Life Goes On (The Walking Dead)

Chapter Ten

I awoke to Daryl gently shaking me. Groaning I stretched out my stiff limbs. I had curled up into a ball leaning against the passengers door and as a result my entire body hurt.

"How long was I asleep?"

"Couple hours. Maybe more."

"Why didn't you wake me up sooner then?"

He merely grumbled in response. I rolled my eyes, so that Daryl was back. Alrighty then. I rubbed my eyes, halfway in exasperation and halfway in exhaustion. I ran my hands over my face and over my hair.

I didn't want to seem vain or silly but I could feel hair escaping my ponytail and I needed to fix it, for practicality if nothing else. I flipped down the visor to reveal a mirror. Inwardly I groaned.

My hair was a complete mess-not something I could easily fix, especially not in a moving vehicle. Brown tendrils were either half or completely pulled out of my pony tail. Indents appeared on my face-red and blotchy- from where my face had leaned upon the door. There were circles under my eyes but thankfully I knew they would disappear in no time. But in the meantime, I looked horrible. And of course, I just had to be with Daryl, looking like this.

I yanked the pony tail out of my hair, quickly sliding it onto my wrist. I ran my fingers through my hair trying to gently comb it the best I could. I separated my hair into three thick strands, my fingers weaving it expertly into a tight braid.

With my braid finished I had nothing else to do, but hope we got there soon; I was getting extremely restless.

I undid my seatbelt with a click, the belt whooshing back into the door. I turned my head to the window, absorbing the dismal surroundings as we neared the city. Hoping to ease the stiffness I cracked my knuckles swiftly before stretching my arms forward, shoulders slightly slumped and back arched. I was rewarded with a deep cracking noise and the sudden relief panning through my body. Happy, I straightened up and leaned back into the seat, only to see Daryl giving me a strange glance.

I rose my eyebrow, curious, but I was not in the mood to ask nor argue with him.

I leaned forward again placing my hands on the dashboard of the truck. The dashboard was hot to the touch, unsurprising due to Georgia's intense heat. I tilted my head to the side, twisting my body slightly to see the RV. Coincidently, the moment the RV came into view its brake lights flashed and it slowed visibly. I felt like rejoicing, knowing I would soon be out of this stifling truck.

The truck too, slowed to a stop. Immediately I flung open the door and propelled myself out of the cab. I impulsively did a pirouette, reflecting my short time in ballet, in sheer joy, my head turned skyward, eyes closed. Exiting the pirouette, I felt the smile on my face as I slowly opened my eyes. This time, I didn't let the surrounding gloom weigh me down.

Instead, I skipped with levity towards the RV, where Rick no doubt, would want to talk to us all.

I was right. When I reached the RV Rick was at the head of the semi circle that the group had formed.

"Alright. Everybody needs to stay close. Close and quiet. No guns. We're in the city now, one gunshot and we'll be in the middle of a herd."

Everybody nodded at this and Rick continued. I tuned him out, bored. We were heading to the CDC which wasn't too far from where we currently were. Rick insisted on blathering about things that we all knew, but I suppose it needed to be said, a reminder, if nothing else. I could feel my eyes glazing over slightly and I felt bad that I wasn't being respectful to Rick but I really couldn't concentrate due to the energy coursing through my veins. I wanted so desperately to run aimlessely, without a care in the world. To run through a field, tall grass brushing my calves. To wander through the woods, feet treading upon the worn path I'd traveled for years. To lay upon lush grass, eyes closed, warm skin, and the sun on my face. Just to take in the warm air, a slight breeze cooling my skin, leaves whirling through the air, clouds floating in the sky, tree branches swaying gently. The deep emarald hue of the grass and the bright colors of blooming flowers. In this world, this new world, beauty was easy to overlook, because it was barely there at all. Or so it seemed. I suppose all that really changed was us. Humans. The food chain. The change was the chain now looped, humans preying on humans. What a sick twist.