-Daryl POV-
The tiny little town we'd all been scavengin' for supplies all these months had been picked clean, so I had to drive about a mile up the road to another one, an' this one was even smaller...
At first, it looked like nothin' but a skeleton of an old civilization, but when I parked my truck an' hopped out to have a look around, I realized there was some good treasure here, after all. A line of cars an' trucks were parallel parked along the curb a few yards away, lookin' like a gasoline goldmine; Assumin' no one else had already drifted in with the same idea.
Only one way to figure that out. So, I yanked my backpack to my side, an' dug around inside for my rubber hose. I pulled it out of the bag just as I got close to an old red Nissan.
"Shit... " I grumbled as I peered down at the gas cap. It was shut tightly into the car's rusted metal body, tellin' me I'd have to pop it from the inside.
There was most likely a button or somethin' for it on the driver's side door, so I made my way around the car to the door. When I peered through the smashed in window, I realized the driver was still strapped inside... Nothin' left of 'im but sunbleached bones and ragged clothes, though. I made a face as I gingerly stuck my arm inside the window and popped the door open.
"Poor bastard..." I grumbled as I peered at the bones strapped in the seat for another second or two, then scoured the buttons in the door panel 'till I found one with a little white gasoline pump on it.
I reached out, flipped it, and heard the click of the cap poppin' right open. Jackpot. With my fingers crossed that there was at least half a gallon of fuel in the car, I rushed around to the other side an' slipped the hose down inside tank.
Now came the worst part. I put my lips to the hose and sucked like a straw, hearin' the gurglin' of the gas in the tank as it started flowin' up through the hose.
Once the bitter, disgustin' liquid hit my lips, I pulled my mouth away an' immediately spit on the cement next to my feet. I'd done this a few times, so I knew exactly what to do. I plugged the hose with my thumb, an' reached for the gas can as fast as I could, slippin' the end of the hose inside and listenin' to the liquid gold drain down into the red plastic can.
By the time the tank was dry, the can was about a quarter'a the way full... Not bad. After syphonin' three more cars and one van, I had an entire can, full to the brim. I had a good feelin' as I lugged the gas back to my truck, listenin' to it slosh around inside the plastic as I hoisted the can over the tailgate.
From where I had parked underneath a tall, overgrown willow, I could see a strip of run-down shops about a football field's length away. The one smack dab in the middle was a general store, which was just what I needed... If I could just round up some canned food, some formula fer Judith, an' maybe some medical supplies, I'd be good to head back to the prison... Which I honestly wasn't too excited for.
I stayed hidden an' alert while I made my way through the streets, keepin' my crossbow aimed up in front'a me, an' a sharp eye out fer any geeks tryin' to sneak up on me. So far, though, I hadn't seen a single one.
Clingin' to the cloudy, smudged up windows of the store fronts, I finally crept my way up the sidewalk an' to the general store. I made a quick sweep in every direction, aimin' my bow and just makin' sure I was clear... Still no geeks around, so I went to duck inside the store...
It was dark and hot inside the buildin', and I could feel the humidity in the air as I weaved my way through the ransacked aisles. Most of the stuff had been untouched, but was scattered around all over the tile floor. A sigh slipped through my lips as I scoured through canned food aisle, pickin' up a few cans of green beans, potato soup, an' peaches.
"Let's see what else we got around here..." I mumbled to myself while I walked to the end of the aisle, and made a left, headin' for a sign that said "Baby Care".
...
...
When my pack was full of the food and supplies we needed back at the prison, I slung it over my shoulder an' lugged it back outside, watchin' for walkers the entire way. This time, when I made my way back into the sunlit streets, there was a single geek hobblin' my way. It's dead, cloudy eyes lit up as soon as it caught a whiff of me, lettin' out a gurglin' groan as it reached its boney fingers out toward me. Blood dripped from it's torn up jaws, stainin' the front of its grungy green t-shirt.
For a second, I just watched the pitiful bastard draggin' it's brittle, broken ankles across the cement. My eyes were flat as I finally lifted my bow, pointin' the tip of the arrow toward the dead thing's skull.
I frowned as the walker bared it's ugly, yellow teeth, shriekin' somethin' horrible.
