Part Two
..
Five
Dancing Under Red Skies
.x.
The house—it seemed—was not meant to be.
The dead crept out of the shadows, ambling aimlessly in the street. Daryl counted a dozen to his left and double that to his right. They were coming from somewhere, and for something. He chewed his lip as he knew they needed to spring into action and get away as quickly as they could. The vehicles were parked on the street for a better exit, if needed. Esther was watching from the window in the living room, aware of the dead stumbling pass the windows, their shadows darkening the already dark room.
"Do we stay here?" Tara asked, her voice tense. Her gaze was fixed on the kitchen windows as more dead entered the rear garden.
"We can't," Daryl confirmed, casting his gaze on the worried faces of the group. They had just settled in, trying to make the house their home for the night, and now it was ruined. "We can get out to the cars before they get to us. We drive back the way we came, alright? We ain't takin' no chances, you got that?"
"We don't stop moving, okay?" Esther continued, watching as Daryl nodded. "We keep driving, even if it means driving through them."
Tara paled at that but nodded. As everyone gathered their supplies up, collecting the cans of food found in the cupboards, Daryl motioned for Esther to come to him. She closed the gap between them.
"You told me there was a storm coming," Esther commented, her gaze moving from his face to the sky outside and watching as rain lightly splattered against the window. "You sure about this? You sure about leaving this place in that?"
"We gotta," Daryl told her with a sigh. "We ain't safe with no protection on the doors and windows. A small noise will cause them to lick their lips and start chantin' for their dinner."
"I've not heard that before," Esther smirked, placing her hands on her hips. "Okay. We get everyone out sharpish."
Esther moved to leave but was pulled back by Daryl. "You be safe out there," he told her, his cobalt eyes searching hers.
"You too," Esther nodded at him once. And with one fleeting glance, and a hand that lingered in his a little longer, she left him to retrieve the others.
.x.
They raced towards the vehicles quickly, their gazes fixed on both the walkers that were surrounding them and the cars parked close by. Esther and Daryl led them to their respectful vehicles, with Tara and Daryl being the designated drivers of each. As Esther pulled open the doors and watching as the others filed into the back and the front, she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.
The rain was becoming heavy now and the sky was moody and sullen with thick brooding clouds battling against the remaining embers of daylight.
And it was only when a scream erupted did she understand why she was feeling unsettled and unnerved: Meghan had been separated from the group.
.x.
The dead were closing in on her, preventing her from being close to her mom. The two cars were a stone's throw away, but as she raced towards the one that her mom was leading her to, the dead had cut her off. There was so many, she thought, as she looked around at the looming figures cornering her. She stumbled backwards, causing her to lose her footing and tumble to the ground. The asphalt grazed her palms and knees, cutting through the fabric of her trousers.
"Mommy?" she called out, her voice being drowned out by the groans and moans of the walking dead. She pulled herself up off the ground, her movements clumsy from her fall, and she winced at the soreness of her hands. The air licked at them, burning the cuts even more. They were pushing her further away from her mom and the others and she was sure she could hear her mom's voice—usually so reassuring and soft—with a hint of fear in it. She had never seen her mom be scared, and if she had then her mom was good at hiding it from her.
She felt the air being knocked out of her as panic settled deep in her chest. She felt as though her whole world—as short as it was—beginning to cave in, and she wondered if this was it. She wanted to be next to her mother more than anything; to feel her hand, safe and warm, in her own. The monsters were no longer part of her imagination but rather in front of her now, surrounding her, all reaching for her despite her desperately trying to escape their grasps.
Her mind was racing as she tried to imagine herself getting into the back of the vehicle with her mom, trying hopelessly to believe that this wasn't her reality, that this was not happening.
A hand grabbed at her, the rotting flesh grazing against her bare arms. The man was an older gentleman, with stark white hair, unseeing eyes and a suit adorning his body. A small thought popped into her mind as she turned to look at him, all time slowing around her: Had he been a good man like her grandpa? Had he had children, or even grandchildren? Was he sad when he died? Would she look like that?
She was so scared; everywhere she turned, there were more and more of them. Snarling, hungry monsters that were trying just as desperately to reach her and devour her as she was with getting away from them. She didn't want to die today; she didn't want to die. Death was all around her and she didn't want to leave her mom.
And so, she closed her eyes, willing for them to disappear and the nightmare to end. She just wanted to wake up and it all be a dream.
But it wasn't a dream and the growls of the dead only grew louder.
But the dead never reached Meghan that evening.
