Twenty-Three
It took almost forty-five minutes for any sign of life to appear from within the walls of the boarding school. A security light outside the security guard's shack lit up like Christmas before a loud popping sound filled the air and the light burnt out. The gates began to creak and groan as they swung open. Lori, Maggie, Hershel and Shane drove the vehicles through the gates, and when they swung shut with a loud clang behind them, Daryl came walking out of the guard shack.
"We checked all around the perimeter. Weren't no walkers. First floor of the first dorm is cleared. Found two of 'em in the lobby. Put 'em down and dragged 'em out back. Might be more upstairs, but the place is secure so long as nobody opens the doors to the stair wells. Tomorrow, we're gonna make a sweep through the rest of the building, check out what we can. We'll go through the other buildings and the school, see what we can find."
"It's safe," Carol deduced. He nodded.
"Rick's checkin' the generator, but there ain't much juice. Plus, the damn thing's almost busted."
"Can it be fixed?"
"Don't know. Probably get a better look at it when we got more light. But we're safe for the night, gonna have a roof over our heads. Beds. Gonna be cold, but there's plenty of blankets."
"I don't even care," Maggie groaned, stretching as Glenn put his arm around her. "I just needed out of that car."
"Hope ya'll like bunkbeds," Daryl snorted, glancing over in Maggie and Glenn's direction. Maggie was too tired to blush, and Glenn just bit back a grin. Carol caught up to Daryl and slipped her hand into his. He jumped in surprise but quickly relaxed when she looked up at him with those big, blue eyes. She leaned in.
"I'll come to you after Sophia's asleep," she whispered. She could practically hear him swallow hard, and she felt his hand get all sweaty against hers. He shot her a look that went straight to her core, all smoldering and full of need, and she took a shaky breath.
"Mom?" Sophia called from behind. "Can I have the top bunk?"
"Are you sure? Your leg isn't hurting?"
"No, it's fine. Besides, I should try. What if I get chased by a walker, and all I can do is climb on top of something? I gotta practice."
"Well, you certainly make a good point," Carol chuckled. Daryl opened the door, and the faint smell of decay hit them all in the face.
"Don't worry," Daryl assured them. "Gets better as you get down the hall a way. It's dusty, but it's safe for the night." A loud thump over head made them all jump, and Carol pulled Sophia a little closer.
"What the hell was that?" T-Dog asked, pulling his gun from his belt.
"Probably one of them upstairs. Don't worry. Me and Rick checked. Ain't no way it can get at us."
"I don't know if I can sleep with those things right over us," Andrea admitted.
"We have to try. We'll have more energy tomorrow," Carol urged. "I don't like the idea myself, but I also don't like the idea of hunting those things down when we don't have enough daylight left. It's too dangerous."
A loud bang made them all jump again, and they looked to see Rick shutting the back entrance. Carol sighed and gave Daryl's hand a squeeze.
"Generator's shot," he muttered. "We'll look at it tomorrow." He ran his hand over his face and suppressed a yawn.
"Let's get to bed," Lori urged.
"We should eat first," Hershel encouraged. "Going to sleep on an empty stomach's not going to do any of us any good. We'll be restless all night."
"Found some food in the back kitchen," Daryl explained. "We'll check the other dorms tomorrow and the school. Got some canned corn and beef stew. Enough for tonight and to take with us. Ain't out of date yet, so we might as well enjoy it while we can."
"Why don't we find our rooms and meet in the kitchen?" Rick urged. "Kitchen's down this hall." He motioned toward the left and then to the right. "Down there's about two dozen rooms to pick from. I suggest sticking close together in case anything happens in the night. Keep your doors closed. Stay away from the stair wells and just stick to the rooms and the bathrooms. The place is secure for now, and we wanna keep it that way."
Everybody ambled down the right corridor that led to the rooms. Rick chose the one closest to the front, to no-one's surprise. He wanted to be ready for anything, and being right at the front of the hall gave him the good fortune of being able to hear anything trying to get in. He and Lori took that room. Across from their room, Hershel claimed a room for himself.
"Do I get my own room?" Carl asked.
"If you promise you won't wander off or go exploring," Lori insisted sternly. Carl suppressed an eyeroll, because he knew his mother hated them so.
"I promise I won't," he nodded.
"Alright. You bunk next to me and Dad then, ok?" She nodded to the door right next door. Carl's face lit up, and he hurried off to claim his room.
"I don't want my own room," Sophia whispered. She glanced toward the ceiling, and Carol pulled her arm around her daughter's shoulders.
"Don't worry. You can still bunk with me."
"I'll take this one," Andrea yawned, nudging a door open with her foot next to Hershel's room. She glanced around and deemed the room good enough for the night.
The others spread out, looking for a room to bunk in, and Carol and Sophia took the room next to T-Dog's. Carol watched as Daryl chose a room a few doors down from everyone else. She knew exactly why he chose it, and she couldn't stop the blush that rose in her cheeks.
The halls were dark by the time the group finished eating. They tossed the dirty dishes into the sink and left them. When morning came and allowed for a closer inspection of the grounds, they'd all be able to see if the place was truly safe enough to put down roots for a while.
…
Carol was one of the last to finish cleaning up in the bathrooms. When she found her way back to her room, Sophia was up on the top bunk with a flashlight in one hand and a book in the other. However, her flashlight-holding hand had fallen to the wayside, and the object was mere seconds away from falling to the floor with a crash. The girl had fallen asleep in the less than ten minutes Carol had been gone.
Carol smiled to herself and reached up to take the flashlight and book. She turned the flashlight off and tucked it and the book into Sophia's pack. She pulled a blanket over her girl, and Sophia stirred lightly before rolling onto her side and sighing that heavy, final sigh before sleep took her under.
