DISCLAIMER: I do not own any part of The Walking Dead. This is for entertainment purposes only.
A/N: I apologize for the wait. I really could not motivate myself to get this written for some reason. That and my attention span is shrinking by the day. Whoops. Side note: I'm going to Horrorhound Weekend in Cincinnati, OH! Woohoo!
Vengeance.
As night fell, Daryl had already decided he wasn't going to sleep. Even if he was, he wasn't going to where Skyler and Leah were. There was no way he was going to risk waking up like he had this morning again. Instead, he decided to walk around a bit before he eventually decided to just cave and join T-Dog on watch. He was aware of his own footsteps as about every other step a twig snapped under his weight. But he wasn't aware of the figure standing to his left holding a pistol until he heard a footstep other than his own.
"What the hell—" Daryl took a step back, squinting his eyes in the dark. He quickly realized that it was T-Dog as he heard the man sigh with relief.
"Geez… C'mon, man. Why you sneakin' around like that?" T-Dog lowered the gun.
"Who said anything 'bout sneaking? You're the one who blends in with the night," Daryl retorted.
T-Dog flashed a toothy grin, his teeth practically glowing in the dark. "Yeah, well it's not my fault your cracker ass stands out."
Daryl scoffed and couldn't help but hold back a smile, "Whatever."
"What're you doin' up anyway? I have watch tonight and I'm supposed to grab Lucas and wake him up to relieve me later." T-Dog walked back towards the RV. He quietly climbed up the ladder and perched himself on top of the roof to provide the perfect lookout. Daryl hesitantly followed, hoping they didn't wake up the Grimes who were all still inside the RV.
"Couldn't sleep," Daryl shrugged.
"I hear ya. Night time gives me the creeps anymore. It's like walkers could just come out of nowhere. And with Shane on the run… Man, I'm just paranoid. I heard you walkin' around and thought for a minute you were him. That's how paranoid I am, alright?" T-Dog gushed.
"And you think blowing my brains out would have been a good idea if I was a walker or Shane?" Daryl crossed his arms.
"First you're makin' black jokes and now ya gotta go and criticize me?" He paused, "I wasn't gonna shoot. I could tell it was you once I was closer. And I wouldn't waste a bullet on a walker…" T-Dog smirked.
Daryl just shook his head. He was just giving T-Dog a hard time. Shooting a gun where they were resided within the woods would be suicide. It would probably attract walkers for miles. Another reason Daryl was thankful for his knife and crossbow, both being silent weapons.
There was a light sound of footsteps climbing up the ladder that directed their attention towards the back of the RV. Olivia climbed onto the top and they both sighed.
"You suck at watch," Daryl remarked as he turned back towards T-Dog.
"Like you saw her," T-Dog folded his arms in front of his chest.
"I'm not on watch duty…" Daryl muttered.
"Care for one more?" Olivia had her arms hugged around herself. She looked like she was a bit chilled.
"Might as well join in. Call us the insomniac trio," T-Dog joked.
"Glad I'm not the only one who couldn't sleep." She glanced over at Daryl and forced a smile, though it quickly faded. "All I can think about is Alex…"
"He was a good man," T-Dog nodded.
"Yeah, he really was…"
Once morning rolled around, Daryl noticed he must have fallen asleep at some point after Olivia joined him and T-Dog. He woke up on top of the RV with Olivia crashed not too far from where he lay, Lucas keeping watch. He sat up and rubbed his face before Lucas saw that he was awake.
"Hey, man. How was sleeping on the roof of an RV?" Lucas grinned.
"'Bout as comfortable as sleeping on the ground," Daryl grumbled in response. He gave Lucas one last look before he headed for the ladder and climbed back down. At least he wasn't haunted by another freaky dream.
They had a lot of work cut out for them. Since they had to flee the farm, they still had to seek out a new place to hole up before winter. The plan was to send Glenn and Maggie out to find more fuel and Daryl was planning on searching for their new destination. After taking a glance at the map, it seemed like there should be something nearby—at least another house.
Just as Daryl was headed for the Triumph, he was stopped by Olivia.
"You're not going alone, are you?" She followed after him, walking by his side once she caught up.
"That's the plan. I can move a whole helluva lot faster when I don't have to drag anyone with me." Daryl stopped at the motorcycle and secured the crossbow onto the back of it.
"That's stupid. You went off to try and find Andrea by yourself yesterday and—"
"And I was just fine," Daryl retorted. "Get off my back."
Olivia crossed her arms and blocked Daryl from getting onto the Triumph, "We're a group and we're sticking together. No more going off by yourself. I'm not letting you leave."
"'Cause that's really gonna work." Daryl crossed his arms as well.
"What about Leah and Skyler? You really want to do this? What if something happened?" Olivia shot back at him. She narrowed her eyes and continued to stand her ground when she realized Daryl wasn't going to say anything in response, "If you're going then take me with you. I'm a pretty good shot and I can at least watch your back."
