When the dead roam - (Daryl Dixon)

Chapter 108 - the bow

By the time they returned to the group, Rosita was practically holding Tara back from ripping Dwight's blonde hair from his burnt scalp. It was like trying to ask a small infant not to touch their toys - only Lou knew that she would stand a better chance of that baby listening instead of Tara. She shook her head at the woman and made her way towards the rock behind them, where Rosita had placed a large map of the area.

"We're here" she said before tracing her finger across the paper. "We need to get here, only way is through. We have to keep moving, have to risk it"

"They'd be smart enough to sit and wait for us. They know its the route we'd have to take" Lou sighed.

Out the corner of her eye she saw Dwight take a step forward. "Doesn't have to be" he bent down and pointed at the map. "Negan wont send his people down into this stretch of swamp...not if he doesn't have too"

"Yeah?" Tara spat as she cut her eyes at the Saviour. "How do you know that?"

"Negan wanted to map the best routes with cover from the Sanctuary to the Hilltop. He-he decided the swamp was too dangerous, didn't think it was worth the risk"

Louise raised her eyebrows and looked between Daryl and Rosita, who seemingly shared her idea.

Tara scoffed and jumped to her feet. "You guys aren't seriously gonna listen to him?"

Louise was starting to loose her patience. "Do you see another option? They have us boxed in"

"It's too dangerous for the Saviours, so you're gonna send us?" she scoffed. "Ae you kidding me? He could turn on us just like he did on his own people!"

"I didn't just turn on 'em" Dwight stated. "I killed 'em. Daryl saw it, Lou saw it, Rosita did..." he looked at Tara. "And so did you. But one of them got away, so if they find me, Negan puts my head on a spike. I'm not working for them, and I'm not going back to them. I chose my side. This is it. I'm here to help you beat Negan, after that, well, I know how it ends"

Silence hung in the air for a moment, the tension so thick it could've swallowed them whole.

"Alright" Daryl said as he folded up the map. "We take the swamps"

One by one their group stood and followed their leader down the small path in the dirt, towards the murky, mud ridden river that lay waiting for them at the bottom of the hill. Louise pressed her hand to Nicole's back as she neared, silently asking her if she was okay with the plan, to which the young girl nodded. She would go along any plan that Daryl and Lou suggested, she trusted them with all she had. They were her family and she would glady face any danger by their side. Lou offered her a small smile as she passed and rounded the rest of their group before taking the rear end of her groups safety.

Her boots skidded in the mud as she made her way down the embankment but she somehow managed to stay upright. Sliding down would be no doubt faster but smelling like rotten flesh didn't seem appealing to her, nevermind the fact that once they reached the bottom she was going to have to trudge through 3 feet of literal crap filled water.

"Alright..." Daryl sighed when she joined the rest of her group once again. " I'll go ahead and clear a path, the rest of you wait for the signal"

With a small nod to Louise, who in turn nodded at Nicole, a small group of them headed down to the water. Louise readied her bow as they got closer, preparing to shoot any 'walker' that dared to get even within ten meters of the vicinity but nothing could've prepared her for the disgusting scene in front of her. Dead bodies were floating on top of the green sludge, some were reaching up to try and grab ahold of them and others were that deep that you could only see the tops of their skulls.