Riley didn't like this.
She was currently sitting at the picnic table in the early morning light, watching people gather a few guns and other weapons for the trip into Atlanta. The group consisted of T-dog, Andrea, Jacqui, Morales, Glenn, and surprisingly, Merle had volunteered to go.
The only reason she wasn't joining, was because the camp needed people who could handle a gun incase a walker showed up.
"You're an idiot for going back out there."
Glenn looked up from the baseball bat he had picked up, "yeah, well... I'll have some back-up at least."
"Take these." She handed him both her guns equipped with the silencers, "they'll be quiet, and good in a pinch." "Thanks." He took the guns and shoved them into the waistband of his jeans.
"Keep your eyes open. And don't do anything stupid."
She gave him a light punch to his shoulder and walked away
...
Riley had told Dale that she was going to go look for more herbs and plants they could use.
She walked deep into the woods, deeper than necessary.
She wasn't planning on looking for herbs or plants... she just needed some time to herself for a minute or two, the constant drama was wearing on her nerves.
Sitting against a thick tree trunk, Riley listened to the wind rustling through the tree tops and birds singing.
She thought of her brother, wondering if he was okay.
He was always good during chaos.. he kept a level head no matter what was happening.
It had been two years since she had last seen him. Riley recalled when she got her deployment orders, it was tradition for her family to have a farewell dinner out on her father's patio.
She remembered dinner that night had consisted of ham, potatoes, sweet corn, and icy cold beers.
The thought alone made her mouth water.
Riley sat for a while before the flapping of wings made her snap to attention.
The birds had gotten spooked by something.
Riley listened for anything that was out of the ordinary.
A twig snapped to her left and her head locked in the direction the noise came from.
She stood, careful not to make a sound, and unsheathed her knife.
The brush rustled loudly, and Daryl walked out.
"Thought I saw ya wanderin out here."
Riley lowered her knife, "I thought you were a damn walker. What are you doing sneaking around anyway?"
"Saw a fat lookin deer while I was out yesterday. Wondered if ya wanna join, Imma need help haulin him back ta camp."
"Sure."
...
The two of them had tracked the deer in silence for miles before finding it in a small meadow.
It had taken them two days before they caught up with their mark. When the sun had started to set on the first day, the two of them had climbed trees and slept amongst the leaves.
The buck was currently eating grass in the meadow, not knowing the two hunters hiding behind a fallen log.
Holding his ever present crossbow at the ready, Daryl lined it up with the side of the deer and released a bolt.
The arrow missed the heart, and instead sunk into the shoulder. The animal darted away, with Daryl and Riley swiftly following.
"C'mon. If we lead it back ta camp we won't have to carry the som'bitch."
"Smart."
When they were close to camp, Daryl had added two more arrows to the animal's body.
They watched as it awkwardly stumbled through the brush.
"Took the damn thing long enough." Daryl muttered to himself as he picked himself up from the crouched position.
Riley stood up, and felt sudden light headedness. She swayed slightly.
"Ya good?" A hand held her steady as she righted herself. "Yeah. Just stood up too fast."
They walked along the trail the deer had left before Riley grabbed Daryl by his bicep. "Wait. Did you hear that?"
"Hear wha-" A low growling sounded before Daryl could finish his sentence. "Damn."
Daryl brought up his crossbow, and Riley held up her knife in a defensive position.
"How many do you think there are?"
"Donno... three maybe?" Daryl moved so he was back to back with Riley.
Four walkers came out from behind the trees, arms reaching out for a hopeful meal.
The flesh was a sickly gray color and their eyes were glazed over in a milky sheen.
"Don't got enough bolts to take all of 'em out. Think ya can handle one or two on ya own, girlie?"
Riley scoffed in fake annoyance. "Oh please, I bet I could take them out with my bare hands, redneck."
Daryl shot an arrow into the eye socket of one walker, making it fall to the ground in a messy heap.
Wielding her knife with the skill of a professional knife fighter, Riley sunk the blade to the hilt into the head of an undead woman. She pulled at the handle but it wouldn't budge.
There were two walkers left, Daryl was busy with the walker close to him, and the other was headed straight for her. Leaving her knife in the walker's skull, Riley tackled the walker to the ground and straddled it's rotting body. The walker was missing both it's arms and was wearing a floral print blouse with lots of pink flowers and leaves. Riley wanted to take a weed whacker to it.
She pushed her thumbs into both its eye sockets and used her upper body strength to push her fingers into the brain. The walker gurgled and wheezed while it tried to sink it's teeth into her arm, but Riley pushed harder.
Hearing a sickening crack of bone snapping, Riley pulled herself off the now dead walker.
She wiped her bloody hands on her pants, staining the denim. She turned to Daryl, who was now removing his arrows from the heads of the fallen walkers.
A sudden wave of dizziness rippled up her spine. The world began to slide away, down a long dark tunnel, leaving her behind. She dropped to a knee. Her vision was in doubles, and she could hear her pulse thumping loudly in her ears.
Not again, God damn it... Not now.
With a teeth-grinding effort, she kept her hold on consciousness.
Eyes shut. Jaws clenched. Breath labored.
A pair of hands grasped her shoulders, and she blindly swung a fist out.
One of the hands caught hers in a tight grip.
"Damn girl. The hell's wrong with ya?"
The voice cut through the fog and snapped her out of her episode.
She opened her eyes and met Daryl's blue eyes.
Riley opened her mouth to say something, but closed it. What would she say?
"Oh, don't mind me. I just had a PTSD episode, but I'm fine now, please carry on."
"I'm fine." She lurched her hand out of his hold and rose from the ground. Her legs were week, but she could stand.
"Don't look fine."
Riley looked at the hunter. He biting his thumb and was standing close by, incase she would fall again.
"I'm just a little dehydrated. Nothing to worry about."
He started at her before shrugging. "Whatever." He handed Riley her knife, cleaned from the walker blood, before walking past her.
"I told you I could kill one with my bare hands."
Daryl stopped and turned towards the girl, a small half smile on his face, "guess ya ain't as useless as I thought." Riley gave a chuckle, "ass."
The pair fell into silence as they resumed following the buck.