Chapter 22-The Bar

Rick's P.O.V

Rick sat in the back of the car as Glenn drove down the road. "Do you think we'll be able to convince him?" Rick asks.

"I hope so," Daryl says. "Hershel is going through a hard time. He had hope that he would get his family back and that was taken from him. I would drink too," Daryl tells him.

"We'll get Hershel back to his daughters," Glenn says. "After we'll figure out what we are going to do with that barn," Glenn says as he looks at Daryl as he looks out the window. "So should I look for a new tent mate?" Glenn asks with a smirk making Daryl look at him.

"Shut up," Daryl says.

"Why would you need a new tent mate?" Rick asks.

"Daryl decided to finally decided to make a move on Amy," Glenn says. "You haven't had to watch those two dance around each other for the last month."

"I'm gonna kill you," Daryl growls.

"Sure you will," Glenn says.

"It's a good thing, Daryl," Rick says making the redneck look at him. "We should try to find whatever shred of happiness we can in this world," Rick says to Daryl who looks back out the window.

"Next person to talk about Amy and I is getting pushed out of the car," Daryl says making the other two men smirk.

Andrea's P.O.V

Andrea walked outside of the house and saw Maggie sitting on the porch. She walked up to her and sat on the railing. "You alright?" Andrea asks.

"I'm worried," Maggie says. "Otis went to check on the others. I don't know what happens next. Our entire world has been turned upside down, we don't know how to survive."

"That's why you have us," Andrea tells her. "We're going to teach you how to survive."

"I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want too, all we've done is lie to you," Maggie says.

"Your Dad saved my sister," Andrea says. "I don't know what I would do if I lost Amy so no matter what you need, I'll help you if I can," Andrea tells her.

Maggie looks at Andrea's gun. "Can you teach me about guns, I know we're going to get gun lessons soon, but I'm sure you can teach me something."

"Yeah," Andrea says as she stands up and removes her gun and sets it down on the table and pulls a chair up.

Merle's P.O.V

Merle put the cross on the grave and looks at Madison. "The first person we've lost," Madison says. "You could have left her."

"She deserved to be buried. She was nice to me and my brother," Merle says. "You ever think about it?"

"I couldn't, not with Alicia and Nick still here," Madison says. "You?"

"No, for the same reason as you, I need to be here for my baby brother. I don't blame her though, she doesn't have any family and death by getting tourn apart by walkers is not something I want to experience," Merle says. Madison nods as the older Dixon brother walks away from her.

Daryl's P.O.V

Glenn stops the car in front of the bar. "Here we are," Glenn says as they climb out of the car.

"What's the plan here?" Rick asks. "We can't just force him to leave."

"I think you need to talk to him," Glenn says to Daryl.

"Why me?" Daryl asks.

"Because you're the only one who has made some kind of bond with him. He's barley spoken to the rest of us," Glenn says. Daryl sighs but nods as they enter the bar and see Hershel sitting at the bar.

"Hershel," Daryl says.

"Who's with you?" Hershel asks.

"Rick and Glenn," Daryl says as he walks closer to the older man. "We have to get back to the farm, Hershel. Your family needs you."

"They don't," Hershel says. "I made them believe that there was a way for them to get their families back. But I was wrong, there is no coming back, it's gone. Everything is gone, I should have let them grieve when it happened but now, I've made them weak, Beth is broken and Maggie has no idea how to survive in this world. I've failed as a father."

"No, you haven't," Daryl says as he stands beside the man. "My father, he was a piece of shit, he beat Merle and I, left us to fend for ourselves. He failed as a father, you didn't, you had hope Hershel, there is nothing wrong with that."

"There is no hope," Hershel says as he takes another drink.

"That's not true, I don't think you believe that. We can keep fighting Hershel, we have to."

"Why!? Hershel shouts as he stands. "What is the point?! There is nothing left?! So why do we fight?"

"Because we're still breathing," Daryl says. "Because what the hell else are we supposed to do? We fight for each other, you'll fight for your daughters, for you family."

"Who do you fight for, Daryl?" Hershel asks as he sits back down.

"I fight for my brother, for the two men behind me, for Amy," Daryl pauses. "I fight for my group, you're a part of that group now, even if we don't live together you are part of that group now Hershel, you and your family."

"Even Beth after what she did?" Hershel asks.

"Even Beth," Daryl says. "We keep fighting for each other Hershel, as long as we are still breathing, there is hope. There is still hope. So please, get off that god damn stool and let's get you back to your daughters."

Hershel stares at him for a moment before he grabs the glass and turns it upside down. Daryl nods as they hear glass break outside. Daryl grips his gun. "Sorry about your window, friends. I think we should talk."

T-dog's P.O.V

T-dog stopped the truck a mile away from Fort Benning. "Why are we stopping?" Jim asks.

