Broken (A Walking Dead/Daryl fanfiction)

Chapter 7

Daryl and I walked in silence, we knew what the other was thinking. He was sad, understandably, but I didn't know how to make it better. Maybe I couldn't, maybe time only made it better. I squeezed his hand and smiled at him lightly, he squeezed back.
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We made it back to the prison in a few hours. We both told Rick what happened, with the help of Michonne, who I was glad to see made it back safely.
"I'm sorry Daryl." Rick says, putting his hand on Daryl's shoulder. Daryl looked up at him and nodded slightly.
"We're packing up in case our plan doesn't work and we need a quick get away. Lori, Carl, Beth, and Hershel will hide out in the woods. Carl will have his gun, as will Hershel and Lori." He continued on for what seemed like forever with the plan. We'll act like we abandoned the place, and when they all enter the prison to do a search, we'll jam their guns so they can't shoot with them. Maggie and Glenn will continue shooting outside with suits on for extra protection. We'll have table and wood set up along the fence so they have something to hide behind. Rick, Daryl, Michonne, Carol, and I will make sweeps within the prison to flush them out. If we won, if we pushed them back and send them running, we'll meet back up at the prison. What we would do from then on, we'd decide after.
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"Daryl?" I asked as he packed up his motorcycle, sitting on the ground.
"Yeah?"
"Are you okay?" he remained silent for a moment, packing arrows.
"You know, Merle never did nothin' like that his whole life." He paused, setting down a knit cover in his lap.
"He gave us a chance." I came around and placed my hand on his shoulder. He put his hand over mine and warmth flooded my system. He looked up at me with those blue eyes of his, and I kneel down to his level. I smiled lightly and kissed his forehead before standing up and going to work on a car with Rick.
"Are you ready?" He asked me.
"More than anything." I said, thinking back to Eve and even Merle.
"Vienna, I need you to be able to keep a level head. This plan must go accordingly there's no room for...errors."
"And by errors you mean me doing something stupid." I sighed and bent my head down, resting my arms on the car for support.
"That's not what I-"
"I get it Rick," I cut him off "you don't want me to go after the governor for murdering my sister."
"We've all lost someone Vi."
"Not like I have!" I can't help my voice rising, my anger is just getting the better of me. "She wasn't bitten by some dead and hungry freak. She was shot, thankfully in the head. She was seven Rick. Seven! You have no idea how that feels!" I pointed my finger at him before turning and seeing everyone starring at me. I growl lowly and take off for my position, knowing full well I'll be waiting there for about an hour, but I just didn't care. I have had enough with ignorant fools.
A little while later Daryl comes up to me and sits down next to me.
"You okay?" He asks.
"Yeah. I have to be." I look into his blue eyes, and for a moment, I'm completely lost in them. He reaches for my hand that's in my lap and holds it on my leg. I can't help but blush at how close he is.
"Are you ever going to tell me what happened to my dogs?" I ask. They've been missing for over a week now, and no one will tell me what happened. He sighed before he spoke.
"They ran off while you were grieving over Eve. I haven't seen them since." He squeezed my hand again.
"Well shit. They've probably been eaten by now." I rest my head on the chain link fence behind me. We remained silent for a while. 

"You don't know that." He says, squeezing my hand.

"Yeah, and if they're alive and we're pushed out of the prison, I'll never see them again." 

