We are actually getting sort of close to the end of this story! I'm not sure how many more chapters there will be (probably five or six). But fear not! I have already started outlining my next story (it will be an AU Daryl Dixon story set in 1920s Prohibition)! I can't wait to start writing it.
The atmosphere was tense on the bus, but it was a good tension. The discovery of Carl's hat had been the first real clue they had found since the start of their journey, and knowing that they were close had everyone feeling anxious and somewhat excited. After making it out of the town unscathed, Daryl instructed Glenn to drive in the direction the tire marks had headed. He was confident that the blood he had seen on the ground couldn't have been more than a week old, meaning the group was still hopefully close.
They had encountered only one impassible road, and there was only one other possibility heading north, making it easy for them to know which way to go. They had passed through two more small towns and had searched them without much of a problem, which was a relief after the close call earlier in the day. They hadn't found any further concrete clues in the two towns, but Carl's hat still had them feeling optimistic.
As the sun descended in the sky throughout the afternoon, they began to look for a place to stop for the evening. They hoped they could find some kind of house or building to spend the night in, as the encounter with the herd that morning had everyone feeling wary about spending the night on the side of the highway. Stella felt exhausted due to the events of the day and the watch she had taken the night before, and she couldn't wait to find a place to rest. Daryl had taken over driving a few hours prior, and as she examined his tired face in the rearview mirror, she could tell that he also needed rest.
Suddenly, the bus passed a sign that caught her attention. Lake Lanier: 5 miles. She remembered Lake Lanier from her college days. She and her friends had spent several weekends there. They had rented cabins or camped and spent their days boating or relaxing on one of the lake's beaches. She remembered the gorgeous blue-green shade of the water and the fun times she had experienced there. She wondered if it would be a good place to spend the evening.
"Can biters swim?" she asked, her question directed at no one in particular.
"Not that I know of," Maggie replied.
"They can't," Beth said. "We took shelter at this country club for a few days back in Atlanta, and they had a little lake by the clubhouse. A couple of walkers fell in, but they just thrashed around in the water for a while until they drifted back to where they could touch the bottom. I don't think they have enough muscle coordination to swim."
"That makes sense," Stella nodded. "Lake Lanier is a couple of miles away. Maybe we could look for a place to spend the night around there? If we have our backs to the water, it's just one less direction we'll need to keep watch on."
"I like that idea," Daryl said from the driver's seat. "It'll also allow us to refill our water supply."
He followed the signs for Lake Lanier and exited the highway. Daryl drove aimlessly down a road surrounded by trees for a while before they saw signs for a marina, meaning they were near the water's edge. Daryl turned down the road that led to the marina. As they approached, Stella could see several large docks jutting out into the water. There were boats in many of the dock slips.
"What if we spend the night on a boat?" Stella wondered aloud. "If the dead can't swim, we'd be unreachable."
"Not a good idea," Daryl disagreed as he pulled to a stop in front of a building that looked like it had once been a restaurant. "Say a herd came through and stranded us out on the water. Or people lookin' to steal our supplies when we're out there and out of reach."
"Oh, yeah," Stella said, feeling stupid. She looked around through the windows. Everything appeared deserted and still, but the sheer size of the marina suddenly made her feel nervous.
"What if people are living on their boats?" she wondered.
"We should definitely do a sweep of all the docks before bedding down for the night," Glenn said. Daryl killed the engine and the group stood, everyone grabbing weapons.
"Let's split into groups of two to check stuff out. We've got a lot of ground to cover before dark," Maggie said.
Naturally, the group split into their respective couples and each set out in a different direction. Thankfully the little peninsula the marina was situated on seemed to be void of any walkers at the moment, but Stella found herself fearing the possibility of the living more than the dead. She followed Daryl to the first dock.
"I'll take this side, you take that side," Daryl muttered quietly. She nodded and peered into the first boat on her side of the dock, seeing nothing. The boats on this dock were small, but Daryl and Stella climbed aboard each boat with a cuddy and made sure the cuddies were clear before moving on. They systematically checked the boats on the three docks they had volunteered to check, thankfully finding all the boats empty.
They made their way back toward the restaurant where the bus was parked. As they reached it, they noticed Beth and Noah emerging from the building.
"Restaurant's clear," Noah called to them. "But it's definitely been scavenged. There's not a crumb of food to be had inside."
"Docks on the south side are all clear," Daryl replied.
"Same with the docks on the north," Beth said.
They saw Maggie and Glenn also approaching the group. "All clear," Glenn declared as he reached them. "Had to get rid of one walker that was still in his boat, but that was all."
Daryl nodded and looked around. It seemed a safe enough spot to spend the night. It was deserted of both living and dead, and any wandering ghouls could only come from one direction.
