Consumed | 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐲𝐥 𝐃𝐢𝐱𝐨𝐧

eighteen.

"Rick?" Daryl waves his hand in front of his face, "Rick are you with us?" His mind wanders elsewhere as he stares straight ahead, unresponisve to any of us.

"Let me see the baby." Hershel calls and I pass the baby to Carl to hand her over.

"What she gonna eat?" Daryl asks pacing, "We got anything a baby can eat?"

Hershel looks over the baby girl, "Good news is she looks healthy. But she needs formula soon, or she won't survive." No fucking way. She needs to survive. We didn't just go through all of that for nothing.

"No way." Daryl slings his crossbow over his shoulder, "Not her. We ain't losing nobody else. I'm going for a run."

"I'll back you." Maggie and I say in unison. Glenn looks between us and screws his eyebrows.

"Me too." He tells us.

"Ok." Daryl nods, "Think where we're going, Beth, Charlie." Daryl takes them over to the side and whispers to them. They both nod eagerly and repeat something back. Rick stays on the floor as he stares around with not even a peep out of his mouth. I get his wife just died but he could have some sense of decency to check on his son or his newborn daughter. I look down at my red stained hands. It was just like Dale's death. Blood on my hands. My heart thumps in my chest, my hands shake as I recall the past.

Lori had the baby. She... She's gone now. The baby- the baby will never meet their mom. Lori's screams echo in my head like a nightmare rehappening. 'Look after them'. I nod. I have to look after them for Lori. A shadow covers me as I look up slowly to meet Daryl's eyes, full of emotion. "I don't think it's a good idea you come." He shakes his head at me. My mouth opens and closes as I repeatedly shake my head.

Pointing my finger at him, I shake my head, "No, no." My voice cracks. He puts his hand on my jaw forcing me to look at him.

"Kaia, just-" He says softly.

"Don't. I need, I have to go." My voice becomes hoarse, "I made her a promise. I- I need to go. Please, let me go." Tears roll down my sweaty face as I beg him. I grab his hand and squeeze it firmly, "I have to- I need to do this." Daryl's eyes soften and then he nods silently at me, squeezing my hand. He didn't need to say anything to show me he knew how I felt, his eyes told it all. A man of very few words always told stories with their eyes.

Daryl calls out orders to Maggie and Glenn as I glance over to Rick. He suddenly storms up and grabs his axe before storming into the cell block. "Rick." I call out after him but he ignores me. Carl watches his dad storm off as Hershel silently comforts him. "Come on, we're gonna lose the light." Daryl calls out to us as he speeds over to the vehicles. We all run up after him.

"There's a piggy wiggly down 85." Glenn suggests.

"It's empty." Maggie says, "I've been keeping a look out. No luck at all."

"Is there any place that hasn't been completely looted?" Daryl questions.

"You know, we saw signs for a shopping centre just north of here." Glenn tells us.

"Yeah, there's too much debris on the road." Maggie informs us, "A car will never get through there."

"I can take one of ya'" Daryl slips on his bike jacket.

"I'm going." I tell them. Maggie shakes her head.

"No, Kaia." Glenn tells me and walks up to me, "Not after everything you and Maggie have been through. I'll go." No. He doesn't understand I need to go.

"No." I tell him, "I need to go. I have to go for Lori, I have to." The couple look at eachother and they try to tell me that they will go. "I'm going. No room for discussion." I barge past them, grabbing the empty bag from Maggie. Daryl ignites his bike and I hop on the back. Glenn and Maggie stare at me as Daryl begins driving off.