Chapter Fourteen
After the cheering and applause, everyone calmed down and got to work. Deanna walked by Dani and smiled a little towards her as she turned around and headed back to the townhouses. Whatever that meant, it was a relief to know that they weren't going anywhere now. They had just proven to them of what they can do.
Dani looked over and saw Michonne and Morgan approach them, pushing a bound, dirty man forward to Rick. She gripped her revolver and watched him carefully. Rick spun around and watched them come up to him. "Is this the one," he asked Morgan. "This the one who did all this?"
Morgan nodded. "He was trying to drive away, but we stopped him. I figured you'd want to question him." Rick's eyes became furious, his mouth twisted in a snarl. He stomped over to the man and punched him down to the ground.
"Are there more," he demanded as he pulled out his handgun. "Did you see any more of them?"
"Daryl and I took care of the one driving the other truck," Dani responded. "We didn't see any others, but it doesn't mean they're not out there."
"It was only the two of them," Morgan replied. "They attacked me yesterday morning, trying to kill me for my supplies."
"The wolves are back," the man repeated, looking crazed. "You can't stop us."
"Shut up," Dani annoyingly told him. "You fought these guys, and didn't kill them, Morgan? Why?"
Morgan took a deep breath. "I won't kill anyone anymore. No matter what they did, I don't have the right to take their lives." He looked back at Rick. "And neither do you." Rick shook his head and scoffed.
"Did you just see what they did," he responded. "They crashed into our walls and killed some of our people. And you're saying I can't kill him because it's wrong?"
Dani saw Aaron approach them, looking very worried. "Guys," he shouted at them. "I need to tell you something!"
"What is it," she asked him. Aaron huffed a bit, looking ashamed but very scared. "Is Eric all right?"
"He's fine. I had him secured in the house during the attack. But this man is more dangerous than you're saying," he went on. "Daryl and I came across his handy work two days ago. Severed limbs all over the place. And then….." he paused, tightening his mouth, almost afraid he will throw up. "We came across a young woman, tied to a tree naked. The walkers….they fed on her, ripped her apart. She had a W carved into her forehead, the same W we saw on these walkers."
Dani and Rick looked at each other, horrified. Rick faced Michonne, who looked just as frightened too. The man lying on the ground before them merely laughed, and Michonne kicked his gut in.
"They were our army," he replied, still giggling despite the pain. "You would have become fine soldiers for us."
"And the woman you tortured," Michonne asked him. "She was just for fun?"
He shook his head. "She failed basic training,"
Rick, Dani, Aaron and Michonne looked at each other for a second, nodding at each other, silently agreeing that this man just had to go. Michonne raised her katana at him, breathing hard through her nose. The man smiled wider, crazier, as if this is what he wanted all along.
She brought down her sword, but it was stopped by Morgan's cane. "You will not take his life away," he demanded, looking at her with eyes do determined and forceful. "His life is for no one to take!"
"Oh, fuck, Morgan!" Dani exclaimed. "We heard what this prick did! How the hell can you let him live? Knowing full what he did and what he can do? This guy is a fucking liability!
"He wasn't like this before," he responded calmly. "He was just another man, living an ordinary life. Just look at him, he's broken. He doesn't have his companion to rely on. He's alone now for the first time." He turned to face him. "Rick, you said it was the situation at fault, not us."
"That's not what I meant," Rick growled at him. "This man had a choice! And he chose to drive his trucks into our walls and kill us! He's beyond saving, Morgan! I will kill as many as I can to save my family. I have killed to save them before, and I will kill again. If I had it your way, my children wouldn't be here at all." Rick then stopped himself, realizing what he was saying. "Morgan, I didn't mean to say it like that."
"I know what you meant, Rick. I understand. But look back, and think about the people who hurt you. Ask yourself what made them become the people they became. I bet every one of them used to be a person you would have been friends with if not for the world collapsing into darkness. This man right here may have been a friend or a co-worker. But they were hurt by not just the world but other people as well. This man right here," he pointed to the man, who still smiled widely at him. "If we knew his story, it would break our hearts."
