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Safe Haven in the Chaos	By : IdrilsSecret Category: S through Z > The Walking Dead Views: 6517 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the walking dead or any of the characters. No money is being made from the writing of these stories

Chapter List
- 63
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- 65
Chapter 65 Finding A Way

Aaron and Paul arrived at Hilltop by late day. There was an obvious tension felt around the community. All the serious faces made it clear that something more than Maggie’s attack had happened. They rode to the stables, where stable hands took their horses, and helped to unload their supplies.

“You can put those in my trailer,” Paul said to the young man. He glanced at Aaron and gave him a nod, as though to say Aaron would be staying with him without argument. This was Paul outside their private moments, a man in charge. “Where’s Maggie,” Paul asked the hand.

“The infirmary,” he answered before trotting off with their bags.

“Come on,” Paul said to Aaron, and they walked through the yard to the trailer that was now the infirmary. They went inside, found Siddiq putting a salve on Maggie’s face. She looked like she’d been punched. Her eye was swollen, and she had an angry looking shiner just at the top of her cheek.

“What the hell happened?” Paul asked as he went to her.

“We’re ok, just a little shaken,” Maggie said.

“We?” Aaron questioned, and Maggie glanced at the gurney at the other end of the room. Paul and Aaron had been so worried about Maggie, they didn’t take the time to notice another victim.

“Enid,” Aaron said, rushing to her.

She winced as she sat up. There was a bump and a scrape on her forehead. “Aaron,” she said in reply, glad to see her friend.

“Who attacked you?” Paul asked.

“It was Earl,” Maggie said, her tone low and venomous. “It happened by the graveyard.”

“Are you sure?” Paul wondered, unable to believe the town’s blacksmith would behave in such a way.

“He jumped me, knocked over the stroller with Hershel inside, and punched me. Enid came to help, and he hit her, making her fall and hit her head. Alden finally subdued him. He’s sitting in the cells in the root cellar. That’s not all. Earl was drunk. I smelled the alcohol on his breath.”

“Earl doesn’t drink. He quit a long time ago,” Paul mentioned.

“Why would he do such a thing?” Aaron asked. He’d known Earl to be the kind of man who kept to himself.

“Apparently he’s never stopped blaming me for his son’s death. At least that’s what Gregory told me,” she answered.

“What does he have to do with this?” If Paul knew anything, it was that Gregory always seemed to be involved in these kinds of situations. The man had a knack for inviting trouble.

“I think Gregory’s been working on Earl for a time. He played on Earl’s emotions, got him drunk, and told him how to carry out his plan. But it was Gregory who told me to go the graveyard knowing Earl was waiting in the shadows. That piece of shit doesn’t even know how to carry out a hit without failing.”

“Well, thank goodness for that,” Aaron said.

“So, how do you want to proceed with this?” Paul asked. “Hold a trial? Banish them from the colony?”

“I’ve already made my decision. There’s nothing to discuss, but as a member of the council, you needed to be here to witness the punishment,” Maggie said.

“I don’t know, Maggie. We’ve been saying we want things to get back to a fair civilization, and that means a trial, jurors and–”

“Not this time, Jesus. Just this once, an example has to be set. Now, I don’t want this to become habit. I don’t ever want to do this again, but the people must be made aware of the consequences for such a serious crime. Gregory can’t be trusted, even if we banished him. He’s crossed one too many lines with me and with the Hilltop community.”

“What are you saying?” Paul seemed genuinely shocked by Maggie’s level of authority.

Aaron could already guess what she had in mind. When she looked at him and realized his awareness, she gave him a nod. Paul watched the exchange and understood what was going to happen.

“No,” Paul said, horrified.

“It has to be done. No more excuses. No more chances. Tonight, after the children are put to bed. By the new construction. That’s where it will take place.” Maggie was absolute with her decision. “Are we done here?” she asked Siddiq. He gave a nod and she left the infirmary.

Paul started to go after her, but Aaron grabbed his arm. Paul turned to face Aaron a look of desperation on his face. “Not now. Let her go,” Aaron advised. “Let her cool down a bit before you go and talk to her.”

Paul glanced over to Enid, who was sitting on the edge of the bed. He looked at her with pleading eyes, but her answer wasn’t what he wanted to hear.

“He tried to have her killed,” Enid justified. “She had little Hershel with her. He was knocked out of the stroller onto the ground, crying.”

If a woman scorned was not to be crossed then a mother whose child was tossed aside with disregard should be avoided at all costs. Aaron knew this. So did Paul, but he couldn’t help his need to talk to her and hopefully change her mind. It was only because of Aaron that he didn’t fly out the door, chasing her through the yard with reasons why she shouldn’t do this horrible deed.

After Aaron checked on Enid and spoke with Siddiq, he and Paul left the infirmary. They were heading to Paul's trailer when they noticed the gates open, and they stopped to watch. Aaron knew right away who it was when he heard the roar of the motorcycle. His heart gave a lurch. He hadn’t seen Daryl since the camp.

He rode in and parked his bike off to the side. He wore a bandana over his face, only his eyes showing through long strands of hair. Daryl took his crossbow from the back, and a small bag from the side of the bike, tossed the bag over his shoulder, and his bow onto his back, and began walking toward the great house. Next, Rick and Michonne rode in on horses, and handed them over to the people who ran out to meet them. Daryl waited for Rick to catch up, clasped a heavy hand on Rick’s shoulder, and continued walking. Maggie came out to meet them, and they spoke for a while in the center of the yard. Aaron watched, and felt Paul come up even with him, standing shoulder to shoulder. Daryl’s eye caught sight of them, and Aaron notice how Paul straightened his spine in a slight display of possession. Daryl’s eyes darted from Aaron to Paul and back to Aaron before he turned away and followed the others into the house.

“I didn’t expect to see him here,” Aaron said.

“I guess word travels fast these days,” Paul commented. “Come on. Let’s go unpack.”

>>------->

For the remainder of the day, Aaron stayed on high alert. He wanted to avoid running into Daryl. The last thing he wanted was a confrontation, and having to explain why he was here. It wasn’t any of Daryl’s business, but it was probably better for everyone if that conversation never happened.

