"Rick, maybe you should sit this one out," Hershel recommended gently.
"No, let him come," I jumped in before Rick could change his mind. "If we take Daryl's bike, we'll be back for sundown," I added, giving Daryl the most innocent look I could muster. "It's smaller and easier to maneuver. Plus, it would get us as close as possible to the cabin."
"You expect me to let you and Rick take my bike?" he asked with wide eyes. I smiled as sweetly as possible, nodding quickly.
"I'll leave you my guns. If we crash your bike, you get all my guns and ammo," I offered.
"No way," he chuckled. "You can take the bike, just please, don't crash it," he added.
"I won't. Rick, are you sane enough to not stab me in the face or something?" I asked.
"Yeah," he nodded. I smiled and looked at Jake.
"Go get my Winchester Bowie and my Colt," I told him. "The Python, not the other one," I added.
"You don't want the Glock?" he asked skeptically. "You always bring the Glock."
"Can't afford to lose the Glock, kiddo. We've got too much ammo to let it go to waste. 'Sides, I like the Colt. Probably won't use it anyway, I'd rather use the Bowie. No noise," I shrugged.
"More mess," Jake laughed as he rushed off to find my weapons.
"Bring Mayhem's longer leash too, would ya?" I called after him.
"The 50 foot one?" he asked when he stopped to face me again.
"Yeah, that one," I replied. He nodded and continued on his way to gather what I asked for.
"You're bringing the dog with you?" Daryl asked skeptically.
"Mhm. She's run alongside motorcycles before. Before she nearly got hit by one, but still. I need the extra set of eyes," I shrugged.
"Whatever you say," he sighed. He handed me the keys, before pulling me towards him. "Don't let Rick do anything stupid, ya hear?"
"Sir yes sir," I chided. "I'll keep him under control, don't worry."
"Good," he said with a shake of his head. "You sure you're up for this?"
"Someone's gotta make this run, and I'm the only one who knows exactly where Merle left the gas, so yeah," I shrugged. "Worst comes worst, you'll be able to find your bike. I'm going to park it behind a thick patch of bushes, about half a mile west, between the two big oaks. If we're not back in three hours, go get it and don't come after us, okay?" I said seriously.
"Three hours gonna be enough?"
"If it ain't, we're dead anyway," I nodded. "Mayhem'll come if you whistle for her. Just give her a minute or two to find you, and take her with you, if we don't make it back, okay?"
"Yeah," he said. For the first time since meeting him, I saw genuine fear in his eyes. "Take care of my kids, okay?"
"Yeah," he said again, his tone grim. Jake came running back with everything I asked for, along with our old, tattered map.
"Draw a circle around where you're going," he demanded. I smiled and took the marker from his hand.
"See the oaks we have marked? Right there?" I pointed at the little red dots that had long since faded from the map. He nodded. "We're heading north from there, about half a mile, maybe more. There's a cabin tucked nice and deep in the woods, between a few dozen maples. You can't see the cabin from the path, but if I'm not mistaken, Merle said he tied a piece of cloth around one of the branches. If he didn't, I will. Look for it and head straight into the bushes. The cabin will look like it's been burn to the ground, because it originally was, but deep in the back, there's a room that wasn't damaged. That's where the gas is, tucked under the floorboards. Like I told Daryl, 3 hours. Any longer, and we're probably not coming back. Are you up for this?" I asked him. He knew exactly what I meant.
"If you don't make it back, I'm to do whatever these guys say, for as long as they'll let us stay. Then, once Lucy's old enough to carry her own, we'll head South, hopefully reach Florida, right?" he asked. I saw the pained look in his eyes, and almost called the whole thing off. My instincts told me otherwise.
"It won't come to that, but should it, then yes," I nodded. "But not Florida. I've got a feeling there's nothing there. Head West. Get to the coast, and let nature run its course, okay?"
"Yes ma'am," he nodded. "Be safe?"
"You too, I love you, and your sister, so, so much," I said before pulling him in for a tight hug.
