What's Next

Chapter Forty One 🦋

Val's POV:

"Alright." I hear Sasha say through the walkie. "That's 20?" Daryl questions.

"it will be. 642 is a mile ahead. We gotta put distance between us and them before the turnoff." Sasha explained.

"So floor it." Abraham adds as a joke.

"All right try to keep up." Daryl smirked.

"Daryl have you looked this car. Believe me, we want to get back there, too."

We took the next turn at 642. Finally that part was done. Now it was time to get back to everyone. This sinking feeling hasn't left me. It really started to take a toll. I still worried. So much had already happened since we started this, why hasn't this feeling disappeared? How could I get it to stop? I couldn't find an answer to give myself.

We were just minding our business and the next thing I knew we were trying to dodge bullets that were being fired our way. Daryl was weaving so much at a higher speed, trying to get us away. We fell, gliding along the ground with the bike alongside us. Almost immediately Daryl picked me up as well as the motorcycle. We got straight back on, as he revved it. Taking off as quick as we could. The gunfire hadn't stopped yet. "Dare there's two cars. There right behind us." I muttered in his ear, and he revved once again, picking up the pace.

As we turned the corner, there were walkers coming straight for us. Great not only are we trying to not get shot but now we're trying to not get bit 'fuck what's next?' I muttered to myself. I just wanted to get home. "Hold on sunshine!" Daryl called, speeding up even more as we took the next corner. I tightened my grip on him. Refusing to let go even if my hands began to get sweaty.

We lost one car, but we still had the other on our trail. I rested my face against Daryl's back. Keeping myself as close as possible.

♢♢

The car drove right by us, as we stayed hidden within the trees alongside the road. Soon as we lost sight of it, Daryl drove us to the other side. My side was stinging, and the side of Daryl's head was bleeding. We just kept driving. And driving. And driving. The further we got the more the scenery began to change. All the trees where like charcoal. Ash scattered along the ground. The forest was burnt to a crisp.

We started to slow down, collapsing off the bike. We were panting. Completely out of breath. "Baby are you okay?" I asked, worriedly. Hovering over him immediately. Taking my hand to his head, examining the cut on his head. "Sunshine, I should be askin' ye that." He stated, sitting up to look at me. Pushing the hair that fell in front of my hair behind my ear. "I'm okay baby. We're okay." I whispered, our faces were just inches apart. He pulled me in for a kiss instantly. It was short but passionate. It felt like all the worry drained for just a moment.

♢♢

We started walking, Daryl pushing the bike with us. There were bodies all around us. Every new step we took there was another charred body. Daryl pushed slightly ahead, almost falling after pushing the bike too hard, it rolled down a small mound taking him with it. "Dare, shit!" I called out, quietly running to him after witnessing him fall down with the bike. "I'm fine sunshine." He sighed out of breath.

"You scared me Dare." I muttered, walking up to him.

"I'm sorry darling, really I am." He apologised, sadly:

"I know baby." I replied, bringing him in and planting a soft kiss on his lips. He pulled away, stepping over the bike. "Sasha? Abraham?" he spoke into the walkie. Nothing but static. I watched him with a small frown on my face, noticing blood drip from his hand on the charred skeleton next to him. He must've noticed it too, as he took the glove off his hand immediately, going to take his jacket off next. I walked over, helping him. I spotted the blood that trailed down his arm. "fucking hell Dare." I mumbled. Pulling my bag off my back, grabbing the first aid kit out my bag, along with the bottle of water. "Ye don't need to darling."

"don't be silly dare." I started to clean what I could, so I could at least get a better look at was wrong. The sound of a branch snapping caught our attention. Taking one look at each other, after tearing our attention away from the area the sound came from. Daryl walked slowly back to his bike, taking his bag and crossbow off of it before covering it with branches.

He walked back to me, taking my hand in his immediately pulling me close to his side. Slowly walking so we didn't draw anymore attention towards us. We headed towards the area of the sound. "stay close." He whispered, letting go of my hand so he had better control of his crossbow, keeping it aimed. I nodded my head, staying as close as I could, pulling my crossbow off my own back, holding it just to be ready.

We stepped closer and closer. Soon finding two people who were hiding behind a tree. Standing up with their hands up in the surrender motion. "you found us, okay?" one of them spoke, somewhat frantic. "here we are." She continued.

"we earned what we took." She stated before hearing another branch snapping. Just before I could see who or what it was. Everything went black.

♢♢

"Probably just another soldier from one of the outposts." I hear a voice say. Soldier? What are they talking about. "she's pregnant." I heard the woman from earlier say. Well done sherlock, you just stated the obvious. "when was the last time you saw a pregnant woman at an outpost?" That was the last I heard before everything went black again

♢♢

The next time I started to come to, one of the women started picking up Daryl's crossbow. "You know how to use one of these?" she asks.

"yeah." The man's voice I heard before, spoke once again. "never liked using them to hunt."

♢♢

"We pick up Patty and we're gone, okay?"

"this is the last day we gotta live like this."

♢♢

I finally came to, immediately looking over at Daryl, seeing him still knocked out. My blood began to boil seeing him like that. I instantly tried to rub my bump for comfort, only I couldn't. my hands were tied behind my back. 'for fuck sakes' I muttered to myself. I looked back to Daryl, seeing him begin to wake up. The man I heard last night, was crouched down in front of him, demanding him to get up. One of the women grabbed me and pulled me up. "Don't fucking touch me." I seethed. Seeing the man before Daryl aim a gun at his head.

"Daryl!" I cried out, alerting Daryl instantly. As I go to run to his side to protect him. "shut up!" the man yelled at me.

"here's the deal, you don't say shit and I don't kill you or the pregnant woman you got with you."

"I ain't who ye think." I hear Daryl mutter.

"and ye better not touch a hair on her head, or yer gonna wish ye didn't." he threatened. I heard the gun click. "say something else." The man threatened again, keeping the gun trained on Daryl. Panic overtook me. I gave Daryl a pleading look, just asking him to oblige. I watched his eyes flicker between me and the man holding the gun to him. He stayed quiet. As the man then grabbed him, pulling Daryl up from the ground. "follow them." He instructed, as Daryl and I followed along. I don't know how much more of this I could take. I just want to go home, be with my brother, my nephew, my niece, everybody that was back in Alexandria. I just wanted to be back in my bed the one I shared with Daryl.

♢♢