The sun was cresting over the walls of the school as the group congregated by the cars. All wore expressions of deadly intent. They had a mission and nothing would stop them from following through. Rick eyed the group as they loaded the vehicle with weapons, food, and a medical kit. His stomach twisted, hoping it wasn't going to be needed. He wasn't sure what Daryl might do if it was.
Rick sought the other man out. He placed a hand on Daryl's forearm and met his grim look with one of his own. "You do what needs to be done. You bring her, and the rest of the group, back here safely."
Daryl nodded tersely, his mind already out on the road. His mind had been play scenarios through since he sat down in the weaponry to clean and reassemble the guns they were taking. They had all met there and armed themselves. None of them wanted to take a life, but if it meant getting one of their own back safely, they would.
Glenn got in the driver's seat, Daryl in the passenger. Maggie, and Davis piled into the back seat, none of them speaking. Rick watched the vehicle exit the safety of the school yard and pull away. Lori slid in next to him, wrapping an arm around his waist. His arm slung around her shoulder.
"He'll bring her home," Lori said confidently.
"I hope so. Not sure he can take another loss. Merle and Sophia were hard enough for him."
"Alex is stronger than you realize. Plus her mind isn't clouded with drugs and she's not a child."
"A person can only take so much. She hadn't even recovered from Lucas."
"You need to have confidence in both of them Rick. Daryl will travel to hell and back for someone he cares about."
He smiled and brushed a kiss against her hair. "I'll do my best." His hand curled protectively over the curl of his unborn child as he stared unseeingly at the gates.
The drive back into town was silent. Maggie scanned the sides of the abandoned highway for signs of life, or of the undead. Davis sat stock still, his face stony as he tried, and failed, to keep his guilt hidden from the rest. Daryl brooded and tried to run best, and worst, case situations through his head. He absolutely refused to consider what would happen if they found her dead.
A small group of walkers wandered aimlessly near the front of the hunting shop. Silently he, Maggie, and Davis stepped from the car and approached the group. Two bolts, an ax, and an ice pick later the group was disposed of with brutal efficiency. It should bother him, he thought as they re-entered the SUV, the way they could now kill without a second thought. He pushed his musings away as they turned into a residential area.
As they approached the home Alex had once shared with Eric, Daryl felt a slight twinge. The paint on the two story house was peeling and the yard overgrown, but even now he could see it was bigger and nicer than anything he ever would've been able to afford. He pushed aside his old feelings of doubt aside, trying to concentrate on finding his Ria and bring her back to their home.
Glenn pulled the SUV to a stop slightly away from where the truck that carried her away had stood. Daryl exited the car. "Stay here," he ordered.
"But-,"
"None of y'all are trackers Chinaman. Best if ya don't mess up the trail. Gonna be hard enough as it is. Never tried trackin' a damn truck before."
Glenn sat back, defeated. Daryl walked towards the stain on the concrete. His jaw tightened as he saw faint traces of blood mixed with radiator fluid. He started following the dried outlines of the droplets still visible on the concrete. "Glad it didn't rain last night. Whole trail woulda been wiped out. Spots are damn faint as it is." He heard Glenn start the SUV up and begin to follow him.
He took his time, double checking that the trail he was following was fresh. He would ride in the vehicle for a short distance and then re-establish the trail. A headache had formed behind his eyes. "Animals in the woods are so much easier," he groused to himself silently.
Merle had been watching her since they stepped foot in the woods. His first impression of Alex had been wrong. He might not have expected her to whine, but he didn't expect a damn woods guide. They were barely 20 feet into the woods before he heard her mumbling to herself.
"What are you talking about," Andrea questioned in a whisper.
"I'm damn loud. I haven't made this much noise in the woods since I was ten," Alex complained sullenly.
Merle couldn't hide his snort. "Loud woman? I could barely hear ya!"
"I could hear myself Hotshot, that's bad enough," she retorted.
"We aint' huntin' Spitfire. Ya could walk the woods with bells on and they ain't gonna hear ya."
"Yeah, well, I have my pride."
He huffed a breath out. "I think ya can make an exception seein' as someone beat on ya last night. Give yerself a break Spitfire."
Alex shot him a confused look, but lapsed into silence. The trio walked through the woods slowly. A grudging respect was beginning to form in him for these two women. Andrea could move quieter than he remembered and Alex was nearly silent, even injured and sore.
The sun had just barely begun to rise when they had fled and none wanted to fall upon a stray walker. As light penetrated the forest, they picked the pace up slightly. Merle didn't take them straight to the road. They spent time doubling back and even crossed a shallow, rocky riverbed. The trickle of water would disguise their footprints as they walked along the edge.
At the sound of a faint snarl, Merle whipped around. A legless corpse had pulled its decayed body out from under a bush. Before he could react, Alex had unsheathed the knife on her him and jabbed it into the walker's temple. She winced as she removed it with a sickening pop. Merle stalked over to her, anger and concern warring in him.
