𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐒.
chapter seventeen; A Barn In Flames
" But for right now? We can be friends. "
VEX WAS WORRIED when she, Daryl, and Glenn arrived to find Rick and Shane had not returned. They told the group of their findings; Randall's fate, and lack of a bite.
Lori asked Daryl to find Rick and Shane, to which he instantly agreed.
"Yeah, I'm coming with you."
Daryl looked to Vex as she joined his side.
"If you find them, and Shane already. . ." Vex said in a hushed tone as they exited the home, "He's off the rails."
"I can handle that."
"Yeah, last time you denied my help, you wound up with your own arrow in your side, maybe you should--"
Daryl held up a hand, pointing to the horizon.
And Vex was horrified.
"Patricia, kill the lights," Hershel instructed after he and a few others joined Daryl and Vex.
"I'll get the guns," Andrea said, moving quickly.
There were easily a hundred walkers emerging from the woods, heading straight toward the house. Vex had never seen anything like it, the walkers grouping together like animals.
And she wasn't sure how they'd be able to handle it.
"Maybe they'll just pass like the herd on the highway," Glenn said, "Should we just go inside?"
"Not unless there's a tunnel downstairs I don't know about," Daryl responded, "A herd that size would rip the house down."
Vex inhaled, trying to count the walkers but losing track after 20.
"I can pick some off, but--"
"Carl's gone."
Vex turned to find a panicked Lori approaching.
"He-- he was upstairs, I can't find him anymore," Lori said out of breath.
"Maybe he's hiding--"
"He's supposed to be upstairs," Lori said, "I'm not leavin' without my boy."
"We're not," Carol said, "We're not, we're gonna-- we're gonna look again, we're gonna find him."
Vex looked to Dean in panic as Carol and Lori returned inside.
"Safe, upstairs with Beth," Dean answered the unasked question, "Where you should be."
"Dean--!"
"Sniper, literally," He urged, "You're better up there than you would be in the field."
"I got the number-- it's no use," Daryl said as Maggie returned with shotguns.
"You can go if you want," Hershel said, loading his own gun.
"You gonna take 'em all on?"
"We have guns," Hershel said, "We have cars."
"Kill as many as we can," Andrea said, "And we'll use the cars to lead the rest of them off the farm."
"You serious?"
"This is my farm. I'll die here."
Hershel set off quickly.
"Alright," Daryl said, hopping over the porch rail, "It's as good a night as any."
"Hey," Vex said quickly, leaning over the railing, "Organized effort here-- I can take upstairs, pick off a few from afar, or I can go out there with y'all."
"Your girl's inside--"
"My girl's in danger," Vex cut Daryl off, "So what's the plan?"
The plan was actually rather simple.
The group paired off, each taking a vehicle, one driving and one shooting, circling off to pick off as many walkers as they could.
It had been a pretty obvious choice, but Daryl sided with Dean, agreeing that Vex should camp out upstairs.
Vex re-distributed the three radios, one with Daryl, one with Dean, Andrea, and T-Dog, and one with Vex herself; Maggie assured the woman she and Glenn would be fine without one.
"Dixon, on your right," Vex said as Zeppelin held the radio to her mom, the woman focusing her efforts on getting walkers before they got her people.
There were so many. Too many. Even with whoever started the barn fire drawing tons of them, there were hundreds more pressing on.
She quickly picked off a few that surrounded Maggie and Glenn's car, static cracking over the radio.
"There's too many," Andrea said.
Vex knew she was right, but kept on shooting.
"I see Rick and Carl," Vex said through the radio, "Just came out of the barn."
Vex picked off more, two specifically that followed Dean's truck which was still full of supplies.
"Thanks, V," He called over the walkie.
The walkers continued closing in, becoming uncomfortably close to the farmhouse.
Vex kept on for another minute, before pulling her gun back inside.
"Zep, get your bag, go with Lori," Vex said, "Do it, now."
Zeppelin nodded, tears welling in her eyes as she scrambled downstairs.
Vex followed the group downstairs; Beth, Patricia, Lori, Carol, and Zeppelin all ready to go.
