Davia was starting to get pissed at Daryl. They had been driving for twenty hours straight and he still refused to let her drive. She could see the exhaustion overtaking his body and he still refused to give in and take a break. The few times they stopped he would smoke a cigarette and drink a Red Bull for energy, but she could tell he was losing the battle.
The radio crackled to life and Dale's voice soon was heard "Guys, I need to pull over, the RV is running hot and I need to check the water."
"Shit" Daryl mumbled under his breath.
"Daryl you need to calm down and you need to let me drive. I know you are focused on meeting up with your mother, but you aren't going to do anyone any good if you pass out from exhaustion. You haven't had hardly any sleep in days and it's taking its toll on you."
"I'm fine Davia." He said stubbornly.
"No, you are not fine. Look, It's still early afternoon, and you aren't going to meet your mother until two in the morning. We are making good time by taking the back roads and I think you should sleep. I promise I will wake you up if anything happens, but I don't want to see you keel over Daryl." Davia said begging.
"Damnit Davia, I said I was fine so stop harping on me." Daryl said angrily.
Daryl pulled the SUV over and got out quickly to see if he could help Dale get the RV back on the road. As he opened the door he was met with the most frigid air he had ever encountered in his life and the reality of where they were going hit him like a ton of bricks. Davia got out after him, pulling on her new winter coat and gloves and pulled Daryl's new coat out of the back of the vehicle. She handed it to him, but he refused to accept it.
Fortunately for Davia, Rick caught what was going on between the couple and took the opportunity to intervene. "Daryl can I speak to you for a second?" Rick beckoned.
"What's up?" Daryl grunted out.
"Have you seen yourself Daryl? You look like shit. When was the last time you got any rest? I've noticed you haven't switched up with Davia and if you fall asleep at the wheel you risk killing you both. I want you take a break. I know you have a lot on your mind regarding your mom and I get that, but you are not doing anyone any favors by pushing yourself like this. Sleep for a few hours." Rick said.
"I said I was fine and I wish people would get the fuck off my back. Davia ain't been driving that long and if we come up on a group of those Walker things, I don't want to risk her panicking." Daryl said.
"She'll be fine Daryl. There is a good size group here to handle things and you can't handle it all by yourself. Trust her and Trust me…and then get some rest. I can't force you to do it, but I am strongly encouraging you." Rick told him.
"Fine." Daryl replied in an angry tone. He lit up a cigarette and then headed towards Dale's RV.
Shane was assisting Dale and they realized the radiator hose had a split in it. "We can do a temporary fix on it for now with some duct tape, and then we will look for something more permanent on the way. We still have a long way to go." Shane said.
Hope you liked this chapter...I left out a lot of detail I wanted to include, but it seemed like it would get too wordy. I attempted to offer an action sequence, but it most likely sucks. I also wanted you to get a point of view from the Governor. We are by no means done with him.
Please Please Please leave a review...I haven't really been getting that many and that makes me think people are either not reading or not enjoying the story. So let me know how I am doing...or better yet, what you would like to see.
I know it's sunday and there is a new episode on tonight, so if people are watching and not reading, I understand.
Take care and let's all hold our breath for the season finale next week...I get nervous...
Happy Sunday night.
Love each and every one of you.
Missy
XXOO
"I reckon it will work but I don't know for how long. These cold temperatures are really putting a stress on the hoses." Dale told him.
"Maybe when we stop tonight so Rick and Daryl can go on their suicide mission I can scout the area and see if I can find a replacement for ya." Shane said.
"We'll need something" was Dale's reply. Privately Shane was hoping that Rick and Daryl's little side trip would turn into a disaster. There was nothing he wanted more at this point than to see the two of them fail. At one point Shane and Rick were best friends, but that all ended when Shane and Lori fell in love. Well, at least Lori fell in love. Though Shane had deep feelings for Lori, he wasn't so sure he was quite ready to settle down. After all, Shane had always been quite the ladies man, and there were still quite a few ladies out there. In fact even in the group he had noticed April, Andrea, Beth, Maggie, Amy, and even Davia. Davia had been one of the few women who had turned him down in life, and that drove him nuts. Was Davia smoking hot like the other girls, no…but she was cute and she was sultry in her own way, and that was a turn on for Shane. Unfortunately, Dixon had already claimed her and she seemed set on staying loyal. Not to say that her loyalty to Daryl would last forever. One thing Shane knew was that if he ever had the chance, he would bed Davia just to satisfy his own ego.