"Morgan, with all due respect, I don't agree," Dani spoke up. "We all have broken hearts. We have all suffered extreme pain and loss. But you want to hear my theory of the world? It's not the world that changes you; it brings out who you really are." She looks at the man again, this time his smile lessoning, his eyes averting to the ground. "Rick, you and your group of all people have been through so much hell and terror, but you don't hurt innocent people because that's not you. None of you are evil. And believe me, I know evil people. This asshole right here, he didn't have a choice. Not at all. Because this is who he really is. A psychopath."
"I beg to differ, Dani. I want to reach him," Morgan responded. "Just as I was reached myself, for I easily could have killed you a long time ago." Dani widened her eyes at him. She looked at Rick, who seemed unsure of what to think or to believe. They were all questioning the reasons for either killing this lunatic or letting him live as a human being. She was too afraid to even think about giving this psycho a second chance, because he doesn't' deserve it. But on the other hand, so much blood was spilt today. She didn't want to see more spilt. However, last night, Rick and his group proved to the residents of Alexandria what it really means to survive in such a brutal world, to make the hard choices so that your loved ones could live. To learn how to fight others who try to kill you.
Just like this asshole right here.
Dani turned to walk away. "I'm going to help clear everything," she said. "You know how I feel about this. People like him can't live." She runs up to Carol to help her with the work that has to be done. Carol was still pretending to be Suzy Homemaker for now, but she could tell her act was wavering.
"What' going on," she asked her as she handed Dani some work gloves, obviously paying attention to what had occurred. "Why is he still alive?"
Dani sighed. "Morgan wants to keep him alive," she told her, watching Carol's face become angrier. "He says he can reach him, says the world changed him. That's bullshit."
Carol merely shook her head. "I know Morgan is a friend of Rick's but he can't put the safety of our people at risk because he wants to make him happy," she told Dani. "If it comes down to it, we may have to kill that guy ourselves. Behind Rick's back."
Dani nodded. "But for now, we'll wait," she told Carol. "One slip up, he's gone." She then faced Carol, her eyes determined. "And you have my back, Carol?" Carol nodded.
"I told you things I haven't told anyone here. You've kept them secret. So yes, I definitely have your back, Dani." They shook hands and nodded to each other. They began their work of loading the walkers corpses in the back of a pick-up truck. Dani sighed, for this was going to be a very long day.
….
Daryl drove the truck out, hearing the hungry growls of the walker army in the trailer. He turned off the engine and got out of the cab, and ran over to the gaping hold of the wall. Abraham ordered his crew to put up the metal sheets as soon as possible. Daryl was helping to hold them up with Glenn. After drilling the screws into the sheets, Tobin gave to okay to let go of them. Daryl backed away and turned to face the people trying to clear all of the dead walkers out of the community. And put white sheets over the people who had died in the battle.
Even though they beat the bad guys, it still got to Daryl that they lost people today.
He then saw Dani and Carol working together, loading bodies on the back of the pick-up truck. He nodded at her, for he was impressed by what she could do. The woman definitely earned her place amongst them, and proved that she could handle herself really well. He also liked the fact that she had become friends with Carol. They had a longer chance to bond over the last few weeks here, and even though at first Carol's job was to find out what Dani was capable of, it was obvious that the two had gotten close.
And he didn't blame Dani one damn bit for what she did in Louisville. She did what she had to do. And that was why she fit into their group.
"Hey, Daryl," he felt Glenn slap in shoulder. "We still have more to put up." He followed him back to the pile of metal sheets and grabbed one end of a sheet while Glenn grabbed another end. They carried it over to the rest of the crew, who proceeded to put it up against the wall to reinforce it. As Daryl held it in place, Glenn smiled at him. "I saw you looking at her," he told him.
"Who," he asked him, a little annoyed that he would be questioning him about anything personal.
"Dani. I saw you looking at her."
"So? I was just lookin'." He shrugged and continued to hold the sheet until Tobin said to let go. They both stood back together. As they walked to the sheet pile, Daryl gave a quick glance at Dani. Glenn nudged him again.
