The Black Rose

Chapter Four

Once upon a time, rain was something that Rose would look forward to. It brings flowers and life along with it. Only god knows how she needed that confirmation that life was still possible. The sound of rain pitter-pattering and the way it seems to lull the world brought peace for Rose. But the raindrops fell down as if the earth itself was crying, decaying bodies also dropped down around Rose as she fought her way out of a horde. Rain... was no longer her salvation. It was her enemy. Rain washed away her masking scent and made her smell... well... human to the zombies.

A breathless chuckle escaped Rose's lips as she thought of the old but familiar idiom, "When it rains... it pours." Whoever came up with that genius idiom must've known that the world would go to shit like this. When it rains, she has to fight more zombies than usual. It drains her energy whether if it's trudging through mud or killing the goddamn dead cannibals. Daryl watched her out of the corner of his eye as he bashed his crossbow into a walker's head. She was... definitely a vision to watch on the battlefield. He watched how her wet but still flamingly crimson curls fell into her face as she spun around, successfully taking down three walkers at once. Once the zombies were all dead, Rose quickly pulled her wet hair back into a tight ballerina bun as she nodded at Daryl.

It has been just about a whole winter now that Rose was with the group and Daryl was slowly recognizing that he had feelings for this stubborn, mysterious warrior bitch. Of course... he hated it. Hell... she was definitely thriving in this post-apocalyptic world. The group found a temporary roof over their heads just because Rose led them to it. The group were well-fed because Rose hunted and successfully kill big game animals like coyotes. Daryl wasn't used to having somebody else hunting for food beside him. And to his surprise... he actually learned some tactics from this girl. There were no signs that she was even impressed by him or even liked him. It has been a WINTER since Rose joined the group and none of them know anything about her except that her name is Rose and she's definitely a badass.

"So what did ya do before the world went to shit?" Daryl decided to break the gloomy silence as they moved away from the fallen horde. Rose closed her eyes, knowing that this question was going to come up sooner than later. She had been with them for a bit and her worst fear is beginning to come true. The idiotic group had wormed their ways into her heart but she sure wasn't going to let them know that. She will make sure that she put them in a safe place where the zombies couldn't break through easily. Once they're situated, she'll leave. She couldn't stay with them... it wasn't in her nature to do so. Perhaps she could come every once in a while and check on them. But... she couldn't imagine remerging into a society. She was NEVER a part of society to begin with... even before the world went to shit. "Rose?"

"We should probably head back to the camp and make sure everybody's okay. That was quite a large horde we killed back there." Rose replied smoothly as she eyed the small truck stop that was quite a waste of their time. They were out on a run, hoping for some canned food or anything else. But it was already trashed by others who got there before they did. She saw the way Daryl ran his hand through his hair exasperatedly and had to fight a small smile making its way onto her face. He looked like a little kid not getting his way.

"Rose, C'mon. Ya can't tell me nothin' about yourself?" Daryl questioned, not realizing that Rose was already walking ahead of them. A few second of silence went by when he realized that she was gone. After swearing some obscenities, he picked up his crossbow and swung it over his shoulder a little too hard. He felt the metal cutting a bit of his skin. Rose might be the most frustrating human being he had ever had to deal with and he had FEELINGS for the goddamn girl.

When Daryl returned to the abandoned house that the group had taken residence for the night, he didn't see the fiery redhead and he didn't care. It wasn't unusual that Rose didn't join the group for dinner. She always went somewhere else during the night... perhaps she liked sleeping up in the trees.