"Man, shut up..." I growled as I pulled the bow's trigger, firin' the arrow and crackin' the zombie in the forehead, right between the eyes.
The body stopped movin' an' slumped to the ground face first, jammin' the arrow through the skull an' poppin' it out through the back of the head. Blood seeped onto the road in a slimey black puddle, and once again everything was silent.
My dusty old work boots scuffed the ground as I walked closer to the motionless body, soundin' so loud in the silence of the abandoned little town. Finally, I stopped next to the blood soaked corpse, frownin' down at it as I leaned down, grasped the end of my arrow an' gave it a good yank. I wiped the blood away on the corpse's shirt, then put it back in my quiver, an' turned to head back to my truck.
The rusty old door creaked as I pulled it open and dropped myself into the driver's side of the bench seat, slammin' the door shut again behind me. The engine roared the life when I turned the key, an' I felt a little spaced out as I throttled the gas and steered my way outta town, on my way back to the prison.
The whirrin' sound of the tires rushin' against the pavement of the abandoned back-door numbed my ears as I rested my elbow against the doorframe an' chewed my thumbnail, steerin' with the other hand. I just couldn't stop thinkin' about that damn girl... How she looked at me, an' the things I said to 'er. I didn't know why the hell she was so stuck in my brain, but I couldn't get 'er outta my head.
Somethin' in my gut didn't feel right every time I thought about 'er voice, or the two different colors of 'er eyes an' the tears that had been shimmerin' in 'em...'Cause of me.
"Knock it off, Daryl." I scolded myself, liftin' my fingers to the bridge of my nose an' givin' it a squeeze. "Ain't worth it."
When I clamped my hand back around the steerin' wheel, I glanced down an' noticed I was runnin' on empty, the red line in my gas gauge restin' right on the E. I veered the truck to the side of the road, right at the edge of the thin pine tree forest.
I twisted the key to the right an' killed the engine before hoppin' out an' strollin' back to the bed, reachin' over the side and yankin' the full gas can up an' over. The liquid sloshed around inside the can while I carried it back to my gas cap, poppin' it open and tiltin' it up just slightly.
It was real quiet out in the middle of the day like this, nothin' but the sounds of birds chirpin' in the trees around me, the breeze passin' through, an' the gasoline gluggin' down into the tank of my truck.
"STOP!" someone suddenly screamed out in the distance, startlin' me and makin' me flinch. Every muscle in my body instantly froze, an' I whipped my head around to try an' see where the yellin' was comin' from.
But, I didn't see anybody... Nothin' but trees, grass an' cement. I knew I wasn't hearin' things, though, an' that voice sounded so familiar... Not even a minute later, another holler rang out through the trees.
"STOP!" God damn it, it was on he tip of my tongue, but my adrenaline was pumpin' too hard to pinpoint it... "HELP! HE-"
Suddenly, it clicked inside my head, and my heart started poundin' in my chest.
"KAYLA!" I heard the strangled shout rattle from my throat as I dropped the gas can on the grass next to the truck, snatched up my crossbow, an' darted off into the trees toward the sound of her shoutin'.
My mind was racin' a mile a minute as I tore through the forest, tryin' to figure out how an' why that girl was out here, miles away from the prison, most likely all alone... She really was a bold little woman, but God damn it, she was always gettin' into trouble an' tyin' my insides into knots...
-Kayla POV-
Blood splattered across the front of my shirt as I jammed my knife into an unsuspecting walker's temple. It let out a sharp shriek before silencing and falling limp, crumpling to the forest floor with a loud thump.
My face twisted up into a disgusted scowl as I knelt down to the body and yanked my blade free, trying to ignore the repulsive, wet noise it made... When I stood back up, I wiped the film of sweat from my forehead, and peered around at the thinning tree line.
I had been following a trail for about forty five minutes now, consisting of footprints, snapped twigs and disturbed brush. It was very likely that it was Rick, or it could have been just as likely that it was a walker or another scavenger... Both of which I had to be extra careful to steer clear of.
My fingers were crossed in hopes that this trail would lead me to Rick, though, and I could maybe talk some sense into him... Depending on what sort of state he was in...
