The Fear (The Walking Dead / Daryl Dixon)

Chapter 67 - Unluckiest of Lucky Charms

Daryl and Kat eventually left the woods, joining the group back out on the road. They were quiet, but it was a relief for the group to at least see them together. They had all been standing around the road, looking down at what Kat had to narrow her eyes at to make sure she was seeing it right. Bottles of water. A dozen 700ml ones and a few larger 4L bottles. Rick walked up to the two of them, holding out a piece of paper for them to read that had been left atop of the bottles.

'From a friend.' It read. Daryl looked around instantly as Kat took the paper, the lot of them wary of the gesture.

"What else are we going to do?" Tara asked.

"Not this." Rick protested. "We don't know who left it."

"If that's a trap we already happen to be in it." Eugene spoke. "But I for one would indeed like to think it is from a friend."

"What if it isn't?" Carol asked. "Put something in it."

Eugene step forward without much care, grabbing a small bottle. "Eugene!" Rosita protested along with a few other people, but they didn't really do anything and he didn't listen.

Then Abe stepped forward, slapping it out of his hands before it could touch his lips and letting the water spill out onto the road. He took a step back in silence then. Maybe it was instinct, a habit of keeping him safe, but really he just didn't want to see his friend die.

"We can't." Rick said firmly.

It was silent for a long time. And then a poetic rumble was heard before rain began to fall from the sky. They soaked it up like it was the greatest thing on this earth. But Maggie stood in silence, as did Sasha and Daryl. Kat looked between them as they all did before she stepped forward.

Kat moved first, grabbing out her own bottle before moving to grab the one that dangled off Daryl's belt and laying them out into the rain to fill. "Empty the bags. Grab anything you can find." Rick ordered.

Nelly began to pour at the ground in the rain, the soak refreshing her as well as she kicked her neck up and down. They couldn't use the other bottles even if they emptied them, just in case. They'd seen to much to trust something so simple. But the rain kept coming. The thunder cracked and the lightning lit up the sky as Carl shielded Judith who was beginning to cry with his hat. The clouds swelled in a black anger as the smiles began to fall from people's faces one by one.

"That's not going anywhere any time soon." Kat turned to Rick.

"Lets keep moving." Rick nodded.

"There's a barn!" Daryl yelled over to Rick above the pouring rain.

"Where?"

They gathered up their items collecting water and took them with them, pretty much drinking what was inside by the time they made it to the barn. They searched the inside and found nothing. Kat ran in with Nelly, Luke sitting on her back as the horse recognised the place as needed shelter. She could feel the storm getting worse and she wasn't called Nervous Nelly for nothing. Kat quickly held out her hands to Luke, guiding him off the animals back.

"Go over there, take these." She handed him their water bottles. "Find anywhere water might leak through the ceiling and start filling them." It was a well made barn but there was bound to be some cracks in the roof.

He nodded with a small smile, happy that she was once again showing some signs of life. The horse began to whinny as the doors were slammed shut. She stroked her nose and rubbed above her eye until she calmed and began to recognise she was safe and then Kat moved to tie her up.

Maggie made camp away from the others, as did Sasha. Rosita, Eugene, Abe, Gabriel, Noah and Tara made their own little spot and Kat stayed mostly with the horse. The others tried to make a fire, but it threatened to die out constantly, the wood too wet to keep it going.