Caught Me With His Crossbow (Daryl Dixon TWD Fanfiction)

Chapter 17 - Run or Fight

I sprinted down to the courtyard and collapsed in Uncle Charlie’s arms. “Fancy seeing ya’ll here!”, He laughed in his deep southern drawl. “I knew that you were alive out there! You’ve been preppin’ for something like this since the goddamn cold war!”, My Dad chuckled. “Little brotha’, fate brought all the family back together”, He said gratefully. I stepped back and stared in awe as the other car doors opened. My aunt and cousins stepped out with their weapons in tow. Uncle Charlie’s wife Evelyn bounded over into my arms. She reminded me a lot of myself. She also had her battle with depression and drugs shortly before she found out she was pregnant with my twin cousins, Thomas and Melanie. They were the same age as me and we always got along when we were growing up. I was amazed that they were all alive and were able to find us. “How the hell did you find us?”, My Mom asks as she runs from the guard tower. “We heard the shootin’, figured we’d follow it to see what the hell was goin’ on”, Evelyn explained. “It’s a good thing we followed it!”, Thomas says with a grin. Now that the shooting was over, I needed to check on my daughter. “Do ya’ll want to meet your newborn niece?”, I ask with a grin. “Niece?!”, Evelyn said with her jaw almost hitting the floor. I laughed and we all went into the cell block. Hershel and Beth looked relieved to see all of us but looked confused when they saw my Dad’s brother and his family. “Who are these people, Rick?”, Hershel question, waving a crutch in the direction. “This is my older brother Charlie, his wife Evelyn and their twins Melanie and Thomas”, My Dad introduced. “Nice to mee ya’ll”, Charlie said tipping his cowboy hat in Hershel’s direction. Evelyn looked around at her surroundings in awe. “Did you take out all the walkers and just move in here?”, She asked. “Yeah, we didn’t do it without losses though”, My Mom said solemnly. It’s true we lost T-Dog during the breach and we almost lost Hershel. I took Maya from Beth’s hold and cradled her gently. She didn’t whinge nor cry as I showed my cousins, aunt and uncle my prized possesion. Melanie took a keen shine to her immediately. “She’s beautiful and so quiet!”, Melanie gasped with a smile. “I’m lucky”, I said. “Who’d have thought you’d have a baby so soon Bree”, Thomas laughed. “Just ‘cause I have a baby now doesn’t mean I can’t beat you in a wrestling match, Thomas”, I scoffed.

We all sat down for a big family dinner. It felt like thanksgiving all over again, except only a fraction of my biological family were here. Glenn adn Maggie were on watch in the guard tower in case the Governer was to make an unlikely re-appearance. I was just about to eat my first forkful of beans when the door knocked. We all put our cutlery down and got our guns out. “Take the baby into the cell!”, I whispered to Beth. What if the Governer was back with Maggie and Glenn as hostages?

We all gathered in the hall. My Dad slowly opened the door. We prepared to shoot. Andrea was standing there with a tied up walker. “What the hell is she doin’ here?!”, Theo objected, obviously remembering her shooting at us in Woodbury. “I’m here to try and make peace”, She pleaded. “Well your little army ain’t so peaceful”, I snapped. “I’m on your side!”, She insists. “Your ‘boyfriend’, the governer, tore down our fences and killed one of our men. He shot at all of us and when he left tons of walkers got in”, My Dad fumes. “Rick, I’m begging you. You can both sort it out peacefully, he wants to meet you tomorrow at noon near the  mill”, She begs. “I doubt he suddenly changed his mind in the space of two hours”, Hershel interjected. “He does! I promise you”, Andrea says, her eyes say shes truthful but we can’t trust the governer. “Fine, We’ll meet him”, My Dad gives in. We invite Andrea in as we continue to eat our dinner. She talks to Michonne in the hall and I can hear some fo their conversation. “You turned the group against me!”, Andrea whispered. “No. I didn’t, you’re just living under the Governers charms”, Michonne countered. “I’m just trying’ to make things right”, She sighs. “He sent Merle to kill me, Did you know that?”, She asked. “No”, Andrea said, shocked.