Blessing or a Curse? ➳ Daryl Dixon

37. Bloodless

Sydney is swinging the knife around wildly, the arm movement not ceasing even when Daryl's arms are wrapped around his waist and pulling him away from the bodies on the ground. Rick has to duck out of the way, bumping into Michonne in the process, to avoid a stab wound to the neck.

The door to Gabriel's office is opened, the priest looking heavily disgusted and shocked by what had taken place. Earlier, the man had talked about this as a house of God. How violence shouldn't be tolerated inside.

While Merle had laughed and entertained the man, Daryl couldn't help but just scoff and exit the conversation entirely. What a coward.

Sydney has coated himself in blood, all over his hands and arms, splashed across his shirt and his face in streaks that looked like they were painted there. He's sure that if Sydney hadn't done so to that man, he would have gotten his hands on him too. Daryl isn't sure what had happened, but he knew something bad had happened to Sydney, and that was enough to make him want to tear the heads off anyone responsible.

"Christ," Daryl grunted, as he struggled with the smaller man, trying to avoid the slashes from the knife. He managed to finally grasp Sydney's hand and hold him in place, prying his fingers from the hunting knife. It clattered to the ground, smeared with blood. The younger man finally stopped fighting against him, slumping in his arms.

He placed him down on one of the church benches- hell if he knew the actual name for them, but he was surprised Gabriel hadn't tried preaching the gospel about them. "Syd?" Daryl questioned, trying to gather his attention.

Sydney starts laughing. Even though he looks like he's going to cry, he's laughing, staring down at his hands covered in blood.

"He's fucked," Merle mumbled from behind him, and Daryl resisted the urge to tell him off.

Daryl just stares at Sydney, having no idea what to do. The other man is just laughing as if something funny had happened.

Behind him, some of the group is trying to get rid of the five bodies. He can only imagine the stain that's going to be left on the hard wooden floors, as the bodies are dragged across. Give Gabriel something to complain about it.

"He killed me," Sydney wheezed out, trying to catch his breath from the laughter, "But... ha... I killed him... too," Daryl could barely understand what he was saying, but that's what he managed to get out of it. He failed to understand what was so funny.

Daryl had been upset that Sydney was in pain back when he first saw him after Terminus. Then he got mad. He was mad that the other man hadn't told him about it- But Rick knew, Michonne knew, Glenn and Maggie had known.

"Back when you went off with Merle," Rick clears his throat, the leaves crunching underneath his boots, "His injuries..."

Daryl still remembers the feeling of Sydney's fist against his face, when he had returned to the prison. The other had been so mad at him for leaving. He had given him the benefit of the doubt, but he hadn't understood why he had been so mad at him, he had returned after all. "He died?" He muttered, clutching his crossbow tight in his arms. He didn't look at Rick, just stared at the ground as he walked, pretending he was looking for tracks.

"Yeah," The other man confirmed, which felt like a stab to Daryl's heart. It was then he realized how much that Sydney meant to him.