Chapter 59
"Lane, you're gonna get us all killed, including yourself!" Dwight yelled at the Savior, his blood speckled face panicked.
"I know what the fuck I'm doin'," Lane replied as he sidestepped the swipe of a walker and bludgeoned it with this butt of his gun. Another one went for him, but he jumped back just in time to avoid it.
"Doesn't look like it!" Dwight called as a walker came up to his open window and grabbed his collar. "Shit!"
As Dwight jerked away, Daryl lunged for it, producing a knife from his back pocket and sinking it into its temple. The dead body slumped, its shoulders and head still inside of the truck, but others were starting to form behind it and as I looked to the busted window above my head, gnarled, rotted hands reached for me.
"Daryl!"
His knife plunged into the nearly skinless head and it fell from the window, but it was soon replaced by another.
Dwight grabbed Alan and yanked him up against his seat. Without the pressure from his chest, the horn finally quieted, but it was a little too late for it to matter. We were already surrounded and being hunted. Daryl was busy clearing our window, and there wasn't much I could do to help as he knelt over me, his legs straddling my chest.
"He's letting them swarm us!" Dwight shot an arrow and reloaded. "The fucker ran back to his truck!"
Daryl fatally stabbed a walker reaching through the window. "And you're fuckin' surprised?"
"Here." Dwight shoved Daryl's crossbow in his arms. "Keep them back while I get us the fuck out of here."
Daryl took it without hesitation, but slung it around his back and continued using the knife instead. The more bodies he stabbed, the more they piled up outside of our window and the others were struggling over their fallen comrades to reach us. While he worked, Dwight maneuvered Alan's body out of his way, pushing him to slump sideways in the passenger seat against the dead walker hanging from the window. I wasn't happy that he was gone, but I was thankful Lane's bullet had hit its mark in the head; it saved us the horror and Alan his dignity.
The truck roared to life and Dwight quickly threw it in reverse. Daryl held onto the seat as we rocketed back and one walker was knocked brutally to the asphalt. The one in the passenger window managed to dangle, but as we rammed into Lane's truck, it jolted violently and fell away.
"Take that, you piece of shit coward," Dwight sneered as he gazed into the review mirror.
"He's not in there," Daryl commented with vigilant eyes, scouring every direction. I tried to sit up but his heavy hand pushed me back onto the seat. "Stay down."
"I want to help," I argued.
"No." His answer was curt, but his eyes widened with recognition and he took the crossbow off of his back and aimed. "Don't move or I'll shoot ya!"
I watched Daryl's eyes move as his finger pulled the trigger. The arrow sang as it cut neatly through the air and a distant yelp told me it had met its target.
"He's got an Uzi!"
Daryl ducked down just in time as metal rained on us. He flattened himself on me, covering my head with his hands, but as soon as the assault began it ended.
"Don't fuckin' shoot me!" Lane's enraged voice echoed. "This isn't for you, so let me do my fuckin' job, you assholes!"
Then the Uzi was raging again, but not at us. Daryl chanced to look up and I examined his reaction. Lane must be shooting the small horde.
"Why the fuck didn't you kill him?" Dwight asked as he watched the bullets slice through the soft bodies.
"I thought I did," Daryl replied. "I hit someone else."
"Fuck," Dwight sighed. "It's like they fucking knew it was coming. I killed one and I thought Alan got another, but the third guy shot Shawn before he could react, and when the bullets started flying, he ran off."
"Well, it's just Lane now," Daryl said and aimed the bow, but the truck lurched forward. "The hell?"
"We're getting the fuck out of here." Dwight was hunched over the steering wheel and he pulled a sharp one-eighty.
"We can't leave him alive!"
"With as much fucking noise as he's making, he won't be alive for long. He doesn't have limitless ammo, and his truck is fucked," Dwight replied, accelerating back the way we had come.
Metal rained on us again and there was a loud pop as the back left side of the truck dipped down. I grabbed onto Daryl as Dwight cursed, leaning further forward as he pressed hard on the pedal, but another pop resounded and the entire back side of the truck was on the ground.
"Shit!"
