Daryl hauled Randall back towards the shed and shook his head in disgust. Rick had told him to get rid of him after Carl had shown up and proven unable to go through with the execution with his son watching. "You'd better fuckin' thank whatever the hell's watchin' over you" He growled shoving him roughly causing him to stumble a few steps. He held onto the back of the boys shirt as he yanked the door of the shed open and shoved him back inside before chaining him up again and then turned to leave, turned to head back to the camp and back to Reagan.
Reagan. His mind drifted to what she'd said on the dock, a dryness parching his throat, stomach twisting into knots, and heart beginning to race in his chest as he replayed the words over and over again in his head; he hadn't said them back, couldn't say them back. Love was something complex that he didn't quite understand, he'd never thought it was something he would ever need or have.
He cast his gaze towards Randall and felt a protective feeling sweep through him. I have to do what's right, what Rick can't. I have to protect her. He swallowed roughly remembering what she'd said before she'd confessed her love, about the Banshee and it being an omen of death, apparently coming back to face with it had shaken something inside her, shaken her enough to tell him she loved him.
He shook his head roughly. I have to make this right, I have to protect her. He glared at Randall, the black strip of fabric Shane had placed over his eyes was still in place, his body shaking as he cried and pleaded for his life. Part of him wondered if this was what it had been like for Reagan, if she'd done the same thing when she'd been captured but somehow he couldn't see her shaking and crying and pleading for her life, but he could see her spitting in her captors faces and fighting all the way until the bitter end.
Rick never said I couldn't slice him, never said what the hell we were doing with him, never said shit about what to do with him. Daryl's hand fell to the hilt of his hunting knife and he traced the edge of it before slowly drawing it out. None of them would care if he winds up breathing through a new hole, Reagan said it herself, she doesn't care, he stands between her and her children. Tension gripped his chest as he tightened his hand around the handle of his knife. He escapes and he'll lead his boys straight back here, after all this bullshit he'll want revenge. He shook his head as his hand fell to his side, knife tight in his grip. I can't let that happen, can't let that shit happen to Reagan, or Carol, or anyone else, they'll kill all of them and take Reagan away from me. He growled lowly and tore the blindfold away from the boys eyes securing it in his mouth as a gag, if he was going to kill him he would look him in the eyes as he did it, he wasn't a coward.
The look in Randall's eyes was one of raw fear, his eyes moving between his eyes and the blade in his hand, Daryl drew it up so he could see it. "You're a threat to my girl, a threat to her kids and her ever findin' 'em, you and your 'boys'," He growled lowly brandishing the knife against Randall's throat. "And I ain't about to take the chance that you could get out and get back to 'em, tell 'em where we are," He shook his head lightly. "I don't give a shit what the others say, you're a threat to Reagan and a threat to me, I finally found someone who cares about me and I ain't gonna let you or your boys take her away from me, you're not gonna harm her or anyone else" He snarled digging the blade deeper into the boys throat.
He stepped back ripping the blade away from Randall's throat as cries for help echoed through the air, and turned quickly grabbing the lamp off the table before slamming the door shut and snapping the lock back into place. He stopped briefly listening for another cry and sprinted in its direction as soon as he heard it.
He sprinted hard towards the cries, chest heaving and heard pounding. He couldn't quite place whose cries they were but they weren't female, he could tell that much. As he drew closer he saw it was Dale pinned down by a walker, the cries of help quickly turning into cries of pain and he added an extra boost to his stride and tackled the walker forcing it off Dale before he sunk his knife into its skull. "Hang in there buddy" He knew as soon as he'd seen the injury it would be life threatening and he wasn't sure Hershel would be able to perform another miracle.
Reagan sighed softly sitting on the tray of Quinn's pickup with Spud, a dog brush in hand as she slowly stroked it down his fur trying to work out all the loose hair. The dog panted softly, tongue lolling out to one side as he rolled over onto his back letting her run the brush along the underside of his belly, legs twitching as she ran it over a ticklish spot just under his ribcage. "Gotta find you a blanket or somethin' for winter Spud, can't have you crawlin' into bed with me if Daryl's gonna be in it"
He whined softly in protest and wiggled around on his back like an idiot with his legs outstretched and spread open wide. She rolled her eyes and smiled as she scratched his belly, after her talk with Daryl they'd ended up hidden in the trees, bodies wrapped around each other in an attempt to sate the urges that had taken control of them.
She jerked her head up at the cries for help and immediately grabbed her gun as Spud shot up and flew off the edge of the pickup before racing off towards one of the paddocks; she followed after him, his sense of direction much better than her own.
She stalled seeing Daryl kneeling in the grass, a walker only a few feet away from him, and fear shot through her until she saw Dale on the ground in front of him, his stomach torn open to the night sky. "Oh god," She rushed forward. "Dale," She glanced up at Daryl as she dropped onto her knees beside the wounded man. "Daryl, what happened?"
He shook his head. "Don't know, heard him screamin' and found that fuckin' walker on top of him" He jerked his head towards the dead walker behind him.
She felt Dale's hand grip her wrist and glanced down at him, she could see it in his eyes, he knew he couldn't possibly survive the injury and he knew both she and Daryl knew it as well. Her attention was jerked away from Dale and towards the wooded area, screeching whipping through the trees with the wind. Happy now? You got your death? She removed Dale's hand from her wrist and held it tightly in her own. "Just hold on"
"Who is it?"
