Chapter 19: Blood Brothers

The group of six crept quietly through the woods. It was beginning to get dark but they were almost to the Whisperer camp.

Carol and Michonne trailed behind with the teenagers while Daryl and Negan walked up ahead of them. Daryl didn't want Negan near his friends. He kept his crossbow raised and his eyes focused on his foe.

Daryl suddenly stopped. He hunched over and begin coughing violently. He let his crossbow slide down his right arm while he wiped spittle from his chin with his left hand.

"You alright there, pal?" Negan said, turning around and moving closer to Daryl.

Daryl immediately lifted his weapon towards Negan again. "Keep your distance," he growled.

"It's alright," Negan replied putting his hands up and smiling. "I know that cough ain't contagious. It's sweet that you're worried about me though."

"Keep movin, asshole," Daryl ordered him as he stood up straight and motioned for Negan to start walking again. "I ain't got even an ounce of patience for your bullshit and jokes."

"I wasn't trying to make a joke. I was simply stating that I know you're not sick - you're injured."

"Oh yeah?" Daryl replied. "And how the hell you know that?"

"Lucky guess," Negan said, cocking his head. "Wanna tell me what happened?"

Daryl stared at Negan with loathing. "I ain't got nothin' to say to you."

"You had a blood transfusion a few days ago didn't you?"

"Yeah I did," Daryl said with a grunt. "What the hell do you care?"

Negan widened his mouth in a toothy grin. "Well now I know all your communities are pretty state-of-the-art and advanced, all things considered, but there's one thing you don't have."

"And what's that?"

"A blood bank."

"Yeah so what?"

"Well now good ol' Negan is good for more than gardening and witty conversation, you know," he replied excitedly.

"You gonna make a point anytime soon?"

"The point I'm tryin' to make is that I'm Alexandria's blood bank! I'm the guy who gave you that transfusion, genius. You got three juicy pints of top-of-the-line Negan pumpin' through your redneck veins!"

Daryl slowed his pace momentarily. He was genuinely shocked by what he'd just been told. He had a part of Negan inside of him and it was a surreal and uncomfortable feeling. He knew Negan was telling him this information so that he would have an appreciation or deeper trust for him but it was having the opposite effect.

Daryl didn't want Negan to know just how uneasy this revelation made him feel. He tried his best to play his discomfort off cooly. "Congratulations. I guess that makes you slightly more useful than I thought you were 30 seconds ago."

"Is it just me or am I sensing some sarcasm or maybe even some animosity," Negan said as he smirked.

"What the hell you want from me?"

"Well shit, how about 'thank you'?"

"You gotta be kiddin' me. Anyone could have given me blood but you want a 'thank you'?" Daryl was beginning to grow angry with Negan's audacity.

"You're mistaken," Negan replied coyly.

"About what?"

"Not anyone could have given you blood. Doc didn't know your blood type. You know what happens if you give someone the wrong kind of blood? It could kill 'em, especially if they're in the kind of shape you were in. And let me tell ya, you were in pretty bad shape a few days ago. Man I've taken' shits that looked better than you did!" Negan laughed.

"Why don't you do yourself a favor and keep your mouth shut?"

"All I'm sayin' is that I'm like a damn unicorn in Alexandria. I'm O negative. Know what that means?" Negan looked back at Daryl expectantly but Daryl said nothing. "It means that I'm a universal blood donor and if it weren't for me and my unicorn blood, you'd probably be dead. It's like we're blood brothers, Daryl! I was literally your savior," Negan said then chuckled to himself.

Daryl was exasperated with Negan and the entire conversation. He just wanted him to shut up so he could concentrate on the mission. "Fine," he said , looking Negan in the eyes, "thanks for the blood. Now shut the hell up."

"Message received," Negan replied simply. They continued to walk but it wasn't more than a few seconds before Negan opened his mouth again. "Can I ask you a question."

"Nah," Daryl mumbled.

"No jokes, no fluff, I got a serious question?"

"What?"

"You got a plan?"

Daryl didn't answer. He didn't have a plan. He was a valiant and strong fighter but he was no strategist. All he knew for sure that he was getting Connie back and killing anyone who got in the way of that. But if he knew anything about Carol and Michonne it was that they would have a plan. They wouldn't have come this far if they didn't.

Daryl ignored Negan's question and turned around to speak to the others instead. "Hey, this looks like a good spot to take a break before we get there."

They all stopped walking. Daryl watched everyone carefully. Henry and Lydia sat down on a log and shared some berries and granola with each other while Michonne snuck off behind some bushes, presumably to use the bathroom.

Daryl carefully studied Carol as she approached Negan. She pulled her canteen from around her shoulder and took a sip before handing it to Negan. Daryl was revolted as he watched Negan put his mouth on Carol's canteen. He took a swig then handed it back to her. He could see Negan's sleazy, grinning mouth move as he talked to Carol but couldn't make out what he was saying. It didn't matter though.

Daryl hated seeing the man that killed his friends, that close to his best friend. His blood boiled as he watched the man that kept him prisoner and fed him dog food, now free and out in the open. Watching Carol and Negan share water and conversation made him feel sick. He was about to protectively move in between them when Carol left his side and walked towards Daryl.

"So how are you holding up?" Carol asked.

"I'm fine," Daryl replied curtly.