As I wiped the knife's blade across my pant leg to smear the blood away, I heard a sudden snap of a twig somewhere behind me. An electric jolt instantly shocked my spine, making me stand straight up and whirl around, scanning the trees for the source of the sound.
I couldn't see anything, but I could hear something coming closer... The footsteps were too fast to be a walker's.
"Rick...?" I called out just loud enough to avoid attracting attention from any geeks, but still... My heart was racing, "Rick, if that's you, say something..."
There was no reply, but still the footsteps drew closer and closer... I wanted to turn and run, but as my mind raced for all the outcomes of each situation I could put myself in, I decided against it and held my ground. I fumbled with my knife as I slid it back into its sheath, then snatched one of my pistols from its holster and held it straight out in front of me.
My eyes darted around and my heart hammered in my ears as I listened to the footsteps trudging closer, closer... Until finally someone came into view. For a split second, the hair on the back of my neck stood up at the sight of the silhouette, until I realized it was Danny.
My shoulders dropped a little, but I still kept the gun pointed in front of me, even as he stopped in his tracks and held his hands up defensively.
"Whoa, don't shoot, officer." He joked, but I didn't laugh, or even crack a smile.
"What the hell are you doing out here?!" I hissed at him as my eyes narrowed, "Have you been following me this entire time?"
Danny rubbed his palm over the top of his blonde hair, which was tied in a slicked back ponytail that sat against the back of his neck. "Kinda, yea."
"Kinda?" I repeated, still firmly holding my offensive stance. Danny was honestly the LAST person I wanted to see right now, or ever for that matter.
"All right, yes." He admitted, furrowed his thick blonde eyebrows over his pale blue eyes, "I saw ya leave the gates, and I was gonna say somethin' to Zach-"
"Big surprise." I scoffed with a roll of my eyes, and Danny shot me a look before continuing on.
"Look, I know you're pissed at me." He said, "I shouldn't have lied to him about you and Daryl... I was jealous, all right? Ya know I've always had a thing for ya."
I finally lowered my gun and placed it back in its holster, glaring at Danny the entire time. "And you think that made it okay? Zach flipped shit on me because of you, and now Daryl doesn't want anything to do with me anymore."
"I'm sorry, okay? I just followed you out here 'cause I was concerned for your safety. I'll straighten things out with Zach when we get back."
"Whatever." I grumbled, "It doesn't matter to me what you do. I'm looking for Rick, I know he's out here somewhere. We need him."
"Well, let me help ya." Danny insisted, taking a step closer.
I eyed the machete strapped to his back as I shook my head and started to turn around.
"No, thanks." I bluntly turned down his offer as I turned my back on him, "I'm a big girl, I can handle this on my own-"
I yelped as I suddenly felt a pair of arms encircle me, one around my middle and the other around my throat, choking off my air supply. My arms and legs flailed about as I was lifted off the ground, and Danny's voice hissed in my ear; "Ain't no use strugglin'. This little game between you and me ends, today. And I'm gonna be the one to end it."
My eyes widened as Danny dragged my backwards, despite my intense efforts to kick and break free... He was just too much bigger than me, and he caught my off guard.
I managed to wiggle my arm toward my knife sheathed to my thigh, but Danny beat me to it.
"Ah-Ah, you ain't gonna be needin' that." He growled into my ear as he reached down an' ripped the sheath from my thigh, tossin' it aside onto the ground. His hot breath tickling my ear and his fingertips lingering on my inner thigh sent unpleasant shivers down my spine.
Then, Danny ripped my dual pistols from my waist, tossing them to the ground with my knife, and stripped me of my rifle, as well. Fear struck in my heart as I realized this was actually happening, and I was now completely defenseless.
Somehow, Danny managed to hold me in place with one arm, then quickly yanked his razor-sharp machete from its strap hooked to his backpack with the other. He whipped it around to his front, pressing it against my throat. I gulped and stopped thrashing about, feeling the cool sting of the sharp blade against my soft skin.
"Good girl." Danny whispered menacingly with a chuckle as he continued to drag me deeper into the thick brush, "Looks like I'm finally gonna get what I want from ya."
