Fight, Love, Live.

XIV

"Admit it, you only came back to Atlanta for the hat." I teased Rick, flicking the brim of his hat, that he always had on his head before. He simply rolled his eyes and threw his arm over my shoulder as we made our way back to wherever they had parked the car. 

"Don't tell anybody." Rick whispered in my ear, and I giggled, elbowing him in the stomach. 

"You've given away half our guns and ammo." Daryl growled out, finally losing his cool. I knew he would throw a fit, I could tell from the second that he saw the bag was emptier than it was that he would say something at some point. 

"Not nearly half." Rick said calmly, not even turning to look at him, even though he had come up to walk by me, and was less than two feet from Rick now, and if he was really angry, he would probably hurt me to get to Rick. He hates me. I really don't know why, but he does. 

"For what? Bunch of old farts who are gonna die off momentarily anyhow? Seriously, how long you think they got?" Daryl yelled, frustrated, as he threw his hands up in the air. 

"How long do any of us?" Rick said, as we finally made it to the van, and I squealed in excitement when Bailey jumped from the open window and began running full speed at me. 

"No jumping! No jumping!" I yelled, holding my hands out to stop her before she could throw herself at me like she used to, so instead she slammed into my knees, her whole body wiggling around due to how hard she was shaking her tail. 

"Bailey! You happy to see me? Yeah?" I cooed, using that baby/dog voice you use. 

"Let's go!" I heard yelled over to me, and it was then that I realized that the boys had gotten into the van while we had our moment, and were simply waiting on me to get in. So, I ran to the van and helped Bailey into the back, and climbed in behind her, sitting in the middle row, next to... you guessed it. Daryl Dixon. 

><><><><

It was pretty quiet the whole ride, no one said much of anything and I was honestly glad, after being tied up, and having the threat of torture and death hanging over my head, I just wanted to go to bed. But we weren't so lucky when we arrived. 

It was chaos.

People were screaming, running around like chickens with their heads cut off, and walkers were chasing them, the farmer trying to catch the chicken it just killed. 

"Oh my God." I breathed out, jumping out of the van before it had fully stopped, and slamming the door shut so that Bailey wouldn't get involved, hopefully Daryl wouldn't let her out. 

I pulled my gun from its holster and shot once, twice, three times. Each shot hitting a different head and saving another person. I spun around, looking for anymore, and before I could do anything, I was being shoved onto my back, and the walker who must have approached me from behind was laying on top of me, snapping its teeth in my face. 

"Help! Get off! Help!" I was screaming, it sounded to me like nonsense words, but someone must have heard it, because suddenly the walker slumped on top of me, no longer trying to eat my face, but there was blood on my face, splatter from what I assume was the killing shot. 

Before I could shove the body off, it was being moved for me, and then Daryl had stuck his hands out, and grabbed me under my armpits like a child before hauling my fat ass up out of the dirt. 

It was silent, no more gun shots, no more screaming, nothing. It was just him and I. His soft, concerned, frantic even, ocean blue eyes, gazing into my panicked green ones. It was peaceful, until his eyes snapped away from me, to look behind me, and then he was moving me to the side, still using my armpits, and he had stabbed another walker in the head with what looked like a very long knife. 

He had saved me. Twice. No, three times. And his eyes... God. 

But doesn't he hate me? 

It took me a minute, and arms wrapping around me for me to come back down to Earth. When I was finally coherent again, I realized that the arms around me were Shane's, and he was laughing. 

"Oh my god, Riley! I can't believe you made it! We thought you had died. Did you not come on the forth day?" Shane was saying, I loved Shane. I did, but there was something more important I needed to do, so I just smiled at him, kissed him on the cheek, and moved over to my family, who were all on the ground, in a heap. 

"Carl?" I whispered out, putting my shaking hand on his head, and when he looked up at me, his blue eyes shining in the fading light, I collapsed on the ground in front of him, and then I was being enveloped into he hug as well. Rick and Lori were whispering things to each other above my head, their arms wrapped around Carl and I, but I just sobbed, ignoring anything anyone said, besides Carl, who pressed up against my chest, just repeated one thing over and over. 

"You're alive. You're alive. You're alive." 

A/N: By the way, this is the inside of the van! So, in my head, even though I didn't really elaborate, Rick was driving, Glenn was in the passenger seat, Daryl was in the middle with Riley, and Bailey laid in that space between the seats, and then Merle and T-Dog were in the back, and all Riley's supplies that she brought are in the trunk, and yes, I have had a van, and even with he seats up you can fit a crap ton of stuff in the trunk. Anyway, that's all! Please vote/comment!