Dull thuds echoed around her, and as she willed for herself to open her eyes, she just hoped it would go away. There was a shout in the distance which seemed to draw the attention away from her for a little while; but she kept her eyes shut. It was only when two strong hands grabbed at her shoulders did she open her eyes and meeting the concerned gaze of Esther.
"We have to run," she told her hastily.
Meghan stared wide-eyed at her. "Mommy?"
"We have to put distance between us and them, okay? We're heading the same way," Esther told her quickly. "We can't fight our way through this to get back to them."
Meghan nodded, her eyes searching for the others, but the vehicles were drowning in the dead. And so, they ran. Away from the others, away from her mom, and away from the dead. The woods swallowed them up, offering them protection from the dangers they had faced but only giving them more in return. They were plunged into darkness with the trees overhead casting shadows upon them. But they never stopped running, no matter how much their legs burned in protest or how their lungs heaved in their chests. Their throats were dry and hoarse, twigs snagged at their clothing and rain soaked them as their feet pounded the ground.
They came to a clearing which offered them some level of protection. Esther couldn't be sure just how long they had been running for, and as she watched Meghan collapse on the ground, she knew it had been a while. It was now dark, the sky plunging them deeper into darkness, which only caused Esther to panic more.
She knew the group would head towards the highway again, and as long as she was heading that way too, she would reach them in no time.
The subtle moans of the dead behind them caused Esther to release a frustrated sigh, but without any light, she couldn't be sure of where they were. Pulling Meghan off the ground, and slipping her hand into Meghan's, they continued running. And they ran and ran until the sun was beginning to come up and their exhausted minds and bodies were ready to give up.
The trees were becoming lesser and lesser as they pushed themselves up the bank, and as the sun was beginning to lighten, the highway was in sight.
But something felt off. As she pulled Meghan behind a large trunk, she could see both vehicles, all doors opened with no one inside or around. She scoured the area, her eyes narrowing at the scene in front of her. Had they come looking for her? Had they—
"Well, well, well, what's it gonna be, huh?" a voice she hadn't heard before filtered into her mind. She moved slightly, her gaze falling on a group of people dressed in black walking around on the highway.
"You ain't takin' them," Daryl seethed, and Esther narrowed her gaze at him just as a loud crack echoed through the empty highway.
Laughter erupted amongst them and she gently pulled Meghan with her, gently lowering themselves to the ground. She saw Daryl recoil against a punch to the face, blood spurting from his nose.
"I don't see you doing shit," the same man hollered, coming face to face with him. "You can't do shit with your hands tied behind your back."
"We're going to take them," another man said. "And we're gonna slit your throats and leave you for the dead. How about that?"
The group remained silent and Esther took a moment to take in the scene properly. The men were all lined up across the road; Daryl, Merle, Glenn and Rick were all on their knees, hands tied behind their backs with multiple wounds now adorning their faces. The women were huddled together, equally tied up.
Esther turned to Meghan and placed a finger on her lips. "I'm going to need you to close your eyes for me and put your hands over your ears, can you do that for me?"
Meghan nodded slowly, her eyes wide and petrified.
Esther rested a gentle, reassuring hand on the girls shoulder, making sure she could see anything. She rested on her stomach, pulling her rifle out in front of her and resting it against the ground. Once she was sure Meghan was okay, she closed one eye to focus on her targets.
.x.
"We have a place for you all," the man who introduced himself as Matty told them, his eyes moving across the faces of the women. Daryl could sense that the women were disgusted as they took in his appearance; he didn't have the charm to whisk them away from a life on the road nor his appearance match his promise to them. Daryl noted how grimy he looked; the slack, greasy hair that hung in front of his face, the browning and decaying teeth that he was snarling at them instead of smiling at them, and the dirt that stained his skin didn't seem to match up with the promise of everything they've been looking for.
"We can show you a goo—" another one called Harvey began but his voice jolted to a stop.
A gunshot echoed throughout the surrounding area and the women watched in shock as the man dropped dead, a bullet wound protruding from his forehead, right behind the eyes. His unseeing eyes stared at Michonne who wanted nothing more than to kick his head away, to get away from his now unseeing gaze.
"Who the fuck did that?!" another one who had been standing beside their own vehicle now hollered, his weapon raising as he searched the area. But it seemed he was looking in all the wrong places, as Daryl's eyes crept along the treeline before he spotted her in the foliage.
Their eyes met and his breath escaped him.
She lifted her finger to her lips, and he gave her a miniscule nod that only she could acknowledge. He blinked a few times, watching as her eyes never left his as he filled her in on the things that had gone down whilst she was away: hands bound; going to kill us men; five of them but they speak of more.
