Chapter 23
DPOV
I revved the bike up a few times and spun gravel at some walkers to try and get some away from Rick. Dumb ass had got 'im self trapped on the roof of the house after going inside to look for who the fuck knows what. I was still pissed off after helping him track Shane earlier; He'd said he needed ta talk with him, that it was important to do it quick, so I went out ta where Bella told me she ran into him this morning and went from there. We'd been out there for 'bout an hour trackin Shane's mindless wanderin' prints when Rick started getting' antsy. After 'bout the third time of him askin' me if I thought we was close yet, I started getting' a bad feelin and asked 'em what the fuck was really goin' on. Come ta find out Randall had escaped somehow and Bella was tha one ta find him gone earlier this afternoon.
I'd caught tail ends of their conversations over the past week here and there, 'n Bella warning Rick. How the fuck she knew all the shit she does, I got no damn clue, but who the fuck was we to complain. Seemed like she had play by play of the bad shit going down and wanted to help us for whatever reason. Bella wanted Randall out of the picture from what I put together, say'n he was a lying rapist piece of shit; Rick had steadily denied her request. Rick thought that Shane had taken Randall and wanted to find 'em to talk about what they was going ta do with 'em before Shane 'acted rashly' as Rick had said. I told 'em he was dumb ass, not tellin me that shit before we done tracked our asses at least an hour from the farm when I could'a been trackin from the barn, then punched 'em in the jaw for good measure. Bella…
I knew she'd taken her chance to go after 'em, a dangerous chance though. I ran back through the woods, not caring that Rick was fallin' behind. If there was a chance of helping Bella, I was goin' ta take it. She'd saved Merle's ass, found Sofia, n found us a nice place to hunker down, at least for the winter. I liked her being 'round, never had no one but Merle; everyone else always wanted something in return, but she seemed ta like hanging out with me just because. Girl didn't need no help survivin', 'n yeah I let her stay in my tent, but if I hadn't offered she would'a made camp in the woods. It was strange ta be around someone that just wanted to be around for your company; someone besides Merle, an' she sure was better company than he was. Smelled better too.
When I got back ta the farm it was gettin' dark and foggy. I headed for the barn, hopin' I was wrong, that she hadn' run off on her own, but I was right. Of course she'd gone off after 'em, tryin' ta keep everyone else safe 'sides herself. Just as I'd followed her tracks out ta the tree line, the shit hit the fan. Bella's warnin' came blaring back; she'd said the farm was going ta fall and she was fuckin' right. She prolly just saved the whole damn group with that warnin' alone, as the mass of walkers poured out of the trees. I started ta panic, know'n that I couldn't find her now; then I remember what we talked 'bout this mornin', backup plans to meet elsewhere if shit hit the fan; maybe she knew this would happen. I'd find her. That is if she made it through the hoard of walkers, didn't run into Randall and/or crazy ass Shane.
I fought my way ta my bike, stabbin' any walker in my way, determined to be at the backup spot if she showed up. Just as I'd made it to my bike, a gun started firing, drawing even more walkers ta the clearing. Like I said, Rick was a dumb ass. He can be tha voice of reason in certain times, but lately not so much. It's like the more Bella revealed, the more he pushed back at her. I'd known he upset her last night, she was cry'n; trying hard ta hide it from me, so I didn't mention it. Then tha way she took off this morning when he came ta our camp, I knew for sure it was him. Made me wish I'd punched 'im harder. As pissed as I was, I wasn't goin' ta let 'em die if I could help it; so I'd drawled off as many as I could.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flaming arrow fly into the barn, immediately goin' up in flames. She was alive! Had ta be her, the only other archer in the group. The herd swarmed to it giving Rick a chance ta jump off the roof and run ta the truck. I searched the walkers, look'n for her while avoid'n the ones following me. I would'a missed her if I didn't see her stab a walker as she limped her way towards the fence line. She was covered in mud or something blending in with the decay of the dead; I was so used ta see her pale skin glow, I almost didn't think it was her. She was injured limping like that with three or four walkers trailing her, and I had ta get there fast. I spun around to go that way when I lost sight of her as she went down. I drove faster hopin' I wasn't too late; finally catching sight of her crawling under tha fence. A walker grabbed her foot and she screamed out in pain, loud enough I could hear it over the bike.
I lost sight of her for a few seconds due to some foliage then came to a sliding stop next ta her on the road. She was laid out in the ditch a few feet away from me on her back, 'cept her pack 'n bow kept her from being flat. She just stared at the walkers running into the fence, not moving or anything. I screamed at her to move her ass and she finally started to crawl towards me, draggin' one foot while I shot off a few walkers that got too close. She looked like a drunk chick, her movements sloppy and uncoordinated, her eyes all unfocused. If I wasn't worried before, I was now. She was all kinds fucked up. When she finally reached me I pulled her up realizing it wasn't mud that covered her from head to toe, it was blood. She had dried tear tracks that cleaned lines off her face but other than that she was covered. It also took me longer than it should've to realize she wasn't wearin' a shirt. What the fuck happened ta her?!
She'd managed ta get on but that seemed ta be where it ended for her. I grabbed her arms wrappin' them 'round my waist but she had no strength ta hold on. I took notice of the hand cuffs still on one wrist and threw her right arm over my shoulder and tha other under my left arm, cuffin' them together hopin' she wouldn't fall off as I spun gravel ta get the fuck out of this place. The longer I drove, the more pissed off I became. Somethin' bad had happened ta her 'n I didn't know if whoever it was was still out there or dead, but I did know that Rick had fucked up big time… I could'a saved her if we'd gone there first… I could feel her shallow breaths on my back through my shirt and vest all the way ta the prison. 'N for tha first time that I could remember, I prayed ta God, prayed that she wasn't bitten and that she'd live.
So, what did you think? It's really hard for me to write in a different person's point of view, so go a little easy. I'm not trying to make Daryl sound stupid, but trying to let you read it in his voice with a southern accent. I'm from the south and have one as well, but it's hard to write! Probably more of DPOV coming up since the leading lady is unconscious at this point in time.
At Roxhall1, sorry to say they will be pussy footing around for a little longer, but some action to come somewhat soon, but you might be disappointed!
At GoddesszNyte2, they won't leave the group, sorry to say. But she's on a mission and she's going to accomplish it one way or another.