Rick's Ruby

Chapter 21

Ruby sat behind Rick in the large truck, staring at the back of Rick's head. The fact that he seemed to not really need to talk anymore had shifted from being uncomfortable to just sad now. Carl, tucked in close to his father in the front seat and next to Paul, also had resigned himself to the silence and just stared out at the passing landscape out the window. Paul would look back at her occasionally and give a small, reassuring smile or nod, but when they pulled over for gas in the late afternoon, the words that had been said could have been counted on one hand.

Stretching her legs from the cramped position she'd been in, she looked out over the highway in front of them. Daryl helped Glenn and Paul gather fuel from the discarded cars along the roadway, and when they were done she headed over to the hunter. The thought of going back into the quiet truck was enough to make her want to be sick. Daryl, always the observant one, seemed to know just what she was going through because he just held out a hand and helped her up onto the back of his bike. She hugged him tightly as they pulled out again, the sound of the small motor ringing in her ears, and giving her a little relief.

"How you doin back there?" He asked loudly as they rode.

"Sucks." She said flatly, and he nodded.

"Yeah. Figures." He agreed simply.

"What are we going to do about tonight?" She asked, desperate for a change in topic.

"I've been lookin'. Ain't seen much worth stoppin' for."

"You want to just ride through the night?" She asked. "Couldn't be much different than the day."

"Except if the noise draws a bunch of them we won't see it till we're on top of it. Nah, if we don't find somethin' before too late we'll use the tents again." He said and when she frowned it caught his eye. "Girl, just go with me when I clear the area, ok? You don't have to stay with them if you don't want to."

She hugged him a little tighter for that. "I just don't know what to say to him, or Carl. I've never been good with this sort of thing."

"Is this 'sort of thing' is something you dealt with much?" He countered and she grinned a little.

"If it had, that would make me pretty twisted, huh?"

He shrugged. After a few minutes he turned his head so she could hear him clearer. "I've gotten to know Rick pretty well. If he knows you're there, it'll be ok. I think you'll help more than you realize."

"I hope so. But at this point, hearing him actually say two words together would lower the creepy factor."

"It is kinda fresh, you know. Give him time. I wouldn't be much different if something happened to-" He stopped suddenly, realizing he'd just said way more than he intended to and she stifled a grin. She knew exactly what he'd wanted to say.

"If something happened to any of us?" She finished, and Carol's name was clearly intended. He obviously appreciated it because he nodded.

"It'd suck." He finished and they rode for a while in silence, looking at the sky start to turn colors in the pre dusk. It was growing a little cooler with every night, and she looked forward to the cool night air. At that moment, the beauty of the land around them seemed inappropriate.

A beep from behind them caused Daryl to slow and Rick pulled the truck up beside them, pausing in the roadway.

"There's a road up here on the left. We're going to check it out." Paul said from the passenger side and they fell into place behind the truck. Indeed, a mile up the road there was a turn off, and Ruby could see exactly why they had wanted to stop. A large, beautiful lake stretched out in front of her just beyond the road.