Between the Thorns
Chapter 48
"He's with me," Daryl explained, ticking his head towards Rick as he spoke to the men outside the outpost where the large guns were being held. Rick nervously held his ground as the larger of the three men approached him. But the man was only offering Rick his hand.
"Welcome to the party," the man said, pumping Rick's hand up and down. "We need all the help we can get," the man added.
Rick and Daryl couldn't have timed their arrival at the outpost any better if they tried. Most of the occupants were already shot during the Kingdom's attack on the place. And those that remained after they ran the King off were in the middle of loading the large guns into the back of a truck when Rick and Daryl showed up. If they'd pulled up ten minutes later, the men would have already been on their way to destroy the herd of walkers outside the Sanctuary.
Daryl and Rick helped the men load up the heavy weaponry before Daryl lifted his gun and shot them both through the head. Given how friendly Daryl seemed with them when they arrived, his execution style killing gave Rick a chill. And he wondered if Daryl would ever consider dispatching him in the same way if their agendas no longer aligned.
"Where ya wanna stash these?," Daryl asked, gesturing towards the guns. And Rick quickly shook off the feeling of foreboding that filled him. Daryl was his friend. His brother. And Rick reminded himself that while Daryl might have seemed friendly with Negan's men, they kidnapped and tortured him. Making nice with them was probably just what he had to do to survive.
"We should take them back to Alexandria," Rick said. Daryl nodded briefly, more interested in filling the empty pack he found with explosives than he was in where Rick was taking the large machine guns. "What're ya doin' with that?," Rick asked. Daryl didn't answer at first. He finished filling his bag first. Rick had to ask him again to get an answer.
"Goin' to the Sanctuary to finish what you started," Daryl finally huffed. "Gonna blast the wall and let the walkers in."
"That's not the plan," Rick countered. The plan was to hold Negan inside and force a surrender. That way they could avoid killing the people inside the place that were being held against their will. Rick was still trying to convince himself that he was the good guy in all this.
"Yeah? Well that's my plan," Daryl said, unconcerned with Rick's objection. They had only just barely stopped the men from this outpost from taking the Sanctuary back. Daryl was sure Rick had sentries posted outside the place. But he was naive if he thought that Negan would ever surrender. He'd kill and eat his own people before he ever admitted defeat.
Rick watched as Daryl secured the pack of explosives to the back of his bike, unsure of what he ought to do. There were times when he and Daryl didn't agree. But the man never just outright challenged his authority before. And Rick wanted to avoid being drawn into a physical altercation with Daryl if possible.
"Hey!," Rick hollered, using his most authoritative tone. "That's not the plan." Daryl ignored him, continuing to pack his bike. Rick hesitated for a moment. Then he pressed forward into Daryl's personal space, forcing him slightly back and away from his bike. "Listen to me," he urged. Daryl narrowed his eyes, his face contorting in anger.
"Listen to ya?," he mocked. "Like you listened ta me outside Alexandria when I told ya ta stand the fuck down?" Daryl rapped his fingers against Rick's chest as he spoke.
"We won that battle," Rick hissed.
"Won?," Daryl hissed. "Ya got Carol fuckin' killed!"
By this point, Daryl was screaming directly into Rick's face. Little bits of spit were hitting him. And while Rick's intention was not to escalate the situation, he found himself shoving Daryl away from him. Hard. The push seemed to be what Daryl was waiting for. Because he wasted no time in cocking his fist back and punching Rick in the face. The two men descended on each other, falling onto the pavement as they grabbed and swung their fists. With Daryl not only being the larger of the two men but fueled with rage, it didn't take him long to gain the upper hand. He rolled on top of Rick and punched him hard in the face again. When Rick saw him cock his fist back for another hit, he was honestly worried that Daryl might actually kill him. But as his fist swung down, Daryl shifted his body, hitting the pavement with his open palm instead. Then he grabbed Rick by the shirt, yanking his head and shoulders up off the pavement.
"I'm not Negan's bitch anymore. And I'm sure the hell not yer bitch," Daryl hollered. "I'm gonna do what needs ta be done. And if you get in my way again, I swear I'll fuckin' kill ya!"
Rick put his hands up, indicating that he surrendered. And he breathed a sigh of relief when Daryl released the rough hold he had on him and rose back up onto his feet. Rick rolled onto his side, coughing up the blood that was running down his throat and spitting it out into the ground. His vision went hazy for a moment. But he managed to force himself up into a sitting position. Daryl didn't check to see if he was alright. He just swung his leg over his bike and fired it up. When the noise from his bike disappeared off down the road, Rick heard Ezekiel and Jerry calling for help near the fence.
