"So where are we going?" I asked Daryl after we had been in the car for a few minutes.
"Got us a campsite up the road a ways." He answered.
"Us?" I questioned, hoping that he didn't have some jealous wife back at camp that I might irritate.
Then I wondered why I thought that. All the man did was save my life. He didn't show any romantic interest in me at all. Besides I knew that he had to be at least ten years older than me, maybe more.
"Whole group of us." He answered turning down a slim gravel road.
My heart felt lighter. I was so used to being alone that I was delighted at the thought of a 'Whole Group' of people.
My eyes widened as Daryl parked my Black HHR alongside an old pick-up truck. There really was a whole group of people, Men, Women, and Children. I smiled; I couldn't believe I was going to be able to be around so many live people after living alone for a week. I had thought I was going to die alone in the middle of nowhere. Daryl really was my savior.
As we got out of the car people were staring. Obviously they had no idea who was pulling up to their campsite. They're looks got even more confused when they saw that it was Daryl climbing out of the driver's side of my car.
"Come on kid." He said to me. "Come meet everyone."
I walked around the side of the car to stand by Daryl. Everyone's eyes fell to me. I smiled sheepishly at everyone. Some people returned the smiles some people stared wordlessly.
A guff looking man was the first to approach us. He looked me up and down before looking at Daryl.
"Bringing home stray kittens now little brother?" he smirked.
I looked at Daryl who rolled his eyes. "Shut up Merle."
Merle just laughed and turned his attention back to me. "What's your name lil bit?"
"Anna." I responded flatly wrapping my arms around my torso.
"Anna huh?" He remarked stepping a little closer. If I didn't know better I would say that he smelled the air around me.
"That's a sweet name." he smiled just as Daryl stepped a little in front of me.
I looked at Daryl, grateful for his protective stance. Thankfully everyone else from the camp had made their way over to us by then so I got the chance to meet everyone.
The first to introduce himself was a cop. He was tall and muscular, a very intimidating man. I guess that look came in handy in that line of work.
"Shane Walsh." He said shaking my hand.
I smiled and shook it back.
"Where did you come from?" he asked stepping back and crossing his arms.
"Found her in the middle of nowhere takin down sum walkers." Daryl answered for me. He still hadn't quite relaxed his posture from the conversation with his brother.
"Well your lucky Daryl was out hunting." Shane said giving Daryl a curt nod.
I smiled thinking about the fact that I would have been Walker meat if he hadn't shown up.
A group of little kids were looking at me cautiously from around the side of the truck. I smiled and waved to them. The little ones giggled and ran off to play.
One girl stuck around. She was very slender and blond. She looked about twelve or thirteen. She slowly made her way closer.
"Hi" she waved. "I'm Sophia."
"Hi Sophia." I smiled back. "My name is Anna."
Just then a woman called to her from across camp and the girl groaned and ran off.
I met some other people. It was a little overwhelming after being on my own for what seemed like forever. Never the less I made it through all the introductions, though I couldn't remember all of them by the time I was finished.
It was starting to get dark and chilly by the time that I had met everyone.
"Are you hungry?" asked the woman who was introduced to me as Lori. "We don't have much." She smiled. "But I'm sure we have something for you."
I felt kind of guilty for intruding on this group. I was sure that it was hard to keep such a large group fed.
"I have some food in my car." I pointed out to her with a smile. "I'm sure it will help contribute something."
Lori's eyes widened. "Wonderful!" She walked with me to the back of my car. Being stuck out in the middle of nowhere made me more than grateful that my parents had always taught me to keep a pillow, and blanket in the back of my car. As well as other emergency things like a hoodie, coat, protein bars, first aid kit, and other useful things.
Lori gasped when she saw everything that was in the back of my car.
"Wow kid!" she looked around. "You have everything you need back here."
I smiled as I felt someone walk up next to me. It was Daryl. I can't explain how I knew it was him without seeing him, I just could.
Out of everything that he could have noticed in the back of the car of course the hunter in him was drawn to the box in the corner.
"What'cha got in there?" he asked picking up the box.
I pulled out the dead animals by the ears. "Just some rabbits I got before the Walkers attacked."
Daryl nodded at me. I beamed back with self-approval. He apparently liked the fact that I could do some hunting, being the obvious hunter he was him-self.
"We can stew these up tonight." Lori smiled to my left.
I smiled back. "That sounds great!" I was glad that I was already pulling my weight with the group.
We grabbed a few more things from the back of the car and headed up the hill to the center of camp.
Daryl walked next to me on the way.
"You do realize that shooting those rabbits is prolly what brought those Walkers to you?" He asked kind of aggravated.
I had thought of that. It was a stupid thing to do. I looked at him. He was staring at me with such disapproval that I didn't know what to say.
"I guess I'm lucky that you were there to save me." I smiled trying to lighten the mood.
"And if I hadn't." he asked.
I didn't even want to think about that.
"Then I guess I'd be dead, and we wouldn't be having this conversation!" I spat at him, then turned on my heel and marched back to my car.
"What the fuck was that?" I asked myself as I set out the back with my feet dangling out.
I couldn't figure out why he was so mad at me. Daryl didn't even know me. Why would he care if I had died back there? It wouldn't have made a difference in his life. Then the answer hit me. Of course it would have made his life worse. I would've been one more Walker that he would have had to deal with at some point. If I was hold up in his hunting area, then I would have been in his way after I turned.
I laid back and closed my eyes. Men were so irritating I thought.
I was laying there for quite a while when I heard someone walking up to the car. I could tell it was human by the fluency in its steps. I didn't bother to acknowledge the person. I was too upset to care.
"Ya gonna eat?" Daryl asked sitting down next to me. He placed a plate on my stomach.
"Guess I don't have a choice, do i?" I grabbed the plate and held it so I could sit up.
The rabbit stew smelled and looked fantastic. I guessed Lori had cooked it since she was the one who had been so interested in the food.
Daryl sat silently next to me as I took a bite.
"Look." I started after I swallowed. "I get why you were mad earlier.
"Why's that?" he asked seeming sort of amused.
I ate a few more bites before answering.
"If those Walkers had got ahold of me, then I would have just been one more Walker in the way that you would have to put down." I told him.
His face hardened for a second before he said a simple "G'night Anna." Sighed and left.
I watched him walk away wordlessly. "What the hell." I thought to myself as I finished my meal. I had managed to piss this man I off twice in the few hours since I had met him, and I didn't even really know him.
I didn't bother going back up to camp with my plate. I just sat it in the corner, pulled down the hatch back, curled up in my blanket and went to sleep.
My dreams were anything but easy though. I dreamt of angry snarling grey faces chasing me through the woods with no way to escape. I turned corners and there were more everywhere. Just as they were about to pounce on me I woke up screaming covered in sweat with the sun streaming in on me from the car windows.
"Son of a bitch." I muttered as I threw the covers off of me breathing deeply.
I guessed that was a little taste of what might have happened if Daryl hadn't been there to save me the day before.
