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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
- 82
- 83
- 84
Chapter 84 Standing on the Edge

It was decided to hold off on the funeral until later. When Daryl radioed Hilltop, the people that agreed to help look for Alpha’s horde decided to come for Siddiq’s funeral first. Daryl left the radio room to tell Gabriel what was going on. He found him at his home, watching the video he’d taken of Dante when he was first admitted into Alexandria. This was something the former and founding leader, Deanna, used to do with all those she let make Alexandria their home. She had done it with each of Daryl’s people too. Daryl had been so defiant back then. He hadn’t even wanted to be there, but he followed Rick’s lead. It was a decision that changed Daryl’s life for the better.

“Hey,” Daryl said softly so not to startle Gabriel.

“Oh, Daryl, what’s going on?” Gabriel turned the tape off quickly and laid the camera next to him on the couch.

“Hilltop is sending their people here first. They’re coming for the funeral,” Daryl told him. His eyes moved to the box of videos. Somewhere in there was Rick’s video. Daryl had thought about that tape on occasion, especially when he was missing his best friend, but he’d never been able to go as far as to watch it. There were a lot of people on those tapes who weren’t with them anymore.

“Okay. That’s good. I guess you’re not leaving to look for the horde until tomorrow?”

“That’s the plan.” Daryl gestured to the camera. “Find what you were looking for on that tape?”

Gabriel had a far off look on his face. “He seemed so sincere. I don’t think any of us could have known who he really was. Either his backstory was the truth, or he’s one hell of a conman. The only thing I know he didn’t lie about was being a doctor.” Gabriel paused and shook his head. “How can a man who’s been trained to help people and save lives turn into such a monster?”

“This world changes people. You know that. It either changes them for the good or for the bad. Guess we knew which what Dante swung.” Daryl started to wonder about Gabriel’s motives. “You’re not going to try and rehabilitate him like you tried with Negan, are you?”

“I think Negan was proof that that method doesn’t work. Actually, I don’t know what we’re going to do with Dante. We can’t let him go back to Alpha, and he can never be a part of our society.” Gabriel was thinking out loud.

“Well, if you decide to do something on a more … permanent level, I can help.” He was, of course, speaking of an execution. It wouldn’t be the first time Daryl was involved in something like that. He had helped Maggie with Gregory. He was in a dark place in his life back then, but if he had to do it again, he would.

>>------->

Aaron picked up Gracie from Sarah’s house. She came out with her pack, but stopped and ran back in because she forgot something. When she came out again, she was wearing a leather glove. It was a long glove, coming up almost to her elbow, and it was child sized.

“What is that?” Aaron asked with curiosity, noticing she only wore one.

Gracie smiled. “You said your arm makes you stronger. I want to be stronger too.” She lifted her arm and showed him. It was like a tiny replica of his own metal arm.

“I hope you don’t mind,” Sarah said. “Gracie told me about her idea, so we went to Alden, and he made it for her.”

“I’m just like you, Daddy,” said Gracie, proud of her glove.

“I think it’s a great idea,” Aaron said, trying not to let a tear threaten his eye. “Thank you, Sarah.”

Sarah smiled at them, and sent them on their way.

When they got home, Gracie told Aaron everything she had learned at school lately. Right now, they were studying state capitals. Gracie was pretty good and memorizing things. They had a seat on the floor in the living room, and Aaron quizzed her. Surprisingly, she knew quite a few of them. He looked at the wall of license plates for states, and Gracie noticed.

“Why did you used to collect those?” she asked.

“It was for fun. Something to do to pass the time.” Aaron’s thoughts took him back to Eric and their time as recruiters. He hadn’t thought of Eric in a long time, and he started feeling nostalgic.

“Did you and Daryl find all those?” she asked.

“No. Actually, it was a man named Eric.” He had never told Gracie about Eric before. She had been too young, but now that she was older, maybe it was time.

“Who’s Eric?” she asked curiously.

“He was a man I met when I first came to Alexandria. He was my boyfriend … before I met Daryl.”

“Did you love him?”

“I did, but not as much or in the same way that I love Daryl. Still, Eric was very special to me.”

“Did he die?” Gracie asked.

Aaron couldn’t help notice her question. She didn’t ask what happened to him, or where he was. Instead, she already assumed he died, and she was right. “He died protecting Alexandria … and me,” Aaron added, remembering that awful day when the rogue group known as the Wolves invaded the town. A lot of people died that day, a lot of good people who were unprepared for the world outside of the walls. Aaron had been one of those people. It was Daryl who taught him how to really survive.

Seeming satisfied with his answers, Gracie moved on. “Have you ever been to any of those states?”

Aaron looked over the plates, and realized he’d been to a few of them. “I went to California once.”

“Do you have a story about California?”

Aaron thought a moment to recall his reason for going there, and realized it was with someone he had recently remembered from his past. He had used this person as a reference when he made up a story about a brother he never had, as he tried to gain Mary’s trust. It was odd how he had remembered him so suddenly, and now he was talking about him again. “I might have a story if you can tell me the capital of California.”

