Chapter 36: The Dark Road

Daryl lifted Ruby from the ground and carried her over his shoulder. It took all his strength to hold the dog and stab the two walkers in front of him. He charged through a few more then began to run as fast as he could away from the dead. He ducked behind a grove of trees, then went in the opposite direction the herd was headed. He came back to the river and set Ruby gently on the ground of the riverbank, hiding her in the grass.

As Daryl stared down at his poor dog, in agony and barely moving, it crossed his mind to just stab her in the head and put her out of her misery. But Daryl couldn't do it. As much as he hated to see her suffer, he couldn't just put her down without trying anything. Ruby would do anything to save any member of her Dixon family and Daryl owed her the same.

Ruby lied there quietly whimpering as Daryl rinsed the blood off his hands and his knife in the river's rushing water. He knelt on the ground as he slipped his over-shirt off. He quickly tore through the fabric, making several bandages from his shirt then immediately tied one tightly above the bite on her leg. He pulled his lighter from his pocket and ran the flame over each side of his razor sharp Bowie knife, back and for the until he could see the metal glowing slightly. He took another piece of fabric and tied it around Ruby's mouth.

Daryl halfway sat on Ruby to brace her to the ground. The bite was higher up than he originally thought so the cut would have to be higher too. He didn't hesitate as he began to hack, then saw with the knife through the dog's leg. It didn't take long before the her foot fell to the ground. Daryl bound the bloody stump with more bandages. He pulled his lighter out again and held the flames to his knife, much longer this time. He watched as it turned bright red, before he pulled the bandages off again. The poor animal writhed and whimpered in pain as Daryl held the large, hot blade against the bloody mass of flesh. He flipped the knife over and cauterized the last part of the open wound.

Daryl wrapped another bandage around Ruby's freshly operated on stump. He could feel her body go limp as he lifted her from the ground again and threw her over his shoulder.

As he stood and began to leave, he spotted the walkers. He stayed hidden as they passed. As soon as they did, Daryl took off running again. He had a thirty mile journey ahead of him and there was no time to waste. Nothing was going to slow him down from getting back to his family.

…..

Connie's eyes focused on the empty road ahead of her as Delilah galloped closer and closer to their destination. Just ride, she told herself. Just keep going forward. Don't stop for anything. Don't stop until you get to Alexandria. Don't stop until you see the gate right in front of you.

She tried her best to keep a pace that was slow enough that it wouldn't make Ella fall or shake poor James too much, but fast enough that she felt like she was actually going to make it. The thought of being out in the open with both her children and without Daryl, all-together terrified her.

Connie wanted desperately to look back and see if Daryl was behind her or to look to her side and see if Ruby had come back, running along with them. But she didn't dare. She kept her eyes fixed on the narrow, rural highway ahead of her. She made sure she was steering Delilah on a clear path and avoiding any dangers or obstacles.

More than once, Connie felt Ella tug on her shirt to try to grab her attention. But there was no time for that. Ella held tight to her mother with her left hand while with her right hand she reached forward and signed to Connie. Ella stuck her thumb between her middle and pointer fingers and shook her hand, making the sign for bathroom. Connie shook her head no but Ella asked again seconds later.

No bathroom – hold me tight, Connie finally signed back. Ella didn't ask again but after another fifteen minutes, the poor little girl couldn't hold it any longer and Connie felt something warm and wet on her back.

Several times as Connie glanced down, she could see James' mouth wide open in a wail. She definitely wasn't going to stop to try and console the crying newborn. Stopping while he was crying at the top of his lungs would surely attract walkers, and she didn't want to still be there when it did.

Connie, Ella and James had to have been riding for almost three hours. From the corner of her eye, Connie spotted the rusted water tower and knew that they were less than two miles away. They were almost there.

But she didn't slow down. She wouldn't become complacent and jeopardize her children's safety by hitting the breaks or letting herself feel like she was out of the woods.

Two of the dead stood in the middle of the road. Connie quickly moved Delilah to the right near a row of Inkberry bushes. She barely saw the small pack of walkers nested in the wild bushes before they were inches away. She lifted her hand for Ella to see. Hold me tight! she ordered the girl. She immediately felt Ella's arms squeeze harder around her waist. A few snarling monsters reached out close enough to make Connie's heart fall into her gut but she rode on, increasing Delilah's gallop and skillfully guiding her reigns in the opposite direction.