Daryl made his way over to his vehicle as Davia had gone over to chat with Beth. As much as it pained him to admit it, he was flat out beat and knew he needed to let Davia drive so he could rest. It was daylight and they had yet to run into any type of trouble on their way as the route that Morgan had put them on avoided major cities, and for the most part, small towns too. They were currently in Minnesota and would be crossing into North Dakota within a few hours. The air was cold, and the wind was picking up and chilling Daryl to the bone. He hoped to hell he acclimated to the cold weather quickly or his existence in Alaska would be miserable.
Davia asked Brad and Beth how they were doing and Beth replied "I don't know if I've ever been this cold in my life. Thank God the heat works well in the truck. Since Brad won't let me snuggle with him it's the next best thing.
"Cool your jets sweetheart, we got a long trip ahead of us and I need to concentrate on the road." Brad replied, giving Beth a wink.
"You can't blame a girl for trying?" Beth teased back.
"Subtle Miss Greene, you're gonna wear me down one of these days and then what are you going to do?" He told her.
"Smile!" She replied. She then turned to Davia "I'm driving the next shift, have you been able to get Daryl to let you drive yet?"
"No…he's being a stubborn ass. He can barely hold his eyes open yet he refuses to let me drive…"
Both girls were then startled at the sound of Lori laughing.
"That's when I'm due too." She said. Lori and April were actually having a conversation about childbirth.
"Well I'm not gonna keep it. Daryl and Davia have already claimed the child, so I guess it will be their problem to raise." April said, anger laced in her comment.
"Is that what you want?" Lori asked.
"I don't know. At first, when I was in prison it wasn't like I had a choice, but now…" April said.
"If you want it, then you should keep it. It's not Davia or Daryl's child. Sure, Daryl will be the child's uncle, but he isn't the father, but you ARE the mother and you should be able to raise it if you choose." Lori said strongly.
"It's a lot to think about. To be honest, I would love to find some clothes besides this God awful orange jumpsuit." April replied.
"Come with me, I have things you could wear. Why don't you switch up and ride with Shane and I. The conversation is bound to be better with us compared to Milton and Andrea." Lori said.
April followed Lori to their vehicle and the two women went inside the SUV so April could change her outfit.
Beth looked at Davia "Lori hates you doesn't she? She's trying to convince a heroin dealer that she would be a better parent than you and Daryl? What the fuck is wrong with her?"
Davia sat there dumbfounded, not even able to think. This was not something she imagined could or would happen. She needed to talk to Daryl right away, but as tired as he was and as focused as he was on getting to North Dakota and meeting with his mother, she didn't want to bother him. However, this was a pretty big change of events and he needed to know.
"Beth, I gotta talk to Daryl. Do me a favor and keep your eyes and ears out for those two. Lori is conniving enough to talk April into keeping that baby and we can't let that happen. April doesn't have a clue how to care for anyone else, hell she can barely take care of herself."
"Don't you worry about a thing Ms. Davia, we won't let anything happen that isn't supposed too." Brad said as he reached out and gave Davia a comforting pat on the shoulder.
…
Davia met Daryl at the SUV and he handed her the keys "You win" was all he said to her.
They got in the vehicle and she handed him a blanket and a pillow "Get some rest and I'll wake you up in a few hours. You have to take better care of yourself Daryl. Alaska is a rough place and you can't let yourself wear down. I feel deep in my gut that everything will work out just fine with your ma." She said as she patted him on his thigh.
"Hope your right." He mumbled.
"When you wake up we need to have a conversation about April though." She warned.
"Can't wait." He said as he sunk back into the pillow and closed his eyes. Within seconds he fell asleep and Davia drove them towards their destination.