But Hershel wasn't moving.
"Lori-- Carl's with Rick, I saw them," Vex called, "I'll get Hershel, you guys have to go!"
"Vex--"
"Go, now!"
The women didn't argue further, quickly turning to run.
"Hershel, we have to leave," Vex said, shooting alongside the man, "Right now, we have to go right now!"
"This is my farm!"
Vex felt her panic swell as the walkers kept coming, as they grew closer.
"We picked up Carol," Dean's voice crackled over the radio. "Think Mag and Glenn got Beth, Zep, and Lori."
"Hershel won't leave," Vex yelled into the thing, "Come on--!"
Vex felt her rifle click empty, quickly swapping it out for her pistol.
She'd run out before she got Hershel to leave, and with all the remaining annoying in Dean's truck, she had to make a choice.
"I'm going to my daughter," Vex told Hershel, "I hope you choose to do the same."
The woman took off quickly, sprinting as fast as she could, shooting her way through walkers if she had to.
Until she saw a familiar face.
"Vex!"
"Oh, my God, Rick!" She called, "Listen--"
"Lori, have you seen Lori?!"
"She's safe, she got out with Beth and Zep," Vex said, "Hershel won't leave, I couldn't get him to--"
"I got it, you go," Rick called.
"Here," Vex said, pressing the walkie into his hand, "I'll find someone-- you need it more right now."
Rick nodded, taking off toward the house as Vex ran the opposing way.
She picked off walkers as fast as she could, approaching the fence line with a trail of them on her.
"Vex!"
Daryl's rough scream drew her attention, his motorcycle approached her quickly, skidding to a halt.
"Come on--"
Vex Williams was on the back of it in half a second flat, turning to shoot the closest walkers as he took off down the road.
She lowered her gun once the distance felt safer, but remained still, watching the farm burn.
🗡
"You still have your walkie?" Vex called over the sound of the wind and the rumbling engine.
Daryl wordlessly grabbed the thing from her waistband, passing it to the woman.
"Anybody copy?" She called, "Daryl's takin' us back to the highway-- said it's where they broke down."
Vex could tell the radio had a response, but it was impossible to hear over the engine.
"Dammit," She cursed, holding the walkie, "The hell is this thing good for--"
"Hey," Daryl yelled over the sound, "Why don't you look up for a second?"
She did as told, the tension releasing from her spine when she saw Maggie and Glenn's car in front of them. Daryl sped up slightly, riding beside the car.
Zeppelin squished her face against the window in greeting her mother.
"Oh, my God," Vex breathed out, "Thank God."
Daryl breathed out, patting a hand on Vex's knee in assurance.
It wasn't long before Dean's pickup joined the ride, fully allowing Vex's heart rate to calm.
They pulled up to a familiar car, one surrounded by Rick, Carl, and Hershel, just as the two cars slowed behind them.
Vex stood quickly, turning to find her daughter stumbling out of Maggie's car. Zeppelin ran, embracing her mother tightly.
"Mom, I was worried you--"
"I'm right here, baby," Vex said quietly, not yet letting go of her daughter.
"Daryl!"
Vex could not hold back a laugh as her daughter tackled Daryl Dixon in a hug.
The man himself was surprised but didn't have the heart to tell her to get off.
Zeppelin made her rounds, hugging and greeting every single person before finally remaining at Carl's side.
"You shoulda just stayed with me," Zeppelin said quietly.
"I'll take that into consideration next time," He whispered.
Dean approached his sister, pulling her into a tight hug without a single word. Vex breathed into it, holding him tightly.
"Good thing we didn't unload that truck, huh?" Dean joked.
"Yeah, that's some real good luck," Vex laughed weakly, pulling away from him.
Dean patted her shoulder, before wrapping an arm around his sister.
"Where'd you find everyone?" Rick questioned, looking at Daryl.
"Well, those guys' tail lights zig-zagging all over the road-- figured he had to be Asian drivin' like that."
Vex swatted Daryl's arm without thinking it through but was met with an amused expression from the man himself.
"Good one," Glenn laughed dryly.
