Chasing Amy (Daryl Dixon/The Walking Dead)

Chapter 18 - Acceptance

"Dale could get under your skin. He sure got under mine, because he wasn't afraid to say exactly what he thought, how he felt.

That kind of honesty is rare... And brave.

Whenever I'd make a decision, I'd look at Dale. He'd be looking back at me with that look he had. We've all seen it one time or another.

I couldn't always read him, but he could read us. He saw people for who they were. He knew things about us, the truth, who we really are.

In the end, he was talking about losing our humanity. He said this group was broken. The best way to honour him is to unbreak it. Set aside our differences and pull together, stop feeling sorry for ourselves and take control of our lives, our safety...

...Our future.

We're not broken. We're gonna prove him wrong. From now on, we're gonna do it his way.

That is how we honour Dale." - Rick Grimes, speaking at Dale's funeral.

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I didn't get any sleep last night.

I sat up against the rough wooden wall, a blanket covering my legs. It was freezing. I could see the large tufts of white air that blew from my mouth with every breath.

The barn was particularly eerie in the dark, as the smell of death hung in the air. It was something that was probably going to keep me up anyway, without the interruption. I tried to avoid a mysterious blotch of darkened blood that was dropped onto a small clump of hay, straining my arm so I could sit as far away from the horrifying substance.

I managed to keep the thoughts about those droplets of blood to a minimum, by focusing on the cold.

I didn't expect to see the doors push open this late at night.

Rick and Shane had stormed into the barn, followed by another man, Daryl, and, unfortunately, Randall.

"Get rid of the girl." Rick growled, pulling his revolver out of its holster. He was talking to the dark-skinned man that I had seen around camp before, the one who reminded me of a football player.

It took a while for me to actually understand what was happening, as my mind had been blank before they'd stormed in, all sudden and deliberate in their movements and attitude.

"Wait, wait. Wait!" Randall yelled, pushing against Daryl's grip. I knew that his resistance wasn't going to affect the man, from experience.

Were we swapping rooms? The thought sounded so petty in my head that I quickly wiped it from my mind. Whatever was about to happen in here was something I didn't want to be a part of.

My eyes darted to the man who was swiftly approaching, as a light was settled on the floor, illuminating the room.

"Put him there," Rick muttered, as Randall was pushed forward abruptly. I couldn't control my heavy breathing, as my handcuffs were removed. I almost immediately swung myself up, without the aid of the man beside me.

"Whoa, h-hey," Randall panted, as Shane wrapped his huge arms around his scrawny chest, unravelling a strip of black fabric. I could faintly feel the man beside me attempt to push me towards the door, but my head was focused solely on the situation unfolding, my body stiff in panic.

"It's all gonna be over soon," Shane soothed, sending horrified shivers through my spine.

What were they doing?