𝖣𝖺𝗋𝗄𝗇𝖾𝗌𝗌 𝖪𝖾𝖾𝗉𝗌 𝖢𝗁𝖺𝗌𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖬𝖾 | ᴅᴀʀʏʟ ᴅɪxᴏɴ ³

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴡᴇɴᴛʏ ꜱᴇᴠᴇɴ

«SHADOWS OF DECISION»

NEGAN found himself back in his prison cell. The air was thick with talk and a collective hunger for revenge lingered among the people. Daryl, taking it upon himself to confront Negan, made his way down to the cell.

"How's the kid doing?" Negan asked, leaning against the cell bars.

"She's banged up, but she'll be alright," Daryl replied from the opposite side.

Negan groaned as he straightened up.

"You know, the folks out there are talkin' about puttin' you down," Daryl informed him. "Sayin' Rick ain't around to save you no more, maybe they should have done it a long time ago."

"If you came here looking for a confession," Negan sighed, "just keep walking. It was an accident. And for the record, screw her. She was a goddamn asshole beating on a kid. World's better off. But you already know that, don't you?"

Daryl remained silent, prompting a chuckle from Negan.

He continued, "You came down here to look me in the eye because you don't know what to do with me. Shit, all that time you spent fantasizing about my death, all that time you actually tried to kill me, and now look at you. You're not so sure."

"You listen to me real close," Daryl hissed, gripping the bars. "You and I ain't never been in a room before, not toe to toe. And there ain't nobody to save you right now."

"What do you want me to do, Daryl?" Negan asked. "I mean, the people out there... they are out for blood. Guys like you and me... we can smell that from a mile away."

"Why help Lydia?" Daryl inquired. "You ain't no hero."

"No. No, I'm not," Negan admitted. "I'm a sucker. See, I started believing in your way of life, your moral code. Hell, you even gave me a little taste of freedom, just so you could yank it away when I actually did the right thing. You gotta admit, that is pretty messed up. And we both know I appreciate some messed-up shit."

"You'll have the opportunity to tell your side," Daryl stated before turning away.

"Who's the sucker now?" Negan's voice followed him as Daryl stepped out into the darkness.

Carol was waiting for him by the staircase of the house they shared with Chloe, Logan, Tom, John, Merle, and R.J. The streetlight reflected off her long grey hair.

"Hey," Daryl greeted.

"Hey."

"How you feelin'?"

"Sore."

"I bet."

"I heard what happened," she told him.

"Yeah, it's a mess," Daryl sighed, sitting beside her.

"Everybody's talking about Negan again," she said. "It's like time never moves. What do you think?"

"I don't give a shit about him," he admitted. "I believe her, though. I do."

"This is a distraction," Carol spoke softly. "Hilltop's got a tree through its walls. Alexandria was attacked."

"Oh, we don't know that yet," Daryl said.

"Our real enemy is out there," she continued.

"There's enough bad stuff happening here," Daryl said. "I'm afraid if we don't fix it, it ain't gonna matter what she does to us. There won't be anything left."

With that, he stood up and opened the door, ready to walk inside in search of Chloe. "Should have gone to New Mexico," Carol said, causing him to pause and look back. He met her gaze and chuckled. "Yeah."