Paul had gone off to try one last ditch effort to change Maggie’s mind, but he was unsuccessful. He knew better than to push the issue, but he had to try in order to live with it. They met back at Paul's trailer just after sundown. In a couple hours, Gregory was to be hanged per orders of Maggie Rhee, community leader.

“Won’t she listen to you?” Aaron asked when he questioned Paul about talking to Maggie.

“I can only do so much. After that, I have to support Maggie and her choices,” Paul said, giving in.

“I don’t much like Gregory either, but to hang him in front of everyone . . . Isn’t that exactly the kind of thing we’re all trying to move away from?” Aaron argued. He felt they were making a mistake.

“Would you rather we bashed his head in with a bat?” Paul countered, standing up for himself. Aaron’s body language said he took offense to that. Paul forgot that Aaron had seen firsthand what a bat did to the human skull. “I’m sorry.”

Aaron turned away from him. “Maybe I should speak with her.”

“It’s not your place. Hilltop is not your community. I don’t mean to sound harsh, but in the end it’s Maggie’s decision, and so far no one is complaining.”

Aaron shook his head and reached out for the door handle. “I need some air,” he said quietly, and stepped out of the trailer. He made his way across the yard to the great house and went inside. Rick and Michonne were coming out, and Aaron stopped to speak with them.

“Do you guys support this?” he asked.

Rick shifted from one foot to the other. He seemed uncomfortable, but Aaron could already see from the look on his face what he was going to say. “It’s not my call. Maggie’s in charge here.”

“I admit,” Michonne said. “I don’t quite support her choice to do this, but Rick is right. It’s not up to us.”

“It’s going to send the wrong message,” Aaron said. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

Michonne took a step forward so she didn’t have to speak too loudly. “Gregory tried to kill her. That’s not something to be ignored.”

“I’m not saying it should be overlooked. Gregory deserves to be punished, but a hanging? I’m sorry. I just can’t get behind it. And he wasn’t the one who attacked her. What about Earl? Is she giving him the same sentence? He has a wife. His son died just a few months ago for Christ’s sake.”

“Earl is going to be incarcerated. Hilltop has turned the root cellar into their jail,” Rick informed. “He was manipulated by Gregory to do what he did. He was drunk. He genuinely regrets what he did, whereas Gregory has no remorse. That makes a difference.”

Aaron decided they were right. There was nothing he could do to make Maggie change her mind. She was the leader of this colony. He just hoped she wasn’t making a mistake.

>>------->

When it got late, and the children were all put to bed, the adults gathered around the skeleton of a new structure. It was just wood two by fours, no walls, no roof. Aaron wondered what it would be when it was complete. Hilltop had a lot of new buildings. It seemed they were always expanding here. It was a good sign that they were prospering.

Aaron walked out to the yard with Paul, and joined the growing crowd. Everyone was there to witness Gregory’s execution. It seemed medieval in a way. Aaron’s stomach turned at the thought. Thousands of years of advancement, and they had reverted right back to the dark ages.

Gregory was already on horseback, the noose around his neck, and hands tied behind his back. All that was missing was the masked executioner. Just as the thought came to Aaron, he watched Maggie and Daryl make their way through the crowd to the front. Maggie looked stone cold serious. Daryl did too.

Maggie spoke to the people, told them that she didn’t like doing this, and never wanted to do it again. She explained why, and the things Gregory had done that led to his unfortunate fate this evening. Aaron had heard this already, and his attention was mostly on Daryl. He looked worn and disheveled. There were large bags beneath his eyes, and his hair was unkempt. Aaron remembered him looking like this when he first came upon Rick’s group, still out in the wild doing anything and everything to keep alive. It seemed Daryl had reverted and was back in his original state of survival. He was alone, Aaron thought to himself, and his guilt nudged at the edges of his consciousness.

Just then, Daryl scanned the crowd, finding Aaron quickly, their eyes locking once more. His eyes didn’t match the rest of his body language. Everything said he was here to do a job, but his eyes said he was sorry Aaron had to witness this. Maggie finished speaking, and Daryl’s attention went to her. She gave him a nod, and he pulled the red rag from his back pocket. Ever since Aaron had known Daryl, he’d had that red rag, had seen him do multiple things with it. It helped save them from a group of walkers once, when Daryl used it to tie a door shut. He’d used it to clean dirt from a wound Aaron received once. And it had wiped Daryl’s brow more than once. But now, Aaron watched as Daryl approached Gregory and the horse, standing at the animal’s hind quarters.

“No,” Aaron whispered quietly. Paul heard him, looked at him and then followed his line of sight, which led him to Daryl.

Daryl stood ready for Maggie to give the signal, but at the last moment, he found Aaron again, and glanced at him with apology. It was so slight that only Aaron would recognize the way his eyes fell at the corners. The exchange didn’t last more than a split second, and his attention went back to Maggie, all traces of remorse extinguished. As Gregory continued crying and pleading for his life, she gave Daryl the signal. He smacked the horse with the red rag. The horse took off, leaving Gregory swinging from the end of the rope, thrashing around, and making a noise not much different from a walker. Aaron looked away, noticing that Paul still watched. Michonne was carrying on in what Aaron thought was a last minute change of heart, though too late. And that’s when he saw the reason for her anguish. Two children stood outside, watching the hanging, watching Gregory die unpleasantly. Aaron rushed to them as fast as he could, and turned them away from the ghastly sight.

“Get them back inside,” Maggie yelled from across the way. Aaron glanced back at her with irritation for not making sure this wouldn’t happen. Then he escorted the children back inside the great house and to the kitchen, hoping to give them special treats that would detour their young impressionable minds. Their mother rushed in and took over. Aaron left, hoping he’d done enough.

Paul burst through the door of the great house, and approached Aaron. “Are they all right?” he asked with concern for the children.

“Their mother is with them,” he said evenly, and he pushed past Paul. He was upset with it all, but more so, he was angry with Daryl for being involved with another death.

“Wait! Where are you going?” Paul rushed to ask as Aaron reached for the door handle.

“This doesn’t concern you, Paul. Stay out of it. I’ll catch up with you later.” Aaron left the house in search of Daryl.

