SURVIVE.
❝ Let the end of the world be
inside you, then you don't
need to fear the end
of the world out there. ❞
THE WALKING DEAD.
DARYL DIXON.
BOOK ONE of the LANCASTER SAGA.
[ SEASONS 1 - 3 ]
******
I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its...
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[ xxxi. no guarantees anymore ]
november 14th, 2010
➸➸➸
ASTRID STOOD AT THE epicenter of the camp, a turbulent morning sun casting long shadows as she flanked Rick and Shane. The group had congregated, an anxious assembly awaiting a shred of guidance. Hershel's family—excluding Maggie—was conspicuously absent, and Daryl's own absence echoed like a dark omen. The hunter was off interrogating Randall again. The mere thought of the boy in chains made Astrid's heart sink, realizing that Daryl's brand of justice would be nothing short of brutal.
"So, is there a plan?" Lori questioned. She looked worriedly to her husband as she held little Carl close to her front. "Is he staying here?"
Rick's response, hands languidly diving into his pockets, carried an air of cryptic foreboding. "We'll know soon enough," He replied.
The collective frown etched across the faces of the group revealed their discontent with Rick's enigmatic stance. Suddenly, at the sound of approaching footsteps from behind, Astrid turned, her gaze finding Daryl's entrance into camp, crossbow slung casually across his back. He came immediately to her side.
Avoiding his gaze, Astrid's eyes were drawn to the hunter's split and bloody knuckles, the sanguine evidence of his brutal interrogation of Randall. Daryl's voice, laced with a severity that mirrored his actions, shattered the silence. "He's with a gang of thirty men," He revealed. "They have heavy artillery and they ain't lookin' to make friends. If they sweep through this place . . . our men will be dead and our women—they will wish they were."
Astrid shuddered, a sickening realization dawning on her. She returned her gaze to Rick, whose command was a stern verdict. "No one goes near this guy," He ordered.
"What are you going to do?" Astrid wondered.
"We have no choice. He's a threat," Rick said. "We have to eliminate the threat."
Dale Horvath's sudden emergence from the fringes of the group was a wave of shock, his face a portrait of incredulity. His words carried indignation. "So, you're just going to kill him?" The question echoed like a gunshot.
Rick nodded sharply. "It's settled," He declared, the graveness of his decision sending ripples of unease through the gathered assembly. "I'll do it today."
With a wordless ferocity, Rick soon stalked off. Meanwhile, Dale, unyielding in his pursuit of understanding, was quick to trail after him, a lone shadow chasing a storm. The rest of the camp stood still, suspended in the aftermath of their exchange. Astrid's eyes met Lori's briefly before the latter's protective instincts led her to retreat towards the haven of the farmhouse, taking Carl with her.
Daryl started in the opposite direction, his purposeful steps tracing a path that led away from the camp altogether. The hunter had distanced himself from the camp greatly in the past week, and now had established his own living area at the edge of the forest. Only Astrid had been out there before, and she sensed that Daryl would not push her away now.
