Death do us part

On the road

Melody

I touched my jaw line, trying not to wince too hard at the bruise.

My eye had completely healed and we had just gotten on the road a few hours before. I sat with Daryl in a truck.

  I'd pretty much kept quiet the whole time we'd been on the road, not to sure what they were going to do with Taylor. He was tied up in the back of the RV, but I had forgotten to tell them about the scratch. Every now and then I would glance at Daryl, waiting for one of us to speak first.

  "How's your jaw?" Daryl spoke up.

  "It's bruised and it kinda hurts when I eat." I answered, poking at my jaw. He nodded and kept his gaze on the road.

  "So what's your story?" I asked. He glanced over at me, then focusing on the road again.

  "My story?" He asked and I nodded, turning my body towards him.

  "Yeah, who you were before all this." I explained. He nodded, then shook his head after seeming to give it a moment of thought.

"No. You tell yours." He motioned his hand as if he were waving the question off.

  "Well.." I bit my lip, "I was a teacher and a dancer." I paused, smiling a bit, remembering life before the end of the world. "I had just taken time off for my wedding and honeymoon. I had this beautiful wedding in the middle of nowhere," I chuckled, "no one could find it. I was so nervous that day. I almost got cold feet. And when my time came to walk down the aisle, it was perfect. But when I got there it was the opposite of that. My fiancé started coughing and he died right in front of me. Th-then he came back.." The stinging tears left cold trails down my cheeks. "It wasn't him. The thing that came back killed my father." I hadn't talked about it yet. Not what really happened. "Oh no..." I gasped, leaning my head back on my chair and closing my eyes.

"What?" Daryl looked over, his eyebrows knitted together.

"He doesn't know." I whispered, opening my eyes.

"Who doesn't know what?" Daryl asked.

"Rick.. Rick doesn't know. He doesn't know what happened to our dad." I let out a shaky sob and leaned my head down into my hands. I didn't want to tell him but I had to. I had to figure out a way as well.

"Okay." Daryl nodded. He didn't ask any more questions which made me glad.

I looked forward and saw the RV stop on the side of the road. We were the last of the cars, so we stopped last. I saw Jacqui rush to Ricks car and he ran to the RV with her.

"What do you think is happening?" I asked.

"Don't know?" He said, opening the door and getting out. I got out after him and he threw arms up at Rick after he got out of the RV.

"Its Jim. He can't take much more of this." He talked about how Jim was in so much pain and how he wanted to be left here. My eyes grew wide at the thought of just leaving him.

"We can't just leave him?!" I looked around trying to protest.

"It's not our choice." Lori said, looking down. Jacqui started crying, turning and walking into the RV.

"She's right. He's in pain, we can't deny him what he wants." Rick looked disappointed in himself.

"This isn't right." I said lowly, turning and going back to the car. Daryl followed me.

"What're you doing?" He asked. I opened the door and leaned in, looking for a gun that wasn't my father's or my mother's.

I found one that I had picked up in Atlanta and I checked the ammo, it was plenty full. I shoved the gun into my back pocket and pulled my shirt over it.

Daryl gave me a confused look as I shut the door.

"He's going to need to protect himself." I gave a small smile and I started walking back to the RV where Rick and some others where carrying Jim slowly and carefully to the tree.

  The whole group gathered around him and we each said something nice or just said goodbye. Daryl came up and gave a nod of respect.

  Everyone went back to their cars, some crying, and I went up to Jim. I knelt down and pulled out the gun. He saw what I was doing and shook his head. And pushed the gun away.

"I'm okay." He whispered. I gave him a confused look and put the gun next to him.
He closed his eyes and shook his head again. "I'm pretty much dead. I don't need that. Please.." He looked like he was in so much pain. "You'll need the ammo." He nodded, weakly putting the gun back into my hand. I nodded softly and put the gun back in my pocket.

"I hope you get to be with your family." I whispered, standing up and walking back to Daryl's truck.

Once I got back in and shut the door, he eyed the gun in my hand.

"He didn't want it." I said, looking down at the gun. I put the gun back in my bag and sat up.
Daryl started the car and we drove off. I looked behind me, watching Jim disappear behind the hills. I turned to face the front and slouched in my seat, letting out a deep sigh. CDC here we come.

***

Hai

~kenz