A rain of bullets descended upon Esther and Meghan, and the former placed her hand over the young girl's mouth to silence the frightened screams. The bullets were a little too close for comfort for Esther, but she remained poised and ready to strike when she got the go ahead. The men were down one now, and Esther, as the world became silent around them once more, knew she had to move quick.
"Keep your eyes closed for me," Esther whispered into Meghan's ear and she felt the girl nod her head. "I'm right here."
Esther moved back into position, holding the gun to her and focusing on her target. Another shot fired and Matty faltered, his head almost spinning as she took her shot. He collapsed to the ground and Daryl worked harder to try and escape his restraints. He could feel the cord slicing through his wrists, but he felt powerless.
As Esther erased everyone from her peripheral and focused solely on the last three men who were truly losing their minds as they realised they were unable to see where the bullets were coming, she took note of the sound of another vehicle in the distance.
"Let's just kill them all, man. This ain't worth shit."
As one of them closed in on Daryl, a large blade glinting in the sunshine, Esther felt the lump in her throat begin to strangle her. Daryl was still struggling out of his restraints, but he wouldn't be quick enough. Esther aimed, knowing it would be harder now with the man in close proximity to Daryl. One wrong move, one slip up, and Daryl was as good as dead. The other two men closed in on Merle and Rick.
Esther felt panic rush through her, but she steadied her hand and she silenced the worried voice in her head and shot.
One by one.
Three men dropped to the ground dead in quick succession; and her eyes met Daryl's once more. He offered her a nod of thanks, and she slipped out of the treeline with Meghan clinging to her. She pulled her knife out of its sheath and began to slice through the restraints, the black ties falling to the ground.
"There's a vehicle coming," Esther told them quickly.
Rick furrowed his brow, watching the road ahead with worry etched in his face. "You think it's them?"
"No clue," Esther shrugged. "But we can't afford that chance."
The group nodded as she cut them free. But the sound of a vehicle approaching quickly caught their attention, with Esther stopping her movements. She had cut four free: Michonne, Tara, Lilly, and Sophia.
"Shit," Esther muttered to herself as she moved towards the dark vehicle that belonged to the men. With her eyes squinting against the bright morning sun, its rich golden light illuminating every dark corner of the sky, she watched as another black vehicle was hurtling towards them. "Shit. You're going to have to hide."
"No… cut me loose," Daryl urged her, his voice stern. "I can help."
Esther's gaze moved from him. "I'm really sorry."
"Don't do this, Esther," Daryl warned her.
"They'll kill you," Esther told him. "I can't have that."
"We'll stay hidden. We'll keep quiet," Glenn pleaded with her.
"You're all going to hide, okay?" Esther told them. "Michonne… cut them loose once you're hidden.
The woman nodded and ushered everyone into the treeline. Daryl, however, remained on his knees. Esther raised her brows at him and shook her head.
"Please… I'm trying to keep you safe," Esther urged with him.
"And who's keepin' ya safe?"
She knew she couldn't argue with him. In the short time that they had been together on the road, she knew him. And she knew he never left anyone behind. They were quite similar in that sense, and maybe that was their biggest downfall.
She moved closer to him until their faces were just an inch away, aware of the ever-approaching vehicle. "I'm really sorry," she whispered to him before she pushed him down the bank and out of view. She heard curses from the shadows, but she silenced them in her mind. She raised her gun, hiding behind the protection the vehicle offered her just as the vehicle's engine cut.
Esther glanced through the window of the stationery vehicle, watching as all four doors opened of the new addition to the highway, and men dressed in similar dark clothing exited the car. As they approached the vehicle on the left, she moved to the right, circling behind the vehicle. She wanted to come from behind them, take them out one by one before they realised what was happening. The quicker it was, the easier it would be for them to get back on track and get as far away from this place as possible.
And she wondered in those moments just how quickly the world changed for people.
Esther closed in on the one trailing behind the others, and she grappled him, moving his neck to the crook of her arm where she choked him as quickly as she could. A bullet whizzed through the air – too close – and she moved quickly, feeling the burn as it nicked at the skin on her thigh. She winced and cursed, quickly snapping the neck of the man she had in a choke hold before closing in on the man who shot her. But it seemed she didn't need to worry as the glint of a katana flashed before her and his head was completely sliced from his body.
Michonne offered her a wink before they began to fight their way out. The men closed in on them, but they were just as quick, just as strong and hell, they had everything to lose.