It was a cool night, and Carol rubbed her hands over her arms before she slipped out of the room and closed the door. She padded down the corridor in her socks, and she could see the faint glow from a lantern from under Daryl's door. She felt a rush of heat spread through her veins like wildfire. She always got that rush of excitement and fluttering of butterflies when she went to him. They'd known each other for such a small amount of time in the scheme of things, but she knew him better than anybody she'd ever known. She knew his touch, his kiss, his laugh. She knew there was darkness and pain in his past, some of which he'd likely never speak on. It was ok with her, because she had her own darkness and pain that left her stomach churning and a hot, sick feeling in the back of her throat to even think on. Still, she was certain that he knew her better than anybody else had.
She turned the knob on the door and slipped inside. She found him laying back in the bed with his arms folded behind his head. He had his eyes closed but a little smirk on his lips. He was bare-chested, and she knew he had to be naked under those covers. She bit her lip and pushed the door shut behind her. She thought for a moment, and when she spotted a wooden chair at a desk in the corner, she grabbed it and propped it up under the knob. Daryl cracked one eye open in time to see her slip out of her T-shirt and shimmy out of her sleep pants.
She crossed the room, naked, her skin pale in the bright glow from the battery-powered lantern.
"Didn't want any interruptions," she whispered. Daryl tossed the covers back, revealing he was already semi-hard, and Carol's core throbbed.
"Climb in. S'getting cold." Carol slipped under the covers with him, and he brought the covers over her waist. Her breasts swayed and brushed against his chest when she climbed on top of him. Daryl groaned and shifted his hips. "Been missin' this."
"Me too," she whispered, reaching for the lantern light.
"What're you doin'?" he asked. "Leave it on. Like seein' your face." He gently rubbed his hand up and down her back, and she smiled.
"We should save the batteries," she whispered. He chuckled at her practicality. Daryl snorted.
"Fuck the batteries. Wanna see you when you come for me." Carol blushed, even then with his stiff cock slipping against her slickness.
"Shh," she whispered, leaning down and pressing her lips against his. "Close your eyes." She reached over and flicked off the lantern, leaving them bathed in darkness. A disappointed groan escaped his mouth, and she giggled, sliding her hand down his chest and stomach, reaching between them to stroke him from base to tip.
"Fuck," he groaned out.
"Eyes closed?" she teased.
"Mmmhmm," he murmured, digging his fingers into her hips.
"Good," she murmured. She pushed up on her knees, guiding him with her hand before she sunk down slowly onto his cock.
"Oh fuck," he groaned. "Feel so damn good." Carol bit back a whimper as she took him in as far as she could. That sweet, aching stretch as she adjusted to his size never got old. He reached up, hands grazing blindly over her breasts. She leaned into his touch, a soft moan escaping as she buried her hands into the pillow under his head to give herself leverage.
She leaned over him, rocking as he thrust upward to meet her movements. The darkness did make it difficult. She loved looking into his eyes when she rode him, and now she wasn't even sure where she was looking or what she was looking at. But when she felt his mouth enclose over a nipple, she bit her lip and threw her head back.
"Touch me," she panted. "Daryl…" His hand moved down his own stomach and toward the base of his cock until his thumb brushed against her folds. She slowed down until his fingers began circling her sensitive flesh in rhythm with their bodies, and when his thumb flicked over her clit, her core throbbed around him, squeezing him in the most delicious way.
"Fuck, Carol," he bit out. "Ain't gonna last." She grinned into the darkness. She knew what he wanted then, and without words, she slipped out of him, and she let him take the lead. He rolled her onto her back and climbed over her, kissing a trail up from her hip bone, between her breasts, up her neck and behind her ear before finding her lips and slipping his tongue against hers. She sighed when he threw her leg over his and pushed into her, hard and fast.
She let out a gasp when he set a fast rhythm, gripping her hips and digging his knees into the mattress as he pounded into her. She was gripping his arms, crying out as her pussy fluttered and squeezed around him. When his hand came between them again and teased her clit with his calloused fingers, she felt her thighs squeeze around him, and he felt her body shudder with release a half second before his name spilled from her lips.
He was close, and he buried his face against her neck, inhaling her scent, feeling her pulse racing against his lips as he kissed the hollow of her throat. Her hands were in his hair then, and she was panting, whimpering over the sound of skin sliding and slapping against skin. Her arms curled around his neck, and it wasn't but a few moments more that he let go, spilling into her as she trembled through another orgasm.
He rested his forehead against her chest, and she chuckled softly when her breath slowly returned to normal. Her fingers threaded through his damp hair, and his hands wandered down her waist and hips. He pulled out of her then, rolling onto his side and pressing soft kisses to her shoulder. She let out a soft hum when he found her mouth again, kissing her like it was the first and last time, all soft and sweet and tender.
"Jesus Christ," Daryl panted, flopping onto his back, his cock still semi-hard and flagging against his belly. Carol chuckled and stared into the darkness and reached for his hand.
"Not bad for not being able to see a damn thing."
"Still like it better with the light on," he murmured. "Don't like not seein' you."
"It's kinda fun. Feels like we're sneaking around. Feels naughty."
"Naughty," he snorted. "After all the shit we've done?"
"Are you saying it was boring?" she teased.
"Nah. It's always good with you. Just can't do much in a tiny little bunk bed."
"Oh, no?" Carol asked, rolling to her side. "Is that a challenge?" He was quiet for a moment, and when he climbed over her and spread her legs apart, she had to bite her lip to keep from squealing. To her delight, Daryl was indeed up for the challenge.
Author's Note: Thanks again for reading, guys! So happy those of you who are still reading are enjoying it! Please let me know your thoughts on this chapter! As always, feedback is greatly appreciated!