Last One Standing ~ TWD Daryl Dixon

58

I hope you enjoy this chapter. It was one of my favorites to write! 

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Jo

We drove the rest of the way into the city in silence. Thick, low clouds hung over the city and thunder rumbled. Both of us were tense in anticipation of what we knew was to come. We kept our fingers entwined until we took the first downtown exit. We followed it for several blocks before the car slowed and stopped in the middle of an intersection.

Daryl stopped two blocks back. Thunder rumbled closer and lightning split the sky lighting up the street as the first rain drops hit the windshield. Daryl leaned forward over the steering wheel.

"What is he waiting for?" Daryl asked.

The car in front of us turned off and Daryl quickly killed our engine so we wouldn't be spotted. The passenger door opened and a man in uniform climbed out. He looked up and down the street cautiously, his hand resting on the gun at his hip. His shoulders were tight and he looked wary but not frightened. He was experienced with being out on the street. He glared up at the sky as lightning flashed again and it began to drizzle on him.

"There's two of them, is that a cop?" Daryl's voice was raspy and quiet in the dark.

I tensed as the cop started walking down a side street. I dropped my hand to my kukri, gripping the handle. Daryl followed the motion. His eyes meeting mine from only a foot away. His shaggy hair fell forward, further shadowing his eyes, making it so I couldn't see how blue they were.

"He might have seen us," I said, surprised when my voice came out breathy and uncertain.

It occurred to me then that Daryl and I hadn't been alone like this since that morning at the prison, not really. There were a few times, out in the forest when others weren't around, but here in the dark intimacy of the car I became immediately aware of how close he was as my heart started to pound.

I bit my lip as I fought to turn my attention back to the road in front of us. I needed to see if the cop was circling back. Something slammed against the glass of my window. I flinched, jerking back towards Daryl. My back hit his shoulder and he steadied me with a gentle hand on my hip. His fingers were warm where they grazed the skin between my jeans and the t-shirt beneath my open jacket. I dropped my hand to cover his.

Despite the distraction my eyes were still glued to the window. I exhaled when I saw it was nothing more than the decomposing face of a Walker pressed against the glass. I let out a shaky breath and shook my head, I was not normally so jumpy. Daryl chuckled once behind me and I felt it in his chest. I chuckled nervously with him and straightened.

The walker continued to pound against the glass as the cop came back into view. He was carrying two bicycles and he threw them down on the sidewalk. Then he started dragging the bodies of walkers out of the way. He was clearing the street.

The cop turned to return to his car but hesitated as the walker attacking my window drew his attention. He squinted through the rain. Daryl and I both hunched down in our seats. I held my breath and tensed as I waited for him to either spot us or move on. I let out a breath when he climbed back into his car. The lights turned back on as they started it and drove off.

Daryl turned the key but the engine only sputtered and turned. "Shit, tank's tapped," he said, slamming his hand against the steering wheel. "They'd have taken the bypass and they didn't. They must be holed up in the city somewhere."