We fishtailed, the loss of two tires destabilizing the vehicle. Dwight tried to ease it to a stop, but we'd been going too fast, and the truck skidded, spinning out into a ditch. We landed at a thirty degree angle, the right side of the truck flat against the embankment while the left was suspended in the air, hovering above the ground. And my head was fucking killing me.
"Fuck," Dwight groaned, and then gasped.
"Everly?" Daryl pushed against the door we landed against and I did the same, trying to get upright. "Hold on."
He got to his knees and took my arms, sitting me up. My eyes roved over his body, looking for any mortal wounds, and I found he was doing the same. When we both came up empty, our sights met in relief and I wrapped my arms around his waist.
"Dwight to Trevor." The walkie warbled in his hand. "We've been compromised, but we're alive… Send someone to meet us where we split up, and in the meantime, proceed with the plan. We'll be on foot, but we'll try to make it there. Over."
He looked back at us. "Everyone alright?"
"Yes," I mumbled from Daryl's chest. He ran a hand over my head and I gasped as a sharp pain radiated through the back of my skull.
"What is it?" Daryl pulled away, concerned.
"My head," I mumbled, touching the spot tenderly. "I must've hit it."
Daryl removed my beanie, and I hissed as his fingers ran over the sore flesh.
"Dammit, you've got a pretty big knot. Do you feel dizzy at all? Nauseous?"
"No. My head just hurts," I replied.
"What year is it?" Dwight asked from the front and I promptly told him to zip it.
"Just tell me if you're startin' to feel worse." I could see the concern on Daryl's face through the darkness. He tugged me up the seat toward the door. "Come on. We gotta get outta here before we're trapped."
He pushed open the door, but Dwight stopped him.
"Don't forget this," he said, holding up the crossbow.
I grabbed it from him, slinging it over my shoulder, and turned back to Daryl, taking his hands as he pulled me out of the wreckage.
"Stay low. He's still up there," he whispered angrily as Dwight emerged behind me, and the three of us crouched in the ditch.
"You're not goin' any-fucking-where! I told you!" Lane's echoing voice was followed closely by the rat-a-tat from the Uzi.
Dwight peeked over the edge of the ditch. "You guys go. The dead are closing in on him and they'll be heading this way soon."
"He'll kill you." I grabbed his arm, tugging it so he'd look down at me.
"Not if I kill him first." Dwight smiled slightly. "Or the walkers. Either one."
"Be careful," Daryl told him, taking my hand and pulling me away.
"I won't be too far behind you."
Dwight waited while Daryl dug his bag out from the wreckage. When he found it, Dwight nodded us off and we rounded the truck, staying low to avoid detection and stray bullets from Lane's Uzi. I tried to focus on my surroundings and keeping one foot in front of the other, instead of the pain in my head, but in doing so I heard Dwight try to reason with the crazed Savior, telling him they could work together to destroy the horde. As we entered the woods I heard a chorus of shots, and I didn't dare look back to see where the bullets went. I held on tightly to Daryl's hand and let him lead me away from the chaos.
My toes and fingers were numb, my legs and eyelids heavy. I wanted to stop walking and sit down, fall asleep against a tree, but I couldn't. We couldn't stop. There was danger in every direction, and we'd be signing our death sentence if we didn't keep going. But I wanted to rest.
"I don't know how much farther I can go."
I didn't want to whine, but exhaustion had crept up my limbs and nestled itself between my ears, and my head continued to throb. It wasn't worse than before which was good, but the persistent ache and high stress of the night had worn me down.
"I know, but we don't have much farther to go. You still feeling alright?" Daryl stopped to face me, cupping my face in worry.
"I feel horrible," I responded honestly, "but I don't think it's all attributed to my head injury."
He kissed me softly. "We're almost there. Keep goin'."
He took my hand again and lead me through the woods, our feet crunching on dead leaves as we passed through the silence. The night was dark but illuminated by a full moon lighting our way. I only grew slightly more anxious when clouds drifted past; deadening the silver highlights which gave me the only indication that we weren't walking straight into danger.