Daryl tried to step around her but she shifted with him, continuing to block him. "If I let you come with me, will you stop nagging me?"
"Of course," Olivia replied, lightening up a bit.
Daryl sighed, "Alright. Let's go then."
After travelling for a few miles and passing a handful of walkers along the way, Daryl brought the motorcycle to a halt just outside an old two story home. Daryl had spotted a dirt road and decided to give it a shot considering it was a sign there had to be something at the end of it. It was the only house around.
"Alright. What'd ya say we take a look around?" Daryl waited for Olivia to slide off the back of the bike before following her lead. He grabbed his crossbow and walked by her side as they approached the front door.
"I can't believe this is the only house we've found. We must really be out in the boonies, huh?" Olivia tried to joke but only received silence.
Daryl tried the door and was thankful to find out it was unlocked. He pushed the door open the rest of the way with his foot as he readied his crossbow. He stepped into the house, realizing the front door opened up to the dining room. Beyond that, there was a kitchen and back towards the front of the house was a living room. As they made their way around, they found a small bedroom behind the stairs and three more bedrooms upstairs. The middle room upstairs contained a walker that was locked in and Daryl took care of it. Olivia was double checking the main floor over again as Daryl drug the decayed body down the steps.
"Got lucky he was the only one here. Kinda surprised, actually." Daryl hauled the body out the front door and walked back inside as he brushed his hands off on his pants.
Olivia grimaced, "Really lucky."
"Find anything useful?" Daryl joined her in the kitchen, his eyes searching the room. There were quite a few cabinets and there was an old island in the middle with a stove attached.
"Not really. I need a stealthy weapon. This gun isn't going to be my best option." Olivia waved the pistol in the air for emphasis as she sighed.
"You'll find something eventually. In the meantime, I think this is going to be our next home. At least temporarily," Daryl shrugged.
"It beats having to camp outside through the winter."
Daryl nodded and tried a door just to the right of the refrigerator. His curiosity got the best of him as he peeked into the room and quickly realized it was a laundry room. Odd place for one coming off the kitchen.
A hand suddenly clasped Daryl's shoulder and he jumped, jerking away and turning to face the figure. "What're you doin'?"
"Sorry—I didn't think it would startle you."
"It didn't…" Daryl muttered in response.
Olivia laughed, "You're too adorable."
Daryl felt his face slowly growing warm and he cleared his throat, keeping his head low as he passed through the doorway and back into the kitchen. Olivia followed after him, closing the door behind her.
"I was meaning to ask if everything was okay. I kind of thought you had a thing for Skyler but I haven't seen you two talk in a while."
"Ya know, if your goal was to come out here and make things twice as awkward than what they already are, you're succeeding." Daryl leaned against the counter and folded his arms in front of him.
"Not my intention. But seriously, what's going on? Are you and Skyler a thing?" Olivia raised an eyebrow.
"Nothing that concerns you. And no," Daryl replied in as few words as possible.
"Well, damn. If I had known that, I would have made a move on you. I dig the bad boy type," Olivia grinned.
Daryl scoffed, "What, are we in high school?" He tried to keep his composure. He couldn't help but feel embarrassed at Olivia's advances. All he wanted to do now was get out of there. Damn this girl for making things awkward.
"Oh, lighten up. You're always so tense," Olivia circled around the island before leaning against it to face Daryl. "It is the end of the world ya know."
"Gee, I had no idea," Daryl rolled his eyes. "Let's just go. Make it back to the others and tell them about this house."
"Alright, alright." Olivia chased after him as he headed out through the front door.
As night approached, everyone had returned from their scouting missions. Glenn and Maggie had gone out in search of gas and came back with success. It would be enough to get them moving again at least. Once they'd get moving, they could search out more abandoned vehicles to siphon. But the plan was to stay the night and leave in the morning, never wanting to take a chance at night.
So far everything had been pretty peaceful. It was a relief after what they had been through on the farm and they had been lucky that the herd of walkers didn't find them again. Everyone managed to crowd around a low fire before settling in for the night. Even Rick had made his way out of the RV for some fresh air. Lori wasn't very pleased with his decision but she couldn't hold that against him.
Daryl glanced over at Leah beside him. He couldn't help but sense that something was wrong. She seemed distant all of a sudden, just these past couple days. She was staring into the fire and it was like she refused to look in Daryl's direction even though he was right there next to her. He wanted to ask her what was wrong but decided against it. Maybe it was something personal she didn't want to share. Maybe she was still upset over their losses. Maybe she was just getting older and reaching that rebellious stage. Daryl was absolutely clueless and he wasn't one to pry. He figured if she wanted to talk she would have already said something.
Skyler was seated on the other side of Leah and he seemed to be getting about the same vibe from her. It didn't help that he noticed she had a bruise on her arm from where he had grabbed her the previous morning. He really didn't say much to her after that, nor Leah. He wasn't sure how to really approach them now. He felt guilty enough as it was.
