Double Crossbow (Daryl Dixon) [The Walking Dead]

Chapter 30 ↣ At what?

"Behind all your stories is always your mother's story. Because hers is where yours begin."

— Mitch Albom, For One More Day

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Kathryn

DARYL AND I searched through the back of the cabin. I was halted in my search as I heard footsteps coming from a door near me. Looking back at Daryl, I saw he had already honed in on the door. We both approached it with our bows raised. Daryl didn't even have a chance to touch the doorknob before the door came flying open.

We were met with a Python pointed at us. All three of us relaxed and released a breath. Rick shook his head and headed back the way he came. Tension was running high in the group. Lori was due any day now, and we needed some place to go. Anywhere. One can only run around in circles for so long before they feel the urge to vomit everywhere. That's exactly what we had done all winter. Not vomit that is. Daryl and I were the only ones who had caught that bug, but we had run in circles.

Daryl strode up the stairs, and I followed the wall leading into a spare room, trying to find anything that'd be useful. People were starting to lose their hope. Rick was taking the hardest toll. I saw every ounce of the weight he was carrying. I saw it in the way he walked, the way the blue of his eyes had dulled, and the way he spoke. Daryl and I both tried to alleviate this as much as possible. We helped with what we could in quiet ways, as to not draw attention to it.

"Hey," a raspy voice sounded, pulling me from my thoughts. I looked to the doorway to see Daryl casually leaning against it. When I made eye contact, he lifted up an owl.

"That works," I said.

We both made our way to the living room. Most of the group was here now, trying to settle in. Daryl sat in a chair, and I sat down next to him. Barely a second passed before he started throwing feathers at me.

Throwing him a glare, he had the audacity to snicker at me. I waited until he returned to defeathering the bird before I stuck the feather in his hair, which had grown out over the winter. It was now his turn to glare at me.

I jumped suddenly as a loud crash sounded. Looking over to Rick, his shoulders were so tightly bound that I thought they were tied with string. Then moving my gaze across the room to where the noise had sounded, I saw a can of dog food.

"Psst," T-Dog said, gesturing to the window. More walkers. Time to go.

We all exited the house and moved in a choreographed fashion. I hopped into the driver's side of our pickup, and was soon accompanied by Lori. I waited for Daryl to rev his bike before starting the truck.

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We weren't driving for too long. We never did. We simply went as far as we needed to escape the herd before trying to once more assemble a game plan.

I looked over at Lori. "Why don't you stay here. You look exhausted."

She glanced over at me before meekly nodding and resting her head against the window. With one last look at her, I jumped out the vehicle. Slinging my crossbow across my back I took my place next to Daryl as Maggie unfolded a map.

"We got no place left to go," T-Dog said.

Maggie gestured to the map. "When this herd meets up with this one, we'll be cut off. We'll never make it south."

"What did you say?" Daryl ask looking over at me. "That was about one hundred and fifty head?"

I nodded. "Yeah, from what I could tell. Got a pretty good look too."