By the time he went back to the yard, the crowd had broken up. Gregory’s body had been cut down and wrapped in a sheet, a blood stain spreading at the side of his head. Daryl was taking the horse back to the stables. Aaron rushed to catch up with him. When he went inside, Daryl was just putting the horse back in its stall. Aaron waited until it was secured, and Daryl came back out in the main part of the stable. He’d been walking with his head down, and gave a sudden lurch when he looked up to find Aaron standing there.

“So are you Maggie’s henchman now?” he asked with venom tinging his words.

Daryl’s eyes narrowed on him. “It ain’t your business. You’ve got nothing to say about anything I do anymore.”

“I just … I can’t believe you . . .” Aaron paused to gather his thoughts. “Why are you always involved when there’s a controversial death?”

“Wasn’t nothing controversial about this. Gregory had it coming to him. Maggie made the call. I carried out her orders,” Daryl said, defending himself and his actions.

“I should have known you would support a lynching,” Aaron shot back.

“Man, what do you want from me?” Daryl said aggressively.

“I want you to do the right thing,” Aaron said.

“As far as I’m concerned, I just did that. What? Would you rather we locked Gregory away for the rest of his life, like Rick did with Negan?”

Aaron breathed deep. “You know why Rick made that decision. That’s how we do things at home.”

“Alexandria ain’t my home no more,” Daryl said, his tone low and dangerous. “But apparently you’re fine living with a murdering sack of shit.”

“And you’re fine with killing an innocent boy, or executing people. Did you take care of Dwight like you did Gregory? How’d you do it? Did you make him kneel and shoot him in the head?” Aaron’s ire was running full throttle.

“You don’t know nothing about it,” Daryl responded.

“Maybe you told him to run, and then shot him in the back. Did you take care of him, or leave him to turn? You know he risked his life to help us win against Negan. But you’re too bullheaded to care about that. You were going to kill him no matter what he–”

“I didn’t kill him,” Daryl said softly, as he looked at the ground.

Aaron didn’t understand what he said, and he stopped talking to let Daryl continue. But he remained silent. “What did you say?”

“I said, I didn’t kill Dwight.” Daryl seemed ashamed to admit it.

“You said you did.”

“No, you assumed I did. I never said one way or the other because I knew you wouldn’t listen.”

Aaron was shocked, but he wasn’t sure it was true. “Where is he then?”

“I let him go, and I told him to never come back or I wouldn’t hesitate to kill him. I don’t know where he went, but I assume he went to find his wife, Sherry.” Daryl paused and looked up at Aaron through his long hair. “That’s the thing. In the end, you wouldn’t listen to me. You had your opinions and expected me to go along with it. Truth is, we grew too far apart and couldn’t meet in the middle. Don’t matter anymore. You got your life. I got mine. You need to go. I’m sure Jesus is wondering where you are.”

Aaron had nothing to say in reply to that. He wondered how Daryl had guessed about him and Paul. They hadn’t shown any signs of affection that would have people talking. It was a good guess, and a correct assumption. Now he felt awkward about the argument, and standing here in the stables with Daryl. He was still dumbfounded with Daryl’s confession that he hadn’t killed Dwight. Why had he let him believe it all this time? He could have told Aaron at any time. For some reason, he’d rather Aaron thought Dwight was dead by Daryl’s hands, as though he was trying to keep up a front.

“I’m … I’m done here. Besides, you’re right. I guess it’s not my place to tell you how I feel anymore.” Aaron turned and left the stables.

He returned to Paul's trailer, and found him there, sitting at the table. As soon as Aaron entered, Paul stood and went to him.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have–” Paul started to apologize.

“No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have blown you off like that. I was angry and … confused.”

“Daryl seems to have that effect on you sometimes,” Paul said carefully.

Aaron sat at the table and looked up into Paul's face. “Did you know about Dwight?”

Paul shrugged and shook his head. “What about him?”

“Did you know that Daryl let him go?”

“No.” Paul seemed surprised too.

“We were arguing and … I don’t know, he admitted it to me. All this time I thought . . .”

“Where is he?” Paul asked.

“I don’t know. Daryl said he probably went to find his wife.” Aaron took a breath and contemplated. “All this time, he never said otherwise. He just let me keep believing that he killed Dwight in the woods. Why would he do that? It was another part of the reason we broke up.”

“Would it have made a difference?” Paul asked. “Would you have stayed together if he told you the truth?”

Aaron thought about it. “I don’t know. Maybe not, but it would have helped me to believe that there was still hope for him to come back from the dark place he went to.”

“And what about now?” Paul asked carefully. “Does it make a difference between you and him?”

Aaron could see what Paul was getting at. He stood and went to him, clasping a hand to his shoulder. “I’m with you now, Paul, and I’m not going anywhere.” He pulled Paul close and took him in his arms. They held each other for a moment. It felt good to have someone to confide in. He’d been alone for a long time.

Eventually, they separated, smiling at one another. Aaron looked around the room, noticing how empty and nonessential the room was. It was a place to crash, not a home.

Paul must have noticed. “I know it’s not much. I don’t spend a lot of time in here. I’m always out there … or with you,” he smiled. “And I like being with you.”

“I like being with you too,” Aaron responded.

“And I know you said you wanted to take this slow, but … God, Aaron, you make me feel like I have a place again. I haven’t felt that way in a very long time. That’s why I want to ask you. Will you move in with me? Or me with you? I don’t really know which way is better, and I don’t think I really care. There’s a lot to work out but … I like having you there when I wake up and when I go to sleep. And I would love to know Gracie better.”

Aaron was taken aback. “I … I don’t know what to say.”

Paul registered the confused look on Aaron’s face. “I don’t need an answer right now, but I’d like you to think about it.”

“How would we choose between our communities?” Aaron said, considering Paul's offer.

“Honestly, I don’t care. Although Alexandria is the bigger of the two. And you have Sarah. And Rick depends on you a lot.”

Aaron was surprised Paul would leave Hilltop. “What about you? You’re on the council here, and Maggie depends on you.”

“I know. I’m sorry I’m so sudden with this, but I’m serious, Aaron. I want us to really make something of this.”