"There! I saw you do that again! What's going on?"
"Don't know what you mean, Glenn," he told him. "I ain't into her."
Glenn shook his head at him. "Daryl, I can tell. And I just want to know why you won't go for it."
Daryl shrugged at him, leaning down to grab another sheet. "Don't wanna talk about it."
Glenn helped him with the other end. "Dani is very cute, I think. She's single."
"She's a widow," Daryl reminded him. "I bet she still pines for her husband."
"Maybe, but you know, I noticed that you never tried to be with anyone. At the prison, I know there were a lot of girls who were interested in you. But you never approached them. I often wonder why?"
Daryl snorted. Glenn was really getting to him at this point. Why the hell would he give a damn about his love life? He remained silent, choosing not to answer.
Glenn helped him carry the sheet over to the wall, repeating the same process. "Daryl, you can tell me. After everything we've been through, I consider you one of my best friends," he paused for a moment. "You saved my life more times than I can count. You've saved so many people today. You really are a great guy among us. And I promise, I won't say anything to anybody."
Daryl thought for a moment, growling and grunting like a sullen boy. He then looked at Glenn, with a tiny bit of sadness in his eyes. "A girl like Dani should have a guy like Rick. Not me." He then went to get another sheet. Glenn stopped him.
"What the hell does that mean, Daryl?"
"I ain't stupid, Glenn. Look at me. I know what I am. I'm just a stupid ass redneck."
Glenn looked at him incredulously. "What? You think that matters now? C'mon, Daryl!"
Daryl stopped him. "When we all first met, that's what you all thought of me. Cuz that's what I'd been all my life. Just a joke. I ain't sugar coating the truth, Glenn. I know I ain't like you. These people, I may have saved them, but I aint' them. I never will be."
As he turned to get another sheet, Glenn spoke up. "Daryl, right before all of this, I was a big time loser myself. I had just graduated from college and the only job I could get to pay the bills was being a pizza delivery boy. A girl like Maggie never would have even looked at me at all. But we are not who we were anymore. That is now over and done with. Daryl, in all the time I've known you, you have really stepped up and proven yourself over and over. Yeah, I admit, in the beginning, you and your brother intimidated me." Daryl snorted at that comment. "Merle was a jerk; you have to give me that after what he did to me and Maggie. But you on the other hand became someone we can rely on. We were amazed at how you kept your cool about killing the walkers. You are now Rick's right hand man and closest confidant. You are one of us." He then faced Dani, still helping Carol with the bodies. "And Daryl, life is way too short now. Who knows how much longer we have? I'll tell you, if I didn't have Maggie, I wouldn't even care if I lived or died. I live for her. She keeps me going." He then became quiet. "Maggie's pregnant."
Daryl's eyes widened and grew concerned. Maggie's pregnant? How the hell could they have a kid now, especially after what happened to Lori?
Glenn smiled at him. "And you know what? I'm not scared anymore. This place is perfect. Our child won't know suffering outside these walls. I want to have a baby with her, and yeah, it may seem like the worst time to have children, but I would do anything to keep her and my baby safe. Anything." He then patted Daryl's shoulder. "I know losing Beth really hurt you so bad. I know you were feeling…."
"Just stop it, Glenn," Daryl told him. "Let's get back to work."
Glenn nodded, understanding that what he had said to him was sinking in. Daryl continued to work, and once in a while catch a glimpse of Dani clearing the bodies of the walkers, smiling.
He noticed she had a pretty smile. And she didn't smile very often.
...
For the rest of the day and through the night, Abraham's construction team worked on the walls of Alexandria Safe Zone, putting up the steel planks and reinforcing the beams that held them up. After most of the bodies were cleared, Dani tool a break and went inside to take a shower. After she was done, she put on fresh clothes and cleaned her leather jacket with a cloth. She then put it on and went outside. She was greeted by Daryl, who approached her as she walked down the steps.
