Not Alone ✔

Ch. 53 - Back On The Highway

Daryl

"Where's the others," Dale asked as we reappeared on the highway, without Lori, or Shane, or Rick, or Carl. "Rick, Shane, and Carl split off from the rest of us," Glenn said, "Carl got shot." "Shot," Dale asked, "what do you mean shot?" "I don't know Dale," Glenn said hopping over the railing first, "I wasn't there. All I know is this chick rode out of nowhere like Zorro and took Lori." "You let her," Dale asked looking directly at me. "Climb down out of my ass old man," I said and walked by him, "Rick sent her. She knew Lori's name and Carl's. Plus she's apparently Anna's cousin." Yes I was still pissed about what had happened back there and I was trying not to take it out on Anna again. She won't even look at me right now, guess I upset her too. She hasn't spoken to me since Lori left with that girl and I blew up at her, and let me tell you, I felt like shit now.

"I heard screams," Dale said after I walked away, "was that you?" I glanced back to see he was talking to Andrea and Anna was still beside her, even after helping her up off the ground earlier. "She got attacked by a walker," Anna said stopping and looking over at Dale before she walked away from the rest of the group to be alone. "Andrea are you alright," I heard Dale call to her as I turned back and headed to where I last saw Anna walking. I didn't want her mad at me and I needed to apologize for how I acted earlier. But I also keep thinking back to what she said to me in that church, that she had something we needed to talk about, away from everyone else in the group.

I walked a little ways away from the group and found her, sitting on the road leaning against a car with her knees pulled up to her chest and her head resting on top of them with her arms wrapped around them. "Anna," I whispered as I slowly walked towards her. "Go away Daryl," she said not lifting up her head. "No," I said as I finally reached her and knelt down, "I want to say I'm sorry. For how I acted back there. I shouldn't have blown up at you like that." "You don't have to explain," she said slowly lifting her head, "I know. And I understand, you were just upset and you didn't know who the woman was. I can't blame you for how you acted." "Then why are you over here all alone," I asked with a small smirk. "To be alone," she said making it sound more like a question then an answer. "Too bad," I said smiling and standing up then grabbing her hands, "you're coming back with me to the group. C'mon now."

She glared at me playfully as I led her back to the others where we began talking about our next move. "I won't do it," Carol said after we said we should meet up with Rick, Shane, Lori, and Carl over at that farm where Carl had been taken to, "we can't just leave." "Carol the group is split," Dale said trying to talk some since into her, "we're scattered and weak." "What if she comes back here," Carol said trying to plead her case, "and we're not here? It could happen." "If Sophia found her way back and we were gone," Andrea said stepping up to take Carol's side, "that would be awful." "Okay," I said nodding as I looked around at the group, "we got to plan for this. I say tomorrow morning is soon enough to pull up stakes." "Yeah," Anna said, "give us a chance to rig a big sign, leave her some supplies."

"I'll hold here tonight," I said looking around at everyone still, "stay with the RV." "Well you know I'm staying with you," Anna said looking up at me then back to everyone else. "If the RV is staying I am too," Dale said and I nodded to him. "Thank you," Carol said looking from me to Anna to Dale, "thank all of you." I nodded then looked to Andrea who held up her hands. "I'm in," she said shrugging. Glenn went to say something about staying too but Dale cut him off. "No not you Glenn," Dale said, "you're going. Take Carol's Cherokee." "Me," Glenn asked upset, "why is it always me?" "You have to find this farm," Dale said trying to talk some since into him, "reconnect with our people and see what's going on. But most important you have to get T-Dog there. This is not an option. That cut has gone from bad to worse. He has a very serious blood infection."

I tuned the rest of what Dale said out and thought about what he said about T-Dog. I turned to look at my brother's bike then walked over to it. "Daryl," I heard Anna call softly as I began digging through one of the bags, pulling out Merle's stash, and also grabbing Dale's rag off the bike. "Keep your oily rags off my brother's motorcycle," I said tossing the rag at Dale then walking over to a car and digging through all the pills, "why'd you wait till now to say anythin'? I got my brother's stash. Crystal, X. Don't need that. Got some kickass painkillers." I tossed a bottle to Glenn as I heard Anna giggle. "Oxycycline," I said finally finding the bottle I was looking for and handing it to Dale, "not the generic stuff neither. It's first class. Merle got the clap on occasion." I walked back to the bike after that, to return Merle's drugs back to the bag they had been in.