Fighting to Survive: The 3rd installment to Daring to Feel

Chapter 8: Accidental Findings

We get to the white van. We approach it slowly, not sure what's going to be inside. Daryl opens the door quickly and it's empty, "all right, let's get this done" he goes to get in.

"It's not stable." Carol stops him.

"I'm lighter. I'll go." I suggest.

He ignores the offer and grunts, climbing inside the van. He goes straight to the front seat and Carol climbs in afterwards. I stay on the ground, keeping an eye on the walkers, "guys, hurry." I shout back to them. Two walkers get close and I take them out with my knife.

"There's more coming. We're gonna have to fight through." Carol says from inside the van.

"Yeah, I see 'em." Daryl responds back.

"We have to go!" I shout inside the van, there's too many coming, we have to start fighting our way out.

Daryl flips something over in the truck, "GMH, what's that? A hospital?" He questions us.

"I don't know. Grady Memorial, maybe?" I comment remember hearing that name while I was temping at the hospital Rick and I were in.

"Grady, the white crosses-- it might be where they're holing up." Daryl responds hopping out of the van and attacking walkers along side Carol and I.

Carol shoots her remaining three bullets, "Daryl! Sadie!" She calls out to us while stabbing one in the head.

"Go, go, go, go!" Daryl yells out, Carol hops into the van first and pulls me up after. Daryl climbs in, kicks one out of the way with his feet and shuts the doors behind him. The dead begin to pile up against the van, shaking it.

"Anything we can use?" Carol shouts out.

"Nothin' but what we got." Daryl comments back. They both move to the front of the car. Daryl gets in the driver seat and Carol in the passenger seat. "All right, buckle up." He directs us.

"Babe" I say lowly. He looks at me and I stare at him. He catches on quickly, that there are only two seats in the van.

"C'mere!" He reaches his hand out and pulls me onto his lap. The walkers outside continue to rattle the van and it's getting ready to tip off the bridge. The seat belt is tight around my lap, just barely clicking in. I grip his left hand and he grips mine back. I grip the front dashboard with my other hand, getting ready to brace the impact.

Carol reaches over and grabs my hand, looking at both of us with worrying eyes, "you hold on." I tell her.

The car then falls forward and it's like I'm moving in slow motion. The ground twirls in front of me as the car flips, I pray that it keeps turning, landing on its tires. Suddenly it impacts the ground and everything is black. I hear a groaning followed by a shaky voice, "we're okay" the man says lowly. I open my eyes, Daryl is trying to unbuckle the seat belt, telling us we are okay.

"We're okay." Carol responds back.

So I repeat it as well, "we're okay." I chuckle amazed that we are.

Bodies begin to fall on top of the van, thudding against the metal. After a few more fall down it stops, and we all try to get out of the car. I stumble out, bending over and coughing. I lift my shirt up, exposing a large, already bruised area from where the seat belt lay too tight against me. Daryl comes out and I look at his head, he has blood coming from the side, probably hit the window trying not to hit me. I wipe at it, the pool of blood already slowing down, "It's not too bad" I say to him with a relieved look. Carol makes it over to us, limping from her injuries. We get on either side of her and walk slowly away from the crash site.

We find ourselves behind a fence, down an alleyway. Somewhere like a back entrance to a building. Daryl offers me some water, "here" he tries to pass it to me.