As Esther choked one of the men, another one raced towards her as Michonne's katana was knocked out of her hands. Esther kicked the man in the face, hearing and feeling the crack of his nose against the hard sole of her boot, before she kicked him away so that he stumbled to the ground. She knew she had a few seconds to take out the man in the choke hold before the other one recovered, and so she snapped his neck. He dropped to the ground and so did she, just as the man with the broken nose came for her, his fist trying to connect with her face. But she was too quick for him and he fell forward, his full force in the punch having knocked him off his feet. As she snapped her head back to see where he ended up, the pain in her leg from the skimmed bullet, she noticed that Daryl, now cut free, had tackled the man to the ground.
The man struggled beneath Daryl's weight, his fists having been grabbed and prevented from hitting out, as the rage within the hunter seemed to escalate and with one fatal punch, the man stilled. Daryl pushed himself off the guy, just as the others slid out from the shadows. He pulled his knife out from his trouser pocket and ended the man's chance at reanimating.
"The hell was that?!" Daryl all but yelled at Esther as he bounded over to her. "Ya could'a got ya self killed. Don't ya understand that could'a been a possibility, huh?"
"I was running out of time," Esther almost shouted back, limping backwards as she readied herself for Daryl's closeness. "They were right on my ass. I had to do something!"
Daryl sneered at her, walking away from her and picking up his crossbow. "Ya have a fuckin' death wish, girl."
Esther felt hot tears blind her, but she brushed them away before they could fall and before any of them could see. She limped over to the body with her knife protruding from its skull, yanking it out and wiping it on her leg. She watched Daryl pace up and down as he tried to figure out his anger. Everyone else was watching him with a watchful gaze, observing when to say something and when to stay quiet. Even Merle was keeping quiet, knowing when it was best to keep his mouth shut. Esther shook her head and began to limp away, feeling the need to be away from him.
In that moment, still feeling the burn from the scolding she had received, she wanted nothing more than to leave them behind. To head out on her own. She knew she should've cut him loose, but she had run out of time and she couldn't afford to lose Daryl.
And she wondered if just maybe she had lost him in a completely different way. Her need to protect the others might have cost her his trust.
She allowed as much distance away from him without being too far away and lowered herself to the ground. Her leg was bleeding, the bullet having sliced through her trouser leg, carving out a part of her leg. The wound was a few inches long but nothing life threatening, just sore as hell. Esther bit back a curse, just as Lilly came into view. Her brows were furrowed as she saw the blood to Esther's hands as she placed pressure on her thigh to stem the bleeding.
"He's just… worried," Lilly whispered to her as she began to rummage through her backpack for gauze.
"I had it under control," Esther said, her gaze low to the ground. She could feel the heat of his anger radiating from Daryl.
"I know, but he could only see you out there on your own," Lilly explained to her. "He probably felt powerless to help. He seems like the type of guy who always wants to help and would do anything to help."
Esther gave her a nod and wincing as Lilly cleaned the wound. "I didn't have time to cut him loose. They would've shot him dead if they had seen him. He wouldn't have been able to defend himself with his hands tied behind his back."
"I think he understood that as well," Lilly lowered her voice, now aware of the stares coming from the others. "His anger isn't directed at you, he's angry at himself."
Lilly helped Esther to her feet and waited until she had put weight on her leg before she moved away from her. "I just… thank you for what you did for Meghan," Lilly continued, her voice breaking. "I thought I wouldn't see her again. And you were there for her. Thank you."
Esther nodded at her, accepting the hug that Lilly gave her. And once she was sure Esther could hold herself up without support, Lilly offered her a nod before returning to the others. She remained where she was for a little longer, not entirely ready to head back to the group just yet. Esther observed Rick, Glenn and Daryl drag the bodies of the men out of the middle of the road and down the bank where they had been hiding just moments before.
And she wondered, as her gaze fell on the group, whether it was time to move on. She thought about Abraham and wondered where he was; whether he was still in the area or if he had begun his journey to Washington. The group were strong enough for her to leave them behind; with all of them filling a role that would benefit them as a team. They were capable of protecting themselves and others, and they all got along well.
Her gaze fell on Daryl and felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end as her eyes met his. His brow was furrowed and all traces of the anger she had seen on his face, contorting his features in a way she had never seen before, were no longer there. There had been moments where she wondered if maybe she was in love with him. The time they had spent together had allowed her to get to know the real Daryl and not the one who was always kept in his brother's shadow.
She shouldered her rifle and moved her gaze from him. The heat from his stare still lingered on her and she felt her stomach drop.
The group would be okay, she thought. They were all survivors in their own right; they just didn't know their own strength. And maybe her departure from them would be good for them in the long run. She wanted to believe that her departure from the group would save them.
And so, she turned and walked away.