"We gotta get rid of the trucks loaded with walkers," he told her. "I know of a place 'bout thirty miles from here. If you follow me and Abraham, and drive us back?" Dani nodded.
"Definitely," she told him. "Are you all ready to go?"
"Yeah, just meet us by the gate and follow us. We're going now." She went back inside to get her keys and opened the garage door. She got into her car and turned on the ignition, hearing the low rumble of the engine. She drove slowly out of the garage and into the street, stopping for a moment to speak with Rick as he waved her down.
"Careful out there," he told her. "As soon as you're done, get back here as fast as you can. I don't want to lose more people today." She nodded at him.
"Don't worry; I'll make sure we come back in one piece." She drove to the front of the gate and gestured to Spencer to open the gate. He nodded and pulled the door open. She drove through the entrance and waited outside the gates. Then she saw the trucks come up on both sides of the road, and seeing Abraham in one truck and Daryl in another. Daryl waved at her as he passed her, allowing her to follow him. Abraham followed behind her, and they drove down the road one by one.
After about an hour they drove up to the shipping dock where Daryl had first spotted them. He told Rick earlier about how Aaron and Daryl thought the trucks were filled with canned food, but instead revealed a sinister booby trap of walkers being sprung on them. If it wasn't for the intervention of Morgan, they never would have been able to return to the safe zone alive. They would have become the new members of the wolves' army of walkers.
Daryl stopped his truck in front of the gates and got out of the cab. He walked over to Dani and told her to wait outside the docks in her car, because she needed to be ready when they drive off. Dani nodded, still angry over what had happened today. Two men had done this to them. Two men! All they needed were a bunch of walkers, a sophisticated stereo system and two trucks to take on a whole community. Carol had mentioned that these two men were apparently behind the massacre of Noah's people in Richmond. Carol had also told her that Rick had said that when he, Michonne, Noah and Tyreese were there to find Noah's family, they came across torsos of walkers with the W carved in their foreheads. They didn't understand at first, until Rick noticed a walker himself outside the walls with the same W. The wolves weren't far at all. But he didn't understand then. Neither did Dani. She had seen the same mark before, and didn't commonplace it.
And today they lost 17 people. It could have been a lot more, but no matter how many you lose, one or a dozen, its still gets to you. They should have been more prepared, she thought to herself. Seventeen people didn't need to die today.
Dani watched as Abraham and Daryl poured Kerosene on top of each truck. Abraham then climbed down and poured a trail of the flammable liquid from the trucks to the front of the tall fence. After Daryl was done, he jumped down and came up to Dani as Abraham continued to pour. Despite the hard work she had done earlier today, she managed to find time to wash and dress in cleaner clothes. All Daryl had done was wash his face and arms. He smelled of the walkers, but Dani didn't care. He had a lot to do today.
Abraham met up with them at the fence and nodded. "As soon as we light these fuckers up, we have to high tail it out of here," he cautioned them. "They will light up like the Fourth of July at a demolition derby! And will of outmost certainty draw the attention of whatever and whoever is nearby."
"I'll start the car up," she told him. "Daryl, come with me." As they both walked to her car, she gave him the keys. He looked at her amazed.
"Ya sure you want me to drive this," he asked her, uncertain. She smiled at him.
"I'm sure, Daryl," she told him. "I let you drive it before, remember?"
He grunted and nodded at her in appreciation. "Thanks," he said in his low rough voice.
She got in the back seat of the car and Daryl sat in the driver's seat, starting up the engine. He drove up closer to the docks, watching Abraham light up the kerosene trail. As soon as he saw the flames zip down the trail, he revved up the engine. Instantly, the tires of both trucks started to catch fire, and soon the flames licked the sides. Abraham immediately ran to Dani's car and hopped into the passenger side. "Let's move on out," Abraham commanded.
Daryl put the pedal to the metal and shot out of the lot. He swerved to avoid some of the walkers coming up the road, attracted by the flames, still maintaining his speed and trying not to be reckless in the process. He didn't want to slow down, in case they may have attracted a horde. Dani looked over her shoulder, and her heart dropped with relief when she saw they were passing by major herds in the process.
