Chapter Text
I Went to the Well
"Looks like they came through here." Daryl pointed to the tracks that he'd begun to recognize as the skin freaks herding the walkers along.
Beth nodded and caught Connie's eye, pointing to the tracks. The other woman nodded before she knelt down and inspected them for herself.
Connie scrawled into her notepad and held it up for them to see.
Something happened here.
Daryl read her note and then knelt down next to her to see what she was looking at. Damn, if she wasn't right. There had been a scuffle. He recognized one set as Henry’s. The other set was much larger.
"He musta caught up to ‘em here. They knew. They were waitin' for him."
Beth nodded and whistled for Dog to come back from the bush he'd been sniffing around.
When Daryl stood back up, there was a slight grip on his arm. He looked down at Connie, a little annoyed. She pointed at his mouth and then her eyes. He must have appeared confused because she did it again. He still had no fucking clue what she was trying to tell him.
Beth had come back to join them, Dog at her side. She giggled quietly and then looked at Connie when she answered him.
"She wants you to look at her when you speak so she can read your lips."
Connie nodded emphatically and pointed at his mouth again.
"Yeah, okay, got it,” he said grumpily.
Beth and Connie smiled at each other.
They followed the tracks for hours, the light slowly fading into night.
Daryl stopped suddenly, holding up his hand to make sure that Connie and Beth knew he wasn’t just taking a break. They were at the top of a small rise and just below, walkers were milling around aimlessly, but he could see a few of the skin freaks in the middle. Daryl’s eyes scanned the surrounding area and finally found what he was looking for: a rough-looking makeshift camp.
He turned to Beth and motioned for the binoculars that she’d been using to scan the herd. She handed them over and Daryl adjusted them until he could see everyone in the camp. Alpha was having a serious discussion with possibly the largest man Daryl had ever seen. She had taken off her mask, but he was still wearing his. Off to the side, Lydia was fidgeting, she seemed out of place in this feral community. Her eyes kept looking over to a tree, but Daryl couldn’t make out what she was looking at until he caught a glimpse of blond hair.
They had Henry tied to a tree. At least they hadn’t killed him yet.
“Over there,” Daryl whispered, pointing to the camp. “They’ve got Henry.”
Beth silently told Connie what he’d said, her sign language skills coming in handy.
Connie nodded at Beth and then her hands were moving. Slower than when she talked to her sister, but it seemed like Beth was keeping up.
Beth's face paled slightly, but then she nodded. She turned to Daryl to tell him what Connie had been signing.
"We need to fit in. There are a few of the skins just patrolling the outside. We need their clothes and their masks. We have to kill one or two of them, get the herd riled up. While they’re all distracted, we get Henry and Lydia."
Daryl nodded and Connie went to put her notepad in her pocket, but Daryl reached his hand out for it. It was getting too dark for her to see what he was saying.
Only Henry
Connie read what he wrote and furiously shook her head. Beth read his response over her shoulder and she shook her head as well.
“Daryl, she can’t stay here. You know what her mother’s been doing to her. You know it’s only gonna get worse, and Henry’s not gonna leave without her.” She gave him a knowing look and all he could do was sigh. He wasn’t going to win any arguments with the two of them.
"You two stay here." Daryl pointed at the ground and looked between Beth and Connie. "I'm gonna get us some masks." He'd seen a tree that had a few hanging from the branches.
The area he saw must have been someone's small campsite, far from the main camp. Maybe they were out hunting. Daryl had skinned his fair share of animals in his life, but the feeling of the walker skin under his fingers when he grabbed the masks was almost enough to make him gag. The thought of putting it over his face made it worse. Daryl quietly walked back to Beth and Connie, who’d been carefully watching the herd.
“Ya still got eyes on ‘em?” He asked as he handed the masks to each of the women.
Beth nodded and handed the binoculars back to him. “Better grab Connie’s paper, I got too much ta say and can’t be makin’ sure she’s catchin’ it all,” he told her.
Beth signaled for Connie’s notebook and she handed it over with the marker, a curious look on her face.
Daryl spoke for Beth and she wrote everything down for Connie.
