Chapter 2

Daryl drove in silence for at least two hours. The entire time Ellis talked to Daryl about anything he could think of. Telling him stories about the crazy shit Keith used to do. How one time he had tried to drink orange juice through his nose. He would stop every now and then to take a deep breath of the air streaming past them. His rescuer hardly made any comment during the entire time. Daryl's eyes focused on the road ahead of him, passing by abandoned cars which had long since been picked clean by other survivors. In a few of them he saw dead bodies with gunshot wounds to their heads. Flies buzzing around the cars as they fed off the truly dead. From time to time Daryl had to swerve to avoid a walker lurching towards them.

Every couple of minutes Ellis had to reach up to pull his the brim of hat lower. He was worried after all this time he would lose it. Ever since the apocalypse had hit, his hat was the only item other than his skillet he had managed to keep a hold of this entire time. Ellis tried to use Daryl as a buffer against the wind by ducking his head behind the man's broad back. From time to time he felt Daryl shift, making minute adjustments whenever he had to make a turn. He would lean into the direction he wished to go before slowly righting the bike to obey his commands.

"Hey Daryl, where you headed?" Ellis asked after a while. The hunter didn't appear to hear him at first. Then with a sigh, Daryl licked his dry lips, wondering what he had been thinking bringing this guy along.

"Where everyone else is going. A safe place. Ellis, you spot anything like a truck or something we can drive let me know. My bike can't take any more weight." Daryl called over his shoulder. Ellis nodded, keeping his eyes peeled along the road. They had passed quite a few cars by now, but not many seemed to be promising for reliable transportation.

"Your bike need a tune-up, man? I'm a mechanic. I can take a look at her if you want." Ellis offered. Daryl frowned, glancing over his shoulder at his passenger. Well, maybe it hadn't been a mistake bringing this Ellis guy along after all. Having a mechanic along would actually be pretty helpful.

"Yeah, thanks. I'm shocked she's lasted this long. Good on saving gas, but not hauling around decent supplies, you know? Hey, let's take a look over here." Daryl said spotting a press of cars up ahead.

He slowed down, scanning the cars as he did so. It was starting to worry him; seeing the daylight waning away to night. They had at most three hours left before the moon came up. Daryl didn't like the idea of being out on the open road at night. Letting Ellis down, he parked his bike and drew his crossbow. Scanning the cars, he began to systematically go to each one to check its contents. There appeared to be a few promising suitcases with a couple of non-perishable food items, but they were already loaded down as it was. If he had to, Daryl would abandon his bike, but he didn't want too. It had brought him this far and throwing it away now would be a huge loss.

"Hey Daryl, what about this one?" Ellis called from several yards away. Daryl raised his head from looking into a minivan. He had half tempted to take it, but the gas alone would be a problem.

"What did you find?" Daryl asked walking in the direction of the other man's voice. He walked around a semi-truck partially blocking the road to find Ellis. The mechanic had opened the hood to a small camper. Inspecting the engine for any signs of wear and tear.

"She looks to be in good shape. I found the keys on the dashboard. See?" Ellis said raising his hand to jingle the keys. Daryl blinked surprised by their good fortune. He walked over and opened the door to the camper.

Stepping inside he made a quick sweep with his crossbow. There was just enough room inside to walk around. A small bed in the back which could just fit about two people. A small table with a seat on either side. The bathroom was equally as small, but considering it was a one person camper Daryl could hardly say he surprised. There was even a small kitchen area complete with a microwave, stove, and a small oven. Going through everything, Daryl found no signs anyone had been living there. Whoever had the camper before them had decided to beat a hasty retreat.

"All clear. Dusty, but she'll do." Daryl commented as he stepped out of the camper. He cracked his knuckles as he went around the camper. Ellis tagged along after him as he checked the back.

"There's a small rack here meant for dirt bikes. It'll hold your motorcycle though if we strap it down. I have some bungee cords in my pack." Ellis added helpfully. Daryl nodded, secretly glad he would not have to get rid of his bike.

"That'll do it. C'mon, let's strap her in then." Daryl agreed.

The two men spent the next hour and a half transferring their small meager amount of supplies to the camper. Once they had secured the motorcycle to the back of the camper Daryl found two gas cans in the trunk of the camper. He took them and siphoned whatever gas he could find from the cars. He managed to fill them both. Going back he filled the tank of the camper, and then went back to siphon more gas. Ellis helped by combing over the cars for any items they might be able to use. He turned up with a few more precious cans of food. At that point night began to come in on them fast.

