Rick and the others had camped out just outside a quaint neighborhood.
"How did it go?"
Daryl just left the woodland area, and returned to that road where they had temporarily camped out when Rick threw him that question out of the blue.
Daryl, who was about to take a seat, paused mid action and turned his gaze up to look at Rick.
"You knew?"
Rick laughed and took a couple of steps forward while placing his hands on his hips.
"You've been acting strange and have been going out of camp everyday since you found out Merle was still alive. Especially after you requested to take a short break here and broke off from the rest of the group. I'd be an idiot if I still hadn't figured out what you have been really up to." Rick chuckled. He didn't really mind Daryl meeting up with his brother because he'd also do the same if he is in his shoes.
"So what did he say? I'm sure he must have talked trash about me." Since he had a hand on why Merle was first to cut off his arm. He figured out Merle would have certainly bad mouthed him.
Daryl let out a scoff. "He's an idiot. Anyway, can you guess who he came with?"
Looking at his expression, Rick's curiosity was pricked. "Who?"
Spit!
"It's that bastard who left us." Daryl chuckled and in disgust, spat on the ground.
Rick's body language suddenly became more attentive. The emotion behind his eyes slightly shook when the face of someone appeared in his mind.
"Shane?"
Seeing his expression, Daryl responded in a softer voice. "Yeah. I..I also spilled that the farm was overrun, and they immediately figured we have moved over just around these parts."
"It's fine. Did he say anything else?" Though he has some misgivings towards the man because of what happened between him and Lori. He still couldn't help but feel a little worried about him.
What a guy he is.
Darly lightly shook his head. "Nothing. He was more interested in watching me and Merle argue and fight. Anyway, where are the others at?"
There was a short pause before Rick responded to him. "Yeah, they're still out scavenging the houses around the neighborhood."
"..."
It was followed with a short silence while Daryl started chewing on the chocolate bar he had saved up from before.
"Here." He offered Rick some.
"It's fine." Rick looked at the small piece being offered to him before looking back at Daryl. He shook his head and declined, and resumed to be deep in his thoughts.
Daryl took a bite while looking at Rick. "What are you thinking so deeply for man? Was it Shane? Forget about that guy. He ain't worth your time."
Rick threw the small branch he was playing with on the ground and turned to him. "Michael. I wonder how that guy is doing. We only have a couple of weeks left before winter hits. He should be returning soon."
Throwing the chocolate wrapper behind him. Daryl smiled with a chuckle. "Why worry about him? He can take care of himself. Instead, we should worry about ourselves since there's a dangerous group just looming near us. Worse, two of our people are even with them."
At the latter part of his words, his expression slowly turned solemn.
"We have more or less the same number of fighters, but we're not sufficiently armed like them."
Daryl gave him the side eye. "And you think Michael returning would balance the scales?"
"Kind of. I was at first skeptical about Sophia's story before, but my view towards it had since changed when he cleared the remaining prison cell blocks. You know how dangerous the prison was since most of its area was limited in visibility. No normal man can clear the prison alone. That man Michael, he's something else man." Rick spoke in a grave tone
Looking at his expression, Daryl also became serious. "So you think he's some kind of a monster?"
"What? No." Rick denied, but as he and Daryl quietly stared at each other. "Dammit, what if..what if he's actually some kind of a meta-human like those conspiracy theories that were spreading before?"
Daryl looked serious for a moment before letting out a laugh. "So what if he is indeed like that? At least he's on our side. If he's not? Then even better. Let's just focus on surviving and creating a safe space for our people instead of worrying what kind of creature Michael is."
Listening to his words, Rick started to stare at him and it made Daryl uncomfortable. "What?"
"Nothing. I just wasn't expecting to hear those kinds of words from you. I thought you were leaning more on the side of stupid." Rick looked serious at first, but at the end of his words were a teasing smile.
"Man, f*ck you! I'm not stupid." Daryl snapped at him and immediately stood up while swinging his arm. A habit he does when he's angry.