“Soon as the sun sets, the walkers tend ta calm down just a bit. We’re gonna need a distraction that they won’t be able ta resist. So find somebody that looks like a real asshole, ‘cause he’s about to be dinner fer the masses. We wait ‘til it’s full dark and we throw the bait out there. While the pack’s swarming for food, we grab Henry… and Lydia, and make a run for it. Connie, you cover us while we grab ‘em. Beth’ll make sure you know when we got ‘em. Then we head north. Away from Hilltop. We head ta the Kingdom. Make sure ya keep yer tracks covered.” He nodded to Beth and she turned the paper to Connie, but she’d been reading it as Beth was writing.
Connie looked up at him and gave a short nod. Well, at least she was on board with this part. The part where they left Lydia with some supplies and took Henry back home was not going to go as well, though.
Once the darkness had completely enveloped the area, Daryl had to run on his other senses. Dog was always on the same page as him, and Beth was basically an extension of him at this point. They worked seamlessly as a team and it seemed like Connie was sliding into their group just as easily. The three of them pulled on their masks and the dirty clothes they had also found.
Daryl grabbed one man and slit his throat just as Beth did another. They’d decided two fresh bodies would be better than one. The two of them pushed the two men, who were quickly bleeding out, into the pack. The frenzy was instant and the walkers swarmed. He and Beth slowly backed out and then ran towards the trees where they’d seen Lydia and Henry. Connie was already there, keeping a close watch.
The moment Alpha moved towards the herd to see what was going on, Beth and Daryl quietly made it to the trees. While Daryl cut the ropes holding Henry, Beth whispered in Lydia’s ear. The young girl jerked in recognition and then nodded. Daryl, Beth, and Connie ripped the walker masks off and left them by the tree, following Dog as he led them out of the woods and into a clearing.
Lydia seemed to be a mixture of relieved and indignant. “That was stupid to do! She’s gonna send people after me. She’s gonna send people to kill you,” she whispered loudly as they all took a few minutes to catch their breaths.
“Yeah, yer welcome,” Daryl snarled.
“Thank you,” Henry quietly said. He thought for a moment before he asked, “Where are we going?”
Daryl fixed his eyes on the boy, wondering why he’d risked so much for him. He knew in his heart that he’d done it for who Carol had once been, but Lydia? He owed her nothing. Hell, she was the reason for them being in this mess in the first place.
“Kingdom, but we’re takin’ the long way. Can’t be leadin’ her people to yer home.” Daryl pointed an accusatory finger at Lydia.
“I don’t think they’re her people anymore, Daryl,” Beth remarked with a calming hand on his arm.
“We’ll figure that out later. Right now, we need ta keep movin’. This way.” He pointed in the distance which was vaguely the direction of The Kingdom.
Connie stepped in front of him and shook her head. She pointed to the left and emphatically pointed in that direction.
“Nah, we’re goin’ this way.” Daryl pointed again.
Connie shook her head again, and this time added dramatic movements with her hands. Instead of waiting for him, she took off in the direction she had been pointing. Henry and Lydia quickly followed behind her. Beth gave him a sheepish look and then followed as well. He was going to follow, but he was going to let them get a bit ahead, the need to be petulant coming over him. This must be what Gracie felt half the time.
If his little girl would have been here, she’d have gone in the direction he wanted. Just like Dog would. He looked for his four-legged companion and caught the swish of a tail following behind the rest of them.
“Fuck,” Daryl mumbled under his breath. “Bad Dog.”
They walked for hours until the trees gave way to the outskirts of a town. It would be easier to travel, but in return, it left them more exposed.
Daryl brought up the back of their little group with Dog. Beth and Connie were silently speaking, Beth considerably slower than Connie, but at least she could talk without that pen and paper.
Lydia and Henry were close behind them, their heads bent together. At some point, Daryl was going to have to be the asshole and send her away. She was too much of a liability. They were going to be lucky if they made it through the day without the rest of her group finding them. Every step he took was a thought, a piece of a battle plan, and a promise to get back to his girls.
Lydia had dropped back while he was thinking. "She won't send a whole group. She'll just send Beta."
Daryl gave her a hard look. Was she helping, or had the few hours she'd been back with Alpha pushed her back to being the killer they'd originally found?
"This Beta—he their best?" Daryl asked. Wondering if Beta was the giant of a man he'd seen earlier.
Lydia nodded, and without another word, sped up to slip back closer to Henry.
Beth and Connie had dropped back to see what was going on.
