"Told you, asshole. It's in my blood."-
Taylor Wook
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-Chapter Summary:-
Taylor, Daryl, Aaron, and Jesus set out to find Eugene, and along the way, new and old faces unexpectedly appear. Not only that, a mystery behind the walkers has arisen. Could they be evolving like Eugene suggests, or is it something else...
•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•
-Chapter ninety five; Revolution-
TAYLOR
WALKING AHEAD OF DARYL WITH
Dog, the three were getting a closer look at the cluster of walkers out in front of them.
Squatting down, she smiled to herself as she took a moment to scratch Dog behind his ears, and in return, he licked the side of her face.
She heard Daryl stop behind her, "Ya' didn't have ta' act like ya' didn't know Dog back at Hilltop.".
She stood back up, not looking at him, rather down at the tall, withering blades of grass that coated the field, "They can't know. Atumn, Abe, and Hailey. They can't. Those three have a picture perfect image of you as the best grandpa ever who's just busy, and I don't want to ruin that for you. You already ruined mine...".
"...I uh...um...how did givin' birth ta' Hailey go? I uh...never got the chance to ask." He changed the subject, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck.
"She has asthma. Got it from Dad." She simply replied, taking out a pair of binoculars from her bag as she looked over the cluster of walkers.
"O-Oh. Well shit. I'm uh...I'm sorry 'bout that, babygirl." He apologized.
She glared over at him, "I told you. Stop calling me that. It's Taylor Peyton Wook. Not 'babygirl'.".
"Wait, so..." He began, and she raised up her hand, revealing an engagement and a wedding ring on her ring finger.
"Yeah, dumbass. I'm married to Lee. I sent you the fucking invitation and you never showed up." She spat.
He stayed silent as she scoffed, tossing him the binoculars, "Take a look. They're not acting normal.".
He took a look before handing them back to her, "No, they ain't.".
Sbe shoved them in her bag, sighing as she threw the straps over her shoulders, "C'mon, let's head back to Aaron and Jesus. You're pissing me off.".
She turned to Dog and clapped her hands to get his attention, "C'mon, Dog. Let's head back, buddy.".
He immediately lept up from his spot and walked alongside Taylor.
"Ya' know you can jus' whistle ta' get his attention." Daryl pointed out.
She mumbled under her breath, "...I don't know how to whistle, dumbass...".
Now she felt like the dumbass...
As they approached Aaron and Jesus, she noticed they were talking to three young children.
"! Oh shit..." She cursed, rushing up to them, Daryl behind her as Dog ran ahead and tackled the three kids with licks and barks.
The three children were none other than Autumn, Abe, and Hailey.
Hailey wiggled out from underneath Dog, giving him a pat on the head before turning to Taylor, "Hi, Mommy!".
She folded her arms, glaring down at Hailey, "Hailey Emery Wook, why the hell are you, Autumn, and Abe out here!?".
She looked down at the ground shamefully, "W-Well...we wanted to help you, grandpa Daryl, and Uncle Aaron and Jesus get Eugene back.".
"Hey, they have attended all of the fighting classes." Jesus pointed out.
Taylor sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose, "Jesus Christ...alright...fine. You three can stay. But you three have to do what we say when we say it. Got it?".
Hailey saluted, and Autumn and Abe wiggled out from underneath Dog and joined her, "Yes ma'am.".
"...Right..." Daryl then looked over at Aaron and Jesus, "Anyway, it's 'bout 130, 140 o' 'em.".
Autumn gulped nervously, grabbing Abe's hand, "That's a lot of them...".
"It's okay!" Hailey chimed, "Grandpa Daryl, mommy, and Uncle Aaron and Jesus will protect us! Not only that, we know how to fight ourselves!".
Jesus smiled over at the three before looking over at Aaron, "You ever see them do this before?".
He shook his head, "No. Never.".
"Rosita's back trail goes right through 'em. We should get the horses, circle 'roun', then we'll pick it up on foot." Daryl explained.
"What about them?" Aaron asked, nudging his head towards the mass cluster of walkers.
"What 'bout 'em?" Daryl replied.
"They're just...milling around. That's not normal." Jesus pointed out.
