Chapter 19 - The Plan
Merle brought the carriage to a standstill several yards away from the entrance into town. Sure enough, the gate was closed, just like Andrea said. Merle, Daryl, and Emma were all equipped with rifles. The crossbow Emma had given to Daryl was strapped to his back. Merle had a revolver tucked into his waistband. Emma had one of Daryl's hunting knives, which he had forced into her hands without a word before they climbed into the carriage hours before. Emma, who was in the back of the carriage, peeked her head out to look through the gate and into town. From where she was sitting, she saw no movement, which was very unusual. It gave Andrea's story credibility.
"Daryl?" Merle asked, keeping his voice low.
"There's something shuffling back and forth ten or fifteen feet from the gate." Daryl replied, also keeping his voice down.
"Something?" Merle asked. "What do you mean 'something'?"
"Whatever it is, it ain't moving like you or me." Daryl muttered before getting down from the carriage.
Emma scooted out of the back of the carriage and quietly stepped out onto the ground. Daryl's knife was at her waist, tucked into a belt she had hastily wrapped around her skirt back on the farm. She held her rifle in both hands as she circled the carriage to meet Merle and Daryl at the front. They had already devised a plan back on the farm. The reverend's house was in the western part of town. Merle, Daryl, and Emma would circle town from the outside. It would be quicker to cut through town, but Daryl thought it would be safer to go around. Once inside, Emma would keep the women and children safe while Merle, Daryl, and any able bodied men went out into town and put an end to the undead once and for all.
"Remember, don't let these things get close to you." Emma said, her eyes flickering between Merle and Daryl. "Andrea said a bite or a scratch-"
"We know." Daryl snapped.
Without another word, Daryl made his way towards the gate in a swift crouch. Merle and Emma followed in a similar fashion. Daryl was crouched down on one side of the gate, while Merle and Emma were on the other. Daryl peered through the gate to get a better look at the figure he had seen moving so strangely. Its head hung low on its shoulders, almost as if the neck was broken. The arms swung limply at its sides, as though they were dislocated. The feet dragged slowly through the dirt as it shuffled aimlessly. The flesh, an unnatural combination of green and yellow, was missing in several places. Daryl knew from having hunted practically all his life that he was seeing more muscle and bone than skin.
"What are you waitin' for?" Merle hissed.
Daryl took up his rifle, pointing it out between the open spaces in the gate. As he followed the creature with the barrel, he suddenly wondered if shooting the monstrous thing was such a good idea. Would a gunshot scare more of those things away, or would it draw them to the sound? Gunshots almost always scared away animals, but Daryl remembered a time that a black bear had been unshaken. He had been tracking a buck when suddenly, a black bear came into view. Daryl almost always hunted with his crossbow, but still, he always had a gun on him, too. Black bears were usually frightened away pretty easily, but the bear Daryl encountered that day wasn't disturbed or distressed by Daryl's presence. In fact, it kept trying to get closer to him. So, Daryl was forced to pull the revolver from his waist. He fired it into the air, and expected the bear to bolt. It remained where it stood. Daryl couldn't believe it as the bear recovered quickly from the sound, then continued trying to get closer. It was at that point that Daryl was forced to shoot the bear.
"Daryl?"
Daryl pulled the rifle back.
"What are you doing?" Merle asked.
"Shh." Emma shooshed him.
Daryl switched out his rifle for his crossbow. He loaded an arrow as Merle and Emma looked on in confusion. Daryl took aim again, then fired. The arrow pierced the creature through the head, immediately bringing it down like a sack of potatoes.
"We don't know much about these things." Daryl muttered, getting to his feet.
Merle and Emma stood as Daryl quietly unlatched the gate.
"We shouldn't fire our guns until the time is right."
Daryl slowly pushed open the gate. He surveyed the scene in front of him until he was sure the coast was clear to retrieve the arrow. Daryl swiftly moved to the body of the monster he had slain. Before him lay a heap of rotting flesh and broken bones. Daryl crouched down beside the dead creature, studying it carefully before pulling the arrow loose from the broken skull. He felt Merle and Emma approach him from behind, and stood, arrow in hand.
"We should keep moving." Daryl murmured, pulling his crossbow to the front of his body once more. "The sooner we get to the reverend's, the better."
