Survive | Daryl Dixon ¹

𝐯𝐢𝐢. 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞

Astrid chuckled, trying to find the humor in it all for herself. She had never given the undead a specific name. She had simply thought of them as infected. For a while, she had even thought they could still be people. How wrong she had been then. Geeks, monsters, demons, biters, crawlers, walkers, it really was all the same now.

The conversation of namesakes for the undead continued in a subdued manner between Astrid and T-Dog—and eventually Glenn—for a few minutes until the van suddenly came to a halt. Rick threw the gearshift into park with a sense of finality. Baited, Astrid gathered her gear and rose to her feet, peering out of the windshield to see they had reached the outskirts of Atlanta. It was a looming force, beckoning them into its deceitful depths. Eventually, Glenn was the first to open his door and step down onto the cracked asphalt, declaring their transition to traveling on foot.

"Welcome to the concrete jungle," T-Dog muttered under his breath.

Daryl wasted no time in setting forth, swiftly opening the back shutters of the van, and jumping out. Astrid followed suit, with T-Dog close behind, while Rick joined them a moment later. Cautiously surveying their vast and empty surroundings, she tightened her grip on her machete as they began to jog together down the road toward the skyscrapers. The burn in the muscles of her legs, of the endless running was familiar to Astrid, as she had navigated the city numerous times with her brother before and after his death. She wondered if Glenn was familiar with the same shortcuts she had once known.

The scorching sun bore down on them all as Astrid chose to run alongside Glenn in silence. Her gaze was constantly shifting in direction as she moved, vigilant for any lurking walkers ready to ambush. So far, none could be seen or heard nearby, but she knew the city held thousands of them. Astrid inwardly hoped, no matter how futile it was, that they might avoid a crossing with the undead altogether.

Soon enough, Glenn led their group of five from the main road, and their jogs slipped into brisk walks. Crossing to an empty underpass, he held open a small hole in a chain link fence for them to slip through and reenter into a desolate alley. Venturing ahead of the others, Astrid wandered down the narrow pavement that was littered with trash and took in her unfamiliar surroundings. She had never been to this part of the city. Her brother had never let them venture too deeply into places where they did not belong.

"Where do we go from here?" Astrid called back, glancing over her shoulder at the rest of the group. She did not want to linger. Her heart was already a persistent, nervous thrum against her ribcage.

Daryl readjusted his crossbow. "Wherever China-Man says," He huffed.

The unnecessary remark nearly slapped Astrid in the face, and her eyes narrowed dangerously at the derogatory term. "Really? You're choosing to be an ass now?" She retorted. "In case you've forgotten, Glenn is going out of his way to take you to your brother. He didn't have to agree to do that, but he did, and you can't even call him by his name?" She rolled her eyes. "Maybe we should just leave you here, let you take your own chances."

"Oh, yeah?" Daryl challenged. "What? No more of you 'no-man-left-behind' bullshit?"

"Not for you."

"Good. You'd be doin' me a favor by leavin'. I could get to him a hell of a lot faster without all of you. You, especially," Daryl spat, pointing an accusatory finger in Astrid's face. He had crossed down the narrowed alley and now nearly towered over her. "You're only goin' to slow us down."

Astrid laughed back in the hunter's face, cold and sharp. She met his challenge with ease. If he could tear others down so easily, surely, he would have no problem getting it thrown back at him then. "That's odd," She snickered. "Because I thought I was running faster than you back there."