“Sacramento,” Gracie answered correctly.

“You are … correct!” he said like a game show host. “Give the girl a prize.”

Gracie giggled, and they high-fived, Aaron with his metal arm and Gracie with her leather one. “Okay. So, I went there the summer after I graduated from college with my boyfriend at the time, William.” Aaron went on about how they hiked through the redwood forest, and came upon some ruins of a long forgotten Native American village. There had been a plaque that told a brief story about the ruins, who had found them and when. But not much was known about the people who lived there or what ever happened to them. It was assumed the same thing happened to them that happened to most Native Americans when the Europeans took over and made American their own. They were outnumbered and their land was confiscated. As far as its people, they were forgotten about a long time ago, at least until the ruins were found. Aaron couldn’t help wonder if that could happen now, in these times. Did the Whisperers outnumber Alexandria and Hilltop? Would they eventually be pushed out, only to have their communities reduced to ruins? Aaron knew he’d do whatever it took not to let that happen.

“What happened to William?” Gracie asked when Aaron was done with his story.

That was another story for another time, and not something he was ready to discuss with his daughter. William never came out to his family for fear of disappointing his father with the truth about his sexuality. Instead, he broke up with Aaron and eventually settled down with a woman he didn’t love, to live a life of lies and falsehoods. Aaron always wondered how that turned out for him, but he imagined it was not a good ending.

“Well, honey, William and I didn’t see life in the same way, and so we went our separate ways not long after that trip,” he explained as best he could to an eight-year-old.

He got a call on his radio. It was Daryl. “Hilltop’s here. Everyone’s heading to the cemetary.”

“Okay, be there shortly,” Aaron answered. “We have to go,” he said as he got up from the floor.

“I think you and Daryl should get married,” Gracie said, her statement coming from nowhere.

“Married? Why do you think that?” he asked.

“Well, because you dated William, but he didn’t love you enough and married a woman instead. Then you dated Eric, but you didn’t love him enough to marry him. Daryl loves you a whole lot, and I know you love him like that too. It just makes sense. You found your soulmate so you should get married,” Gracie explained.

Aaron huffed a laugh after hearing her reasons. “What do you know about soulmates?” He wondered where she had heard the term.

“My friend Heather said her parents were married in the before times, but they lost their loved ones. Then they met, fell in love and got married in the after times. And then they had Heather. You met Daryl in the after times, and you adopted me in the after times too. So, I think you should marry like Heather’s parents did. It just makes sense to me. That’s all.”

“Daryl and I don’t need to marry to know how much we love each other. I think we’re content with how we are right now.” It was odd the things that Gracie thought about, and it was always a surprise to learn about her opinions. “Okay, get your shoes on. We need to be on our way.”

The funeral was a very solemn occasion. Everyone came out, and not many eyes were dry. Rosita held baby Coco in her arms as she watched Siddiq’s casket lower into the grave. Gabriel performed the ceremony, as he had done for many others before. There were so many headstones and crosses now. Aaron remembered when there had only been a few. He never imagined the number would be so great. And yet, Alexandria still thrived and grew. Their numbers were higher now than they’d ever been.

Daryl stood next to Aaron, their fingers linked together. Gracie stood in front of them and watched the funeral. This wasn’t her first time, and it wouldn’t be her last. Aaron noticed that Daryl held his hand tightly. They might have both been thinking the same thing. No one ever knew when it was their time to go. They had to make the most of each day because tomorrow was never a sure thing.

The funeral concluded, and everyone went back to their usual duties, except for a few who stayed at the grave, Rosita among them. Gabriel didn’t stay with her, and Daryl thought that was unusual, especially at a time like this. He thought of Gabe watching Dante’s tape earlier, and wondered if he blamed himself for what happened. Whatever was going on, he hoped that him and Rosita could work things out.

Aaron nudged Daryl’s shoulder and gestured to Carol. “Look who it is,” he said, and Daryl saw Ezekiel talking to her.

“I think that’s the first time they’ve talked since she came back to Alexandria,” Daryl mentioned.

“That’s good. They needed to talk,” said Aaron.

“And I need to talk to you,” Daryl said to him.

Aaron cringed internally. “If this is about Mary and–"

“You could have said something when you first found her. I don’t know why you felt you had to keep it a secret.”

“Old habits?” Aaron started with a lame excuse, but Daryl rolled his eyes and turned his head away. “I know, I know,” said Aaron, giving in. “I should have told you, but I wanted to check it out first.”

“You told Carol,” Daryl pointed out.

“That’s because Carol caught on to me. You know she’s like a bloodhound. And the woman can always detect a lie. She’s relentless. I had no choice, but I didn’t know she was going to bring Lydia with her. You know I would never have agreed to that.”

“Yeah, I know,” Daryl agreed. “But please, no more secrets.”

“That was the last one. Unless it’s like a surprise birthday party or something like that,” Aaron smiled in jest. “Come one. It’s family night, remember?”