Emma followed closely behind Merle and Daryl, but she also scanned the town as they moved silently towards the west. It was eerie how quiet and still it was. There should have been children playing in the streets, mothers tending to chores, and men going to and from their work. Instead, there was silence. It sent shivers up and down Emma's spine. She held her rifle tighter.
As they got closer and closer to the reverend's part of town, that silence was fleeting. In the distance, Emma could hear unfamiliar sounds building. Daryl heard it, too, which is why he suddenly stopped. He motioned for Merle and Emma to do the same, though they already had. They all listened closely to the sounds they were hearing. To Merle, it sounded like cows in mild distress. To Emma, it sounded like several people moaning and groaning in pain. To Daryl, it sounded like trouble.
"I'm going to get a closer look." Daryl whispered to Merle and Emma. "Stay here."
Emma watched as Daryl slipped between two houses and disappeared from sight. She remained with Merle, who was white knuckling his own rifle. Emma looked around as she waited for Daryl to return with news of what he had seen. In that moment, she was still for the first time since sneaking into town. She was able to truly take in her surroundings. What she saw told the same story Andrea had told hours before. Fences were broken, as though cows had stampeded through them. Windows were busted. Doors were hanging wide open. Articles of clothing and other odds and ends were strewn across lawns and left abandoned in the streets. Then, Emma saw something on the ground in the next yard that caught her complete attention. Though Merle hissed after her, she quietly slinked over to investigate. What had once been a woman was now, frankly, half of one. The top half of the body was missing, allowing organs and entrails to spill out onto the grass. The body must have been there for a while, because it was festering and covered in noisy flies. Emma could tell it had been a woman because of the skirt it wore.
Suddenly, an arm was wrapping around Emma's waist and pinning her to the house. Emma looked up into Daryl's eyes as he brought one finger to his lips. Daryl kept his arm at Emma's waist, his body blocking hers, as another creature stumbled into view. The moaning Emma had heard was coming from the creature, but it wasn't as plentiful as before. Emma realized that what they must have heard was an entire group of those creatures. This was just one of them, that she knew of, breaking away from the pack. As Emma watched the monster coming in between the two houses, she tried to keep her heavy breaths quiet. The creature hadn't noticed them - yet. Daryl wasn't going to give it a chance to. He slowly took his arm from Emma's waist so that he could pull his crossbow. Quickly, he fired an arrow into the head of the monster.
"What's going on out there?" Merle asked as Daryl retrieved his arrow.
Emma exhaled deeply.
"There's more of those things...lots more." Daryl answered solemnly. "A lot more people must've gotten sick, or else those things have been biting a lot of the townsfolk."
"How many are we talkin'?" Merle asked, lifting an eyebrow.
Daryl looked to Emma, who was also waiting to hear his answer, then looked over at Merle.
"There must be half the town out there."
"Oh god..." Emma breathed.
"We better hurry on over to the reverend's house, then." Merle said as he walked past Daryl and Emma. "We're gonna need the sheriff and anybody else we can get."
Daryl and Emma followed Merle. They moved silently through backyards in the direction of the reverend's home. Emma tried not to let her gaze fall in between the homes to avoid seeing any of those horrifying creatures. Fear was already simmering in her gut upon seeing the poor woman's half eaten corpse and after having such a close encounter with the undead. She didn't want to bring that fear to a boil in her belly. Instead, she kept her eyes ahead as she stayed hot on Merle's and Daryl's heels. Although, it was difficult to tune out the sounds of moaning and groaning coming from the streets. The noise was getting louder and louder as they drew nearer to their destination.
Finally, the reverend's house was in sight. Daryl suddenly threw out his arm, which Merle skidded into as he stopped. Emma became still. Daryl put one finger to his lips like he had before, turning his head so that Emma could see the motion he made. Although all three of them had been quiet as church mice, Emma nodded. From where she stood, she could see why Daryl wanted complete silence. There were a handful of creatures hovering around the back of the reverend's house. They were pacing back and forth, as though nervous or anxious, moaning. Daryl turned completely, motioning for Merle and Emma to follow him. All three cautiously sidestepped through the back door of the house they were in front of. Daryl did a quick sweep of the house to make sure there weren't any monsters lingering inside. When he was sure the coast was clear, he returned to where Merle and Emma stood.
