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

Chapter 15: Flare

We clear out all the food from the RV they had parked. Spaghetti O's and other canned goods were stacked inside cabinets. When we get back to the barn, Daryl is relieved to see me. My eyes light up as well when I see him and his mouth forms a little smirk. We get inside, and Michonne tells Rick what happened. After unpacking our bags and putting the supplies out for all to see, Rick turns to Aaron, "this, this is ours now."

"There's more than enough." Aaron simply responds.

"It's ours whether or not we go to your camp." Rick clears up what he meant.

Carl asks, "what do you mean? Why wouldn't we go?"

Michonne adds to it, "if he were lying or if he wanted to hurt us, but he isn't, and he doesn't. We need this. So we're going, all of us." Her tone is serious, her body tense with her descion, "somebody say something if they feel differently."

"I don't know, man." Daryl is the first one to say something. My heart beats fast, worried he doesn't want to go, "this barn smells like horse shit." He says. His eyes meet Rick's and my heart rate slows back down.

"Yeah." Rick responds in a low huff, "we're going." He turns back to the tied up hostage, "so where are we going? Where's your camp?"

Aaron tries to sit up a bit, "well, every time I've done this, I've been behind the wheel driving recruits back." Rick shakes his head. Aaron continues, "I believe you're good people. I've bet my life on it. I'm just not ready to bet my friends' lives just yet."

Michonne gets closer to him now, "you're not driving. So if you want to get home, you'll have to tell us how."

Aaron thinks for only a moment, before giving his response, "go north on Route 16."

"And then?" Michonne asks.

"I'll tell you when we get there." He tells her back. He's protecting the people he lives with, the people he may love. That's good, that's admirable.

"We'll take 23 north." Rick says looking down at a map, "you'll give us directions from there."

"That's-- I don't know how else to say it. That's a bad idea." Aaron disagree's, "we've cleared 16. It'll be faster."

Rick doesn't budge, "we'll take 23. We leave at sundown."

"We're doing this at night?" I ask from behind, nervous at the suggestion.

Rick looks back to me, "look, I know it's dangerous. But it's better than riding up to the gates during the day. If it isn't safe, we need to get gone before they know we're there."

"No one is going to hurt you." Aaron tells him, tells us, "you're trying to protect your group, but you're putting them in danger."

Rick looks back to him. I can't see his eyes but I can tell he's holding back, "tell me where the camp is, we'll leave right now." I wait for Aaron as he stares back at Rick. Not giving in he shakes his head just a hint and we all know route 23 is where we will be going. "It's going to be a long night." Rick tells us, "eat. Get some rest if you can" and he walks out.

"I don't like the idea of going out at night" I tell Daryl after everyone moved around.

He shrugs, "it'll be fine."

"We don't know that." I hush back, "what if there are people out there waiting for us, driving down a road is pretty obvious if they're waiting for you" I say.

"I thought you wanted to go?" He raises his eyebrows.

I sigh, "I do, just not in the middle of the night, at least in the day we can see what's coming for us."