Her light, his fire

13

Suggested Music:
(World on Fire - Les Friction)

NOW-
(Daryl's POV)
We had found Eugene hidden in a small cell in the barn, he was shaken up, going on about a horde and how they were coming. "What yah talking about?" I mumbled as he shook. "This wasn't a normal horde." He cried. Jesus flashed his light around. "They were whispering to each other, Rosita heard it too." He said. We heard their groans outside as the dog began to bark, we made a run for it carrying Eugene half the way as he had popped his knee out of place. "How could they possibly circle around? Or even follow us to the barn?" Jesus asked. I have a theory! The walkers are evolving." Eugene groaned.
It felt like we had been running through the woods for hours, me leading the way. We had used most of our times trying to lead the way, we had no other choi e but to find somewhere to hide. I held my crossbow close to my chest as we weaved through the trees. Eugene was dehydrated which slowed us down, we were scanning and searching for a place to hide.  We could hear them close by the sound of snapping twigs all around us. I could see something ahead of us, "Stay down!" I said as we began to duck below, we kept low as we headed to whatever was ahead, making it to the end of the woods. There we're cars scattered all around, a parking lot. "Over there." I whispered. We quickly hurried over to the cars that were practically pushed against one-another. Aaron pointed at a few, one that has a wide enough trunk to fit two of us in each. Jesus nodded his head as he pulled Eugene with him, they got inside as quietly as they could closing themselves in the trunk. Me and Aaron looked for another, once we found one we threw ourselves in "go hide boy!" I said as I watched the dog run across the parking lot and under a car, I closed the trunk over us and picked through the slightest hole as we waited for whatever the hell was after us to pass, we could hear static as Aaron's walkie talkie went off, "Hilltop-" he quickly turned the knob lowering the volume. "Aaron is that you?" It finished. Aaron put his mouth near the radio. "Enid! We are stuck, in a trunk of a car in a parking lot, we.. they're are coming." Aaron whispered, Daryl looking out. "What? We... hear... Aaron?" Enid's voice broke up over the speaker. "We are fine for now, don't send help! It's too dangerous, we will hide out for the night." He whispered as he tried to turn the channel to hear them but nothing. Daryl's walkie began to static as he pulled it out of his pocket, turning the knobs trying to find a connection. "Daryl.. do you copy?" Tara's voice came over. "Tara." I said peeping out the hole again seeing it was clear I continued too speak. "We found Eugene, we are stuck, we won't make it till the mornin'." I whispered i looked again to see movement heading towards us. "We're in parking lot, we are safe." I said, then my heart seemed to sink in my stomach, I heard a voice call my name over the speaker, one that I knew well.. "Daryl... help." Her voice broke up through the speaker, but I knew that voice, I wasn't sure if I was hearing things or if the voice was distorted. "Beth?" I whispered. "Shh." Aaron whispered as he put his index finger against his lip, I looked through the whole and seen them pushing through the cars, thumbing against them, they were getting closer. I kept my breathing slow and quiet as they passed us. "Find, them." Something whispered. My eyes flew to Aaron's, he put his hand over his mouth, trying to stay as silent as possible. The thumping noise of their bodies hitting the cars filled the silence around us, there was thunder that lit up the truck for a split second.
I felt my body jerk as I was dozing off, I looked at Aaron as he was knocked out cold. He was holding the radio in his hand, I peeped out the crack, the darkness still surrounding us, but it was quiet. I slowly began lifting the hood as I slipped out and kept low just in case. Aaron began to wake as he looked around. "Must've Dozed off.. sorry about that." He whispered as he slowly slid out the trunk. I walked towards the car Eugene and Jesus were in and threw the trunk open, Eugene was laid out, eyes closed, snoring. "Eugene!" I said. He didn't budge. "Yo asshole." I said gripping him by the shirt and shaking him. "Mother?" I said opening his eyes. "Oh.. Daryl. Hi." He whispered. "Where's Jesus?" I asked. Eugene looked around almost as lost as we were, he shrugged and I let go of his shirt. "I'm not sure.." he said as he struggled to get out of the trunk. Aaron looked around. "He wouldn't have gone far, let's go." He said leading the way. We followed behind him, swinging my crossbow on to my back. "I don't get it.. what that was." Aaron said following behind us. "Iono man." I mumbled. Eugene looked around and stopped. "I ain't think evolution happened to the dead, but hell. You never know." Eugene said as he looked up the road. "Tha hell he go! Decided to dandy off to the sunset?" I growled looking back at the parking lot we came from. "He wouldn't have left unless he had a reason to." Aaron said. There was a flashlight up ahead running towards us. "Turn around, we've gotta go!" Jesus said rushing towards us. I listened closely hearing the growls. "Let's go!" I said grabbing Eugene and helping head towards the road that went left. Jesus following behind us "they've circled around again, I was trying to track where they were going, but they just stopped, and starting whispering amongst each other.. then they started turning around. We've gotta get away from them." Jesus said out of breath. "Y'all gotta leave me, I'm slowing y'all down." Eugene said. "We stick together!" I said. Jesus nodded his head as we headed away. We found ourselves in the middle of a graveyard as the walkers headed to us, we pushed against the gate but it didn't budge. They were coming. "Daryl find another way." Jesus said as he slid out his knife, I nodded my head and looked around. I could hear Jesus fighting the walkers off, "Michonne?" Eugene said as they opened the gate. "Jesus! Daryl! Let's go!" Aaron shouted. then I heard a grunt, one that belonged to a voice I knew, I turned my head to see a walker, with a knife through Jesus's back. I drew my bow and fired it into the walkers head as Aaron screamed out his name. The walkers came towards us, holding weapons, we fought them off as we looked around confused. Michonne looked at the blood on her sword, noticing the bright red color. I dropped down and looked at the shape of the head of the walker, noticing stitching in the back. "These ain't walkers." I mumbled as I pulled out my knife and began cutting the stitching. "Masks?" Michonne asked. "Mhmm.." I mumbled as I held it up. We could hear whispering which brought our attention back on what was coming everyone gathered around and held up their weapons. "Now... you... die." It said.