"Where's the rest of us?" Daryl questioned, looking around at the smaller group.
"We're the only ones who made it so far," Rick said.
Lori stood, looking at Rick.
"Shane?"
Rick only shook his head.
"Andrea?" Glenn questioned.
"She saved me, then I lost her," Carol said.
"We saw her go down," T-Dog said, looking to Dean, "Grabbed Carol on our way out."
"Patricia?" Hershel asked.
"They got her, too," Beth replied shakily, "Took her right in front of me. I was-- I was holdin' onto her, Daddy. She just. . . what about Jimmy? Did you see Jimmy?"
"He was in the R.V." Rick informed, "It got overrun."
"You definitely saw Andrea?"
"There were walkers everywhere," Lori said.
"Did you see her?"
T-Dog hesitated, looking to Dean.
"I'm goin' back," Daryl said, walking to his motorcycle.
"No," Rick denied.
"Can't just leave 'er."
"We don't even know if she's there," Lori said.
"She isn't there," Rick said with finality, "She isn't. She's somewhere else, or she's dead. There's no way to find her."
"So we're not even gonna look for her?" Glenn questioned.
"We gotta keep moving," Rick said, "There've been walkers crawling all over here."
"I say head East," T-Dog said.
"Stay off the main roads," Daryl said, picking up his crossbow, "Bigger the road, the more walkers, more assholes like this one-- I got 'im."
Daryl sent an arrow through the walker's eye without another word.
🗡
The ride was silent.
Dean was driving this time, with Vex in the passenger seat and Zeppelin napping in the back.
"God, I wish there was music," Dean sighed, before gasping, "Wait a second--"
Vex groaned as he reached over to open his glove compartment, rifling through papers until he found a book of CDs.
"Hell yes," He smiled, "Come on, V, you pick first."
Vex eyed the CDs briefly, before pointing to one.
"Oh, come on."
"You said I got to pick," She grinned.
Dean groaned, but pushed the CD in any way, allowing the wonderful sound of Limp Bizkit to fill the truck.
Vex only got to enjoy one song before Rick honked from behind them, the whole group pulling over quickly.
Everyone exited their vehicles, gathering at the front of the line where Daryl sat.
"You out?" He asked Rick.
"Running on fumes," Rick confirmed.
"We can't stay here," Maggie said.
"We can't all fit in two cars," Glenn said.
"Little bit of rearranging, maybe," Dean nodded, "Throw some stuff out of my backseat, into another trunk. . . somebody'll have to get on the bike with Daryl."
Rick nodded.
"But. . ." Dean sighed, "We're almost at E, too."
"Dean," Vex groaned, rubbing her face.
"We'll just have to make a run for some gas in the morning," Rick said.
"Spend the night here?" Carol asked.
"I'm freezing," Carl said.
"We'll build a fire, yeah?"
"You go out lookin' for firewood, stay close," Daryl announced. "Only got so many arrows-- how you doin' on ammo?"
"Not enough," Rick informed.
"Got some in the truck, what kind you need?" Dean spoke up.
"We can't just sit here with our asses hangin' out," Maggie said.
"Watch your mouth," Hershel chastised, "Everyone stop panicking and listen to Rick."
Vex looked to Rick expectantly.
"Alright, we'll set up a perimeter," The man started, "In the morning, we'll find gas and some supplies. Keep pushing on."
"Glenn and I can go make a run now," Maggie spoke up, "Try and scrounge up some gas."
"No, we stay together," Rick denied. "God forbid something happens and people get stranded without a car."
"Rick, we're stranded now."
"I know it looks bad, we've all been through hell and worse," Rick said, "But at least we found each other. I wasn't sure-- I really wasn't-- but we did. We're together. We keep it that way. . . We'll find shelter somewhere. There's gotta be a place."
"Rick, look around, okay?" Glenn said, stepping forward, "There's walkers everywhere. They're-- they're migrating or something."
"There's gotta be a place not just where we hole up," Rick continued, "But that we. . . fortify. Hunker down, pull ourselves together. Build a life for each other. I know it's out there, we just have to find it."
