Daryl's Girl

Chapter 3

It had been roughly an hour or so since we left the cabin, walking deeper into the woods. The whole time, I couldn't stop thinking about all the supplies we'd left behind. It was so stupid. We didn't know when we'd come across something like that again and maybe, I should've some how tried harder to convince Tyler into staying for a day or two more. Either way, what's done is done and, at the least, being out here, I could convince myself that we'd have a better chance of finding the others. Whether Tyler wanted to or not. Although, it still did nothing to stop my mind from drifting.

No matter what I tried, I couldn't get the cabin out of my head. I kept telling myself that it wasn't our fault. We simply didn't have the room in our bags to carry more than what we already were. That if the others were out there, maybe they were trying to track us down and could use what we left behind. If there was some way we could've carried more, we would've done it, no questions asked. It was only a matter of time before something went wrong and we were trapped again. The thoughts going round and round in my mind making it difficult to concentrate. I just couldn't shake them, and I knew sooner or later it was gonna end up putting us in danger.

Even out here, where nothing moved and everything was quiet, I couldn't focus on anything.

The sun was directly above our heads through the trees and eventually I became accustomed to the leaves crunching under our feet. It was peaceful, but I knew better than to enjoy it. It wouldn't last. All we had was Tyler's gun to protect ourselves. A part of me hoping we wouldn't have to use it. Another part of me knowing we wouldn't have the need to use it if we'd stayed put. I needed to start standing up for myself and standing my ground. I couldn't just let him keep pushing me around. Not anymore. It wasn't just up to him to decide what our next move was going to be.

Tyler must've sensed my growing nerves as I suddenly felt his fingers interlock with my own. I didn't say anything. I just glanced over at him and sighed. He didn't look back. He was scanning the area around us with his gun in his other hand, completely blank of any emotion. Not like the night before where I could see how terrified and vulnerable he was.

I hadn't known Tyler before the dead started coming back to life. We'd met a couple of days after the broadcasts stopped and everything really went to shit. Even then, we didn't always agree, and not much has really changed, but he's been there for me more times than I can count. That including what happened with the boat. I know I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him. For that, I'm grateful, but deep inside, I knew, if we're gonna survive, I needed to take some charge and start making the tough calls.

It made me think back to the day we found him hiding out on Briana's parent's boat. To think, two months ago, we were going to cut him loose and leave him. He was a stranger. Our initial plan being to live out on the water and wait for the world to sort itself out. For the most part, it worked. The corpses couldn't get to us, but it was Tyler that taught us how to defend ourselves, and Tyler who showed us how to kill them. He slowly became part of our group. I owe him a lot for that, amongst other things, and I know it's gonna cost me. 

All of a sudden, there was a snap and I was bought back to reality as the sudden sound of footsteps filled the air. I knew they weren't our own, but they sounded close and I couldn't tell if they were those of an animal, corpse or someone else running through the woods.

"What was that?" I asked as I looked through the trees, trying to see if I could spot anything. My grip on Tyler's hand tightening.

"I don't know." Tyler replied. He'd heard it too. His gun now out in front of him.

"Do you think it was one of them?" I said. The two of us now standing back to back.

"It might be. I don't-" He stopped and, before I knew it, he pulled me with him behind a tree, pushing me back against the bark, using his own body as a shield.