They went home and made dinner, ate together, played some board games with Gracie, and spent the evening trying to block out all the concerns about the outside world. Aaron put Gracie to bed when it was time, and then he joined Daryl on the couch in front of the fireplace. Daryl had two glasses of Alexandria’s specialty, homemade honey mead, waiting for them. Aaron collapsed on the couch next to Daryl, and took the offered glass. They made a silent toast and took a sip.

“That’s good,” Aaron said, enjoying the sweet honey flavor, and the way its warmth traveled from his throat to his stomach.

Daryl looked at his glass. “It’s not moonshine, but it will do.”

“You and your moonshine. Gasoline is more like it,” Aaron complained. He took another sip and laid his head on Daryl’s shoulder. “I wish everything could stay like it is right now, and there were no threats except for the usual.”

“Yeah, me too. I like this. Right here. Right now. Alone with you.” Daryl took Aaron’s glass from him and set it on the coffee table. Then he twisted his torso to face Aaron, leaned in and kissed him. It heated quickly as their tongues swirled and caressed. Aaron gave in easily and rose to the occasion. Daryl rubbed him through the material of his pants, his own desire building with every moment that passed.

There was a time when they could have stripped naked and made love on the rug in front of the fireplace, but that wasn’t exactly an option anymore. Daryl wished they didn’t have to stop and make the trip upstairs to their bedroom. It was one of the things he missed, but that was just a part of having a family.

“I want you so bad,” Aaron moaned between kisses.

“You have no idea what you do to me,” said Daryl.

Aaron’s hand reached down and rubbed Daryl’s hard bulge. “I think I’ve got a pretty good idea.” He smiled against Daryl’s neck and nipped at the tender flesh just above his collarbone.

“Remember that time at the cabin when I took you on the floor?” Daryl reminisced.

“Ah, the cabin. I miss that place. That’s kind of where it all started for us. Seems like a hundred years ago,” Aaron said dreamily.

“I’ve thought about that place a time or two. I wondered what it looks like now, whether it’s salvageable to renovate. It was in pretty bad shape last time I was there.”

“When was that?” Aaron wondered.

“It was a while ago. We were still split up.” All of a sudden, Daryl seemed to get shy.

“You went to the cabin while we were separated?” Aaron asked, but he could imagine the reason was because he had missed Aaron.

“Revisiting ghosts,” Daryl said softly.

“We left quite a few of those back there, didn’t we?”

“Some were mine and some were both of ours. But what I realized was that it doesn’t matter where we are. The scenery might change, different house, different town, but as long as we’re together that’s all that matters.”

“Let’s go upstairs,” said Aaron, as his eyes danced with desire. “We could try and recreate a few of those memories if you want.”

They wasted no time getting to their room, taking the bottle of wine and the glasses with them. As soon as Aaron locked the door, Daryl was upon him. His fingers made quick work of the first few buttons of Aaron’s shirt, and the buckle of his belt. Then he carefully undid the three belts that held Aaron’s metal prosthetic on. Daryl eased it off and placed it on a nearby chair. When he came back to Aaron, he examined the arm, and noticed the redness close to the elbow where the edge rubbed his flesh. Aaron covered it with his hand.

“It always does that,” he said to ease Daryl’s mind.

“Maybe we should have it adjusted,” Daryl suggested.

“I did, and this is the best I can get it. It doesn’t hurt. It just gets a little red.” Aaron smiled at Daryl’s concern for his comfort. “Back to business,” he said to refocus their attention. He fumbled with the buttons of Daryl’s shirt, but Daryl took over and did it himself before continuing on with Aaron’s shirt.

They finished undressing each other in silence and came together for a sensual kiss. Flesh upon flesh, they writhed against each other until Daryl walked Aaron backwards to the end of the bed. He eased them both down. Daryl’s body covered Aaron’s, not giving him much room to breathe between fiery kisses. Both men were hard and ready, but they still took their time. As long as they had been together, they were able to relish each touch, each kiss, and keep a steady session of foreplay before they could hold off no longer. Making love had always been good, but in these later years, it just seemed better.

Daryl prepared them both, and fell into position, with Aaron beneath him, face to face to see each other in their most vulnerable forms. Aaron moaned when Daryl entered, a sound Daryl never got tired of hearing. His slow strokes sped up as he felt himself moving closer to the precipice, but he wouldn’t go over until Aaron was there with him. Their eyes connected as they spent, souls melding together, never to part again. After a while, Daryl eased from Aaron’s body, coming to rest at his side. Neither one spoke until their breathing regulated, and they came down from their heavenly retreat. Then, Daryl kissed him once more, still needing the connection with his lover, the only man who could ever make him feel this way. Only when they were fully recuperated did Daryl leave the bed to retrieve a towel to clean them up. Before coming back into the bed, he grabbed their wine glasses and the bottle. Aaron sat up, and took his glass, laughing as he watched Daryl pretend to spill his glass upon him.

“You’d feel silly if that really spilled,” Aaron said.

“I’d lick every last drop from your body,” Daryl replied. He drank swiftly, instead of sipping like Aaron was doing. Then he collapsed on the bed again.