“Whatever we decide, it’s going to shake things up between the communities,” Aaron pointed out.

“We don’t need to be in a hurry,” Paul said. “Now you know how I feel about us. Like I said, take your time and think about it. You’re leaving for camp soon. Maybe you’ll have an answer by the time I get there.”

“You’re not going with me?” Aaron asked, unaware that Paul wasn’t returning to the bridge site.

“I’ve got some business to deal with here. I’ll be maybe a week behind you. Maybe less.”

Aaron slowly smiled at Paul, after seeing his disappointment of not returning to the camp together. “All right. I’ll use the time to think about things. I promise.”

Having found a happy medium, Aaron and Paul shared a kiss, and then Aaron glanced at Paul's small bed. “Well, that’s settled for now, so why don’t I take the couch. I don’t want to kick you out of your own bed. Do you have some extra sheets?”

Paul took Aaron’s arm and pulled him close. “Oh no you don’t. You want to know what it’s like living with me? Then you’ll know I don’t sleep alone when my boyfriend is in the same room. We can both take the bed. It’s a little small, but I like a tight fit,” he said seductively.

Aaron took Paul in his arms and kissed him wantonly. They eventually went to bed, and made the most of the small space.

>>------->

A few days later, Aaron was back at the camp for a meeting about the bridge. Eugene had been tracking weather, and reading old farmer’s almanacs. He seemed quite convinced that there were heavy rains due to hit the area. The river that ran beneath the bridge was already fast moving. Springtime storms would make it impossible to continue working on it, especially underneath where they were reinforcing the existing piles and footings. They couldn’t work with heavy currents threatening to sweep the workers upstream. They decided they needed to speed things up a bit and hoped to avoid a slowdown in construction.

Meanwhile, tensions were building between the Saviors and the rest. One of the stipulations was that the Saviors weren’t allowed any weapons. And the majority of the workers were Saviors, part of the bargain Rick struck up with Maggie to get her to donate more food and water at the worksite. Most of the Saviors weren’t affected by the rule, but some of the more outspoken did not appreciate the lack of trust. And with the ever present threat of walkers around, they felt vulnerable. That was a bad situation, especially when there were Saviors that used the fact to their advantage. They pleaded for a gun to protect themselves, but everyone knew what they would do with that gun, and it wasn’t for protection against walkers. So the rule stayed in place, and the rowdy got rowdier and pushed their agenda as often as possible.

Aaron settled in to his temporary housing, a tent set up amongst the others. He had a couple books, and a picture of Gracie that Sarah had given him. He didn’t have much else. There was too much to be done, and not a lot of alone time.

Paul stayed at Hilltop for now. As part of the council, he had to be there as they were embarking on new projects. A new area for farming was being cleared outside the walls. Fencing needed to be erected, patrols put in place, and new shifts made available for both guards and workers. Maggie asked Paul to stay while they worked things out, and to head up a crew to scavenge supplies for their projects.

Aaron stayed busy, and helped out where he was needed. He avoided Daryl at all costs. It wasn’t difficult. Daryl was busy keeping Saviors in line, or he’d disappear to his own personal camp away from everyone else. But by the fourth day, some of the Saviors didn’t show up for their shift, and the bridge workers were shorthanded. Rick asked Aaron if he would help out laying the deck. He grabbed his gloves, a tool belt and a hammer, and went to join the others. He found Daryl already working there, and gave a sigh. After their argument at the Hilltop, he didn’t want to talk to him, afraid he’d end up in another disagreement. He worked with one of the Saviors. They would each take an end of the heavy wooden plank, carry it onto the bridge, carefully lay it in place, and then hammer it in. It was repetitive work, but Aaron didn’t mind. He didn’t have to pay close attention to what he was doing. It gave him more time to think about other things, like Paul asking him to move in together. Was it really a good idea to move so fast? There was a lot to consider. Someone was going to have to give up their home, and their responsibilities to that community. Aaron was fairly sure he was the one who would have to make that sacrifice. Paul was more involved at Hilltop than Aaron was at Alexandria. It would make more sense for Aaron to move in with Paul. That would mean uprooting Gracie, leaving Sarah behind, and friends he’d known since the beginning days. He needed to weigh the outcome of moving to Hilltop against the positives of being with Paul on a daily basis.

“I gotta take a piss,” his work partner announced as they went back for another plank.

Aaron gave a nod, and thought he was in need for a break too. He hadn’t had water in a while, and it was important to stay hydrated. Henry was nearby with a cooler and a cup, handing out water to those who needed it. So he walked over to the boy and smiled.

“Hey Aaron,” Henry greeted, handing him the cup.

“You’re doing a good job helping,” Aaron told him. He couldn’t help thinking of Caleb. Though Henry was younger than Caleb when Aaron met him, they were very much alike in the way they wanted to help people.

“Thanks, but this is boring work. I’d rather be part of the herd crew or something more important,” Henry said, sounding sad.

“What? This is an important job too. Without your help rationing out water, half these people would have passed out from dehydration by now.” Aaron pushed down on the rubber tab and filled the cup halfway with water. He drank it all in one swallow, wishing he could have more, and handed the cup back to Henry. There wasn’t a water supply at the worksite, only what was brought here by outside help. Everyone was allowed half a cup every hour until more water was brought.

“Yeah, that’s what my mom said when I asked if I could help the guards,” Henry complained. Mom was Carol, of course. Ezekiel had taken the boy under his wing a few years ago when his father died. And when his brother died, Ezekiel and Carol took him in, each teaching him something different to make sure he continued to be a survivor. Henry was smart and fierce. He’d go far in this world.

Aaron thanked Henry and looked back at the bridge. His partner still hadn’t come back, and he wondered what was taking so long.

“Come on. I’ll help you,” Daryl said, approaching from behind where Aaron wouldn’t see him coming and prepare an argument.

Aaron glanced at him and looked away. “That’s okay. I’ll wait for my work partner to come back.”

Daryl ignored him and went to the plank, bent down, and lifted one end. He waited a moment, but Aaron ignored him. “This bridge ain’t gonna build itself.”