"Even if we do find a place," Maggie said, "And we think it's safe. We can never be sure for how long. Look what happened with the farm. We fooled ourselves into thinking that was safe."
"We won't make that mistake again," Hershel spoke up.
"We'll make camp tonight," Rick said, gesturing to the area just off the road, "Over there. Get on the road at the break of day."
"Does this feel right to you?" Carol asked Daryl.
"What if walkers come through," Beth asked, "Or another group like Randall's."
"You know we found Randall, right?" Daryl said suddenly to Rick. "He had turned, but he wasn't bit."
Rick averted his gaze, which gained Vex's full attention.
"How's that possible?" Beth questioned.
"Rick, what the hell happened?"
"Shane killed Randall," Daryl answered, "Just like he always wanted to."
"And then the herd got him?" Lori questioned, looking to her husband.
Rick stayed silent for a long moment.
Something had changed within him, Vex could see that clear as day, but what she couldn't predict was the next thing he said.
"We're all infected."
Vex felt her stomach drop, and it only worsened when Zep huddled closer to her.
"What?" Daryl asked.
"At the C.D.C," Rick said, "Jenner told me. Whatever it is. . . we all carry it."
"Wait, so--" Dean said breathily, "So, that's it? Whether we get bit or not, we all. . . eventually turn anyway?"
Rick said nothing.
"Why didn't you ever say anything?" Carol questioned Rick.
"Would it have made a difference?" He asked.
"You knew this whole time," Glenn said.
"How could I have known for sure?" Rick said, "You saw how crazy that mot--"
"That is not your call," Glenn argued, "Okay, when I found out about the walkers in the barn, I told, for the good of everyone."
"Well, I thought it best if people didn't know."
Rick stared down the group for a long moment, before turning and starting toward the area they'd set up camp.
Vex went into motion, digging through the truck for supplies that would help that night-- jackets, blankets, food.
"Mom, I'm gonna look for firewood with Daryl."
"Yeah, no," Vex denied instantly.
"But I went out huntin' with him before--"
"This is very different from that," Vex sighed, turning to face her daughter only to find Daryl standing behind her, "We don't know what's out there, baby."
"But. . ."
"Mom said no," Daryl spoke up, placing a hand on Zeppelin's head, "Next time, a'ight?"
Zeppelin nodded, frowning as Daryl walked off.
"Okay, it is a very nice dinner of. . . canned beans and Vienna sausages," Dean grinned, holding up a bag of cans.
"Yuck," Zeppelin spoke.
"Yeah, no more bein' picky about dinner, either," Vex laughed, passing her daughter three blankets, "Food's different out here. Eat your portion every time, alright?"
Zeppelin agreed, despite her true feelings, moping to the makeshift camp and handing out blankets to those around her. Vex did the same, as Dean set up their food-- it wasn't perfect by any means, but it could be worse.
Daryl returned soon with a pile of firewood and kindling, quickly starting a fire that everyone gathered around. Zeppelin helped Dean cook the beans over the fire, passing them out can by can, along with vienna sausages.
"Come, sit," Vex said, waving to Daryl.
He obliged after a moment, taking a seat beside the woman as he continued tending to the fire.
"Here," Vex sighed, unwrapping the blanket from herself.
"No," Daryl denied, "Keep it."
"On top of the two jackets Dean already shoved me in?" Vex laughed, "You're not cold?"
"Used to it."
Vex rolled her eyes, but wrapped the blanket back around herself nonetheless.
"Beans?"
Daryl couldn't help the corner of his lip from tugging up as the woman held out the can.
This, he accepted.
"Why're you bein' nice all a sudden?" Daryl questioned through a mouthful of food.
"Oh, you know, figures it lowers my chances of being voted off the island," Vex sighed, scoffing at Daryl's expressionless face, "Just. . . Dean and I had a talk. So it's all uphill from here."
Daryl took another bite of the food before passing it back to Vex.
"Kinda liked you better before."
"Oh, don't worry, I'm sure we'll get into plenty more arguments," Vex sighed, "But for right now? We can be friends."