They continued to ride down the empty road when the clouds above broke and heavy rain spilled down onto them. The horse whinnied as a crash of thunder echoed in the sky. The rain slowed them down but it didn't matter. Connie's sharp eyes viewed the familiar gate ahead. Tears ran down her face with the rain. As she got closer, she spotted Eugene looking down from the top of the gate. She watched him as yelled and motioned down to someone below. The sturdy gate slid open and she steered Delilah directly through to the other side.

As soon as they were inside, they were met by Michonne, Eugene and three others. Connie pulled back on the horse's reigns bringing her to a complete stop. She quickly pulled James off of her chest and handed him down to Michonne. Eugene reached up to Ella and carefully lifted her down. Connie let the others help her off the horse and breathed a sigh of relief as soon as her legs felt the ground beneath her.

"I see the baby came a little early," Michonne said smiling as she held James securely in her arms. Connie nodded, not returning a smile of her own. Michonne's face dropped as she finally noticed who was missing. "Where's Daryl?"

Connie hadn't even caught her breath but she wasted no time as she nudged Ella's shoulder and begin to sign to her daughter.

"My momma says to tell you that my Daddy and us got separated 30 miles away along the Hazel River off Highway 44," Ella stated clearly. "She says there were a lot of walkers and for someone to please go look for him right now."

"You three get out of the rain and into the infirmary. Eugene and I will grab a few others and go look for him," Michonne replied concisely as she looked Connie in the eye.

Connie looked directly at Michonne's face and signed desperately. Please find him and bring him back! Please!

Michonne nodded her head and handed James back to his mother. "I'll bring Daryl back."

…..

A hard rain beat down onto Daryl. Ruby laid limp and heavy over his left shoulder as he walked down the empty road. The dog hadn't made a sound or a move since the amputation and Daryl was all but sure she was dead. But still he moved forward, bound and determined to make it to Alexandria. He wasn't sure how much of the thirty mile trek he had completed but knew he couldn't have walked more than ten miles. It was starting to get dark and he still had a long way to go. Walking with a sixty pound dog on his back slowed his stride considerably.

The rain broke a bit and Daryl looked around as the scene cleared around him. There was nothing but wet trees and muddy road to look at as he walked along. The rain slowed even more and Daryl could hear shuffling behind him. He glanced inconspicuously over his shoulder and saw that three walkers were shuffling down the road behind him. He paid them no mind. As long as he kept his steady pace they wouldn't catch up to him. Even if they did, he would hear them as long as the rain held off.

Daryl looked up ahead again and spotted something in the distance. It was an old pick up truck. He'd seen it many times over the years as he made the journey between Alexandria and the Hilltop. Each time he passed by the old truck it was a little more rusted than before. Each time he passed by the truck, Daryl's memory was stirred and he took notice of the broken down heap of metal. It was a 1960 Chevrolet Apache, the kind of truck his pa used to drive.

There were few things in life that Wade Dixon took pride in: his ability to drink copious amounts of whiskey, how cruel he could be to his family and his 1960 Chevrolet Apache pickup truck.

His pa had the truck for as long as Daryl could remember. It was surely a nice enough truck when it was new but by the time it had come into Wade's possession it had seen better days. But that didn't matter. Wade loved that truck. At least once a week he would say how great it would be to fix the old thing up. "If I didn't have a useless, ungrateful fuckin' family I'd have plenty of time and money to fix her up," he'd grumble.

Before when Daryl passed by the truck, he would spit at it - a defiant gesture known only to him. It made him feel better. As if spitting at an inanimate object was somehow sticking it to his old man.

That was before he met Connie. Since she became a part of his life, doing something like that just seemed pointless and petty. She had made so many things in his life remarkably easier, better in every possible way. He was so happy with her and the family she'd given him that holding on to his hurts so doggedly seemed like such a waste of time. Since Connie, whenever Daryl passed the truck, he didn't give it a second glance or thought. He'd become indifferent about the truck and had even become indifferent about his indifference.

But today was unlike most days. Connie, Ella and James were far from Daryl and he had no idea if they were safe or not. They were in danger and so was he. Right now, he was filled with anxiety, despair and uncertainty.

The rain subsided for only a few minutes before it became heavy again. Daryl suddenly felt Ruby jerk on his shoulder. For a brief moment, he was relieved that his dog was still alive. But Ruby started whimpering in pain and the quiet cries quickly turned into loud howls.

Daryl tried his best to calm Ruby down but the crying and howling continued. She was already heavy and now she began to squirm in his arms. He couldn't keep carrying her like this.

The snap of a branch turned Daryl's head to the right as he watched walkers emerge from the woods. He looked over his shoulder and saw that the dead that were following were closing in on the him and his howling dog.

