I don't own anything from The Walking Dead, even if I really wish I did! Kerri is all mine though! Enjoy :)
Inside the library Kerri saw Daryl seated at one of the tables speaking with the same dark skinned woman with dreads who had opened the gates for them yesterday. The pair was looking over several maps that they had spread out over the surface. The door closed behind Kerri with a loud thump causing the pair to look up. The woman smiled and Daryl simply met her eyes with the same stare he had given her while she was eating lunch.
"I'm Michonne," the woman said, extending her hand as Kerri approached the table. She shook the other woman's hand and took a seat at the table.
"We're just waitin' on Sasha an' Bob, then we can start the meetin'," Daryl mumbled, he had put his head down after looking at Kerri.
Within the next five minutes Kerri met the two others and the small group began their meeting.
"So for this run we're going to have to travel farther than we have in the past," Michonne began, "The only store we haven't touched in the area is the local Big Spot, but it's overrun with walkers from the refugee camp they had there in the beginning and we haven't figured out a safe plan for that yet. With all the traffic pile ups blocking the roads it's probably going to take us two days."
"We're gonna go to some outlets about thirty miles from 'ere," Daryl said, pointing to a circle on the map he had drawn in black permanent marker.
"It's got lots of stores, I found a brochure for it 'bout a month ago in a gas station," he continued.
"Like what kind of stores?" Sasha asked.
"Grocery store, pharmacy, places with clothes, and a couple restaurants," Daryl answered, thumbing through the brochure, "I figured Bob could go with ya an' Michonne to the pharmacy since he knows what to look for," he told Sasha.
Sasha nodded, taking the brochure from Daryl and looking over the list of stores.
"What about me?" Kerri questioned, speaking for the first time since the introductions at the beginning of the meeting.
"Figured me and you could check the restaurants and grocery store for food first, then meet back at the car with everyone an' check the rest together," Daryl said.
"Okay," Kerri responded. She felt her stomach twist with nerves at the thought of being alone with Daryl on the run. Normally she would never question her survival skills, but she had seen Daryl in action on their way back from the prison, his skills were outstanding and honestly made her feel inferior. She didn't want to embarrass herself or endanger anyone by making any mistakes.
"Now that we got a plan, we can leave tomorrow morning at dawn," Daryl concluded, standing up from his spot at the table. Kerri stood too, saying goodbye to Sasha, Bob, and Michonne before leaving the room.
Kerri didn't sleep well at all. She tossed and turned on her thin mattress almost all night before giving up all hope on any decent rest. She got up in the wee hours of the morning, pulling on her jeans and boots along with the second t-shirt that Carol had given her the previous day. To kill time, she sharpened her hunting knife and cleaned her pistol, paranoia pushing her to have all her weapons in near-perfect condition.
Even after Kerri finished, she still had a while until the group was due to meet outside. She decided to wander down to the cell block and hopefully find something to fill her growling stomach.
Downstairs was deserted and dark, everyone else was still sleeping and Kerri relished in the quiet. She lit one of the oil lamps sitting on a table closest to the food and began looking for anything to eat. On one of the shelves she found a pack of instant coffee and nearly jumped for joy. Kerri hadn't had coffee in what felt like forever and it had once been something she thought it would be impossible to live without.
While she waited for the water to boil for the coffee, she turned back to the shelves and rummaged around until she found a box of granola bars. Pulling one from the package she sat down and began to eat until the water was ready.
Once her coffee was finished, Kerri poured it into a chipped mug that she found in one of the cabinets. She drank it quickly, not minding the bitter taste or the fact that it was burning the tip of her tongue. Around the time she finished her coffee, she heard movement coming from the stairs. It was Daryl with an empty duffel bag in one hand and his crossbow in the other.
He walked up to the table beside her, placing his items on it and going for the coffee Kerri had made.
"Mornin'," he said gruffly, with his back turned to her pouring the hot liquid into a mug. He turned to face her, drinking his coffee quickly.