"We can't keep walking out here in the open. We need a plan," Beth quietly told him. She motioned towards Connie and pointed to one of the taller buildings on the street.
"She thinks we should take the high ground," Beth said.
Daryl nodded. It was a smart plan, but they'd have to do it right.
Connie held up her notebook.
Chokepoint.
"Won't we be trapped if we go up there?" Henry asked, trepidation obvious in his voice.
Beth shook her head and started to explain to him what a chokepoint was.
Daryl stopped listening and zeroed his gaze in on Lydia. She shrunk back slightly, but never dropped his gaze.
"They'll send a few with this Beta, right? You guys travel in the middle of walkers fer protection?"
Lydia gave a slight nod again.
"Then we go up. We go where the walkers can't. Force Beta and whoever else your mom sends ta come to us. If he's the best they've got, we kill him. Then we fight like hell to get back out and get somewhere safe." Daryl looked at everyone and got nods of agreement, even if Lydia and Henry looked worried.
Connie pointed to the building again and took the lead. Everyone followed, but a cool hand on his wrist slowed Daryl’s steps as they walked. Beth gave him a strained smile and squeezed his forearm.
"We need somewhere to go if there's an emergency. Or if we have to run. Kingdom is too far." Beth looked like she knew the answer, but didn't want to vocalize it.
"We aren't going to Kingdom?" Henry asked.
Daryl and Beth's eyes met in a silent agreement.
Daryl sighed, running his hand through his hair. "We'll go to Alexandria, but we can't stay. They'll be looking for her and destroyin’ whatever’s in their wake."
"Then we'll go to Kingdom?" Henry asked, his age showing with his yearning to go home.
"Can't go there either. Nowhere is safe as long as she's with us. Fuck, they'd still be after us even if we'd left her after you went after ‘em." His anger at the kid was building again. Part of him kept saying that he was Carol's son, but that didn't hold as much weight with him anymore.
Henry was smart enough to keep his eyes down and his mouth shut. Even though this wasn't entirely his fault.
Connie was waving her hands and pointing to the building. They needed to get in and get things set up.
This was going to be the only way to get these bastards off their tails for a few hours.
Beth stayed downstairs with Henry and Lydia, covering up windows and barricading the hallways they didn’t want the walkers or the skin freaks to get through. Daryl followed Connie up the stairs. He was trying to find the best place to deal with Beta and the others he would inevitably bring with him.
Lydia said it would only be Beta, but no one was stupid enough to go into a fight without some sort of backup. There was an empty elevator shaft that could come in handy and a collection of power tools that had just been sitting there collecting dust since the world went to hell.
The sound of something heavy sliding along the floor made him jump and he turned to see Connie jumping into a hole in the floor. It was more than a hole, though—it was one hell of a hiding place. A well-stocked hiding place, at that. Aside from food and water, there was an emergency battery pack, a first aid kit, a sleeping bag, and a few other provisions.
Connie jumped out with a granola bar and a bottle of water. She held the bottle out for him and he took a long drink before he put the cap back on and handed it back.
“Thanks. A little secret stash for emergencies, huh?”
She nodded and started writing on her notepad.
We stayed here once.
“Smart.” He was starting to see how her group had survived so long out in the world.
Daryl found a map next to the empty elevator shaft and pointed to the two main stairwells.
“There’s only two main ways up… that’s good, but I think these barricades are a little too barricaded. We’ll cut open holes so they can walk up here.”
Connie smiled at him and nodded her head. Like she was thinking the same thing.
“Thanks,” Daryl grumbled, a little taken by the women's silent compliment. He knew Connie had a lot of respect for Beth, and now that he was getting a small sliver of it, he understood why Beth thought so highly of the woman.
Daryl looked around and nodded before turning his attention back to Connie. “This place is good, this might work.”
Connie handed him back the bottle of water as she hurriedly wrote in her notebook. Daryl finished the bottle off before she finished. He squinted his eyes to read the words that she’d written on the paper.
Then what?
“Then we go.” Daryl pointed towards the parking lot with his finger, still holding onto the water bottle. Connie shook her head and started to write in her notebook again.
The girl stays.
“No,” Daryl said. There was no way they were bringing Lydia back to any of the communities with them. He understood she was abused and didn’t have a choice in who her mother was, but he wasn’t going to let anything happen to the communities he’d worked so hard to protect.
Connie tapped at the words she’d written on her pad emphatically.