"I don't want to drive straight up to the gates. If someone is there, I don't want them open firing on this truck," T-dog says as he turns off the truck and climbs out. Lexi, Jim, David, and Chase follow him. "We'll follow the woods, keep the road on our right in case we need to go further into the woods," T-dog tells his group who nods as they enter the woods. T-dog walks through the woods as Jim walks beside him.

"You really think anybody is here?" Jim asks.

"No, but I would rather be safe then one of us end up, dead," T-dog tells Jim who nods. "I worried about what will happen if anybody is here."

"You're worried you might have to kill someone," Jim says. "I imagine we will someday, I just hope that today is not that day," Jim tells T-dog who nods. They continue to walk in silence until they start to see the fort. The gates were down. They could hear the growling of walkers. "I don't think anybody is alive in there."

"We're going to have to clear them, aren't we?" Lexi asks.

"Yeah," T-dog says. "Jim, come with me," T-dog says as he moves towards the road. Jim follows the other man as they get onto the road and sees walkers around the base. "How many you think?"

"A dozen, maybe two," T-dog says. "We can clear that."

"I'm assuming you have a plan," Jim says to T-dog who nods.

"We're going to need the truck."

Glenn's P.O.V

Glenn, Daryl Hershel, and Rick knelt down behind the bar as Daryl pulled out an extra handgun and held it out to Hershel who took it. "We saw you go in there," The man says. "We don't want any trouble friends, but this car is pretty clean. I have to assume that means you're staying somewhere and we've been living in the woods the last couple of weeks."

"Rick, go check for a back door," Daryl tells Rick who nods as he moves towards the back.

"Nothing needs to happen here, we can all just go our separate ways," Glenn says.

"Come on, we're breathing, means we are on the same team, shouldn't we work together."

"Breaking our window isn't the best way to show you want to work together," Glenn says.

"I just wanted to get your attention. My name is Scott, what about you?"

"Glenn," Glenn says.

"Well, Glenn, you're right, we could go our separate ways, but it seems like that would benefit you more than me and my people. Now we could all come together and then everybody wins," Scott says. "So what do you say?"

"I'm sorry, but we're not looking to take anybody else in," Glenn says. "You'll have to find somewhere else."

"That's a shame, Glenn, truly it is," Scott says as Rick get's back to them.

"There's a back door, it's locked," Rick says as men outside start to shoot into the bar. The bullets hit glasses and wood as the four men huddle behind the bar. After a minute the gunfire stops.

"Find him and if he has friends, kill them, if he's dead. Bring one of them," Scott says.

"Alright, we'll move out through the back, make a run for the woods," Daryl says. "We don't know how many of them are out there. Hershel, you and Glenn go first, we'll cover you."

"We need to stick together," Glenn says.

"No, we don't. Rick and I are the best shots. You and Hershel need to go, get back to the farm, we'll meet you there," Daryl says as he looks at Rick who nods. "Go."

Glenn sighs but nods as he goes towards the back door with Hershel. Glenn pokes his head outside and doesn't see anybody as he slowly moves outside. The two men move behind a dumpster. "Glenn," Hershel says quietly as he points at a roof where two men stood. "We get past them and we can make it."

"How the hell do we do that, we're in broad day light?" Glenn asks as gun shots are heard inside.

"Randall, John, get down here!" Scott shouts at the two men on the roof who quickly get down.

"One the count of three, we run," Glenn says. "One...two...three," Glenn says as the two men stand up and start to run. They run through alleys and hear gunshots until they reach the woods. "How far to the farm?"

"We keep running, maybe an hour," Hershel says and Glenn nods as the two start to run.

Daryl's P.O.V

A couple of minutes ago

Daryl and Rick sat behind the bar as they heard the door open. "You think they ran?" A man asks.

"Who the—" The man is cut off by Daryl and Rick coming and shooting the two men in the chest sending them to the ground.

"Randall, Scott, get down here!" Scott shouts as two more men enter and are quickly shot down by the duo. "Boys, I promise you this does not end well for you!" Scott shouts.

"You got a plan here?" Rick asks.

"No, you?" Daryl asks Rick who shakes his head. Daryl looks up and grabs a bottle. He then pulls a rag out of his pocket and puts it in the bottle. "You ready to run?"

Rick nods as Daryl lights the molotov and throws it at the front door as two more men walk in. They start to scream as they catch on fire and Daryl grabs two more bottles and throws them on the ground as the fire starts to spread. "Let's go," Daryl says as they run for the back door. They get outside and start to run for the woods as men come around the alley and shoot at the men as they get behind a building. They get to the woods as they hear Scott shout.

"Follow them! Kill them!"

"We run away from the farm, come on," Daryl says as the two run in the opposite direction of the farm.

Thanks for reading, next chapter Rick and Daryl fight together to survive, Glenn and Hershel get back to the farm, T-dog and his group work on clearing Fort Benning and we check in with Shane. As always suggestions, ideas, and feedback are welcomed. Until next time.