I woke up this morning probably more excited then I should've been. I didn't sleep much last night because I kept thinking about how entertaining my training sessions with Daryl is gonna be. When I got out of the shower, I decided that I should 'dress for the occasion'.

I found a tight fitting, button-up red flannel shirt and ripped the short leaves off of it. I bounced up and down in my room as I forced myself into my black skinny jeans, making sure to wear a thong underneath so that my ass would look perfect in 'em. I put on my ankle high, dark brown boots that had camouflage on the tounges and bottoms. Then I decided that throwing my long hair into a high sloppy bun would be for the best. I even found a pink camouflage bandanna to hang from my right butt pocket. Of course mimicking Daryl's 'dress code' wouldn't give me the skills he possessed, but I thought it was funny.

The work day went by agonizingly slow. We had literally three customers all day and obviously, my anxiety wasn't helping either. When five o' clock rolled by, I rushed into the office to clock out. I slung my small purse onto my shoulder and decided to go outside and smoke a cigarette as I waited for my ride.

About half way through my cigarette, I heard the low rumble of an old Ford pick up pull into the parking lot. Daryl hopped out and shut the door with a bit of a creaky sound before making his way over to me. I took another drag as I watched him stop a few feet in front of me. His eyes moved up and down my figure, almost as if he was memorizing it while a smile appeared on his usual stoic features. He let out a huff and asked, "What's all this? Ya tryin' ta mock me girl?"

He tried to sound mad but I knew he was totally amused with my choice of today's attire. "You said to be ready." I flicked my cigarette out into the parking lot and walked up to him to poked his forehead, then making my way to the passenger seat while saying, "Let's go slow poke, before I change my mind."

The ride to his small two bedroom, one bath home only took like fifteen minutes to get to. It had a large, run down two car garage behind it to the right. Little knickknacks and junk laid about the yard. We got out of the truck and I followed him behind the garage. There sat a beat up automatic four wheeler. It was a dark green and was definitely a two seater. The 'holding rack' on the back of it had a small cooler bungie strapped to it.

I gave him a questioning look as he fished for the keys in his pocket. When he noticed he said, "I already got a set up in a pretty clear space 'bout a quarter of a mile from here. We're gonna take the four wheeler through the trails ta get there."

I shrugged my shoulders and hopped on the part that was obviously for a passenger. "Alright, let's move out. I wanna have a decent amount of practice before we loose the light."

He smirked at that. "Eager huh?" He nodded to the object behind me. "You can put yer bag in the cooler, so's it don't snag on the trees. Hate for ya ta loose an arm on the way there."

I did as he suggested as I felt the four wheeler dip down some from under his weight. He started the engine and we made our way through the tree line. I kept my hands in my lap as we rode through a semi straight pathway, every once in a while I'd sway or duck to avoid being whacked by a branch or other plant life. After about ten minutes of that he slowed down into a halt.

He turned to me and spoke loudly so I could hear him over the engine. "Ya ever rode a four wheeler before?!"

I felt a little embarrassed answering him. "Um...n-no! I haven't!"

"Alright, I need ya ta listen close! Yer gonna have ta hold onto my waist the rest of the way! Whenever we go up a hill, I need ya ta lean into me as much as you can and hold on tight! When we go down, lean back! Think you can handle that?!"

I hesitantly put my hands on his sides, gripping tightly to his shirt. "Yeah! I got it!"

He shook his head. "No, ya don't! Holdin' on ta my shirt ain't gonna cut it KJ! Ya gotta wrap yer arms around my waist, some of these hills are pretty steep!"

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding as I let got of his shirt. I wrapped my arms around his strong torso and squeezed tight. All this talk about steep hills has me a little freaked out. I didn't feel like falling off and bustin' my ass today. "O-okay! I'm ready!"

He said one last thing before turning back around, "Whatever ya do...don't let go of me!" I swallowed the lump in my throat.

And with that, he took off. I don't know how fast we were actually going, but I felt like I was flying. I felt myself holding onto this man for dear life as my adrenaline kicked in. We were going so fast, the wind was hurting my eyes. I felt like I couldn't keep them open anymore so I tucked my face into his back. Even though his back felt hard and muscular, it still felt comfortable.

