Daryl's Angel (Book One in the Apocalypse Angel Trilogy)

Chapter 31: Beaten and Bruised

I'm sitting in one of the fields on the farm, probably sometime around noon. Shane and Rick have gone away in Shane's car with Randall tied up in the back. I sigh, closing my eyes and lying back in the tall grass. Rick told me he was going to confront Shane about everything today, and I hope that Shane doesn't get to me.

"Run and find me or Daryl or T-dog. Anyone who's strong enough to protect you," Rick's voice says in my head.

The whole Randall thing is stirring the group up. Personally, I want him gone, far away from the rest of the group.

I hear rustling in the grass and I freeze up, my hand slowly creeping to the knife hanging at my side.

"Hope? Hope?" Daryl calls. I sigh with relief.

"Hey," I say, smiling.

"I was wonderin' where you went," he says, sitting down next to me.

"Just trying to relax. This whole Shane thing is getting me nervous," I say.

He lies down, breathing deeply. I lie down next to him, and he puts his arm around my waist, pulling me close. I rest my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

"Do you think they're making the right choice?" I ask, absentmindedly tracing his biceps with my finger.

He shrugs, shifting his weight slightly, trying to get more comfortable. "I don't know. We barely know the kid...if he stayed longer, we could've interrogated him."

I nod. I look at the sky, where there are fluffy white clouds floating lazily in the sea of blue.

"That one looks like a sheep," I say, pointing to one.

"They all look like sheep." Daryl smirks. He looks to the sky. "That one kinda looks like...an ice cream cone."

I sigh. "I miss ice cream."

"Me too."

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The rest of the day passes normally. I do laundry, tidy up tents, and watch for stray walkers. Maggie, Lori, and Andrea stay inside and look after Beth.

I was called in to stitch up Beth's wrist. She had cut it, but immediately felt sorry. I fixed her up and told her to take it easy.

Daryl goes hunting and brings back more squirrels.

"You know, if you eat too much of something you'll turn into it," I say, smiling as I take the squirrels from him, weighing them in my hand.

"Then we're gonna be a camp full of squirrels." He sits down by the fire, skinning the rodents while I continue washing laundry.

Soon, Shane and Rick drive back into camp. They get out, walk to the trunk and pull Randall out of it.

"Why is he still here?" I ask.

"It's complicated. Stuff happened...things," Rick replies.

I shrug. I guess we'll figure something out later.

I start heading towards the stable, planning to check on the horses. As I'm walking, I hear footsteps behind me. I spin to see Shane standing behind me.

"You told," he says quietly, dangerously.

I shake my head. "I swear, I told no one," I say, trying to hide the tremor in my voice.

"You're a lying bitch," Shane growls, that crazy glint back in his eyes. "I told you what would happen if you told..."

I tremble and step back, but he moves forward. I step back again and my back hits a wall. My fingers brush the rough wood of the stable. His hand finds my throat. I choke and struggle against his grip and he just laughs.