Aaron stood a moment longer, but he knew Daryl, knew he wouldn’t give up that easily. Rolling his eyes, Aaron went over to the plank and picked up the other end. They carried it onto the bridge, laid it in place and stood back to look at its positioning. Daryl took out his hammer and a handful of nails and got to work. Aaron took up his hammer, and then realized he’d forgotten to grab some nails.

“There’s plenty here. Grab some,” Daryl said.

Reluctantly, Aaron went to Daryl’s end and took a few nails. They worked in silence, hammering the plank into place, something they’d done before, but on happier terms. Back then, Aaron still held out hope for them. That was before he realized Daryl had made his mind up a long time ago that they were through for good. It didn’t matter now, Aaron told himself. He had Paul in his life, someone who really cared about him and Gracie.

The plank was down and fastened in. Aaron’s work partner still hadn’t come back. Daryl went to get another plank, and glanced back at Aaron. “Looks like another Savior walked off the job.”

“Aren’t you responsible for keeping them in line?” Aaron asked with blame.

“Only so much I can do. They don’t want to stay, I can’t make ‘em. That’s the part Rick doesn’t understand.”

“Rick’s showing them a better life,” Aaron argued, standing up for his leader.

“Rick’s forcing them to do something they don’t want to do, and to be something they don’t want to be. It ain’t gonna work,” Daryl returned.

“He’s giving them a chance to right their wrongs. He could have killed all the Saviors on the field that day. Instead, he let them live, and now he’s showing them a better way.”

“Yeah, well there’s one Savior should have died that day,” Daryl mumbled, but Aaron heard him loud and clear.

Aaron didn’t want to argue. There was no point. He and Daryl were at opposite ends with their opinions. “Let’s just get back to work,” he said.

They attached another plank and stood back to see the progress of the bridge. There was still a lot of work to be done, but it was looking more like a bridge. Daryl came up and voluntarily stood next to Aaron, something he hadn’t done in a very long time. Both men gazed out over the unfinished bridge, as though admiring their work.

“I did what I did at the Hilltop for the protection of the community, and to reassure Maggie’s position as leader,” he confessed quietly. “Whatever you might think of me, I don’t enjoy having to do things like that, but I know I’m the only one who can carry the burden. Gregory was a bad man. If he walked out of there, he would have become our enemy, along with whoever else he could have recruited. The way I see it, I abolished a possible threat. Hilltop comes first. You can’t argue with that. I know you’d put Alexandria first if you had to.”

Dammit, Aaron knew Daryl was right, and it pissed him off. He wanted to hate him, to never have to see or talk to him again. But here he was explaining his choices, making Aaron feel bad for treating him poorly when he was just doing his duty. He chose not to respond at all.

“That’s why I let Dwight go,” Daryl continued after a pause. “He wasn’t a threat. I tried to convince myself he was bad. I was wary of him the entire time, looking for the slightest reason to kill him. Turned out, everything he did was to help us win. And we did.”

That took a lot to confess, Aaron thought. This was Daryl’s way of making amends. “I’m glad you didn’t kill him. It was the right thing to do.”

“Yeah … well,” Daryl mumbled.

“Why didn’t you tell me? Why did you let me assume you killed him?” Aaron wondered. He didn’t understand the reasoning behind it.

Daryl shrugged his shoulders. “I didn’t tell anyone what I did. Most people think Dwight just left. I think they expected that from him. He was only here to help us win the war. Besides, I don’t think he would have fit in.”

There was a disturbance further alone the bridge. One of the Saviors, Justin, seemed to be making a difficult time for Henry, who was passing out drinks of water. Daryl and Aaron went to see what the problem was. In closer range, they heard Justin arguing that he hadn’t had enough water. Henry was upholding the rule for rations. Then Justin pushed Henry down, took the water jug and proceeded to drink more than his share of water. He turned and boasted to those who laughed along with him, when suddenly, Henry attacked Justin with his stick, knocking him off his feet. Jed, Justin’s friend and partner in crime, was laughing and taunting his friend about getting his ass handed to him by a ten year old. This seemed to infuriate Justin.

Daryl could see where this was going, and as Justin got back up to retaliate against Henry, Daryl intervened. “The kid’s just doing his job. You need to get back to yours.”

Justin gave a huff of a disturbed laugh. Aaron watched as Justin, without warning, took a swing at Daryl. But Daryl was too fast and too smart. He saw it coming, ducked to avoid getting hit, and in return, punched Justin in the face. Justin was on the ground again.

While Aaron watched, he noticed Jed making his way through the crowd, ready to help Justin win the fight. As he was about to rush past, Aaron got in his way, and pushed back on him.

“Let me go, man,” Jed said angrily.

“Stay back.” Aaron had a hold of his arm, but Jed pushed back. Aaron stumbled and caught himself before he fell. He went after Jed a second time, and was suddenly in a fight with the man. He caught a brief glimpse of Justin throwing dirt in Daryl’s face, blinding him. Aaron wished he could help him, but he had to deal with Jed.

Everyone who watched was either yelling or cheering. Aaron feared a larger brawl would break out between Saviors and everyone else. The situation was quickly getting out of hand. Thankfully, Rick arrived on horseback, and fired his gun in the air. Everyone stopped what they were doing. Aaron was still holding on to Jed to make sure he wouldn’t cause any more trouble.

Jed jerked his arm away. “Get off me, faggot.”

Daryl heard the insult, and started to march over, but Rick stopped him and commanded that he go to the main tent to cool off. Aaron watched him storm off, but he felt a pang in his chest for the way Daryl was ready to defend him. It was at that moment when he realized Daryl still cared, if just a little bit.

Rick sent Justin off to help with guard duty, and man one of the radios, knowing all he had to do was sit and wait to relay any messages. He sent Jed away from the camp to help with the logging part of the job, and asked that Aaron go to make sure he got there. It was about a ten minute walk from the camp. Rick was probably worried about more Saviors walking off the job, and that’s why he sent Aaron with him.

