Stray // Daryl Dixon

Dark was the Night, Hopeful was the Day

There were walkers everywhere. I ran through the dead of the night, my knife in one hand and my gun in the other, I was almost out of bullets. They clawed at my back, reaching out for me from every direction. Sticks and leaves materialized out of thin air, smacking me in the face and cutting my skin as I pushed through them. I turned around, jogging backwards as I shot down the closest walkers to me, creating more distance between them and I. The sounds of their screeches made my skin crawl, I was alone, separated from Rick, Glenn, Aaron, and Michonne.

Rick had devised a plan earlier on in the afternoon. How wrong he was for it. Our trip to Aaron's two vehicles checked out, everything he told us had been true so far. Yet, Rick still didn't trust him to take us to Alexandria. Instead of taking Aaron's route back that had been cleared of walkers, Rick chose another. Everything was going fine until our car barreled right through a herd of walkers. The campervan with the rest of our people got away, but we didn't stand a chance. Aaron made a run for it into the woods when another flare gun went off in the distance. We tried to follow him, hoping it would lead us back to our people, but I ended up losing them all.

I fired off my final bullet when my body collided with a walker behind me. I screamed as its fingers gripped onto my right arm. My head swung to the side, its teeth just inches from biting down on my shoulder. I ripped my arm away, sending its body flying down on top of mine. I threw my palms upon its chest, trying to keep it away from my face. It hissed as its teeth chomped against one another, blood and drool dripping down in clumps on my forehead. I gripped my fingers into its t-shirt before using all my might to swing its body down beside me. The walker's head collided with a rock, its skull sinking around the mineral and killing it.

I huffed out a sigh of relief, trying to regain my breath. I picked up my gun and knife from the forest floor. I had to keep moving, I had to find my people, they were in these woods somewhere. I kept running forward when I could finally hear someone within earshot. It sounded like they were struggling. Their grunts and shouts drew me in closer. Then I finally found Glenn stuck in the same position as I was just minutes before. My feet carried me towards him in seconds, grabbing onto the shoulders of a walker that had him pinned and yanking it to the ground. I dropped my knees onto its chest and sank my knife into its skull in one swift motion.

"Thanks," Glenn breathed out, wiping the drops of blood from his face.

"You owe me now," I huffed out. My face remained still, but he knew I was joking.

Without another word we headed back from the way, we came, hoping to find Rick and Michonne still near the cusps of the woods. It took us a couple of minutes, weaving through bushes and trees while following the walker's steps back from where we came running.

"Get off!" a voice boomed from up ahead. We followed the voice, only to find Aaron trapped against a tree. His hands were still tied together from the trip back to Alexandria, he used his leg to push back the walker that continuously came at him.

Glenn looked reluctant to help him, I could see it in his face that he was contemplating on continuing back to the road. If it weren't for Aaron running off at the sight of the flare gun firing, we might all still be together. I shook my head at Glenn and ran off to my left to help Aaron. Thankfully Glenn cared enough to at least cover me as he followed behind. I pulled the walker away from Aaron, sinking my knife into the back of its head. The walker crumpled to my feet and when I turned around Glenn was doing something I least suspected. He untied Aaron, letting him free. The true Glenn I know and love, finally appearing again. A gunshot then roared from our left, all of our heads snapping towards it. Rick or Michonne were not far away.

"Run if you want. We got other things to worry about," Glenn looked at Aaron before heading off in the direction of the shot. I followed close beside him.