No Tomorrow

.

"Mind telling me what this is?"

I reached out for it but he just chuckled and kept it out of my reach before moving to hold it between his thumb and forefinger, when I tried to move my left wrist I saw that it was cuffed to the bed. Odd.

"I don't think so, these become no good when exposed to air, right? If it's that important then you should tell me what's in it....unless I can just..."

He went to untwist the cap and I nearly screamed in horror, causing his eyes to widen.

"Look....I can't tell you what's in that, but I need it or else I'm going to die soon. I was supposed to have that days ago, please....let me use it and I'll tell you everything that I can."

Why am I saying that? I don't even know this man.

Daryl narrowed his eyes but flipped the tube into the air anyway and I caught it with my right hand before jamming the thing into the right side of my neck and twisted the plunger until I felt the barb pierce me, I felt cool relief as the solution spread through my system and I moaned before my hand fell back down with the now useless needle. Daryl's eyes never left me but continued to watch me with apt attention.

"Drugs?"

"Yes and no, not the ones you're thinking of- my friend made this and I'll need the last one soon or this will kill me faster then the last one tried to."

"Explain."

I looked at my cuffed wrist and flexed a few muscles along my hand, the post groaned and I quickly snapped the cuff away from me before I patted the chain and turned it into a metal putty; I gave the lump to Daryl and he mouth fell open.

"I think it's best for me to explain it to everyone at the same time so I don't have to repeat myself."

*

"So that's why it's important for me to go back, none of you have to come with me of course."

Women held a few children but most of the men were glaring at me that weren't helping prep a large van on the edge of camp, Daryl stood close to me with his arms folded over his chest and kept glaring at Shane and the truck; before I told the group a little bit about why I had to go back, Daryl had gotten into a small fight with one of the men because his brother had been left behind in the last run to town.

"We're not uprooting our camp just for you to go get drugs."

I shrugged, since my old shirt had been ruined and torn to bloody shreds Daryl had offered me one of his and it was a little too snug around my chest.

"That's fine, I'll leave by myself tomorrow then. I don't think either of us want to waste an afternoon trying to explain something the other doesn't understand."

Someone hit the side of the truck and Daryl jogged over to the open back side before he flashed me a look and the thing roared to life before it rattled away, an older looking man with a lot of white in his face stepped between Shane and I and put a hand out to the both of us.

"We're having a fish dinner tonight, let's not fight and try to get along with eachother ok?''

When Shane rolled his eyes and walked away the rest of the group went back to whatever they were doing before the meeting was called, and when they all cleared, the old man turned his whole body to me and smiled weakly.

"They'll come around eventually, just give them time- my name's Dale. I'd like to hear more about your story if you don't mind."

*That Night*

"Amazing....so your friend pretty much made a solution to all of this?"

Dale waved his fork around the campfire as people ate cooked fish from tiny plates around the low flames and I nodded, I spent the whole afternoon talking to Dale but I found myself looking around for Daryl as the sun set a few hours ago.

"I guess you could say that, this last bit is supposed to....give me something major, I think."

I finished the fish on my plate and set it down by my feet before sitting back in the low chair I was in and playing with the hem of my shirt, I didn't tell him everything but I had a feeling that he could tell I was keeping something from him.

"Do you think that's something we could do? There's some good people that I'd hate to see die here."

I shook my head, another lie to add to the slowly growing pile.

"No? That's a shame, but I thought I'd ask anyway."

A woman got up from the fire to go to the RV and I used that chance to get to my own feet and trace my scent back to a tent that was at the far side of the camp before I began to breathe too fast, I plopped myself down on one of the beds and held my coat to my chest until my breathing returned to normal. Jay had me carry that vial with the needle on the off chance we ever got seperated but he never had the chance to tell me what it was used for, I was taken the same day he gave the thing to me; so far the burning sensation was now deep in my bones and it almost made my eyes water from the pain and there was a dull pounding pain at the back of my skull.

What's wrong with me?

I stuffed my face into my coat but when I closed my eyes all I could see where the blue's of Daryl's eyes so I moaned and leaned back until I felt the nylon of the tent wall, Daryl's scent was all around me and it rose the hair on  the backs of my arms; how was I even able to smell it in the first place?