Hi! Enjoy and review! I absolutely love hearing from each and every one of you. You make my days/nights. We are still at the mall - one reviewer (forgive me I can't remember who) mentioned Romero's Dawn Of The Dead. LOVED it. It's all inspiration! :) Kat
He hadn't been sure with how standoffish she'd been with him and he knew she'd been through a shit ton in general, but the way she was kissing him right now it said to him that kissing him was all she'd ever wanted to do. The band aids on her fingers flicked past his left ear as she curled her fingers into his hair sending a line of gooseflesh down his neck. Other than when he'd kissed her near the truck a few weeks back, he hadn't really kissed anyone at all – a peck here and there. His one night stands were quick and out the door before he knew it, if he'd been sober enough to remember and that'd been ages ago.
Carol was right here, right now, moving from her chair to his lap, straddling him. She leaned into him deeper, their mouths and tongues moving together in a sweet rhythm. He could go on with it all night except the ache for her grew deeper and his erection grew, pressing tight against where her pelvis matched up with his.
There wasn't opportunity to take it any further. Around the corner, and through the front gate of the store, the walkers had packed in, smelling them he figured. The snarling and clanging of them banging into the metal grew louder and she broke free of his lips when it got so loud, that it sounded like the metal rods were breaking loose.
"Daryl." She said; her eyes wide and startled. She dismounted him with a swing of her leg. He packed up the first aid kit and threw the rest of the supplies in the plastic bag with the iron pills.
The last time they were stuck, there'd been a way out through the ceiling, but the only thing he could see was a vent above the door into the little room they'd been in, just large enough for them to fit through. She stood next to him, scrutinizing it.
"Come on; help me pull the desk out so we can reach it before those fuckers bust through."
Carol froze in place for a second, but when she looked behind her and saw all of them gnawing on the metal bars and each other she made quick use of her feet. It wasn't rocket science to unscrew the two bolts that held the vent in place and when he stuck his head inside, it was dusty, but there'd be enough room to crawl through, even sit if they had to. Where it would lead was another mystery. They just needed out of the store.
"Hand me my bow." He commanded once he was inside and he squeezed it behind him in the tight space then held his hand down to her. She moved gracefully, but when he took her hand, he found she was shaking like a goose comin' outta water.
"Daryl I hate small spaces. I can't do this."
"Ya gotta, or they'll eat you alive. Is that what ya want?"
She looked back again, the banging, moaning and growling getting so loud now that she shook her head no and allowed him to pull her up inside with him.
"Take a second to breathe." He told her, scrunching himself up in a ball, sitting sideways.
"It wasn't so bad the last time because the door practically led to the roof." She explained. "I think I'm gonna throw up."
Her breathing picked up to where it sounded like she was hyperventilating. He knew if he crowded her right now it would make things worse, so he latched onto her hand and tried talking her down.
"S'all right. Just try to slow your breathin'. I gotta reach past ya and seal the vent up so they don't follow us once they get in." It sounded like they already had broken in, but he didn't tell her that. "Alright?" He asked, touching her chin. "Close yer eyes. Pretend you're on a ride at fuckin' Disney or somethin'."
She did as he told her to and he leaned over her and brought the vent back into place. From the inside there were clips to hold it in. It wouldn't be bolted, but at least the fuckers would have to work at it to get through and by the time that happened, they'd be someplace else in the mall. He wasn't sure if geeks could or would crawl through vents. Sposin' if they was hungry enough they might and those bastards were hungry.
"Follow close behind me but don't be up my ass." He warned. It was dark and she was sniffling, so he wasn't sure whether she was cryin' or not and he hated seein' a woman cry. He'd seen enough of his mama cry when he was a kid.
"I won't." She said quietly.
From what he could tell, the vent led straight back and veered off into a 'T'. Right had been the way they came from, though they were on the other side of the hallway, he had to keep that in mind. Any store they dropped into, they'd still have to cross that hallway to get back to the store where the truck was parked at. And he knew he had to avoid the department store that had been busted into. That one was crawlin' with the dead, though he was sure that was to the left of them.
He shone the light straight ahead, he knees were getting cramped, and his hands grimy from the dust and grit inside the vent, but so far so good. Carol seemed to have calmed down, though she was so quiet now, he had to look back every now and then to make sure she was behind him. And then he heard it behind her. At first he thought that one – or some from the store had broken through the vent, but he hadn't heard any commotion and it was too close. It came from beyond where they'd turned the corner.