"We're going to have to take out all those things if we want to get inside." Daryl said, keeping his voice low even though the house was empty.
"No shit, little brother." Merle scoffed.
"Without making a commotion." Daryl added, glaring over at his brother.
"How do you suppose we do that?" Merle asked.
"I got my crossbow, but I'm gonna need some help." Daryl replied, scanning the room. "We're gonna need to find some things here that we can use."
"I have the knife you gave me." Emma murmured, pulling the knife from her waist.
"That's a start." Daryl muttered, leaving the circle.
Merle, Daryl, and Emma searched the house for anything they could use that wouldn't make as much of a racket as a gun would. Daryl thought about pulling a bedpost loose from one of the beds upstairs, but didn't want to risk making too much noise. It was easier to separate a chair leg from one of the chairs at the dining room table. Several nails poked through one of the ends. Emma found a wrench and a heavy iron. Merle pulled a hunting bow and quiver of arrows from a closet. With their new arsenal, Daryl, Merle, and Emma reconvened.
"Daryl, you give Emma and I cover fire while we-"
"I ain't lettin' Emma-"
"You aren't letting me?" Emma interrupted, lifting an angry eyebrow.
"That's right." Daryl snapped, taking a step forward towards Emma. "I ain't lettin' you."
"I thought I said to cut that shit out." Merle barked at Daryl, who was then shooshed by both Daryl and Emma. "Emma's capable of takin' care of herself, besides, I'll be with her."
Daryl grumbled to himself, but didn't protest any further.
"Emma, you and me'll take what we got and let them have it just as quick as we can." Merle told Emma as he turned to face her. "Daryl'll supply cover while we get business taken care of."
"All right." Emma nodded.
"But, the second you can get into that house, I want you inside." Merle said, pointing a stern finger at Emma. "If something happens, we gotta make sure one of us gets in there."
"Okay." Emma agreed.
With their plan formulated, everyone left the way they had come. As Emma followed Merle outside, Daryl grabbed her roughly by the elbow. Daryl jerked her halfway back inside before Emma was yanking her elbow away from him.
"You listen to Merle, you got it?" Daryl asked Emma, his voice becoming a growl. "You get into that house when you get a chance. Don't go tryin' to be-"
"I said I would, and I meant it." Emma retorted with a bite of her own. "I'm not doing it because of you, or because of Merle. I'm doing it because of those people in that house."
"I don't care why you're doing it, so long as you do it." Daryl snapped.
"Listen," Emma closed the distance between herself and Daryl and pointed a finger at him, "I told you a while back that I was still the same woman as before, no matter what. You said you understood that, but you don't. Maybe I made a mistake."
Daryl squinted at Emma, his scowl deepening .
"What do you mean?" Daryl asked, his growl becoming less intense.
"You heard me." Emma replied coolly. "Maybe it was a mistake to get involved with you...if it means giving up who I am."
Without another word, Emma left Daryl behind. She joined Merle, who was waiting for her just outside the busted fence. A few moments later, Daryl came down the steps, frowning. He loaded his crossbow, keeping his eyes on the ground.
"I'm ready." Daryl mumbled when his crossbow was loaded.
"Let's do this, girl." Merle said, getting his bow and arrow ready.
Emma had the chair leg in one hand and the iron in the other. The knife and wrench were at her waist. Merle and Emma quietly approached the creatures at the back of the reverend's house. There was a shed in the backyard of the house next door. Merle ducked behind it, an arrow notched in his bow. Meanwhile, Emma continued slinking closer and closer to the moaning monsters. When she felt that she was close enough, she wound up the iron in her left hand and let it fly. The iron collided with the head of one of the creatures at the same moment that Merle's first arrow was piercing through the torso of another. The monsters all set their sights on Emma, their moans suddenly morphing into snarls and hisses. The closest creature to her didn't stand a chance as Daryl's first arrow impaled it through the head. It crumpled to the ground at Emma's feet while she swung her chair leg at the second closest creature. The leg made contact with its head with a loud crack. Emma tried to tug the chair leg loose, but the nails were embedded into the skull. She allowed the creature to take the chair leg with it as it fell. Daryl's second arrow took down another creature, while Merle's second arrow sailed through the air, missing its target. Emma took several steps back from the approaching monsters as she pulled her wrench and knife. Suddenly, Merle swooped in, taking the wrench right out of Emma's left hand. He charged into the thick of things, swinging the wrench at the hissing creatures. Emma was about to help, but she looked to the right and saw two more monsters shuffling in between the two houses from the street. She knew she promised to get into the house, but she didn't want to leave Daryl and Merle alone to fight off the creatures. Emma realized that the best thing she could do for them was to get reinforcements from inside.
