The Fear (The Walking Dead / Daryl Dixon)

Chapter 38 - Warm Shadow

Another song in this chapter. It plays at the end of the episode and it's one of my favourites in the show so I had to put it in. Also I think it just fits really well with what happens at the very end of this chapter ;)

Negotiations. Andrea got her wish and had organised a meet.

Rick, Michonne and Carl had come from their run to be greeted by Andrea who had stopped by again. She had convinced the Governor into a day of truce to talk things through, for whatever it was worth.

The run had been fruitful. Rick had taken them to his hometown so that he could stock up at the police station he used to work at. It had already been cleared out by the time they got there, but they soon found the source of the missing weapons. An old friend of Rick, Morgan, who had saved Rick's life in the beginning of the outbreak and stayed behind in the town had ransacked the station. Rick didn't bring him back, the man's son had died and his death caused him to lose his mind. He was dangerous.

But that wasn't our concern.

We had just pulled up at the meeting place, an old rusty run down farm. It looked like we were the first to arrive. Rick and Daryl ran around the barn to check while I waited by the car in case someone came down the driveway. My dad had come with us, wanting to be apart of the negotiations. It was agreed that Glenn and Maggie should stay behind and I was almost forced to as well, but considering it was Glenn that was beat and Maggie who was taken advantage of, I was the best bet and they needed another gun. Michonne and Merle obviously couldn't go and it was agreed that Carol and Beth should stay back.

Daryl soon came back, but lacking Rick.

"He's already in there." He informed. "Just sat down with Rick."

"I don't see any cars." Dad stated, looking out the window of the car.

"Yeah, it don't feel right. Keep it running." He nodded at the car, wanting a quick escape if necessary.

"Hey." I nodded down the road to where a car was coming into view, heading for us.

Daryl held up his crossbow and aimed it at the incoming vehicle while I pulled up my automatic machine gun. The car stop and Martinez looked out of the driver's side window before he opened his door followed by Andrea in the passenger's seat and then another man we didn't know in the back.

"What the hell? Why's your boy already in there?" Daryl questioned, neither one of us lowering our weapons.

"He's here?" Andrea questioned.

"What, did you not notice his lack of presence during the trip over?" I shot back.

"He wasn't gonna come." Martinez spoke. "Said Andrea could go over terms and report back." (I put this in because it never made sense why Andrea was surprised he was there, Like Martinez and Milton knew he would be, but she didn't and yet she organised it because he agreed to sit down with Rick. Like was he supposed to leave after her and the guys? If so then she would have seen him before she left and yet he managed to get there before anyone else without a mode of transportation... So I've made it that only Milton knew, as his advisor and whatnot).

Andrea sighed before walking briskly to the entrance of the barn. Daryl and I slowly lowered our weapons as my dad got out of the car. I moved to help him, earning I nice little stubborn glare as he got out himself.

Then it dropped into awkward silence. Martinez leaning against the front of their four wheel drive, the bandage on his upper right arm not going unnoticed, and the other man stood behind him, scribbling something down in a notebook.