"Ya seen anyone else down here this mornin'?" he asked, looking around the cell block. Kerri shook her head, heading back for a second cup of coffee.
Daryl scowled at her answer, "Damn, we need to get outta here soon. I was tryin' to be back by tomorrow afternoon. If they don't hurry the hell up we're gonna be stuck out there too long."
They only had to wait for the rest of the group for a few more minutes. When everyone had gathered in the cell block they packed two bags of food and water bottles to hold them over and moved to the cars waiting in the yard.
Daryl and Kerri were to ride in a black SUV while Michonne, Sasha, and Bob were going in a maroon mini-van. Both vehicles had seats that could be folded down to make maximum room for their supplies.
The ride to the outlets was long and filled with an awkward silence. Daryl didn't speak as he maneuvered the large vehicle around bodies and abandoned cars. Several times he reached an area that was impassable and their group would have to backtrack. Kerri wanted to talk about anything to end the silence, but it seemed like the words always died in her throat.
When they finally reached a clear stretch of road, Kerri finally forced the words out, "So how long have you been with the group?" She honestly already knew the answer to this question from her conversations with Carol, but she couldn't think of anything better to say.
"Since the beginnin'," he answered, his eyes never leaving the road. She noticed his right hand grip the top of the steering wheel a little tighter.
Silence followed for quite a while after his answer. Kerri was nervous to speak again, she could tell he wasn't exactly the type of person to jump into a conversation, let alone with someone he barely knew.
"Ya said that ya were on your own since it started," Daryl began, turning his head to face Kerri, "Ya really didn't have anyone this whole time?"
She was taken aback by his sudden interest in talking when they'd been riding in such uncomfortable silence for nearly thirty minutes, but she did her best not to let her face show it.
"I met up with a few groups here and there, but nothing was ever permanent. We would get separated or they'd get bit. Most of the time they already knew each other, so I was just an outsider that they let tag along, so when things got bad they would leave me behind," Kerri responded, thinking back to everyone she'd met since the world went to shit.
"That's fucked up," Daryl said, his eyes still on the road.
"Yeah, lots of people show just how fucked up they are when things go bad," Kerri continued, "That's why I had a hard time believing you when you told me about the prison."
"Most of the people I bring back feel the same way," he explained, "But most of em don't handle walkers the way ya do."
Kerri looked confused, not bothering to try and mask her expression. The only time Daryl had seen her take on walkers she had been doing a pretty shitty job and almost got herself killed.
"What do you mean?" she asked, "When you saw me I was almost walker bait."
"Yeah, ya were. But that was just tha' one day," he said. Kerri looked even more confused now, her eyebrows furrowed together.
Daryl almost smiled at the look on her face, but managed to hide it by rubbing his chin before explaining.
"I had been huntin' for almost two days before I helped ya," he began, "I was stickin' to the woods, tryin' to avoid most of the walkers and I seen ya a couple times walkin' down that dirt road ya were followin'. I seen ya kill groups as big as ten of em an' make it look easy."
"Why didn't you come out sooner?" Kerri asked, amazed that she hadn't seen or heard him in all that time.
"I didn't know if ya had a group waitin' on ya. Like ya said, it's hard to trust people these days. I only stopped when I knew ya were in trouble that ya couldn't get outta ya self."
"So that's why you told Rick you wanted me on the run?" she questioned.
"Yeah, I knew ya would be able to kick ass and hold ya own with the rest of us," he said, steering the car around several walkers that stretched their arms towards the moving vehicle.
Kerri could help the feeling of pride that welled up in her chest at his words and a small smiled crossed her lips.
A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks for all the favorites, follows, and reviews, it really means a lot to me :) I have outlines for the next couples of chapters ready so all I've got to do is bring it to life, hopefully I won't be plagued by any writer's block *fingers crossed* Oh, and what did you guys think of the mid-season finale?! February seems a long time away :(