Disclaimer- I do not own the Walking Dead
Three chapters posted this week, feeling accomplished. Thank you for all the follows and favourites.
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Danny's POV
I help Carol carry the plates of food over to the new group of people, each one says thank you and then instantly starts scoffing the food down them. They've barely eaten for the last day as they just wanted to keep moving on their trip here. A lady who introduced herself as Karen gets up from the table and comes over to me as I go and grab a couple more plates.
"Thank you", She says. "Some of them have lived in Woodbury since the start and don't actually know how to fight but we can help in other ways. We can help keep this place running".
"We'll figure out everything when you guys have eaten and had some sleep". I hand her one of the plates. "We'll set you up in the cells, they aren't the height of luxury but they're okay".
Karen smiles softly. "We'll take anything as long as we can rest".She takes her plate back to the table to join her people.
Carol steps up beside me, "She seems nice", she whispers to me, "But also like she won't take crap from anyone".
I mhm to let her know I agree. We need strong headed and strong willed people but only if they aren't here to cause trouble. We already have one of those, we don't need another. I am slightly worried what will happen when they see the Sheriff locked away in a cell, they don't know about it yet but when we take them in there there's no way they won't notice him.
Everyone has their food now and as they are digging in they start chatting, seeming to feel more at ease the longer they are here. A couple of them keep casting nervous glances around at all of my family as they stand around the room eating their own breakfast. They're trying to not seem intimidating but they also want the group to know that they are watching them and are treating them with some suspicion.
"DANNY!" The Sheriff's voice echoes out of the cell. Here we go. Carl popped his head out about five minutes ago, he didn't say anything but I knew it wouldn't be long before he told his dad what was going on.
Daryl puts his plate down and stands up but before he can take a step I make it round to him and put my hand on his chest. "Stay here".
"You sure?"
"Yeah it's fine."
"Alrigh'". He doesn't seem too convinced, and I guess he has every right to feel sceptical because everytime the Sheriff and I get together it never ends well.
I head into the cells, towards the Sheriff's room. Carl is standing right outside the door glaring at me. The Sheriff is holding onto the bars staring right at me as I come and stand in front of the doors.
"Can I help you?"
"You let those people in here". He sneers at me.
"We let them in, we've decided to help them".
"You've made a huge mistake, and I cannot let this happen".
I squint at him, I'm not getting drawn into another argument, not today, not now. I take a step back to retreat and leave him alone when the click of a safety turning off halts me.
"Let my dad out, now!" His voice is low, barely loud enough for me to hear. If I was to raise my arm I could touch his gun but his finger is touching the trigger and I know if I startle him he's going to squeeze it in his panic.
"Put the gun down Carl. If you want to talk about this we can but we're not doing it with a weapon". I try to stay calm and keep my voice steady, but I also try to keep my voice quiet. If Daryl or Merle hear what's going on here then they'd come charging in and things may get a lot worse.
He gives the gun a slight thrust in my direction, "Don't talk to me, just open his door".
"I don't have the keys". Daryl and Merle keep them.
I slowly raise my arm up, palm facing him. My plan of attempting to knock the gun from his hand with the moves Merle taught me is stopped when I hear another gun's safety click off. I peer to my left out of my peripheral vision. The Sheriff has a gun.
"You touch him and I won't hesitate. You think you're the only one who will shoot if someone attempts to harm their family". Carl may not have had the nerve but the Sheriff definitely does but he also needs me. He'd have no chance of getting out if he was to shoot me.
"Squirt, what ya doin'. Riley's after some of that delicio…." I hold my arm out, silently telling Merle to stop walking. "What the fuck? You fuckin'..."
"Merle, don't". There's no way his raised shocked voice hasn't gathered the attention of the others. I raise my voice. "Everyone stay out".
"Drop the fuckin' guns". I take a quick glance over my shoulder as Daryl stands beside Merle, his crossbow raised and ready.
"Everyone needs to leave. NOW!" I shout the last word causing everyone who had gathered to back out of the doorway leaving just Merle and Daryl.
I look back at Carl, "please you need to think of Judith and Riley. If you shoot me Riley won't have a mother…"
His hand starts shaking. "Like Judith doesn't have one, like I don't have one". The pain in his voice pulls at my heart, makes my throat feel tight but I ignore his words.
