Life I Left Behind (A Daryl Dixon Story)

Chapter Fifty-Eight

Daryl

It would’ve been too damn easy. One shot to the head and he’d go down. No gettin’ back up from that kinda hit, alive or dead. One good, clean shot to the head and our problems with the Governor would be done.

But then the rest of us would be done, too. His men would put us all down faster than the blink of an eye and then there was nothin’ from stoppin’ ‘em from headin’ to the prison and finishin’ off everyone there. Includin’ Charlie. I swallowed hard, tryin’ to keep a level head. This was one of those times takin’ the hard way ‘round was better than the easy way.

“You look antsy.”

I glanced over to see Hershel. Lookin’ at me like he knew exactly what I’d been thinkin’. I shifted, leanin’ back against the side of the barn wall. Rick and the Governor were just on the other side. Talkin’, negotiatin’, bullshittin’. These walls looked old and weak, but I still couldn’t hear a damn word of what they were sayin’. “Just wanna get this over and done with. Tired of standin’ around while the two of them decide the fate of the god damn world.” I huffed. I looked across to the other side of the barn where the Governor’s men hung back. A scrawny lookin’ guy in glasses was scribblin’ away in a notebook, and an arrogant lookin’ Hispanic guy was puffin’ away on a cigarette. Andrea had even tagged along and was pacin’ the space between our two little groups like an anxious little puppy dog.

“Can’t be too much longer now. I’m sure Rick’s doin’ what he can to keep all hell from breakin’ loose.” Hershel commented. He didn’t sound at all worried, but I could tell by the look on his face he was just as keyed up as I was. We all were. I couldn’t stop myself from eyein’ up all the Governor’s men and wonderin’ which one of the bastards had laid their hands on Charlie and Glenn. Whoever he was, he best hope I didn’t find out.

The wide barn door suddenly slid open and I straightened up. My knuckles were startin’ to feel stiff from the iron grip I’d been keepin’ on my crossbow this whole time. I stepped back and watched as Rick and the Governor stepped outta the barn. Rick’s face looked grim. Like he’d just heard a whole lotta things he didn’t like. The Gov, on the other hand, looked like they’d just had a business meetin’ that had gone extremely well. It made my stomach clench and I was back to thinkin’ about how easy it would be to take him down. We wouldn’t be in this mess if it wasn’t for him.

I felt Rick’s hand on my shoulder and tore my gaze away from the Governor to look at him. “Let’s go, Daryl.” He said quietly. I could hear the warnin’ in his voice though. Remindin’ me to stay cool.

I started walkin’ away, but had barely taken a step when a voice stopped me dead in my tracks. “Hey. Crossbow.”

I slowly turned back around, and I found myself lookin’ at the Hispanic. He stubbed his cigarette out on the side of the beat up truck next to him before tossin’ it to the ground. “Give Merle my best, would you?” He said, one corner of his mouth liftin’ in a cocky smile. My eyes narrowed and my entire body tensed. “That girl, too. It was nothing personal, just business. Glad to hear she survived. She was a fighter.”

I felt somethin’ in me snap. I barely heard the sound of my crossbow hittin’ the ground before I was launchin’ myself at him. I heard the gasp that left his lungs and knew that I’d caught him by surprise. I had him on his back, my knees diggin’ into the gravel on either side of him as my fist slammed into his face. Shootin’ him would’ve been too easy. I wanted him to hurt. To feel pain. I wanted him to know what it felt like to piss me off. I wanted to hit him until he begged me to stop. Begged me to let ‘em live. Begged me to forgive him for what he’d done to Charlie. To Glenn.

Arms were suddenly grippin’ me around my shoulders and pullin’ me off of him. I fought back at first, strugglin’ to get a few more hits in. Then, there was a gun pointed at my face. I looked up to see the Governor, lookin’ down at me with a sneer. Behind him, some of his other men were helpin’ the Hispanic guy to his feet. I saw the blood smeared across his jaw, drippin’ from his nose. If I hadn’t had a gun in my face, I would’ve grinned. That asshole hadn’t stood a chance. He didn’t even get one hit in.