𝙨𝙤𝙛𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙨 ♔ 𝙙.𝙙𝙞𝙭𝙤𝙣

106

EERIE SILENCE FILLS THE WOODS as Aria stays crouched down beside Michonne, gun positioned in her hands. She wanted to stay at Alexandria to help Carl there but both Daryl and Michonne declared that it was too risky for her to stay when Negan was so close to getting in, they figured if she was with them, she'd be safe. As Tara speaks, Aria drowns her out, focusing her eyes and attention on the road. It wasn't that she didn't like Tara - she did, she was just annoyed that they decided to go rogue.

Aria saw the innocent people in the sanctuary, she had seen kids and women who didn't have any other choice but to kneel down to Negan, why were they putting the innocent people in danger? In her mind, that wasn't what her group stood for and it surely isn't something she stands for. If she would've known what they were doing, she would've done anything in her power to stop them but she doubts they would have listened to her.

The sound of vehicles approaching snaps Aria out of her thoughts and she glances over at the other four, gaze lingering on Daryl for a few moments before looking away, adjusting her grip on the gun. Bright headlights shine into the eyes of Aria and for a second, it takes her back to that dreadful night where they lost two loved members of their group and that sends a spark of anger through her. Her finger presses down onto the trigger and immediately, bullets shoot out and ricochet off the metal of the car, ears ringing from the loud noises.

Body after body collapses to the ground from bullets but it wasn't their bullets doing the deeds, it was Dwight's. With no other enemies in sight, Aria lowers her gun, flicking her blonde hair out of her eyesight so she can see clearly through the smoke that fills the air. "It's over!" Dwight's voice calls out and Aria is the first one to move out of the hiding, her eyes still glancing around to make sure. As they round the car, she bites her bottom lip, gaze falling down upon Dwight, who is clutching his arm tightly. "I made sure you guys could get out the back. I drove the convoy right up the roadblock, I knew what it was - I can't go back."

Aria could see the hatred in everyone's eyes as they stare down at Dwight and she didn't like that yet she also couldn't blame them. It was hard not to hate someone who killed one of your loved ones but Aria can see that Dwight isn't bad - maybe that's what made her so different from everyone. Despite having gone through all of this pain, she can still see the good hidden in someone, maybe that's also why she gets hurt so much. As Daryl harshly pulls his vest off of Dwight, Aria winces whenever she sees the red blood begin to spill from the fresh wound. Her eyes meet Daryl's anger-filled ones and he shakes his head at her, already knowing what she is planning on doing but that isn't going to stop her.

Taking a step forward, Aria sets her gun on the ground and tears off a piece of a random person's shirt. She crouches down beside Dwight, glancing at him. "This is going to hurt, try not to scream," She murmurs before wrapping the torn fabric around the wound and securing it tightly, jaw clenching whenever she hears him draw in a sharp breath. Hearing footsteps walk towards them, Aria looks up to see Rosita staring down at them with narrowed eyes and for a second, she thinks the brave woman is about to tell her off. However, she is proven wrong whenever Rosita pulls Dwight up to his feet, the two women sharing a look.

As they both walk alongside Dwight, Aria stares at the back of Daryl, beginning to wonder where it all went wrong.

♚ ♛

Aria climbs down into the sewer, Daryl's hands on her waist to keep her steady. "Got it?" He questions, staring down at her with a soft gaze only she witnesses. After nodding, she looks up towards the figure of her best friend, eyebrows furrowing as she recognizes the look.

"Michonne, don't you even think about it," Aria snaps, eyes beginning to narrow at up at her. Sending her an apologetic look, Michonne slides the covering over the hole, Aria shaking her head. As she goes climbing back up, Daryl gently pulls her back down and away from the ladder, sending her a look.

"No, you're not going back up there," He tells her, motioning for the other three to walk ahead of them so he can speak to her alone. "Michonne knows how to handle herself."

Glaring up at him, Aria scowls, crossing her arms over her chest. "You can't tell me what to do, you lost that right! I'm going to help her, Daryl, you can't stop me." As she goes to move past him, he steps in front of her, body towering over her small figure. There wasn't any way she was going to win this argument, Daryl was as stubborn as a mule.

"Woman, you can't continue to put yourself in harm's way, you're carrying our child." At the mention of their child, Aria freezes in her movements, turning her gaze back up towards him. Their eyes meet in the dim lighting and she draws in a deep breath, glancing back.

"So it's our child now, hm?" She asks, head cocking to the side. Was it wrong of her to still be hurt from the words that he said? She felt rejected and defeated whenever he told her that it wasn't their child, it broke her and it sent waves of emotions spiraling through her.

"Now isn't the time to talk about it, let's go," He grumbles, mood switching. Nudging her forward, he follows after her, wondering if he'll ever be able to fix what he broke because he wanted her back. He'll do anything to get her back, even if it means accepting that he's going to be a father - even if it means he has to come to terms that he could lose one of them, he can't be afraid of that anymore and he realizes it now.

A U T H O R

i feel like i'm writing daryl so differently than in the show and i don't know how i feel about it?? like is he supposed to feel bad, is he not? i don't know because that boy has never been in a relationship and gosh, he's freaking complicated but i guess that's why we like him. also, gifs aren't working on wattpad and im so angry about it because i always have gifs for every chapter. :(

ps. remember how i said i premade chapters? yeah, well, i had decided to publish them all and now i have to write a chapter every week and so far.. it's going good so we shall see how it plays out. i'm going to try and update every tuesday!