Suddenly, Rick and Shane were bursting through the back door of the reverend's home brandishing weapons. They didn't give Emma a second glance as they began attacking the creatures that were swarming Merle. Emma quickly retreated into the house, shutting the door behind her.
"Emma!" The reverend cried, rushing to Emma's side. "Are you hurt?"
"No." Emma replied, somewhat breathlessly. "I'm fine, but-"
"Andrea must have reached you safely, then?" The reverend asked, clasping his hands together. "Please tell me that Andrea arrived safely."
"Andrea is safe." Emma reassured the reverend quickly. "There's no time for this, now..."
Just as Emma was about to ask for help to be sent outside, the door was swinging open. It nearly collided with Emma, but the reverend pulled her forward before it could hit her. Shane was through the door first, closely followed by Merle, who stumbled inside and fell onto the floor huffing and puffing. Rick came through the door next, with Daryl at his back, his crossbow aimed outside. Rick pulled Daryl inside so that the reverend could shut the door. Together, Rick and Shane then shoved a heavy cabinet in front of the door to barricade it shut. Merle was still on the floor catching his breath.
"Merle, are you all right?" Emma asked, going to his side.
"Old...Merle...is fine...just...old..." Merle answered, somehow managing to grin up at Emma.
"Thank God you came." Rick said once another piece of furniture had been shoved in front of the door. "We didn't know if Andrea would be able to reach you-"
"We got no time for small talk, sheriff." Daryl interrupted Rick harshly.
"You're right." Rick agreed with a nod. "Follow me."
The group moved from the back of the house to the front of the house. The curtains were drawn, but Rick pulled one slightly aside to show Merle and Daryl what it looked like out front.
"They kept trying to break in, but after a while, they calmed down somewhat." Rick explained, pulling the curtain closed. "As long as we're quiet, as long as none of us tries to go outside, we've been able to handle them."
"Where is everybody?" Daryl asked, looking around.
"They're holed up in the chapel." Rick replied.
"When we heard what was happening out back, we moved everyone in there, barricaded the doors just in case..." Shane explained.
"We're gonna need a lot more men if we're gonna take care of those things." Daryl said.
"Those things were once people." The reverend suddenly interjected, taking several steps into the foyer.
"I don't know if you noticed, but they ain't anymore." Daryl replied callously.
"Daryl..." Rick murmured softly.
"Daryl is right." Shane put his hands on his hips, minding the ax in his hand. "Those biters outside wouldn't think twice about killing us all if we gave them a chance."
Everybody was quiet, then. The reverend was staring down at the floor, as was Rick.
"They may have been at one time, but..." Shane shook his head and cast his eyes down. "They aren't our friends and family anymore."
"Right, so, let's move on." Merle clapped his hands together.
"What kind of weapons do ya'll have?" Daryl asked, turning to Rick.
"Our stockpile is in the parlor room." Rick answered. "I'll take you to it."
"Why don't you both come with me?" Shane suggested as Rick, Daryl, and Merle went into the parlor room.
The reverend and Emma followed Shane to the barricaded chapel doors. They moved the furniture out of the way so that the doors could be opened. Several men were standing very close to the doors, guns in hand. When they saw that it was Shane coming through the doors, they visibly relaxed.
"All right, listen up." Shane announced to the chapel full of townspeople.
Everyone stood from the pews, giving Shane their full attention. Emma searched the sea of faces for familiar ones. Carol Peletier and Sophia were among them, as was Gideon and Dr. Torrence. Without counting, Emma came to the realization that there were probably more creatures outside than there were inside.