Aaron finished his glass, and eased back on the bed. He threw a knitted throw across their waists, just for modesty’s sake. Then he thought about the events of the day. Although it had been a sad day, it still had its upbeat moments, and he smiled and gave a huff of a laugh when he thought about Gracie.

“Did you notice the glove Gracie was wearing?” Aaron asked with delight.

“Yeah, what was that?”

“Sarah had Alden make it for her. It’s supposed to be like my arm. We were talking the other day, and I mentioned something about my handicap, how it made me stronger. She told me she wanted to be strong like me.”

“That’s one amazing kid,” Daryl commented. “And she will be strong … stronger than the two of us put together.”

“You know, I don’t like to think about it much, but when her time comes, she’s going to be a force to reckon with.” Aaron rarely thought about Gracie getting older and becoming an adult. She would have to fight for herself by then. He would do everything within his power to make sure she was fully trained, but it was still difficult to think about her killing walkers.

“Maybe by then there won’t be so much to fear as there is now,” Daryl said to ease his mind. “And you know that as long as you and I are around, were going to see that she’s safe, no matter how old she is.”

“You know what else she said to me today?” Aaron asked as he sat up to lean against the headboard. “She said that we should get married.” He laughed as he said it, but he was also hesitant to hear Daryl’s response.

“Married? What brought that on?” Daryl was careful what he said and his tone.

“She has friends whose parents met and married after losing spouses in the beginning. The children today have been born into this apocalypse. It’s the only life they’ve known, but their parents tell them stories of how they overcame great sorrow. To them it seems like a normal way of life,” Aaron explained.

“Yeah, I guess it would.” Daryl reached up and scratched his chin. “Marriage hmm? What did you tell her?”

“I said that we love each other very much whether we were married or not. I didn’t really know what to say. It’s not something we’ve ever discussed before.”

“Have you thought about it?” Daryl asked carefully.

“Have you?” Aaron returned with a question.

“I’d be lying if I said it never crossed my mind.”

“So, you’ve thought about it?” Aaron seemed surprised.

Daryl was getting uncomfortable with the subject, and he sat up, poured another glass of wine and drank half of it. “Like you said, we don’t have to be married to know how much we mean to each other.”

“Don’t freak out on me,” Aaron said to him. “I didn’t bring it up to suggest anything. I was just telling you what was on Gracie’s mind. Nothing more. Like they say, marriage is just a piece of paper. Hell, it’s not even that anymore. I love you with or without a word to bind us together.” He raised his stunted arm up. “Besides, I don’t have my ring finger anymore,” he laughed.

Daryl relaxed back onto the bed again, leaning against the headboard next to Aaron. “You want to know when I thought about it?” he asked. He looked at Aaron, who was waiting for an answer. Daryl turned his head down, unable to look at Aaron as he answered his own question. “When you told me that Jesus proposed to you. I have to admit, that really hurt to hear it.”

Aaron put his hand on Daryl’s leg. “I’m sorry. I hadn’t meant to hurt you.”

“I know you didn’t. I mean, I would have found out sooner or later, so it was better that you told me.”

“You want to know the reason I told you?” Aaron asked. “I was hoping you would talk me out of it.”

“I thought you wanted to, you know, to be a family,” said Daryl. This was something they never really discussed before.

“Yeah, I wanted a family, but what I was ignoring was that I didn’t want that with Paul. It was you, Daryl. It was always you. You were never far from my mind. During our whole breakup, I always wondered about you, where you were, what you were doing … if you had moved on without me.”

“I never moved on without you. You were always with me too … in thought, anyways,” Daryl admitted. “I think we both had to go through something, and we had to do it on our own.”

“And here we are, never to be separated again,” Aaron smiled.

“Till death do us part,” Daryl said, and Aaron laughed.

They finished off the honey mead and settled in for the night. The lights were out, the room was dark, and Daryl laid awake, staring into the black. “Aaron,” he called out softly before they drifted off to sleep.

“Yeah?” Aaron responded.

“I think you should stay home tomorrow. Carol and I can go with the Hilltop group.” Daryl waited for Aaron’s response. At first, he was quiet, but then the sheets shuffled as he turned onto his side.

“Why?” Aaron asked before putting up an argument for why that wasn’t going to happen.

“It’s a dangerous mission. We’re crossing into Whisperer territory to look for this horde, and something could go wrong,” Daryl told him.

“All the more reason I should go. You know we’re better when we’re together. Two brains are better than one.” Aaron presented.

“What if it’s a trap,” Daryl worried.

“I … I don’t think so. I trust Mary in this.”

“Well, I’ve never met her, and I don’t trust her at all,” Daryl argued.

“You didn’t see her face as she spoke about her nephew. She really wants to be reunited with him.”

“You’re right, I didn’t see her face. She could be playing you for a fool.”

Aaron turned on his side so that he was facing Daryl. He laid his hand gently across Daryl’s chest. “Do you trust me?”

“You know I do. Look, all this talk about family … I just think it’s a bad idea for both of us to do something so dangerous. If something happens … well … Gracie is going to need one of us, meaning you.”