Rick let out a chuckle. "Sorry, I'm just messing with you."
"RICK!!!"
Those words just left his mouth when in the distance, Oscar came running out the yard and into the road and started frantically yelling at them.
Rick and Daryl looked at each other before they immediately went to Oscar in haste, leaving their vehicles behind unguarded.
Moments later, Rick and Daryl reached Oscar while slightly short of breath.
"What happened?!" Rick asked.
Which was followed by Daryl. "Did someone get bitten?"
Oscar looked at them and shook his head. "No, nothing like that. But there are survivors, Mady found them holed up inside a house near the edge of the neighborhood."
"How many are there? Are they armed?" Oscar quickly led the two to where he left the rest of the team, while Rick inquired about the situation on the way.
"Yeah, but it's not something that can really threaten us." Oscar explained. Eventually, the group arrived at the next street where they immediately noticed the others standing on the front yard of a house while the women who were with them were busy comforting a couple of kids by the steps.
"And they're kids." Oscar added when they finally laid their eyes on them.
"Damn, we've been rescuing kids lately, aren't we?" Daryl cursed in a low voice while walking behind them. It's not that he is opposed to rescuing kids, but he's worried about the increased expenses on food since kids aren't really gonna bring a lot of help for the group right now.
"Hey." Rick called him out on it and gave him the look.
Daryl snorted. "What? I was just thinking out loud. It's not like I'm opposed to taking them with us."
Mady, the familiar red-haired woman during the encounter with the raiders in the prison, approached them halfway. "Daryl, Rick. We've found these three teenagers who are around ages 14-15 and five kids around ages 7-9. Should we do the usual?"
"Did you already give them the rundown of where they are going?" Rick questioned as he stood before the soon to be newcomers.
"Most of it."
"You've probably already heard of me, but I'm Rick. The one currently in-charge of the prison community. I know every single one of you had a very rough time in the past couple of months, but the difficult days are already over now. So set your minds at ease and follow some of my companions back to our camp where you'll be cloth, fed and finally have the peace of mind you've been longing for." Rick gave them a reassuring smile while giving a short, and he thinks, a warm speech.
Rick looked at their gaunt faces that were filled with traces of hardship slowly brightening up during his talk.
"Good job..on surviving until now kids. Good job, really." Though kids their ages are somewhat of a burden right now, Rick knows that even in times of crisis like this. These young people, until the end of times, would remain the future of mankind, and as the elder between them. It's his job to secure a future for the next generation.
"Thank you..sir! Thank you, thank you everyone!" One of the older girls finally couldn't stop her emotions and burst into tears. Her cries caused the little ones to also start crying with her. While the older boy among them, who Rick later learned was their leader, held back his tears but couldn't hide his eyes growing red as he hastily wiped the tears that were about to fall.
Rick and the others just stood quietly and allowed them to vent their pent up emotions with gentle smiles on their faces. They just can't possibly fathom how much these kids had suffered when even them, who are adults, were already having quite the hard time just surviving.
Looking at the kids, Daryl hastily wiped his eyes and in a gruff tone. "Damn, I hate these kinds of things."
Watching Daryl turn his back from the kids, Mady let out a small smile.
Moments later, the kids finally vented out all of their pent up frustrations and started getting ready for their departure.
Tweet!
A school bus with its yellow colors slightly fading stopped in front of them with a screech of its brakes.
Tssssh!
The door to the bus opened with that familiar screeching sound of metal accompanied by air being discharged.
"Hop on."
Daryl's voice echoed behind the door slowly opening up. The kids only looked at him for a moment before they slowly climbed up the bus and quietly took their seats, and following after them was Mady who took the seat behind Daryl.
"Be careful on the road. Look after the kids for me." Rick told Daryl, who answered him with a nod.
"Don't worry. We'll get there safe and sound."
Soon, the door slowly closed as the bus finally began its journey home under the watchful eyes of Rick and the others.
Meanwhile, as the bus entered the main road. There were two pairs of eyes quietly watching them leave.