We'd been driving for a good six hours without much action. We had to stop twice, once to fix a flat tire on the van, thanks to Daryl's careless driving and again to retrieve my bow when it went flying behind me when I hit a walker's leg the wrong way with the bike. Other than that, it had been quiet. And then, without any warning, everything went downhill.
For whatever reason, Riley, who was more than used to running alongside motorcycles, decided to veer in front of me, causing me to swerve to avoid hitting him. The movement alone was enough to throw me from the bike, but instead, it resulted in me getting smashed into the side of the van, causing a near head on collision. I skidded with the bike across the pavement, the rocks and dirt cutting into my skin. I bit back a scream as the bike pinned my legs to the ground, leaving me defenseless against the small herd of walkers the noise had attracted. Thankfully, Merle and Daryl were fast. As soon as I went down, they were out of the van, putting a quick end to the walkers before turning their attention to me.
"Anything broke?" Daryl asked, kneeling beside me. I groaned and tried to move my legs, but it was hopeless, the weight of the bike pinning me tightly to the concrete.
"Won't know till the damn bike's off me!" I yelped. I was dizzy from the collision, but still well enough to feel the pain sheering through my body. Merle and Daryl carefully removed the bike. I ran my hands down my legs, thanking the stars above for no major injuries. A sharp pain in my side reminded me of the cut I had gotten the last time I'd crashed a bike. I pressed my hand to my wounded side, shocked by how much blood was seeping out of the torn stitches. I could feel every breath I took. I bit back a scream as I peeled my shirt from the wound. I clamped my hand down on it to slow the bleeding while I tried to assess the damage.
"Bike's still good!" Merle said excitedly.
"Good," I muttered through clenched teeth. "Daryl, tell me ya got a steady hand on ya," I breathed. I was having a hard time focusing on the pavement in front of my face.
"You pack a first aid kit?" he asked me, his eyes hopeful.
"Think I'd leave without one?" I nodded towards the van. "While you're there, tell Alana I'm okay."
Daryl did as I asked, returning a moment later with my bag. After digging through it, he found the first aid kit and pulled out a needle and thread.
I turned away as he quickly stitched the wound. I knew it wasn't nearly as clean or secure as Hershel could do, it was something. At least I wouldn't bleed to death. The next injury that caused concern was the fact I couldn't see straight. Daryl's hands searched my head for any sign of injury but came up short.
"Blood loss?" Merle suggested.
"No," I muttered, blinking against the dizziness. "I know for a fact I cracked my head on the pavement," I insisted. "Let's hope God's real for a second and it's not a concussion."
"Mommy?" Alana's sad voice called from the van. Before I could respond, Blade was bounding towards me, a low growl escaping his lips as he pushed his way between me and Daryl, lying protectively at my wounded side.
"I'm okay Alana, stay in the car!" I called. Naturally, the little girl didn't listen. A moment later, she was kneeling next to me.
"Mommy," she said, burying her head in my chest. I groaned, her tiny body sent pain rippling down my body.
"We can't stay here," Merle muttered, glancing around.
"Hold up, Merle," Daryl muttered, his hand now on my wrist.
"He's right," I agreed. "We have to move. How bad's the van?"
"Can't get it to start up," Merle sighed in disbelief. I saw a cloud of smoke ripple from the engine. When we hit, something must've been knocked loose and there wasn't time to try and figure out what. "Looks like we're walking."
"Awesome," I muttered. "Riley, get your ass over here!" I called to the dog. Much to my disbelief, the dog didn't come. He didn't even so much as let me know where he was. Blade looked up, his ears back. Something was wrong. I knew something was wrong the moment Riley darted in front of the bike. Riley's not a stupid dog. He knows how to respect the road. We've spent enough time training for him to know better.
"Riley?" I tried to look around, but even the slightest turn of my head sent the world slipping in and out of focus. "Shit," I muttered, struggling to see straight.
"Harleigh?" Daryl's frantic cry barely registered. I felt something prop me up, but it did nothing for the splitting headache or the ringing in my ears. The world slipped in and out of focus so quickly, it took all my strength just to remember how to breathe.
"We gotta move!" Merle's panicked cry rang. "We've got company and lot's of it!"
"She's blacking out ova here!" Daryl hollered back. I felt him pull me up against him, my feet barely able to even attempt to hold my weight. "Merle, find somewhere to hold up!" I heard him shout.
"Blade, find shelter," I barely managed to mutter. I felt the dog brush against me before taking off into the trees, his barks coming in short, high bursts, leading us through the trees.
I leaned heavily against Daryl, my stomach churning. We stumbled and ultimately ended up in the dirt. Daryl let loose a line of colorful words before scooping me up in his arms, bridal style, his pace now faster than before.
"Don't you dare die on me, Harleigh, don't you dare," he breathed, holding me tight against his body. The last conscious thought I had was where on earth is Alana?
"Daryl, we can't stay here much longer," Merle's tired, strained voice registered through the darkness. "It's now or never."
"She didn't turn her back on ya, and now you're thinkin' of doin' it to her?" Daryl snarled.
"It's not like that," his brother said with a sigh. "She wouldn't want us getting ourselves killed for her. Trust me, I know 'er well 'nuff to know that."
