"Look at the proud parents," Rick grinned, entering the common area and taking in the scene before him. Daryl and Carol did look very much the proud parents cooing over Judith, standing close to each other. Daryl glanced at Rick then down at Judith before holding her out to Beth suddenly. Beth took Judith, laughing at Daryl's reaction. Carol patted him on the arm, chuckling quietly and went over to the sink were she promptly shoved some dishes into the soapy water. Daryl looked at Rick, awaiting his order.
"Daryl we need your help fixing the front gates. I want to get to it right away but I'm not sure how we should go about it," Rick looked at his feet, shrugging his shoulders and looking slightly ashamed. Daryl raised his eyebrow and stretched his arms above his head.
"Create a distraction." Daryl nodded like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"I thought of that but how?" Rick looked exasperated.
"Get someone in the yard with them, I know someone who would be willin' to do that, lurin' them away and have people in the guard towers pickin' them off." Daryl arched an eyebrow and waited for Rick to reply. Rick glanced at him before pacing back and forth, turning it over in his head. What Daryl said made sense but who would be willing to run round a yard full of walkers. He stopped his pacing suddenly and stared back at the hunter, Daryl's words finally dawning on him. Daryl was offering to be bait but still he needeed to be sure.
"What? Do you even know what you're offering to do?" Rick was astonished, he knew Daryl was brave he just never figured he'd run round a field for them.
"I wasn't offerin', I was tellin'." Daryl snorted. Rick put a firm hand on Daryl's shoulder. He could feel Daryl tense up immediately and it was obvious he was fighting the urge to shrug out of contact. Daryl's eyes flickered to the hand on his shoulder before locking with Rick's. A silent message passed between them.
I have nothing to lose. I don't have anyone.
Rick took his hand off Daryl's shoulder and glanced around the room. The group had picked up on the silent message and were watching curiously. Glenn left his place at Maggie's side and stepped up next to Rick.
"I'll help with the gate. Um maybe we should get Tyreese and Michonne in the guard towers with rifles." Glenn sounded nervous, wringing his hands together.
"We don't know how good they are with a gun. I'll do it, I'm good with a rifle." Maggie stood up and took Glenn's oustretched hand. Carol looked up from where she was playing with Judith, tickling the infant's chubby thighs, and looked to Daryl, her eyes full of admiration. The man was so brave, he did so much for the group, it made Carol's jobs seem like the bear minimum. She had always felt like she did little of the things that mattered to the group. Sure she cleaned dishes and helped look after Judith but it wasn't work that tested her. It was easy.
Daryl caught Carol's eye and knew what she was thinking. He knew what she was going to do and it alarmed him. She wasn't the best shot with a rifle and she hadn't had a lot of practice. If Carol was in one of the guard towers, shooting at walkers, Daryl's life might be in serious danger. And not because of the walkers.
"I'll help Maggie, I could use the practice." Carol's voice piped up, breaking the tense silence.
"You don't need to do that!" Daryl exclaimed, lunging forward and gripping Carol's arm, the alarm obvious in his eyes.
"Daryl I need to earn my place here. Everyone does so much and all I do is clean stuff and look after Judith. I need some time out in the field." Carol snatched her arm back.
"I think it'll be good for Carol to get some practice," Rick interjected and Glenn and Maggie nodded in agreement.
"So it's decided. I'll be in one of the guard towers. Maggie will be in the other and Daryl will be running around the yard while Rick and Glenn fix the gates. Carl and Sasha can rattle the fences and draw the walkers towards them." Carol concluded, fixing Daryl with an adamant stare. She was going to do this and nothing he could say would stop her. Daryl stepped back and cracked his fingers.
"Fine, but if she shoots me, I'll blame you." Daryl hissed as he walked past Rick and out into the courtyard. He said it loud enough so Rick and maybe Glenn could hear him.
