Apocalypse Now

Chapter 27: Sitting on top of the world

Really nervous about posting this chapter. Its about time...is all I can say!

Hope you guys enjoy this!

I stayed in front looking for tracks, looking out for walkers and mostly because Daryl didn't trust me to watch his back. That was his excuse anyway. Well if I was in front, then I was in control. I got to determine which way we would be heading. If I pointed that out though, he would suddenly insist he should lead, so I kept quiet, feeling a little smug.

It seemed rather quiet at the moment. Not much activity, hardly any tracks or noise. There was even an absence of walkers. Which I'm not sure was a good thing or a bad thing. I hoped that the lack of walkers didn't mean that there was also a lack of game. It was going to make for a long day, I could feel it. I continued walking south from what I could gather, staying close to the river. I figured that would hopefully give us better odds. And Daryl hadn't said anything, otherwise I would have had a suggestion to move in a different direction. Although it would have sounded more like a command if I suspected.

"You seeing much of anything?" I ask him, not turning around.

He sighed. "Nah nothin'. Keep followin' the river I reckon."

I nod, carrying on walking, keeping an eye out for anything. We had been out here for just over an hour, it was too silent. I had thought about asking about the other night and was half tempted to ask if anything happened with Carol but stopped myself several times. He was finally relaxed, I hadn't felt a glare on my back for a while now. So I kept my mouth shut. Why ruin his good mood. And if something had happened he wasn't likely to tell me, he isn't one to kiss and tell I figure. Plus it wasn't my business to know. Damn I need to stop distracting myself with this shit. At least when I was on my own I wasn't constantly being distracted by day-dreaming about some guy.

As I passed a tree, too late I heard the scurry of a critter and then the tell tale Thunk! of the bolt hitting its target, pulling me from my day-dreaming and slight rant to myself. I glanced back over my shoulder to see Daryl pulling the bolt from the tree, a squirrel embedded on the arrow. He smirked with his find. I knew he was thinking "And that's one for me." He caught up to me looking as cocky as ever.

"I let you have that one" I laugh. Liar. You were distracted thinking about him.

"Bullshit" he smirked. He unexpectedly stuck his arm out in front of me, halting me in my tracks, nearly walking into his arm.

Up ahead were four walkers yet to notice us. Daryl quickly pulled the string back on his crossbow as I loaded the bolt into mine, eyeing up the walker, sending it to the ground, the one next to it dropping to the ground with Daryl's bolt splitting its skull. I quickly reloaded and took down the third walker. As Daryl loaded his bolt it snapped in two, "Shit" he cursed, reaching for another bolt. The moans getting nearer. I grabbed another bolt and took the last one down, watching it drop unceremoniously to the ground ten feet away from us. Daryl nodded to me, a silent thanks, then looking down to the snapped bolt on the ground, frowning. We both walked over retrieving our bolts.

"Is it a bad sign that we've seen more walkers than game?" I ask out loud, not really asking Daryl. He shrugs his shoulders at me, then flicks his head, signalling me to carry on ahead of him. Daryl silently following behind me.