Carolina in my mind
Chapter 41
Carolina tugged a little on the bandanas that were holding her wrists to the headboard of the bed. The bindings felt secure. But they weren't tight to the point where she couldn't slip out of them if she really wanted to. Not that she had any intention of escaping. On the contrary, her body was buzzing with anticipation as she waited impatiently for whatever Daryl was planning on doing to her.
Daryl used another folded length of cloth to cover her eyes. And once her arms were pinned and she wasn't able to see, Carolina felt her breathing go shallow and fast. Not being able to see was enhancing her other senses. Her skin was tingling. And she could hear every tiny rustle of the bedsheets next to her.
Daryl used the same oil that she massaged his back with. He started with her breasts, rubbing and kneading them until her nipples were so tight they were almost painful. He gently tugged and rolled them between his fingers until she felt the pleasure ripple through her body. It wasn't as intense an orgasm as the sort she got from being touched between her legs. But it still left her gasping as she clamped her thighs together.
His hands moved down over her stomach next. Grazing over the area where she wanted them most, he nudged her legs apart and started to rub up and down the insides of her thighs. She rocked her hips towards his thick fingers, eager to be penetrated by them. When he touched her it was without his usual fumbling nervousness. And she guessed that the fact that she couldn't see him was making him feel bolder and more confident in his movements. Daryl pressed his thumb down over her clit, rubbing it in a circular motion that was making her see spots on the insides of her eyelids. He kept up the torturously slow movement as he slid two fingers of his other hand inside her. She came almost instantly, her body arching as she tugged against the cloth that was holding her arms above her head.
Since he'd already come at least once and possibly another time in the shower before that, Carolina wasn't expecting it when Daryl settled between her thighs and pushed his hard length inside her. She was still in the throws of her orgasm and when he forced her insides open a second hard spasm rocked through her body. She felt his body pressing down on top of hers. And then he was pushing the blindfold off as his lips found hers. She wrapped her legs around him and let him move her body with the rhythm of his thrusts. He slowed his movements as he pulled at the ties that were holding her wrists to the bed. Once they were loose, she jerked them the rest of the way free. It was clear Daryl wanted to feel her hands on him. So she stroked them up and down over his back as he rocked his hips into hers. The act went on long enough that she felt the heat building back up inside her. But when she tipped over the edge this time, he went over with her. They snuggled together afterwards, kissing and caressing each other as their muscles slowly relaxed.
"What ya said before …did ya really mean it?," he asked, his hand tracing lazy circles on the curve of her hip.
"What?," Carolina asked. "...that you can do anything you want to me?"
"Naw," Daryl drawled, shaking his head slightly as he tried to bite back a grin. "Not that. What ya said before that."
Carolina puckered her face up like she just sucked on a lemon. "You mean when I said I love you?" This was not her preferred post-coital topic of discussion. This was a talk she'd rather have when she had her shoes on. So she could use them to run the fuck away.
Daryl nodded. "Never had a girl say that ta me before…"
Carolina cringed again. At herself and at the hard pull his words put on her heartstrings. At some point she'd gone from falling asleep hoping to wake up back in her apartment and falling asleep worried that she might never see Daryl again. She had it bad. And she definitely meant it when she said she loved him.
"Well I never said it to anyone before so I guess that makes two of us," she told him, tucking her face into the crook of his neck so that he wouldn't see how red her cheeks were getting. "But I meant it," she admitted.
"I do too," he said. "...love ya I mean." Daryl sounded unsure of his words. But very sure of what he said next as he held her tighter against his chest. "I'll never let anything bad happen to ya."
The afternoon sun was beaming down on them as they walked the few miles back towards the shopping center. Carolina snuck a sideways glance at Daryl, smiling when she caught his eye. She could tell he was holding back a grin. And the effort was making his cheeks go pink with a combination of embarrassment and thoughts of the words that passed between them before they left to begin searching for the rest of their group. Carolina caught his hand, pulling Daryl to a stop so she could wrap her arms around his neck.