“What has you so worried about this mission? We’ve gone off together before and you weren’t concerned then.”

Daryl brought his hand up to cover Aaron’s. “Alpha is unpredictable and ruthless. Hell, she lied to her own people about Lydia. I just feel that if there was ever a chance of something really bad happening or one of us not returning home, it could be now.”

“Eventually, we’re going to have to fight her,” said Aaron. “And you know neither one of us is going to sit out this war.” He paused and sighed into the dark. “I’m going. I have to. This is happening because of me, because I met Mary. You just have to trust me on this one.”

“You are so stubborn sometimes,” Daryl complained lightly.

“I learned it from the best,” Aaron countered. “Now, let’s get some sleep.” He moved his hand up to cup Daryl’s face and turn it toward him, kissing Daryl sweetly. “Love you.”

“Love you too,” Daryl replied, though he didn’t like the fact that he lost this argument. He hoped Aaron was right about Mary.

>>------->

The next day, Daryl led on his bike with Aaron and Carol following behind on their horses. The group, with Hilltop and Alexandria, stopped to leave their rides behind. They were approaching the border, and they would go by foot the rest of the way to the place Mary told Aaron about. After a while, they came to the newly marked northern border made of spikes. Everyone stopped a moment and looked at each other. Connie and Kelly stood beside each other. Daryl and Aaron stood together too. Jerry was off to the side, still seemingly undecided about their decision to go forward, but putting his faith in the others. Magna stared into the distance, waiting for someone to say the word. She was here to follow out the plan and see it to its end. Carol walked up to one of the spikes and observed it. She showed no emotion. Daryl watched her and wondered if she was thinking about Henry. He was worried for her. She still wasn’t acting like herself.

After a moment or two, the group moved forward as one, and passed into Whisperer territory. They marched ahead with caution, always aware of their surroundings. Nothing happened. There was no ambush. All was quiet, but that didn’t stop them from moving on or staying on high alert.

As Daryl walked alongside Aaron, he glanced back at Carol on occasion. He didn’t like being out in front of her where he couldn’t keep his eye on her. He nudged Aaron with his elbow to gain his attention. “Hey, I’m gonna fall back with Carol for a little bit.”

Aaron gave a nod and kept walking. Daryl slowed his tread until he was walking next to Carol. They moved on in silence for a bit. When he saw she wasn’t going to talk to him, he went back to tracking. Daryl examined the trees they passed, or the ground around them. He was looking for clues that might help them find the horde. He turned his attention to Carol just in time to see a bear trap right where she was about to step.

“Carol, stop!” Daryl warned. He ran up ahead of her and showed her what he had seen. “See that? You could have lost a foot. You need to watch where you walk.” He thought she’d be grateful, but instead she ignored Daryl and the trap, and stared at the distance.

“This only means we’re getting closer,” she said, and she started walking again. They were a little behind the group, but not too far.

“Hold up,” Daryl called to the rest so that they didn’t get too far ahead. The group stopped and turned back to see what was happening.

Just when he was about to confront her, Carol looked off to one side. “Did you see that?” she asked at a whisper.

Daryl was reminded of an earlier incident when she claimed she saw a pair of Whisperers in the woods. She had been self-medicating at the time, and had hallucinated what she swore was real. He was fairly sure she wasn’t taking anything anymore, but maybe her mind was still playing tricks. She was so desperate to find Alpha, and let herself believe anything.

“First, you ignore the fact that you almost hurt your foot, and now you think you’re seeing someone in the forest.”

“I’m serious, Daryl. Just over there,” she insisted.

“Stop,” Daryl said calmly.

“No, I saw something move.”

Daryl was frustrated with her. This entire act she was putting on was getting out of control. “Stop this shit. Please,” he ordered. “You don’t think I see what’s going on here?”

Aaron noticed right away that Daryl needed a moment alone with Carol. He got everyone’s attention and told them to keep going. “They’ll catch up,” he said, making eye contact with Daryl, and giving him a nod. The group kept going, but at a slower pace.

Daryl waited until they were far enough away before he continued with Carol. “You want Alpha dead. I know that. You want it so bad you don’t even care what happens to you or anybody else.”

“That’s not true,” Carol retaliated.

“Oh really? Lydia? Aaron? You didn’t care when you got them involved in your schemes. That goes for me too, when you got me messed up in your plot to kidnap a Whisperer. What’s happened to you? Ever since you got off that boat, it’s like talking to a ghost.”

“I’m doing the best I can,” said Carol, trying hard not to let any emotions seep through.

Daryl didn’t want to belittle her, but he needed to get his point across. “You can’t lie to me. You can’t cover up the truth with me because I’ve always been able to see through the bullshit. You used to come to me, but ever since you came back, you’ve done everything in your power to go it alone. I want you to know you can still count on me. I’m the one you tell your troubles to.” He hated that he put her in this position, but she needed to understand.

Carol was on the verge of crying. “I … I don’t know how,” she whimpered.

