Feral Citizens

Clean

Daybreak saw everyone who had survived the camp massacre trek down to the road, where several cars awaited. Nearly everyone had a backpack hanging off their shoulders. Shane and Rick stepped up to the front and began to tell everyone what would be happening. "Everybody listen up. Those of you with C.B.s, we're gonna be on channel 40. Let's keep the chatter down, okay? Now you got a problem, don't have a C.B., can't get a signal or anything at all, you're gonna hit your horn one time. That'll stop the caravan. Any questions?" Nobody spoke. "come on. Let's go. Let's move out."

Deciding where everyone would sit was a disaster. Shane had stalked off to his own truck, and nobody but Rick and his family knew him well enough to ask for a ride. Carol, Lori, Rick and the kids between them piled into Carol's car, and Morales' widow and her kids got in with T-Dog, Jacqui and Andrea.

Josie and I looked around at the RV, where the old man had already offered Glenn a ride. "Josie, we'll get in the old guy's Winnebago-"

"His name is Dale."

"Whatever. So, you get in there now whilst I grab the other bag." She skipped up the steps as I grabbed the other bags we had left. I'd have to sort everything out to fit into one bag; I couldn't carry two all the time.

"You can ride with me," I heard. Daryl's truck was parked just next to Dale's RV. He looked down at his dirty boots before adding, "nobody in the RV likes you right now." Way to be blunt. Still, he was telling the truth. They had all had looked at me like I was going to stab them at any moment.

"You sure?" It surprised me that he was being so friendly. Just a few days ago, we had pointed weapons at each other. I had left his brother for dead.

"Uh huh." He threw open the passenger door. Before I could get in, I needed to tell Josie that I would be in a different car. I popped my head around the RV door and shouted through.

"Josie, I'm gonna get in Daryl's truck, okay?"

"Are you sure?" Dale asked me. "I mean, we have enough room." I waved him off and thanked him.

"Naw. I'll put the bags in here and get in with Daryl." Josie dragged the heavy bags into the RV for me as I jumped into Daryl's truck with him. "you ready to go?"

"Sure." He waited until the RV and Carol's car got ahead before pulling onto the main road. I looked at the bike strapped in the back and noted the 'SS' insignia on its side. Merle's bike, I was assuming. Daryl had yet to give me reason to believe he held the same views as Merle. Hadn't given me reason to believe he didn't either.

The Winnebago didn't get far along the road. We made it a few miles from the quarry before it began to splutter and broke down. Group members flooded out of their vehicles to take a look at the RV.

"I told you we'd never get far on that hose. I said I needed the one from the cube van." Dale said.

"Can you jury-rig it?"

"That's all it's been so far. It's more duct tape than hose. And I'm out of duct tape." I stepped out the truck to go see how bad the situation.

"Which one."

"Lower radiator hose." Dale answered. An idea came to mind, but since I wasn't an expert, I couldn't be sure.

"What about the flex hose? Could that work if you have a spare?" Dale looked up and banged his hand against the engine.

"You know, it just might!" Suddenly, he frowned. "flex hose would be pretty tight fitting, could pop out of place or rub against other parts."

"If we duct tape it in place it shouldn't move."