Don't Get Dead | TWD | Volume 1

[39] Tomb Raider

We had been driving for a little while before we stopped. After leaving a town with nothing, completely empty, it was getting harder and harder to pretend that our supplies weren't running out. Everyone had started to notice, but Rick wouldn't tell us what the situation was because somehow at least, we had all been kept fed, only skipping a few meals so that we didn't have to question it. I trusted that he would never let any of us starve, or let the food completely run out without anyone knowing

Some of the others had gone to look for a creak, bed of water or something to collect water from or wash their clothes. I don't know, I wasn't really listening. I just sat in the car and watched Rick as he walked from the back of the vehicles to the front of the line, before looking over Carl's shoulder to make sure he wasn't missing anything.

They had just recently started letting Carl keep watch, after him always offering, Rick decided to give it a try. He was still unsure of whether it was a good idea or not, I could tell from the constant pacing to stand around Carl, but he was getting more at ease with the idea.

Maybe he just didn't want to make Carl do any of this work. Kill walkers, runs, they were all hard jobs, especially for a kid, that maybe he was just watching out for him. Why push these things onto your son when there's other people around also willing to do the heavy lifting?

It wasn't my turn for watch anyway, and it had been so hot that day that I had started to feel a little ill. I just leaned my head against the seat, still sat with my body facing out of the car in case anything did happen to us. This way, no matter how ill I felt. I would be ready.

As Rick walked next to my door, he stopped, his eyes flickering to the tree line like he had been startled, seen or heard something. I stood, reaching across my body and pulling my knife from my holster. I stepped around Rick and followed his gaze, watching for a walker, but a second later, Daryl emerged over the roadside barriers.

Rick sighed audibly, turning away and continuing his rounds, and I sat back down in the car, my body facing the tree line Daryl just came from. He glanced around at some of the others, nodding at someone in the car in front of me, who I assumed was Lori as she was the only one that was still in that vehicle, before he turned in my direction.

"Where are the others?" I asked.

They had all gone together, and though a fair few had gone down to keep each other safe, it was off that Daryl would come back alone unless something had happened to any of them. I stared at him anxiously.

He obviously noticed the worry, because he shook his head, placing a hand on my shoulder. "They found some water, wanted to boil it by the creek so they wouldn't have to do it later. Won't be too long."

Daryl squatted down next to the car, before rifling through his backpack that he dropped on the ground. I turned, facing the side of the road, resting my feet on the body of the car, again I rested my head back against the seat, but kept my eyes on the treeline Daryl returned from, making sure there were no walkers that may have seen him joining us.

"Y'okay?" Daryl asked.

"Just hot," I mumbled.

I glanced at the blue sky, very very sunny the same as Daryl, and he nodded. "Yeah, s'pose it's gettin' warmer."

Again, he continued looking through his bag, and I closed my eyes, resting my arms in my lap as I mumbled in agreement.

"I forgot to tell ya," Daryl said after a while. "I grabbed that radio ya left in the storage units."

I looked down at him just in time for him to pull the small device from his rucksack, and shake it back and forth like a bell. When he had my attention, he lowered his arm before swinging it up and tossing the walkie to me.