OUTLIVE.
❝The dead were never the enemy.
It was the living. ❞
THE WALKING DEAD.
DARYL DIXON.
BOOK TWO of the LANCASTER SAGA.
[ SEASONS 4 - 6 ]
*****
*I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters. I simply write to write. Astrid, any addi...
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[ xlvi. we'll do it live ]
august 13th, 2012
➸➸➸
ASTRID DIXON BLISTERED BENEATH the scorching summer rays that glared down on her, beads of sweat trickling down her brow, while she wrangled her chestnut mane into a tight ponytail. It had been a very long day spent traversing the rural outskirts of DC, following Rick's intricate directives. He had meticulously outlined the locations and strategies for the impending dry run, and they were finally nearing the last stop: the actual quarry infested with walkers.
The plan, when rehearsed in simulation, seemed straightforward enough to Astrid. Yet, this was just a trial run, a mere figment. In reality, when the chaos unfurled, who knew what would truly happen. More than once that day, Rick had attempted to reassure them all, but the specter of potential casualties still hung dangerously close. Even seasoned survivors like herself, Daryl, or Glenn might become a victim if someone else faltered and cowered out of action.
Amidst her steps, the Dixon woman's thoughts eventually strayed to little Bailey, imagining how she might have been keeping herself occupied. Just the night prior, the young girl had all but wept for Daryl and Astrid to stay behind, worried for their safety. But neither new parental figure could afford to sit this one out. Safeguarding Alexandria demanded their presence. Astrid was doing this to keep Bailey safe.
Gravel crunched beneath her feet as she crested the quarry road, but the sound was soon drowned out by groans emanating in the distance. Astrid was flanked by Daryl and Glenn, the trio trailing behind Rick, Michonne, and Morgan who led the way, followed by the rest of the volunteer cohort.
Then, Astrid turned her head the slightest fraction. And—as if a monstrous shadow suddenly ascended from the earth, she beheld an endless sea of walkers. Abruptly, she halted, eyes widening, at the behemoth quarry herd. Scores of undead bodies jostled together, hemmed in only by the blockade of two damaged semi-trucks.
"Holy shit," Astrid gasped. Her expletive was echoed by murmurs rippling through the Alexandrians behind her. Glancing back, she saw matching expressions of shock. Fortunately, before anyone voiced their fears aloud, Rick clambered onto one of their parked trucks and pivoted to address them.
"I know this sounds insane, but this is an insane world," He said, straining to be heard over the walker clamor. "We have to come for them before they come for us. It's that simple. This is where it all starts tomorrow." Rick proceeded to outline the plan. "Tobin gets in the truck, opens the exit, and we're off. He hops out, catches up with his team at the red balloons, staying on the west side of the road. Daryl gets on his bike—"
But Rick's finishing words were harshly silenced by the grinding of stone against stone and the eerie metallic groans as the long stationary barricade of the quarry shifted. Astrid's attention shifted back over Rick's shoulder, and her jaw almost grazed the ground in sheer terror.
