Dead Silent

Chapter 18

Daryl watches as Kirsty heads towards the woods in his direction. He follows her, keeping at a safe distance in case she should come across any Saviors. After walking for about a minute, he watches her stand still, looking in all directions. Kirsty unbuckles her belt. Daryl looks away, his cheeks going red, feeling like the biggest pervert ever.

He waits till he hears her buckling her belt again before he steps forward.

Kirsty jumps a little, fully expecting to see a Savior. Her eyes widen. Daryl, she mouths.

Daryl steps towards her, trying to meet her gaze and failing, his hair falling over his face as he drops his head.

Kirsty stomps her foot on the ground, getting his attention. What are you doing out here? There's Saviors all over the place.

Daryl watches her lips carefully, not wanting her to have to take out her notepad. "I was careful, i had ta see ya."

Kirsty's face drops, her shoulders sagging. Why?

"Can't talk here, it ain't safe," he whispers.

You don't say, Kirsty frowns.

"There's a barn, out in the woods three miles west of the Sanctuary, meet me there tomorrow after sunset," he says.

Kirsty shakes her head. I can't.

Daryl shrugs. "You'll either be there, or ya won't.. i want ya ta be."

Kirsty tilts her head.

Daryl looks over her shoulder. "I gotta go, i'll wait for ya, an if ya don't show, then i guess it's goodbye," he says, clearing his throat before he walks off.

Kirsty stands there, her jaw clenched as she bites back tears.

~

A Savior watches Kirsty from the distance. He could've sworn that he'd heard someone, but he'd been too busy pissing. He frowns, watching her head back towards the others. Maybe she was talking to herself? He thinks, then he slaps himself mentally. She can't talk you idiot!

He walks over to where she was, looking around in all directions. Even the average person would be able to spot the footprints Daryl had left behind, but luckily for Kirsty, he'd broken his glasses the day before. He shrugs his shoulders, heading back the way he came.

~

Kirsty sits round a table with a group of Saviors, a set of cards in her hand. She wasn't very good at poker, in fact, she wasn't very good at card games in general. She'd lost four games in a row, her cigarette stash slowly dwindling away.

She taps on the table, all eyes on her. I'm out, she mouths, tossing her cards on the table.

"Yeah, same," Gareth frowns.

"Looks like it's just you and me, angel," Simon smiles at Arat. "What you got?"

Kirsty barely hears them, her head so far out of the game she might as well not be there.

"Would you look at that!" Arat smiles. "How does it feel to lose, Simon?"

"Yeah yeah, how about another game?" Simon frowns, gathering the cards together and shuffling them.

Kirsty taps Arat on the shoulder. I'm pretty tired, gonna go get some shut eye.

Arat nods. "Alright, i'll seeya in the morning."

Kirsty gets up from the table, shoving the last of her cigarettes in her shirt pocket. Seeya, she mouths waving at the others. They wave, mostly mumbling as they start another game.