Life I Left Behind (A Daryl Dixon Story)

Chapter Fifty-Eight

“You best keep your men under control, Rick. This one here’s actin’ like some sort of animal.” The Governor said in a calm voice that didn’t match the intense fury behind his eyes. I stuck out my chin and glared at him. Lettin’ him know I wasn’t scared. I saw Andrea behind him, hands over her mouth. Her eyes were wide. She looked horrified. What the hell was she doin’ with these people?

“I’ll handle my people, you handle yours. Sounds like your man over there has a big mouth.” Rick answered from behind me and I knew it’d been him that had pulled me off.

The Governor lowered his gun. “Remember the deal. Tomorrow afternoon.” He said before pivotin’ on his heel and marchin’ off back to his small fleet of cars. He climbed into the driver’s seat of a dark blue colored jeep and I saw the Hispanic guy bleedin’ in the front. He gave me a cold stare that didn’t do much with all that blood on his face. The cars turned onto the road one by one and disappeared.

“Let’s go home.” Hershel said.

I picked up my crossbow from the ground and brushed past him and T-Dog. I threw open the backdoor of the SUV and slid inside. It was only when I was sittin’ still that I realized my hands were shakin’. The red hot anger I’d felt only minutes before was slowly fadin’, but some of it was still simmerin’ under my skin. I felt almost sick when I thought about the guy and what he did to Charlie. The purple and green colored bruises still were still fadin’ from her skin.

“You okay, man?” T-Dog asked.

“You heard what he said about Charlie.” I grunted in response. I knew that goin’ after him like that had been stupid, but all I could say was I hadn’t been in control. Once those words left his mouth, I was gone.

“We all heard it.” T-Dog shook his head. “I came pretty damn close to goin’ after him too, but you was already there.”

Rick and Hershel climbed into the front of the car before I could say another word. Rick was quiet as he started the car. “Rick, just so ya’ know I didn’t mean to lose control like that.” I said, shakin’ my head. “As soon as I heard ‘em say that, though…” I trailed off.

Rick turned in his seat to look at me. “Don’t apologize, Daryl. What you did was stupid, but what he did was worse. He should’ve kept his damn mouth shut…what he did ain’t nothin’ to be proud of.” He said in a low voice. He sighed and turned back around. “Deserves a helluva lot more than what you did to him.” He added in a mutter.

“He’ll get his. Everythin’ comes full circle.” Hershel added as Rick pulled the car out onto the road.

It got quiet for a minute as we picked up speed, the trees outside the window flashin’ past. The silence felt heavy, though. T-Dog crossed his arms over his chest next to me and I could see him eyein’ Rick. We all wanted to know the same damn thing then. What the hell kinda deal did the Governor wanna make with Rick? Whatever it was, I knew it was nothin’ good. I wasn’t any good with this kinda tension. I sat in my seat, stiff as a board as I stared out the window and waited for somebody to say somethin’.

Finally, Rick cleared his throat. “The Governor wants to make a deal. He said he’ll agree to leave us alone and let us have the prison in exchange for somethin’.”

“That’s bullshit.” I snapped. “He has no damn right to the prison either way. We found it first.”

“I know that, Daryl, but he don’t think the same way the rest of us do. I’ve met men like him before. Won’t stop at nothin’ to take what they want, whether it’s theirs to take or not.” Rick said, his eyes flickerin’ to the rearview mirror to look back at me. I scowled and looked away. Bullshit.