As we weaved around the crazy path, I made sure to listen to his instructions. Leaning into him as we went up a hill and having him lean back into me as we went down. Not letting go, even though it was kinda hard to keep my grip. I was scared but excited at the same time. I couldn't hold in my laughter as we rode the woodsy roller coaster. The only thing I could think of was: this is amazing.

The feeling of my stomach dropping as we went fast down a hill. The struggle of keeping my hold on him and fear of flipping over as we raced up a hill. It was all so frightfully amazing. Even over the engine and my own laughter, I could hear Daryl's joyful wales. At one point he lifted his left fist in the air, screaming, "WHOOOO-HOOOO! HELL YEAH!" That only caused me to laugh even harder. It really made my heart do flips, to see this man having so much fun.

I could picture a huge smile on his face as I ran through my thoughts. This little ride was starting to make me realize how much adrenaline can actually effect someone. It almost felt like a high. I told myself that I could easily put down the whiskey bottles and exchange them for this. For him.

We stopped in a small clearing that was surrounded by trees. I hopped of the mini roller coaster and took in my surroundings. I saw a camouflage recurve bow sitting next to a quiver with a thick camouflage strap, leaning against a large tree. Next to that laid Daryl's crossbow. I slowly walked over to the objects with a smile on my face, quickly noticing what was on the tree. It was a regular piece of white paper with a target circle drawn in red marker. I giggled at the fact that I thought it was cute. I thought that simply because it was Daryl that drew it.

I couldn't help myself, I reached down and picked the bow up. It was made with a type of heavy metal that felt just like a handgun. It weighed almost as much as my pistol. "Ya ready?"

His sudden question startled me, but I recovered quickly. "When you said you had an extra bow, I figured it'd be a nice huntin' bow. Not a normal one like this. What the hell?"

He huffed and picked up the quiver, mumbling, "That's all the pawn shop had yesterday. Turn 'round."

I laid the bow on the ground and turned my back to him while lifting my arms out. He placed the quiver on me and turned me to face him so he could adjust the strap. That's when I realized what he said. "Wait a minute. Yesterday? You went out and bought all this yesterday? I thought you said ya had an extra one?"

He scoffed before walking over and picking up his crossbow. "Yeah well, I lied. I wanted ta show you how ta shoot, 'cause as ya are, you'd be worthless in a Geek raid."

What he said shocked me. "Geek? Is that what we're callin' 'em now?" He just smirked at me, so I continued. "So let me get this straight. You went out and got all this, just ta show me I'd suck in a zombie apocalypse? Which by the way, you don't even believe could really happen."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Ya gonna jus' stand there and yab away? Or are ya gonna get yer ass over here and learn from a pro?"

I let out a sigh as I swiped the bow up from the ground. I held it in my left hand and used my right to slide an arrow out of the quiver on my back. Attaching the end of the arrow to the thick string was the easy part, trying to pull it back however, was harder then I thought it would be. I pulled as hard as I could, but could only get the string to bend a little. I couldn't help but let out grunts as I pulled harder and harder. The muscles in my forearm started to ache, so I stopped and let out the large amount of air I was holding. "Son of a bitch! I can hardly get it ta budge!"

Daryl laughed at me as he pulled the string of his crossbow back. It gave out a hard click, letting us know that it was set. Then he slid an arrow into it. "Yer gonna have ta use the muscles in yer biceps and shoulders ta get that string ta load. Try ta breath in as yer doin' it. A deep breath." He aimed his crossbow at the target circle, holding it almost in the same stance you would a shotgun. He only had to aim for like three seconds before he pulled the trigger. His arrow went right into the bullseye. "Once it's loaded, and ya know yer grip is strong, slowly release that breath. Calm ya breathing as ya take aim. Take yer time for now, once ya get use ta it though, ya gonna have ta learn how to quick aim. The more you reload that bow, the easier it'll be. Eventually you'll get faster. Both arms will get stronger. Now...try again."

He went and pulled his arrow from the target as I lifted the bow and arrow back up. I took in a huge breath and pulled as hard as I could, focusing strongly on using my biceps more then my forearms. Trying to also use the muscle from my right shoulder blade. I struggled with it for a few seconds before I felt the string pull all the way back. I let go of my breath, the end of the arrow barely reaching past my right shoulder. I smiled. "I got it." The string, once you pull it so far, it gets a lot easier to pull it the rest of the way. It's only hard to pull it past that first few inches. I don't have to use as much muscle to necessarily hold it in place.

