Hope Lost: A Daryl Dixon Story (The Walking Dead/ Bethyl )

26- Journey

'Look, I know it's not my place but you shouldn't have tied 'em up and stuck 'em in your trunk.' Rick said quietly.

'Why do you continue to rebuke me if it is not your place?' Mariko asked.

Rick stared at her. She was witty, he had to admit.

'Never mind that now. Untie them.'

'No,' she hissed.

Rick's head dipped and he nodded sarcastically. 'Well why the hell not?'

'They stole my car.'

'You got it back.' He reminded her.

Mariko rolled her eyes. 'I'm going to cut my hair now. Do with them whatever you find suitable, sheriff.'

Rick frowned at her figure as she slid into the passenger seat of her mustang. He watched her rummage around in the cubbyhole, take out a pair of hairdresser scissors and a small mirror. Lastly, she took out a comb and began to cut her long jet black hair.

Rick shook his head and proceeded to untie her two captives. He untied the woman first. Mariko said her name was Rosita. He ungagged her.

'Thank you,' she breathed, and looked at him meaningfully.

Rick gave a curt nod, and she assisted him in untying and ungagging her friend.

'Sergeant Abraham,' he said in a firm voice. 'Thank you for all this, Sheriff...?

'Just Rick,' he muttered.

'Well thank you Rick. Your little friend is stronger than she looks.'

'What happened? Why'd you steal her car?'

He sighed and looked over to Rosita before explaining, 'We were just driving across the rail road tracks -Eugene said it was our safest bet- when the truck gave in. It couldn't be fixed so we headed out on foot. No more than ten minutes later of walking, we stumbled across this mighty beast of a car. It was like a miracle sent from God himself. Anyway, I decided that myself and Eugene would take the short walk back to the broken down truck to collect the rest of our stuff we were forced to leave behind, while Rosita stood watch guard by the mustang. She said she went to use the bathroom in the woods, and when she returned she discovered a man and a woman looting the car. So Rosita being the fiery cat that she is stalked them and caught them off guard, knocking them out.' He paused and looked over at her lovingly.

'Then when we returned to the car with the stuff she looted, we found your friend leaning against it smoking a cigarette like nothing was up. Next thing you know, she's stomping that cigarette out and shouting at us in whatever language and then she jumped us. I don't know how, but she somehow managed to get us both. She even gave me this,' He pulled down his collar to reveal a bruise that looked familiar to Mariko's knuckle busters.

Rick scanned the bruise with narrowed eyes and he heard the softest chuckle coming from Mariko in the car.

'So you woke up tied in the boot?' Rick asked.

'Precise.'

'That was the day with the TNT,' Carl muttered.

Abraham and Rosita stared at each other with confused looks on their faces.

'Long story,' Carl explained.

'We need to find Eugene,' Abraham said to Rosita.

She nodded, 'But how? We have no idea where to start looking? No car either.'

Abraham turned and looked at Rick expectantly. Rick's head dipped.

'Look, I don't mean to be negative or anything but odds are he's either far gone or dead.'