safe

Chapter 58

"Are you okay Ruby?" Daryl asks empathetically.

"Yeah, just a bit shaken." I reply.

"Didn't know we was following you, would have stopped 'em earlier." He sys running a hand along the back of his neck.

"It's okay." I reply earnestly.

"Didn't know you were even alive..."

"Neither did Rick or Michonne... and Glenn never will." I respond sadly.

Daryl gives me a fatherly hug and pats my back.

"At least you have Max and the baby, you've got a living reminder of you're love." Daryl tells me, his tone edged with embarrassment from his beautiful encouragement.

I laugh through oncoming tears and look to the van where a Michonne, Max and Carl are sleeping.

Rick is sitting by the fire, blood dried brown on his forearms and the edge of his mouth.

He dragged the bodies up the road without help and hasn't spoken a word since the attack.

The early morning light is filtering through the trees and the snarls of a walker can be heard in the distance.

Daryl hears them too and we calmly jog over to Rick.

"There's walkers coming through might be a heard we should get in the van." Daryl tells him as I hold my arm out to him to help him up.

Rick mods and grabs my hand and we walk to the van.

Daryl climbs through to the back to warn Michonne and the rest while Rick and I duck in the front seats.

"Are you okay?" I whisper to Rick as I crouch down beneath the steering wheel.

Rick grunts and looks away.

"Hey? I asked you a question Rick." I remind him somewhat sympathetically.

Rick is motionless as I press him for answers.

"Why won't you talk to me? Did I do something? Or is it you?"

No movement.

"Look I don't bode well with silent treatment, I'm a gemini we need conver-"

"I can't protect Max and Daisy... I can't even protect Carl..." He whispers sadly.

"I protected them." I reply softly

"Well we aren't exactly are team now are we?" Rick blurts.

"What?"

"I mean a conventional team."

"Ugh, all i'm hearing is 'I won't protect your, kids we aren't a team'."

"Max isn't your kid."

"Well then what are you to Carl? Because I'm a far better 'fake' mother than you are a 'real' father, Rick."

"Are you?!" Rick says in defence.

"I saved not only Max and Daisy, my children, but Carl, your son while you played grab neck with an old bikie."

Rick reaches for the car door and opens it, getting out of crouch position and climbing out.

"Yeah that's right leave your son in here and go be a fucking zombie. You basically already are!" I yell after him pettily.

Rick slams the door and I sit up on the seat and lean over to the back of the van.

"Sorry if you guys heard that..." i say guiltily.

"He was out of line." Carl whispers back quietly.

Max wraps his arms around my neck and hugs me tightly.

"No matter what anyone says you're my mom." He whispers.

"Call me mum, not mom." I reply thickening my aussie accent.

Max giggles quietly and Michonne overhears, chucking a smile our way.

Suddenly a gunshot goes off and Max stiffens in fright whilst I desperately twist around to see what's happening.

The growl of walkers fills my ears ad I know Rick is fighting off a herd of at least six, the chorus is too loud for any less.

"Hand me my gun Max." I say and Max quickly grabs it from atop my pack.

I open the door and check behind me to find it clear, then I turn towards Rick to see him fighting off a slow approaching herd of around thirty walkers.

"What is he doing?" Michonne groans from behind me.

"Lock it Carl." Daryl instructs before walking ahead of me to aid Rick.

Michonne follows quickly behind and I follow their leads somewhat unwillingly.

Why couldn't he have just gone back to the car and waited it out?

Rick doesn't even acknowledge us as we close ranks around him.

I take out my hip knife and slice at walkers to save bullets whilst Michonne slices through skulls and Daryl fires arrows right between the sunken eye holes of the undead.

I catch one zombie through the temple and use the butt of my gun to crack open the skull of another approaching walker.

I push the knifed corpse to the ground and pull my knife out as it falls, immediately striking another zombie through the base of the nasal cavity on the upswing.

I quickly rip the knife out and send a powerful swipe to the right, the blade of my knife is so sharp it cuts through the cranial plate like cheese and I watch the cavity contents dribble through the wide incision made by my knife.

I hear a growl behind me and I quickly turn around to find a walker a metre away from me and I run up and stab it in the temple.

I turn back around and find Daryl grappling with three walkers at the same time so I quickly whip my knife out towards them and successfully cut open the skull of one of the walkers and Daryl is able to push the other two to the ground.

Michonne and Rick have already killed off the last of the walkers and Daryl quickly finishes off his two.

We all stare at each other in an awkward silence until I decide to break it.

I walk towards Rick with my arms open as to invite a hug and as I get to where Rick is standing and he leans down to hug me I punch him as hard as I can in the jaw.

Rick drops to the floor, in his shock he manages to huff 'oof'.

"You fucking idiot." I yell furiously.

I turn back around and walk to the van.

I hear footsteps behind me as I reach out my right hand for the door, but my left shoulder is suddenly pushed out, turning me around and pressing my back against the car.

I look up and see Rick's face, his jaw has already started to bruise.

Without warning he grabs my face with both hands and kisses me deeply.

I swiftly respond with by grabbing his shoulders and pulling my knee up to hit him, incredibly hard, in the balls.

Rick instantaneously falls, doubling over in pain.

I turn back around and get in the van, which Max quickly unlocks for me.

I squish into the back and throw a sorry glance to Carl.

"In about fifteen minutes we'll leave it's sunrise. Rick is just recuperating."
I tell the boys.

"What happened?" Max asks.

"Well Rick learnt a lesson; you shouldn't fuck around with Ruby because she'll hurt you." I reply nonchalantly.

Both Carl and Max laugh as I curse and they both take the injuries in good humour.

Rick might not find it as funny.