By the time Daryl got back to Alexandria with Sasha and Abraham, night had fallen. They made it back in time just to save Glenn from being devoured by walkers and Daryl quickly knew what to do to group all the scattered walkers into one place. They drove the tanker truck over to the town's pond and released the fuel into it, making it one giant powder keg. Standing on top of the truck he fired the RPG straight into it, causing the water to go up in a ball of flames. All the walkers began walking towards it and walked straight into the fiery trap. Daryl looked around the area from where he stood, his mind now going to Kayla, John, and Ada. There were walkers everywhere and he did not see any of them in the streets with the others killing every walker they could. He understood why the kids would not be but knew Kayla would have gone out to fight alongside the group.
Not wanting to spend anymore time not knowing whether his family was okay or not, he hopped off the truck and motioned to Abraham to throw him a gun. He caught the handgun with ease and began firing bullets into the walkers approaching him. The number of walkers in the street were already reduced from the fire and the group fighting them off, allowing Daryl to maneuver through the roads easily once his bullets ran out. From that point, he knocked walkers out with the butt of his gun. As he ran from some approaching walkers towards the houses a gunshot rang out near him, making him stop and turn. The gunshots continued and Daryl watched as the walkers approaching him fell to the pavement. Turning to the side, he saw Ada on a porch with a gun raised.
"Come on!" she yelled to him before firing at some of the approaching walkers.
Daryl wasted no time running to the porch towards Ada, her lowering the gun as the space between him and the walkers reduced. He scooped her up with one arm once he was up the steps and ran through the front door with her, slamming it shut behind him. Once inside, Daryl felt Ada's limbs wrap around him in a hug. He held the young girl close to him as he caught his breath, dropping his empty gun and bringing his other arm around.
"It's alright," he said to her. "We're alright."
"Daryl!" another familiar voice called out.
Looking up, Daryl saw John running down the steps towards him. He knelt to the floor and opened an arm for him, wrapping his arm around the young boy once he was close enough. He felt a huge weight come off his shoulders as he hugged the two kids. After a few moments, he pulled back from the to look at them. "You ain't hurt, are you?" he asked, looking at their limbs and bodies to ensure they had no injuries. Both kids shook their heads. "No, we're fine," Ada assured him. "Where were you?"
"Ran into a detour." He explained. He looked at both kids and smiled, happy to see them okay and unharmed. It faded though when he realized Kayla was not with them. "Where's Kayla?"
Ada and John looked at one another before meeting Daryl's eyes again. "We don't know," John explained. "She was working on the watchtower when the tower fell. We haven't seen her since this afternoon."
Daryl's heart fell to the floor. Abraham and Sasha helped Maggie down from the watch tower by the gate and saw no signs of Kayla on the other two. If Kayla was on the watchtower when the wall gave, then Maggie would know what happened. Not wanting to get too inside his head, Daryl stood up and put a shoulder on each of the kids' shoulders. "I'm sure she's fine," he told them. "Ain't nothin' that woman can't handle."
This seemed to give the kids some reassurance when the sound of walkers banging on the front door caught their attention. Daryl turned and locked the door completely before turning back to the kids. "You guys got guns?". Ada and John both raised their firearms as an answer. "Alright, we're gonna go up to the roof and pick em' off. Not a lot of ammo, but the others have most of them on the other side of town."
The three took off upstairs, Ada and John both ready with their firearms. They led Daryl into one of the bedrooms where they were hiding out and keeping watch on the street. From the window, the number of walkers reduced even more from what Daryl could see. He raised the window and the kids climbed out onto the roof to get better shots at the walkers. Once up there Daryl watched as the two kids fired their weapons at the walkers on the streets, hitting their target every time. He was impressed, especially knowing John only had a few lessons under his belt. Soon, many of the walkers were dead on the pavement with the remainder in the lake or heading towards the other side of town where the group got pushed to. Now out of ammo, Daryl knew they needed to get to the armory. Both kids had knives of their own and gave Daryl the machete Rosita had given them earlier that day.
