Daryl's Girl

Chapter 152

After the situation with Len this morning I've mostly stayed to the back of the group. I've got it into my head that if I don't get to comfortable with these men then they'd not notice when I leave.

Joe slowed down to walk with me and offered one of his cigarettes. I'm not one to turn down a cigarette but something was holding me back. Joe put the pack into his pocket and puffed on the paper. "So what's the plan, Daryl?" He asked.

"How so?" I turned to him.

"Well, you with us now, but you ain't soon." He replied as if he took the thought from my mind.

I nodded slightly. "Yep."

"So what's the plan?" He repeated.

I thought about telling him about Lily or Beth but in some ways I didn't want to. "Just looking for the right place is all." I lied.

"Oh. We ain't good enough for you, huh?" Joe mumbled.

"Well some of y'all ain't exactly friendly."

Joe glanced at me and back up to the others. "You ain't so friendly yourself. You know you need a group out here." He hinted for me to stay.

"Maybe I don't." I replied.

"No you do! You should be with us." He looked up at a walker that had wandered onto the tracks. "People don't gotta be friendly. We don't have to be nice. Don't have to be brothers in arms."

We both watched as the other men worked together to kill the walker. "Just gotta follow the rules." He continued. "You claim. If you steal, you keel. I know that sounds a little funny, but nobody laughs when something goes missing. And you don't lie. 'Cause that's a slippery slope indeed."

"What happens if you break 'em?" I asked out of curiosity.

Joe looked at me for a while thinking of what to say. "Well you get a beating. The severity of which depends upon the offence and the general attitude of the day. But that don't happen much 'cause when men like us follow rules and cooperate a little bit. Well, world becomes ours." Joe stopped and whistled up to the other men. "Right there is our abode for the evening." He pointed at a building to the side of the tracks.

I stopped for a second and thought about what he had said. I'm not one of these men. "Hey. There ain't no us."

Joe stopped and came back to me. "Are you leaving right now?" He asked and I just looked at him. "Nope. Well sure seems like there's an us." He snarled and walked over the the building.

I stood still watching then other men walk over to the building. "You a cat person Daryl? I am. Love 'em since I was three years old. Vicious creatures. Anyway I'll tell you and this is true. Ain't nothing sadder than an outdoor cat thinks he's an indoor cat." Joe walked over to the others.

I think he was referencing to me. I slowly made my way over to them as they all went inside. I was the last one inside so I slid the door closed. There were old cars around the room. "They ain't here. Nobody's been here for a while. Who ever it was they got all the gas." Tony called over to Joe as I pulled a sheet from a car.

"That don't matter. We're getting closer. I can feel it." Joe replied.

"Claimed." Billy came over to me and kicked my bag away from the car. I went and picked up my crossbow from the front and grabbed my bag.

I started to walk over to a pick up where Len stepped in front of me and snarled. "Claimed."

All the men calling claim on the cars. I gave up and placed my bag down on the floor and eyed Len. I lay down and waited for the others to fall asleep. Once they did I closed my yes.