Starting Over... |Daryl Dixon| |The Walking Dead|

Chapter 25: True Colors.

-Daryl POV-

The tiny little town we'd all been scavengin' for supplies all these months had been picked clean, so I had to drive about a mile up the road to another one, an' this one was even smaller...

At first, it looked like nothin' but a skeleton of an old civilization, but when I parked my truck an' hopped out to have a look around, I realized there was some good treasure here, after all. A line of cars an' trucks were parallel parked along the curb a few yards away, lookin' like a gasoline goldmine; Assumin' no one else had already drifted in with the same idea.

Only one way to figure that out. So, I yanked my backpack to my side, an' dug around inside for my rubber hose. I pulled it out of the bag just as I got close to an old red Nissan.

"Shit... " I grumbled as I peered down at the gas cap. It was shut tightly into the car's rusted metal body, tellin' me I'd have to pop it from the inside.

There was most likely a button or somethin' for it on the driver's side door, so I made my way around the car to the door. When I peered through the smashed in window, I realized the driver was still strapped inside... Nothin' left of 'im but sunbleached bones and ragged clothes, though. I made a face as I gingerly stuck my arm inside the window and popped the door open.

"Poor bastard..." I grumbled as I peered at the bones strapped in the seat for another second or two, then scoured the buttons in the door panel 'till I found one with a little white gasoline pump on it.

I reached out, flipped it, and heard the click of the cap poppin' right open. Jackpot. With my fingers crossed that there was at least half a gallon of fuel in the car, I rushed around to the other side an' slipped the hose down inside tank.

Now came the worst part. I put my lips to the hose and sucked like a straw, hearin' the gurglin' of the gas in the tank as it started flowin' up through the hose.

Once the bitter, disgustin' liquid hit my lips, I pulled my mouth away an' immediately spit on the cement next to my feet. I'd done this a few times, so I knew exactly what to do. I plugged the hose with my thumb, an' reached for the gas can as fast as I could, slippin' the end of the hose inside and listenin' to the liquid gold drain down into the red plastic can.

By the time the tank was dry, the can was about a quarter'a the way full... Not bad. After syphonin' three more cars and one van, I had an entire can, full to the brim. I had a good feelin' as I lugged the gas back to my truck, listenin' to it slosh around inside the plastic as I hoisted the can over the tailgate.

From where I had parked underneath a tall, overgrown willow, I could see a strip of run-down shops about a football field's length away. The one smack dab in the middle was a general store, which was just what I needed... If I could just round up some canned food, some formula fer Judith, an' maybe some medical supplies, I'd be good to head back to the prison... Which I honestly wasn't too excited for.

I stayed hidden an' alert while I made my way through the streets, keepin' my crossbow aimed up in front'a me, an' a  sharp eye out fer any geeks tryin' to sneak up on me. So far, though, I hadn't seen a single one.

Clingin' to the cloudy, smudged up windows of the store fronts, I finally crept my way up the sidewalk an' to the general store. I made a quick sweep in every direction, aimin' my bow and just makin' sure I was clear... Still no geeks around, so I went to duck inside the store...

It was dark and hot inside the buildin', and I could feel the humidity in the air as I weaved my way through the ransacked aisles. Most of the stuff had been untouched, but was scattered around all over the tile floor. A sigh slipped through my lips as I scoured through canned food aisle, pickin' up a few cans of green beans, potato soup, an' peaches.