A Broken World

Thirty-Two

Daryl was coming out of the woods carrying a couple squirrels when I finally made it to his tent. “The hell do ya want?” He grumbled. I sighed and walked closer to him. He sat down on a log he set up in front of the small fire he made and started to dress the squirrels. “I just wanted to see if you were alright.” He scoffed, not looking up at me. “Like you fucking care.” I rolled my eyes letting a scuff out myself. “Of course I fucking, Daryl! Jesus christ, what the fuck is wrong with you? Are you seriously still pissed at me after all these years?”

He didn't say anything, just continued to gut the squirrel in his hand. “Look, Daryl, I have always cared about you. I've thought about you over the years. Thought about what you've been up to and how you were doing. Wouldn't you say that us finding each other at the end of the world is maybe fate?” Daryl laughed, like actually laughed. “No such thing as fate. This ain't no damn Fairy tale. Now leave me the hell alone!” I felt the burning of tears form behind my eyes so I turned around and went back down to the house. Fuck him.

When I got back down to the house Glenn and Rick were packing up Carol's Cherokee. “What's going on?” I asked. Glenn turned to look at me. “Hershel disappeared. We're going into town to get him,” he said. I nodded my head, “I'll come with you guys. Just in case,” I said. Rick nodded, “Yeah, alright. Go get your stuff.” I jogged over to my tent, grabbed an extra magazine for my gun, grabbed my backpack and stuffed a couple bottles of water into it, checking to make sure my first aid kit was still inside.

I opened the front pocket to shove a couple protein bars inside, because you never know what might happen, and saw my badge. I pulled it out and looked at the pendant I had slipped onto the chain I used for my badge. The necklace Daryl had gotten me all those years ago had gotten broken when I was trying to take a suspect down. I was lucky that I found the small pendant. I had slipped it on the chain so it laid behind the badge. I figured it would be safer that way. And then that way It was always with me. I put it back in the pocket with the protein bars, zipped it, and quickly went back to the car and got into the back seat.

It only took about twenty minutes to get into town. It was one of those towns where everyone knows everyone and their business, or at least used to. We parked outside the bar that Maggie said Hershel used to go to when he had a drinking problem back in the day. We got out of the car and headed for the doors to the bar. Hershel sat inside on a stool at the bar, glass of untouched whiskey in his hand. “Maggie send you?” He asked without looking at who it was. “She's just worried is all,” Rick told him.

Rick tried to talk to Hershel; to get him to come back to the farm. He was having a hard time with the whole figuring out that people weren't just sick. He blamed himself for Beth, which I haven't mentioned. Beth collapsed earlier from being in such shock over what had happened at the barn. Hershel still didn't move even after Rick told him what had happened. He asked if Maggie was with her and that was it.

After being there for about ten minutes two men walked in. One of them was a big fat dude who looked me up and down with a smirk as soon as his eyes landed on me. Dave and Tony, Tony is the fat creep that won't stop looking at my tits. “I'm Glenn. It's nice to
meet some new people,” Glenn said, smiling.

“Rick Grimes.”

”How about you, pal?” Tony asked Hershel. “Have one?” He asked, nodding towards the liquor. “I just quit, “ Hershel said. “You've got a unique sense of timing, my friend.” Hershel made eye contact with him. None of us were too trusting of the two strangers. “His name's Hershel. He lost people today, a lot of them,” Glenn said. “I'm truly sorry to hear that. To better days and new friends,and to our dead, may they be in a better place,” Tony said. He looked over at me next and smiled. “How about you, doll? What's your name?” I stared at him for a few long minutes debating if I really wanted to give him my name. “Yn.”

He smiled and looked me up and down. I wanted to crawl out of my fucking skin at this point. He noticed Rick staring at him and he looked down. “Not bad, huh? I got it off a cop,” Dave said, picking up the pistol he had set on the table. “I'm a cop and so is she,” Rick told him. “I'm Technically a detective but whatever,” I mumbled. Dave nodded his head, not letting his smile drop. “This one was already dead.”

“You fellas are a long way from Philadelphia,” Hershel said, changing the subject. “It feels like we're a long way from anywhere,” Dave said. Well, what drove you south?” I asked. His eyes flicked over to me. “Well, I can tell you it wasn't the weather. I must've dropped 30 pounds in sweat alone down here.” Tony scoffed, “I wish.”

“No, first it was D.C. I heard there
might be some kind of refugee camp,but the roads were so jammed, we never even got close. We decided to get off the highways,
into the sticks, keep hauling ass. Every group we came across had a new rumor about a way out of this thing. One guy told us there was the Coast Guard sitting in the gulf, sending ferries to the islands. The latest was a rail yard in Montgomery running trains to the middle of the country in Kansas, Nebraska.”

“Nebraska?” Glenn asked. “Low population, lots of guns,” Dave cleared up. “Kind of makes sense,” Glenn said. “Ever been to Nebraska, kid? There's a reason they call 'em fly-over states. How about you guys?”

“Fort Benning, eventually,” Rick said.

“I hate to piss in your cornflakes, Officer, but we ran across a grunt who was stationed at Benning. He said the place was overrun by lamebrains,” Dave told us. Glenn looked surprised and disappointed. “Wait, Fort Benning is gone? Are you for real?”

“Sadly, I am. The ugly truth is there is no way out of this mess. Just keep going from one pipe dream to the next, praying one of these mindless freaks doesn't grab a hold of you when you sleep.” Tony then chipped in his two cents. “If you sleep.” Dave nodded in agreement. “Yeah, it doesn't look like you
guys are hanging your hats here. You holed up somewhere else?” He asked. The four of us didn't say anything, just looked at him until Rick finally said, “Not really.”