Don't Get Dead | TWD | Volume 1

[32] Macgyver

"It's dead."

Daryl twisted in the truck's driver's seat, resting his legs in the open door frame. This pickup had been the third car they found that needed some fixing up or parts they just didn't have. They were still short on tools, managing to find a small set of screwdrivers in someone's kitchen cupboards.

Rick placed his hands on his belt and sighed, "We'll find another."

"Saw that gas station up ahead," T-Dog said. "There'd only be a gas station if there was a town or something nearby. Could be something there."

"This would have been ideal," Glenn reminded him. "Daryl would be able to put the bike on the back of this. We don't have anything to secure it with our cars now."

"If I gotta leave the bike behind, I will," Daryl said. "But damn."

"What do we do if we can't find another car?" Beth asked. "It's gonna start snowin' soon, right?"

"I could sit in the boot, I guess," Ace suggested.

Rick squeezed her shoulder. "You may have to do that."

Even though it was Ace's idea, she didn't want to spend all of Winter and then some scrunched in the boot of a car. The thought gave her a minor burst of anxiety. There would be no seatbelts or safety precautions if someone crashed, an action that was far more likely when travelling around in the snow. She didn't expect anyone to crash, but it was still possible.

"Try starting it again?" Ace suggested.

Daryl shrugged and listened to Ace as the engine chugged, trying to come back to life. Ace listened to the sound for a second, but Daryl stopped his attempt when the car didn't turn over.

"It sounds like the spark plugs are broken."

"It don' matter, kid," Daryl stopped her. "We don' got any spares."

"I'm just saying, it's an easy fix. A lot easier than some of the other cars we've seen so far," Ace reminded them, crossing her arms. "Maybe we could go into the next town, find some more tools and spare parts and come back here to fix the truck."

"We don't know where we're gonna be tonight," Maggie said.

"I don't see anyone else giving ideas," Ace muttered to herself, crossing her arms.

Rick was quiet for a second, contemplating Ace's idea. "It's not like we have anywhere else to be. If we can find the parts and come back, we will," he said. "This car is too good to leave behind, and there's no possibility that we're going to find another one like this any time soon."

Ace glanced up, glad that someone had taken her suggestion, knowing that the people who listened to her were few and far between. She hadn't meant to snap at Maggie, either, but the one thing she knew was cars, and this was the best one they had found since she mentioned needing a new vehicle.

"We'll take a look at that gas station before it gets too late," Rick continued. "See what else is around and hopefully find somewhere to hunker down for the night."

No one decided to argue with him, and all walked back to the vehicles to drive down to the petrol station.

When they got there, they decided not to take everyone. Rick, Glenn, T-Dog and Daryl were going to be the only ones to go until Ace offered to join them, saying that she was too bored to sit in the car again. They just decided to let her, knowing that her joining would probably just mean she was less involved with clearing the building and probably just joining them for a walk.

There wasn't very much inside, a few packets of crisps or chips as the others tried indoctrinating into Ace's vocabulary, with very little success. They were in there for less than five minutes before they decided it was a bust and they should go.