The Darkest Storm

Everything stands still, but only for a moment.

Darcy blinks slowly, lowering her bow mid-way as if she tries to shake the sense of hysteria from her body and mind. They appeared out of nowhere, and so quickly, to take a grasp of what had actually happened from Randall to this – it was incomprehensible.

Her mind whirred. Her body suddenly started aching, burning. She couldn’t speak, she could barely see. But, she could hear the sound of the approaching dead. With eyes front and arms outstretched, their mangled bodies were tripping over themselves to reach her.

She stopped, and froze. “Oh my Go-“

“DARCY, GET YOUR ASS BACK O’ER HERE NOW!”

It was the familiar southern drawl that kicked her into gear, spinning on her heels and springing towards the house and out of reach for the walkers behind her. The voice that finally convinced her of danger came from the one man she probably, in that moment, could ever get her out of her trance and had once again saved her life.

As if everything that had already happened wasn’t enough for mother nature to throw at them, there were now towering flames that engulfed the barn on the other side of the house, emitting light on hundreds of walkers heading right their way. The crackle of the wildfire became ever-present even over the howling of the living dead.

Darcy hadn’t realized she was caught staring and trying to comprehend what exactly she was experiencing again. A quick shove and tug from Daryl has managed to get her up on the porch of the white farm house.

“What the hell is going on?!” She screeched, yanking her arm from Daryl’s grasp.

The group stood staring, watching, just as she did. Almost as if they were in awe of the chaos that suddenly came out from underneath them. Glenn waved his hand frantically for Darcy to keep quiet.

“Walkers are everywhere, and ain’t no sign of Rick or Shane ‘cept that barn.” Daryl pulled her aside again, getting a slight protest from Darcy as he did. His heavy footsteps clunked against the wooden boards as he stepped into her closely and lowered his voice. “We gotta go, leave the farm. We stay ‘n fight we ain’t gonna make a dent.”

“And where are we gonna go? Back to the highway?” She asked, scoffing. She so desperately wanted this farm to be their home forever, in safety.

He nodded, “At least to meet up ‘n get things planned out again. The group’s split – “

“Patricia, kill the lights.” Hershel whispered.

“I’ll get the guns.” Andrea went back into the house to retrieve their bag of weapons but Maggie came out first prepared already and passed them out.

“I got the number – it’s no use.” Daryl squinted off into the darkness behind the barn, still strong in his realistic mindset that a fight was out of the question if they wanted even a chance to survive in the ensuing chaos.

“You can go if you want.” Hershel shrugged, loading his shotgun.

“You gonna take ‘em all on?” Daryl asked, surprised at the old man’s stubbornness that slightly matched his own.

“We have guns. We have cars.” Hershel simply said.

“Kill as many as we can, and we’ll use the cars to lead the rest of them off the farm.” Andrea nodded.

“Are you serious?” Daryl asked, bewildered at the messy plan.

“This is my farm.” Hershel locked on Daryl and looked him dead in the eye, “I’ll die here.”

“All right.” Daryl nodded, and turned to Darcy, his mind suddenly changed and shockingly excited. “It’s as good a night as any.” He gave a quick pat on her shoulder, and hopped the railing.

“Jimmy, you take the RV.” Andrea started giving out directions to the group who listened without question. “Me, T-Dog in the truck. Glenn, Maggie, Darcy, take Shane’s car.”

“I’ll mind the porch.” Hershel declared, firing off his weapon at a lonely walker that managed to get closer than the rest.

The group ran to the vehicles parked around the farm house, courtesy of Rick’s arrangement earlier that day. Unfortunately, boxes that were supposed to be unloaded before were overlooked, resulting in Darcy squished in the back seat. She ignored it as she rolled down the back right window of the SUV and for the first time, took out Dale’s rifle.

As soon as the wheels started rolling with Maggie in the driver’s seat, all hell broke loose. The vehicles drove up and down the fence line, firing at the skull of every walker in sight to their ability – Darcy took into account Daryl’s words when she saw exactly how many there were. The silhouettes were unmistakable.

“Keep it steady!” Glenn called out to Maggie, sitting in the passenger seat with his shotgun resting on the window for good measure. Darcy did the same, balancing the rifle in her hands and peering through the scope at the enemy.

“Turning…now!” Maggie yelled to them, spinning the car on it’s wheels and driving in the opposite way along the fence line. Glenn and Darcy both had the same idea of standing and sitting on the window to aim on the heavier side where the walkers where coming from.

This time, Darcy tossed aside the rifle and took out her two pistols. The walkers had broke through the weak wire fence with force, making it impossible to waste time with trying to focus on a rifle she barely used.

Unable to balance properly, Darcy threw a leg over the car door while the other was inside, and she held on to the handle up above on the car ceiling to steady herself. It was then she saw Daryl’s motorcycle slide due to the slickness of the night grass. Her heart skipped an anxious beat, and she looked around to see if Glenn or Maggie had seen it, they didn’t so they didn’t bother to stop and turn around.

