Flip Side {Daryl Dixon}

{Smoke Signals}

"Eevee is family, she ain't blood but she's still part of my family."

"Because she's married to your brother." The man rolled his eyes. She doesn't get it.

"It doesn't matter if she married him or not, she's earned her spot in my 'tribe' as you called them." The woman scoffed and dropped to the dirt with crossed arms and wary eyes scanning the fading light turning the world a soft cerulean hue.

"People just slow you down and get you killed. Better off without them."

"Yeah, I thought that too..." That night was a long and grinding stint that bit at their eyes with exhaustion but sent their hearts racing at every little noise. Sunrise couldn't come soon enough for the duo. They spent the day making loose circles around Terminus, making sure they kept to the thicker vegetation of the forest a few feet away from the fences. It would be pretty moronic if they were to get caught a second time after Eevee put herself in danger trying to get them out. Gunshots echoed from the compound and it sent both Merle and Azolla into a low crouch behind a bundle of sharp-leaved bushes that cut into their knees and palms as they pushed the branches away to peek through for attackers.

"Think they spotted us?" The ravenette whispers as she slipped a knife from her hair and gripped it tightly in anxiety.

"Doubt it, those gunshots were on the other side of the place. It's probably Officer Friendly and the rest of the group if I were willing to gamble."

"So lets go get them and get the hell outta here!" She started to creep around the bush towards the fence, stopped by Merle yanking her back by her boot. "What? You said-"

"I ain't deaf, Smoke Signals, but I ain't an idiot either. If they herded us then they're probably doing the same to them, meaning they're still alive and probably will all meet up at that train car. That'll be when we strike, get everyone out all at once then haul ass. Goin in right now will only get yer ass shot off." Azolla rolled her eyes but knew he was right, jumping in headlong without a proper plan was a one way ticket to slaughterville.

"Fine, we'll wait 'til night. And if you ever call me Smoke Signals again I will gut you like a deer and leave you for the nayee." Merle held up his hand in surrender and gave her a smug smirk before they slinked through the bushes towards safer cover. Their revolutions of Terminus gave the couple a chance to closely examine a place that could be the best point of entry, their dual consensus being the fence they climbed since it was the closest entry point to the train car.

They stopped at high noon so the elder brother could catch and skin another snake for their lunch. They really didn't want to risk getting caught trying to cook the reptile, but they couldn't eat it raw lest they want to risk a potential disease. Their quickest solution was to dig a fairly deep hole with a few escape chambers for the smoke to slowly dissipate from whilst they covered the main cavern with a large flat rock to both smoke the meat and divert the smoke into the chambers. By the time the cannibals could see the rising spindles of smoke they would be long gone from the vicinity- which may also help solidify the lie that they had left the area and lull the Terminants into false security that they were alone with their prey.

They had to spend another night huddled by a tree with frayed nerves that unraveled more with every noise they heard in the darkness. Azolla had picked their campsite to be in the tree line just behind the car that they knew at the very least Eevee was inside of.

"That's the car, once night falls and the guards are gone we get in, get your tribe, and get the fuck outta dodge." The woman hissed, still utterly surprised with herself for even agreeing with his suicide plan and sticking around this place despite the obvious dangers that lie both inside and outside the fences.