Haunted | Daryl Dixon

29. Taken

It had taken a lot for Noah to be able to hold Daryl back- all of the man's strength, to be exact.

He had the intelligence at least to duck when Daryl sent a sloppy right hook his way too in an attempt to leap out onto the street after Evelyn in his frenzied state.

Daryl had been able to do nothing but watch, wide eyed and helpless as he watched the woman- the one he had just gotten back- get placed onto a stretcher by strangers and sped off into a car.

Noah had kept telling him- reassuring him- that they would be able to get her and Beth back. Together.

That was the only thing keeping Dixon grounded at the moment.

He could tell that his complete and total silence the entire way back to the church was unnerving for Noah, but he couldn't find it in himself to care. Not when his entire focus was on fighting off his every instinct to turn back around and rush into that hospital, guns ablaze and demand Evelyn back.

When the truck they had taken finally pulled up to the church, they were greeted by the vision of his group, slowly lowering their weapons at the sight of the man.

Rick was the first to approach when Daryl hopped out of the driver's side, "Are you okay?" He asked worriedly, "Where were you?"

Daniel moved to stand towards the front of the group, eyes bright with their normal light, "Where's E?" He asked, craning his neck to try and see into the back, as if she had simply fallen asleep in the car.

The way Daryl's eyes shot to the ground didn't go unnoticed by anyone.

"Daryl?" Rick asked slowly when they recived no response, "Where's Evelyn?"

The man couldn't speak. His throat felt as though it was collapsing in on itself. There was no air in his lungs.

Everyone outside tensed up, yet to acknowledge Noah's presence.

At once, without so much as a warning, Daniel surged forward and had his hands gripping either side of the man's collar in the blink of an eye, roughly pushing him up against the side of the car.

Daryl's back hit the veichle with enough force to cause immediate pain.

"Where the hell is she?" Daniel snapped, shoving him back once more, "You better tell me right now, Dixon, or so help me-"

Never had any of them seen Daniel like this. So angry, so aggressive. The light in his eyes replaced by burning flames.

It seemed as though one glimpse at his glare could send someone to their grave. And he looked just about ready to do that to any of them.

"Hey, hey, easy now." Carol moved forward and gently tried pried the man's hands off of Daryl.

The ladder still yet to say anything, both shock and guilt now keeping him from doing so.

Daniel stayed firm though, staring into the man's eyes with a mengacing rage that Daryl had hardly ever seen in his life, despite the vast amount of angry people he had dealt with.

Finally, after a tense and stiff silent moment, in which everyone watched with bated breath, Hayes finally reluctantly let up his hold and took a single step back, yet to tear his gaze away from Daryl's.

Daniel had every reason to act out like this, yet it only made the pain in Daryl's chest worsen.

The only reason Evelyn wasn't with them right now was because she had jumped into that car with him, not wanting him to be alone. It was his fault she wasn't here, where she belonged. Surrounded by the people that cared about her.