FALLEN ANGEL ➵ DARYL DIXON [1] ✓

Chapter Twenty-Three: Secrets Brought To Life

Chapter 23

Kendra snores lightly against Bobby, her head resting on his shoulder. Bobby takes out a faded baby blue blanket from the back of the truck and he places it around Kendra, wrapping it around her. Kendra smiles in her sleep, nuzzling in more. Henri is half sleeping, trying to keep her eyes on the road. Her eyes flutter to stay waken and she accidentally beeps the horn of the truck, startling herself and waking up Kendra from her sleep. Kendra yawns and stretches, cracking several bones in her body, especially her back.

"We need to rest," Henri demands, "I can't keep my eyes open for much longer."

The wipers move extremely fast, wiping away the hundreds of raindrops being splashed on the windshield every second.

"Just beep the horn again, Daryl will get the message," Bobby yawns, his eyes watering along.

"Noise attracts them," Henri points out.

Bobby reaches over and he presses his hand into the steering wheel, the unpredicted honking making Daryl slow down and stop. Bobby waves him over, Daryl getting off his bike and making his way over to the window. Bobby scrolls it down.

"Sir, we have to rest somewhere. We can't keep going. Not like this," Bobby says hinting to Daryl that is riding his bike in the brutal thunderstorm, thunder booming in the dark clouds up above them. Daryl looks over to Kendra who is barely awake, the blanket over her.

"Alright," Daryl says loud over the harsh noises over the extreme weather. "There's a sign sayin' there's a church to the right. We could rest there for tonight."

"What do you think?" Bobby asks Henri and Kendra. Kendra groans as her response, flinging her head back so it's pressed up against the seat.

"As long as there's shelter," Henri shrugs, not caring. Daryl nods, shaking his wet hair like he is a dog. Daryl hops back on, leading the three to the church.

Once the four get to the church, graves are destroyed, almost like they were dug up. But they weren't... The dead rose up. Now, all that is left is empty graves, dirt and stones flung up to the surface. Daryl parks his bike around the back, Henri at the side. The church is small, a little bell on the roof, knowing it will never be rung again, surrounding people to gather and to hear the worship of god. Dark brown steps lead up, and Daryl goes first, getting his crossbow from Henri. He opens the door slowly, aiming his crossbow for any walkers. Kendra hugs her face into her blanket that is over her, shivering with the cold and the wet.

The sound of an arrow being shot through the air is heard, and the rest know that there is unexpected company; company that they didn't want.

Another arrow.

Another arrow.

Two more arrows are shot. "Coast is clear," Daryl announces, the mushy sound of his boots stomping through inside, puddles being created. Daryl pulls out his three arrows again from all three of the walkers heads, dragging their bodies out the back door, Bobby helping him.

Kendra and Henri are sitting at the front pew, a large statue of Jesus nailed to a cross in front of them. Up above his head it reads in italic,

"King of the Jews."

Daryl closes the back door, dragging a long wooden table to block it. He does the same to the front, pushing another table to block it. Daryl walks to the front where the three are, sitting down on the ground, his side facing the statue. He coughs into his hands, his body shaking violently.

"Get your clothes off."

Daryl looks up to the voice. It's Kendra. She is unwrapping her blanket from herself, sitting down on the cold floor in front of Daryl.