…
Governor Philip Blake arrived home around two in the afternoon flanked by his right hand man, Steve Owen. Steve was a highly trained Operative that originally served in the Special Forces before moving on to the CIA. He was cold, calculating, and loyal. He didn't fear Blake, but was respectful of the man's ideas and vision. Currently he was still an active CIA agent whom was on the same team as Morgan Jones. He was also aware that Morgan and one other agent had gone rogue and knew about the Governor's plan, but was confident that Morgan posed no threat to the take over that was about to occur.
Blake went to the liquor cabinet in his office and pulled out two high ball glasses and filled them with an expensive scotch. "Well it would appear the virus is spreading faster than expected and that works into our plan beautifully." Blake said.
"I'm still not sure how killing off ninety percent of the worlds population is a thing of beauty." Steve retorted coldly.
"Think about it Steve, we are eliminating the undesirables and the weak, and we have eliminated threats from outside enemies. When I take control in a few days there won't be any foreign entities left to stop me from taking complete power of this nation. Since we knew this was coming, we could plan accordingly; the rest of the world has no idea what hit them. Germ warfare is much under rated these days." Blake said letting out a slight laugh.
"Well hopefully we will remain protected from the virus ourselves." Steve replied.
"We've been vaccinated, and that vaccine is a card I can play later down the road. I'm the only one who has access to it, other than the scientist who created it, and I've taken care of him so he won't ever be able to divulge what he knows" the Governor told the agent.
"You kill him?" Steve asked point blank.
"No…but he is indisposed at the time, but we will have access to him if we need him."
The men were interrupted when the Governor's housekeeper Consuela knocked on the door. "Governor Blake, I would like to know what you would like me to prepare for you for dinner." She asked in her heavy accent. Consuela Martinez had come to work for the Governor about six years prior after her brother Cesar had been hired to protect Nora and the Governor's son Benton.
"Consuela have you seen Nora and Benton?" The Governor asked.
"They left about an hour ago to see the physician. Master Benton's asthma was acting up and Mrs. Blake said she needed to get a refill on her medication. I am sure they are fine sir." She said giving him a pleasant smile.
"Did you see them leave?" He asked.
"Oh yes Governor. Cesar was escorting them." She said.
"Thank you Consuela, I would love something from your home country for dinner tonight." He said.
"Gladly Governor Blake. I also wanted to offer you a heart felt thanks for all you have done for me and Cesar, and for keeping us all safe. When you win the Presidency I know you will take care of us all and you will find the cure for this virus." She said sweetly.
"Yes I will Consuela. Thank you for your support." He told her.
…
Dinnertime came and Steve and the Governor ate the delicious meal Consuela had prepared for them, but Blake was concerned about his wife and son still not having returned home. After Consuela left the living room the Governor turned to his second in command "Steve, check her phone." The Governor commanded.
Steve nodded and went up to the office to pull up the GPS tracking device that would not only show where Nora was, but where she had been. He was surprised to see that the phone was showing a location of North Dakota, and that the route had begun to track seven hours earlier.
"Sir, you might want to see this." Steve told Blake, knowing the man would be angered when he saw the information.
"North Dakota?" The Governor asked.
"It would appear so." Steve replied.
Blake got up from the table and went to his wife's room, noticing that her travel bag was gone, as well as some of her clothing. He then repeated the action in his son's room and the results were the same.
"Steve, scramble a helicopter and see if you can find them. I have to take care of some business here." The Governor commanded.
"I'm on it sir." Steve answered.
Within the hour Steve had assembled a crew and they left on the State Helicopter headed towards North Dakota. Blake went back to his office and poured himself another glass of scotch. To say he was angry was an understatement. Blake then paged his housekeeper.
"Consuela, can you come to my office."
Consuela walked in, smiling brightly. "Consuela, you know you are like family to me and I appreciate all you have done for us." He said as he got up from his desk and walked over to the woman. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"One thing I have always appreciated about you is your loyalty to the family." He continued, beginning to squeeze her shoulder a bit harder.
Consuela's smile began to fade quickly as she felt the pressure building on his grip "That being said, you should have picked your loyalties a little better than you did." He told her as he quickly grabbed her head and twisted it dramatically, snapping her neck instantly. The woman dropped dead in a heap on the floor of his office.