"No. No, it ain't." Daryl muttered, looking over them.
That's when a gush of wind ripped through the air, and he looked up at the clouded sky.
"We should go." He said, "There's a storm comin'. Dog!".
Dog then leaped up from his spot, rushing foward as Taylor, Hailey, Autumn, Abe, Aaron, and Jesus followed behind Daryl.
———
TAYLOR WALKED ALONGSIDE
Daryl, Dog in front of them and Aaron, Jesus, Autumn, Hailey, and Abe behind them.
She didn't want to walk beside him...but maybe it was out ot habbit.
She sighed, "You uh...got any painkillers on you?".
He looked over at her out of the corner of his eye, "No. Why?".
Hailey came up to them, "Mommy has a lot of back problems. She says it's because she fell of your motorcycle a lot.".
"...Sorry, Taylor. I don' got any..." He sighed.
She nudged his arm, "You hear that?".
"Yeah..." He muttered, placing his hand out in front of Dog, "Stay.".
Taylor grabbed Hailey's hand as Aaron, Jesus, Autumn, and Abe fell silent, the only sound being the wind ripping through the air.
Daryl turned back to them, "The herd—it's comin' for us.".
The three children seemed a bit spooked as Aaron and Jesus looked behind them, Daryl continuing, "The winds' carryin' the sound.".
He grabbed an alarm clock ou of his backpack and began cranking it up.
Going to throw it, Taylor stopped him, "My mom was a softball player. I can throw better.".
He scoffed, "That don' mean shit.".
"Give it here, Dixon." She glared, snatching the alarm clock before throwing it far.
"...Wow..." Aaron broke the silence.
She flipped Daryl off, "Told you, asshole. It's in my blood.".
Giggling, Hailey gave Taylor a high five, "That was a really good throw, mommy!".
Taylor smiled, "Thank you, sweetie.".
Daryl muttered a few cuss words before speaking up, "C'mon. Let's put some ground between us an' 'em.".
He began walking foward as Aaron agreed, the others following behind him as Hailey came up to him and grabbed his hand, "Grandpa Daryl! Can you put me on your shoulders? I wanna be tall like you!".
He looked down at her, "I uh...I don' know baby-".
Before he could finish, Taylor spoke up, "Of course he will, sweetie. Isn't that right, Daryl?".
She gave him a threatening look, one with warning that caused him to gulp nervously before picking up Hailey and putting her on his shoulders as she wrapped her small arms around his neck, resting her chin on top of his head, "There, how's that?".
She giggled, eyes lighting up with joy as she looked across the grassy field and treeline, "Wow! I can see so much more up here! Thank you, grandpa Daryl!".
He grinned, "Yer welcome, babygirl. Let's get goin' alri'? We gotta get away from the walkers.".
"Mhm." She nodded obediently as they walked ahead, Dog walking beside them as Aaron, Jesus, Autumn, Abe, and Taylor walked in the back.
Autumn stared up amazed at Hailey, "Wow. I wanna go up on grandpa Daryl's shoulders, too.".
Taylor patted her head, "Don't worry, sweetie. I'm sure he will at y'all's tea party.".
———
NIGHT HAD NOW FALLEN, A THICK
blanket of fog in the air as the seven continued to search for Eugene, thunder rumbling in the sky.
Dog rushed up to the entrance of an old barn, and Daryl tossed down his flashlight, grabbing Hailey by her waist, "Alri', Hailey. I gotta put ya' down now.".
She stuck out her lower lip as he sat her down back on the ground, "Aw. Okay...".
Taylor grabbed her crossbow from off her shoulder, aiming it towards the entrance of the barn as Daryl grabbed his flashlight and shone it inside, "Becca?".
That's when Becca stepped out, her 22-long rifle strapped over her shoulder, "Thank fuckin' god y'all showed up. I've been tryin' to get Eugene out of this bunker thing for the past hour.".
Aaron, Daryl, and Jesus rushed inside as Taylor stayed back with Hailey, Autumn, and Abe, holstering her crossbow back over her shoulder, "Where the hell have you been? I haven't seen you since the war.".
Becca shrugged, "Shit in Jackson. I'll explain later.".