Daryl knew when panic started to grow in me. He'd draw me to his side and lock my arm under his and keep us moving. The terror would eventually melt away by the warmth he lent me. It wasn't a lot, but it was enough to bring me back down. I was thankful for that; thankful for him. If I'd been on my own again, I might've given up and lied down next to a tree; let its roots wrap me up and take me under. But Daryl gave me a reason to push on.
"There," he whispered and squatted, pulling me down with him. He pointed, dragging my attention to a block of trees in the distance.
"What?" I was confused and scared all over again.
"That light." He continued to point, but I barely saw it. My nails started to dig into his knuckles.
"You mean that tiny pinprick a thousand feet away?"
"Yes. Someone's there. Might be someone we know or someone we don't."
"Might be someone we don't want to see. Let's not go there," I ventured further.
Daryl cast me an agreeing sideway glance. "It might be one of ours. We'll move up slow and scope it out. If we see something or someone we don't like, we'll go."
"What if they see us first?" I dared to ask and shivered.
"They won't."
I glanced back at the tiny point of twinkling light, fully unprepared for what we would find there. Everything inside of me was telling me to run the opposite way, but my instincts hadn't always been on cue. Daryl must've sensed my unease because he slid his hand from my own and took my face again.
"Nothin' will happen to you. I'll murder every motherfucker out here before they get to you. You understand me?"
I nodded and pulled him close; hugging him to me like it would be the last time.
"I love you," I whispered in his hair.
"I love you," he returned, pulling back to place his lips on my own.
When we parted I was breathless and heartbroken. The dramatic change from excited optimism to absolute dread was overwhelming. There had always been the high possibility of tonight going wrong, but this was supposed to finally be a win for us. I wanted it so badly, but I was already experiencing the loss.
"Let's go."
He stood up, bringing me with him. I nearly refused to let him go before realizing how childish I was being. We hadn't been captured yet and we were a long way from the Sanctuary. We didn't have a vehicle, but we were also less of a target now. The trick was staying in the shadows and not dying from exposure or a random walker that happened to be stumbling by.
I walked quietly next to Daryl as we followed the light. He was tense the closer we got, but I trusted his judgment entirely. I fell behind him, allowing him the freedom to get closer to the road before I moved forward. I crouched when he did, closing my eyes and placing my fingertips to the forest floor as my heartbeat swayed me with its erratic rhythm. This was it.
"It's Trevor," Daryl revealed and I became lightheaded with relief.
He came to me, supporting my weight as he ushered me out of the trees and to the waiting car.
"Where the fuck is Dwight? Alan and Shawn?" Trevor asked as he stepped out of the driver's seat.
"He's back there, alive or dead. I donno. And they're both dead." Daryl was short as he opened the back passenger door and put me inside.
"What?" Trevor demanded, appalled.
"Get in the car and drive," Daryl spat as he sat down next to me.
"So, Dwight's out there alone? We can't leave him," he began to argue, getting in the car.
"He told us to go ahead without 'im. We did."
"We'll go back then." Trevor put the car into drive and turned left.
Daryl leaned forward in his seat, irate. "There ain't nothin' down there but a pile of dead bodies. Everly is hurt. She needs a doctor now."
"It won't take long!" Trevor refused to turn around. "We just need to check. You fucking owe Dwight that much after all he's done for you."
Daryl was still angry, but didn't argue further. Trevor had a point, and while I was still on edge and high-strung, I felt safer in the confines of the car. And I was finally off of my feet. I could rest now. Maybe close my eyes…
"Everly!"
Hands shook my shoulders and I bolted up right, frightened.
"You have to stay awake. Don't go to sleep," Daryl cautioned, and I nodded automatically whilst trying to contain my bladder. He'd nearly scared the piss out of me.
We coasted down the road we'd already traveled once with the knowledge that only death waited for us at the end. The second time wouldn't be the charm, and nervousness was an invisible passenger by my side, holding me hostage.
But this night could be salvageable, I told myself.
Maybe Dwight killed Lane and managed to get away from the walkers, or maybe the walkers got Lane and saved Dwight the trouble; like he predicted. Maybe it didn't go that way at all and we were on our way to identify our dead friend. Whatever the outcome, I just hoped it ended with all of us at the Kingdom safe and sound.
