Chapter 38 - Best Of Both Worlds (Midnight Oil)

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NATE

"This is how...."  Rick gasped.

"How what?"  Morgan asked.

"How the community is still here. This is where the walkers wound up....most of them."

"That truck? Amazing it's still there. It's only a matter of days, weeks....next time it rains maybe?"  I wheezed, walking forward and peering over the edge of the cliff to the quarry below.

"Thirty thousand of them....easily....if not more."

Daryl reached out and pulled me back against him. The fact his hand, no....his whole body rather....is shaking like crazy? Isn't lost on me.

The quarry is a writhing sea of walkers.

Looks like someone attempted to block the two exit points with semi-trailers. I can see now, how the basin filled up with them.

The noise that attracted us? Draws in more walkers from the surrounding woods. When they reach the edge of the quarry they simply tumble down the steep slopes. Unable to get out again.

"It must've been filling up like this since day one. Jeezus....the world's biggest fly trap"  I can hear the wobbles in my own voice now and am scared senseless by the enormity of it.

"When it goes....and it will. Them walkers are gonna be headed straight for home. Need ourselves a plan. Fast"  Daryl stated in his gravelly voice.

"Yup. But it's gonna take a little while to come up with something. Build in contingencies that'll cater for all the possibilities and variables....risk factors."

"But first and foremost we need a twenty-four-hour watch on this place. If that blockade fails before we're ready? Then we need to know about it asap. Have some kind of evac until the herd passes Alexandria."

"Jeez....how I wish we still had the drones...."  My verbal train of thought petered out as my mind tried to process the gravity of our situation.

When I glanced up again, three pairs of eyes darted back and forth between each other. Before finally settling on me.

Oh, crapola  😦

"Guys...."  I spluttered, my stomach sinking faster than the Titanic.

"C'mon! This is only the second time I've been outside the walls since I got here. You can't possibly think....this isn't Georgia nor is it the prison for crying out loud! "

"Ignore her bitchin. My missus has still got it even though she's gettin old"  Daryl pulled the map I drew for him from his pocket.

Handed it over to Rick.

"Photographic memory or whatever. Half the shit on there I ain't even noticed before. And I've been ridin past it almost every day."

"Yeah. I reckon with her, Jorge and Aaron working on it? Should come up with some workable scenarios. What do you think, Morgan?"

Before he could answer, Rick's eyes widened and he shook his head in disbelief. Threw a huge, sly grin my way.

Oh....fuck!

He's obviously noticed my little pictograph of Daryl's 'manly bits'. And I just want the ground to open up then swallow me whole.

When I glared at Dixon he 'innocently'  smiled back.

Wonder if he quite realises? Just how much danger his manly bits are in right now!

"Funny Face will always get my vote. And you know those other fellas better than I do, Rick"  Morgan handed me his binoculars.

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