Chapter Eight – Rides
The bike started the first time he tried it, he smiled at her. He straddled it as she opened the front door, he pulled up, and she climbed on behind him. His crossbow across his lap, held in place by Riley. The wind whipped through his hair and hers, his poncho over the top of him. Her braids made him think once more of Beth. She always seemed to haunt him when he was alone, but this Riley girl, she was a reminder. She could not be more than 25, but she had a six year old. She interested him, but she kept things to herself like he did. Already he had told her more than he had ever told anyone in his family. The bike could run, man could it go. He was going to point it in the direction that he knew Rick would move, and they would go, as far and as fast as they could.
They had rode maybe two hours in silence, the chill of fall would start setting in soon, and a cold wind pushed back at them. "What happened to Merle?"
A shiver ran down Daryl's spine, her chin rested on his shoulder, her arms loose around him, holding his crossbow, her voice in his ear made him sigh. "Died, tried to do the only good thing in his life, and uhm, I put him down…" He felt her arms tighten a bit around him.
"My mother." Riley whispered it to him, then buried her face in his shoulder. He stiffened. He was not much for touch, she had noticed, but she had to hold on, and she didn't want her tear soaked face wind burned as well. He relaxed after a moment. If he was still and focused on the road, he could pretend it was just him, like in the old days.
He knew he would be dead without her. The gash and fever would have left him helpless to walkers, and he would have died. Silence once again consumed them. "Need a place for tonight." He spoke after the sun started to set.
"Yeah." He felt her nod as she said it against his shoulder. "Look." She raised her hand to what looked like a golf course or country club sign. His heart sunk, thinking about Beth. She felt his body tense once more. "We don't have to…" Her voice dropped off as he turned the chopper up the drive.
Their luck with Walkers ran out. There was probably sixty. "Not worth it." Daryl turned them towards the highway once more. Silently grateful towards the corpses.
Darkness was upon them, when they found a tractor trailer, on its side. The trailer hatch opened. Daryl pulled the motor cycle in, then used what little light they had left to tie the doors back together. Darkness fell. She dug absently in her bag and pulled out a battery operated lantern. She switched it on, then opened a small can of corn, and a can of peaches. "Only one water." She breathed a sigh. Daryl hungrily scarfed down half the peaches as she ate half the corn, then they switched.
"I get first watch." Daryl informed her, then he positioned himself so he could look out the small opening he had left between the doors.
Riley sighed, she stretched out putting her pack under her head. And closed her eyes. Daryl watched her drift off into sleep. Her arms over her eyes. In her sleep he watched her, like he would have watched Beth. Like he had. He was not a fan of being stuck, but she was damn useful. It was a nightmares that woke her, covered in sweat, and yelping. Daryl was on her quickly, covering her mouth and glaring at her. Her eyes were wide, but she nodded to him. He released his hold on her mouth, and raised himself from her body.
She sit up, slowly. "We need to get food and stuff." Her voice was barely a whisper. Her shoulder ached and she rubbed it, slowly. Daryl was watching her every move.
"I was separated from my family one other time, like this, after a disaster… with a girl Beth. But I couldn't protect her. I don't know if I can protect you." Daryl looked lost.
"I think if we look out for each other we should be good." Riley smiled at him.
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