Stand By Me (Daryl Dixon)

S i x

I pick the last apple for the day and place it in the almost over flowing basket. I pick it up, thinking it would be lighter than it really is and struggle to bring it to the woman with silver hair.

"I hope this will do!" I put it next to her, and place both hands on my hips with satisfaction.

"Oh, that's plenty! Thank you!" She smiles up at me from her chair. She then reverts her gaze behind me, making me look.

"What's going on?" I ask her.

"I'm not sure, but I believe it has something to do with the Saviours. I'm too old for some rally bullshit!" She flicks her wrist up and down and I laugh at her language. She must be in her late sixties. "Some days the Saviours come in here and take so much, they leave us with the scraps. It's discussing."

"I believe you. I'm going to go check out what they are talking about." Smiling at her I turn and go over to the crowd. I believed her because we had shipments come in from many places, one of them being Hilltop. There were some days where we'd get a whole truck load of stuff.

Just as I reached the group in front of the house, the door opens and Maggie's group files out, with her coming down the stairs, "What's going on?"

A women in front steps forward, "Hey, so if you don't remember I'm Bernie. I know I'm a life to you all, twice over a bunch of us do. Enid says the you want Gregory to fight the Saviours with you. Is that true?"

Fight! Fight the Saviours? If they plan on going to the Sanctuary, that place is a maze! Not to mention the guns they have! The power of numbers they have over this small group! These people are crazy!

"Yes." Maggie replies, making my statement true.

"Do you think we can win, that we really can beat them, us?" The woman continues.

"I do."

The woman then takes in a breath, "Enid says that you can show us the way. I'm ready!"

The the group flows with 'me too' and 'let's do it".

•

"It's a start"

"Still won't be enough."

I hear two women talking as I jog past Maggie's group.

"Maggie!" I call after her and she turns around. Stopping in front of her, "I'd like to go with them, I know that they're packing up to go somewhere."

"You'll have to talk with Rick on that one." She states, "Come, I'll introduce you two." I follow her to where the group stopped just at the gates.

"Maggie?" Rick asks.

"Rick, this is Shay. She'd like to join you." Rick then extends his hand to me and I take it.

"My brother is also here," I look up to the watch tower and I notice him starring at me through squinted lids. "His name is Chase."

"It's nice to meet you, Shay, but I don't think it's a good idea."

"I know what you're thinking! 'Just met this girl! Can't trust her! Who the hell does she think she is!' I know! But, I was in the Sanctuary for two months. I've seen some of the things Negan has done, and what he's done to his own people never mind what he did to Daryl." I look over to him, his arms are crossed. "Negan must be stopped! I want to be apart of that!"

Where this abundant of confidence came from, I have no idea. But, it's growing and I'm loving the feeling!

Rick then looks over to the woman with the Katana, I see that she nods slightly.