valiant|| the walking dead

eighteen.

"Could be a different herd." Aaron suggested. "Or maybe it merged with another."

"Ain't gonna be there very long." Daryl said and the clock started ringing. The three men looked at Daryl with faces.

"Smart." Nathaniel spoke.

"Don't matter how big it is as long as it's going the other way," Aiden said and stood fork her crouched position. "Come on." They followed after the Dixon couple.

"I wanna come back. I don't wanna be out there anymore." Aiden said to Daryl, "the kids, Dare. They need to be with their family."

Daryl nodded, "okay." Daryl said.

"Think we'll find Eugene?" Aiden asked.

Daryl shrugged.

»

Night settled and the five walked with lights as they approached a barn, "go on, boy. Find him." He said to Dog. Dog ran over to a pile of hay and started to whine, "move. Good boy."

Jesus tapped around with his sword, "here."

"Eugene, are you in there?" Aaron asked.

"Affirmative." They heard is southern accent. They all reacted quickly in moving the hay.

"Hey, Eugene," Aiden said after they opened the hatch.

"Give me your hand." Nathaniel said to Eugene. They helped Eugene out of the hidey-hole.

"Eugene... Eugene, are you alright?"

"I took a bad step and dislocated my knee. There was a herd on our six, and Rosita was forced to stash me here." Eugene explained.

"Well, if it's dislocated, we should pop it back in." Daryl stated.

"No. We have to get out of here. The herd that followed us here is on their way back." Eugene said and Aiden furrowed her eyebrows.

"I saw their tracks, they're gone." Daryl said to him.

"No, it's not. It's already been through there twice. It's looki' for me. We have to get away before it comes back. This wasn't a normal herd." Eugene said.

"What do you mean?" Aiden asked him softly.

"When when they passed us by, we could hear them. They were..." he breathed shakily, "they were whispering to each other."

"You mean they were talking?" Nathaniel asked, his eyes wide.

"I- I know how it sounds. But Rosita heard it, too. She'll corroborate." Eugene said.

"Yeah," Aaron grabbed his arm.

"We should get him back." Aiden started.

"Yeah." Aaron said once again and helped Eugene stand up.

Dog suddenly barked and Aiden looked and saw the herd. "There's no way that's the same herd." Daryl said.