Double Crossbow (Daryl Dixon) [The Walking Dead]

Chapter 31 ↣ What's the use of poetry?

"I was always a thing
that was going to happen to you,
the lightning that would strike
on a day that came
with no thunder,
and all the shelter
in all the world couldn't have
saved you.
All my life
I've been making my way
to you."

- Tyler Knott Gregson, Typewriter series #1115

↣ ↢

Kathryn

"UP EARLY AREN'T we, Sheriff?" I asked without turning around.

The footsteps halted. "How do you do that?"

I looked over my shoulder and down to the ground. There was Rick, curiously looking up at me. I walked to the edge of the vehicle and held out a hand. His calloused hand cautiously wrapped around my own before I pulled him onto the same level as me. "Years of practice," I finally said, answering his question. I then raised an eyebrow and waited for him to say what he had come to talk about.

"Is moving into the prison the right move?" he asked, locking eyes with me.

I nodded without hesitation. "The sooner we can be...somewhere...the better."

Rick nodded and looked out to the woods on the other side of the fence. "Is it hard?" he asked.

"Is what hard?" I asked.

"Carrying all that weight with you."

Conversations with Rick always quickly spiraled into that of a philosophical sense. I wondered if this was a glimpse of the Rick before the end of the world. Had he constantly questioned the world around him?

"You should know," I said. "You carry it as well. We all do."

Rick shook his head. "No. Not like you."

"Perhaps I've simply grown accustomed to carrying my weight. Y'know...years of practice."

Daryl

Something twisted in the depths of my stomach as I saw Rick and Kathryn walking back towards the group. I quickly shook it off as I saw Kathryn smile at me. It was strange how a simple gesture could do so much. It softened her features, crinkled her nose, and shifted her freckles ever so slightly.

She and Rick split off, and she walked over to me. Her fingers barely flitted over my hand as she took up residence on my right. Hello. I recognized the greeting and returned the message with the same gesture. Hello.

Once everyone was armed with every hand to hand weapon we had, a small team of us approached the gate. Rick looked back at us, "Ready?" Everyone nodded, prompting him to open the gate with a good shove. T-Dog was in front of me, so he took out the first walker.

"Daryl," I heard Rick say.

I lunged to my side took out another walker.

"Get tight!" Glenn yelled.

I took a step closer to the bunch, but bumped into someone's back. I jumped and looked over my shoulder only to be met with green eyes. Kathryn gave me a little nod that somehow calmed my nerves. We continued across the cement until Rick whispered, "Shit." He held his hand up, and everyone but Kathryn and I fell back against the cement wall. We both had our bows raised, ready to fire. Two walkers then came around the corner in riot gear. I fired a bolt at its face covering, thinking it might break. I was wrong. My bolt bounced off like it was a toothpick. Three more rounded the corner and started to approach us. The group broke apart, trying to find the best way to get to these walker's head.