♤

The group was stood around the campfire, all of us, waiting Daryl's return.

Randall was back in the shed and Daryl was having a chat with him as Shane had asked.

The idea of Daryl being alone with the boy didn't sit well with me.

Daryl soon strolled over, his crossbow on his back and his jacket sat nicely keeping him warm as winter arrived. "Boy there's got a gang, 30 men, heavy artillery and they ain't looking to make friends. They roll through here, our boys are dead and our women...they're gonna wish they were"

Carol and I glanced at each other as we spotted the blood dripping from his knuckles. "What did you do?" I asked, shocked.

"Had a little chat"

Daryl wandered away as the group continued to discuss the plans for this boy. Leaving Charlie sat with them, I chased after Daryl.

I called out to him as I followed him back to his tent. "Daryl!"

He ignored me, disappearing inside his tent. I ripped aside the tent door, "What did you do to him?!" I snapped, his back turned to me. "What did you do?!" I grabbed his wrist, spinning him around to look at me.

He looked lost yet angry. "I told you"

"This isn't you, Daryl! Why..why would you do that to a person?" I asked, saddened at the idea that the world was gone and this was what we were forced to do.

"I did this for you!" He yelled, snapping at me. "To protect you! They roll through here, they'll kill us, Charlie, Dale, everyone and you, they'll make you watch before they--"

"--So you're gonna beat him to death!? That'll solve all our problems, right?! What about Charlie? He looks up to you, you want him to start thinking like that?!" I shouted, my voice held a sharp venom.

Daryl scoffed, "Don't bring him into this! I'm doing this for you two! This group is broken! The only reason I'm still even here is you and him! Because of the promise I made!" He roared, heat rising.

I took a second, my mind calming, "The only reason you're here is Merle? Because Merle made you promise?.." I asked, my voice quiet.

Daryl grunted out a small yes, "You don't care about us..? It's only because of Merle..I should have guessed" I mumbled, upset as I stormed out of the tent.

"Kel--" Daryl started but I ignored him, brushing past Dale who was heading over.

Without speaking to anyone I headed straight for my tent, throwing myself onto my cot.

I was exhausted.

I felt a fool.

I felt stupid for believing that Daryl actually cared, cared about me and cared about Charlie.

Looking over at the table to the side of me, I saw the daisy Daryl had given me the other day.

It made me smile before I remembered what had just happened, he wasn't there for Charlie because he cared. He was there as a favor. We were just a burden to him.

Footsteps gently headed towards my tent before Dale popped his head around.

"Hey," He smiled as he came in, sitting on the cot beside my feet, "I heard shouting, are you alright?"

"He's only here because of the promise he made Merle.." I admitted quietly.

Dale shook his head, "I'm sure that's not true--"

"--It is Dale! He said it!" I sobbed.

"He cares, you know what he's like, he hides how he feels to protect himself! The sooner you two admit how you feel, the better it will be for the pair of you" Dale explained.

"No, Dale, it won't be better, because he doesn't feel the same. We're a burden" I sighed, burying my head into my pillow.

Dale placed a gentle hand on my leg, "Anyone can see that you're not a burden, he loves Charlie, he's a fool not to see that"

I didn't respond, instead Dale said goodbye and headed off, leaving me alone in the tent until Charlie ambled in, not saying anything, just coming to my side and cuddling me.

♤

It was time.

Everyone was sat around the campfire, eating and trying to forget what was happening. I stood on the edge of camp, watching the 3 men, one being Daryl, escort the young man into the barn where he would take his final breath.

It was animalistic.

Cruel.

This was the new world, they kept telling me. I kept telling myself that too, to justify things I had done when Charlie and I were alone.

I stayed for a while until the doors of the barn burst open and 3 men emerged, one being Randall, the boy. The others were Shane and Daryl, Daryl being the one with the tight grip on Randall.

The air was cold and sharp as Rick came over and announced that they were keeping him alive. "I'm gonna find Dale" Andrea smiled as I turned and looked at the group.

There was a darkness over the farm, concealing anything we might consider a threat.

A snake, a spider...A walker.

As we sat, we heard a scream, loud, in pain. Immediately Charlie rushed over, Lori instructed that he and Carl head to the house and lock the door as we all began running towards where the scream came from. Rushing over the fields.

Everyone ran over as fast as they could, everyone running from different directions.

Daryl and I arrived together, but I stopped.

Red blood spilling from Dale, his guts slowly falling out of his body onto the floor where the grass became tainted by Dale's blood.

Dale's screams rang through the air as Daryl threw the walker off him, stabbing it as I began crying. "Here, over here!" Daryl yelled, flailing his arms around. "Hang in there buddy" Daryl muttered as I sat beside Dale, life slowly leaving his body.

My vision was blurred as the group began surrounding us.

Dale looked terrified, his eyes wide as he struggled to take a breath.

Hershel raced over, inspecting the ruined body. "We have to do the operation here," Rick yelled but Hershel placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head.

I let out a loud sob as I realised what it meant. Carl and Charlie had come over, leaving the house where we told them to stay.

Charlie immediately began crying as he approached but Daryl pushed him away as I sat sobbing, frozen.

Dale's screams only got louder as the seconds passed and my tears only came faster as Rick hed his gun to Dale's head, struggling to pull the trigger.

Daryl moved from my side and took the gun from Rick, he waited a few seconds before Dale nodded.

He was ready.

Ready to say goodbye to this world.

Ready to say goodbye to us.

Ready to join his wife and the child they should've had.

He was ready.

"I'm sorry, brother" Daryl uttered before he pulled the trigger, ending Dale's suffering.

I held Charlie, nestling his head in the crook of my neck as I sobbed, losing the only person I considered family..

A/N

How do yall think this is going?
I'm stressed so now I'm going to go devour a pizza