“No. No. If we take her back, my wife, my daughters, my friends die… hell, your friends, too,” Daryl said as clearly as he could, hoping she understood.
Connie looked confused, so he motioned to her to give him her notepad. “Gimme this.” He quickly wrote what he’d just said to her, but she stood there shaking her head.
She grabbed the notepad back from him and wrote something quickly and angrily before she ripped the piece of paper off and shoved it in his chest. Then she walked away.
Daryl stood there, stunned for a minute. He looked down at what she’d written.
We have family and friends. She doesn’t.
Fuck.
The five of them finished up the windows on the first floor. Daryl and Beth had opened up the stairwells and quietly discussed what he and Connie had talked about. The old Beth—the one from the farm and the prison—would have agreed with her, but this was a different Beth. She’d seen things that had changed her and, just like him, her only concern was their girls back home.
“I dunno, Daryl. She needs our help, but what if helping her leads to us losing Alexandria or Hilltop? We’ve already dealt with one deranged person, and he just wanted our home. Alpha wants her daughter, and I know what I would be capable of to protect both of ours.” Beth sighed and her gaze went to Henry and Lydia. They were deep in some sort of discussion.
Daryl heard bits and pieces of what Lydia was asking of Henry, and it had cemented his resolve to leave her somewhere safe. “She won’t kill ‘em. She doesn’t want Henry ta kill ‘em. She wants him to run with her.”
“Then maybe we should let them run,” Beth whispered.
Daryl shrugged and looked out the window. The sun had moved enough that they would have a good view of the street that Beta and his group would most likely be coming up.
“Hey!” Daryl hollered, “We’re headed up to keep watch.” The father in him got a small kick out of watching the two teenagers jump away from each other. Beth laughed next to him and poked him in the ribs.
Daryl watched her as she made her way over to Connie and lightly laid a hand on the other woman’s shoulder, letting her know that she was behind her. A quick conversation with their hands and then everyone was heading upstairs.
Everything was silent. Unusually so. Until a bird chirped in the distance.
Daryl brought the binoculars to his eyes and saw the slow-moving group coming over the hill.
“There,” he whispered, hoping that everyone could hear him.
“Let’s do this,” Beth said under her breath.
Beth, Connie, Lydia ,and Henry spread out. They were supposed to deal with any walkers that somehow made it up the stairs, and any of the skins that might branch off.
Daryl was waiting in the open construction area for Beta. His wife had almost slapped him when he told her the plan, but finally agreed when he explained that he needed more than Connie keeping the others at bay, and Connie needed her to be her ears as well.
Daryl had been thinking since he’d heard Lydia say she wouldn’t kill any of her people. And now, it was time to put his plan in place. He grabbed Lydia’s arm and pulled her with him.
“You’re with me.”
Henry yelled and tried to follow, but Beth stopped him. He felt her heated stare on his back, but this is what needed to happen to keep them all safe. He also felt a sense of loyalty, Beth had no idea what he was doing, but she had his back. Like always.
Daryl had found a small closet with a lock and he pushed her in.
“What the hell, Daryl? I wanna help!” Lydia objected, trying to push her way around him.
“How you gonna help if you ain’t gonna fight or kill?” Daryl raised an eyebrow at her, letting her know that he’d heard her conversation with Henry. “You’ll just get in the way.”
Lydia shrunk back, but she didn't try to argue with him.
“Dog!” Daryl called, and his faithful companion came running. Daryl pointed at the closet and Lydia and Dog went in, his ears on full alert and his eyes scanning.
“Anybody comes through this door, he’ll take ‘em down. If that happens, you run.” Daryl gave her his best stern-but-fatherly look and started to turn, but Lydia called out to him.
“Wait.” Daryl sighed and turned to look at her. “Thank you.” Lydia gave him a meek smile as he shut the door and locked it.
He couldn’t go back to that main room and see Beth’s blue eyes again. If he did, there was a good chance he would just scoop her up, throw her over his shoulder, and take off.
Instead, he went and waited for the fight coming his way.
He had to do this. Not just for the communities, but for his family. For his girls.
The building was quiet, even though he knew that Beta and his people were in the building. Daryl stood completely still, holding his breath.
Then there was a garbled scream. It didn't sound like Henry, and the tone of the voice was male. Beth or Connie had taken one down.
