The Dead Shall Rise

Chapter XXVI

Celeste's POV-

Michonne had made it back; Daryl came back a few hours later. He ignored everybody on the way up to the prison and he slammed the door shut when he got inside. He sat down on our bed and buried his hands in his face. I put a hand on his shoulder and asked, “Daryl, hun, are you okay?”

He didn’t answer me. He didn’t even shake his head. I got down on my knees in front of him and touched his face. He finally looked at me. His eyes were bloodshot. “You’ve been crying.”

What could’ve possibly made this strong man cry? From what I’ve heard, he gets really angry when something goes wrong. So what could’ve been this bad… oh. I hadn’t seen Merle. A cold, sinking feeling settled in my stomach. I shook my head and pulled him into a hug. “I’m so, so sorry. Did you…”

He nodded. He said in a cold voice, “You kept me from going after him after what you told me, but now… Now I’m going to kill him. I’ll do it slowly and I’ll do it painfully. By the time I’m done with him he’ll wish he never even heard the name Dixon. He’ll wish he’d never laid a hand on you.”

His eyes that I’d once seen burn with heated passion were now ice cold. They were no longer like a blue flame and more like an iceberg. This new side of him had cold chills going up and down my back. I said, “Izabel doesn’t know, does she?”

He shook his head again. That was going to be fun. I knew deep down that my sister cared for him and possibly even loved him. I knew that if I’d lost Daryl, I’d be shattered. I don’t know how she’d handle it. I guess there was only one way to find out. As if my thoughts had conjured her, she popped up in the doorway of the cell. She was smiling and her mismatched eyes were sparkling. She said, “Daryl, I know you brought back my Handy. Where is he? Is he looking for drugs again?”

She took a good look at us. Her smile faltered. “What? Well, where is he? You brought him back, didn’t you? Did you find him?”

He nodded. “Where is he then?”

I stood up and I put my hands on her shoulders. She looked from me to Daryl and back again. She whispered, “He’s dead.”

I nodded. “I’m okay. I mean, it’s not like his death is going to rip me apart from the inside out. We were just sleeping buddies. I’m sorry, Daryl.”

And she walked away.

***

We had a plan. With any luck, the Governor was going to die today. Carl wasn’t very happy. In fact, he was downright cold. He wasn’t staying at the prison like us. He was going to wait in the forest with Beth and Hershel. I’d been trying to give Daryl space. I was standing back, all ready, watching him. My heart hurt for him. I heard him say, “Merle ain’t never done anything like that in his whole life.”

Carol said, “He gave us a chance.” Then she helped him up.

***

Everyone was in place with the first shots were fired. I heard the explosions and then the fire of a machine gun. I felt my heart racing. I wiped my hands on my pants to dry the sweat. The suspense was killing me. I knew they were in the prison. What I didn’t know was why I was so nervous. They couldn’t find us. They couldn’t. We’d left the door leading to the tombs unlocked. Hopefully, they’d hear noise and head that way. That’s where we planned our first attack to be. I knew that it worked when the alarms went off and the screaming began.

I had a position between Maggie and Glenn. Izabel had snuck off to jam the machine gun on the truck. I raised my gun and looked down the scope. And there he was, right there in my crosshairs. My finger tightened on the trigger. Every horrible thing he’d done to me, every violation, every despicable thing he’d made me do to him came rushing through my mind. Then the more recent things he’d done. Izabel had almost lost Michonne again and she did lose Merle. I had no doubts that he had been the one that had pulled the trigger. Tears blurred my vision. Only they weren’t painful tears this time. For once, I wasn’t afraid of him. No, I was angry. They were angry tears that prevented me from shooting. I pulled the trigger but I’d missed by a hairsbreadth because of my blurry vision. I wiped them away and looked back down the scope. He was looking right at me. Chills travelled up and down my spine.