“Daryl’s down!” She called out.

“I can’t turn around here!” Maggie yelled, panicking.

Darcy clenched her jaw, locking her eyes on Daryl as she stumbled to fight off the walkers quickly approaching and to get back on his bike. She made a decision with haste.

“I’m going after him.” The words escaped her lips like she had said it while casually sipping coffee and having a normal conversation.

Lifting her other leg over the door, the others never had a chance to actually hear nor grasp what she had told them. Darcy jumped, rolling against the grass when she hit and just barely making out the protests of Maggie, “ARE YOU CRAZY!”

Darcy got to her knees, raising her guns and firing at a few biters that took notice of her sudden presence. The revving of the motorcycle reached her ears, and she sighed with relief that Daryl had made it out of the pit.

“What the hell was that!” He yelled at her, stopping in front of her with the angriest sneer ever to cross his face.

“You went down I – I didn’ t know what to –“ She shook her head at him with wide eyes, honestly thinking she had to make the rash decision of going after him. Darcy pointed her gun again at a few wandering walkers behind him and took them down while he continued to yell at her.

“Just get on!” Daryl told her, revving up the bike again as Darcy climbed on the back of his seat and clutching at his sides. He drove off instantly, seeking cover on the side of the barn that seemed untouched for the moment.

Daryl jumped off immediately when he reached it, feeling the lingering touch of hers on his jacket. “What the hell where you thinkin’? Ya tryin’ to get yourself killed?”

He waved his arm at her and stomped around, pacing, still yelling loudly over the flames and gunfire. Darcy didn’t know how to react, the wave of emotion of everything that was happening to the place they were supposed to call home hit her like a storm.

“What was I supposed to do?!” She pointed, matching his volume. “Just leave you there?”

Daryl approached her, anger and frustration clouded his face, “So what ya gonna risk your life for me? To save me?!” He shook his head and got in her face, “What am I to ya, huh!? I ain’t worth you riskin’ your life for me! What am I to you!”

“Everything!” Darcy yelled.

She shoved him with everything she had straight into his chest that caused her hair to fall in her face and to make her falter along with him. Her breath heaved up and down inside her chest, making the force harder to choke back tears that were suddenly forming.

Daryl stood back, his famous frown and scowl that showed nothing true to his real emotions covered his features. He didn’t quite face her, he wasn’t sure if he could.

“You are everything to me.” She choked, “And God, I fucking hate you for it.”

Darcy puts her hands on her hips and hangs her head, she can’t hold the tears back any longer. She forces her feet to move and turn away from any more kind of embarrassment. Her actions quickly direct her mind to the possibility of loosing Daryl’s trust and companionship forever. But, blood curdling screams pierce the midnight sky and all those worries are dropped for the moment.

“That’s Carol.” Daryl says, climbing on his bike and receiving no word from Darcy as she returned to her previous position. The dirt road in their sights showed a small figure that was Carol running back and forth, trapped from only a few hungry mouths encircling around her. The depletion of energy was warring thin for her and both the hunters knew it.

Darcy shot down the walkers that were closest as Daryl focused on getting through to Carol. The coast was clear for now, but they only had a number of seconds before the next few dead reached them.

From the second her and Daryl took off on the bike, Darcy knew she’d have another decision to make. Deep down inside, Daryl knew it too.

Without hesitation, Darcy leaped off the bike and continued to shoot down the walkers that continued to close in on them. “Carol, get on the bike.” She told the woman, walking past her and continuing to fire off rounds.

“Darcy, I – what about –“ The woman’s voice was panicking. It held heaviness, sorrows, exhaustion, and even guilt.

Darcy reached over her shoulder and grabbed the rifle from her back and pushed it into Carol’s chest, “Get on the bike.”

Carol’s tears were flowing, as she took a few wary steps back towards the bike, her eyes locked on Darcy.

Unbeknownst to any of them, Daryl’s head was dropped. Small droplets of water fell onto his jeans. He could not bear saying goodbye. He knew there was a lissome chance he would ever see this woman again. The woman that ultimately, showed him who he was in just these few months of meeting, who won his heart, and had no inclination of what she meant to him.

“The – the highway.” Carol nodded, getting on to the motorcycle. “We’ll wait for you on the highway. Where Sophia – where we lost Sophia.”

Darcy nodded, another few tears fell and left streak marks through the heavy dirt on her cheeks. “I’ll see you there.” Her voice cracked.

Darcy glanced to Daryl who hadn’t said a word, but he didn’t need to; she saw him hastily wipe his eyes with his jacket sleeve and rev up the engine once more.

Darcy couldn’t bear to watch them leave, so she turned around, facing the chaos once again before spinning on her heels.

She faced the woods, and ran.