When he got there, he found several Saviors trying to stack logs onto a platform for the mules to take to the carpenters. There the logs would be made into planks. Jed stood by and watched until Aaron told him to get to work. Jed shot him a heated glare and made himself busy, while Aaron stood by, ready to supervise if he needed to. The other Saviors were busy working, unaware of the scuffle at the bridge. Jed started complaining, catching them up on what happened, and trying to influence them to take his side. Fortunately, the rest of the workers didn’t think much of Jed either. They were the Saviors who had decided resistance wasn’t the path to a peaceful future. They ignored Jed as they worked, and eventually, Jed settled down.

After a long while, Daryl showed up. Aaron was surprised to see him. He thought he’d go back to the bridge. “What are you doing here?” Aaron asked.

“What I always do, keep shit together,” Daryl said, still heated from the earlier incident.

Aaron moved close so the others wouldn’t hear. “Thanks for what you did back there.”

“Ah,” Daryl grunted. “The guy’s had it coming to him for a while now. Whenever there’s trouble, he’s always close by.” He shifted his weight from foot to foot. “I’m sure if Jesus was there, he would have done the same thing.”

Aaron didn’t know how to respond to that, so he said nothing. This was a subject they’d never discussed before. And everything was so new between Aaron and Paul, he didn’t feel he needed to expand on it.

“So, uh, I guess you’re together now,” Daryl said quietly, voice low and graveled.

“I … I think so,” Aaron replied, feeling awkward discussing his current love life with his ex.

“You think so?” Daryl challenged.

“No. I know so. Yes … yes we are … together,” Aaron admitted.

Daryl nodded silently, eyes watching the work crew instead of looking at Aaron. “I can’t say I’m happy for you. You know that. But I can say I think he’s a good guy. And you deserve to be treated right.”

Aaron couldn’t believe what he was hearing, but he didn’t totally agree. “You treated me right.”

Daryl lowered his head and stared at the ground. “Naw, not always. Not the way you deserved.”

“Uh, hey. Could one of you guys give us a hand?” one of the work crew called from the logs.

Their conversation interrupted, neither Daryl nor Aaron added another word to their conversation. Aaron turned and looked at the men working the logs. Jed and one other was on the top of the stack holding ropes as they tried to pull the last log up. A third man was on the ground manning his rope, but they needed one more on the other side.

“I’ll help. You stand guard,” Aaron said. He didn’t wait for Daryl to answer, and walked over to the logs, took up the ropes and got to work.

>>------->

They were close to finishing up with the logs. One more to go, and Aaron could finally take a break while the others led the mules with their load to the carpenters. Aaron stood on the ground, the rope biting into his hands, even with his gloves on. Jed was above him, still scowling over the scuffle earlier. At least he was working, Aaron thought.

In the distance, they heard an explosion. Everyone stopped what they were doing.

“It’s all right,” Daryl said. “Rosita and Arat are setting off some explosives to redirect that big herd discovered earlier.”

“There’s a herd?” one of the men asked.

“Rick’s on top of it,” Daryl said.

“This is why we should be allowed to have weapons,” Jed complained.

“Shut up and get back to work,” Daryl warned.

Aaron heard Jed mumble something about Daryl being an asshole before reluctantly continuing to do his part. “All right, we’re almost there with this log,” Aaron said to boost morale. “And then we can be done for the day.”

A few more minutes went by, and they heard Jerry’s siren, the one that Aaron and Paul retrieved from the old firehouse. His thought went back to moving in together. He hadn’t had much time to think about it since coming back to camp. In just a couple more days, Paul would be here too, and he’d probably want an answer. Aaron wasn’t ready to give him one. Leaving Alexandria was a big move, but asking Paul to leave Hilltop was just as important of a decision. Maybe it wasn’t time.

Or maybe Aaron was letting Daryl inside his head. He kept thinking of how quickly Daryl responded to Jed’s insult during the fight. The comment had been directed towards Aaron, and he could defend himself with no problem. But Daryl overheard the slur and jumped in to defend Aaron. That was the Daryl he knew, the man he’d fallen in love with.

That was the Daryl he knew deep down he was still in love with. Aaron could deny it all he wanted, but the feeling was still there nagging at his heart. No, he berated himself. He couldn’t fall back into that bad pattern of pining for the man who cast him aside. Paul was in his life now, and he was ready to make a new life with him. Aaron wanted that too. Didn’t he?

He dared to glance over at Daryl, and felt his heart speed in his chest. Aaron knew he wasn’t over Daryl, not yet, and maybe not ever. Moving on would take a lot more effort than he originally thought. If he was going to make a fresh start with Paul, he needed to separate himself from Daryl, and that meant leaving the bridge crew and the camp. Rick wouldn’t be happy about it. He might not let Aaron leave. Right now they needed all the help they could get. He would at least talk to Rick about it, and maybe they could work something out. Being around Daryl was too distracting, and it wasn’t fair to Paul.

Aaron was so deep in thought, he didn’t notice Daryl’s stance. It was like an animal sensing danger approaching. When he slipped his knife out of his belt, Aaron got anxious. As though Daryl sensed this, he looked across to Aaron, worry on his face.

“The second siren never went off,” he said.

“Maybe they didn’t need it,” Aaron said.

“Yeah, maybe,” Daryl agreed, but his mind was elsewhere.

The log was getting heavy, and it was taking a long time to hoist it to the top. Inch by painfully slow inch, they men worked together to lift the log using a number of ropes like a pulley system. They were close now, and Aaron put all his concentration into the last few inches of bringing the log to the top of the stack. Almost there and . . .

“Walkers!” Daryl yelled.

Aaron looked over and saw them approaching. Daryl was already marching toward them, a knife in each hand. He took down three right away, and they thought that was it, until a dozen more came out of the tree line.

The men stopped what they were doing, but they still held the ropes. “Come on guys,” Aaron encouraged. “We’ve almost got this. Daryl’s got the walkers. Just a little more to go.”

Jed was getting jumpy as he watched the small herd approaching. “This is why we need fucking guns,” he complained. “We can’t protect ourselves. Gotta depend on people like you for that.”

“Don’t worry about it. Daryl’s got them. Finish the job,” Aaron demanded. But Daryl didn’t have it. He was fighting the walkers, but more were coming out of the trees. Soon he’d be overrun.

“Fuck this,” Jed said.

