Life I Left Behind (A Daryl Dixon Story)

Chapter Fifty

He cleared his throat. “I know how it feels…” He started slowly. “I know how it feels to be separated from someone you love…someone you feel you’re supposed to protect from things like this.”

I shot him a look, surprised. Not what I had been expecting to hear him say. He didn’t turn to look at me, keeping his eyes straight ahead on the path. I finally nodded. “Thanks.” I said gruffly.

Rick shrugged. “Just wanted you to know that I understand. We’ll get her back. We’ll get both of ‘em back.”

Nothing was said for a while after that, as the sun sank lower and lower in the sky and every step brought us closer to whatever we would find inside Woodbury. Michonne suddenly froze at the front of the group, though, putting up a hand to silence the rest of us. I froze in mid-step. At first, I couldn’t hear anything besides my own breathing. Then it came, though.

“We got walkers!” Rick said suddenly, as the geeks began streaming out of the trees behind us, in front of us, and everywhere. I had no idea where the hell they all had suddenly come from, but I knew there were too many to fight off.

I lunged at the one closest to me, jamming my hunting knife into its skull. It fell to the ground and I placed the toe of my boot on its chest as I tugged my knife free, just in time to take down the next ugly geek. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Michonne clearing a path through the walkers with her katana.

“Let’s get the hell outta here!” I called to Rick, who had fallen back to take care of the walkers that had been sneaking up behind us.

He finished taking down his last geek before hurrying after the rest of us as we ran from the pack. We didn’t stop, even when I knew the walkers were good and gone, somewhere far behind us. It was getting darker now which set me on edge. Easier to sneak into Woodbury in the dark, but also easier for anyone else to sneak up on us. I slid my crossbow off my back and held it in my hands. We couldn’t be too much farther now.

Turned out I was right. Was only a few minutes longer before we slowed down to a walk, leaving the cover of the forest and appearing back out on the street. Michonne crouched down behind an abandoned car, the rest of us following her lead. I followed her eyes and saw the lights coming from up ahead. It looked like two big spotlights mounted on a huge wall. Who knew how many guys they had up there, keeping watch for anyone outside who didn’t belong.

“Ya’ sure you know a way in?” I hissed quietly.

Michonne didn’t turn to even look at me. “I can get us in.” She said confidently. “Just stay close.”

Using the cars as coverage, we made our way down the trashed street. We stayed in the shadow of the tree line, ready to duck back into the forest if things got hairy. My heartbeat sounded loud enough to bring in any walkers in a half-mile radius, but not even the biggest deep breath wouldn’t calm it down. All I could think about was how Charlie was somewhere behind those walls. I was so close.

Michonne led us to the edge of the wall, where it was made up of old school busses draped with sheet metal. “This is how we get in. We sneak through here and go into the back of that building on the other side. The front door leads right out into the middle of Woodbury.” She said quietly.

“Someone should stay here, just in case.” Rick said suddenly. “If things go bad, they can make it back to the prison and warn the others.”

“I’ll stay.” T-Dog offered, his rifle clutched in his hands.

Rick clapped him solidly on the soldier. “Good man. Thanks.”

T-Dog just nodded, ducking down into a crouch as we waited.