Rick dropped neck to her and tried to talk to Dale, tried to get him to focus on his voice as he yelled for Hershel. "Hershel won't be able to do jack, Rick. You know it as well as I do"
"No," He shook his head unwilling to hear it. "He– He can save him, we'll take him back to the house and he can fix him up"
She glanced up at Hershel as he rushed towards them. "What happened?"
"What can we do? Can we move him?"
"He won't make the trip"
"You have to do the operation here, Glenn get back to the house–"
"Rick…"
Reagan lowered her head and looked at Dale, the fear in his eyes was as plain as day, he didn't want to die, didn't want to become one of those things. "I'm so sorry," She whispered, one hand clutching at the rosary around her neck. "Ar dheas Dé go raibh a anam" She pulled back letting her hand drop back to her side, that feeling on being utterly useless was thick in the air and she could feel a chill run down her spine as the screeching grew louder in her ears as wind swept up from the woodlands.
A figure that appeared at the back of the group caught her attention, the darkness dancing around her, the woman in rags, the Banshee, that had been in the barn. Her hands lowered from her face to show a bleeding wet smile on her lips as she extended and arm out towards Dale, a beckoning motion that it was his time.
She jolted from her reverie and shuddered in the cold night air, the Banshee was gone as she looked to the spot she had been in before she caught Quinn's gaze and he frowned twisting to look behind him, a questioning look in his eye as he cocked his head to the side. She shook her head and looked back to the scene laid out before her, everyone around her was crying, wailing almost, as Rick stood beside Dale, gun in hand ready to deliver the killing shot.
She watched Daryl slowly take the gun from Rick as he hesitated in pulling the trigger, unable to pull it even on his friend who was in pain. She watched silently as Daryl knelt beside Dale placing the gun to his head, and a numbness crawled through her, solidifying, as the shot rang into the air.
She stood numb and cold, eyed unwavering, unblinking, from Dale's body and she turned into the warmth of the body that pressed against hers, a hand curling through her hair as the other snaked around her shoulders and she curled her arms around Daryl's waist as his lips pressed against her temple before coming to rest against the shell of her ear, his next words only for her to hear. "I love you, Reagan," His fingers stroked down the centre of her neck and spine, a strangely comforting gesture. "I don't know what I'd do without you"
She pressed her lips to the crook of his neck unable to lend her voice to her thoughts or words, she just wanted to get drunk and forget the night had ever happened despite the fact she knew that when she woke it would all seem like a dream, death always did.
Authors Note
I'm super sorry its taken so long, I know, I know I say this every bloody time. I swing in and out of what I want to write depending on how my mood is, how stressed I am, and what new/old shows etc I'm watching. So for this story there is only 4 more chapters left, for the next instalment "Hellhound" I have only 8 left to write and that's out of 50 chapters, I recently decided to rewatch the series from the beginning and have reignited my love for it since a few of my others shows are only just starting back up again. With Hellhound you may notice my writing style has changed a little, I've grown and expanded myself as a writer and learnt new tricks and tips to make my writing better so I'm hoping that will all start to shine through with the next instalment. From this week onwards I want to try and update on Friday's (NZ time) since that's one of my days off, my other two days off I'm busy with general home keeping shit like laundry, pots, and a very active 2 1/2yr old as well as helping my mum out with shopping and stuff around her house.
I love each and every one of you that stops by to read this story or comment or favourite and I want you all to stay safe, especially those of you in countries being ravaged by this god awful disease, I know it can't be easy for you but please stay safe, please take care of yourselves, your families, and those close to you.
Lingo Translation
Ar dheas Dé go raibh a anam – May his soul be on god's right hand.
Reply Time!
KEZZ 1: Thank you lovie! More is on the way.
Galwidanatitud: Love, you know me far to well, from here on out its all about shit hitting the fan.
Guest: Thank you anon! I love it when people love what I write.
Warflower: That is seriously cute and I wish I had thought of that, I do know what's happening in that regard for them but it's going to take a long time to get there, like Alexandria level of waiting to get there. As for her children, they're out there, somewhere, the state they're in is yet to be seen. I'm not gonna lie, I did toy with the idea of Connor and Beth, still not completely sold on it but maybe by the time they're all reunited I will be, Amelia is def going to adore Daryl in that 'I have to be calm and reserved but inside I'm an absolute mess and I want to tell you how cool you are' type of way and Connor, Jesus, he's going to give them both so much shit if he ever catches them making out. One more thing, get out of my head, I know exactly when and where her kids will be found but I don't want to spoil it (its honestly the worst thing about writing, I have all these details that I know but I have to keep it quiet otherwise I'll ruin the other stories in this epic little saga)
jeika5243: Thank you lovie, I've tried to make it as organic as I can, I wanted everyone to feel human though TWD world gives me a degree that I can bend realism.
Lady-Finwe: An update is here, I'm hoping to update every Friday now until this story is finished while I finish writing Hellhound and then take maybe a week or two off while I edit and putting the polishing touches on that one before posting it.
Inked Siren: Thank you lovie, you are also an amazing human! Hopefully you catch this update and the others that are to follow.