“You do know how, Carol. All you got to do is try.” As he spoke, her shoulders slumped and a tear finally released from the corner of her eye. Daryl couldn’t stand it anymore. “Come here,” he told her, and he took her in his arms, holding her, protecting her, letting her know he would always be there for her. “She’s not worth it,” he whispered in her ear as she sobbed into his shoulder. “She’s a dead woman anyway. We are the ones who have a future. Don’t let her take that away from you. All right?”

Carol nodded against his chest, and then pulled away. Daryl lightly grasped her upper arms and looked at her. He lifted a hand and gently wiped away her tears. “You good?” he asked. This was what they had always asked each other when they were keeping each other in check.

“I have to be,” she answered with the second part of their code to each other.

Daryl smiled. “Good.” He looked to the set trap, dangerously ready to be sprung. At the same time, a lone walker stumbled through the nearby trees. “I’ll get this,” he said, gesturing to the trap.

Carol have a nod and took out her knife. She went to the walker and stabbed it in the head. Then she started off down the trail to catch up with the rest of the group. Daryl found a small branch on the ground and used it to spring the trap so that no one could get hurt by it. He looked up and watched Carol walk away. He wanted to believe her tears were real. He wanted more than anything to believe she would come to him the next time she needed to talk to someone. But he was more suspicious than ever, and he just couldn’t decide whether to believe Carol was being genuine, or whether this was still part of her act.

>>------->

It felt like they walked forever before they finally came to the place they’d been searching for. Just ahead of them, the earth dropped away to a sunken field. The sun shined down over the sea of green. Everyone looked around the valley, but there was no sign of Alpha’s horde. Everyone was feeling the disappointment, but none more than Aaron, as he felt his heart drop. He heard the first mumblings of complaint, and all eyes turned towards him. He was almost afraid to look at Daryl, especially after such a convincing performance to earn his trust. They would want answers for which Aaron had none. All he could do was speculate and cringe during the nerve-racking silence.

“Dammit!” Daryl fumed as he turned away from everyone. He started to walk off.

“Wait!” Aaron called after him. It couldn’t end like this.

“What for?” There’s nothing here, just like I predicted,” Daryl chastised.

That hurt, but perhaps Aaron deserved it. He wasn’t ready to give up just yet. “This doesn’t mean that Mary lied to us.” Aaron looked around, searching for something to counter with when it came to him. “The trap! They put that there as a deterrent. They were protecting this place.”

“Or it was put there by a hunter a decade ago,” Daryl argued.

Aaron shook his head in disagreement. “That was put there recently, and you know it.”

“We could stand here and try to figure it out, or we could go look for Lydia,” Daryl countered. It wasn’t like them to argue in front of others, but this was important. “You trusted your gut instinct and it didn’t pay off.”

“It doesn’t mean the herd was never here. Maybe it was here last week, maybe yesterday. It was our duty and our obligation to come and check it out.” Aaron wasn’t going down first.

Daryl stood straight, eyes narrowed on Aaron as he considered his words. But Daryl’s mind was already set. “We’re done here. It’s time to find Lydia.” He glanced around at the rest of the group. “Let’s go,” he commanded. He turned and marched off, expecting the rest to follow. For a moment, no one moved. They looked torn on whether to follow Daryl or stay with Aaron. It was obvious what they had decided, and one by one they started to walk away. Connie paused at Aaron’s side, and put a gentle hand to the side of his face. She smiled with kindness and sympathy, from her lips to her eyes. It was a very sweet gesture, but Aaron’s main concern was Daryl.

Everyone left but Carol. She stood off to the side, watching Aaron. She might have been the only one who truly believed him. Aaron shook his head. “I know I wasn’t wrong about coming here, and I’m not wrong to believe Mary.” He spoke to Carol, but it was himself he was truly trying to convince.

“I know, sunshine,” she said to him, and then she turned back to look out over the field.

Aaron gave a frustrated sigh and fell in line with the rest. For now, he wanted to walk at the back of the group. He didn’t want their judgmental eyes watching him. And he for sure didn’t want Daryl berating him anymore than he already had.

>>------->

The search for Lydia continued, but the day had worn on. It would get dark soon, and the search party would need to find a place to camp for the night. They still had a couple hours of daylight left, and Daryl wanted to make the most of it. When they came to a river, Daryl stopped. “Lydia would have followed the river downstream to get back to our side of the border,” he said.

“We should start thinking about making a camp,” Jerry suggested.

“Keep an eye out and let me know if you find something,” Daryl told him.

Jerry nodded, but he didn’t look too thrilled about continuing on. Magna approached him. “We still have time. The sun’s not setting quite yet.”

Connie signed to Kelly, who translated it to Jerry. “Just one more hour, and we’ll stop for the night,” said Kelly, as her sister smiled at Jerry.

Aaron moved up next to Daryl and walked with him. Daryl didn’t acknowledge his presence. “You’re mad at me,” Aaron said to him.

“No,” Daryl answered tersely.

“Yeah, you are,” said Aaron to get him to talk it out.

“We spent a lot of time just getting to the field, time we could have used looking for Lydia, not to mention how far out of our way we went. And we’re taking a huge risk being in Alpha’s territory,” Daryl complained.