"I'm sorry Consuela, but I can't have dissidents in my mist." He said to her dead body, giving it a good swift kick. He pulled out his phone and snapped a picture.
"Time to show someone I don't take betrayal lightly." He said to himself almost seething.
…
Nora and Cesar had been driving continuously since that morning and it was quickly approaching the time they would meet Daryl. They had run into a few traffic snags from refugees fleeing the major cities and Cesar had opted to drive the silver Mercedes along the back roads to get to their rendezvous destination. Benton had asked where they were going and his mother informed him that his father had arranged for them to get to safety. Safety was indeed what they were seeking, but it was safety FROM Philip Blake. They had almost reached their final destination of Velva, North Dakota and once they were there they had agreed to wait at a park for Daryl to meet them and lead them to their new life.
Benton was fourteen years old and a bit of a rebellious teen. He hated his father but refused to show his distaste for the man out of fear of what could happen to his mother. He wore his hair shaggy and resented his mother a bit for how much she babied him. His parents insisted on calling him Benton, but he preferred to go by his nickname Benny. The boy had blue eyes like Daryl and a tough attitude to match. He wore his hair shaggy and when he wasn't stuck wearing his private school uniform he could be found wearing old punk T-shirts and ripped jeans. Today he was sporting his casual look. His mom had told him to pack a bag and to be sure he brought warm clothes. He did as he was told and then hid a few other items in his bag such as a stolen carton of cigarettes, a pint of liquor, and a quarter bag of pot that a friend had given him.
Philip had tried to raise his son to be his political protégé, but Benny was stubborn and would just act aloof when his father was trying to teach him the ropes. Benny had aspirations of being an artist, not a fucking politician, much to his father's dismay. That being said, Benny posed a potential liability to Philip's political future, so Philip had bribed him with the prospect of any thing he wished for, as long as he cleaned up his act when they were out in public together. Benny hated his life, and he was angry with his mother for refusing to leave the monster he knew his father was. His mother had given him a bullshit story about Philip wanting them to leave for safety, but he knew she was lying. He had known for a long time that his mom was in love with Cesar Martinez, and to be honest he was glad they were leaving. Benny didn't have a clue where they were going, or whom they were meeting up with, but he knew any place was better than the hell he had been living in with his father. Whether Nora would admit it or not, Benny knew full well what Philip was up too, and he knew his father was the worse kind of man imaginable.
After driving for a few more uneventful hours everyone in the car was startled with the sound of a message alert going off on Nora's cell phone. Cesar let out a stream of obscenities "Nora what the fuck were you thinking? Why do you have your phone? You know he can track the phone?"
"I was worried Daryl would try to get in touch with us?" Nora replied.
Benny spoke "Who's Daryl?"
Nora ignored Benny's statement and checked the message on her phone. Immediately her hand went to her mouth as she cried out "No…he couldn't of…"
Cesar could see the fear in Nora's face "What is it?"
"Cesar, I'm so sorry…he…he…Killed her…" She replied as she let out cry.
"Who?" He said as he pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road to see what she was talking about.
Nora handed him the phone to show him the photo of his now deceased sister. "No No No No No…" He yelled loudly as he looked at the words attached to the sickening photo.
"I'm coming for you both…so keep your eyes open…You can't escape me…. PB"
Cesar grabbed the phone from Nora and smashed it on the dashboard. He then got out of the car "I need a minute." He told her, trying to not show how devastated he was at the loss of his sister. They had asked Consuela to come with them when they left, but she refused. She knew what they were up to and who they were up against and she told Cesar that she would stay behind and give Philip a story that would buy them some time to get out of Montana before he found them. Her last words to her younger brother were "I love you Cesar, and you deserve this chance of freedom and happiness from this monster. I will be fine here, he doesn't suspect me of anything, and he won't…now go!"
Cesar took in a deep breath at the memory and then took the broken cell phone in his hand and tossed it into the woods. "Find that you mother fucker." He said to himself.
While Cesar was gathering himself, Benny took the chance to ask his mother again "Who's Daryl and will you tell me what the fuck is going on?"
"Benny…language!" She scolded.
