Chapter 10

My arms ache from them being tied in front of me, and I am finding it difficult to get comfortable. I feel the cold penetrate my skin and I hate that I have no way of warming myself up. When I left camp, the weather was mild, so I am only wearing jeans and a vest top. My Goosebumps are the type that can be sore. My teeth are chattering, and I feel exhausted from the lack of sleep.

Daryl is asleep a few feet ahead of me, his light snores can be heard. We have set up a small camp just outside the city. I have been told to keep watch, although no turns have been allocated. My head is aching, and I am struggling to keep my eyes open, but I don't want to become an easy food source for any passing walker. The ride thus far was uneventful. I found my best option was to keep my voice down, and just do exactly what Daryl said. The drive was unbearable; I was hot and sick, my head pounding from the smack he had given me, and my bruised elbow was swollen, which was making movement on that arm difficult.

The sun is rising in the distance; we have been here for a few hours. How many? I couldn't even put a number on it, I feel so sluggish. Daryl ensured that I was roped up to the tree behind me before he headed off to find food. His choice of delicacy was a lot to desired, as I watched him gut and eat the insides of a snake. He had offered me some food, but I had declined, which came with a response of, 'Suit yourself.'

A creak in the woods behind me has my ears pricked. Its possible it is a passing animal, but it is also possible that a walker has found us out. I try to listen closer, waiting for any tell tale signs. The first sign I have is the smell, which is an acrid, rotting flesh scent. I strain my neck, trying to look behind me, hoping that its not about to gnaw on me. I want to alert Daryl to its presence, but I am not sure how to do it without alerting the walker further. I hear the shuffling feet on the leaves behind me, as the walker steps closer and closer. I manage to move my feet around, slowly hunting for something I could use to throw at Daryl. Ideally, the walker would come by and eat my kidnapper, meaning that I was free to leave, but it would be impossible to get out of the knotted rope that ties me to this tree. I listen again to the footsteps and note that it sounds like its only one walker, not on top of me yet, but not far away. I struggle slowly against my restraints, and then I see it. Not too far from my feet, lying amongst the leaves is Daryl's hunting knife. I use the heel on my right foot to slide it closer to me, I then use considerable effort to raise it so it is resting on its handle. I keep my feet firmly on either side, whilst I rub it against the rope around my wrists. A few moments are all it takes for the rope to snap, and with that I am able to pull the rope away and stand up untethered.

And there I stand, hunting knife in hand, free from the binds, with my kidnapper still asleep on the floor. It dawns on me that this is now when I can escape. I step tentatively backwards, trying not to crunch the leaves too much underneath. Each step is painfully felt and heard by myself and I know that any moment I will wake Daryl up. I hate to think what he might do to me if he sees me trying to escape. One step leads to another, and before long I am out of the clearing that we have camped in. I am low down, searching for the walker I heard and then I see them. Not one, not two, but four. All of them heading in our direction. I slowly and quietly move away from them, heading through the trees, eager to get away and make a head start before he wakes up.

And then I stop.

I want to run.

I probably should.

But do I want to be responsible for his death?

Daryl and his brother are bad men, who knows what they might do to me when we finally get to that roof. And yet… Does Daryl deserve to die like this? Woken from slumber, as walkers chow down on him?

I tell myself I need to run.

I scream it at myself inside my head, and yet I feel my feet backtrack. I turn around and head back slowly. I know I will regret saving him, but I would never live with myself for letting him die. The clearing looks the same as it did a few minutes ago, Daryl remains sleeping, but the walkers are getting closer. They are beyond the clearing, shuffling along slowly. They haven't noticed us yet.

I breathe deeply, hoping that I won't end up dying by the hands of this man, hoping that me saving him will change his mind about me, just enough so that he wont kill me.

I edge closer towards Daryl, kneeling beside him and I slowly reach out, tapping him on his arm. He awakes instantaneously, grabbing me forcefully and pulling me down onto the ground beside him, anger is penetrating through his features, his body covers mine and I start to think that maybe I made a mistake…..part of me wants to panic, but I find my voice and whisper the warning to him.

'Walkers… past the clearing.'

He looks down at me, his body on mine and I see the confusion etched in his face.

'Keep quiet!' the order comes out with authority, but some of the anger has gone.

Whilst Daryl listens intently for sign of undead, looking around whilst remaining in position on top of me, I take the time to look up at my kidnapper. I breathed rapidly, listening for signs of the undead…. but I can't help but stare up at him.

Daryl's dark hair is cut short, with sweat beading on his forehead. The man looks like he needs a good wash down, and yet, his scent is not bad. Sure, it's a mixture of dirt and days old sweat but there is something quite nice about it. I steer myself away from my thoughts, as I feel shock at how this guys smell is attractive.

Where on earth did that come from?

I am lost in thought, my eyes on Daryl's face, neck and shoulders, so I fail to notice when he stares back down at me, not until his eyes are on my eyes. The cold eyes now look inviting and I feel my pulse quickening. A grunt is heard from Daryl, as he roughly gets off me, breaking eye contact and dismissing the moment. I lie there, looking up at him, confused by my sudden feelings towards him. Maybe this is that thing that abductees get when they fall in love with their captors…. Maybe that's what this is? But all at once, it is over because within moments he is back to roughly grabbing me, shoving me forward and barking orders. The walkers have moved off in another direction and we are safe to move back to the car.

I shake my head at my stupidity, this man is everything that I DON'T want. I am so keen on being close to someone that I even look for it here, in the arms of a man that repulses me… and yet, even as I think of the word repulse, I try to think of a lesser word for it. Not repulse exactly, but I don't like him… I don't like him at all. And yet, when I close my eyes in the car as we are heading closer to the city, I see those blue eyes of his.