“We probably would have crossed over the border anyways, even if we didn’t go looking for the herd,” said Aaron. “We had to try. You know that. If we didn’t follow the lead, and the horde had been there–"

“That doesn’t matter now. Our efforts have switched to finding Lydia. She shouldn’t be out here alone. She belongs in Alexandria … at home … with us.” Daryl’s voice got softer as he spoke.

“Yes, she does. She’s part of our family.”

“What if she doesn’t want to come back?” Daryl suggested. He seemed worried about that outcome.

“I hope she does, but we can’t forget that she’s almost an adult. And she’s lived out here most of her life. You don’t think she’d go back to her mother, do you?”

Daryl stopped walking and examined a broken branch on a nearby tree. “God, I hope not, but I’m worried she might.”

“When you were young, did you ever run away?” Aaron asked.

Daryl nodded. “Lots of times. And every time I came home, I got an ass whoopin’ … or worse. But Alpha,” he paused and looked off into the distance across the river. “She’s ten times worse than anything my dad would have done.”

“Lydia doesn’t deserve that. She must know it by now,” said Aaron.

“Yeah, well, you would have thought I’d have figured it out too, after I got all these scars on my back.”

“I’m sorry, Daryl. I feel like this is all my fault. If I hadn’t told Carol about Mary, she wouldn’t have brought Lydia to the bridge that night, and we wouldn’t be here right now,” Aaron apologized out of guilt.

“We wouldn’t have found out about the horde, though,” said Daryl to make him feel better.

“What horde?” said Aaron with disappointment.

Daryl stayed silent a moment, but then he turned to Aaron. “You were right. Whether they were there or not, we had to know. Neither one of us knows for sure if Mary was lying or not. The only thing we can be sure of is that Alpha has a horde of walkers somewhere.”

Aaron felt a little better knowing Daryl didn’t blame him. He playfully bumped his shoulder into Daryl’s to let him know that. Just when they were about to start walking again, Daryl’s attention went to Carol. She was peering into the tree line that ran parallel with the river. “I’ve got her,” he told Aaron.

Daryl went to Carol and stepped into the woods with her, but he didn’t see anything. “Let’s move.”

She didn’t take her eyes from the trees. “Go on. I’ll catch up.”

“Nope. No way. We all stay together. Let’s go.” Daryl moved to try and get her to follow, but she paid him no attention. He waited for her, but just as he started to tell her to come on, she gasped.

“She’s here,” said Carol with excitement, and she took off running.

“Carol! Stop!” Daryl yelled. It caught the attention of the group, and they came back.

“What’s happening?” Aaron asked.

“Carol thinks she saw Alpha and took off after her.” He didn’t have to tell them what to do next. They all ran after Carol, dashing through the close growing trees.

Daryl was leading them, but he had lost sight of Carol. There was an obvious path running through the forest, so he followed it, hoping he would catch up to her. He stopped just short of a deep trench, and the other’s halted too. They saw Carol as she disappeared into what looked like a cave on the opposite side of a small clearing. Just as they were about to follow her, walkers came out of the trees.

Daryl was worried about finding Carol, and though he didn’t want to split up, he knew they needed to stay on her trail. She wasn’t far ahead. “Go on and follow her,” Daryl ordered the group.

Aaron looked torn whether to do as Daryl said or stay and help him fend of the threat. “I said go,” Daryl yelled, and Aaron reluctantly ran off, trailing the group. Daryl aimed his crossbow and shot an arrow through the first walker. Then he kicked a second one into the trench. He dropped his bow and took out both of his large hunting knives. He looked left and stabbed a walker, then he looked right and stabbed another one. He looked across the trench to make sure the group made it, and saw Aaron pause and turn to him just before he disappeared into the dark. Daryl took one quick glance around the area and found it empty. He climbed down into the trench and climbed up the opposite side. He was alone now, but at least he knew where everyone was.

Daryl ran to the mouth of the cave, but he stopped and slowed his tread, cautious of what he might find. When he got close enough, he could see that this wasn’t actually a cave. The wooden trusses lining the entrance told him this was an abandoned coal mine. He couldn’t help think that it was no accident that they were here. He wasn’t sure about what Carol saw at first. She had been known to hallucinate, and he thought this was another one of her visions. Now he was starting to think he was wrong.

Stopping at the mouth of the mine entrance, Daryl tuned his hearing to the dark hall. No sound came out, not the slightest squeak. If he hadn’t been following the others, he never would have gone inside, but he had no choice now. Slowly he stepped inside, hands raised before him, knives ready to slash out at anything that attacked him. It was black as pitch inside. He couldn’t see his own hand in front of his face. He stepped carefully, taking small steps so he didn’t trip over anything. It was close and quiet, and smelled of must and decay.

“Carol!” he whispered loudly. When no one answered he tried again. “Aaron!” Still nothing. He moved forward a few more steps and stopped, trying to get his eyes to adjust to the dark. That’s when he felt his boot slip, and he knew he was at the edge of something. Before he could move backwards, the ground gave way beneath his foot, and he felt himself sliding. There was nothing he could do to stop the forward motion of his fall. He reached out, but with his knives in hand, he couldn’t grab anything.