“Jed, don’t you dare drop the rope,” Aaron warned, but he was ignored. Jed dropped his robe and jumped from the top of the pile. The other man on top watched, and started to follow Jed’s lead. “Don’t you fucking leave or . . .” But it was too late. The man on top tried to compensate for losing Jed, but it was too heavy for just one man, and the log was beginning to come down, and the man next to Aaron was in trouble.

“Move!” Aaron yelled, but the man was still desperately holding his rope. Making the split second decision, Aaron let go of his rope and hopped to the side, pushing the man out of the way of the falling log. He thought he had plenty of time to push the man and jump out of the way himself, and he was successful at saving the man’s life. However, Aaron was unsuccessful at helping himself. More than just the one log came down, trapping Aaron beneath one of them. There was an instant shot of pain, not unlike a jolt of electricity that went through his arm and into his chest. It spread like fire all the way to his toes, a pain like nothing he’d ever experienced before. Aaron screamed, a natural reaction to the agony he was in. He was trapped and there was a herd on the way.

“Aaron!” he heard Daryl call out.

“Help me!” Aaron cried with all his energy.

“You! Grab that side!” Daryl commanded to one of the men close by. Daryl took hold of the log closest to Aaron. He started to lift it, but it was one of the bigger ones.

Aaron knew there were walkers close. He could hear them and smell them. He craned his neck to look, and saw about a half dozen closing in on them. “Daryl!” he warned.

Daryl reluctantly abandoned Aaron, whipped out both of his hunting knives, and with swift catlike movements, he took down the walkers two at a time. Aaron had seen him fight hundreds, if not thousands of times, but he’d never seen him so calm and focused. His skills had improved over the year and a half they’d been separated.

When Daryl was done, he rushed back to Aaron and looked around. One other Savior stayed. Jed was gone. “All right, you … stay at that end,” he said to the original man who had helped. “You,” he called to the other. “Come up here with me. We got to get this thing off of him.”

As they got into position, Aaron saw more walkers coming. Daryl was focused on getting Aaron free. “Daryl, there’s more coming. You gotta go.”

“I ain’t leaving without you,” Daryl said, determined to get Aaron out from under the log.

Aaron watched the walkers. They were getting closer, and there were too many. “You’re going to get overrun. Leave me. Get these men out of here. They’ll come for me. It will buy you some time.”

“We go together or not at all,” Daryl demanded. “I ain’t gonna let you die.” He sounded slightly choked by the emotion, something only Aaron could recognize.

Aaron kept his eye on the walkers. They were almost here. This was going to be their end. They’d always said they wouldn’t want to go on without the other in this world. Even after all the anger and hostility that had grown between them, it seemed that still rang true. If this was to be his end, he wouldn’t go without confessing once more his love for this man. “Daryl. Listen. I know it’s been a long time, and we’ve both changed so much, but I … I still lo–”

He was cut off by the sound of gunfire, and glanced up to see Rick and the others running past them to attack the walkers. Daryl wouldn’t leave Aaron to fight. He just kept trying to lift the heavy log. A moment later, Rick was at his side, along with a few more Alexandrians. They all pitched in and finally managed to get the log off of Aaron’s arm. Daryl pulled him out and got him to his feet. There was still the danger of the herd approaching.

“Get him to the infirmary,” Rick commanded. “We got this.”

Daryl nodded and wasted no time. He wrapped an arm around Aaron’s waist. Aaron draped his good arm around Daryl’s shoulder. He bit back the excruciating pain and helped as much as he could so that Daryl didn’t have to drag him along. When they were finally far enough away from the herd, they stopped. Somewhere along the way, and Aaron didn’t know when or how, Daryl had picked up someone’s jacket. He leaned Aaron against a tree and took a good long look at the injured arm. “Jesus!” he said with shock.

For the first time since the accident happened, Aaron observed his arm. It was completely mangled, torn skin, exposed muscle, and broken bones open to the air. “Oh shit. Jesus Christ,” Aaron panicked.

“It’s gonna be alright,” Daryl said with calm words. “I gotta wrap it up. Bear with me.”

“Okay. Shit. Okay.”

Daryl took the abandoned jacket and quickly wrapped it around Aaron’s arm. White heated pain shot through Aaron’s body as the rough material touched delicate exposed nerve endings. He thought he might pass out, but he did everything he could not to let that happen. Daryl wouldn’t be able to get him to the infirmary if he had to drag him along. There was still a ten minute walk to get there. Still, he couldn’t help sliding down the tree until he was sitting on the ground. His legs gave out under the pain.

“Stay with me,” Daryl said a few times. Aaron nodded and closed his eyes while Daryl worked.

The sight of the mangled arm was burned into his brain. It looked really bad, but he was sure Siddiq would be able to do something for him. He’d set the bones and sew him back up as best he could. He’d probably have some really ugly scars from the elbow down, but eventually he’d be back to normal.

Aaron didn’t remember much of the walk back to the campsite. Daryl didn’t talk and neither did Aaron. They were both focused on getting help and keeping ahead of any walkers that might have broken away from the herd. Aaron was busy concentrating on not falling or fainting, and keeping up with Daryl’s long stride.

“Almost there,” Daryl announced. “You still with me?”

“Yeah,” Aaron responded just above a whisper.

“You’ll have one hell of a story to tell when you get back home,” Daryl said to make light of the situation and to keep Aaron moving.

Aaron huffed, not having the energy to laugh, and kept going. It felt like a century before they finally broke from the trees and onto the edge of the camp. People that were milling around jumped out of the way when they saw Daryl and Aaron make their way thought the site. The infirmary tent was near the center, next to the main meeting tent. Daryl whipped the tent flap to the side and stumbled in with Aaron, taking him straight to the empty cot. Enid turned, caught off guard by the sudden movement.

“Where’s Siddiq?” Daryl demanded as he helped Aaron to lay down.

“Rick sent him back home. He left me in charge,” she said, panic washing over her face as she looked at the bloody jacket around Aaron’s arm. “What happened?”

Daryl showed her instead of telling her, as he unwrapped the jacket. Aaron screamed in pain.

“Oh my God,” Enid said, shocked by the state his arm was in. She stood there observing it like a deer stuck in the headlights.