"Seriously mother, what is going on? Just so you know…I know everything that has been going on with Daddy Dearest. I know he is a sick son of a bitch that has being biding his time to take over the country, I know he has been buying off high powered officials so that he can be in charge, and I know he has something to do with this virus that is spreading like wildfire through the country. That being said, you need to tell me whom we are meeting with. I deserve to know. I might be young, but I'm not stupid."
"Daryl is your older brother. I haven't seen him since he was two. I had a whole other life once Benny. It is too much of a long and drawn out story to tell you right now, and to be honest I'm not up to it at the moment, but Daryl is going to get us to safety. To be honest, I know about as much about him as you do, but he is offering us a chance…which is much more than I can expect after what I did to him and your other brother Merle." Nora confessed.
"So I have two brothers that I am just finding out about?" Benny said, in an almost angry tone
"You had two brothers. Merle passed away a short time back. Please don't ask me how, because I don't really know. Hell, I don't know much of anything about my oldest sons. Benny, I lost two boys, and I can't lose you. Why do you think I have been so protective over you? It's not because you need it, it's because I need to do it…for myself." She said, tears slipping down her face.
Benny's breathing was becoming labored and Nora was sure he was about to have an Asthma attack "Honey, let me get you your inhaler." She said as she fumbled in her bag.
"Damnit I don't need my inhaler, I just need to get out of this car and get some air. Sorry, but finding out I have two brothers is just a little overwhelming for me right now Mother." He said angrily.
"I know it is Benton, and I'm sorry, but I didn't know how to tell you. I promise when we get settled I will tell you the entire story."
Benny was about to get out of the car when Cesar got in "Diseased ones coming down the road, we need to get out of here and get to Velva as soon as possible, it's not safe."
And with that they headed down the road for the last leg of their trip, all three individuals all holding onto the hope that Daryl would be their savior.
…
Day turned into night and even though Davia said she would let Daryl sleep only a few hours, she let him sleep for eight. He needed it and she knew it, so she didn't bother waking him until it was time to stop for the evening.
Davia had put the vehicle in park and then pulled on her warm coat as Daryl roused awake in the passenger sleep. When he finally opened his eyes he was surprised to see it was dark "you let me over sleep Davia." He said.
"No Daryl, I let you sleep and get some much needed rest. You didn't oversleep. We're at the exact same location we are supposed to be and everyone and everything is one piece. Were stopping for the night and it's getting close to the time you and Rick need to leave to meet your mother." She told him sternly.
"I feel like I've been hit by a train." Daryl told her.
"That's your body craving more sleep Daryl. We're gonna fuel up all the vehicles and stop for the night. This is one of Morgan's 'safe' places. In fact, I believe this is the last time we fuel up in the states. Our next stop will be in Canada. Your coat and gloves are in the back seat and you need to put them on. The temperature outside is reading 15 degrees and I don't think your acclimated to the cold just yet. Plus I can't wait for you to try out the coat I bought you." She said trying to lighten his mood.
"I'll be fine without the coat." He told her.
"Put the damn coat on Daryl. Jesus you have been a stubborn son of a bitch since we left. Look at how you have me swearing. Lord I hope Hershel doesn't hear me." She said.
Daryl relinquished and put on the coat and gloves she had for him and once they got out of the vehicle he had to admit he was glad she had made him do it. The air was frigid and the wind blew right through all of them.
As everyone got out of their vehicles to stretch their legs Daryl could already hear the grumbling about the cold. "Where exactly are we staying for the night? Other than the fuel depot I don't really see anywhere to sleep." Lori said out loud.
Morgan replied "We sleep in our vehicles. Everyone was instructed to bring warm clothing and now is the time to utilize those clothes. Hotels are not safe at the current time, so we have to rely on what we have to provide shelter for us for the evening. Once we get to Alaska, there is a bunk house to hold everyone, but for tonight if you want to rest, we sleep here." He told them.
"You've got to be kidding me…right? Shane you have to do something, this isn't safe." Lori continued on.
April then chimed in "Lori's right. We are both expecting and these conditions are not good for our pregnancies."
