of our group more or less. I'm sure you have a few like him."
She didn't hear the click of the rifle, it was too far away, but Daryl heard it with his acute hunter's ear. The metallic sound was to his left, and came from the rooftop. He jerked his head and saw the gunman take his shot. He threw his cross-bow down and tackled Danni to the ground, shielding her body with his own.
The last things she remembered were the crack of a gunshot, Daryl on top of her and an intense pain when her head hit the ground.