The Walking Dead: Danielle Grimes

162. The Whisperers

Danielle's POV

Dog comes up next me to where I'm crouching next to Jesus and Aaron and I pet him slowly as he pants. Liam is standing behind us holding up a pair of binoculars looking at the herd we found.

"It about hundred and thirty, hundred and forty of 'em." Daryl says coming back to us.

Jesus glances back to me and Aaron. "You ever see them do this before?" He asks. "No." Aaron answers shaking his head. "Never." He turns his head to face me. "DeDe you see any when you and Liam went to visit Hilltop the other day?" Aaron asks me frowning. I shake my head. "No, no herds. We killed a few lone walkers but that's it."

"Rosita's back trail goes right through 'em. We should get the horses, circle around. Then we'll pick it up on foot." Daryl suggests. Aaron turns back to look up at him. "What about them?" He asks nodding his head to the herd. "What about 'em?" Daryl asks back, rhetorically.

"They're just milling around. That's not normal." Liam speaks up. "Nah. No, it ain't." Daryl agrees as the wind picks up and howls. "We should go. There's a storm  comin'. Dog!" He calls and Dog immediately takes off after him.

Me, Liam, Jesus and Aaron all begin to trail after them as I take one last look at the herd seeing one of them stop and look around like a human making me confused.

What the hell is going on?

******

Daryl leads us across a field, him out in front with Dog. Me and Liam side by side talking quietly as Jesus and Aaron trail behind us.

"Are you okay?" Liam asks me. I don't look at him as I answer. "With what?" I ask back instead of answering him. "With him being here." He snarls looking at Daryl. He's just as hurt as I am. I sigh, "I've got no choice munch and besides he's not my problem anymore." I say honestly.

Daryl stops looking towards the tree line. "Stay." He commands Dog quietly who sits down immediately. The wind picks up blowing behind us. "The herd." Daryl begins. "It's comin' for us. The wind is carryin' the sound." He pulls out a timer out of his pocket and sets it before he grunts and throws it far from us. "Come on. Let's put some ground between us and them." We all follow Daryl across the field to the tree line behind us. Dog leading the way.

******

Jesus stands at the edge of the tree line looking through Liams binoculars. "You put that herd around hundred and forty right?" He asks Daryl as he pulls the binoculars away from his eyes.

"Yeah." Daryl grunts.

"Looks like more than double that now." Jesus tells us looking back at Daryl. "Could be a different herd. Or it merged with another one." Aaron suggests.

I shake my herd. "Possibly but it's rare for herds to do that unless something's bringing them together." I say. Jesus nods agreeing with me.

"Ain't gonna be there very long." Daryl mutters just as his timer sounds out at the other side of the field. The herd instantly begins to move towards it making Aaron look back at Daryl with a small smirk.

"Don't matter how big it is as long as it's going the other way. Come on." Daryl says walking back into the woods.

I glance at Jesus as he stays looking at the herd. "You good J?" I ask. He looks at me, a solemn look on his face. "I'm not sure L." He mutters before he walks into the woods as I follow behind him.

There is something seriously odd going on here.

******

By night fall, we make it to a little barn not too far from the woods. Everyone has their flashlights out as Daryl commands Dog. "Go on, boy. Go find him." Dog immediately runs into the barn to sniff out Eugene.