Daryl was getting pissed and could no longer hold his tongue "Y'all gotta tough it out like the rest of us. Women have been having babies in conditions worse than this for years. Use the cold weather gear like Morgan just told you too and you will be fine. Hell, use body heat if you gotta. Navy Seals do it all the time."
Shane then felt the need to defend Lori and April "Dixon, do we look like we have any Navy Seals in this group? These are two delicate women that need protecting and comfort, and this is an unacceptable solution."
Dale then interjected "Look, if they are concerned about the sleeping conditions, they can sleep in the RV. I have a generator that will keep them plenty warm. Will that suffice?"
Lori then responded "That is very kind of you Dale, and April and I will take you up on that." She didn't hesitate to take advantage of the old man's kindness or even offer to allow the children to sleep in the RV as well. It disgusted Daryl, and he didn't like how April and Lori had seemed to connect. He did remember that Davia had mentioned they needed to have a discussion about April before he went to sleep, and now he was starting to see why. It would appear that Lori was influencing April and she was going along with her every whim.
Rick called a meeting with Morgan, Daryl, Shane, and Brad before he and Daryl left to meet Nora. "I know things seem quiet for right now, but I have a gut feeling we have been lucky avoiding the Walker's so far. I would like to ask y'all to set up a watch schedule while Daryl and I am gone. We shouldn't be gone any longer than three hours, but if we aren't back by dawn, then Y'all need to leave without us. I don't foresee there being any problems, but just in case we need to be prepared."
Shane then spoke "So what if we leave and y'all are just running late?"
"We know the route and we will catch up with you. And if worse comes to worse we will meet you in Alaska at our final destination." Rick told him.
Daryl hadn't let himself think about their meeting having any problems, and now that Rick had mentioned it, he had to make sure Davia would be protected. After the five men disbursed, Daryl sought out his father.
"I gotta talk to ya." He told his dad.
"What is it Daryl?" Will replied.
"If something happens and I don't make it back, I need you assure me you will look after Davia. She's family and she belongs to me, so I need to know she is gonna be protected." Daryl said.
"Of course I will Daryl. I already look at her like a daughter. She'll be fine, and you will too. We'll see you in a few hours. Now just so you know, I'll do whatever Nora wishes in regards to being around her. If she wants me to avoid her for now, I will stay out of her way. I want to respect her space. I did a lot of things to hurt her deeply and I know it won't be easy for her to see me again." He confessed.
"Well we're all adults trying to survive, so hopefully she won't focus on the past for right now. Once we get settled, that may be another story, but for now we all just need to focus on getting to Alaska and getting settled. Are you and Jacqui going to be OK in the cold for the evening?" Daryl asked.
"We'll be fine son. She's already preparing us a warm place to sleep in the camper of the truck. It will be cold, but we might take advantage of that." Will said smiling.
"I don't need to know about that, but I appreciate your good attitude. Looks like some of those among us aren't willing to sacrifice luxury for survival." Daryl said.
"I picked up on that too, but what are you gonna do. Once we get to Alaska they will either adapt, or they will die…so it's their decision. Everyone else seems to be a trooper. Now you go say goodbye to your wife while I go see if Hershel needs any help settling the livestock." Will told Daryl, giving him a pat on the shoulder.
Daryl nodded and headed back towards his SUV to find Davia. He found her talking to Beth and Brad. "Davia, I need to talk to you before I go." Daryl said interrupting the conversation between the trio.
Beth smiled at her and told her to go to Daryl. "What's going on Daryl?" Davia said as picked up a hint of alarm in his voice.
"Look, just in case I don't come back, let my daddy look after ya. He'll do right by ya and he'll keep you safe." Daryl told her. He couldn't believe that he would trust his father to keep someone…anyone…safe. But Will Dixon wasn't the same man he was twenty years ago and Daryl needed him now more than ever to step up.
"I'll be fine Daryl, and you will be too. I'm gonna sleep in the SUV and keep things nice and warm for you when you get back. We will all be on our way to Alaska in the morning and you will finally get to spend some time with your mother and brother." She promised him.
"I hope you're right baby girl. I don't have any idea what I'm gonna say to her when we finally are together." He admitted.
"Just let your heart talk for you, I'm sure she is just as nervous." Davia assured him.