Daryl hummed into their kiss, holding her against him with the arm he wasn't using to steady the strap of his crossbow. Carolina only meant to press her lips against his briefly. But when she felt his tongue slide against her lips, their kiss quickly turned into a full makeout session in the middle of the deserted street. It was the groan of a walker that brought their kissing to a halt. Daryl shot it through the head, moving to retrieve his arrow before he moved back and grasped her hand with his.
"We better get movin' or we're never gonna get nothin' done," he teased, tugging her along towards the abandoned plaza. Since they'd done just about everything there was to do with each other, Carolina found it sort of funny that this was the first time they'd ever held hands. And really it was her first time holding hands with anyone. She liked it more than she expected. The small bit of physical contact comforted her as they walked. And she liked the way his rough callouses felt against her softer skin.
There wasn't much for her to do in the parking area of the small plaza. Other than how to drive them, she didn't know shit about cars. And if she tried to help, she'd end up just getting in Daryl's way. He suggested that she keep watch while he checked the tanks for gas and tried to find a vehicle with a working battery. So Carolina hopped up on the trunk of an abandoned car and lit a cigarette as she watched for stray walkers that might be heading in Daryl's direction.
Carolina was almost excited when she finally spotted one. She hopped down and used a tire iron to smash its rotted head in. Daryl stopped his tinkering long enough to make sure she didn't need help. But before she could head back in his direction, Carolina spotted what looked like a stray cat scratching around in a bush near the edge of the pavement.
"Look!," she exclaimed, "Its a kittycat!" Daryl shrugged, not as impressed as she was with her find.
"Best leave it," he suggested. "We got nothin' for it."
Carolina promptly ignored Daryl's sound advice, stalking quietly towards the bushes. The poor thing was probably starving and scared to death. She knew they couldn't really keep a pet cat. But if she caught it, she figured she could at least find something in the plaza to feed it. With all the walkers wandering around, it was bound to be terrified of people. So her plan was to snatch it up by the scruff before it could dash away. After a few pets, they'd become instant best friends.
Moving closer to the bushes, Carolina could see a fluffy white and black tail moving around behind the foliage. She slowly crouched down. And once she was in position, she shoved her long arm into the bush as fast as she could and grabbed the animal. She heard hissing, which she expected. But what she wasn't expecting was that instead of a feral cat in her hand, there was a large and extremely angry skunk. Carolina screamed at the top of her lungs, releasing her grip on the animal and trying to scramble back. But it was too late.
In theory, Carolina knew that skunks were capable of releasing a foul odor. But she always imagined it as something like a fart. A little cloud of stink would come out and it might smell bad but then it would be funny. But that was far from the reality of what happened. The skunk turned and lifted its shaking tail. And then it basically pissed directly into her face and down the front of her shirt. Carolina screamed like it was the end of her life. Turning and bracing her hands against the pavement, she began to vomit profusely. The skunk spray was by far the worst thing she'd ever smelled in her life. The only way she could describe it was that it was like being coated in strong urine mixed with a thousand liquid rotten eggs. And she was pretty sure some of it got in her mouth. As Carolina emptied whatever was left in her stomach onto the ground, the skunk sprayed her again. She felt the warm stream splash across the backs of her legs and ass. Her clothes and skin were now completely covered. And she was pretty sure she was never going to get the stink out of her hair.
"Go on, git," Daryl said, shooing the disgruntled animal away from her. He took a step in her direction, intending to help her up off the ground. But before Daryl could even extend his hand to her he started to gag. Daryl backed away, jerking his shirt up to cover his nose and mouth. "What the hell were ya thinkin'?," he cursed, wiping at his watering eyes.