"They won't take the prison." He rubs his thumb across my jaw, making me shiver in delight. His broad muscles flexed from the movement and I almost drooled. It took everything in my power to not throw him down and have my way with him. This wasn't the time or the place. I know he's noticed the look in my eyes once he smirks.
"Oh shut up." I say, turning away from him and starring at the open field in front of us.
"I didn't say anything." He puts his hands up in a 'I surrender' position. I giggle a little, and lean my head on his shoulder.
"Vi! Daryl! It's time!" I hear Rick shout. I see our cars drive off into the field and then down a narrow path into the woods. Daryl stands and then lifts me up with the hand he still held. In a quick movement I lean forward and kiss him passionately on the lips. He kisses back and I pull back after a few moments.
"Just in case we don't make it." I say and walk back inside to find Rick and Carol.
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Not long after I hear the explosions outside, the intruders enter the prison and start making their sweep. Rick gives the signal and Carol and I run out of a door quietly and run out to the field. My legs run as fast as they can and I make it to one of their trucks. I jam the machine gun placed on top, while Carol and Michonne do the same to the other. Carol looks at me and nods, so I jump off the truck and sprint back to the building, holding the door open for Carol who runs a bit slower than me. They enter silently and I shut the door slowly, trying to make as little noise as possible. The smoke grenades go off and the alarms blare. I heard snarls from left over walkers and then gun shots. Panic ensues and they all run out of the building and into the courtyard, yelling and screaming along the way.
"GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" I here Glenn yell before he and Maggie begin firing. They were told to not actually try to shoot or kill anyone, but just to scare them. Carol, Rick, Daryl, and I make our sweeps inside the prison, even though I'm pretty sure they've all left. I was hoping to find the Governor in here, but my luck ran out on that request. Engines roared to life and I knew they were retreating. I smiled and ran outside once Glenn and Maggie had stopped shooting.
"We did it!" I heard Maggie shout, almost like it was a question than a statement. Glenn confirmed the statement. We all met at the end of the courtyard, watching the trucks on the horizon kicking up dust.
"We did it, we drove them out." Rick says in his strong, leader like voice.
"We should go after them." Michonne says, eyeing Rick.
"We should finish it." Daryl joins in.
"It is finished. Didn't you see them hightail it out of here?"Maggie says, a little shocked.
"They could regroup." Michonne argues.
"We can't take the chance. He's not gonna stop." Glenn says.
"They're right. We can't keep living like this." Carol joins, still panting.
"So we take the fight back to Woodbury. We barely made it back last time." Maggie argues against it.
"I don't care." I say, looking at Daryl and then Rick.
"Yeah. Let's check on the others." Rick dismisses the subject until later. We all jog back into the prison, into the 'dining room' we made. The rest of the group enters, with Hershel and Carl practically carrying Lori.
"What happened?" Rick asks, a little panicked.
"She just needs to rest. She'll be fine." Hershel assures him and helps Lori sit in a chair. She looked kind of gray, like she just threw up or something. Carol leaves to empty out the cars with Beth. Rick leans down to hug his son, who pulls away from him in return.
"I'm coming to Woodbury." He informs him confidently.
"Carl-"
"Dad, I did my job out there. Just like all of you. Took out one of the Governors soldiers." Rick looks a little worried at his son.
"One of his soldiers? A kid running away? He stumbled across us." Hershel says, looking down at the boy.
"No, he drew on us." Carl says, looking up at Hershel a bit pleadingly.
"I'm sorry you had to do that." Rick says to Carl.
"It's what I was there for." Carl says, looking up at his father. I'm not sure how he can see him with that big hat on his head. "I'm going with you." Carl says again before leaving to set his stuff down. I decide to not listen anymore, knowing full well it'll turn into an argument. I grab my bag that Beth brought in from the table and hike it up on my shoulder.
"Rick!" Hershel booms, turning everyone's attention on him. He says something low to Rick before walking off. Something must have happened with Carl. A flash of worry builds in the pit of my stomach, but I push it away as Rick calls Daryl, Michonne, and I over.
"I think we should finish this. This... Governor, is not going to stop until he kills us all. I'm not taking that risk on Carl, Lori, or my unborn child." We all quickly agreed. Especially Daryl and I, since the want for revenge is growing every day between us. I looked at him and he flashed a sly smirk that made me want to melt right where I stood, and he damn well knew that's what it was going to do. I hit him in the arm before following after Rick and Michonne, who had already left to tell the others of our plan.
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Rick got to drive this time as we headed out to Woodbury. Michonne sat upfront with him, and they made small talk. I stared out the window, watching the trees and walkers go by one by one. Something touched my hand and I looked down at it to see Daryl inching closer. I bit my lip to refrain from smiling and slid my hand under his, much to his surprise. He looked into my eyes then and I grinned before turning back to look out my window. The entire ride there tingles shot through my body from Daryl's touch.
I hated but somehow loved how he could make that happen.
Rick pulled the car over and tuned the engine off.
"We should walk from here, so they don't hear us." He said before getting out of the car with Michonne. I reluctantly drew my hand back from under Daryl's and climbed out of the car.
"Shouldn't be far." Rick said, leading us further down the road. Dirty cars splashed with blood lined the road, with tons of walkers lying still on the ground with bullet holes in their heads. I thought back to a time where this would make me bend over and give back my lunch. But now it almost seems normal, expected.
As we walked, I started to hear walkers snarling. I looked into the woods on my right and saw a figure moving too fast and normal to be a walker, with the dead chasing after them.
"Rick!" I called silently before heading into the woods. With a confused expression on his face, he followed, with Daryl and Michonne close behind. I stabbed a walker in the head before he knew I was even there and raced after the figure. They had a slower pace than I did, so I caught up quickly. I saw hair pulled back tightly into a ponytail and knew it was a woman by that and the body build. She was slim, but well fed; something that isn't easily achieved. She fell and a walker pounces her. Her arms instantly flew up to protect herself from the deadly bite and I ran a little faster. I reached them quickly and shoved my knife into the walkers head, it's blood leaking on the woman. She pushed the walker off of her and stared up at me, wide eyed.
"Thank you." She said between breaths. I nodded and stepped back to let Rick do his thing.