For Daryl Dixon [part 1]

Taste of blood (21)

Glenn, Maggie, Rick, Michonne, and Daryl were walking in front of me and suddenly stopped when we were a couple buildings away from the hospital. I looked around at the walkers we had just taken out and wondered how many more were around here. Too many. I glanced at a building across from the hospital and thought about the photograph Dawn had shown me, they were on the roof of the hospital when they took it. I glanced around the others and saw the street that led to the building. There was a group of twelve or thirteen walkers outside the entrance but I saw a ladder hanging from the side of the building.

"There." I pointed and told Rick. Everyone looked at me as if I had just showed up. The journey was filled with them strategizing about how they would make there way inside the hospital but I knew that could be dangerous. "That's our vantage point."

They all looked at the building I was pointing at and waited for me to continue. I could see Maggie and Glenn staring at me in disbelief. They had never seen me in action before. Well, I wasn't going to let them down now.

"Daryl and I will head over to the ladder on the side of the building and he'll get me up to it so I can pull it down. I'll need someone to distract the walkers at the entrance though." I thought about this for a moment and then looked at Rick and Michonne. "You may wanna just use your sword and Rick can cover you. If the people at the hospital hear us they may be more dangerous than the walkers. Once I get the ladder down, we'll sweep the building and let you in."

"Everybody got that?" Rick said now, letting his surprise of my tone fade and switch into focus on the task at hand.

"Who are you?" Maggie hardly whispered with disbelief in her eyes. I grew up sis. Get used to it.

"A freak of nature." I heard Glenn say with a smile across his face.

"Glenn and Maggie will cover you and Daryl. You ready?" Rick asked me.

I inhaled and started walking along the building. I felt Daryl behind me and didn't chance looking back at him and getting distracted it. I knew he was there. I knew he would keep me safe.

****

We finally made it to the ladder with only two walkers in the way. Daryl killed them both before I could even try. He wasn't taking any chances. I knew he didn't like me being out here with him. I could sense his frustration the entire way over. But he knew I wouldn't risk leaving his side, not again.

"This is it." He said looking up at the ladder. The hospital was hardly in sight but I could see Glenn and Maggie a few yards back taking down a few walkers heading our way.

"We should hurry." I said and motioned him to pick me up. He lifted me towards the ladder and pushed me up effortlessly. I tried not to think about his hands on my thighs and attempted to concentrate. When I finally got my fingertips on the last bar of the ladder I gripped it tight. "I got it."

I felt Daryl lightly take his hands away and I flew down with the ladder in hand.

"Graceful." He said on the other side of the ladder.

Maggie and Glenn were with us now and they started up the ladder first. I looked behind me at what Daryl was staring at. It was Rick and Michonne. They were being ambushed by a herd of walkers. Daryl started towards them and I looked up at Maggie and Glenn who were half way up. Maggie looked down at me as if to tell me to come with her. Her face was intense and scared; she knew what I was thinking.

"Go!" I shouted up to her and Glenn. As soon as I let go of the ladder the bottom half raised up again out of reach. I turned to see Daryl shooting at the walkers surrounding Rick and Michonne and ran towards them. I pulled out a couple of Daryl's arrows out of my pack and my knife. I watched Myshonne slice the head of a walker as Rick got pushed against the entrance of the building. I plunged the arrow in the head of the walker just as he fell to the ground. He took my hand as I helped him up and I went to the next victim. Daryl was on the other side of the herd clearing out the back of them. I stayed near Rick as we killed each walker with our knife's and Daryl's arrows. There was only one left and I watched Myshonne take the last hack. There was another herd heading our way after all the commotion.

"Let's go!" Rick shouted to us all and we headed back to the ladder. This time Daryl pushed me up faster and we all made our way up. Maggie and Glenn were waiting for us on the rooftop. I ran to her arms and hugged her tight.

"I'm sorry." I said to her.

"Don't be," she pushed a piece of hair out of my face. "That was so brave. I don't think I could've done that."

I looked over at Glenn who was watching us and holding the door to the building open. Rick, Myshonne, and Daryl were walking towards him.

"Ready for round two?" Rickasked me as we followed everyone into the building.

"Let's do this." I saidand smiled up at him. I was surprised at how much he believed in me. I thoughtof my dad and how much he liked Rick. He knew he was a good man. I wonder if upin heaven he could see he was still looking out for me like he promised.

Itwas dark inside the building and cold. Rick and Michonne were in front of meleading the way. I looked beside me to see Glenn following beside Maggieand Daryl bringing up the back. The stairs echoed with each step. The firstfloor from the top had five walkers. Three already dead and two trapped in acloset. The next floor down was similar. It wasn't until we got to the secondfloor of the building that things got strange. It was cleared out completely.Not just raided for supplies but completely empty. There were outlines on thefloor of where furniture used to be.

"Looks like this used to be a sheriff's office." Rick said to us now, looking around. He walked to a door and openedit. "Yup, here's the armory."

"Strange." Michonne said following him inside."All the weapons are still here."

"That's because they belong to someone." Weall turned to hear where the voice came from. Nine men had entered the room behind us. Before I could reach for my gun I felt a huge arm wrap around my neck and pull me back. Next to me another man grabbed Maggie. I tried to get away but felt a knife at my throat a moment later.

"Let her go." Both Glenn and Daryl said at the same time. I could hardly see either of them over the large arm covering half my face. I could barely breath.

"Now. Now. Let's put those down before somebody gets hurt." The man holding me said this and pulled tighter. I heard Maggie scream and guessed the other man did the same. "Why don't you two get away from my guns? Now."

I could hear Rick and Michonne walking towards us but stopped as the man squeezed again taking the last supply of breath I had. I opened my mouth and bit him out of instinct to get more air and I could taste blood in my mouth.

"Stupid bitch." I heard him say as I fell to the ground. Moments later I felt him hit me across the face and the darkness overcame me.