Between Arrows and Hearts - Daryl Dixon

In the graveyard

The ride had been calm, and Cass found herself enjoying the wind rushing against her face. She'd never ridden a motorcycle before, but she could start to get used to it.

As they reached a point where abandoned cars clogged the road, Daryl began guiding Dale around the scattered vehicles. Suddenly, a noise drew Cass's attention, and she turned to see smoke trailing from the RV.

Cass leaned forward, her fingers gently gripping Daryl's vest. "Wait. There's a problem with the RV." She spoke into his ear, and Daryl immediately slowed, bringing the bike to a stop.

She climbed off carefully, using Daryl's arm for balance. Noticing his glance on her, she raised an eyebrow, feigning concern. "What? Is my hair a mess? I should have tied it up." She said with a shrug.

Daryl huffed as he swung off the bike.

"Maybe next time you should let me drive." She teased, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Keep dreaming, chuckles." He shot back, heading toward the RV.

Cass followed, still grinning. "Chuckles? With so many nicknames, I'm starting to think you forgot my real name, Dixon." She walked ahead, catching up with the rest of the group gathering around Dale.

"Problem, Dale?"  Shane called out.

Dale sighed, looking at the RV with frustration. "Just a small matter of being stuck in the middle of nowhere with no hope of..." His words faded when he saw Daryl digging through the trunk of a nearby car. "Okay, that was dumb."

"If you can't find a radiator hose here..."

"There's a whole bunch of stuff we can find." Daryl replied, already checking through his finds.

"I can siphon more fuel from these cars for a start." T-dog suggested.

"Maybe some water?" Carol added hopefully.

"And food?

"This is a graveyard." Lori's words made everyone pause, her discomfort clear as she took in the scene of abandoned cars and silent bodies within them. "I don't know how I feel about this."

Cass bit her lip, feeling the weight of Lori's unease. It was hard to look at this place, a haunting reminder of lives abruptly stopped, but their own survival had to come first.

She stepped forward, catching Lori's eye. "I know it's... not ideal." She began gently. "But we need supplies. Food, water, fuel. Think about the kids." She glanced over at the children.

Lori hesitated, meeting Cass's gaze. Finally, she nodded.

"Alright, alright. Here we go." T-Dog said, heading into the RV to grab the siphoning tools.

"Come on y'all, just look around. Gather what you can." Shane ordered, clapping his hands to get everyone moving. The group scattered, each person heading toward a nearby car to search for anything useful.

Cass began rummaging through a car, emptying a backpack she found and slinging it over her shoulder. She dug through suitcases, grabbing a few shirts and pants. They might not fit, but anything was better than the same old clothes she'd been wearing.

She spotted Glenn working alone on the RV and decided to walk over.

"Check out my new backpack." She announced, striking a runway pose. The backpack was bright pink with a big sequined red heart in the center.

Glenn rolled his eyes, smirking. "Very subtle, Cass. Perfect if we ever need to camouflage."

"Don't be jealous." Cass laughed lightly. "I can find you a matching one." She teased, raising her eyebrows.