Daryl looked at the Apache pick up truck, now just a few yards in front of him. He bolted forward and grabbed the car handle. He pulled and pulled but the door seemed to be rusted shut. He pulled his knife out and started to jimmy it between the door and the body.

Daryl suddenly felt a rotting, wet hand touch his arm. He spun on his heel and stabbed his knife into the walker's head. Another three approached and Daryl finally realized he would have to put Ruby down if he stood any chance of fighting off the dead. He quickly but carefully slid Ruby down his chest and onto the ground. He frantically fought the three walkers before he managed to take them down, one at a time. He barely caught his breath before he saw more nearing the truck. Ruby's cries continued to draw the dead to the both of them.

Once again, Daryl's attention went to the truck. He pulled with all his strength at the door before it finally snapped and creaked opened. He picked Ruby up from the ground, threw her into the cab and hurried in behind her. The walkers were just outside the truck and one clawed at Daryl as he tried to shut the door. Daryl pulled his leg back and thrust it into the corpse's chest, kicking it to the ground. He slammed the door shut then instinctively locked the doors on both sides.

Ruby continued to cry but her howls had turned to quiet whimpers. She knew they were in danger and the importance of being quiet. Daryl's head fell back as he tried to recuperate from the battle. He only rested for a moment before he turned his full attention to his dog. Now that Ruby was awake, Daryl wanted her to hydrate herself after the trauma and blood loss. He pulled his canteen out and poured tiny amounts of water into his hand. He put it to Ruby's mouth and the dog quickly lapped it up.

They were safe inside the truck and out of danger for the moment. Nevertheless, the commotion had caused more of the dead to gather outside the vehicle. Daryl was almost positive the walkers weren't strong enough to break threw the glass with their rotting skin and bones. The walkers couldn't get in but there were enough of them surrounding the vehicle that Daryl and Ruby were trapped. Daryl could push through the small horde, but not while carrying Ruby too. He decided to stay there and wait for the dead to hopefully lose interest.

Daryl anxiously looked around the truck. The radio, the gear shifter, the steering wheel, everything was just the same as he remembered in his pa's truck. He couldn't believe he was trapped in here - in this truck. Everything about it reminded him of Wade Dixon – his vicious, no-good, bastard of a father. His mind traveled back in time, to the last time he was in that truck. It was one of the worst days of his life. In another way it was one of the best, because it was the last time he laid eyes on his pa.

Daryl looked at every detail of the truck again, his mind spinning. The radio...he remembered the songs and radio stations his pa listened to. He could almost here Waylon Jenning's deep twangy voice fill the cab. He looked at the rearview mirror and remembered the pine air freshener dangling from it. It hung there for years, never to be changed and never doing anything to alleviate the stench of his pa's Pall Mall's.

Daryl hated being in the truck. Hated it like he couldn't remember hating anything in a long time. As hard as he fought to get inside the truck, he wanted to get out of it now. The air inside was stifling, like every breath he took brought his pa closer somehow.

It didn't make sense. He hadn't seen Wade Dixon in almost 40 years. Of course Daryl wasn't even positive his old man was dead. He had to be though, the way he drank and smoke. But he didn't feel dead to Daryl right now. How did his pa get in his head? How had he lost control of his emotions to the point that he'd rather face the dead than be inside this truck?

Daryl shouted out in anguish, growling and crying. "You piece of shit!" he yelled as he kicked the dashboard. "You fucking monster! You bastard...I hate you! I fucking hate you!" Daryl cried as he hammered the heel of his boot into the radio over and over again.

Ruby began to yelp and cry, confused by her master's actions. The dead were even more riled up than before. More were drawn to the truck and they clawed aimlessly at the window. Daryl finally began to regain his composure but still continued to cry. He wrapped his hands tightly around the steering wheel then rested his dirty, tear-strewn face onto it.

After another twenty minutes, Daryl gave Ruby some more water and redressed her wound. It wasn't long before the poor animal fell asleep again, her head nestled on Daryl's lap. Daryl finally decided to try to sleep too. What else could he do?

A/N: Well this chapter was getting so long that I decided to break it into two chapters. Hopefully that means the next chapter should be coming soon. And after that chapter, I think there will be only one more. It will be the last of this story and the last for fanfiction writing for me, at least for a while. It kind of breaks my heart to leave the ff world but it's where the wind is taking me. I'll talk more about that later (if you care) but just wanted to let you know what's in store. Well pretty please drop a comment and let me know what you thought of this chapter or anything else and how you think it might all wrap up. Lots of love to you friends and God bless!