Daryl had a moment when he remembered falling down an embankment and impaling himself on one of his arrows. It happened years ago, long before he met Aaron, almost at the beginning of things. He’d been out searching for Carol’s daughter, Sophia, lost his footing and fell to the edge of the river below. He’d almost died a few times. Once because of the arrow. A second time as he lay barely conscious, hallucinating that his brother, Merle, was annoying him, only to come to and find a pair of walkers about to attack. And a third time, after he’d found the will and the strength to continue on and make his way back to Hershel’s farm. Andrea was still alive back then, and she’d spotted him in the distance. She thought he was a walker, and looking back on it, she might have been right. Daryl had felt like he died and resurrected. She got a shot off before someone told her not to shoot again. The bullet grazed him, but he’d been lucky that Andrea’s aim hadn’t been perfected yet.

Now, here he was again, falling into the unknown, into the dark, and facing the threat of serious injury. Daryl landed hard, almost knocking the wind from his lungs. Something broke his fall, which was the only thing that saved him from that uncomfortable feeling of not being able to breathe. When he tried to open his eyes, they refused because of the sand that invaded them. There was grit in his mouth, which soaked up what little saliva he had. He needed water in the worst way. And then he started coughing, as his lungs tried to expunge the dust and dirt he had inhaled during his fall.

“Oh my God. Daryl. Jesus, are you alright? Are you hurt? Talk to me, please,” Aaron crooned over him.

“What the fuck?” Daryl complained. He was laying on his back, and there was a rock poking in his side. Thank God he didn’t land on it.

“Can you move? Oh, shit. Is anything broken?” Aaron continued.

Daryl didn’t react well to Aaron’s constant pestering. “Maybe if you’d give me a moment, I’d know.”

Aaron stood back, but when Daryl tried to stand, he was right there ready to help. Daryl’s pride made him push Aaron away, but he barely budged. “Wait. Don’t do that. There’s not much room.”

As Daryl’s head began to clear, he heard the terribly loud noise of walkers. Not just a few like he had killed outside the cave, but hundreds … no … thousands of growls and gurgling. Instinct made him crawl away from the threatening sound. By now, his vision had adjusted to the dark, and what he saw almost made his heart stop. Not but a few feet from where he sat was the edge of a sea, a literal sea of undead, and each and every one of them was trying to get to him.

Daryl glanced around him, and that’s when he saw everyone from his group. Jerry, Carol, Magna, Connie and Kelly gathered around him and Aaron. “Is everyone alright?” Daryl asked.

“We’re fine,” Carol told him. “I think we broke each other’s fall. Aaron broke yours.”

Daryl finally stood, and peered out over the distance of the cave. “Fuck,” he whispered.

“I think we found Alpha’s horde,” Aaron said, coming up to stand beside Daryl, just in case he wasn’t sturdy on his feet.

Magna lit a match and held it up. Amazingly, that one small flame lit up the cave enough to see what they were dealing with. It was obvious there was no way forward, and they couldn’t go back the way they came down.

“What are we going to do?” Jerry asked, more to himself than the others.

For once, no one had a solution. They were still taking in the scope of the problem that lay before them. No matter which way they looked at it, they were trapped.

“I’m sorry,” Carol said quietly. No one heard her except for Daryl, who stood closest to her. He didn’t know whether to feel sympathy or anger.

Aaron took his hand to gain his attention. “Are you okay?”

“I think so. You?” Daryl asked.

“Yeah, I’m good.”

Daryl looked around at the sullen faces. “I think we just need to take a moment to collect ourselves, assess the situation, and start trying to figure out a solution.”

“It looks like they can’t get to us, but we don’t have much room,” Magna noticed.

“Yeah, but how long are they going to hold off before they start using each other as a ladder?” Daryl countered. “We gotta get out of here.”

Connie signed with urgency, and Kelly spoke. “She said she’s worried because no one knows where we are. It might be a while before anyone comes looking for us.”

“That’s why we got to get ourselves out of here,” said Daryl.

“As long as we stay calm and watch out for each other, we can do this,” Aaron encouraged.

The group stood as far back from the edge as they could and looked out over the sea of walkers. It was like David coming up against Goliath, and they were stumped for a solution. Daryl leaned in toward Aaron and whispered in his ear. “How the hell are we getting out of this one?”

Aaron shook his head slowly. “For once, I don’t know. I really don’t know.” He turned to face Daryl. “I’m sorry I convinced us to go looking for the herd. This is my fault.”

Daryl hushed him by squeezing his hand. “Don’t say that. Hey, we’re together in this mess, and we’ll figure a way out. We’ve done it before. We’ll do it again. Trust me. Trust in us. Okay?”

Aaron sighed and straightened his shoulders. “Yeah. All right. We do this together, as always.”

“Good. Now, how the hell are we getting out of here?” Daryl said, as he and Aaron started to glance around the cave, looking for a way out.
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Safe Haven in the Chaos