my tears ricochet

Part 110

Self doubt seemed to burn straight through him. His heart couldn't seem to beat without tallying up his losses, and to his own miserable mind, his losses always equaled his own failures. Guilt was the one constant thing he had left.

Glenn dogged his shadow like an anchor to his warpath, singlehandedly preventing him from losing himself to the mission. The further they traveled, the less human he felt. Glenn knew this. Glenn, with his wry grin, refused to let him sink any deeper than he ultimately had to. The circles beneath their eyes were as dark as violets, a perfect match for brothers forged from bruises and scabs, the angry scar tissue that ultimately proved their survival.

The Saviours kept breaking into smaller groups before reuniting in larger ones, making it difficult to stay on their heels. They kept getting pushed further back as the units peeled off, unwilling to get caught with another group coming up from behind, treacherous journey wrought with the danger of a loaded weapon in the dark, the teeth of the many against the pair of them.

And, Daryl knew, if anything happened to them? Ivy would be left alone and it wouldn't take much to settle that score. Her facade was getting worn around the edges, every single person exhausted from the death march that collected more of the undead, starved and tired.

He had been watching from the higher ridges through the scope of a rifle at the walkers milling down below trying to trace his daughter amongst the herds. It was difficult telling where the living were steering the numbers but movement caught him, a swirling violence amongst so many, swarming where one person must have tripped or stumbled.

His heart had frozen solid as he watched heads bob down below, crimson spraying dusty clothing. Two hours later it reluctantly began to beat again when he saw familiar white-blonde hair coming up over the rocks, Dwight keeping her from falling.

Daryl forced himself to remain silent like a fire. Forced himself to plant himself deep into the ground, roots unfurling from rage, tasting old blood in his mouth.

The pine trees got patchier where the soil turned to thin. Daryl traced his fingers over the rough bark and breathed in; focusing on the life growing where the land was turning cold. Glenn watched and waited; the man willing to move forward with a plan, someone redirecting Daryl's anger. "They're getting excited," he said simply, looking at the tracks in the ground. A couple trucks had come through and torn ruts through like a path. "More of 'em are collecting by the night."

"We're a long way from home," said Glenn tersely, fingers folding back the cuff of his sleeve to prevent it from dangling where the absence of a hand was. "Dunno what Simon's wanting out here."

Most buildings were gutted for anything of value. Daryl had scoped through a couple and found the homes a barren wasteland; the Saviours took family photos for dart boards, drank straight through the alcohol, burned rag dolls in their fire pits, and made everything into nothing. "He's got the numbers. They're gonna turn back around—"

He saw movement and raised the gun quick like lightning, barely freezing on the trigger before he drove his finger hard against it. Beth raised her hands plainly, Rick pushing her back. "Hi," she called, tentative. "Fancy seeing everybody here."

Glenn's neck turned blotchy red with unfamiliar anger. "What the hell?"

Rick looked tired. He looked so distant from the man who wandered around the campsite back in Alexandria with his optimism and plans. Their mission was sickeningly legions from the simplicity of scooping up a bag of guns left on a street. Every life was teetering on the balance. "She gave me the slip," Rick said. "I've been trying to catch up to her."

"And you did," Beth snarked back, shoving her hands back in her pockets. "I just caught up to them first."

He lowered the gun. "That sister of yours is gonna skin you alive and turn you into a nice looking jacket when she gets hold of you," Daryl warned her. "Don't come crying to me about that."