"I thought it was a cat," Carolina wailed, her stomach muscles convulsing as she gagged and wretched again. Daryl bent forward, clutching his stomach. At first, Carolina thought he was going to start puking right along with her. But after a moment, she realized he was laughing his ass off. She didn't think she'd ever seen him laugh so hard. And even though it was at her expense she couldn't help but laugh along with him.
"A'ight," he huffed, offering her his hand once he finally got done with his laughing fit. "Let's go back to the cabin and I'll help ya get the stank off." Carolina took his hand and let him help her onto her feet. Her eyes were still watering and she felt like she couldn't breathe without wanting to vomit. But the promise of a hot shower back at the cabin got her moving.
There was certainly no hand holding on the walk back. And Daryl made sure to position himself so that her stink was blowing away from him. Every once in a while, he would catch her eye and they would both start laughing. Thinking about the situation later, Carolina realized they had not been very mindful of their surroundings. Because even though the group of men that suddenly seemed to appear out of thin air were being sneaky, under normal circumstances Daryl still would have spotted them before they got that close.
Carolina went rigid with fear, the horror of being sprayed by a skunk seeming like nothing in comparison to what amounted to her worst walking dead nightmare. Daryl had no way of knowing who these men were. But she knew. Even before the one with the bandana hollered out their signature catchphrase and lunged towards her.
"Claimed!," he spat, using one hand to twist her wrist and keep her from shooting him as he grabbed her around the waist with the other. But there was only brief contact between their bodies. The man released his hold on her so fast, Carolina nearly fell on her face. He scrambled back, turning and bending forward as he began to wretch and gag. "That fuckin' bitch stinks ta high heaven!," the man announced, pointing an accusatory finger in her direction.
"Hey!," Carolina huffed, not impressed with being referred to as a fucking bitch due or with the way the pervert just tried to lay claim to her. "It's not my fault I got sprayed by a skunk. You don't smell so good yourself asshole!"
The men's companions didn't seem sure what to do about this unexpected development. A few of them looked like they were ready to start laughing. But then their leader stepped towards her.
"Drop the gun sweetheart," he ordered.
"Do I look fucking stupid to you?," Carolina asked, pointing her handgun directly at his face.
"Drop it now or we'll beat your boyfriend to death in front of you," he warned. Carolina flicked her eyes to the side. Daryl had his crossbow up. But he was surrounded by four other men. And they were all armed.
"Touch one hair on his head and I'll blow your fucking head off," she countered. "Not theirs. Only yours, Joe."
The man maintained his composure better than she expected. But she could tell the fact that she knew his first name threw him and the rest of his group for a loop. Carolina guessed Claimer Joe must be racking his brain trying to figure out how they knew each other. His momentary confusion opened the door for her to offer another alternative to the standoff they were currently having.
"We found a cabin nearby that's stocked with supplies," Carolina offered, giving Daryl a quick glance to see what he thought of her idea. He bobbed his head slightly, signaling for her to continue. "Food. Medicine. Weapons. And we're not staying there, because we need to leave and find the rest of our group. How about you agree not to kill us dead? And we'll show you where it is and let you have everything inside of it?"
There were some mumorings from Joe's subordinates. One was telling him no. But the rest seemed interested in the deal she was offering them. Even hardened survivors got hungry. Carolina was sure they'd have no qualms about killing Daryl and raping her once they knew where the cabin was. But at least this would buy them a little time and give them a better chance of escape than they were currently looking at.
"I can agree to that," he said, shrugging as he moved towards her and stuck his hand out for her to shake. Carolina kept her gun pointed at him. But she did move forward and give his hand a quick shake. Touching him made her cringe. And she guessed the smell of her did the same for him. Because he jerked back quickly and fanned the air in front of his face.
"I told ya she stinks," Joe's companion huffed, eager to defend himself and the way he ran from an attractive woman after he'd laid claim to her. They all moved awkwardly at first, not really wanting to take their weapons off each other even though a truce had been struck. Carolina didn't trust these men. She didn't take her eyes off their leader until she heard the screech of car tires coming from behind her.