A Complete Unknown | TWD

044: But Not Enough To Save You

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"Somethin' was watchin' us." Daryl told Sami and Rick, walking alongside them. "Let's just hope it was somethin'."

The group was just walking. Danny wasn't sure who was leading them, but he knew that he'd go wherever they did. Sami, Rick and Daryl were walking just behind him and Carl, talking about something they'd seen the night before. 

Danny's shades were attop his head, since within the trees was rather shaded, though it didn't offer any relief from the heat, which clung to their skin like the sweat on their clothes. They were all filthy, and all probably stinky. Danny made an effort not to get close to anyone. 

Bugs kept flying past his head, making him twitch to try get away from them, but it wasn't enough. The thought of swallowing a fly or getting one in his ear-

"Put them on." Carl gestured to the headphones around Danny's neck from his Walkman, his footsteps loud on the dry leaves beneath their feet, just like everyone else. They'd already attracted a few walkers and taken them out, but Danny knew it was only a matter of time before everyone's stomach had the same hollow feeling his had, and couldn't fight them off anymore. "It'll block your ears."

Danny carefully stepped over a branch, not wanting to get anything on his jeans. "But then I can't hear anything."

"You'll hear us talking. That's all you need right now. We'll keep an ear out for anything else."

Danny shrugged, and pulled his headphones over his ears. They were only small, and old. You could often hear his music through them if he put it on too loud. But they covered his ears, and didn't muffle things too badly. 

"You hear okay?" Carl asked, his eyebrows vanishing under his hat, which Danny always thought was funny.

He nodded. "Yeah. It's alright."

Carl smiled., nodding, too. "Hopefully you'll stop twitching your head, now. And Apollo will let you know if anything bad is close, too."

Danny looked down at Apollo, skipping at their feet. "I kind of want to change his name."

Carl furrowed his eyebrows. "Why?"

"It doesn't sound tough enough. And Andrea named him - I never liked Andrea."

He hesitated, trying to think of a name. But it appeared nothing came to him, as he was about to tell Danny, when some muffled voice reached Danny's protected ears, making the others freeze and Apollo - or whatever his name might be - stand stiff. 

Danny pulled down his headphones, holding tightly to the dog's collar. Then he heard it.

"Help! Help me! Someone help me!"

"Dad, come on!" Carl looked at Rick, but he didn't move.

Danny let go of the dog's collar. "Go, boy."

Apollo took off into the trees, barking, and Danny ran after him, Carl at his heels, and the others reluctantly following.

The dog took out a walker at the base of a large rock, were several were gathered, trying to reach a man at top it, who was screaming. 

Carl shot one of them, while Sami  and the red head, Abraham, took out two more. Carol stabbed one in the head, but her knife got stuck in it's head. As she tried to pull it out, another walker appeared, stalking towards her.

Daryl raised his crossbow.

"No, no, let Danny get it." Carol glanced behind herself to where Danny knife. "Dan, go up through the bottom of it's jaw."