"𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘥."
It was a chant Madalyn Taylor told herself every day. Every day since the world ended. She didn't believe it most times, but if she said it enough times it had to come true at some point. Right?
"𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦."
...
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"Shit, shit, shit!"
"Rick!" Daryl called into the radio.
"I'm here," Rick answered after only a second.
"What's going on back there?" Daryl asked. Madalyn looked back and forth between Daryl and the herd behind her.
"Half of them broke off," Rick said through strained breaths like he was running. "They're going toward Alexandria." Madalyn felt fear course through her whole body. That was a shit ton of walkers going to Alexandria. Her friends were there. Maggie. Judith. Carl.
"Towards you?" Abraham asked with the radio up to his mouth.
"We ran ahead. There's a horn or something. Loud, coming from the east. It's not stopping."
"I'm gonna gas it up, turn back," Daryl shouted to be heard over the walkers. Madalyn agreed with him to go back. Sasha and Abraham could keep leading the head. Madalyn needed to help her family back home.
"We have it. You keep going," Rick shot back.
"They're gonna need our help."
"Gotta keep the herd moving!"
"Not if it's going down, we don't."
"Alexandria needs us!" Madalyn shouted so Rick could hear her through the radio.
"The rest of that herd turns around, the bad back there gets worse," Rick stated. Daryl didn't say anything, and Madalyn's heart only quickened. They needed to go... now. "Daryl?"
"Yeah, I heard ya," Daryl said while clicking the radio off.
"We need to go back, Daryl!" Madalyn pleaded, panic filling her entire body. She needed to get home. She needed to help her friends. She needed to help Carl.
Daryl glanced back at her, his face pulled into a frown. He steered the bike close to the car and shouted at Sasha and Abraham through the window. "Hey! We gone five miles out yet?"
"Give or take some yardage," Abraham answered. "You got a reason for asking?"
"Next intersection we're gonna spin around and go back," Daryl stated.