They walked inside, seeing the three men had gotten Eugene out.
"Eugene, Eugene...you alright?" Aaron asked him.
He gripped his knee, "I took a bad step and dislocated my knee. There was a herd on our six, and Rosita was forced to stash me here. Becca has been trying to get me out for the past hour, and my knee hasn't done us any good.".
"Well, if it's dislocated, we can jus' pop it back in—" Daryl suggested, but Eugene interrupted him.
"No. We have to get out of here. The herd that followed us here is on its way back.".
"I saw their tracks. They're gone." Daryl protested.
"No, it's not. It's already been through here twice. It's looking for me and Becca. We have to get away before it comes back." Eugene argued.
"He's right," Becca spoke up, "It keeps comin' back. I keep havin' to hide in the hay. We need to get the hell out of here.".
"This wasn't a normal herd." Eugene agreed.
"What do you mean?" Aaron asked him.
"When—When they passed us by, we could hear them. They were...they were whispering to each other." Eugene explained.
"You mean they were talking?" Aaron pressed on.
"I-I know how it sounds. But Rosita and Becca heard it, too. They'll corroborate." Eugene tried to reason.
"Yeah. We should get him back." Daryl muttered, Aaron going to help Eugene up, but Dog began barking.
Looking out the window, Taylor saw the horde of walkers from earlier heading straight towards the barn.
"There's no way that's the same herd." Daryl mumbled under his breath.
"They got us cut off." Aaron pointed up, helping Eugene up.
"No, no, no, no. No, no." He began to himself.
"So we'll backtrack, we'll go 'roun' 'em. Ol' Route 28 ain't far. It's the straightest shot back to the horses." Daryl explained.
Taylor looked down at Hailey, Abe, and Autumn, "Kids, you stay right behind me and Auntie Becca, alright. They're walkers outside.".
All three of them nodded, and they all rushed out of the barn towards Route 28.
———
TAYLOR, BECCA, AND AARON
looked out onto the train tracks from the forest, the walker horde still following them as they walked back over to Daryl, Eugene, Jesus, Hailey, Abe, and Autumn.
"You're gonna get me—" Eugene began, but was interrupted as he groaned in pain, Daryl and Jesus carrying him.
"It doesn't make any sense." Jesus commented, as they stopped to rest by an abandoned car, setting Eugene down on the hood, "They shouldn't have doubled back like that. And they definitely shouldn't have followed us all the way to the barn.".
Taylor, Aaron, and Becca walked up with the kids as Eugene spoke up, clutching his knee, "I do have a theory to posit. The walkers are evolving.".
"Oh, that's bullshit." Daryl grumbled, looking around with his flashlight.
"They're dead, they're not evolving." Jesus protested.
"Jesus is right. They're fucking rotten pieces of flesh, Eugene. If anything, they're de-evolving." Taylor pointed out.
"Being dead hasn't exactly stopped them from perambulating ad infinitum, though, has it?" Eugene remarked, "They're not dead in any sense that makes sense. It takes an impact to the cranium to stop them, which means the brain is alive, degraded as it may be. And if it's alive, it can change. Maybe even start to remember things, too, like how to talk. And, I dare say, maybe it is because of Taylor.".
"What?" Daryl looked over at the group.
Furrowing her eyebrows, Taylor folded her arms, "The fuck are you getting at Eugene?".
"It is just a theory. Maybe they're adapting to something you radiate. I mean, hell, you an Ellie are the only two people we know who are immune." Eugene explained.
"It's not any crazier than the dead being alive in the first place." Jesus pointed out, "If they can learn to talk, maybe they can learn strategy and how to hunt.".
Aaron looked behind them, hearing the moans and groans of the walkers nearing closer, "They're right on our asses. We've gotta get to the horses fast.".
"What the fuck are we gonna do?" Becca groaned, grabbing her rifle.
"You have to leave me behind." Eugene replied, "I'm slowing you down and tiring you out. Every time we stop, the dead get closer.".
"No! We came out here to find you—we're not going home without you." Jesus protested.
"You don't have a choice.".
