Rick looks 'round at the men in front of him, he looks beat to shit. I'm still stunned to see him standin' right in front of me. Carl is to his right, Michonne next to Carl. All have weapons drawn. But I know how this will turn out, they're outnumbered, an' they look like they can barely fuckin' stand. I thought I was runnin' to save someone; all I did was bring death to the people I cared about.
Rick's sight shifts to me; there's a moment where he has that look in his eye, the one where he's tryin' to tie all the loose ends together to form the pattern. I shake my head slightly, enough so he's the only one to see it. The look he returns is one I've seen so many times, but just this instant is the time I needed it most of all; the look that says he trusts me. He knows I'll always have his back like I know he's always had mine. Right now, it's just a matter of bein' faster than these fuckers.
Joe's voice cuts through my thoughts, "Well, it's a damn good thing we stopped those dead bastards from tearin' you up, fittin' that we save your life only to end it." The men all laugh. Rick looks confused, until he sees Tony. The puzzle has finally fallen into place. Recognition spreads over his face.
"Listen to me, what happened to that man in the house was nothin' personal. I had to look out for my people, for my son. I had to get away from there, to make sure they didn't walk into your death trap. You raided our camp! I was willin' to let you keep it, I just needed to get out. That guy was the only thing standin' between me an' my family. He came at me! I acted in the best interest, to keep the people I care about safe. I'm sorry for the loss of your friend, but he was a threat." Rick's lookin' to each man, hopin' he got through. I look to Joe. He starts laughin'.
"So you kill a man? With the best intentions at heart, is that right? What if I were to say my boy here puttin' one of them pretty arrows through your lungs was with the best intentions?" He claps his hand to my shoulder, a sick feelin' risin' in my chest. The other men are still laughin', they raise their guns. I see Carl's hand squeeze his gun tighter, Michonne tenses her grip on the handle of her sword. They haven't looked up from the ground. They don't know I'm here. I clear my throat an' look directly in Rick's eyes as I speak.
"Wouldn't wanna waste the fuckin' bolt." At the sound of my voice Carl an' Michonne look up. I look from one to the other, holdin' their gazes. I need them to understand what's 'bout to happen. Joe laughs harder, his grip tightenin' on my arm. He thinks I'm his man, he sees me as one of them. What he doesn't see is my hand graspin' the handle of my buck knife. He sure as shit wasn't expectin' to see me rip Tony open at the jugular, or stabbin' the other fucker through the eye as Tony's body hit the ground.
It all happened so fast. Michonne made one clean swipe through the air an' postal carrier's head rolled at Joe's feet. Carl put a bullet in one asshole's head an' Rick shot the other through the heart, the bastard shot in retaliation but he was too far off to the side. We had the ultimate element of surprise, there was no way they saw it comin'. I turned to Joe, bow to his skull. He's such a fuckin' nut job, he laughed right in my face.
"Daryl, I woulda never guessed you had this in you. All for a couple of strangers? You're a dumb motherfucker, son." I meet his glare.
"These people are with me." Rick stands next to me now, gun raised.
"You killed my people with the best intentions, I'm sure. So you gonna make a clean job of it, pal? Pull the trigger." Joe's grinnin' from ear to ear, a ghost crosses his face. This man is every bit as stubborn an' crazy as my jackass brother.
"I ain't your pal. An' I will do whatever it takes to make my people safe. I don't care who I have to go through in the process. But I will go through them." I hear the unmistakable click of the hammer, his finger on the trigger. I move faster an' put a bolt in Joe's chest, right side. He falls on hands an' knees. Rick turns to me.
"It'll kill him. 'Sides, he'll slow down any walkers that might catch our scent." I spit at Joe's hands on the ground, he's coughin' up blood. I couldn't gun down an unarmed man, I don't know why I didn't. The way I see it, I gave him half a chance to live. Without his pack of dogs, he ain't a threat to nobody.
Rick says we should head for the tracks. We take off at a run an' don't stop 'til we get there. By the time we reach the edge of the woods we're all outta breath. Rick comes up to me an' places his hand on my shoulder. Michonne smiles at me, Carl is still in shock.
"Daryl, you have no idea how grateful we are to see you. Thank you for what you did for us back there." I roll my eyes.
"It's what we do." He smiles, obviously rememberin' that last time I told him the same thing; he had broken down after Lori died durin' childbirth, he thanked me for watchin' over Carl an' Lil' Asskicker. Anybody woulda done it. I realize I don't see Asskicker with them, an' it's a pain I'm becomin' all too familiar with. I loved that fuckin' kid. Michonne pats my arm.
"I should've known. If anybody could survive out there, it's an animal." She winks at me. I missed her teasin'. Michonne has always done good by me. Her an' I looked all over for The Governor together, we grew closer over that time. She's just as much my family as Rick. I look over at Carl. He finally seems to accept I ain't no mirage. He's grinnin' bigger than his face should allow.
"I knew you'd be alive, Daryl. If any of us made it outta there, it would've been you." That tells me they haven't run into no one else. That we may be the only ones alive. But I don't know if I really believe that. I found my way to these three, hadn't I thought it was only Beth an' I? Beth. God, I miss her. How do I tell them what happened? Just days after I fail a whole group of people, I fail her. An' she was everything to me now. How can I possibly help keep these three alive?
"Dad, look! It's another one of those signs for that sanctuary." We walk up to the post, Rick looks it over. My head hangs, I can't shake my thoughts.
"We should be able to make the trip in about a day. Maybe we can find the others there, as well." Rick sounds confident. I think back to what Joe said, how there ain't no such things as sanctuaries. I had thought he was right. I realize I've thought a lot of things these last few days an' have been proven wrong every time. I trust Rick's judgement.
"What're we waitin' for? Let's get the hell outta here." For the first time since I've lost Beth, I feel like I can almost breathe. I'll finally be whole again once I find her.