"Three hours, not a minute more," I called over my shoulder after I swung my small backpack onto my back. "Mayhem, heel," I added. She came to my side and sat down obediently. It wasn't like I planned on going superfast. I wasn't a fan of motorcycles, though I'd ridden them countless times. Daryl's bike looked steady enough, and worst case scenario, I could drop the lead and tell Mayhem to follow. She might have been crazy, but she was still loyal.
"Rick, you're going to have to fend off any Biters that get too close, okay?" I said as I kicked the bike to life.
"You're driving?" he asked, surprised.
"I know where I'm going. Besides, you're taller. You can keep me from crashing the bike, while keeping us safe," I admitted. "Otherwise, we'd be done before we even got out of sight."
"Fair enough," he agreed.
And so it was.
The ride was easy. I was used to the task of swerving around the Biters, and Rick did his job with speed and precision. The hardest part was keeping Mayhem's lead wrapped around my hands. Though she was used to free-roam, she was also trained to recall perfectly and knew when to pick up pace or slow down.
When we reached the spot, I killed the engine and took a deep breath. There weren't many Biters around, and deep in my heart, I knew we'd be okay. I pushed the bike behind the bushes and carefully covered it with downed leaves and branches.
"What if we need a quick get away?" Rick asked, his eyes widening. I saw child-like fear on his face, and that bothered me.
"We'd run. Honestly, I'd rather get Daryl's bike back in one piece. I owe him that much," I shrugged. "We'll be fine, c'mon." Mayhem was now clipped to my belt, her short leash hanging loosely.
"How far from here?" Rick asked, looking around nervously.
"A ways," I said uncertainly. Merle hadn't described the place well. I should have known better than to trust his word. "I wish I had the damn map," I muttered. I looked around carefully, trying to find the path. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw what could have been a path, many, many months ago.
"This way…I think," I said carefully, giving Mayhem's leash a light tug. She followed us eagerly, her tail wagging back and forth. The long run had done her good. She was more eager to please now.
"You think?" Rick asked, following so close, I could almost feel him breathing down my neck.
"Merle's directions were confusing. And I don't have a map. Or a compass," I shrugged. "I'll get us there. C'mon, we're burning daylight."
We made quick work of the path, and as soon as we were deep into the forest, I saw the piece of cloth. It brought back memories. I walked over to it and touched its thinned, tattered material.
"What is it?" Rick asked, coming up to see what had caught my attention.
"It's a piece of the bandana Merle tied around my head when he found me and the kids. He was worried I was going to wind up with an infection, even though it was a super tiny cut," I said softly. "I gave it back to him the day we made a run for it."
"How do you know?" Rick said, nodding at the fine, thin cloth.
"Because, I'd remember the bandana anywhere. Daryl has the same one," I said softly. "It was the first thing that caught my eye when I realized who he was."
"So, where's the cabin?"
"This way," I said, pushing the bushes aside. Several yards away, as expected, tucked nicely behind the thick, overgrown forest, sat the remains of what once was a beautiful cabin. I hurriedly made for the back of it, careful not to trip over the charred rubble.
"To your right!" Rick hissed. I turned and slammed my Bowie knife into the Biter's skull. He was thin, clearly one of the first to turn. I pushed him away and looked around. There were no more. I knelt down and quickly dug my knife between the floorboards. I knew if Merle had any brain, he'd have hidden them well, but not to the point I couldn't find them. Sure enough, after several minutes of searching, I found the right boards and quickly moved them aside. Beneath them were 4 tanks of gas.
"Can we carry them?" Rick asked skeptically.
"Sure," I nodded. "I came prepared." I pulled another bag from my backpack and piled the tanks of gas inside. They fit with ease.
"Sling them on your back," I ordered. "And let's get out of here. See those clouds? A storm's rolling in. The last thing I need is to get caught in the rain."
"How do you expect me to carry them?" Rick asked.
"On your back?" I was confused by his question.
"I'm not going back."
"Excuse me?" I looked at him as if he were insane.
"I'm not going back."
"Rick, let's not do this, not here," I begged. Mayhem growled softly, her eyes locked on something I couldn't see. "Please, let's go!"
"No."