"Hey, Daryl?"
Daryl glanced over towards his left to where Amy was sitting next to him with Lucas. She too was staring into the fire but she broke her gaze as her eyes fixated on Daryl. A weak smile passed her lips.
"I know you wanted to find Andrea, and you tried…" Amy paused, "So what I'm saying is thanks. Maybe it sounds stupid but I think she's still out there. She's always been extremely stubborn and she's pretty good with a gun. Not to mention a lot more fearless than me."
"She's pretty tough," Daryl nodded in agreement. "She's out there."
"And I'm sorry about your brother. Even though he was… a little different. He was still your brother and family is family," Amy forced a smile. "I think he's still out there too."
"Toughest asshole I've ever met," Daryl smirked. "Probably plowing through walkers one handed like it's nothing." At least he could only hope.
Amy laughed, "I could see it."
It fell silent again as Amy rested her head on Lucas' shoulder. No one really said much of anything after that. There were only a few crackles from the fire and a slight breeze to provide noise. Even though everything seemed peaceful, Daryl wasn't about to let his guard down. He always had his knife with him and he always kept his crossbow nearby. It was a good thing too, because the crunch of sticks and dead leaves drew his attention to a place behind him. He jumped to his feet and scooped the crossbow up in one fluid motion. Daryl stared down the sights and realized just what, or rather who, he was viewing.
Shane stood before him, approximately 100 feet separating them. He was covered in blood, whether it was his own or from walkers, and he carried his Glock 17 in his right hand. Once he locked eyes with Daryl, he grinned and put his hands up in the air as if to surrender. But he didn't lower the gun.
"Shane?—" Olivia was in shock at the sight. Everyone was.
"You, uh… You guys left me behind," Shane laughed.
"Yeah, and for a damn good reason," Daryl growled. He still kept his crossbow trained on the man.
Shane put his arms back down at his sides as he shook his head, "You don't understand. It's not like that."
"Then what's it like?" Rick was on his feet with his eyes narrowed towards his old friend. Lori was hovering him, her eyes bouncing back and forth between her husband and Shane. She was trying to stop him from getting up, from moving any closer to him.
"You know I'd never mean to hurt you, Rick. But you left me no choice…"
Daryl watched as Shane raised his right arm and immediately had the gun pointed at Rick. The only thing Daryl could even think to do was charge at him, knock the gun out of his hand. Rick had already been shot once and it was hell trying to get him out of that situation. He didn't need to be shot again.
Daryl dropped the crossbow and cursed under his breath as he lunged for Rick. It was about the only thing he could do since Shane was too far to tackle in that short of time. Daryl collided with Rick just as Shane fired the gun and they hit the ground.
"Shoulda kept your ass inside the RV," Daryl grumbled as he got back to his feet, shielding Rick. Rick cringed in pain as he managed to get back on his own feet, not even bothering to give Daryl a response. Lori shoved Carl behind her and they backed up along with almost everyone else.
T-Dog and Glenn were the first to make a move after Daryl. Glenn kept a pistol trained on Shane as T-Dog managed to grab Shane's arm with the gun. Daryl ran to help T-Dog after seeing him struggle to hold Shane back from shooting anyone.
Shane fired another round just before Daryl could get a hold of his other arm. He heard a few gasps but he couldn't turn back to look—not now, even though his heart was racing with panic. Someone had been shot by that last bullet.
Daryl ripped the gun from Shane's grip and tossed it to the side. He and T-Dog worked together to pin Shane's arms behind him, allowing them to survey the damage. Carol and Hershel were flanking Amy, trying to do everything that they could to help. Amy was on the ground on her back, her head rested in Lucas' lap, blood soaking through her shirt. She had been shot in the chest, an extremely fatal wound.
"Amy—stay with us, Amy—" Carol's voice pleaded as Hershel was pressing a balled up cloth he had retrieved from his pocket to her chest to try and staunch the bleeding.
Unexpectedly, T-Dog threw a punch to Shane's face with his right fist while still keeping a grip on Shane's arm with his left hand. "What the hell is wrong with you, man!"
"It's not like I was trying to shoot her!" Shane tried to justify himself. "If y'all would have just stayed out of it, I could have been on my way!"
"Dream on, sunshine. You ain't killing Rick." Daryl fought to keep Shane restrained with T-Dog as Shane struggled to get free.
"Uh, guys? We… might have a much bigger problem on our hands," Glenn stammered, his eyes growing wide with what seemed to be fear. He was fixated on something beyond the three on them. Daryl and T-Dog both took that moment to glance back briefly.
"Oh, shit—" T-Dog cursed.
The walkers had heard the gunshots. It looked a lot like the herd that had blown through the Greene's farm, numerous and unrelenting. And they were heading straight for them.