Red River Blue
Chapter 21
Daryl and River headed away from the front gate. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hands before she slung her arm around Daryl's waist and pulled him into her side. He stopped walking just long enough to give his sister-in-law one big squeeze.
"Ya had ta send him home," Daryl said. "Axel was just gonna cause more damn trouble here. Harely's got 'im." River nodded. She knew sending her son home was for the best. They didn't know what sort of issues this new group was going to cause. And even if they didn't do much, she still didn't want her youngest child inserting himself into the middle of it. Again. The concern seemed to be not the group themselves, but the large herd of walkers they were controlling. The main living area of HIlltop was gated. But the fields where they grew the majority of their food and raised their livestock were not. There was just no feasible way to wall in an area that large. Or to guard it. If these people decided to drive their pet walkers through the area around Hilltop, they could devastate the food supply. There had been some talk about finding the herd and eliminating it. And the idea of approaching the new group and making some sort of deal was also being considered. Thought that would be a hard sell after they killed Jesus and laid a baby out on the ground for the dead to tear apart. But it might still be considered.
They needed to sit down with Glenn and Maggie and decide what the best course of action was. Harley and Aiden were going to take care of notifying Oceanside and The Kingdom of the threat. Oceanside was far enough away that it was unlikely for them to be affected. But since they still traveled in the area, it made sense to alert them to the fact that there were hostile people walking around disguised as walkers. And they had the fair to consider. The Kingdom hosted a trade fair every summer. Which was due to happen soon. This meant there would be even more people out on the roads. People would need to travel in larger groups. And make sure they were well armed and prepared for an attack. Something that people in the area hadn't really been forced to do for the last several years.
"What the hell is that?," Daryl asked. As they approached the cabin area, Daryl could hear a loud banging coming from inside one of the trailers. And as he hurried towards the noise, he could also hear his brother's muffled voice. Daryl rushed into the trailer, with River close behind him. He noticed the issue right away. The bathroom door was barricaded shut with Merle inside. And he was trying to kick the door open.
"Back off," Daryl hollered, grabbing the chair that was wedged under the doorknob. He yanked it out, jumping back as the door came flying open. Merle tumbled out, flopping on the floor of the trailer and letting out a foul string of curses.
"Gonna kill yer fuckin' kid!," he announced, pointing at Daryl. "Goddamn little shit locked me in the fuckin' bathroom!"
"Why the hell would Sam lock you in the bathroom?," Daryl asked Though Mika and Sam were not above playing pranks and being silly, he couldn't think of any reason that Sam would have to do such a thing. Especially not right now with everything that was going on.
"He went after that fuckin' girl!," Merle hollered, like it ought to be completely obvious what was going on. Carol was worried Sam might light off after Lydia. Which is why she asked Merle to watch the boy while she went to help Rick with something. The sneaky little fucker made up a lie about clogging up the toilet. And when Merle went in to plunge it out, he found himself locked inside the bathroom while Sam got himself a real good head start on the search party that he must have known would be right behind him.
"Gawd fuckin' damn him!," Daryl exclaimed. "How could he be so stupid?" Daryl would like to think he taught the boy better than this. But clearly, he hadn't.
"His brain ain't doin' the thinkin' right now is my guess," River suggested. With all the teenage hormones flying around the place, it was a wonder any of them could think straight. But she had to hand it to both Mika and Sam. It was hard to say which of them had the worse choice in romantic partners. Negan or the crazy walker queen's daughter. If she was playing fuck marry kill with that selection, she choose herself to die. "I'm gonna go get Carol," River added before she hurried back out of the trailer.
While Daryl's initial reaction to Sam's sudden elopement was anger, Carol was upset and worried. After what just happened to Mika, her emotions were still raw. Carol wanted to take off out the gates so she could start searching for Sam immediately. But River and Rick convinced her to go back to the trailer and talk to Daryl first. As soon as he saw her, Daryl swept her up into his arms, hugging her against his chest.
"We'll get 'im back," he assured her, "...I promise."
"We're not gonna be able ta track 'im," Merle groused. Carol turned, regarding him with a questioning glance. Daryl could track anyone. "He learned from the best," Merle said, "...if he's coverin' his tracks we'll never find him." Carol looked up at Daryl, who confirmed his brother's statement with a reluctant nod. He taught Sam everything he knew about hunting and tracking. And though the boy didn't pick it up as naturally as Mika had, he still knew enough to make it hard to find him if he didn't want to be found.
"We know where he went," Daryl said. "He followed the herd. If we follow it, we'll find him."
"We don't have to follow the herd," Rick interjected. "When we were out looking for Mika, Harley found their camp. There was barely anyone there at the time. They must've already been on their way here. But I know where it is."
Carol released her grip on Daryl, turning to hug Rick. He returned her embrace, giving her a gentle pat on the back. Daryl gave his shoulder a quick squeeze before he went back to rubbing Carol's back and promising her everything was going to be alright. Merle leaned across the picnic bench and clapped Rick on the back, using significantly more force than necessary.
"Well what do ya know," he drawled, "...looks like yer good for somethin' other than just fuckin' my daughter after all!"