"Rick!" I was getting annoyed. Deep down, I wished I'd convinced someone else to come with me. Shoot, Lucy would have been more a help than Rick was being.
"I can't. And neither can you." He said.
"It's been nearly three hours," Jake sighed, still pacing back and forth as he had since Rick and Kayy pulled out of sight. "Now what?"
"I'm giving them another hour," I said with a sigh. There was no point panicking. Not yet, anyway.
"She said three hours," Jake snapped. "Not a minute more!"
"Rick might've had another episode. Or she might have. Or they might have gotten lost," Glenn said calmly. "There's no point freaking out just yet."
"It hasn't been three hours yet," Carol chimed in. "Let's wait a little longer."
"There's a storm coming," I noted, pointing at the sky.
"Another reason someone needs to go find them!" Jake shouted. He was worried. That was understandable. But for some weird reason, I had a feeling that Kayy knew what she was doing.
"Rick, come on, we've stopped at least 50 times!" I practically screamed. Every few feet Rick would start freaking out, causing me to stop the bike, kill the engine, reel Mayhem in, and wait for him to calm back down. It didn't help that I was carrying 15 gallons of gas on my back since he refused to touch the bag.
"No," he hissed, looking at some invisible thing.
"Rick, I swear to god, I'll leave you right here!" I growled. I was tired and sore and just wanted to be back at the prison so I could let my guard down for half a second. Mayhem was growing more and more tired and the constant stop-go, stop-go wasn't helping matters any.
"Leave me to die? You couldn't."
"I can and will!" I threatened, even though I knew I couldn't. I wasn't like that. No matter how much he pissed me off, O wasn't going to leave him behind.
I kicked the engine back to life, released my grip on Mayhem's leash and pulled away from the tree, once more praying we were getting close.
Mayhem started backing as soon as we cleared the trees. For the millionth time, I remembered why I loved that dog so much. She ran away from the motorcycle now that she wasn't tied down and drew the nearby Biters in her direction, making a clear path for us. Except Rick had other ideas. He grabbed my shoulders hard, causing me to lose my grip on the brake. Naturally, I had to throw my weight, just to get control of the bike again, but not without Rick falling off. What a fucking idiot. I thought. I killed the engine for the millionth time, and waited for him to collect himself.
"Go!" Rick roared. Suddenly, I saw why he nearly got us killed. To the left was a pack of Biters, attracted to the noise of the bike.
"Fuck that, get on!" I shouted, pulling him to his feet. "Ready?" I asked, kicking the engine back to life for the last time. "Hold on!" I released the brake and hit the gas. We sped off, kicking up a cloud of dust in the process. Rick was hanging on for dear life. I couldn't help but feel a rush of freedom at the speed.
"Open the gate!" I screamed over the loud roar of the engine as soon as we neared the fence. "Now!"
Thankfully everyone had been watching. Rick and Glenn both opened the gate in record speed. We cleared it in a second's time, Mayhem right behind. She collapsed in a tired heap as soon as she reached the dusty path, panting heavily. I killed the engine and shook the dust from my hair.
"Stop choking me," I groaned, prying Rick's fingers from my collarbone. He slid off the bike, his eyes wide.
I remained where I was for a moment, my heart racing, my eyes watering from the dust. I took an extra moment to be sure I could stand before getting off the bike, my legs shaking something fierce. A second later, Jake slammed into me, his arms wrapped tightly around me.
"You said three hours!" he cried.
"Yeah well, I didn't anticipate 50 million melt downs," I sighed. "I'm okay, I'm back," I said softly, wrapping my arms around him. Daryl came over and took the bag off my back, his eyes widening when he realized how heavy in was.
"Why didn't Rick carry it?" he asked in a hushed tone.
"I was lucky to get him to agree to come back," I sighed. "If it wasn't for Mayhem, we'd still be bickering out there."
"That bad?" he asked, his eyes dimming.
"That bad." I said tiredly. I pushed Jake away and looked at him, forcing a smile.
"The storms only a few miles out, why don't you go get Lucy all tucked in in that cell, and read to her until I come say goodnight?" I asked.