"Do you think I'm just gonna be quiet about this, you sick son of a bitch?!" I cried out desperately, whimpering as Danny pressed the machete closer to my throat.
"You ain't gonna get the chance to say anything, little girl." He told me, "Because you ain't gonna make it back."
Danny roughly tossed me to the ground, and my back slammed so hard into the dirt that the wind evacuated my lungs. I gasped and sputtered, trying to take in a new breath of air, just before Danny dropped down and pinned me to the ground with his knee... It didn't make it any easier to breathe.
"Do you know how easy it's gonna be," Danny started to ask me, a sick smirk curving onto his lips underneath his blonde scruff, "Just tellin' everyone the geeks got to ya?"
My eyes widened in shock as I stared up at my attacker, someone I'd known since the beginning of this horrible end of the world. He was really going to do this... He was going to violate me, then kill me... And I had no way to defend myself.
"Now, just lay still and be a good girl..." Danny growled as he reached down and pawed at my belt, "It'll be over soon, I promise. The last moments of your life are gonna be just amazing."
Terrified tears streamed down my face as I struggled and pleaded with Danny to stop, but I knew nothing would change his mind. He must have been planning something like this all along...
"STOP!" I finally screamed out as I felt Danny's fingers unclasp the button my jeans, "STOP! HELP! HE-"
A sharp blow was suddenly delivered to my mouth, and I could immediately taste blood. When the dazed feeling washed away after a few seconds, I realized Danny had busted me in the face with the handle of his machete.
"Shut the fuck up!" He hissed at me, "If you scream like that again, I'll slit your throat and let you bleed out right here. I'm givin' you a quick and easy death this way, with a little fun to numb the pain before hand... You should be grateful-"
Suddenly, something knocked Danny off me, bulldozing into him like an army tank. I instantly felt my lungs inflate, listening to myself as I gasped and panted for air. I heard a scuffle and a series of grunting from a few feet away from me, but in that moment I was too busy pulling myself together... I rebutted my pants, adjusted my shirt and wiped the blood and tears from my face as best as I could.
"YOU SICK, SORRY SON OF A BITCH!" A familiar voice roared through clenched teeth, and when I looked up to see what the hell was going on, I gasped at the sight of Daryl pinning Danny to the ground, pounding his fist into his face over and over. "I'M GONNA KILL YOU, YOU HEAR ME?! I'M GONNA FUCKIN' KILL YOU!"
"Daryl...!" I cried out, and it seemed to catch him by surprise, because he suddenly turned his head over his shoulder and stared at me with wild, wide eyes.
Big mistake... Danny took this as his opportunity to strike back, reaching up and delivering a powerful right hook to Daryl's jaw. I screamed as my savior tumbled backwards, losing his grip on his crossbow as it slid across the forest floor, just out of his reach.
The next thing I knew, Danny was standing on his feet, his face bloody and swollen, pointing the tip of his machete straight at Daryl's throat.
"You think you're gonna kill me, huh, you white trash piece of shit?" Danny growled at him as he panted, his breath ragged. He let out a dry chuckle as he shook his head, "Doesn't look that way to me."
Daryl stared up at Danny with a firey rage burning in his blue eyes, and I could see his gaze darting over to his crossbow before Danny cut him off.
"Don't even think about it." He said curtly, "I'll slice through your jugular the minute you make a move for that hillbilly contraption. Now... Are you ready to watch me have my way with your little girlfriend, before I kill ya both?"
He smirked evilly before taking a step toward me, and I whimpered as I tried to figure a way out of this...
But before I even had to start conjuring up an escape plan, I heard the safety of a handgun click off, and then it was suddenly quiet. Danny's eyes were wide as dinner plates as he stood frozen in his tracks, and Daryl looked just the same, staring over his shoulder.
I followed his gaze to a silver handgun, traveling up the arm and gasping as I took in the rugged, almost foreign looking face that was at the end of the path.
"Rick..." I breathed in utter relief.
When he finally spoke up, his voice was low and serious, dripping with venom as he scowled fiercely at the back of Danny' head, "I think there's been a change of plans..."
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To Be Continued...