Both men loaded up into the camper. Daryl began driving with just barely enough daylight left to see by. He didn't dare risk turning on the lights with night so close. He didn't drive for more than half an hour before he pulled off the road, guiding the camper to a stand of trees to block them from being seen from the highway. The entire time Ellis had grown eerily quiet, sitting in the passenger seat as Daryl drove, watching the scenery passively.

"You alright, man?" Daryl asked his companion. Ellis glanced at him, momentarily caught off guard. His eyes widened from having been pulled from his inner world.

"I'm alright. Just thinkin' about some stuff." Ellis answered. He had been wondering where Rochelle, Coach, and Nick were now. A part of him hoped they had gone somewhere safe where the zombies couldn't get to them. On the other hand he selfishly wished that someone may have decided to come back for him.

"Can you help me cover up the windows? I don't want the light to attract any walkers. Last thing we needed is a herd pushing over this thing." Daryl said.

Ellis silently got up and began to help Daryl cover the windows. They had found some extra blankets which were thick enough to block out the light from the inside. Once that was done Daryl went to the stove. Opening the cabinets he peered in to see if they had anything worthwhile. Reaching in he pulled out a can of soup, two bowls, and a small pot. Wrenching the can open, he dumped the contents into the pot. A turn of a knob had the stove turning on as Ellis sat on the edge of the bed, watching him expectantly.

"How'd you end up on your own?" Daryl asked as he cooked. Which consisted of stirring a spoon through the soup to make sure it heated up evenly. Ellis tilted his head to the side, blinking slowly. Resembling a puppy trying to understand human language for the first time.

"There was a military whirly bird out on the bridge. Did you see that big zombie tearin' the place apart? Well, me and my group were runnin' from it. Just about everyone managed to get on 'cept me. I got cornered, but by the time I managed to get free it had already lifted off." Ellis answered, feeling another pang in his chest.

"Then you came along. For a while there I really thought I was all on my own. I hate bein' alone, man. It scares the shit out of me." Ellis explained, goose bumps rising up on his arms. Daryl nodded, listening intently as he continued to stir the soup. Ellis was a bit too skinny. When was the last time the guy had a decent meal?

"You tryin' to get to anyplace in particular?" Daryl asked to keep the conversation going.

"A military base, I guess. Or hook up with another group and try to settle down, you know? Somewhere safe where they can't get us no more. Hell, I don't even know if that's just a dream or not." Ellis pointed out.

"Nothin' wrong in havin' hope, man. Ain't like we got anything else to keep us goin'."

"Except each other. That's somethin' to fight for." Daryl felt an unconscious smile tug at the corner of his lips at the words. Ellis had such an easy way of grinning it was infectious. The small scar across the mechanic's nose only added to his boyish features.

"When we're farther away we can stop for a couple of days to gather more supplies. No offense to you, but even if it is just the two of us, we're short on grub. I ain't headed anywhere in particular but we can travel along the coast. See if we can't find your friends." Daryl explained calmly. He poured the finished soup into each bowl, giving Ellis the bigger portion as he grabbed two spoons. Handing the food to the mechanic, he sat down beside him on the bed to eat.

"You'd do that for me? Thanks, Daryl. I appreciate it." Ellis said. Daryl glanced at him but only gave a slight nod of his head. Focused on his food, he spooned it into his mouth.

Ellis ate his share, surprised he had been given the bigger portion. He didn't say anything on the matter however. As he ate the mechanic became hyper aware of Daryl's thigh pressing against his own. The other man didn't seem aware of the touch as he continued to eat. Acting as if they were doing nothing strange. Perhaps they weren't. Maybe Daryl just felt the need to be close to another human being. There was no telling how long the other man had been on his own.

Maybe he got left behind too. Ellis thought as he ate. The idea had occurred to him earlier, but he didn't want to mention it. Daryl didn't seem to be sick or like he needed help in anyway. From what the man had said it was pretty clear to the mechanic. Daryl had been on his own for a while.

"I'm not hungry. You can have the rest of mine." Daryl said dumping the rest of soup into Ellis's bowl. He didn't wait to give the mechanic a choice in the matter. Quickly rising to his feet, he dump his dirty bowl in the sink.

"Thanks, man. I'll be sure to pull my own weight. Promise." Ellis said, glad at the small gift. Daryl nodded as he took out his crossbow, checking the mechanism to be sure it was still working properly.

"I'll keep us fed and you keep us runnin'. Seems fair to me. Can't get anywhere if the engines stop workin." Daryl said. He could not say why, but he felt as if he knew Ellis from somewhere. He couldn't say where, but he was positive they must have met somewhere before.