"It's still early ma," he grumbled.
"Jacoby, please?" I said softly. He sighed and nodded, dragging Mayhem along with him. "Oh, and Jake?"
"Yeah?"
"Give Mayhem some of that…um, whatever it was you drug in with you last night. It's starting to stink," I smiled. Whatever he shot, was definitely not worth our time cooking, but it's do fine for my poor dog.
"It was a cat, I think," he said truthfully. "Scrawny little thing."
"I'm not eating cat. Go feed our dog, okay?"
"Okay," his smiled reminded me so much of his father's, it broke my heart.
"You good?" Daryl asked, giving me a funny look.
"Just exhausted. What should have been an easy run turned into a nightmare," I fought back a yawn. "And with that storm rolling in, it's just gonna get worse."
"Worried about a little rain?" Daryl teased.
"No. I'm worried about flooding," I explained. "Think about it. All those dead, rotten hunks of meat walking around, it gets wet enough, it'll run into the yard. Then into our drinking water. Even though we boil it, it still isn't healthy," I continued. "And, with enough rain, the lower levels of the prison are sure to flood."
"What makes you say that?" he asked, completely amazed by how much thought I'd put into it.
"The back wall's down, right? Well I noticed it when me and Lucy were exploring. There's a bit of a tilt. The water's going to drain right into the prison," I sighed. "It shouldn't be bad, but man, what I'd give for a few bags of sand."
"This is Georgia, remember," Daryl chuckled.
"It's gonna pour, trust me, I've seen this before," I argued.
"Whatever you say," he laughed, walking off to put the tanks of gas in the van.
I muttered to myself as I grabbed my bag from the ground and carried it inside, my head pounding from the long day. The damp, coolness of the prison was oddly comforting. I settled against the far wall, welcoming a few moments of silence, numbing myself from what was really bothering me. Something Rick had said during one of his episodes made me really, really think. And that wasn't a good thing at a time like this.
A sudden cry made me jerk from my almost sleep-like daze. I was on my feet a second later, my heart racing in my chest.
"Mama?" Jake called, dragging Lucy after him. I wrapped my arms around them protectively, my knife already in my hands.
"Is everyone accounted for?" Rick called out. I was both angry and thrilled that he was back to his dictator like self.
"I've got Lucy and Jake, and Glenn, Maggie, Beth, Hershel, and Carol are in here!" I called loudly.
"I've got Carl over here," Rick called back.
"I've got Judith," Carol called. I'd forgotten about the infant.
"We're here," Andrea's voice chimed. I pulled a flashlight from my bag, shining it around the room. Sure enough, everyone except Daryl was accounted for.
"Daryl?" Rick called loudly. There was no response.
"Jake, take Lucy and stay with Carol, you hear?" I said sternly. He nodded and ran across the room, Lucy in tow. I nodded to the group before pulling my gun out, my hands tightly gripping it.
"I'm going with you," Michonne said sternly. I nodded and waited for her to take the lead.
"Rick, keep everyone here," she said as she passed him.
"I'm going with you," he argued.
"No, you're staying here," I said. My tone was harsher than I intended. "We'll find him. In the meantime, keep everyone on guard."
The lights flickered, as if to verify my statement. "There might be trouble."
"Let's go," Michonne demanded, swiftly making for the exit before Rick could argue any further. I followed at her heels, trusting her completely. We might not have known each other well, but there was an unmistakable trust between us. We had each other's backs, regardless of how well we did and didn't know each other.
"I'm coming too," Andrea said, catching up with us quickly. We both nodded. Mayhem followed me, her warm fur pressed tightly against my calf. I knew she'd be a help, even if I didn't want to admit it.
Another cry broke out, this time, more urgent than the last. We all took off, careful not to leave any corner unchecked. Everything's going to be fine I kept chanting in my head. We've had enough problems for one lifetime.
A/n - Another long chapter for you guys. I promise, after the next one, things are going to calm down and be a lot slower. A lot of POV changes too coming up. This chapter was worming around in my brain for a while now, and finally, I was able to bring it to life! Hope you're all having a good weekend!