Daryl placed back and forth, glaring at the walkers' through the fence. Carol and Maggie were in the guard towers, rifles at the ready. Tyreese, Carl and Sasha were at the fence, equipped with sharp melee weapons and pots to bang. Michonne and a young Woodburian boy called Nathan were on watch. Rick and Glenn stood close by, tools in their pockets and bats in their hands. Everyone else had been herded inside.
"You guys ready?" Rick looked to Glenn then Daryl. Glenn nodded and Daryl looked over his shoulder, his eyes fixing on Carl.
"Open the gate." He growled, feeling oddly light without his crossbow. He could run easier without it. Carl rushed forward, unlocked the gate and wrenched it to the side. The trio surged forward into the yard. Rick and Glenn raced straight through the field while Daryl peeled off and clapped his hands and rattling the fence, stealing the walkers attention from the men running through the yard and to him. It worked.
The walkers groaned and staggered towards him, arms outstretched and hungry growls leaving their deformed lips. Daryl encouraged them forward, clapping and yelling at them, keeping their attention from Rick and Glenn who had reached the outer gate and were getting to work. The walkers outside the fence raced towards them but they were easy to keep at bay. Inbetween fixing the fence and stabbing walkers, the men were making good progress.
Shots rang out and walkers fell to the ground as Daryl jogged around the yard, a trail of walkers following him. A bullet punched into the ground at his feet and he leapt into the air, a yelp of alarm leaving his alarm. Carol shot him a wicked grin from the guard tower before disappearing behind her rifle. Unfortunately the distraction had allowed a walker to sneak up on Daryl and mangled fingers gripped the back of his shirt. Daryl surged forward, his shirt ripped from his skin. His soiled shirt fell to the ground. Immediately Daryl felt self-conscious but shoved it down and turned to face the walker. It was a mangled female, blond hair matted and half of the jaw missing. Her head was attached to her body by a flap of skin, having be rotted and chewed away.
Daryl drew his knife and thrust the blade forward, the blade piercing the milky eyeball of the walker and imbedding inself in the brain. Daryl wrentched his blade free and glanced around . Rick and Glenn were working on the inner fence, Maggie and Carol were picking off walkers' and Carl his little group stabbed at stray walkers that walked their way. More importantly a cluster of walkers had singled out Daryl and were backing him into the fence, coming at him from all angles. Daryl turned to the fence and scrambled up, hanging just out of the walkers' reach. They shook the fence and reached for him, pressing themselves against in a hungry wave. Daryl's eyes narrowed in on a stray walker that was staggering towards Rick and Glenn who didn't notice it.
Daryl glanced at the walkers pressed against the fence, then the walker sneaking up on Glenn and Rick. He glanced at Maggie who's face was ashen and her jaw slack with alarm. But she couldn't do anything because she was hitting the major cluster of walkers. Daryl sighed to himself and pushed himself off the fence. A bullet grazed his ribcage and another grazed his air was forced out of him. He soared over the walkers' heads and landed a metre away from them in a roll. A spasm of pain shot through his leg and abdomen but he forced himself to his feet, gulping in air and limped forward, knife in his hand. He raced towards the walker making its way for Rick and Glenn. The pair finished the fence and stood back to admired their handywork. The walker grabbed Glenn by his shirt. Rick fiddled to free his knife from his belt and Glenn struggled to free himself from the walker.
The walker bared its teeth and closed in on Glenn's neck. Maggie's scream filled the air.
Arm wrenched the walker off Glenn and tackled it to the ground before the teeth had a chance to connect with flesh. Daryl sat astride the walker and stabbed the knife into the walker's skull, much like he had when he had killed Merle. A wave of déjà vu hit him and he squeezed his eyes shut, reminding himself it wasn't Merle. It was a stupid walker, it wasn't his brother. Daryl's eyes shot open and he leapt to his feet, ignoring the pain in his leg. He turned to find Rick watching him and Glenn panting heavily.
"Am I dead?" Glenn croaked, "Why am I seeing a half-naked Daryl?" Daryl crossed his arms across his chest, suddenly aware that he wasn't wearing a shirt because it had been ripped from him.