"Alright armory is just down the street," Daryl told the kids. "I'll take the lead, you two watch my blind spots. Hold tight out there. You good with that?"
Both kids nodded and raised their knives, showing that they were ready. Daryl unlocked and opened the front door, cutting down the walker still banging at the door. He kicked it forward and took out the one behind it, successfully clearing the path to the road.
"Let's go!" he said to the kids, hurrying down the steps and onto the street. They made their way down the road, taking out walkers when they got too close. Despite the fear John and Ada were feeling, they pushed it down and helped Daryl get to the armory. Even though the walkers had some height on the kids, they knocked the walkers out at the knees like Rosita showed them and shoved their blades into the walker's skulls. Before they knew it, they were at the armory's doors. Daryl ushered the kids into the house and shut the door behind him, relieved to see the armory still intact. He made quick work of gathering a couple of handguns and shoving them in his waistband before arming himself with a rifle. The kids reloaded their firearms quickly and waited on Daryl for instruction.
"This is what we're gonna do," he said. "We're gonna make our way back to the other side of town and help the others. Same deal as before. You watch my blind spots and hold tight. Yeah?"
The kids nodded in response like before as Daryl threw some bullets into a black duffle bag to take with him for him and the others. He put the strap around his body and headed for the door, the kids following in tow. Armed and ready, the left the armory and went to finally finish off what was outside.
OOOOO
It took a long time until the last walker fell. Every capable Alexandria fought back against the walkers with blades and bullets, getting covered in all sorts of blood and guts. When the last walker was slain morning was beginning to break, and everyone regrouped outside the infirmary. Daryl was sitting on porch steps with the kids when he saw Angela approach him with open arms Not allowing him time to object, Angela engulfed him in a hug. "Thank God you're alright." She said as Daryl hugged her back. Even though they did not know each other much, she was still one of Kayla's closest friends. Seeing her alive made Daryl glad she did not succumb to the walkers. When the two separated, Daryl saw Maggie approach him. He felt the blood drain from his face when he saw the look of concern on her face.
"Where is she?" Daryl asked once Maggie was close enough.
"She's alive," Maggie began, making Daryl let out a breath of relief. "She was on the tower, didn't have a balcony, and walkers were shaking it. So, she hopped the wall."
"She what?"
"Daryl, she didn't have a choice. She was either gonna fall off the thing unless the walkers knocked it over first. She went down on a ladder, got to a car, and led a bunch of them off."
Daryl took a deep breath and began making plans in his head as to how to find her when he remembered the two kids behind him. He and Kayla agreed that they should try to make sure one of them was always around for them in case something happened. That way, the kids were not orphaned a second time around if they could help it. He knew if she was gone too long, a group would undoubtedly go out looking. Plus, she did not go out looking for him when he got detoured. He knew she was alright, she would make it back one way or another. For now, he needed to accept that his place was in Alexandria with the rest of his family hoping that Kayla would make it back home.
OOOOO
Daryl took the kids home to get them cleaned up and fed before anything once he was patched up. His back required some stitches and he had a minor concussion from the blow he sustained the day before, but other than that he was alright. Denise treated him, which Daryl felt a little odd with. He had nothing against the doctor, but it was always Kayla the one patching him up, so the different set of hands felt somewhat abnormal. Plus, it just reminded him that his wife was missing.
At home, Daryl cooked up lunch for Ada and John while they showered and got dressed. Cooking up some boxed mac and cheese managed to allow Daryl's mind to stay preoccupied from his concern for Kayla, even though the worry was still there. It pained him knowing she was out there where walkers were crawling around and a possible new threat after his encounters on the road, but he knew he had people to take care of at home. Specifically, Ada and John.
In no time, the kids came down the hall with their hair still wet from their showers and in fresh clothes. They wasted no time getting into their seats at the table at the smell of the food. Daryl set down their bowls in front of them and they instantly began digging into their meals. It made Daryl chuckle a little as he sat down with a bowl of his own food seeing the kids absolutely devour their pasta.
