The Fear (The Walking Dead / Daryl Dixon)

Chapter 20 - Regroup

By the time we made it to the interstate the sun had risen. Rick pulled the car to a stop amongst the other vehicles that had been left here and jumped out, but we were the only ones there.

"Well, where's mum?" Carl asked his father as I helped mine out of the back of the car. "You said she'd be here. We gotta go back for her."

"Carl..." Rick started, but the boy cut him off.

"No. Why are we running? What are you doing? It's mum. We need to get her."

"You need to be quiet, All right? Please." Rick hushed.

"She got out, I saw. I told them to come here." I added.

"Carl, listen..."

"No." Carl cut in again, storming back to the car.

"Rick... you've got to get your boy to safety." Dad spoke up. "I'll wait here for my girls and the others."

"I will as well."

"Kat..."

"I'm not leaving." I cut in stubbornly and he knew he wouldn't win this one so instead he nodded. "I know a few places. We'll meet up at one of them later." He turned back to Rick.

"Where? Where's safe? We're not splitting up." Rick stated. "They'll be here."

"You don't know that." Dad said back.

"You're a man of God. Have some faith." Rick demanded.

"I can't profess to understand God's plan. Christ promised the resurrection of the dead. I just thought he had something a little different in mind."

"Rick." I nodded over his shoulder to an approaching walker.

"Carl, get in the car." He told his son quietly as I started to head towards the walker.

"We have to handle it." I whispered to him. "It's seen us."

"We can't fire a gun, it'll draw more here and they're all we have." Rick explained.

I sighed and looked around, spotting a large black truck on the other side of the road that certainly looked like the type of vehicle a tough guy would drive. I headed over towards it, despite my father's protests and jumped into the back, looking around for anything I could use. There weren't any weapons, but it did contain a couple planks of wood surprisingly enough. They were only cedar planks so they were relatively light and easy to wield. I chose one with a few nails sticking out of the end and jumped back down to the ground lightly. The walker came over to me as Rick ushered Carl back towards the car and my dad readied his gun just in case.

But there was no need. I slammed it across the walking corpse's head, the nails burying themselves in its rotted skull, instantly causing it to fall to the ground dead, but not before splattering a few drops of blood across my cheek. I stepped back, looking around for anymore, but didn't see any. It was what I heard that caused my stomach to turn, but not from fear or nerves, but utter relief.

Daryl's motorbike could be heard in the distance just before he showed himself, riding through the parked cars with Carol sitting behind him. Not 20 metres behind him was the green car Maggie and Glenn had been driving and directly behind them was Betty.

I dropped the plank of wood as they all came to a stop and Maggie came running from the green car followed by Beth from my truck. Dad was right on my heels as they made it over to us. It was only when we pulled back that I saw Lori with Rick and Carl and then Glenn and T-Dog.

Beth continued to hug our dad, not wanting to let go.

"Where's the rest of us?" Daryl asked.

"Where the only ones who made it so far." Rick informed.