The next eight months pass by in a blur. The Georgia winter comes and goes and as each day passes, we face new challenges.
"I'm so glad we're not in Canada," I had said one night while we were hunkered down in an old house, snuggled under blankets. That earned some smiles from the group.
Lori's pregnancy advances, her belly swelling to an enormous size. Everyone becomes highly familiar with guns and knives and, honestly, any weapon that can be used to smash a brain in.
Carl turned 13, and we tried to celebrate with a little party. It wasn't much, but Carl loved it.
Daryl has become Rick's right hand man, replacing Shane. He does a good job, and I'm proud of him.
My foot heals and I regain my independence, although everyone was very helpful for the time I needed to heal. We go on supply runs, collect gas, find ammo, all the usual stuff. No one dies, and we're thankful for that.
As the weather warms up and the snow melts, we start looking for somewhere more permanent, like Rick wanted to.
—————
There's a house up ahead and we head for it, moving in sync. We've done this so often it's second nature. Rick, Daryl, T-dog, and Carl kick the door down, running in, killing any walkers inside. We wait for the signal, and then go in.
I help Lori up the steps into the house and she settles on the couch in the living room, happy for a rest.
Carl and I head to the kitchen, hoping for food of any kind. We swiftly check the cupboards, grabbing cans of soup and bottled water. We toss them into our backpacks and go back to the living room. Daryl comes down the stairs carrying a mass of feathers.
"What is that?" I ask softly.
"Owl. It was upstairs. Figured it would make a good meal."
We all settle in the living room, quiet. Rick holds one of the cans of dog food Carl found, throwing it down in frustration.
"We gotta go guys," T-dog says, looking out the window.
Walkers are gathering outside and we leave quickly, getting into our various vehicles and driving away. The walkers try to follow us, but their attempts are useless.
We drive for a bit before stopping. Hershel pulls out a map and we start discussing where to go.
"We could go over here, but if this herd and that herd meet up, we'll be blocked off," Maggie says.
"Could we go over there?" Glenn asks, pointing to a spot on the map.
"No, we went that way already," T-dog answers.
"We'll cut through here," Rick says, pointing. "We can't keep going from house to house. We need to find a place to stay for a couple of weeks."
We turn to our truck in sync, where Lori sits shotgun.
"Can we hit the creek before we go?" T-dog asks. "We need to fill up on water, and we'll boil it later."
"Go ahead," Rick says.
They leave, and Hershel turns to Rick.
"She can't take a lot more of this moving around," he says.
"What else can we do? Have her give birth on the run?" Rick asks.
"Do you see any way around that?" I ask.
Rick sighs and shakes his head.
Over the last eight months, Hershel and I have established ourselves as the doctor and nurse figures of the group, although Rick still likes taking me along on runs with him and Daryl. I like the newfound authority I have within the group, but I don't let it get to my head.
I glance over my shoulder as Hershel walks away, seeing everyone else tromping through the woods towards the creek. I let out a breath, feeling anxious. All we need is one place that will stay safe for a short period of time at least. I adjust my stance so I'm leaning more on my right leg, covering my mouth as I let a small yawn slip through.
Daryl loads an arrow into his crossbow, jolting me from my thoughts.
"Hey, while the others wash their panties, why don't the three of us go hunt?" he suggests. "That owl won't exactly hit the spot."
"Sounds good. I need to do something," I agree, scratching my nose a little.
We head into the woods. I have my gun ready, silencer on. Daryl gets a few squirrels right off the bat, but it's still such a small amount of meat that we keep going.
Through the trees, I see something that catches my eye.
"Rick! Daryl! Look!" I exclaim, pointing.
We run through the trees, leaping over branches. We come to a clearing, where a huge prison lays ahead of us.
"Rick...that's it," Daryl says, sounding relieved.
He smiles and turns back the way we came. "Let's go get the others."
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We get to the fence surrounding the prison swiftly. The inside of the prison field is full of walkers, but otherwise, it looks good.
Rick cuts the fence open with bolt cutters and we hustle in. Glenn and T-dog tie it up with some rope, and we walk down the long outside loop surrounding the field. We get to the gate leading inside.
"It's perfect," Rick says. "If we can shut those gates, prevent any more from filling the yard, we can pick off these walkers. We'll take the field by tonight."
"But how are we going to close the gate?" Hershel asks.
"I'll do it," Glenn volunteers. "You guys cover me."
"No. That's a suicide run," Maggie says, touching his arm.
"I'm the fastest."
"No. You, Maggie, T-dog, and Beth draw as many as you can over there. Stab them through the fence," Rick says. "Daryl and Hope, go back to that tower. Carol, Hershel, and Carl, take this one. Shoot the walkers that you can." He pauses, looking at the yard. "I'll run for the gate."
We run for our designated towers. Daryl and I get to the top, and I start shooting a few walkers. My skills have improved, and I'm able to shoot them easily from a distance. Rick runs across the yard, shooting a few walkers before shutting the gate and running into one of the separate buildings leading up to another tower.
"He made it!" I yell.
"LIGHT IT UP!" Daryl orders, loudly enough that everyone can hear.
We start downing walkers, the sound of gunshots filling the air. I see Rick shoot the last walker from his tower, and we head down to the ground.
"Fantastic!" Carl exclaims, his face bright.
"Nice shootin'," Daryl says, smiling at me.
"Not bad yourself." I wink.
"You good?" Carol asks Lori.
"Haven't felt this good in weeks," she answers.
"Look at all this space!" I laugh, throwing my hands in the air and spinning. Daryl grins.
"WHOOOO!" T-dog whoops from beside me.
Our laughter and joyful noises fill the air of the empty field.
YOU ARE READING
Daryl's Angel (Book One in the Apocalypse Angel Trilogy)
Fanfiction"Why're you bein' so nice to me?" "I would want the same if I were you." Hope Starling was alone when the dead started rising. She had always been alone, with parents that had disowned her and no friends to help her. Inside the department store in...