"Are we gonna go look for Kayla?" John asked between bites.
The question made Daryl set his spoon back down and let out a sigh. "If she ain't back by tomorrow, I'm gonna look for her."
"Why not all of us?"
"Because it ain't safe for you to be out there right now?"
John grew frustrated, making him set his spoon down. "We handled the walkers last night just fine. Why can't we go out there together to bring Kayla home? What about safety in numbers?"
Ada remained quiet, continuing to eat and opting out of the discussion that was about to ensue. She watched as Daryl turn himself to face John more, his face growing somewhat annoyed and defeated.
"You guys did a good job last night, I'll give you that," he began. "But it ain't just walkers out there. People are, too. Dangerous people. Right now, I just need both of you to trust me on this. You will go out on runs and help with this type of this stuff, but not this second. Alright?"
John remained frustrated with the decision, wanting to go out and help find the woman who meant the world to him. Kayla save him in the cell block and did not hesitate to look after him when he was orphaned. He wanted to go out and find her to bring her home safe, the same way she has kept him safe for so long now. Daryl sensed this and wanted to say that if he went out there and did not find Kayla alive, he did not want the kids to be there for it. However, he did not want to say those words because it would make the possibility of Kayla's death even more of a possible reality.
After they finished eating, Daryl dropped the kids off at the group's house with Carol whom was watching Judith with Carl. Most of the day was spend rebuilding up the wall at the front of Alexandria. Although people were exhausted from the night's events, getting the first wall repaired at the very least was crucial to ensure the town's safety. They managed to scrap the tower that fell and put up a temporary hold for the time being, so the town was safe until they could pool together enough supplies and resources that they would need for rebuilding the two sets of walls that were damaged. As Daryl worked on the wall, he kept waiting to see Kayla walk through the town's gate. The wall was a distraction for him to a degree, but every water break he had served as his mind circling back to his missing wife.
The sun was beginning to set on the day's work on the wall, making Daryl slump down in the grass. He watched the sun begin to sink below the horizon, casting pink and purple colors across the sky. Kayla was still out there, and it was now over a day since she went over the wall. As he sat in the grass, he reached for the wedding band hanging around his neck. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back, letting a frustrated breath out. Before he could get too inside of his head, he heard someone call his name.
"Daryl!"
His head snapped up at Sasha's voice in the watchtower to see her looking out on the road. She looked down at him with a relieved expression and pointed out to the path ahead. Knowing what that look must have meant, he all but jumped to his feet and ran to the front gate. He threw the first door open to expose the gate and upon seeing the familiar figure walking down the road, his heartbeat began racing.
"Kayla!"
Down the road, a tired and sweaty Kayla felt the corners of her mouth turn up at the sound and sight of her husband. He made it back alive. She felt her sore, exhausted legs muster the last bit of remaining energy to carry her into a run. Daryl opened the gate and took off in a run towards her to meet her halfway. He could see how worn out she was, seemingly barely able to carry herself. Within no time he reached her, and his arms engulfed her. Her legs could no longer keep her up and her knees buckled, but Daryl easily caught her and held her into his arms. Tears pricked both their eyes as they held onto one another.
"You're aliveā¦" Daryl breathed out as she regained her footing. She pulled back just enough to look at him, tears running down her face.
"You were late for dinner," she choked out with a laugh.
It made Daryl laugh as his hands went to either side of her face, looking at her face in happiness. She was alive. He wasted no more time to pull her face to his, kissing his wife with everything in him. All day and night he worried as to whether she was alive, and now she was home, back in his arms. After they separated, he scooped her up into his arms bridal style to carry her back into Alexandria. Her arms wrapped around his neck and her head rested on his shoulder as he began walking, the exhaustion of the last day and a half hitting her full force now that she was no longer holding herself up. The last thirty hours were exhausting, from the second she got in the car to the final stretch of walk home. It did not matter now, though. She was home.
OOOOO
A/N: Don't worry, guys. You will get to see what happened on the road with Kayla in the future! Please review!