"Yeah, you're probably right. For now, keep warm and try to avoid Lori and April. I don't know what they are up too, but I don't like it." He told her.
"Lori's trying to talk April from giving us the baby." Davia told him.
"Fuck that, it's our child and she ain't gonna have a say about it. We'll be there when she delivers and I will make sure she does what she promised. Merle wouldn't want her raising the baby…I know that for a fact. Even if he was still with us I don't think he would even want himself raising a kid. He knew what he was and wasn't able to do, and being a father just wasn't in Merle's nature." Daryl informed Davia.
"I hope you're right, but we can't just snatch a baby from a mother just seconds after it's been born." Davia told him.
"Don't worry, April is only the incubator, you're that little girl's mama, and I'm her daddy. That reminds me, we gotta pick a name." He said.
"Any ideas?" She asked.
"I got one, but I'll tell ya later. It's time for Rick and I to light out of here, just stay safe darling." He said as he wrapped his arms around her and gave her a slow, deep kiss.
As their tongues intertwined Davia felt like she was floating. "You gotta hurry back Mr. Dixon…Mrs. Dixon can't stay warm all on her own." She said as she gave him a wink.
"I'll keep you warm baby, but not in the front seat of our vehicle." He told her.
"How about the back seat then?" She teased back, causing him to give her a rare smile.
"I'll see ya shortly." He said as he headed off to Rick's SUV.
…
Rick and Daryl made it to the meeting spot in just under and hour. The plan was to meet up, exchange a few pleasantries, and then have Daryl's mother, her companion, and her son follow them back to group. It was a very simple plan and very easy…in and out and done.
They waited for only a few minutes before Nora and her companion drove up in a flashy Mercedes. Daryl looked at Rick "Well she has better toys now than she did when she lived in Blue Ridge."
Daryl opened up the door and nervously walked over to his mother and Cesar, while Rick flanked him. Before Daryl could even speak a word Nora grabbed him into a strong embrace. "My baby boy…it's been so long."
"Momma" was all Daryl could get out. He was overwhelmed with emotions he had no idea he had been holding back. Rick and Cesar stepped away so the two could have some privacy.
Nora began to place her hands on Daryl's face just drinking in her grown son. "You were so little when I last saw you, and now you are a grown and handsome man. Oh Daryl…I…I can't find words" She said as they both were now in tears. He allowed his mother to just hold onto him, relishing the feeling of being in her arms and smelling her scent. After all these years she still smelled the same, like honey suckles and vanilla. He took a good look at her and to him she still looked the same. Maybe a little more polished than he remembered, and she definitely had a few more years on her, but to him she looked like an angel.
"Where's my brother?" He asked as he gently separated himself from her embrace.
"I had him wait in the car until we were sure everything was going to be OK." She told him.
"Good plan…smart. So I guess y'all just should follow us back to the group. I'm not real sure that your car is the best choice for a vehicle to handle the Alaskan tundra." Daryl told her.
"Maybe we can purchase another one along the way." She said.
"Don't think that is an option. We'll come up with something though" He assured her. As she reached out to hug him one more time Rick and Cesar's voice yelled out in alarm.
"Walkers…dozens of them, we need to get out of here quick." Rick yelled. Daryl suddenly was pissed at himself for letting his guard down. His crossbow was still in the SUV and the only thing he had on him for a weapon was his hunting knife and handgun.
The area was swarmed much quicker than he could of imagined and all four of them saw that the heard of attackers were focusing in on them as they were out in the open.
"Quick, get my mother to Rick's vehicle and I will get the boy out of the car. Get the car running and be able to go as soon as I make it back." Daryl commanded. He didn't have time to wait for their answer as a walker already was attempting to grab him before he could finish his sentence. He pulled out his knife and stabbed the monster in the head as Rick, Cesar, and Nora all rushed to the SUV and Rick started the vehicle waiting on Daryl to return with his brother.
Daryl pulled out his handgun and fired, taking down two more walkers that stood between him and the Mercedes. There was at least fifteen walkers swarmed around the car trying their hardest to get in through the front windows and side doors. The only part of the car that wasn't swarmed was the trunk and back window, and that was going to Daryl's only option in attempting to save his brother.