"Is that…?" Trevor began to ask, but let his question drop.
I sat forward, following his and Daryl's sight to a lone figure emerging from the trees and limping to the middle of the road. Its head was down, one leg dead and dragging behind it. From a distance, I couldn't tell if it was a walker, but it was clearly a man with long, blond hair that could only be Dwight's.
Trevor accelerated forward, getting us closer but not quite coming up to the figure. The headlights illuminated his entire form and he was covered in blood from head to toe. Yet still, his head remained down and he dragged himself towards us in the same gimpy gait.
"I'm getting out to check," Trevor informed us and exited the vehicle.
He jogged up to him and held out his hand. The man stopped and tediously lifted his head, hair falling away from a scarred face. It was Dwight, and he was alive.
"Holy shit, he made it?" I wondered aloud.
Trevor grabbed Dwight's arm and helped him to the passenger door, but his heavy limp was somehow gone. The former Savior helped his friend inside the car and got back into the driver's seat, turning the car to finally head in the right direction.
"How the hell did you make it out of there?" Trevor asked what we were all thinking.
"I thought he killed you," I muttered, glad it wasn't true.
"He almost did." Dwight laughed with a cough. "Shot me pretty good. Don't think it's serious, though."
"Where?" Daryl demanded, and Dwight showed us his shoulder.
"Nothing vital, but it hurts like a fuckin' bitch."
"Only one bullet outta that Uzi hit you? Do you have nine fuckin' lives or somethin'?" Daryl jested and it set me pleasantly at ease. I smiled.
"Must be something like five now," Dwight retorted. "Mine hit that fucker in the head before he could do anymore damage, and then I hightailed it the fuck out of there."
"So… you didn't break your leg?" I was confused.
Dwight looked back at me. "Oh, no. That was all for show in case you turned out to be someone else. I didn't know whose car I was approaching, but if it wasn't you guys, I was putting this baby to use."
Dwight held up Lane's Uzi and I sat away from it immediately.
"Put that away before you hurt yourself or us."
"Keep your panties on. My finger isn't on the trigger."
"That don't mean shit," Daryl disagreed, but patted him on the shoulder lightly. "Glad you made it out."
"Me too, man. Glad you guys did, too."
We were coming back up to the junction where Trevor had initially picked us up when bright headlights suddenly rounded the bend in front of us, blocking our path.
"Oh, fuck!" Trevor slammed on the brakes.
"Reverse!" Dwight yelled and Trevor did, sending us flying backward, but the large truck in front of us was ready for that and accelerated up to our front bumper.
"Daryl," I whimpered, searching for him. He held onto me, keeping me close.
Another truck emerged from behind the one ahead of us, coming up to our side and blocking us in. I screamed as we were hit from the front and Trevor lost control, the steering wheel moving of its own accord as we spun out. We didn't hit a ditch this time, and thankfully there were no dramatic rolls or a debilitating crash into a tree. We skidded to a complete stop in the middle of the road where we were put on a spotlight by multiple vehicles, and I knew we were totally and utterly fucked.
I looked out my window, blinded by the brightness that glared back at me. A tall silhouetted figured strutted in front of the headlights, casting a large shadow in the space between us, and the weapon he held at his side was long and studded like a barbed wooden bat.
He whistled two notes; a faint, melodious tune that struck terror in me like no other. It seemed to sing, "I'm here."
Edited by Nightperidot.
I am working on posting regularly again starting today! I will try my hardest to have a chapter up every Monday until this story is finished. This one might have been a bummer, but there's always more! Do you think they're totally and utterly fucked or will they find a way out of it? I guess we will all see NEXT MONDAY! (Please, Lord. Please.)
BlueMoon, my dad thoroughly enjoys spoiling shows for me, so I basically already know the first part of this season, lol. I'm definitely disappointed.
Thanks to my guest reviewer. So much for them not getting captured, eh? Well, they're technically not captured yet. Just caught, but they could still get away! Keep your fingers crossed.
P.S. I hope everyone had a good holiday and new year! Continue to stay safe and wish for bright things for 2018! Our world needs it! Much love.