CHAPTER 10

Noel woke frozen with fear, unsure of where she was. She didn't move as she remembered the events of the day before. She lay still for a few moments calming herself down and glanced at the clock; 3:48. It was way to early to be this awake. She quickly realized that the man lying next to her was the source of her rude awakening.

Daryl groaned softly as he stood and began to dress himself. Noel now recalled the evening's events as well, understanding the numerous aches of her body. She was angry now that for the second time she'd fallen asleep next to this man, the one who was surely going to be the cause of her lunacy.

She heard the final zip of his fly as he finished dressing and silence filled the room. She kept her breathing even for the few moments she assumed he was watching her. And he was, with an emotion that couldn't really be placed. Daryl left quietly and Noel let her mind wander after she heard the door close.

I wonder if he slept, she thought. Or if he just lay there all night. She remembered the feeling of his hand on her back. Why is he doing this to me? Can't he find somebody else to fuck and just leave me alone? Doesn't he know this is going to destroy me? Noel's questions remained unanswered as she drifted back to sleep.

The group stared wide-eyed at the screen in front of them as their host continued to explain the fate of the world. Noel stood quietly by as she listened to Jenner explain everything he knew (which happened to be very little) about the infection that had crippled the human race; things she already knew. Within moments chaos erupted between the group. The countdown had begun signifying everyone's demise. Noel and Rick ran to Jenner's side as soon as Daryl's angry fists were pried from him.

"You can't do this!" She hissed quietly. Only Jenner and Rick could hear her, "You know that there's hope." Jenner stared at her with determined eyes.

"I can and I will." He whispered harshly. "You know these people are just a ticking time bomb! Might as well take care of it now." They continued their heated argument in whispers. Rick strained to hear them and tried to understand.

"What the hell are you two talking about?" He whispered angrily.

"Everyone's infected," The words out of Jenner's mouth were barely a whisper but Rick's expression proved he had heard just fine.

"Not everyone!" Noel shot back quietly. "You know that!"

"Yeah," He scoffed "The affluent that got the antivirus…" He whispered as his eyes bore into Noel's, "and the dirt poor who've never been exposed!" He continued while shooting a glare in Daryl's direction. Rick followed what they were saying as millions of questions bombarded his mind.

"Whether you believe there is hope or not makes no difference." Rick said trying to take control of the situation. "Because we want to survive."

"You're more then welcome to stay down here and go up in flames but we want to live." Noel whispered with determination, "So open the door." Jenner stared at her with unsure eyes. "Now!" She shouted loud enough to get everyone's attention. Jenner jumped and punched in the code with shaky hands.

The doors opened and the group bolted through. There was momentary hesitation as Jacqui chose to stay, as well as Dale and Andrea, but Noel didn't stop; she ran. The group blasted through the window with a hand grenade and ran for cover. Noel turned to see Dale and Andrea lagging behind as rough hands gripped her arms pinning her underneath the familiar body of Daryl Dixon.

This ride was filled with awkward tension; Noel was forced to ride in the RV after Daryl's truck ran out of gas. She saw no good in riding on Daryl's bike, the close proximity sure to drive her mad. She was also avoiding Rick, who was sure to assault her with questions the next time he had her alone. When Noel heard the rumble of Daryl's bike quiet she looked out the window.

"What's going on?" Someone asked behind her

"Whole road is blocked." Someone answered.

Noel let the days events unroll in front of her as she sat quietly by waiting for Rick to confront her or pull her aside. It was eating her alive as she strolled around the cars looking for anything useful. It was like in school, knowing you did something wrong and waiting to be called down to the principle's office; it was terrible.

"Get down!" She heard someone whisper. Noel looked behind her to see more then fifty walker's making their way towards her. She quickly hid under the car she was looting and sunk to the floor. She watched as T-Dog sliced his arm open and was about to jump up and help when Daryl quickly and silently dispatched the walker nearest him and hid him under it

Smart move, she thought. Walker's won't smell his blood when he's got a rotting corpse on top of him.

As the last of the walker's made their way down the highway, Noel silently emerged from her hiding place. The moment she stood she could tell something was wrong as she saw Rick sprinting into the woods. As Noel rejoined the group she made a quick observation; Sophia was gone.