When the dead roam - (Daryl Dixon)

Chapter 44 - Bite. Chew. Swallow. Repeat.

Daryl kept one hand on the wheel and the other holding the radio. Repeatedly, he called for someone from Alexandria and repeatedly came up empty handed. With a sigh, he dropped the small box on the dashboard. He was worried and every inch of his being was telling him to hurry.

"What the hell happened to you out there?" Abraham asked, moving the radio from the dashboard to the seat beside him.

"Nothin' I couldn't handle" Daryl said, turning to look at the ginger and furrowing his eyebrows together. "What's with the gettup?"

Abraham smirked. "You like?"

"No"

"What the hell?" Sasha asked, leaning forward in her seat as a group of seven bikers came into view. They were parked strategically across the two lanes, blocking them in their path. Daryl hesitantly pulled the van to a stop.

"Why don't you come on out?" The man at the front shouted. "Join us in the road?"

Daryl nodded at his two friends before they carefully slid out of their seats. He jumped from the step and landed with a thud, shutting the door behind him.

"That's great. It's going well right out of the gate" the man smirked. "Now, step two. Hand over your weapons"

"Why should we?" Daryl snapped, keeping as much distance between the bikers and himself as he could.

The man lifted his leg over his bike and walked towards them, swinging a gun around his finger in confidence. "Well, they're not yours. Are they?"

"Who's are they?" Sasha spoke up, trying not to be intimidated by the group.

"Your property now belongs to Negan. So let's get those sidearms, shall we?" He squared up to Daryl, who refused to avert his gaze. He wouldn't be the first to back down. "Right. Now."

One by one they reluctantly handed their guns to him and he walked off triumphantly. Sasha shuffled on her feet, seemingly nervous around the group of men and Daryl nodded at her briefly, attempting to comfort her a little.

"If you have to eat shit, best not to nibble" the man stated. "Bite. Chew. Swallow. Repeat. It goes quicker"

"Who are you people?" She asked, gaining the smallest bit of confidence.

"I get the curiosity but we have questions ourselves and we'll be the ones asking them while we drive you back to wherever it is you call home. Take a gander at where you hang your hats. First though, your shit"

"What have you got for us?" Another male asked, moving from his bike and walking towards his friend.

"Yeah, you just took it" Daryl spat, getting sick and tired off people he didn't know taking advantage. The first man raised his eyebrows.

"Come on. I mean, can we not, okay?" The man scoffed, rubbing his temple before twisting his gun around his finger again. "There's more. There is always more" he swung his leg over his bike and sat comfortably. "T, take my man to the back of the truck, start inside the back bumper. Work your way to the front"

His friend walked towards Daryl and pushed him backwards towards the truck. Daryl took one last look at Abraham before doing as he was told and swinging open the doors.

"Go. Bite, chew, swallow, repeat"

"Who's Negan?" Abraham asked, hoping Daryl had a plan to get rid of the group.

The man smiled and pointed his gun at them before signing. "Ding, dong. Hell's bells" he took the safety off. "You see, usually we introduce ourselves by just popping one of you right off the bat but you seem like reasonable people. I mean you're sportin' dress blues, for Christ sake. And, like I said, we're gonna drive you back to where you were. I mean, do you know how awkward it is carpooling with someone whose friend or friends you just killed?"

Abraham raised his eyebrows as the main feigned pain.

"But I told you not to ask questions and then what does this ginger do? So that's it"

He placed his finger over the trigger.

"Wait!" Sasha said, placing her hands in the air. "Wait, you don't have to do this"

"Shut up" Abraham warned.

"I am talking to the man"

"No you're not" he took another gun from his waist band and pointed them both towards the two survivors. After a few seconds he chuckled and put them down. "I'm not gonna kill you"

The two visibly relaxed.

"Wait" he said. "You know what? Yes I am"

Sasha closed her eyes and waited for the bullet to peirce her skin but before he had chance to pull the trigger the entire group went up in flames. Sasha and Abraham both dropped to the floor and held their ears tightly as the grenade blew up a few feet away from them.

A smoke cloud covered the damage, small fires dancing alongside each other as body parts dropped from the sky.

Daryl emerged from the left side of the van, a large black grenade launcher in his hands. "Thought he was never gonna shut up"

Sasha let out a small chuckle as they both walked towards him. "You alright?"

"Son of a bitch was tougher than he looked" he grumbled, turning to face the dead body on the floor. The smoke began to clear around them and a large red gash became evident on the back of his left shoulder.

"Did he cut you?"

"A little" he said as Sasha examined the wound. "What a bunch of assholes"

"Lets get you fixed up at home" she laughed, patting him on the back and walking to the passenger side of the vehicle.

"Yes ma'am"

Abraham followed her, turning around as he reached the door and taking one last glance at the fire consumed body parts on the ground. "Nibble on that"

He slammed the door shut behind him and the three took off down the highway once again.