"Yeah, sure," He let out a short laugh. "Somethin' like that."
They remained side by side, even as Dean took a seat beside Glenn and Zeppelin camped out next to Carl.
The two didn't speak, only holding each other's company as they passed the can back and forth, until Carol took a seat beside Daryl.
"Get food already, Carol?" Vex questioned, leaning around Daryl.
"Yes, thank you," Carol nodded uneasily.
"Are. . . you okay?" Vex asked, sitting up straighter.
Carol looked around before leaning in.
"We're not safe with him," She whispered, "Keepin' something like that from us. . . Why do you need 'im? He's just gonna pull you down."
Vex was shocked by her words.
From what she understood, Rick had been the leader of the group for a while, and a decent one at that. And Daryl had never quite seemed like the leading type.
"Nah," Daryl said, "Ricks done alright by me."
"You're his henchmen," Carol said, "And I'm a burden. You deserve better."
"What do you want?" Daryl asked after a moment.
"A man of honor."
"Rick has honor."
Carol fell silent at Daryl's words, looking back to the small fire they circled.
"Last bite?" Vex offered Daryl the can.
He waved her off, the woman shrugging as she finished the food.
The only thing that halted her movements was a snapping in the brush around them.
"What was that?"
"Could be anything," Daryl said as he and Vex stood, "Could be a raccoon, could be a possum--"
"A walker," Glenn suggested.
Vex scanned the dark forest around them, in hopes of spotting a damn thing.
"We need to leave," Carol spoke up, "I mean, what are we waiting for?"
"We need gas," Vex said quietly.
"Last thing we need is for everyone to be runnin' off in the dark," Rick said, "We don't have the vehicles. No one's traveling on foot."
"Don't panic," Hershel said at the sound of another twig snapping.
"He's right, if we go after every noise in the forest, we'd all end up lost," Vex sighed, "I'll keep watch-- T-Dog, you with me?"
"Yes ma'am," He nodded.
"I'm not sitting here, waiting for another herd to blow through," Maggie said shakily. "We need to move, now."
"No one is going anywhere," Rick said seriously.
"Do something!" Carol urged.
"I am doing somethin'," Rick said, "I'm keepin' this group together, alive. I been doing that all along, no matter what. I didn't ask for this. I killed my best friend for you people, for Christ's sake!"
The revelation seemed to shock most of the group, but Vex had assumed when they found what had come of Randall, only one of the men would return.
"You saw what he was like," Rick continued, "How he pushed me, how he compromised us, how he threatened us. He staged the whole Randall thing, lead me out to put a bullet in my back-- he gave me no choice. He was my friend but he came after me. My hands are clean."
The group stayed silent as Carl sobbed into his mother's chest.
"Maybe you people are better off without me," Rick said, "Go ahead. I say there's a place for us, but maybe-- maybe it's just another pipe dream. Maybe-- Maybe I'm foolin' myself again. Why-- Why don't you-- Why don't you go and find out yourself? Send me a postcard."
No one moved.
"Go on, there's the door," Rick said, "You think you can do better? Let's see how far you get."
Vex glanced to her daughter, who sat motionless through the speech.
"No takers?" Rick asked. "Fine. But get one thing straight; you're staying, this isn't a democracy anymore."
Rick looked to the group for another moment, before leaving them in silence.
Vex checked in on Zeppelin, who only really wanted to ask her mom how her food was.
Dean set up a makeshift bed for Zep and Vex, as well as one for himself, as the woman climbed atop one of the eroding walls across from T-Dog.
She let out a sigh, resting her rifle on her lap.
"Hey."
Vex looked down at the greeting, as well as the tap on her knee, only to find Daryl Dixon.
"You need sleep? I can take first."
"I'm alright," She nodded, "You rest, I'll wake you up in a little."
Daryl nodded hesitantly, patting her knee once more before leaving her on her own.
And there Vex sat, for the rest of the night. Not waking Daryl Dixon halfway at all-- and she heard about it the entirety of the following day.
But she knew it would be a long winter, so for now, Vex sat on her own, staring out into the pitch black forest around her.
WORD COUNT : 3732