Chasing Amy (Daryl Dixon/The Walking Dead)

Chapter 23 - Hold On

Everyone split up, T-Dog and Andrea leaving for the blue truck, Glenn and Maggie leaving for the grey car. Hershel had already stepped off the porch, his shotgun ready.

The roamers weren't nearly there at that point, but I was sure the group had come up with some kind of plan. Daryl was out on his motorbike, apparently trying to see just how big the horde actually was.

I followed Patricia back inside, shaking from the cold. It was still warm in the house, and it felt a lot safer than standing out there, where the huge mass of rotting corpses were awaiting.

"Beth? Beth, where are you?" Patricia called, her face worried for whoever she was calling for.

"I'm here," A faint voice whispered. The pale, slight figure was sat in front of the window, her eyes glistening as she stared out into the paddock. She looked young, her blonde hair swept up into a ponytail that was noticeably neater than mine.

I attempted to pull myself together, but the truth was, I was a mess. My fingers were twitchy and numb, my legs feeling oddly weak beneath my weight, and my eyes were still weary from my lack of sleep.

"Where'd Jimmy go?" Patricia muttered, walking over to the you he girl. I didn't know who Jimmy was, so. I decided to head back to the front door. Keeping watch was about the only thing I was useful for at that point, as Lori and Carol were searching for Carl.

The first gunshot rang out loudly, sending the hairs on the back of my neck on edge.

Surely they weren't that close?

I peeped my head out of the door again, only to notice the gathering of roamers was certainly approaching. Some had reached the barn, while others attempted to push their way towards the small wire fence that separated us from them.

Just as I was staring at the mass of roamers, I noticed the extensive amount of smoke being emitted from the barn.

I kept my eyes trained on the building, not exactly believing what I was seeing.

I turned back to the woman and the girl by the window, only to see Beth standing in front of the glass pane, looking in the same direction as me.

I figured Patricia had joined Carol and Lori in those frantic search for Carl. I could hear them walking around upstairs, and I could hear them calling for Carl loudly.

Without another word, I turned back to the paddock to listen to the gunshots. I was checking for any signs that we'd have to leave, a certain outcome from all of this. I was sure that there was no way we'd handle this herd.

Glenn had his body propped out of the grey car, the massive bangs of his shotgun sounding through the frenzied farm as he and Maggie patrolled the fence, shooting any roamers that appeared too close for comfort.

"The barn's on fire," Beth called to nobody in particular. I continued to stare at the approaching herd, my eyes still slightly blurry from sleep deprivation. With the nightfall came the need to sleep, and that was wearing me down after my last few restless nights.

"They're headed for it. Maybe Rick set it to draw then in," Patricia answered.

I didn't bother to turn around, my heart thumping loudly as the fire in the barn had managed to spread to the outer walls of the structure, the violent orange flames billowing high into the air. The smoke was attracting a lot of roamers, and from what I could see from that distance, there was a large crowd just scratching at the walls.

"I can't find Carl anywhere." Lori's voice was the next to sound out.

This did catch my attention, as I turned on my heel to join the other women inside. Carol was the next to storm into the lounge, after looking for the boy in another room.