"It didn't get you." Daryl drawled before looking at the walkers still in the field. There was only a few left but Carol and Maggie made quick work of them. Rick peeled his sweaty shirt away from his skin and exhaled heavily. Glenn kept looking over his shoulder, his fingers searching for a wound that wasn't there. Maggie and Carol abandoned the guard towers, leaving Michonne and Nathan on watch. Carl, Tyreese and Sasha came into the field, looking around in awe. Carl's eyes were alight with a rare happiness. Daryl edged forward, keeping his back to Tyreese and Sasha. The didn't need to know about his scars. Rick already knew and Glenn probably wouldn't be surprise. He ducked down and scooped up his shirt.
The front was burst, the buttons ripped off but the back was still intact. He shrugged it on and folded his arms across his chest. Maggie raced down the yard towards Glenn and kissed him passionately. Daryl covered Carl's eyes jokingly.
"We gotta protect you from some things," He joked, a small smile tugging at his lips. Carl shrugged his hand off, a peal of laughter escaping his lips. Carl looked shocked at the sound that had escaped his own lips and covered his mouth with his hands. Rick raised an eyebrow at his estranged son, a smile taking over his face. Carl removed his hands and gave his Dad a timid smile. The darkness inside of Carl was finally beginning to fade.
Carol had dashed inside to get Herschel and Beth and now emerged with Judith writhing in her arms, Herschel hobbling beside her and Beth helping her Daddy down the steps. Carol had a huge smile on her face and was singing quietly to Judith. Daryl had never seen her this happy in the time they'd known each other. She had been happy that night in the CDC and she had been happy when they had first found the prison and had cleared the yard out. It was different this time, this time she was positively glowing.
Daryl winced as the pain in his leg and chest registered with him now that the adrenaline was wearing off. He glanced down at his chest and gently prodded at the wound. It was deep but not serious but it would probably require stitches. He rolled his pant leg up and saw a similar wound on his leg only it wasn't as deep. It would heal over on its own. He wiped the sweat from his brow, smearing blood over his face.
"Not my best idea." He mumbled to himself and wiped his hands on his pants. He flicked his hair out his eyes and went over to Carol. She smiled at him then frowned at his blood smeared face.
"You almost shot me." Daryl accused lightly, his tone clear that he didn't care. Carol smiled at him and shifted Judith's weight to her other arm.
"But I didn't, did I?" Carol mocked lightly, unaware of the wounds from bullets grazing him when he'd jumped off the fence. He blinked owlishly and staggered slightly on his feet. He was bleeding, he'd not eaten anything and had a serious lack of sleep. It was all becoming a bit much for him. Carol gripped his arm tightly, steadying him. Daryl looked at her.
"Oh but you might have," Daryl let his shirt fall open to reveal the wound on his chest.
"Oh Daryl, you should have told me. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to. Let's get you inside and patched up. Then you're going to eat something and then sleep. You need to rest." Carol handed Judith to Beth who took her happily. Tyreese and Rick were checking the bodies of the walkers, making sure they were actually dead and dragging them into a big pile. Carol wrapped Daryl's arm around her shoulders and walked him into the common area.
Lying in the grass beyond the fence, hidden by the trees at the edge of the forest, watching the group mingle in the yard, piling the walkers up high. The man had seen the whole show and as much as he hated to admit it, had been impressed by the man running around the yard, climbing the fence and saving the Asian by the gate. The man had seemed unstoppable but there was something that seemed to keep him grounded. The grey haired lady in the guard tower, shooting walkers. His eyes had always gone back to her. When the group had finally cleared the yard, the man had joined the woman quickly after having a joke with the little boy.
The woman had taken him inside and now the group cleaned up the mess in the yard. The man in the grass cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably, scratching his neck. He'd been here all day, waiting for his chance to strike. And now the yard was clear, it should be easy. He eyed the blonde haired girl with the infant and smiled. She looked weak, she would be his target. The man sighed to himself and contented himself with the fact he was a job that would earn him brownie points with the Governor.
He just had to wait.