We carried Jesus's body back to Hilltop everyone tired and sweaty and covered in blood from the fight. We had brought along one of the humans who wore the dead's skin. By the time we had arrived the sun was rising the new day starting, everyone was silent, it was a mixture of pain, and being completely exhausted, we didn't speak a word the entire way home. Michonne stopped and looked at me before the gates had opened breaking the silence that haunted us. "I know this entire thing has been a lot.. but look.. there's someone you need to go see." She said to me. I looked at her and nodded my head, I wasn't sure what she meant, but I knew right now wasnt the time to argue. Enid stood at the top looking down, She put a hand over her mouth as she began to cry she had seen Jesus lying on top of the horse, his body numb. "Open the gates." She cried as she quickly got down from the top of the wall, the gates opened as I lowered my head I felt shame, shame that I couldn't have done more. Aaron sniffling noises filled the air as Enid came rushing out, a couple of hilltop citizens behind her, they all looked shocked as they watched their leader get carried in and taken down from off the horse. Tara came out the house, Rosita beside her. She stopped in her tracks as she sees Jesus, Aaron helped lay him on the ground as he began to cry even harder as Enid came to hug him. Two of the hilltops people took the prisoner to the cells and locked the woman up. I looked up at the house, and Michonne looked at me "Go..." she said. I looked up at the house again before nodding my head. "Stay boy." I said to the dog, I walked up the path passing a group of people, Rosita watched me as she began to smile. I felt my heart pound hard as my stomach filled with butterflies, I didn't know what to expect, my mind raced on possibilities, was Maggie back with Hershel? Did they find Ricks body? What was it.. I pushed the door open and looked around, everything looked the same, then I heard my name and my eyes shot up. The blonde woman looking down at me, I felt my heart completely shatter in my chest as if i had dropped a glass on the floor.