These Awkward Moments

Chapter 20 Outside

Delilah's POV
Before we left, Roe walked to the back of the truck and pulled out a duffle bag he had loaded. He came towards me and held it out. "I been keepin' this as a surprise for ya Lila girl. I found it on the run I went on with Daryl. I know ya been missin' yours."

I pulled out a beautiful TenPoint Pro Slider crossbow. I drew in a breath. "Oh Roe! It's wonderful. This is the best gift ever!"

Daryl chuckled and Roe smiled. "Aw now. Don't goin' and gettin' all sappy. Not like I spent a bundle on it. It's a nice one though. It's got a 175 pound draw weight, but it's real lightweight. Just thought ya might wanna have the option of bein' able ta handle walkers without gettin' too close. And maybe we'll get ta go huntin' soon."

Daryl nudged Roe and lifted his chin towards the crossbow. "You were right man. Can't believe she's that excited." Roe winked.

I climbed into the truck with my bow. Roe had assembled it perfectly, and I ran my hands over it lovingly. I checked out each feature. I hadn't had a good bow in over two years. I looked at Roe anxiously. "Ya think I'll remember how ta use it?"

He smiled and nodded. "Yeah lil girl. But we'll make sure ya get in some practice before ya get into any sticky situations."

We made it to the outskirts of Annandale before noon. Daryl pulled over in an open area where we would have clear site of anything coming towards us. There were several  abandoned cars along the road. Roe grabbed some pieces of wood and set them at different angles along the cars as targets. Daryl and Roe watched as I put my foot in the stirrup and quickly cocked the bow with both hands. I put a bolt in the flight groove on top of the barrel and slid it under the spring. I held the crossbow to my shoulder and aimed at my target. I took a deep breath and relaxed my shoulders, with every piece of advice my daddy and brother had ever given me playing through my head. I gripped the bow tightly, braced my arms, released the safety, and pulled the trigger. The bolt hit the target I had aimed at, but wasn't quite dead center. I adjusted the scope slightly and started the process over again. I was happier with the results of my second shot. I quickly fired off the rest of my bolts hitting each target almost perfectly.

I turned to look at my two favorite men. They were both beaming proudly at me. I did a little dance and spun in circles with my bow over my head. They both laughed at my antics. I skipped to them and threw an arm around each of their necks, hugging them both at the same time. "That was so much fun! Now I can't wait ta go huntin'!" I exclaimed.

Roe chuckled. "Well now it's time ta go hunt walkers." He retrieved my bolts for me and we got back into the truck.

We drove into town and found a grocery store with a pharmacy attached. The locks had been broken, so we weren't sure if there was anything left inside. Daryl banged on the door and we waited. Two walkers came to the door which surprised us a little. We went inside and Daryl and Roe quickly took care of the threat. The walkers weren't former store employees and we suspected they might have been scavengers that died here.

There were some canned goods left on the shelves. And we filled two carts. We headed to the pharmacy. Most of the medications had been cleared out, and there were no first aid supplies left. There were two shelves full of feminine hygiene products that I cleared. I knew the women of Alexandria were going to be very happy about this find. I moved further down this aisle and found some pregnancy tests that were expired, but tossed them in the cart anyway. Right next to this I found an entire rack of condoms. I gave a low whistle and Daryl moved into the aisle with me. I tilted my head towards the rack and Daryl smiled his adorable lopsided grin.