"Are you sure? You look pale," she said moving her hand to Daryl's face. She touched his cheek, then his forehead with the back of her hand. "You feel warm...a little clammy too."

"I said I'm fine."

"Well did you bring enough water? Any pain meds?"

"No pain meds, just my antibiotics and yeah, I got plenty of water," Daryl answered as he kept his eyes fixed on Negan. "You wanna tell me what the hell you're doing out here with him?"

Carol sighed. She'd been waiting for Daryl to ask her that question. "I needed help," she said as she shrugged casually. "No one else was willing to help me but I thought he might be. Turns out I was right."

"He says he'll help but he's just gonna look out for himself."

"He's already proved himself useful to me with the walkers. And he hasn't given me any trouble. I trust him."

"So you just go behind everyone's back, bust him out of his cell and come out here with him? Are you crazy?"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures."

"You ain't safe with him. He could have killed you. That's what he does...he's a killer!"

"I'm a killer."

"You ain't the same as him."

"What does that matter? I can take care of myself. Besides," Carol said looking over at Negan, "he wouldn't hurt me."

"That's a load of shit. You think we can trust him but we can't."

"I never said we can trust him, I said I can trust him."

"What does that mean?"

Carol pursed her lips and shrugged her shoulders. "He likes me."

"He likes you?"

"He's enamored with me...like a crush or something."

Daryl scoffed. "Oh he wants to sleep with you so that means you can trust him?"

"It's not just that...it goes beyond that. He respects me, like he has me on some kind of pedestal. As long as I'm dealing with him, we'll be fine."

"I can't believe you brought him out here."

"Well you know what? I can't believe you're out here at all. You promised me you would stay put. You think it's dangerous me being out here with Negan but it's more dangerous for you to be out here at all."

"I couldn't do it. I'm sorry but I couldn't just sit on my ass when you're out here with him and with Connie..." Daryl shook his head. He couldn't finish. He looked away as he thought about Connie. He didn't even know if she was alive. And even if she was alive, she was in danger. He was filled with anxiety and his anger swelled as he pictured the masked men grabbing her and pulling her away from him just days ago.

Ultimately Negan didn't matter to him. He payed no mind to his broken body or own well-being either. He hadn't seen Dog since the day he'd been shot. But none of those things were his priority.

Daryl's heart was completely with Connie...his mind too. Every part of him was dominated by the need to get her back. His suspicions about love were right. If he surrendered to his feelings for her, he risked being consumed by those very feelings. He was right.

But he was past all that. He had already crossed over that line and he could never turn back. Never. Once the decision to love Connie was made, he had become helpless to the power it had over him. Daryl loved her beyond what he thought was possible. He ached for her. The pain in his body was nothing compared to the pain of not knowing she was safe. He needed to know she would be okay. He needed her.

"I know I said I'd stay and I tried but I just couldn't do nothing. That's not in me and you know me well enough to get that."

Carol placed her hand on Daryl's arm. "I do get it. You have to be out here. It was silly of me to think you might just listen to me and stay put."

Michonne, Henry and Lydia walked up to Daryl and Carol's side. "How far do you think we are we from their camp?" Michonne asked in a whisper.

"Probably about a mile," Daryl replied.

"If we're that close, we could run into them at any time. What are we doing if we encounter any of them?" Carol asked Michonne.

"We have zip ties. If they completely surrender, we let them. Anything less than that, we take them down," Michonne replied concisely. The others nodded.

"But what are we doing once we get there? Do we even have a plan?" Henry asked.

"When we left, Aaron and Rosita were putting together an offensive with Ezekiel, the Hilltop Council and Cyndie and her people from Oceanside," Michonne stated.

"Well when are they gonna be here?" Carol asked.

"I have no idea," Michonne answered as she shook her head dubiously. "They were barely in the planning stages when we left. It could be a few hours or a few days. And the walkies are out of range so I have no way of asking for their ETA."

Daryl stuck his chest out as he spoke. "I ain't waitin' for the cavalry to show up. Connie's already been there long enough."

"Okay so how do we get to her?" Carol asked.

"Connie and me took a few down and stole their clothes and masks. That's how we got Henry and Lydia back last time. It'll work again."

Lydia shook her head. "That'll work to get a couple of us in but not all six of us. They're not stupid."

"And we'd have to come across a few of them alone and away from the others to do that," Carol said.

"I hope those aren't your best ideas," Negan exclaimed from a few feet away.

"Nobody asked you!" Daryl barked.

"I gotta few brilliant ideas up my sleeve, but suit yourself," Negan replied casually.

"Let me guess," Daryl said, "you'll go in there with us arm to arm, ready to fight, until you see your chance to stab us in the back, right?"

"Now Daryl," Negan said smiling, "why would I save your life just to get you killed?"

"Cause that's the kind of sadistic prick you are!"

Negan moved closer to the others. Daryl raised his crossbow and held Negan in his sights. "Back the hell up."

Carol moved in between the two men and spoke. "Put that down!" she ordered her friend. "We're not doing this again Daryl. Just listen to what he has to say."

Daryl lowered his crossbow and stared at Negan. "What? What's your brilliant idea?"

Negan grinned. "I thought you'd never ask."

…..

A/N: Hi everybody! Hope you enjoyed this last chapter! Please drop a comment and let me know what you think. Have a fantastic weekend and God bless you all!