By the time the back wall of the church came into view, the sun had come out. Daryl had taken Lizzie off his shoulder after some time, and she'd obediently resumed a sullen march. Except for the mood of the group, it was a truly spectacular day.
"Del, you mind walkin' the girls inside? I'ma head down to the water. I ain't takin' no sponge bath." Without really waiting for my response, he spun and headed down for the creek.
"Sure. Thanks." It's not like he gave me a lot of choice in the matter, but I guess he'd had enough of the ladies. He seemed like someone who valued his private time.
We walked in the front gates. I had expected to see Carol there, waiting for the girls, but Rick greeted us instead.
"How'd everything go?"
I wasn't sure how to answer. Maybe he wasn't the right person with whom I should discuss the particularities of our journey. Carol seemed to be responsible for these girls – even though she clearly wasn't their mother. Anyway, she was probably who I should see.
"Fine – I'm sure you guessed we spent the night. There was a herd, but it was spread out and just passed right by the house. Have you seen Carol around?"
"She's out on a run. I think there's still some lunch around if you and the girls want to head to the kitchen area. Beth's there and can take care of it if you need to rest. I guess Daryl's out doing what he does?"
"Yeah, something like that. I think I might send the girls up or lunch. I think I might go look around a bit outside."
"You sure you can handle yourself?" Rick looked skeptical. I was a little bit insulted. I'd been just fine on my own for months before I'd found this group. I really should have just appreciated the concern.
"Yes – I'll be fine." Daryl had a point. A bath sounded incredibly appealing, and yet a sponge bath didn't have quite the same allure. I remembered I had a mini bottle of body wash stashed in my pack that I'd been hoarding since finding it in a bed and breakfast I'd spent the night in. This seemed like the perfect time to break it out.
Soon I was headed back out into the forest. I'd brought a couple of peaches along for lunch, eating one as I walked. The forest was silent – the group must have gone out recently and done a sweep for any dead men in the area. As I approached the creek, I wondered if Daryl was still around. I hope he didn't mind the company. I reached the bank, looking up and down the creek for him. I found him pretty easily – he'd chosen the section of the creek directly behind the church. He'd found a huge, smooth rock and stretched out. His pants were rolled up to his knees, and his usual vest and sleeveless shirt ensemble was lying in a heap next to his crossbow and knife. He must have just finished bathing; I could see droplets of water glittering on his skin, his usually messy hair slicked back. His eyes were closed and his hands were thrown back, cradling his head. At first I was struck by the unusual sight of Daryl Dixon with his guard down. Then I remembered sleeping against him last night. I remembered resting my head on his muscled chest, his well-defined arms resting on either side of me. A breeze brought the smell of a nearby pine to my nose, evoking a blurry memory of the first time I met him when he lifted me from the closet.
I felt awful. I shouldn't be thinking this way. Firstly, I was probably a bit young for Daryl and almost definitely not his type. It's pretty common advice not to date people you work with – and I'm sure the advice is doubled when you're working together and living together at the end of the world. All that aside, there was the problem of Eric. I hadn't thought of him in months – I mean, there wasn't really much point. He was probably long dead. He'd been a good man, and he'd proposed only a few months before everything went down. We'd been together for four years, and he was close to ten years older than me, so it was definitely time for us to move to the next level. I wasn't sure I'd loved him – but I couldn't deny that he would make a good husband and father, so I couldn't think of a reason to say no to his proposal. He always took out the garbage, he kept in pretty good shape, and I wouldn't ever have to worry about him cheating on me. He was good with kids, and he'd had a steady job crunching numbers at a bank for several years. He didn't have a drug problem, and only drank socially. Despite all these great points, something seemed to be missing. There was always a kernel of doubt wedged in the back of mind where our relationship was concerned. He did some things that drove me crazy – like flushing the toilet before he was done peeing, or constantly nagging me about keeping the house cleaner. But wasn't that all couples? I always rolled my eyes when people said things like, "Oooh, I found him. He's the one." Fuck that – I've always been a realist. My goal was to find someone who would make a good husband and father, and who's bullshit I could put up with somewhat better than most other peoples'. The last time I'd spoken to him had been a few days after the outbreak, just before my phone stopped working. He'd been away in Fort Wayne, Indiana training some people at a branch of his bank. I'd told him about my plan to go with my mother and sister to the nearest refugee centre. That was when we'd all thought that the government would have this whole mess sorted out in a few days, or a few weeks at the very worst. He was trying to find a way back to our home in Louisiana. I doubt he ever made it. While he was a wonderful provider when the world was right, this was a guy who brought his car to the dealership to get it detailed on the regular, and maybe loved shoe sales just a little bit more than me. He'd never been camping in his life, and I'd never managed to convince him to come out with me. Even if he was alive, it was doubtful I'd ever see him again. So, was I still bound to be faithful to him? I'm pretty sure the answer was a resounding no. Still, I had a terrible feeling of guilt as I gazed at Daryl lying on the sun dappled rock.
