Apocalyptic Love

Chapter 10 The Search

After Atlanta, Rick had a conversation with the group. Shane was all for going to Fort Benning, where they would have the military there to protect them; some of the others were obliged to agree. Kagome stood with Daryl behind the group, only listening. Rick looked up and frowned when he saw the two archers together; he was trying very hard not to be jealous of the relationship that was developing between Kagome and Daryl.

Daryl and Kagome had grown closer after Kagome had told Daryl about her powers and what had happened to her in the past. Daryl could tell that what Kagome had told him was true; he was a great judge of character and could tell when people were lying to him. Kagome made Daryl promise not to say anything to the others about her past.

“I promise, it ain't my story to tell,” Daryl said.

After that, it was rare to see one without the other, and that was something that annoyed Rick more than anything. He couldn't stand the thought of Kagome being with Daryl, but Rick had to face the fact that Kagome wasn't his and that he had a wife and son. But he couldn't help that his eyes were always on Kagome and Daryl.

“Kagome, what do you think about us going to Fort Benning,” Rick asked out of the blue.

Kagome stood up, straighter, “I think it's a bad idea. We don't know what we're going to find there, and it could only be a waste of time. But if the group decides to go, then I guess we go.”

“What about you, Daryl?”

“I'm with Kagome.”

“Okay, since most of us agree that Fort Benning is our best option, we'll head out that way,” Rick said.

The group dispersed and headed out to pack up and got ready to leave. They broke up into groups, Carol, and Sophia, rode with Rick and his family while the others rode in the RV. To Rick's dismay, Kagome chose to ride with Daryl. The drive to Fort Benning was, for the most part, a peaceful one. Lori tried to keep Rick engaged in conversation, so she started talking about their trip to the Grand Canyon when Carl was a baby. It seemed to work for a time; Rick had a pleasant look on his face as he remembered what happened on that trip. That all changed when Rick saw Daryl pass him with Kagome sitting behind him. Lori followed Rick's gaze and scowled. Her hatred of the raven-haired beauty grew.

Eventually, the group ran into some trouble on the highway. There was a massive traffic jam covering both sides of the road. Dale had no other choice but to stop, “Oh jeez. Aw no. See a way through?”

“Maybe we should go back and take the interstate bypass,” Glenn suggested.

“We can't spare the fuel,” Dale informed them.

The engine on the RV started sputtering, and eventually, it died, “I said it. Didn't I say it? A thousand times. Dead in the water.”

Rick got out of the SUV and walked up to Dale, who had lifted the hood of the RV, a plumb of smoke coming out, “Problem, Dale?”

“Just a small matter of being stuck in the middle of nowhere with no hope of--okay, that was dumb,” Dale said as he looked around at all the cars.

“If you can't find a radiator hose here...” Shane said.

“There's a lot of other things we can find here,” Kagome said, “Stock up on supplies.”

Rick looked at Kagome and smiled, “Right, Dale and I will  get the hose, while the rest of you look for supplies.”

“This is a graveyard. I don't know how I feel about this,” Lori said.

Kagome rolled her eyes at Lori, “These people can't use these supplies, we can. Grow up, Lori.”