"How much farther?" Lori asked
"Not much. Maybe a hundred yards. As the crow flies" Daryl answered.
He sounds exhausted, I don't blame him. We're all running on empty. I'm trying not to wheeze but I sound like a dying car's tailpipe. A leaking can of aerosol.
"Too bad we're not crows" Andrea stomped to the side of me as she walked. Feet crashing on leaves and sticks with every step.
Glenn nudged me and pointed to a strangely warped mushroom on a log. The corner of my lip lifted and my feet came to halt in front of it.
I stiffly leaned down to pick it, attempting to not be too obvious in holding my side as I did it, when a scream snapped my attention away from it.
"Andrea?!" Lori called out, head's swivelling in every direction to check for the grumpy blonde before several pairs of heavy steps were running towards the screams.
The fall slowed me down quite a bit more than I'd have liked but I still kept pace with them, opting to stay next to Carol near the back.
We ran through the trees, headed for a patch of tan until we came to a stop several feet from a girl on a horse but I don't see Andrea.
My first instinct was to pull my gun on the girl but that flew out the window when she spoke.
"Lori? Lori Grimes? Whoa" How the crap does she know her name?
"I'm Lori" said woman panted next to me, staring.
"Rick sent me you gotta come now" the girl rushed the words out as fast as humanly possible.
"What?" Lori's brow scrunched in confusing; a state of nonplussed sweeping over the rest of the group.
"There's been a accident. Carl's been shot" Oh my God "He's still alive, but you gotta come now"
My brow shot to my hairline, mouth falling ajar, and eyes shooting to Lori.
She gaped like a fish out of water, eyes wide, mouth opening and closing in disbelief.
"Rick needs you, just come!"
Lori's backpack hit the ground with a thud and was already getting on the horse before Daryl could get two words out.
"Whoa whoa whoa, we don't know this girl. You can't get on that horse-" he tried to stop Lori without touching her.
I grabbed Daryl's arm and shook my head. Nothing he— or anyone says is gonna change Lori's mind about going with this woman, rightfully so.
If what she says is true, it's worth the risk.
"Rick said you had others on the highway. That big traffic snarl?" she looked at Glenn.
"Uh-huh" Glenn nodded in a complete daze, chest heaving from running.
"Backtrack to Fairburn road. Two miles down is our farm. You'll see the mailbox, the name's Greene. Hiyah!" And just like that, the two rode off into the woods, leaving the rest of us standing here like deer in headlights.
All eyes staring after the horse even after it was long gone.
I spotted Andrea in the dirt several feet from back the way she came. Her face twisted in shock.
I moved around Daryl, going to her side and normally I would've crouched to see if she's okay but under the circumstances I offered my hand instead, giving her a once over as she stared at my palm.
She stared at my hand, reaching him to take it when growls came over my shoulder.
I turned sharply and before I got two inches the pain in my neck twinging and my eyelids slammed shut, stopping the action mid-turn.
I turned my shoulders, enough to side-eye the walker with a chunk of missing forehead sit up.
"Shut up" Daryl put a bolt through it's head nonchalantly as he strode towards Andrea and I, offering his hand as well.
Andrea took both our hands, pulling herself to her feet and my hand stung with the contact of her sweaty grip, making my jaw clench long after she let go.
I curled my fingers into a fist in an attempt to stop or lessen the sting and gave her the same concerned, questioning gaze Daryl's shot my way every few minutes since my flight.
She gave an unconvincing nod but she doesn't have any bites or scratches as far as I can tell, so either she's scared or in shock; Probably both.
We've all had near-death experiences before, but nothing like this. She needs to lay down lest she goes into shock, but not out here. God no. We're not far from the highway, I'll have to keep an eye on her until we make it back.
I side-eyed Daryl, actually remembering the shooting pain in my throbbing neck for a change, and he returned the look with a short nod.
He jerked his head towards the trees, touching my elbow with his finger in a silent indication of 'come on'.
I laid my hand on Andrea's back as we started walking, Carol and Glenn waiting until we caught up to them to start moving.
Daryl was right. We're whittling down into smaller and smaller groups.
"Shot? What do you mean shot?" Dale walked towards us as Glenn helped me step over the guardrail.
"I don't know Dale. I wasn't there. All I know is this chick rode out of nowhere like Zorro on a horse and took Lori." Breathe Glenn. I know you're freaked out but breathe.
"You let her?" Dale cast an accusing look at Daryl while he and Carol stepped over the rail, followed by Andrea.
"Climb down out of my ass, old man. Rick sent her. She knew Lori's name, and Carl's." Daryl brushed past me going towards the RV.
"I heard screams. Was that you?" Dale asked Andrea as she pushed past him; not giving him the time of day.
"She got attacked by a walker. It was a close call." Glenn answered for her.
I'm really trying not to be insensitive but she is tap-dancing on my last nerve. You lived, you're fine. See the glass half full for once; Take the win, for God's sakes. You don't have so much as a scratch. Carl got shot, and we don't know if Rick and Shane are okay either.
"Andrea, are you alright?" Dale called after her. She stopped at the RV side door and turned back with the hate of a thousand years packed behind a glower.
I glanced at Dale before the RV door slamming made me jerk. Wow...ok, I'm out of this pissing contest. I don't have the patience for this shit right now.
I trudged towards Daryl, and pulled myself up on the hood of Carol's car. It was a bit more difficult than usual, considering, but it beats sitting on the ground, or blocking the RV steps.
I'm glad I didn't decide to hop on the truck hood by the motorcycle. I barely got myself up on this thing and it's only 4 feet off the ground.