Something must have caught his attention, because Daryl peeled open one eye to look in my direction.
"Can't a man get some peace 'round here?"
"Sorry – I uh, I was thinking of just rinsing maybe . . ."
"You kickin' me outta my spot?"
"No – um, I can go further upstream. I think it's a little deeper there anyways."
"How about you trade me that peach for my spot?"
"Sure." I tossed him the peach, feeling a little bad I was taking over his spot. He caught it in one hand, and gathered his things in the other. He sauntered up to me, still without his shirt on.
"You gonna be alright out here?" Looking me dead in the eyes, he bit into the peach, the sticky juice trickling down his chin. For whatever reason, I wasn't insulted like when Rick asked me the same question.
"I was fine on my out here for quite some time."
"Alright."
With that, he climbed up the bank and disappeared in the direction of the church. I was alone and it was nice. I've never been shy about my body, so I didn't wait long to strip completely. I waded into the creek, which didn't go much higher than my knees. The water was warm and slow moving. I dunked in and lathered my body up. Next I did my hair – pre-end of the world I would have shuddered at the thought of using body wash on my head, but at this moment it felt like heaven. I rinsed and looked around. It was still completely silent. I decided to take in a bit of sun and relax. I laid down on the massive rock that Daryl had been on. It was remarkably smooth and it had been warmed. I stretched out luxuriously and closed my eyes.
I was exhausted from the night before, and the warmth of the sun and the heat from the rock quickly had my eyes drooping.
I wasn't sure how much time had passed when I heard a splash. I lazily cracked open my eyes, thinking it was a stray squirrel.
A dark shadow blocked out the sun, and a gasping, rattling breath escaped its lips as it reached for me. I screamed and rolled off the rock, falling painfully on the creek bed. The dead man fell onto the rock as I scrambled backward. I saw second dead man stumbling down the opposite side of the bank. Shit. I was too panicked to search through the mound of clothes I'd thrown on the ground for my knife. The first thing my hand landed on was a rock. I heaved it out of the mud and swung it with both hands at the approaching creature, knocking it down to the ground. I turned to the second one and quickly smashed its head once, twice, three times with the rock until its head was mush. Just as I finished, trembling with relief I heard an excited moan from the first creature as it grabbed my arm – I must have only stunned it with the first blow. Before I could react, I heard the clean swish of an arrow and the creature collapsed before me, an arrow penetrating the base of its skull.
Daryl was standing just above me on the bank. He was just lowering his cross bow – and the only thing I was wearing was the blood from the dead men. He looked like he was about to say something, but then it dawned on him that I was completely naked. I saw a hint of red blossom in his cheeks before he quickly spun around to face the church.
"Can't leave those bodies in the creek. Why don't you uh, put somethin' on so we can move 'em."
"Yeah, just a second."
I waded back into the creek to rinse off the blood from the attack. I felt eyes on me, and out of habit I looked back in Daryl's direction. I wasn't sure, but I thought I saw his head quickly jerk back in the direction of the church. I smirked with satisfaction; I don't think he minded what he saw.
"Alright, I'm decent."
"You know this ain't no Club Med, and you ain't really Holly Golightly." His voice was gruff, and he wasn't looking directly at me again.
I know, it was stupid of me to lie out alone in an unprotected area. I decided to answer him honestly.
"I know. I just wanted to remember the way things used to be – and though I appreciate the assistance, I had the situation under control. "
He huffed and rolled his eyes. We started moving the bodies out of the creek bed and up to the bank. We piled up brush and fallen branches so that we could burn the bodies. It was easier than burying them, plus who knows what their rotting flesh would seep into the ground. Daryl set the fire with his lighter, and we turned to walk back to the church.
"Hey – I thought you had gone back in? How . . ." I wasn't sure how to phrase my question without sounding accusatory.
"I wasn't far – I figured I'd stay in the area see if I couldn't catch something. Didn't trust you not to fall asleep on that rock in the sun."
"So you weren't watching me?" Okay, now I was being a little flirtatious.
Daryl looked genuinely offended. "Hell no – I ain't a perv."
I couldn't help but laugh. I liked making him uncomfortable – especially because he made it so easy.
"So it must be that you want to make sure I stick around."
He rolled his eyes again. "Yeah, sure, I guess somethin' like that."
"Admit it, you'd miss me if I was gone."
He gently put his hand on the small of my back. "C'mon. Wouldn't want to miss dinner after you spent all that time prettyin' up."
Thanks to everyone who inspired me via reviews and PMs - I appreciate them all so much! I think Daryl might have a little crush on Del. What do you think?