"Scooch back." He told her quickly, bringing his hand to her waist and forcing her into a crouch position so he could aim the flashlight past her. "Oh shit."
"What?" She asked, and then she turned her face and saw him – it. A grisly looking guy in a t-shirt who'd somehow wedged himself up inside the vent perhaps before or after he'd turned. Daryl wasn't sure but when he spotted the light he came crawling after them and there was no time to load the bow, no room to swing the bat. He was advancing on them fast.
"Cover your ears!" She screamed and from what he could see, she pulled a small hand gun out of the pocket of her coat, took aim and fired quickly, stopping it dead only three feet from where she sat.
Before the shot fired off he'd covered her ears and his own with his forearms. "Fuck, you alright?"
She shook her head to tell him yes, but began crying directly thereafter. And there was nothin' he could do to stop it this time.
He reached for her chin. "Where the hell'd you get the gun?"
"Lori gave it to me before we left. Said it'd be easy to fire." She told him, trying to pull herself together. If we need it again," She held it up. "I have more ammo for it. We gotta get out of here before I hurl, I mean it."
He took one last look at her and kept moving. They passed by two sections where it veered off, but the stores were too close to the one they just left, so he moved on further down with her behind him until he found one that he thought might bring them into a larger store. One they couldn't smell them out in. Hopefully if any were in there they'd be able to take them out quietly.
There was no desk to catch him once he opened the vent but he hung and dropped the five or six feet to the tile isle way. She handed his bow to him, the bag and then scrambled to get out of the hole, hanging, barely giving him a moment's notice before she dropped to her feet, springing back up as soon as she landed.
He couldn't see much, but he knew the relief she felt, just by the way she breathed and stretched. "Any longer in there and I would've gone mad."
"Shh, listen – we need ta check this place out without attracting attention at the front. It looked like it was a JcPenny's. They paraded around main isles military style but found the store secure at least from what they could tell on the first circle. Next they checked every nook and cranny, including the bathrooms this time.
"It's clear, I'm tellin' ya." He said.
Carol breathed in a deep breath and let it out. "Now what? She asked, walking over to the glass doors to look outside. A dozen or so walkers milled around the parking lot, but far enough away that they didn't see her. The sun was on its way down.
"We 'hunker down' like Rick said. We'll make it back by mid morning tomorrow."
"Spend the night?" She asked as if the idea were ludicrous.
"Damn site better than campin' out in the woods without knowin' what's gonna sneak up on ya. I'm tellin' ya. I'll find a ladder and bolt that vent. Check 'em all if ya want me to. But we're stuck here tonight. There ain't no way I'm takin' you outta here in the dark."
For the next hour he became her shadow. She was trying to scrounge something up for them to eat. The bag of food Maggie had packed had been left in the store near the door where the truck was parked. Most of the candy they'd found had dried up but there were a few things they could eat that weren't bad. He moved ahead of her and found a door that had a plaque on it – an office which was locked, but with his trusty knife, he was able to pop the lock within a split second.
Inside the office there was a small refrigerator that they didn't dare open, and a large desk. He rummaged through the drawers while she checked the cabinets.
"Bingo!" She cried when she found a few cans of tuna fish, some cans of beef stew and a box of unopened Cheezits.
They piled out of the office as fast as they could, both aiming for the cookware section. She knew they wouldn't be able to warm the food up but she was famished. The can openers were easy to find, and she picked through the place settings to find them bowls and silverware.
"Wait a sec." Daryl said softly, scanning boxes on the shelf about twenty feet away. "Got an idea." He carried over a box to where she sat cross legged on the one of the couches in the furniture area.
"A camping grill?" She asked.
He sat down next to her and scrunched up his face as he tore it open and lifted it out. "I sure as hell ain't gonna eat it cold if I don't have to."
She never took him for being a fussy guy.
He glanced up from assembling the grill. "What?" He asked, a touch of defensiveness lacing his question.
"I'm starvin'." She complained, back to working the cans open. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed his shoulders jiggling. "You're laughin' at me." She sighed.
"It's just that yer skin and bones to begin with. It's a wonder I don't see ya like that more often." He grabbed the can out of her hand and proceeded to mimic what she'd been doing, fumbling with it and the can opener.
"Funny." She felt herself smiling, averting her eyes away from him.