Then heavy footsteps started his way. Three distinct sets. One much heavier than the others.
Beta.
Daryl took a moment to ready himself. He'd hid behind some heavy hanging plastic and he could see them coming, but they could also see him. He grabbed the ax he'd set next to him. One perfectly-placed blow to the person's stomach and he dropped to his knees, long enough for Daryl to rip the ax from the man's gut and promptly bury it in his head.
The other guy tried to come up behind him, but Daryl had pulled both his knives and with one smooth stroke, he slashed the freak’s neck and immediately brought the other knife down into his head.
That only left him and Beta now.
He just about caught his breath when the giant came crashing through one of the plywood doors.
"Dammit, Daryl, stay with me!"
"C’mon, we're almost there."
"Henry, run ahead and tell ‘em to open the gates! Now!"
Daryl wasn't sure how much time had passed from when Beta had burst through the door and when he fully came to again, finding himself lying in the infirmary of Alexandria.
The first person he saw was Jesus, laying in the bed across from him, paler than usual, but smiling at him.
"You're lucky you woke up. If you hadn't, your wife was going to reach down and pull your ass outta hell," Jesus teased.
Things started coming back into focus. That night in the cemetery, the first skin freak they ever saw… the knife he had slid into Jesus' back. Aaron throwing Jesus’ lifeless body on the horse and taking off. He must have gotten him back in time if he was here and talking shit.
But the big question was, how did he get stuck in here? Daryl could feel bruises covering his body. He was sure he had some broken ribs. He'd definitely been stabbed by that ugly bastard. He started to move, but even that caused pain to shoot through his every muscle.
"I swear to God, Daryl Dixon, don't you dare move." Beth's voice cut through the room and Daryl froze, stopping what he was doing. A small giggle came from behind Beth and then blonde hair and gangly legs were charging at him. He braced for her impact, but she slowed down just before she got to him.
"Daddy!" Gracie smiled at him, tears in her big blue eyes.
"Sunshine." Daryl smiled at her and held his arms open, loving that his girl still wanted to curl up next to him.
Beth walked over and deposited Josie on top of Jesus. Daryl’s other girl squealed in happiness and immediately tangled her hands in Jesus’ hair and beard.
"Josie loves Jesus.” Gracie rolled her eyes. “Mom brings her with her every time we check on you now so they can make pterodactyl noises at each other."
As if on cue, Josie let out a scream that sounded just like those flying dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. Jesus had an answering call of his own.
Beth had been quietly talking to Siddiq since she'd come in, but now she was making her way towards him, a smile on her face, but tears freely falling. She looked exhausted and he knew that was partially his fault. He had a million questions for her, but they could wait until they had time to talk without the little ears of his daughters around.
"You aren't allowed to take on any more giants. Got me?" Beth grabbed his hand and stared at him.
"Yes, ma’am." Daryl knew better than to argue with his wife when she looked like that.
"Gracie, go help Jesus untangle Josie from his hair, please," Beth told her oldest daughter.
Gracie opened her mouth to argue, but a shake of his head and Daryl convinced her to listen to her mom.
Beth waited until Gracie was out of earshot and then smacked the hand she'd just been holding. "You almost bled out on us. I didn't think we were gonna get you back here in time."
Daryl squeezed her hand. He'd ask more questions later. And he'd probably ask Siddiq, who wouldn't be fighting the urge to finish the job and kill him while trying to explain just how bad it had been, unlike Beth.
"How long I been out?" He asked, his voice hoarse.
"A little over a day. And before you ask, no, there hasn't been any retaliation," Beth replied quietly. She was trying to keep something from him, though. He'd known her long enough to know when she was hiding something.
"So, what's wrong then?" He asked. Beth glanced over her shoulder to make sure the girls were still with Jesus and now Aaron.
The other man gave him a small smile, but he too looked to be hiding something.
Beth sat down on the bed next to him and leaned forward. "While we were gone, Negan escaped. Well, he might have escaped—Gabriel is missing, too."
Negan missing was not something to take lightly, and Gabriel might have been nothing but a pain in the ass at first, but now he was a big part of the community.
"Is anyone out there lookin' for ‘em?" Daryl asked.
Beth shook her head. "No, Rick was able to track ‘em, but their tracks led right into the tracks of a herd… One of her herds."
Again… Fuck.