"The Dixon brothers and Emma, here, have come down from the mountains to help us." Shane spoke from the open doors, his eyes falling upon everybody as they listened. "They've already killed several of the biters out back, but they're going to need our help with the ones out front."
"What do you need?" One of the men that had been standing guard asked.
"I'll need any of you men that are willing to come with me." Shane replied.
There were whispers and murmurs among the group.
"I'll give you a few minutes to decide." Shane finally said, bringing the whispers to a momentary hush. "If you decide to fight, meet us in the foyer in ten minutes."
With that, Shane turned and headed back out of the chapel. Emma was about to follow when her name was suddenly called by a familiar voice. Carl, carrying baby Judith, suddenly emerged from the group. In all of the excitement, Emma had forgotten about Rick's children. She felt ashamed, after all, she had cared for them for months. Emma opened her arms just in time as Carl threw his arms around her, trapping Judith between them.
"Did you see my dad?" Carl asked when their embrace ended.
"Yes." Emma replied with a nod. "He's with Daryl and Merle in the other room."
"Is he...?" Carl asked, his voice quivering slightly.
"He's fine, Carl." Emma assured him gently. "I promise."
Emma glanced behind her as Shane disappeared from view. She looked back down at Carl.
"I have to go and speak with the others, but I'll be back." Emma said.
"Okay." Carl nodded.
As Emma left the chapel, she heard her name a second time. She turned her head to see the reverend coming after her. She stopped and waited for him.
"You aren't going out there again, are you?" The reverend asked.
"I haven't made up my mind yet." Emma admitted with a sigh. "I want to go where I'll be the most help, and I don't know whether that's in here with those people, or-"
"Your place is here." The reverend decided for Emma, setting his hands on her shoulders.
"Reverend-"
"Rick and Shane, they'll have enough men." The reverend interrupted Emma once more. "I need you here, to help me boost the people's morale. They need it."
"I don't know if I'm the person for that job." Emma murmured.
"Of course you are." The reverend slipped his hands down to squeeze Emma's arms. "You're responsible for helping Rick and Carl after Lori passed away. You helped us when..."
The reverend's expression faltered, but he recovered quickly with a halfway decent smile.
"Please stay." The reverend begged.
"I..."
Emma looked into the parlor room as Daryl, Merle, Rick, and Shane all spoke amongst themselves. There was a lot of pointing and hand motions being made.
"I'll think about it." Emma finally said, returning her gaze to the reverend. "I want to speak with the others first before I make up my mind."
"Of course." The reverend replied, releasing Emma so that she could go.
Emma left his side to join the men as they formulated a plan.
"...both sides." Daryl was saying as Emma entered the room.
"It depends on how many men volunteer." Rick replied in response to whatever Daryl had said.
"Volunteer?" Merle laughed. "Make them, sheriff."
"I won't force anyone to fight."
"Then what chance do ya'll have?" Merle asked.
"I'm still the sheriff, and what I say goes." Rick said authoritatively.
Merle chuckled, but said no more.
"What happens if this all goes south?" Shane asked.
"We'll barricade the chapel before we go outside." Rick answered as-a-matter-of-factly.
"What good will that do if most of the men are dead, or worse?" Shane asked.
"Shane has a point." Emma spoke up from behind the men, causing them to turn. "We should use this opportunity to our advantage."
"What do you suggest?" Rick asked as Emma entered the circle.
"Our carriage is just outside of town." Emma replied. "While ya'll are outside with those things, the biters, you'll be giving me the perfect chance to go back for it."
"Then what?" Shane asked.
Emma looked over at Daryl, half expecting him to object. His eyes were hard on the floor, his jaw set. His arms were at his sides, his hands balled into tight fists.
"I'll bring it back here, get the women and children out of town."
"Where will you go?" Rick asked.
"Up to the farm." Merle said, surprising Emma. "They'll be safe up there."
"You..." Rick's brow furrowed. "You would do that?"
Merle and Daryl both scoffed at the same time.
"We came down here, didn't we?" Daryl asked.
"Emma, your best bet would be bringing the carriage around back." Shane said, motioning to the back of the house with his head.
"Then, it's settled." Rick announced, standing straighter.