"Don't worry," Abraham said. "I left the gates open. Just in case more wanna go in. That way, fewer of these biters to worry about."
She nodded at him. "Smart," she said. She then crouched forward towards Abraham and Daryl. "Despite everything that happened, I'm so glad we were able to stop those fuckers."
"Me too," Abraham agreed. "We still have a shit pile of work to do, but it could have been a lot worse."
"How so," Daryl asked sarcastically. "We still lost people."
"True," Abraham said. "But we didn't let the assholes win. We fought to protect the zone and won."
"We lost more people," Daryl replied, Dani sensing the anger rising in him. "We didn't win."
Abraham huffed. "Daryl, in the military, I learned that in battle, people die. It happens. You cannot win a war without a few casualties."
In a fury, Daryl slammed the brakes, lurching Dani and Abraham forward. "What the hell is your problem, Dixon," Abraham yelled at him. "Are you trying to kill us?" Daryl looked right at Abraham with seething anger.
"Is that what they mean to you? A few casualties? What if it was Rosita, or Carl? Hell what if it was…." He paused, huffing. "It ain't good to lose anybody, not matter what!"
"Shit, Daryl," Abraham snorted. "I didn't mean it that way."
"Guys," Dani interrupted. "We have to go. Argue about this later."
Both Abraham and Daryl looked behind them and saw more walkers headed their way. Instantly Daryl stepped on the gas and they drove as far away as possible from them. For the rest of the drive, they remained silent, contemplating what they had done today and what was said between them. Although she knew what Abraham had meant, about casualties, Daryl was right. It's never right at all to lose anyone. She knew that all too well.
…
As soon as they arrived back to the safe zone, it was well into the morning hours. However, the zone was alive with the men clearing out the dead from the streets. The walls had been reinforced and the people who volunteered to guard the construction crew while they worked were walked back through the front gates. Abraham asked Daryl to stop the car while he got out to speak with his crew. Daryl drove right in and turned down their street.
"Oh, geez," he heard Dani mutter under her breath as they passed by rows of corpses stacked up in piles on the lawns. They also saw bodies covered in white sheets, meant to be the ones they had lost today, blood imprinting through the cotton.
He pulled up into their driveway and slowly drove into the already opened garage. As soon as he was far enough in, he put the car in park, but didn't turn off the engine. He just sat there, taking it all in, everything that had happened. And what could happen next. Right now, Rick is interrogating the freak that Morgan and Michonne had captured to see if there are more of them. But that wasn't what was bothering him at that moment.
"Daryl, what's wrong," Dani asked him. "You have to turn off the engine."
He grunted and did what she said. He got out of the car, and held the front seat up to let her out. She climbed out, looking tired and a bit sad. She then looked up at him and smiled faintly at him. "Are you going to rest," she asked him. He shook his head.
"I'm too wired to sleep," he told her. "I wanna keep busy, y'know?"
She nodded. "I understand, Daryl. I get it."
"What do you get," he asked her.
"I get what Abraham said, about casualties. But I don't agree with that statement. It sounds just too easy to just shrug off people we lose like that." She sadly looked up at him. "It should never be easy at all."
Daryl grunted and nodded. He then noticed something about the corner of her eye, and saw what he thought was a tear. Before he could look further, Dani wiped both of her eyes. He knew what he had seen, but didn't ask her about it. He didn't want to pry into what he already knew.
"I'm going inside, maybe sleep for a few hours. I'll see you then." She patted his shoulder and went inside the house. He then closed the garage door and walked down the driveway to help the people clear the bodies away. He wanted to keep going because it hurt too much to be alone.
'Daryl," he heard Rick's voice call to him. "There you are." He turned around and saw Rick walking briskly towards him. "Abraham told me you just got back with Dani."
"Yeah, everythin' okay, Rick?"
Rick shook his head. "Not really, Daryl. Could I talk to you?"