"What the hell ya doin' woman?" he practically snarled at her.
"Killing a walker?"
"Ya hurt for Christ sakes. Sugar-, errr, Andrea 'n I'll handle 'em. Ya understand?"
"I can take care of myself, injured or not Merle Dixon." She couldn't keep the irritation out of her voice.
Merle took a deep breath, ready to explode, when Andrea interjected calmly. "Listen to him. We don't have the resources to help you out here if your shoulder dislocates again or your stitches rip."
Alex stared at the other two, frustrated at being ganged up on, and then let out a long sigh. "Fine," she relented.
The three continued in silence. Merle wanted to be frustrated at the slow pace, but couldn't summon the emotion. Andrea had been a slight woman from what he could recall, but now she was skin and bones. Alex was trying to hide the pain, but he saw how she would grimace or hear the catch of her breath when it got too bad. He viciously
The trio emerged from the woods and onto the main highway. Alex turned to Merle, "Any idea what road this is?"
"It's State Road 100. Know it Spitfire?"
"Yeah I do. I can get us back. I think we need to stick to the woods a bit though. It will give us cover better than the road."
Andrea nodded in agreement, signs of fatigue etched onto her face. Alex gave her arm a gentle squeeze. "We'll be there soon. I promise."
"I'm counting on it." The two women shared a smile before they headed towards the shadows of the trees. They stayed close enough to the road to hear vehicles, but far enough in to avoid detection. Half an hour passed before Merle held a hand up when he heard the dull roar of an engine. It came from the direction they were traveling in.
Alex nudged Merle. "Got those binoculars? I should be able to tell if it's one of our vehicles."
"Yea." He handed them over. She snuck out into the ditch beside the road. Alex cursed under her breath as she attempted to focus them one handed. She grinned when the dark SUV came into focus. It moved slowly and stopped every fifteen feet or so. A familiar figure, still too far away to truly be in focus, would get out and examine the ground. Alex's breath caught in her throat as she turned back to Merle and Andrea. "It's them," she stated simply.
"Ya sure?" Merle demanded. Andrea's face simply lit with undisguised hope.
"Yeah. Daryl's following the trail I hoped would work."
"The what?"
"I poked a hole in the radiator hose of Kevin's truck. It stained the concrete. I hoped he could follow it."
Merle couldn't help it; he let out a barking laugh. "Spitfire, yer somethin' else."
She blushed lightly. "They're moving slow. We they get closer, I'll show myself. It should be me alone."
"No! You can't leave us." Andrea's voice was laced with panic.
"I won't," Alex soothed. "I don't know how emotional they are. I don't want you or Merle hurt because they shot first and asked questions second. I promise you, I won't leave you."
"I don't like it, but she's right. We wait Sugartits." Andrea glared at Merle for the use of the vulgar nick name, exactly like he planned. He could work with anger better than panic.
The three waited impatiently. When the SUV got close enough she could make out the details, Alex stepped forward after giving Andrea's hand one last squeeze. She palmed her pistol, bow slung comfortably over her shoulder. With a deep breath and a prayer Daryl looked before shooting, Alex made her way to the middle of the road.
Glenn saw the figure emerge first. "We got company," he commented as he hit the brakes.
Daryl's eyes swung to the figure emerging from the woods. He couldn't make out details in the early morning sun, but the gait was relatively smooth. "That ain't a walker," he ground out, pushing the car door open and hopped out, anger and anticipation coursing through his veins. They stood apart, his bow aimed at the figure.
"Thought we were passed this phase Daryl," the figure spoke in an achingly familiar voice.
His bow dropped slightly. "Ria," he breathed. His eyes scanned the sides of the road, sure it was a trap. He heard the others exiting the vehicle behind him, weapons cocking as he inched his way towards her.
"It's me Daryl. I'm fine."
"Bullshit," he said flatly, eyes taking in the bruises on her face and the arm encased in a homemade sling.
"Okay, maybe not fine. But I'm here." She smiled slightly at the suspicious look on his face. "Remember the horn code I gave Rick before leaving?" He nodded once. "Two honks then." Daryl's hand tightened on the bow and the others raised their weapons, scanning their surroundings.
"Don't be mad, but I didn't exactly follow your last directions to me. Apparently I can't help but take in strays," she teased lightly, trying to get him to relax.
"Whatcha talkin'about Ria?"
"Don't shoot okay?" Alex turned towards the woods. "It's okay. Come on out you two." Alex watched the group's weapons turn towards the area she called out to. Glenn and Maggie's weapons dropped in shock as the leggy blonde stepped out.
"An. . .Andrea?" Glenn choked out. With a small cry she bounded across the road and threw herself into their arms.
Daryl was so in shock, he almost missed the second, broader figure step out. "Oh shit," he heard Glenn mutter. His bow dropped from his shoulder, thinking maybe his mind was playing tricks on him.
"Didn't I teach ya to never drop yer weapon little brother?" A scowl marred Merle's face.