Just then, Emma heard footsteps behind her. She turned to see a handful of men approaching. They were volunteering to fight alongside the others. Emma wanted to be hopeful, but knowing how many of those things were out there, she wasn't sure she could be. All she could do was make sure that the women and children got out of town safely. The rest was up to the men staying behind.
0o0o0
It was close to sundown by the time the men had assembled with their weapons and gone over the plan. The men would all go out the back, then split into two groups. Merle, Shane, and three others would circle the street and approach from the west. Daryl, Rick, and two others would come from the east. On their way out, they would escort Emma until it was time for her to keep going east, back to the gate. Emma would retrieve the carriage, bring it the way she, Daryl, and Merle had come in before, and get the women and children out. Rick instructed the men not to use their guns until absolutely necessary. The more of a commotion they made, the more excited the creatures would get. Should the creatures get the upper hand, it was every man for himself. They could remain behind and try to fight, seek shelter in town, or flee to the Dixon farm.
Emma, armed with Daryl's knife and her rifle, waited by the back door for the men. Her hair, which had started to come loose from the bun at the back of her head, was pulled back even more tightly than usual. She had tucked her shirt much deeper into her trousers than before. The sleeves were rolled and buttoned. She tried to appear calm, cool, and collected, but she was truly terrified. Her palms were sweating. She wasn't accustomed to fear, which set her even more on edge. Emma closed her eyes and tried to breathe normally. It took some effort.
"Emma?"
Emma opened her eyes to see the men coming towards her, Rick at the front with Daryl.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Rick asked softly, setting a hand on Emma's shoulder.
Emma caught sight of Daryl from over Rick's shoulder. He was watching her in such a way that made Emma wonder if he could hear how hard and fast her heart was pounding. She swallowed.
"Yes." Emma answered, keeping her voice steady and her tone level.
"All right." Rick nodded before he removed his hand from her shoulder.
Everyone was quiet. Some of them wanted to speak, but none could find the words. There were none to describe how they all felt, nor were there any to encourage or empower them. What they were about to do was terrifying. It was daunting, but it had to be done. So, nobody spoke as Shane finally stepped forward and opened the door. He went out first, followed by the nameless men.
Emma watched Daryl from across the line of men going out the door. He had his eyes on the floor, as though he knew that she was looking at him. Finally, as Merle headed outside, he lifted his eyes to meet hers. He frowned. Emma knew how dangerous this task was, both his and hers. She remembered her last words to him, and didn't want those to be the last words between them before they parted ways.
"Daryl..." Emma began, but Daryl quickly exited the house before she could finish.
Emma looked once at Rick, who gave her a sympathetic expression, before following Daryl. Rick closed the door behind him as he was the last to exit the house. Again, without any words between them, the two groups separated. Emma was about to follow her group when a hand suddenly wrapped around her wrist.
"Hey."
Emma turned to see Merle holding onto her.
"Take care of yourself, girl." Merle said in the most sincere voice Emma had ever heard from him.
For a moment, Merle's sincerity dried her hands and lowered her heart rate.
"You too, Merle." Emma replied, barely above a whisper.
Merle nodded, then slowly released Emma's wrist.
"I'll see you back on the farm."
Then, Merle was following his group. Emma watched him go for a moment, then turned to follow her own group. Fear took hold of her once more.
They had to stop once when they came across a lone biter, which Daryl silently took care of. All too soon, the group came to the place where they would part ways from Emma. Rick immediately went to Emma's side. He took her free hand, the one not on her rifle.
"Be careful." Rick ordered Emma quietly, stressing both words to show her he meant it.
"I will be." Emma promised just as softly. "Ya'll be careful, too."
"Emma..." Rick suddenly looked down at the ground.
"What is it?" Emma asked.
When Rick slowly lifted his eyes, there were tears shining in them.
"If something happens to me-"
"Rick-"
"Let me say it." Rick interrupted a little more aggressively than he meant to, his feature becoming softer almost immediately as a form of an apology.
"Okay."
"If something happens to me, will you look after Carl and Judith?" Rick asked, sniffing as he tried to keep his tears at bay. "Wherever you end up, here or up in the mountains, take care of them."
"I will." Emma agreed.