Daryl walked with him back to the townhouses as Rick explained what had happened while they were gone. And by the looks of it, it wasn't good.
"The guy who tried to kill us, he's a real whack job if I ever did see one," he told Daryl. "All he kept saying was he was reborn again as one of the wolves to reclaim their territory. He kept asking about his friend."
"I told you what happened," Daryl snorted. Before they had left for the shipping docks, he told Rick how he and Dani threw the first guy into the walkers to be eaten. "That guy was just as fucked up. Kept going on 'bout how this was his army and all." He shook his head. "I thought we came across every psycho and nutcase there was, but these guys? These guys got their brains scrambled."
"Yeah, I know. Thing is, I have a problem," he stopped Daryl for a second and looked at him earnestly. "I say we kill this guy."
Daryl nodded in agreement. "No point keepin' him alive, Rick. Bastard tried to kill us."
Rick nodded, but looked disturbed. "But Morgan says we should let him live."
Daryl was taken aback by what he had heard. "What the fuck you mean let him live? Why?"
"Morgan apparently found some type of religion the last time I saw him. He believes that we should give him a chance."
"A chance for what? To kill us in our sleep? What the hell is wrong with that guy?"
Rick paced around a bit, unsure of what to do. He then looked toward Daryl, nodding his head. "He thinks he can get through to him," Rick replied. "He thinks he can help him."
"But we won't just keep him alive, right," Daryl asked him. "We can't just do that. Not after what happened, what he done." Rick looked at him so unsure and conflicted. "Ah, don't tell me you're considering this! Rick, what if that prick goes after Carl and Judith? What if he goes after more people? We can't just….."
"I know, Daryl. I know," Rick held up his hands. "He says he wants to work with him. He wants to prove to us that he can change." He wiped his face with both hands. "What do you think I should do? If I let him live, it will put us in jeopardy. If I don't, Morgan will just take off, and after what that man had done for me in the beginning, how he helped me, I don't know if I can just let him go over something like this."
Daryl thought of the situation for a bit. He knew how Rick felt, for he had been there before, choosing his brother Merle over the group for a short time before coming back to his senses and realizing what an asshole his brother was. Rick and his people did give Merle a chance reluctantly, and though Merle almost betrayed them by taking Michonne to the Governor, he did try to make everything right by letting her go and try to kill that one-eyed bastard. Only he failed and the Governor killed him, turning him into a walker, forcing him to kill his own brother. It was something he never got over, for his last words to Merle were, 'I want my brother back,' trying to reach him.
But he remembered Shane, how sneaky that jerk was. How he knew he killed Otis with that bullshit story of his. He saw how hungrily he looked at Lori, becoming obsessed with her, and how he looked at Rick with contempt, especially after she announced she was pregnant. And how Shane had led him and Glenn on a wild goose chase for Randall, thinking Daryl would be too stupid to fall for his bullshit. He figured out pretty quick that Shane was lying.
And that fucking bitch Dawn at Grady Memorial, and rescinding on her promise to them that Beth and Carol would be traded safe and sound. That turned out to be a lie.
"Rick, you know how I feel," he told him. "I ain't about to trust the bad guys no more. Hell, I ain't 'bout to trust anyone now. Thing is, we can't afford to be soft anymore. We have too much to care for here. We lost people today. It didn't need to happen. And it ain't 'bout lettin' our guard down, but 'bout keeping us safe." He took a deep breath. "You want my opinion; I say we just shoot him. Even keepin' him prisoner's dangerous."
"I disagree," a voice spoke behind him. He turned around and saw Morgan standing there, his hands in his pocket, looking earnestly at them. "Joshua deserves a chance."
Daryl scoffed at him. "Joshua? That his name? He tell you that?"
Morgan nodded. "The world may have erased some of his humanity away, but he's still in there. I need to work with him, and bring him out."
Daryl looked away in disgust. "You know what he'll do? Behind your back? He'll slit your throat and start an army again."
Morgan shook his head. "I can reach him," he said. "I can help him. Remember, Rick. I came close to killing you and your son."