When she reached to take it back, he moved it out of her reach. "I got it." He snapped and within a few minutes got the small propane tank working and he had a nice little set up going. The grill came with its own pan and ladle. He poured both cans of stew inside, heating it up to a boil quickly. Carefully he held it out to her and she met the edge of the pan with her bowl.
"Thanks." She murmured, spooning it out and blowing on it. She ate a few bites before she busted open the Cheezits.
"Hey now, save some for me!" He said through a mouthful. He reached in and grabbed a huge bunch, crushing them over his stew.
After that nothing was heard but the comforting hiss of the gas grill and the contented grunts of them chewing or rather inhaling their food. There came a point where they must've felt their pangs of hunger subsiding and they both stopped in mid bite, glancing at each other. She couldn't help but giggle. He had bits of cracker crumbs on his bottom lip.
"Better?" He asked, wiping it with the back of his hand. Then he set his bowl on the floor, took hers and did the same.
He set his elbow up on the back of the couch and gestured to the row of beds behind them. "Looks like we'll be sleepin' pretty tonight."
She stood and he followed her over to them. "They all look too short." She commented, the day wearing on her.
"The ones in the front are, but look." He pointed. "There're some back this way that are real."
She used her flash light and found bedding for one of the king sized mattresses that was set up, while he disappeared. She could hear him closing the grill and clinking the dishes around.
Doesn't make sense to make up two beds. She thought, but after tossing a few pillows on the bed, she unwrapped some sheets and another quilt and brought it back to the couch.
He was wiping his hands on a clean hand towel and eyed them. "What's that?"
"I – I wasn't sure - " She started, when something crashed off in the distance of the store.
Instantly he grabbed his bow, motioning for her to follow. "Flashlight, flashlight." He whispered, trying to click the one on his bow on to no avail.
She picked it out of her pocket, flicked the button and guided him toward the source of the noise. It came from the vent system, but not the same place where they'd come out of and not near an opening.
"What is it?" She asked, shining the beam high.
"I think there's more in there. Probably had the same idea we had. Survivors coming here to scavenge – good place to escape, but not before they ran into some bad luck."
She put her hand behind her neck, making a face. It didn't sit well with her that there could be more crawling around up above them all night. All it would take was one to be heavy enough to pull the vent system down – or worse, some to crowd together creating enough weight to do the job.
"Hey. Bed's big enough. We can both sleep on it. I ain't tired yet. We can take shifts like back at the cabin." He said, taking the flashlight from her hand and leading her back to the bedding area.
The bed itself was the most comfortable mattress she'd ever laid on. She climbed in before he made it over to her. He was still futzing around with his bow, gathering up things to clean it with. She could tell it was his most prized possession and she wondered where he got it, how long he'd had it. Before she could ask, sleep came over her like a wave. The pillow was soft, the blankets warm. She barely felt the mattress move when Daryl sat down and leaned against the wall near her.
What seemed like eons later, she awoke to his snoring and saw that he had lit a half a dozen candles on a nearby display rack. His head leaned to the side at an uncomfortable slant and she decided it was her turn to take watch in the eerily lit place. First she needed to help him get comfortable – and Daryl, well she knew that if she startled him, he'd flail. So she sat back on her knees a good way's away from him, leaned forward and ran a hand down his muscled arm. At first he didn't stir. But then she thought maybe – just maybe he'd wake up just enough to slide down and make himself comfortable, which happened, only he clasped his hand around her wrist and pulled her down with him.
He's still asleep. She thought, but when she pulled her face out of the divot of his shoulder, making a squeaky sound on his leather vest, she drew back just far enough to see his eyes were open.
"I was awake." He whispered uncomfortably.
"You were snoring."
"I don't fucking snore."
She hid her smile and rolled away from him, but he still held tight to her wrist, as he curled up on his side next to her. "Here."
She almost didn't hear him, but then his hand left her wrist and he pulled something out of his pocket. Her Jane Austin book. He'd brought it from the cabin.
She smiled, scooting up to lean on the wall, a pillow behind her back, but he gently reached for her wrist again. When he finally relaxed, she pulled it free running it up his arm, exploring the valleys of muscle plus a few scars, and then to his hair, where she ran her fingers through, feeling how soft it was. The book was forgotten at that point and so was the fact that they had a hike through the dead to do in the morning, but she couldn't forget that there were monsters crawling around above them. Everything was quiet. Almost too quiet, but then his breathing grew heavy and with that brought comfort that they were alive and safe for the moment because that's all they lived by these days – moments.