"Let's sleep in the restaurant," Daryl said. The group nodded in agreement. Stella's eyes suddenly brightened and a grin spread across her face.
"I have a fishing pole on the bus," she said excitedly. "We grabbed one in the town where we found you guys," she nodded toward Beth and Noah.
"Do you know how to use it?" Daryl asked her with a teasing tone.
"Yes," Stella replied defiantly. "My daddy used to love fishing."
"Fish sounds amazing," Maggie grinned.
"All right, you try your hand with the fishing pole and I'll see if there's any game in the woods around here," Daryl said. "Hopefully we'll all go to bed with a full belly tonight."
The water was cool and refreshing on Stella's bare feet. She sat at the edge of one of the docks with her jeans rolled up and her feet in the water. The sun had just set, and the sky reflected shades of light pink, purple, and dark blue. She had succeeded in catching several fish earlier, and Daryl had also brought back a rabbit from his short hunt. The group had merrily enjoyed their dinner, and now Stella had slipped away to enjoy the peace and quiet. Daryl was asleep in the restaurant, as he had volunteered to take second watch, and Glenn and Maggie had mysteriously disappeared toward one of the docks. Stella smirked to herself, knowing they were likely using one of the boat cuddies for some alone time.
The sound of footsteps on the dock behind her jolted her out of her reverie, but it was only Beth approaching.
"Mind if I join you?" the blonde asked quietly.
Stella smiled. "Please do."
Beth copied Stella and removed her shoes and rolled up her jeans. She sat down on the dock next to her and slipped her feet into the cool water.
"Noah on watch?" Stella asked.
Beth nodded, looking out on the water. "It's nice here," she said after a moment. "Quiet. Peaceful."
"Yeah," Stella agreed. "I used to come here in college for weekend getaways. I've had a lot of good times on this lake."
"Like what?" Beth asked with a smile.
Stella sighed wistfully, a grin spreading across her face. "Lots of things. One weekend, about ten of us came up here. We rented two pontoon boats and spent all day that Saturday on the lake drinking beer and horsing around. I got the worst sunburn of my life that weekend. It blistered and everything." She chuckled to herself. "Or another time, we decided to camp on the shoreline somewhere, and a couple of guys convinced this one girl that there were bears in these woods. She was from Nebraska or Iowa or something and wasn't an outdoorsy type, so she was easy to fool. Anyway, a couple of raccoons started fighting near where we were camped, and she thought it was a bear. She ran into the water in all her clothes to get away from it. She was furious when she found out there weren't actually any bears around here."
Beth laughed, her smile genuine and bright. The pair were silent for a few minutes, both just thinking and remembering.
"It's good you still like to talk about life before all this," Beth said suddenly. "Not a lot of people do anymore. It's like they want to forget, or like they think it's too painful to remember. But I think it's good to remember."
Stella nodded, surprised by how deep Beth's statement actually was. "The world is definitely different now. But we still have to live in it, and we have to make the most of it. I always try to look at the positive side of things. It's the only way we'll get through life the way it is. We have to appreciate what we had then, what we have now, and whatever we end up with in the future."
"I like that," Beth said. "It's good to appreciate things, even when we don't have much."
"It's like I told Daryl a long time ago," Stella remembered. "Survival isn't living. We have to live as well as survive."
Beth smiled. "You and Daryl are good together," she said. "He really needed someone like you."
"Thanks," Stella said. "I needed him, too. More than I realized."
"He may be rough around the edges, but he has a big heart. And you should know that if he opens his heart to you and lets you in, it's a huge deal."
Stella nodded. "I know. I'm starting to see that more."
"Daryl's the kind of guy who will love someone forever once he gives his heart to them," Beth continued. Stella's eyes widened at her use of the word "love." She knew she felt deeply for Daryl, and he for her, but the word "love" scared her a little. She didn't use the word lightly, and obviously Daryl didn't either. Love wasn't a game or a casual thing to her. She bit her lip, her thoughts reeling. Did she love Daryl?
"Sorry, I'll shut up now," Beth said with a smile. "But just know this—if you break his heart, you'll have me to answer to."
Stella met Beth's eyes, noticing her smirk and teasing expression. Even though her expression was playful, Stella knew that Beth would probably defend Daryl until the end. She grinned at the younger girl and shook her head.
"I don't think you'll have to worry about that," she said. "His heart is safe with me."
Author's Note: I have no idea if zombies in the Walking Dead world can swim. While researching the subject, I came across several debates about it, and I wasn't able to find a definitive answer. For the sake of this story, zombies cannot swim. They also cannot walk along the bottom of bodies of water like World War Z zombies do. Just wanted to clarify that. :)
