Stray // Daryl Dixon

I Will Follow You Into the Dark

A sacrifice, in Rick's mind, was our only escape from a war with the Governor. He disclosed this information to Herschel, Daryl, and I. The Governor explained to him that if he was given Michonne he'd leave us alone. Although, that was a gamble in itself. I didn't trust the Governor as far as I could throw him. Even if Rick gave him Michonne you couldn't be certain that the Governor would stay true to his word. Besides, Michonne earned her place in this group, she saved Herschel, Carl, and if it wasn't for her Rick wouldn't have known that we were taken until it was too late. But, Rick was backed into a corner and he thought this may be our only chance.

I was walking up to my cell when a mattress came flying over the bannister, hitting the ground next to me all ripped to shreds. What the hell? I ran up the steps to see what was going on.

"What are you doing?" my tone was annoyed as I watched Merle slice apart another mattress, pulling out the stuffing from the inside.

"Best dope I ever had was from inside a mattress," he explained as he continued to rip out the padding. "Not a damn thing, this place musta' been real boring." He sat back against the wall in defeat. "Hey, you got any booze? Hell, I'll even drink vodka," he asked.

"Go to hell, Merle," I answered, leaving to get to my room.

"You know the Governor was real scared of you," he said, drawing my attention back to him. I stopped, pausing by the doorway. He laughed, "Yup, shook him to the core that you didn't crack... even after what he did to yer face." He looked at me, I couldn't help that my face was a permanent glare at him. "He'd never admit it, but I could see it. You and Michonne got under his skin more than any man ever could, even your man Rick."

"Well, he's a narcissistic prick," I finally responded. He chuckled again.

"You got ma brother's liking though." He flipped the subject. I crossed my arms over my chest, uncomfortable. "You two get on real good, never seen him like that with a woman before. Nah, he's always been real quiet around them like he's scared," he continued talking. It was like he had constant diarrhea of the mouth, he had to get every thought out before the other person was allowed to speak.

"Maybe that's because he's got an older brother who can't stand to have the spotlight on anyone else but himself," I responded, my tone being flat and insulting. "It makes it kinda hard to be your own person when you're constantly having to fix your sibling's mistakes."

He wasn't fazed by my insult, instead, he chuckled again. "Missy, I like you," he smiled at me, entertained.

"I can't say the feeling's mutual."

"Your boy Rick wants to hand Michonne over to the Governor, wants me to help," he said, changing the subject again.

"I know," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. The thought of it made me sick to my stomach.

"He ain't gonna kill her, you know. He's just gonna do things to her. Probably take out one of her eyes. Both of 'em, most likely. You'd let that happen?" he asked.

"It's Rick's decision," I responded, still unable to raise my voice above a whisper.

"Nah, I don't think officer friendly has the guts to do it," he admitted.

"If he doesn't, then he doesn't."

"Maybe that's why you people need someone like me around, to do your dirty work," he sighed, leaning his head against the wall. I stared at him for a long moment while thinking about it. Merle wasn't right about a lot of things, but he was right about the Governor. He wouldn't kill Michonne, she would suffer a slow and painful death. I had to go talk to Rick.

I left the conversation abruptly, completely forgetting about what I needed from my room. Upon exiting the prison I scoped out the courtyard for Rick, he stood by the fences with Daryl. I skipped down the stairs swiftly and ran across the yard to them. He needed to know what the results would be if he went through with this.

"Rick," I huffed out upon reaching them, "What you're doing it isn't right--"

He placed his hand on my shoulder like he already knew what I was going to say, "I can't. I won't go through with it," he said, calming me down. I was shocked, pleased to hear that he had already decided against it, but shocked. He then walked away, a determined look on his face.

"He was never gonna go through with it," Daryl said, catching my attention.

"How could you be so sure?" I asked, looking over at him.

"She's one of us, it'd be like sacrificing you and me all the same."

Rick then came running back out to us, his gun held tight in his hand and a worried look on his face.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I can't find Michonne and Merle," he said, not making eye contact with me as he scanned the courtyard.

"I was just with him up in the cell block, he said he was looking for drugs. He said a lot of things, actually," I explained. How could he have gotten her out of here that quickly? Michonne would have fought back.

"Like what?" Rick questioned.

"He said you were gonna change your mind."

"Come on," Daryl said, thinking of where his brother could have gone. We followed his lead, running after him into the prison and down the tunnels. We entered the boiler room, each of us looking around for something to prove that they were here. "Here we go," Daryl said, picking up a pillowcase from off the ground. "Yeah, he took her here. They mixed it up."

"Damn it!" Rick muttered, frustrated. "I'm going after him."

"You can't track for shit," Daryl stopped him.

"Then the three of us," I offered.

"Nah, just me," Daryl rejected the idea. "I said I'd go and I'll go. Plus they're gonna come back here. You need to be ready." He walked towards the door and Rick stopped trying, allowing him to do this. Again, what I said to Merle was right, Daryl was constantly having to fix his brother's mistakes. "You're family, too," he said looking back at Rick.

He then looked at me, "Be safe," I said, although every bone in my body was telling me that he shouldn't go alone, that I needed to go with him to ensure that he was. I knew he'd be alright, but for my own sanity, I couldn't just wait here again.

He nodded his head at me, "You good?" he asked, the same way he did back on the farm before the herd.

"I'm good," I lied. I watched him walk out the door and the anxiety started creeping up on me, something told me that I couldn't let him leave without me. Before I even had time to process what I was doing, I lunged forward grabbing him by the arm. "Let me come with you," I urged. He looked back at me like he wanted to tell me no. I spoke again before he could answer. "Please, I need to."

"Okay." He gave in.