"You weren't in your right frame of mind, Morgan," Rick told him. "You had lost your family, everyone you loved."
"That is true, until a very good man helped me. I was about to kill him because I thought he was just another bad man trying to kill me. Instead, he beat me to the ground and let me live. He didn't take any of my supplies or food. He merely said, 'you're not taking me away.' That man's name was Julius and he showed me that deep down, I was still human." He then looked imploringly at Rick and Daryl. "I need to pay this forward, Rick. I need to bring Josh back. If you let me, I will show you it can be done, for he wasn't like this. As you've said before at the funerals this morning, it's not them. It's the situation that changed them."
Daryl shook his head. "You know what I was, before all this happened? Just another redneck asshole hotwiring cars and watching out for his brother while he scored meth! You don't see me crashing trucks filled with walkers into a community. You don't see me killing people for fun or to feed on!" He stormed off, leaving Rick to decide what will happen to the poster boy of reform who thinks he's a dog. He didn't understand why Rick was even considering this. What happened to the Rick who executed Pete? What happened to the crazed Rick he saw that night when he took a bite out of that prick Joe when he threatened his family? He couldn't think. All he could do was just stomp back to his house and simmer down for a while.
As soon as he got inside the darkened house, he sat on the couch in the living room. He leaned over and put his hands to his face in frustration. He thought of all the stupid choices that were made that got some of their people killed and had them run off from their home. He knew keeping this prick alive was going to be yet another stupid mistake that will cost them big time.
And it hurt Daryl even more that Rick was siding with a man whom he hadn't seen in months instead of with him, a man he calls his brother. Didn't his opinions matter anymore?
He grunted and stretched himself out on the couch. He decided he just didn't give a rat's ass anymore.
…
Dani couldn't sleep. She kept tossing and turning, her eyes refusing to shut tight. All of the horror today just played over in her mind, watching the walkers attack the unarmed people closest to the crash. She was relieved that no child was killed, but it didn't make her feel any better. She remembered their screams and cries, begging for help that couldn't arrive in time. All she could do was shoot some of them in their heads so that they wouldn't suffer anymore.
She remembered how she had to shoot her best friend, Julie, just three weeks into this nightmare. Julie was attacked by a walker that had gotten into her tent as she slept. Her screams woke up the camp and as they rushed to her aid, it was too late. The walker had pulled her intestines apart, and she was still breathing and crying.
Her father killed the walker. But nothing could be done for Julie. She was suffering so badly.
Please help me, Dani. Do it.
Dani took her handgun, choking on her tears, as she put the barrel of the gun to her head. She closed her eyes, and put a bullet into the woman who was like a true sister to her since college. A woman who had been her maid of honor at her wedding, and told the best jokes and had the best time. It shouldn't have happened. They had thought they were in a safe place to camp, but they realized no place is safe. Not anymore.
Even this place isn't safe, for the bad guys always find a way in.
She even thought of Daryl for a moment, about how he kept her going, jumping from one roof to another, fighting the walkers and finding a way to get them back into the truck. He seemed very proud of her, shaking her hand, nodding at her in approval. She liked that he could rely on her, just like she could rely on him.
And she remembered there was something else about him, something loyal and fierce like a wolf. He was very tough, but at times, she could see a bit of a gentler side to him. Something he obviously keeps well hidden.
And she had to admit to herself, that even though he barely washed and looked like a Hell's Angel, he was kind of cute.
But she knew in her heart that he would probably prefer a buxom leather clad babe on a Harley Davidson with a hundred tattoos an piercings, smelling of stale whiskey and tobacco.
And, of course, Michael was never leaving her thoughts, for every day since he has been gone, the pain of losing him grew worse. She missed that man so much, and it even made her feel guilty that she was even thinking of Daryl in the slightest way. It made her feel as though she were being unfaithful.
She shrugged and tried to sleep, hoping for better times as long as they had them.
And she apologized to the spirit of Michael, hoping that he might still linger on with her.
"You'll always be my man," she whispered to him in the darkness, as she finally drifted to sleep.