As he got closer to the vehicle he lucked out that they hadn't noticed him sneaking up on them as they were focused on getting to their bait inside the car. Daryl only had four rounds in his gun and his knife, so he had to be smart with his ammunition. Plus it seemed that the sound of the gunshots seemed to draw the monsters towards the sound.
Without thinking Daryl leapt up onto the trunk of the car and began to kick in the back window. He kicked with all his might and could see the terrified face of his baby brother in the back of the car, trying desperately to figure out a way to get out. Daryl yelled at him to move to the left "I'm gonna shoot it out, so watch yourself."
Daryl shot two of his precious bullets into the glass, shattering it, but it was still in tact. He then began to kick at it as the walker's were now starting to notice him standing on the trunk. With one swift kick Daryl bashed in the back window completely, but he ended up ripping a six-inch gash in the back of his thigh. He felt the slight sting, but his adrenaline was so high he barely noticed it. He quickly jumped into the back seat and now was face to face with his brother.
"Are you alright?" He asked the terrified teen.
"Yeah, who the hell are you? Some super hero?" Benny replied.
"Naw, I'm your big brother. Do you have any weapons in here?" He asked. The walker's were still surrounding the vehicle and some were trying to pull themselves across the trunk to get in the car. A few were getting much closer than Daryl was comforted with and he pulled out his knife and stabbed a few in the head.
"There's a gun under the seat, I'll grab it, but how are we gonna get out of here?" Benny asked.
As if Rick had read his mind, he began to lay on the horn, distracting several of the group that were trying intently to make a meal out of Daryl and Benton. Daryl counted eight walkers surrounding the vehicle at the moment and Benny had produced a gun with six shots, along with the two he had left. "Have you ever shot a gun?" Daryl asked.
"No" Benny said dryly.
"OK, I'm gonna take out the few around the back here with my knife, when I say go, you make a run for the SUV where your momma is, and then I will come out after you. Hopefully I have enough ammo to keep ya covered and get myself to the vehicle as well." Daryl told the younger boy.
"This sounds like suicide." Benny replied.
"Well if we stay here we are as good as dead anyway…unless you got any other options, it's the best I can do at the moment." Daryl told the kid in a terse tone.
"Fine. I'm ready when you give me the signal." Benny told him.
Daryl counted to three and then shoved Benny up and out of the broken back window, stabbing a wayward walker that made a grab at Benny's shoulder. Daryl then pulled himself out of the back onto the trunk, giving himself a higher view of his surroundings. He didn't have much time, but he did manage to clear a path for Benny to make it to the SUV that Rick had maneuvered as close to them as possible. Daryl drew a sigh of relief as he saw the back door open and Cesar pulled the boy inside. Now all he had to do was get his self to vehicle.
About ten walkers now blocked his path to the vehicle and Rick couldn't get any closer than twenty feet from him. Daryl was down to one final shot and he had decided that if things went south, he would use it on himself. The last thing he needed was to get bit and turn into one of the undead.
Taking a deep breath Daryl calmed his self down and focused on the vehicle. The dead could smell the blood from his gash on his leg and were attracted to him like a moth to a flame. Once again he counted to three and then jumped off the back of the vehicle, stabbing at any hand that made an attempt to grab him. He felt a walker pull on his jacket, but was thankful for the thickness of it, protecting him from bites and scratches. Before Daryl could react though, he had four walkers closing in on him and his mind went back to that one last bullet in his gun. It was looking more and more like he was going to need it for himself.
Fortunately, as the four walkers began to engulf him, Rick had stopped the SUV and he and Cesar laid down enough gunfire to take out the walkers in Daryl's immediate surroundings and clear a path for him to make it to the SUV. Daryl ran with everything he had left in him, and as he finally approached the vehicle, the front passenger door swung open and Benny let him in.
Daryl dove into the front seat and Rick took off with the door still open. Somehow they had miraculously managed to escape the herd that attacked them and Daryl was finally able to pull the door shut.
Rick looked at him "You OK?"
Daryl just nodded and then responded "Piece of cake."