“Well, help him,” Daryl said, on edge and short tempered.

Enid snapped out of her trance and started looking around the tent. She grabbed a book on a nearby table and started searching through it.

“Can you help him or not?” Daryl demanded again.

“Y-yes, but . . .” she stammered. “There’s been too much damage.” She looked at Daryl with dismay. “I’m going to have to amputate.”

Aaron heard her from the bed and lifted his head from the pillow to look at her. “What?” he whimpered. She must be joking.

“What do you need me to do?” Daryl asked. Aaron wondered why he wasn’t arguing for a different option.

“Stay with him. Hold him down if necessary,” she said as she reached for a leather belt next to the table. She handed it to Daryl. “Give him this to bite down on.”

“Wait. Wait. What?” Aaron questioned with confusion. Was this really happening? Was Enid about to take his arm? But what did she know about being a doctor? And where the fuck was Siddiq?

Daryl picked up a piece of cloth from another table and ripped a strip from it. Aaron watched him as he came back, knelt on the floor next to where he was laying, and brought the strip up to his arm. “What are you doing?” Aaron asked anxiously.

“I’m gonna tie it off to help control the bleeding,” Daryl told him. He held it just above the elbow and stopped to look at Aaron before doing anything else. Aaron was confused by the action. “I’m sorry, man,” Daryl said, and then he tied the cloth very tight around his arm.

“Ahh!” Aaron screamed in pain.

“Get that belt ready,” Enid advised. She had a case open on the table and was looking over some medical instruments. The one she picked up was a saw.

“W-w-w-w-wait!” Aaron stammered. They were going too fast with all of this. He hadn’t had time to process any of it or to voice his opinion. No one was asking what he thought about any of this. They were acting on their own, and he didn’t like it one bit.

Daryl took the belt and brought it to Aaron’s mouth. “You’re gonna want to bite on this.”

Aaron opened his mouth. Daryl put the belt in, and cupped the side of Aaron’s face before pulling his hand away. “You still trust me?” Daryl asked.

Aaron nodded.

“It’s gonna be all right. I’m not leaving. I’m gonna see you through this. Okay?” Daryl’s voice was so calm and genuine. Aaron remembered him speaking to him like this in the past, back when they were trying to survive whatever challenge had been thrown at them. He hadn’t let Aaron down then, and he wouldn’t let him down now. His soothing words seemed to calm Aaron, and when Enid came up to him with the saw in her hand, Aaron found the courage he’d need to get through this.

“Ready?” Enid asked.

Aaron gave her a single nod and then looked up into Daryl’s face. They connected in that moment, as they gazed into each other’s eyes. Daryl took up Aaron’s good hand that was resting on his chest. They both squeezed in recognition. Then, Daryl glanced up at Enid. “He’s ready.”

There were no words that could explain the amount of pain Aaron felt as soon as the sawblade made its first swipe. He felt his teeth sink into the belt, and he thought he might bite it clear through. His screams were unrecognizable to even himself. Daryl lowered his head to Aaron’s, and he talked in his ear the entire time.

“It’s gonna be over real soon. I know it’s unbearable, and I’m so sorry this happened to you. You’re gonna be all right, though. You’re strong, Aaron. You’re the strongest man I know, in mind and heart. Just hang in there. Hang in there. For me. Please. Please.”

As Daryl talked to him, Aaron started to lose consciousness. It was all too much and his body and mind were shutting down so he could deal with the pain. And just as he was about to pass out, he heard Daryl’s voice one more time.

“I know what you were about to say out there, and you should know … I still love you too,” he said.

Daryl heard him, Aaron thought. In all the chaos, Daryl heard him and he still felt the same. They still loved each other after all this time. The thought was almost enough to forget the tragedy unfolding right then.

And then Aaron lost all awareness and faded into darkness.

>>------->

As Aaron came to, he heard voices, but it sounded like trying to hear a conversation underwater. His eyelids were heavy, and refused to open just yet. Instead, he focused of the voices.

“Is he going to make it?” Daryl asked.

“I think so,” Enid answered. “As long as he doesn’t develop an infection.”

“What can I do?” Daryl’s voice was soft with genuine concern.

“Just be there for him,” Enid advised.

Aaron heard the rustle of the tent flap and heavy footsteps enter. “What happened out there?” It was Rick.

“They were loading up logs. Walkers came. My guys panicked, and Aaron paid the price. Log fell on his arm,” Daryl said. “Jed’s gone.” There was a pause before Daryl continued. “So what happened out there? I only heard one siren.”

“Yeah. Justin dropped the ball,” Rick admitted. He had been the one who put Justin on radio duty.

“Where is he?” Daryl’s voice turned dark.

“Next door.”

Aaron heard Daryl take a few heavy steps, and the tent flap being thrust aside in anger. He finally found his voice, but it was soft and weak. “Daryl. Daryl don’t.”

“Hey, hey,” Rick comforted. “Aaron, I didn’t know you were awake.”

“He’s going to do something stupid,” Aaron tried to warn. He slowly opened his eyes and found Rick leaning over him.

“I’ll deal with him in a moment. Glad you’re still with us.”

“Most of me,” Aaron replied.

“Christ, Aaron, I so sorry this had to happen to you. It shouldn’t have happened at all. Things are supposed to be getting better, but today feels like a huge step backwards,” Rick said.

“The fact that any of this is happening is what matters, and it’s all because you led us here. You’ve made the difference, and I’m proud to have followed you all this way.”

“Yeah, well, it wasn’t just me. It’s everyone,” Rick smiled down at him. “So here’s the plan. We’re going to get you to Hilltop and let Siddiq treat you. Once he feels you’re okay, you can go back home. I sent word to Alexandria and Sarah so you don’t have to worry about Gracie.”

Aaron nodded as a tear rolled down his cheek. “I haven’t even thought about her yet. How am I going to do this? How am I going to raise her now … like this,” he said, glancing at his missing arm. It was wrapped almost to the shoulder in white bandages.

“You’re strong, Aaron. You’ll make it work, and you’ll have lots of help in the meantime,” Rick assured him. “Now, get some rest. You’re leaving for Hilltop soon.”
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Safe Haven in the Chaos