I heard Daryl's foot steps move behind me. "Nice. Yer quick. Now, spread yer legs a lil', give ya self stronger footing." I did as he said, spreading my legs almost shoulder length. "Okay, ya see that circle?"

There was a little circle sticking out of the left side of the bow, barely above where my arrow tip was placed. "Yeah?"

"Use that ta aim. Try ta remember it's slightly above yer arrow, so yer gonna aim it a little bit above yer target. Not too much though." My eyes narrowed as I looked through the circle, I placed the center of it a little bit above the bullseye. "Time yer breathin' jus' right. That circle's gonna rock on ya as you aim. Just calm ya breathing, let go when it feels right."

He was right, the circle and the arrow tip slightly rocked with my breathing. I tried to slow down my beating heart and focus hard on my target. After a few seconds, I felt okay, so I let go. The arrow zipped through the air, giving off a quiet whistle. It stuck into the tree with a strong thud. I lowered my bow and tried to calm my excitement. My adrenaline was so high, it took me a moment to focus my vision on the target circle. When I did, I saw that my arrow was stuck in the middle of the circle. Half way to the bullseye and halfway from the outside.

I heard Daryl let out a 'hmph' from behind me as I just stared at the target. "Ya missed...but yer a natural. With a lil' more practice...you'll be able to wield that thing like it's nothin'."

I couldn't hold in my excitement anymore as a giggle escaped me. "I can't believe I did it! I can't believe I shot my first arrow and still stayed in the circle!" I turned and looked at him. He was smirking at my childish reaction. "But you," I started, "you shoot those arrows like it's nothin', second nature or some shit...yer amazing Dixon."

He gave off a cocky smile. "Thanks sexy. Mine ain't called arrows though." He stepped closer to me and placed his right hand on my side, creeping his lips to my left ear as he whispered, "They're bolts." I blushed as he walked behind me. He pulled my arrow from the tree as I turned to face him. "Alright, we're gonna keep goin' 'til the sun starts ta set. I'll feed ya afterwards."

We stayed in the clearing and practiced for hours. He said he would teach me much more, but for today, it was just shooting. Being able to load the bow got easier as time went by. A lot of it, believe it or not, depended on one's breathing and knowing what muscles to access while pulling it back. My aim fluctuated. There were times I'd get closer to the center and times I got farther. I did get just a tensy bit faster with loading my arrows though. I haven't gotten any quicker with aiming yet, but Daryl said that would take time.

At one point, he pulled out a folded piece of paper along with a red Sharpie from his back pocket. He laid it on the seat of the four wheeler and drew another target circle, tacking it on the tree next to mine with some scotch tape he had in the cooler. He started firing off bolts from his crossbow, hitting the center almost every time. He was quick and focused as he did it. He made it seem so damn easy. At first, all I could do is stand there and watch him in awe. He was truly amazing and I could tell that he had years of experience with the silent weapon.

When the sun finally began to set, we gathered everything up and hid them in tall bushes that set behind our trees. We were both filthy and sweating as we hopped back on the four weeler and rode back to his house. The sky was a mixture of orange, red and pink hues as he parked behind the garage. I was pulling my purse out of the cooler as I watched him do a quick search around the outside of his house. I stood there watching him with confusion as he made his way back to me. "Merle musta stayed at his friends house. He's normally home by now. Come on in, you can wash up while I fix us up somethin' ta eat."

Once we got into his house I couldn't help but smile. You could tell it was a man's home, but it wasn't as filthy as I had imagined it'd be. He told me he would put a pizza in the oven and showed me to the bathroom. I decided to just go ahead and shower. I kept an extra pair of panties in my purse, which might sound weird, but I've been known to piss myself sometimes when I'm wasted. I learned quick enough to just go ahead and put a clean pair of underwear in my purse before I leave the house.

Once I had myself wrapped in a towel, I shoved my dirty clothes into a plastic grocery bag. I walked out of the bathroom and opened the first door to my left. It was littered with all kinds of stuff like empty beer cans/bottles and a few empty pill bottles as well. I automatically deducted that this was Merle's room and quickly shut the door. So I turned around and opened the door that was across the small hallway. I just figured this one had to be Daryl's so I went straight for his drawers. I soon found a simple black t-shirt that, of course, had the sleeves cut off. I slid into the shirt and it stopped at the middle of my thighs.

