Lone Survivors

We were outside, partly enjoying the sun and partly worrying about Rick. He was wandering past the exterior fence, reaching out for something that wasn’t there, completely lost in his own world. I stared at him, gripping onto the metal fence with my injured hand as I wished that I had left with Daryl and Merle. Anything would be better than being led by someone who was losing their mind… Carol, Axel and I were on the walkway that we had just secured with wooden barriers, the two of them engrossed in conversation while I remained silent. They were getting along so well it was making me think about Daryl… Damn it! Why did he have to be so stubborn and leave?

A gunshot pierced through the air, followed by a whoosh of air. My body froze for a second before I dropped to the ground. What the hell? As the usually quiet prison broke out into gunfire, Carol crawled across the walkway and she pushed open the door, grabbing two sniper rifles and passing them to Axel and I.

“You two stay here! I’ll go and get another gun and help out down below,” she called before leaving us alone. I checked the gun over quickly before pushing the tip through a gap in the fence. It put a lot of strain on my wounded arm to hold it still while taking aim and firing, but I had to do it. The Governor was attacking us, and I wouldn’t let him win or take any lives today.

All Axel and I seemed to do was fire near misses and put a few bullets in a vehicle. Then the van with the Walkers showed up. One of our precious fences was destroyed, and the demonic undead now prowled what used to be a safe zone. I slowly turned to Axel to see his look of horror. We were so screwed now… Once the enemy had left, I used the scope to check out the field and spotted Hershel standing up in long grass. Behind the fence there was Rick, and…

“Daryl!” I breathed with a grin. I quickly removed the rifle and put it back in its place. “Come on! We gotta go save them!” Axel hurried after me, both of us grabbing small weapons on the way out. Alongside of Carol, Axel and Michonne, I stuck sharp objects into the Walkers’ heads, creating a path for Hershel to hobble back up the drive and into safety. Rick followed with Daryl shooting his arrows, and unfortunately with Merle helping out too. I hit the last Walker chasing Hershel and then ran through the gate. Beth slammed it shut and locked it, rotting hands trying to get at her. It was a scary reminder that one of our defences had been broken. I turned around, trying to come up with a greeting for Daryl. Instead, my heart was crushed when I saw him embracing Carol and smiling.

“Everyone! Get inside! They might be comin’ back!” Rick yelled. We didn’t need to be told twice. The second we were in the cellblock, Merle was locked up and everyone was welcoming Daryl back with open arms. Relief was evident on their faces, and I knew it would be on mine too. After shaking hands with Rick, Daryl turned to me, his face breaking into an even larger smile. He took a few steps to close the gap between us and hugged me so tightly I almost couldn’t breathe.

“What made you come back?” I asked in a low voice, inhaling his scent.

“You,” Daryl said before pulling away. “I’m getting in a habit of comin’ back for ya, aren’t I?” I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Yeah, but it’s a good habit.” Now the group was safe again.