"It's not your call. The numbers actually work for us. We can split up." He looked over at Daryl, Taylor, and Aaron, "You three get him and the kids back to the horses. Me and Becca'll wait for the herd to get here, then we'll draw them off in the other direction. Then we'll ditch them and meet you back at the Hilltop.".
"We're stronger together." Aaron pointed out.
"That doesn't help us. Our only way out of this is to avoid a fight." Jesus protested.
"No." Daryl spoke up, "If anyone stays, it's gonna be me an' Taylor.".
She glared, "Why me?".
"'Cause. I'm gonna need yer help." He turned back to the others, "Go. Hell, we'll probably beat you back. Keep the kids safe.".
Becca ushered the kids off in the other direction with Eugene, Aaron, and Jesus behind them as Taylor and Daryl rushed off in the other direction, him grabbing Dog's attention.
She didn't want to be with Daryl...she wanted to go with the others...
She and Daryl had perched themselves up on someones old camp sight on top of an old truck container.
She sat in silence, sharpening her hunting knife and making no effort to make conversation with him.
"...You ain't gonna talk ta' me?..." He muttered.
"Nope." She simply said, popping the p.
He sighed, "...Alri' then...".
That's when the horde of walkers came up to the corner in the road, and Daryl took off his backpack, grabbing a lighter and roll of firecrackers, "Alri', boy, let's get 'em.".
He lit them up, tossing the bundle out into the road, and they began popping and cracking, Dog barking along with it, as the horde began coming towards the noise.
"Dog, keep 'em comin'." Daryl said down to him, Taylor grabbing her crossbow, the walkers continuing to come this way.
She and Daryl looked closely at the front of the horde, seeing the walkers begin to head back down the road, the way they were originally supposed to go, and the sea of walkers behind them followed.
"Shh, shh, shh!" Daryl put his hand down to Dog as the two continued to watch the walkers head off in the opposite direction.
"What in the actual fuck..." She muttered.
Maybe Eugene was right...maybe the walkers were evolving...
———
TAYLOR, DARYL, AND DOG HAD
gone into a cemetery, hearing screaming and shouting ahead.
A bunch of walkers suddenly broke into a sprint, rushing foward, and Taylor and Daryl each took down one with their crossbows.
Up ahead, Hailey, Abe, and Autumn were helping Aaron, Michonne, Becca, Eugene, and two unknown woman fight of the supposed walkers.
But then...there was Jesus...laying dead on the ground...
'Oh god...Jesus...no...'.
After they took out every last one, Taylor lowered her crossbow, walking up to the two unknown woman.
"Who the hell are you guys?" She asked.
"Yumiko." The woman with dark brown hair and a bow answered, "This is Magna. Who are you?".
"Taylor, Taylor Wook. Please, have you seen my daughter Hailey? I can't see shit. Taylor replied.
"Mommy! I'm right here!" Hailey called, walking up with Becca who was holding her hand.
"Thank god you're alright!" Taylor gasped, rushing foward and bringing Hailey into an embrace.
"M-Mommy...Jesus...he's..." Hailey cried into her neck, clinging onto her mother for dear life.
"I-I know, baby. I know...just...don't look." Taylor fought the tears of her own, Abe and Autumn walking up, the two twins also crying.
Maybe it was out of instinct, but she wanted to grab Daryl's hand, the feel of him making her all the more calmer.
But she didn't; she refused, instead grabbing Aaron's as he cried over Jesus's dead body.
"Hey. C'mere." Daryl turned to Michonne, and she walked over, "These walkers—what are they?".
Taking out his pocket knife as he moved a few strands of the walkers hair, it revealed stitching, and he cut it open and pulled out what turned out to be a walker mask, a human being just like them underneath.
Hailey and Autumn both yelped in fear, and whispering floated through the air, "They're trapped.".
Dog began barking as more the whispering continued, "Circle 'round. Don't let them slip by. Keep them together.".
"Shit. Hailey, Autumn, Abe. Stay behind me." Taylor ordered, standing up as she aimed her crossbow, trying to spot whoever the hell these people were pretending to be walkers.
What the hell was going on...
———
To Be Continued...
Word Count: 2940
Edited: ❌
@Taylor_Frickin_Dixon
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