Shutting his door and quickly going back into the bathroom, I pulled my clean pair of pink panties from my purse and stepped into those. I brushed my hair and just left it down since it was still pretty damp. As I came into the living room, I saw Daryl sitting in the middle of the couch. He had one foot resting on the edge of a beat up wooden coffee table as his eyes landed on me. "Ya always go into a strangers home, rummage through their shit and steal stuff?"

I smiled at him. "If it makes ya feel any better, I played with myself in yer shower." That was a lie, but I like messing with him.

His face instantly went into his hand so he could hide his blush. I saw his smirk though. When he looked back at me, he asked, "Ya want a pair of pants or somethin'?"

I plopped down in the recliner and crossed my legs. "Nah I'm good. Pizza almost done though?" I looked at him for an answer, only to see that he was staring at my exposed thigh. "Ya know, I think there's a rule about teachers sleeping with their students. Wouldn't want ya to get in trouble, Mr. Dixon."

He scoffed, clearly upset about getting caught. "Keep runnin' yer mouth and I'll take ya in my office, beat yer naked ass with a ruler while you try ta balance a book on yer head."

He chuckled while my eyes grew wide, my stomach tightening as I tried to push back the blush. Then there was a loud beep that echoed through the tiny house. Daryl went to stand up, but I was quicker. "I...I'll get it." He smiled at my nervousness as I walked past the couch into the tiny kitchen. Damn him for that.

I shoved my hand into an oven mitt and pulled the pizza out, turing the oven off after. I got the mitt half way off my hand when I heard, "So-" of course that scared the shit out of me, so I jumped and quickly turned around, throwing the mitt at the person standing in the doorway. That person was obviously Daryl. He picked the mitt up from the floor and gave me a dirty look. "Really?"

I huffed to try and cover my embarrassment. "I can't help it, you scared me."

He shook his head and I turned around so I can start slicing the pizza as he talked to me. "We'll practice more shootin' the rest of this week. I'll give ya Sunday and Saturday's off, then next week we'll try ta practice with moving targets. Yer gonna have ta lern to shoot small, movin' targets fast. A Geek trys ta come for ya, ya gotta hit 'em in the head. Apparently that's the only way ta stop 'em."

I smiled and looked over my shoulder. "Shoot 'em in the head, huh?"

"Yeah, I got a theory 'bout 'em too."

I placed my focus back on cutting the pizza. "'Kay. Let's hear it."

There was a short pause before he began. "Geeks don't go after each other...only the livin', right?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Guess so. What about it?"

"Well, I figured someone might be able to cut into one of them sum-bitches, smear it's guts all over 'em. That might give ya some camouflage in a herd."

This time I put the pizza cutter down and faced him. "Shootin' 'em in the head? Herds? What else have ya learned about 'em? Ya already told me that noise attracts 'em." He just looked at me. As serious as ever. "Ya know, for someone that doesn't believe in somethin' like this...you sure as shit seemed ta have done a lot of research on it."

He didn't answer me so I just sighed and turned to start putting slices on plates. "I don't think they can climb. I don't think it takes jus' a bite from 'em either. A scratch might do it too."

I turned and offered a plate with two slices to him. He immediately picked one up and started chowing down. "Look, I agreed ta your little trainin' seasons cause I thought it would be fun and do me some good. I didn't know you were serious though. Especially since jus' yesterday ya called me stupid for jus' sayin' that anything's possible."

He talked with his mouth full. "What's it matter then? If you believe in it anyways?"

I glared at him. "Ya know what? Yer right. I forgot that this is comin' from the man that believes in the Chupacabra."

He stepped in front of me and sent me an agry glare. "I already told ya, I know what I saw."

"Yeah, right. In the mountains of Georgia? The Chupacabra is a Mexican ghost story. You know, from Mexico!"

What felt like mere seconds, he threw his paper plate on the floor and held me by the collar of 'his' shirt. He had a deep angry scowl and was so close, our noses almost touched. His voice dipping into almost a low growl. "You best stop mockin' me girl."

