"I think we got about a day's worth of water left." Rick says from in front of the line. We're not listening to a word he says though. Instead we're all balancing on the railroad tracks, attempting to see who lasts the longest without falling. "We're lucky it's cooled off a little bit but, what are you doing?"
"Winning a bet." Carl says.
"In your dreams." Michonne tells him.
"Come on guys, I haven't wobbled once." I say laughing. "I'll be the winner or this."
"I'm still on." Carl tries to reach out and push Michonne but he wobbles himself.
"Spoke too soon wise guy," Michonne says as Carl struggles to regain his balance.
"This might go on a while." Rick says, taking a few steps forward. "Maybe we can speed this up."
"Yeah you're right. Shouldn't be fooling around." Michonne says agreeing but I know she's got ulterior motives. "We should probably, Carl!"
Her plan doesn't work exactly, and she winds up falling instead. The action caught me off guard and I end up falling off the tracks as well.
"I win," Carl says putting his hand out. "Pay up."
Michonne reaches into her pack, pulling our dwindlign candy stash from the bag. They're leftover from the convenience store and seeing as that was a couple days ago, we've gone through them fast.
"Is that really the last Big Cat?" Carl asks.
"Oh come on," Michonne whines as he takes the Big Cat from her hands.
"Hey, but you said winner's choice." Carl reminders her.
"Those were the rules." I say laughing.
"Go ahead take it, it's yours." She says throwing the other candy bar back into her backpack. "You won it, fair and square."
Carl splits the Big Cat into three pieces and hands us each a piece. I take the chocolate in my hands and take a bite.
"Come on, we always share." He says, tossing the wrapper to the side. We continue our trek along the tracks, quietly eating our chocolate.
+
"You know, I'll bet this bitch got you all messed up hm?" The greasy man named Len says. Daryl already has zero patience for this man, he acts like an entitled know it all. "Am I right? Got you walking around here like a dead man who just lost himself a piece of tail. Must've been a good'un. Tell me something, was it one of the little'uns?"
Daryl silently unsheathes his knife from his belt. Beau notices the familiar motion and does the same with his. Gripping around the handle just incase they need to kill this man and get the hell out of dodge.
"'Cause they don't last too long out here." Len says and Beau makes a move to swing his knife first.
"Easy, fella's, easy." The leader Joe, says catching Beau's wrist before he has the chance to raise it. "Let's just put our weapons down and see if we can't figure out what the problem is. Did you claim it?"
Joe's talking about the cottontail that him and Daryl had been out since the ass crack of dawn hunting. Not the rabbit specifically, but they've been hunting for breakfast all morning. He's tired and starving.
"Hell yeah," Len says smugly.
"Well there you go, that critter belongs to Len." Joe says turning to Daryl as he clenches the rabbits foot in his hand. "Looks like you may be wanting an explanation. See, going it alone that ain't an option nowadays. Still it is survival of the fittest. That's a paradox right there, so I laid out some rules of the road to keep things from going Darwin every couple hours. Keep our merry band together and stress-free. All you gotta do is claim. That's how you mark your territory, your prey your bed at night. One word, claimed.
"I ain't claiming nothing." Daryl says.
"Don't be stupid, you and your boy are with us for now." Joe says. "It'd be wise to follow those rules for survival for the both of ya."
+
"Hey look." Carl says, squatting by the tracks. There's a bushel of strawberries peaking out from the ground. He squats and pulls them up.
"Good eye Cowboy." I tell him, watching as he excitedly dusts the dirt off of the red berries.
"We'll find a stream, rinse them off and eat them later." Rick tells us. Carl nods and puts the strawberries in his pack.
"Those are a real treat I tell ya what." I tell Carl putting my hands on my hips.
"I could say the same about you." He says and I blush. Rick whistles to keep us moving forward. Slowly, we settle into a walking pace with Rick and Michonne further up on the tracks then us.
This part of surviving is repetitive. The routine of wake up, walk, find food, sleep. While I wish we had the luxury of a real home like the prison was, I'm glad to have this routine. It reminds me that we're still alive and when you have nothing to do walking towards an unknown destination makes the hours go by faster.
+
"You seen this before?" Daryl asks as they pass a sign for a place called Terminus. If Rory saw that, wherever she is he thinks she'd go. Probably thinking he'd go as well.
"I'll tell you what it is." Joe says with a scoff. "It's a lie. Ain't no sanctuary for all. Ain't gonna welcome guys like you and me with open arms."
"So is that where we're headed?" Daryl asks, looking back towards Beau. The teen is staring out into the field at something he can't see. When he feels Daryl's eyes on him he looks forward.
"So now you're asking?" Joe asks.
"That's right." Daryl says.
"We were in a house minding our own business and these walking pieces of fecal matter were hiding in the home. Strangled our colleague Lou and left him to turn. The little bitch hiding with him shot our boy Briggs in the shoulder. Lou came at all of us. They lit out, we tracked them to these tracks one of those signs, and thus we've got a destination in mind."
"You see their face?" Daryl asks.
"Only Tony," Joe says. "That's enough for a reckoning, and before ya get your hopes up Briggs already has called dibs on the little bitch that shot him. Only right. Your boy could probably get her next."
Daryl doesn't say anything at that. He wants no part of some sort of revenge ploy, him and Beau will probably hold back and go their own way. Beau sees something sticking out of the ground that catches his eye, Daryl's too.
"Claimed." Daryl says pulling a bushel of strawberries from the ground. He breaks one off and hands it to Beau who takes it graciously as Joe walks up further.
"Thanks." Beau says, making sure there's enough distance between the claimers and them before speaking. He's been quiet since Beth disappeared, blaming himself for another disappearance. That mixed with the fact that neither himself or Daryl trust these people means he's been real "We really staying with them?"
"Nah," Daryl tells him throwing the rest of the berries into his trash bag. "We'll follow 'em for a bit. When they find those people we'll split off. Head to Terminus."
"I don't trust 'em." Beau says softly.
"Neither do I," Daryl says. "But we're stronger with more people. If it comes down to it though, I'm getting you and I out."
"Alright." Beau says nodding his head. Joe turns back to look at the two of them talking. The pair quicken the pace, and Beau silently prays they find whoever they're hunting fast. He can't stand to wait another minute.
~~~~~~
itty bitty update before the big one.
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When The World Caves In |C.G.
FanfictionDaryl remembers a conversation at that point, wondering what the youngest Greene would say if she saw them now. The groups morale has been at an all time low since loosin' her. So he looks over at the sign like it's some sick joke. Just a reminder o...