"...and they'll shoot you in return and then Judith won't have a father, her brother. Please don't do this".
Carl's eyes start to sheen with tears, he even lowers his gun a little but then he looks at his dad but his dad seems unwavering and that cause's Carl to square his shoulders and raise the gun back up.
"The only way this ends is if you open this door", the Sheriff rattles one of the bars with his free hand.
"No," Daryl says pretty abruptly. "They only way this ends is me shootin' an arrow into you're fuckin' throat. Let her go".
I take a deep breath and let it out through my nose. This is going to end badly. "Give me the keys". Both Daryl and Merle say no at the exact same time. "If we let you out, you need to leave. You can't stay here after this, we can't trust each other again".
"My kids aren't safe here with you, we'll take what's ours and go".
"Daryl please give me the keys". I keep my eyes on Carl, he's the unpredictable one here.
"Put the crossbow down". The Sheriff orders Daryl. I hear it being placed on the floor and then the jingle of keys as Daryl must take them out of his pocket. Daryl's arm brushes against mine as steps up to the cell door. He unlocks it and pulls open the door and then puts his hand on my stomach and pushes me back a couple of steps so he can get in between me and Carl.
"You're out, so now you need to get the fuck out".
The Sheriff lays his hand on Carl's shoulder, "Let's go son". He leads Carl through the room and out into the communal area where everyone is still waiting. Merle follows after them, back as rigid and as stiff as it could possibly get.
Daryl suddenly lays in hand against my neck. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, I'm just…." Shocked, angry, upset, god I don't know. I shake my head as if that will clear my head. "We better follow".
He takes my hand and leads after them, picking his crossbow up on the way. When we walk into the main room Herschel is standing in front of the Sheriff.
"Think about this. You can't just take your children out into the unknown. We have some security here. People to help protect everyone".
"It's too late for this". Merle speaks before the Sheriff can. "He pointed a gun at my sister, by all rights he should be dead".
Herschel ignores Merle. "What about Judith and Carl, how will you make sure they stay safe?"
"I can look after them, they are my children",
Herschel gestures towards me, "Danny was feeding Judith for you".
"I don't need her help, not anymore". The Sheriff makes a noise in the back of his throat. "They locked me in a fuckin' cell and then they bring in people who had just tried to kill them. Her judgement is screwed, she can't protect us anymore. We'll have better luck out on the road".
"Dad, I want to go". Carl mumbles to his dad.
The Sheriff nods his head. "Let's go Son. Sorry but there's nothing you can say that will change my mind". He directs that at Herschel before moving around the stunned man and walking out the door. Presumably to gather their belongings and to get Judith.
Thinking of Judith makes me feel horrible. She doesn't know what is happening. She has no choice but to go with them, and no matter how much I would want to, I can't tell them to leave her here. Having a gun pointed at me would be the least of my worries if I did that.
Herschel watches them leave before turning his desperate gaze onto me. "You can't be okay with this, you know them leaving is a mistake".
"I always thought it would be easier if he left but I was never going to make him leave, kicking him out was not something I ever planned but he pointed a gun at me. Carl pointed a gun at me. What if they'd done it to Beth, Maggie. Would you have wanted him to stay then, huh? You would happily let your daughters walk around here with a man that tried to threaten them and could do it again if it would get him what he wanted".
"No, I…" Herschel seems to give in and drifts off with whatever it was he was going to say.
Daryl lets go of my hand. "I'm gonna make sure they leave".
I take a big step forward and grab his wrist. "No, don't. We shouldn't be the ones to see them out".
He raises an eyebrow in a little bit of confusion but Glenn's hand going up behind Daryl's head moves my attention onto him.
"Maggie and I will do it."
"Thanks".
Without another word they leave, I follow them with my eyes and by doing so my gaze lands on the group of people we have just let into the prison. They're no longer eating the food we had given them, most of it is still sitting untouched on their plates; Instead they are now huddling together off to the side, watching what is happening in silence.
I don't know what to say to them, it feels like anything I say will just sound like an excuse to them. They've just found out we had a man, a father locked up who has now been thrown out of the prison with a child and a baby. If anything was to make us look like bad people then this, this would be it.
I can't talk to them though, I don't think I'd be able to convince them that this is some huge misunderstanding, so I just look away from them and without another word I walk back out the room and into mine and Daryl's bedroom.