Emma gave Rick's hand a squeeze before she tried to let go, but he used her hand to pull her in for a hug. Emma was so caught off guard by the action and the ferocity behind his embrace that she had to stifle a gasp. The fierce hug lasted only a few seconds before Rick was releasing Emma, the tears in his eyes having disappeared. Rick cleared his throat, erasing any emotion in his voice.
"We'll see you later." Rick told Emma before quickly pivoting.
Rick, the two men, and Daryl started towards town.
"Daryl." Emma quietly hissed Daryl's name as the sunlight continued to fade around them.
Daryl didn't acknowledge Emma, even though she knew he had heard her. There was nothing more she could do. Emma turned and started towards the gate. When she did, she saw a biter stumble out into the street just a few feet away. Emma was about to pull her knife, but an arrow was suddenly whizzing past her head. It sent the biter flying backward. Emma turned completely to see Daryl standing behind her, crossbow raised. Neither of them spoke as Daryl slowly lowered his crossbow.
Emma went to retrieve Daryl's arrow for him. She pulled it loose, but when she turned to head back to where Daryl had been standing, he was gone. So, Emma tucked the arrow into her belt.
0o0o0
It took Emma almost three times as long to get to the reverend's house than before. In order to be as quiet as possible, Emma had led Barrow and Boss on foot. The sounds she heard on her journey back were even more horrific than the ones she had heard earlier. She could hear men screaming, crying out, calling to each other. The creatures were snarling and snapping like vicious animals. Emma wanted to go and help, but she couldn't. She had her own job to do, and besides, she had promised Rick to look after his kids should somthing happen to him. Emma couldn't break that promise. So, she tried to focus all of her senses away from the horrible sounds coming from town. It made the trip seem even longer.
When Emma finally reached the reverend's house, she left the horses and carriage behind so that she could go inside and fetch the remaining people inside. She knocked twice on the back door, the signal she had worked out with the reverend. Emma could hear the cabinet being pushed away, and then the door was opening up to her. The reverend stood on the other side. A look of relief washed over him as he laid eyes on Emma.
"Thank God." The reverend breathed.
"Is everyone ready?" Emma whispered.
"Yes." The reverend answered. "Stay here."
Emma remained where she stood as the reverend disappeared inside. Moments later, he returned with everyone. As Emma watched them file out of the house, she thought something was wrong.
"Weren't there more?" Emma asked the reverend.
"When we heard what was happening outside..." The reverend shook his head.
"What?" Emma asked.
"More of them volunteered."
Emma waited off to the side while the remaining townspeople helped each other into the carriage, balancing supplies on their laps and wherever else they could. Suddenly, her ears honed in on a familiar sound, though she had been working hard to block them out. It was a familiar voice shouting, though she couldn't understand the words. It was Daryl.
Before she realized she was doing it, Emma was running in between the two houses and out into the street. What she saw was forever imprinted in her mind. The bodies of volunteers lay half eaten and bloody in the street, their insides strewn outside. Biters were snapping their jaws and grabbing at the men left standing, who were fighting with blunt objects and tools. Emma's sight set on Daryl, who had somehow been overpowered by a biter. He was on his back in the dirt, his crossbow the only barrier between him and the creature trying to take a bite out of him. Emma felt an animalistic urge rise up inside of her as she flipped her rifle around, wielding the butt as her weapon. She bounded forward, and with one strong swing, sent the creature's head flying off its rotting shoulders before it could sink its teeth into Daryl.
Bewildered, Daryl looked up to see what or who had saved him. His eyes locked on Emma's before widening in horror. Time seemed to slow down as Emma reached down to help Daryl up. He grabbed Emma's hand in his, allowing her to hoist him to his feet. Emma pulled the arrow from her waist, holding it out to Daryl. Daryl looked down at the arrow. As he reached for it, his hand curled around Emma's. Their eyes met again. It was only for a moment, because time had slowly started to speed up again. Daryl snapped out of the trance he had been in. He took the arrow from Emma's hand.
"Run!" Daryl shouted in her face. "Get out of here!"
Emma didn't need to be told twice. She turned and fled the war waging in the streets of Scarlet Town, which was living up to its name as the streets ran red with scarlet blood.