I couldn't stop myself from shivering under his touch. "W-why not? You did it ta me yesterday."

He let go of the shirt, but kept his stance. "And look where we are now. I'm trainin' ya...teachin' ya what it takes ta survive out there on yer own."

I tried to calm down as I spoke. "B-but why?"

He stepped back, doing a full circle as he paced and ran a hand through his short brown hair. "'Cause I can. 'Cause I'm bored and yer jus' entertainment for me. What's it matter anyway? You agreed to it, didn't ya?"

For some reason, his words actually hurt me this time. Because he can? Because all he sees me as is just a form of entertainment? He's the one that used his gas up to come to my work everyday at four o' clock, just to talk to me. Now he uses that gas to come pick me up everyday. Or what about the fact that he went to a pawn shop and bought the bow and arrows, just so he could do this with me? Is he really that bored, or am I a new type of hooker?

I sighed as he started picking up the mess he made on the floor. I quickly walked past him and headed for the bathroom, yanking my purse and bag of sweaty clothes from the floor. When I got back to the kitchen he was already mopping up the pizza, or what was left of it. So...I tried for the door. I got no more then three steps before he asked, "What are ya doin'?"

I turned and huffed. "I'm leavin' okay?! That way, ya ain't gotta worry 'bout me no more! You can have yer stupid shirt back tomorrow!"

"Ya can't walk home!"

"Watch me." As soon as my hand touched the doorknob, his arms wrapped around me, picking my feet up from the ground. I was so mad, I seriously growled at him while flailing my limbs around. "Grrrr! Why won't you let me leave?!"

He tightened his arms around my waist, making my muscles ache. "Look at what yer wearin' Kelsi! Ya can't walk home in that! Every sum-bitch in the neighborhood will try ta get ya to hop in their truck!"

"Why do you care?!"

He finally let my feet touch the floor, only for him to grip onto my shoulders and spin me around to face him. "I ain't gonna have some stupid bitch gettin' herself hurt on my conscience." Before I could protest, he turned and swiped my plate from the counter, shoving it into my arms. "Now eat."

I glared at him, but he just shook his head as he turned and went into the living room. I was so mad that I just started huffin' and puffin', breathing heavy through my nostrils as I took a bite of my pizza. Chewing it with a vengeance, trying to pretend that it was Daryl's hard head I was munching on.

I tried to ignore my anger and continue eating, until I heard him mumbling and knocking stuff over in the living room. I rolled my eyes and sighed through my nose, walking into the living room with a mouth full. His hands were gripping his hip bones as he paced back and forth in the small room. I shook my head at his actions while my eyes scanned the room, trying to find what he had knocked over. That's when I saw the upside down glass ashtray in the middle of the floor. It must of been full with the amount of ashes and cigarette butts that littered the already diry carpet.

I took another mouth full and pointed to the mess with my half eaten pizza. "What the hell is yer problem Dixon?"

Instead of getting even angrier, if that's even possible, he just plopped down on the couch. I watched him curiously as he slowed his breathing down, quietly telling me to, "Eat."

I stood there for a moment, trying to fight it off. This stupid guilt I feel for no damn reason. Maybe what pisses me off the most is the fact that I can't, for the life of me, figure this man out. So, I let out another sigh and silently sat next to him. I quickly finished off my first slice and motioned the second to him, "Here." He looked at the pizza like it was a foreign object, but I didn't care. The pizza he made was a small one, only big enough to cut into fours, giving us each two. As I was standing there watching him pace the living room, I thought, what if that's all he had? It was my fault he threw his food down, so...I'll share mine. He's the one teaching me to survive on my own, but...maybe I can teach him to survive together. Show him...that he doesn't have to always be on his own.

"I don't want it KJ. Jus' eat it."

I still held the plate out to him, patiently waiting for him to take it as I kept my gaze to the floor. "You do want it. Ya probably haven't ate all day, so jus' take it." He let out a defeated groan as he snatched the plate from my hands and immediately bit into it. "When yer finished, ya can drive me home. We'll practice more tomorrow. And maybe...maybe I'll fix us up some dinner and bring it with me." His response was just a simple nod of agreement and I couldn't help but watch him with a smile. I don't know if I really believe that the dead can come back...but if it does...we'll survive. We just have to teach eachother how.