"We ain't leaving yet," Daryl said firmly. I felt something cool brush against my forehead. I groaned softly and forced my eyes open. Unlike the last couple times, this time, I was able to focus on the concerned expression on Daryl's face.
"Hey," I muttered, my voice hoarse.
"Hey," he said softly, a smile playing on his face.
"Where's Alana?" I asked, trying to sit up. Daryl's hand pushed me back down, his eyes flashing with something I couldn't quite place.
"She's fine," he said softly, nodding towards Merle. To my surprise, the little girl was snuggled up beside the bitter man, her hair a mess, her hands tightly gripping at his shirt.
"Course she is!" Merle said with a snide grin. "Didn't need ya comin' to and killin' us for losing your lil' girl, now did we?"
I forced a smile, then looked over to Blade, who was sitting patiently by the door. He looked exhausted. They all did.
"Riley?"
"Uh…" Daryl scratched the back of his head, struggling to find words to explain what happened. "Found out why he darted in front o' the bike," he said slowly. "That herd, there were more than we expected. He led them away and…"
"He's dead," it wasn't a question. I pressed my eyes shut, forcing myself not to let the emotions cloud my judgment. "How long have I been out?"
"'Bout thirteen hours," he informed me. "Was real worried when you stopped wakin' up."
"Sorry," I muttered. "Didn't expect Riley to play superman."
"None of us expected you to collide with the van," Merle chuckled. "You're tough though. Somethin' like that woulda killed a sane person."
"Callin' me insane now, Dixon?" I spat, fighting against Daryl's hand. Daryl looked at me for a moment, before seeming to sense that there was no use keeping me down. I sat up and glared at the older brother before swinging my legs over the side of the couch, much too fast for my still fuzzy head. My vision blurred and I'm sure I would have fallen over had Daryl not been watching my every move.
"No more slick stunts," Merle chuckled. "You aren't invincible."
"Ehh," I muttered, pressing my head into my hands. "How long she's been asleep?"
"A few hours," Daryl informed me. "We all needed a rest, figured this place would work for tonight."
"Leavin' first thin' in the morning," Merle said. "Now shu'up and go to sleep."
I chuckled to myself before using Daryl as leverage as I forced myself to my feet. Daryl wrapped an arm around me, but said nothing as I made for the door. Blade darted out before me, Daryl a step behind. As soon as the cool air hit my face, my vision blurred.
"Oh, boy, this is gonna be a fun trip," I muttered. I leaned heavily against Daryl, waiting for the dizziness to pass.
"You good, Harleigh?" he asked me, his tone way too gentle.
"'M fine," I murmured, though it was a lie and he knew it. I swayed, despite being pressed against his side. I felt sick to my stomach. Everything ached. For a whole moment, I found myself wishing I was still in the prison. At least there, I wasn't getting thrown into vans or pinned under bikes.
"C'mon, you need rest," he tried to reason.
"I'll rest when I'm dead," I sighed, pulling away from him. I sat down on the bottom steps of the porch, pulling a smashed pack of cigarettes out of my pocket along with my old zippo lighter. I lit a cigarette before offering him the pack.
"Smokin' with a concussion's not gonna do ya a whole lotta good," he noted.
"Neither is getting a concussion in the middle of the end of the world," I shrugged. "I'll be fine in the mornin'."
"Sure hope so. Merle's getting antsy," Daryl said, his tone still soft. I spared a glance at him and saw just how worn out he was. He looked exhausted, both physically and emotionally. I leaned against his arm, offering the tiniest bit of comfort. I had a feeling the poor man hadn't gotten any sleep since the night up in the guard tower, and even then, I knew he only got a small handful of hours before everything went to shit.
"It's gon' be alright. The five of us are gonna be fine," I mused. Blade looked at me with sad eyes, clearly lost without his leader. I patted my bruised leg, willing the dog over to us. He leaned against my other side, his tail wagging against the wooden stairs.
"We're gon' be alright," I said softly, taking another drag off my cigarette, watching as the smoke slowly faded into the night sky.
Somehow, deep down, I knew we'd be okay. It was almost as if the last 48 hours had been a test. A test to see where our loyalties lied and to see if we were really going to make it. An argument, banishment, and a concussion later and here we were, sittin' out on the steps of an abandoned cabin, a cigarette in our hands. Yeah, we were gonna be just fine. As long as we could stick together long enough to find somewhere safe, we were gonna be alright. Then again, with Merle's attitude, Daryl's stubbornness, my recklessness, and Alana's youth, anything was possible.
As I flicked the butt aside and looked up at the stars overhead, I said a silent prayer. All we could hope for was that this was the end of the misfortune for a while.
A/n – Aww, protective Daryl! :D Anyway, let me just say, it was a tossup between one of the brother or Harleigh getting hurt. I needed something to set the tone for the remaining 'banishment' scenes, and this one fit nicely. I'm not going to give any spoilers this time though. ;)
Thanks again to all the favorites, followers, and reviews! They keep me going! Obviously, seeing how that's two chapters in one night! Guys, let me know if I make anyone too OOC for your liking, or if Harleigh starts to seem like a Mary Sue. I'll kill her off if she does. xD (Kidding!) I'm not a huge fan of making a story revolve around just one event, so yeah. xD