"You good?" Daryl came over, leaning against the car next to me.
I nodded, humming in response.
Note to self: running is a bad idea, so is sitting up, walking, using any upper body strength at all, and breathing too deeply.
My side is killing me.
I used my elbow to ease myself into laying back, resting against the windshield. What I wouldn't give for an actual bed right now. A soft memory foam one, with big puffy silk covers, and feather pillows.
Mm, just thinking about it makes me tired.
I let my eyes drift closed but even if I was dead on my feet right now, I wouldn't be able to.
About ten minutes later, Daryl pushed off the hood as the others started discussing the farm that girl told us about, but he didn't go far.
He won't admit it, but you can't hide it from these sharp eyes, Dixon. You're a worrier.
Worried about Sophia, worried about everyone splitting up, worried about more people getting lost and maybe killed.
You're worried about what happens next, and about my stupid ass falling out of that tree. And I know, because you can't sit still when you're worried. Like you're doing right now. Shifting on your feet, gaze flitting around. Anxious, tense, restless.
The others may not see it, and you're admittedly very good at hiding behind a scowl, but you're an open book to me.
"I won't do it. We can't just leave." Carol refused.
"Carol, the group is split. We're scattered and weak." Dale argued, leaning against the RV's wide open side door.
"What if she comes back, and we're not here?" her voice cracked, a mother's desperation dripping from every word.
"It could happen" Carol's voice dropped to a broken mumble. Holding out hope that's dying fast in others.
"If Sophia found her way back and we were gone, that would be awful" Andrea acknowledged her point.
Daryl nodded, chewing the inside of his bottom lip. "Okay. We gotta plan for this. I say tomorrow morning's soon enough to pull up stakes. Give us a chance to rig a big sign, leave her some supplies."
Carol shifted, the ghost of a grateful smile cast Daryl's way. She isn't happy about the idea of leaving and she has every right to be.
I'm glad I don't have kids right now, they all seem to be getting the short end of the stick. Carl getting shot, Sophia getting lost, meanwhile we can't do anything but wander these accursed woods, pray Carl's gonna be okay, and hope we get lucky.
I can't imagine how scared she must be. Seeing monsters behind every fleeting movement, hearing them with every faint noise. Not being able to do anything but run, and hide...hoping and wishing for someone to save you.
"I'll hold here tonight. Stay with the RV." Daryl's gesture to the RV brought me back into the conversation.
"If the RV's staying, I am too." Dale declared without missing a beat.
"Thank you. Thank you both." Carol nodded, casting grateful smiles to the both of them. Daryl returned her nod with a brief one of his own before looking to Andrea.
"...I'm in" Andrea smiled weakly.
"Well, if you're all staying then I'm—"
"No, not you Glenn. You're going. Take- take Carol's cherokee." Dale interrupted the pizza boy before he finished.
"Me?" Glenn laughed humorlessly, "Why's it always me?"
I wouldn't bother Glenn. People have asked themselves that for centuries and have yet to find an answer.
"We have to find this farm, reconnect with our people, and find out what's going on but most important, you have to get T-Dog there." Dale stated firmly.
"This is not an option. That cut has gone from bad to worse, he has a very. serious. blood infection. Get him to that farm...see if they have any anti-biotics, because if not...T-Dog will die, no joke."
Who would joke about something like that nowadays? Aside from facetious assholes(like myself unfortunately) who are the one's about to get their string cut.
I watched Daryl shift, turning like he was going to move but stopped, then decided to do it anyway. Walking to his motorcycle, he swiped a rag off of it -tossing Dale a scowl- before digging through the side bag and jerking out a plastic sack.
"Keep your oily rags off my brother's motorcycle" Daryl threw the cloth at Dale's chest with a snap before dropping the bag next to me on the hood.
"Why'd you wait till now to say anything? Got my brother's stash." I watched Daryl dig through the bag.
That's a lot of drugs, by any standard, let alone for one person. No wonder Merle's brain was— is scrambled. I always thought he might be a little gone in the head but...I didn't expect to be right.
"Crystal, X. Don't need that." Daryl pulled a bottle out of the bag and read the label before tossing it to Glenn, who caught it reflexively. "Some kickass painkillers."
You see that, that right there is what makes me wonder about pizza boy.
"Doxycycline" Daryl pulled out another prescription bottle and tossed it to Dale, who barely caught it. "Not the generic stuff, neither. It's first class."
"Merle got the clap on occasion."Daryl shrugged off the comment like it was entirely normal to tell people that. He picked up the sack, taking it back to the motorcycle.
I could have lived without that information. Eh—! or that picture. God— Why would you do this to me, Daryl!?
I clenched my teeth to keep from laughing while everyone else exchanged disgusted glances.
"Eve, you go with those two." Daryl came back towards me.
"Why is she going?" Dale asked as I tried to sit up suddenly, a sharp burning in my torso preventing me from doing so. I tried to shake my head in protest but had to stop after only one turn. Oh god, I shouldn't have laid back, my back's stinging like I jumped off the high dive and smacked into the pool.
"That's why" Daryl pointed at me and I scowled at him, clenching my fist.
"What happened?" Dale looked to the others for clarification, an abrupt flare of concern being cast my way.
"Casper here fell out of a tree." Glenn explained.
Dale looked at me like a concerned parent and I put my hand up, signaling he shouldn't be. Hoping he wasn't focusing on my clenched fist on the hood.
It's not as bad as they're making it out to be.
A new bloom of pain spread from the base of my spine as I tried to slide off the hood.
I hope.