Apocalyptic Love {Daryl Dixon fanfiction}

Chapter Five

I didn't see where we were going since they shoved a bag over my head not long after we drove off. My hands were also pulled behind my back and duck taped together making it impossible for me to move.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked, my voice muffled through the bag. I received a jab in the ribs and I took the hint to shut up. About ten minutes went by and the car finally came to a stop. I was dragged out and I heard the grinding of a door opening. I could hear multiple voices, all male. The bag was yanked off my head and I blinked a few times to adjust to the light. At least 20 Mexican guys stood around, staring at me like I had three heads.

"Who the hell is she?" one asked.

"There were others there. They got the guns and Miguel. Son of a bitch shot me with a crossbow!" the guy said, turning around, motioning to the arrow sticking out of his ass. I couldn't help but laugh. He looked ridiculous. One guy stepped forward and I assumed he was the leader.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Blake. What's yours?" I was starting to get a bit nervous being around a bunch of guys and not another woman in sight.

"Guillermo. Relax, we aren't going to hurt you. We just want those guns." he said. He gently took my arm and led me through what looked like a garage and into a back building. I was surprised to see about a dozen elderly people.

"What is this place?" I asked.

"It was a retirement home. When things got bad, the staff took off, left them here to die. Someone's gotta look after 'em" he said. Well I was not expecting this at all.

"Boss, the white guys are back. They've got Miguel." one guy called from the garage. Guillermo look at me and sighed.

"I'm sorry but we have to keep up our image. Just remember, we won't hurt you." he said. I opened my mouth to say something but a large piece of duct tape was slapped over it. I struggled as they placed the bag back over my head. They dragged me up stairs and I soon felt the warm breeze on my skin, indicating we were outside. I could hear Rick's voice and my heart leapt. The bag was removed from my head and I felt like I was going to puke. We were on top of a building, at least six stories up and I could see Daryl, Rick and Glenn looking up at me. I didn't realize I was afraid of heights until now. They shoved me to the edge so my toes were over the edge and I started to hyperventilate.

"Calm down. It's just for show." One of the guys whispered to me. It still didn't comfort me much. I made eye contact with Daryl and I could see him clenching his jaw, clearly pissed, but I could also see the worry in his eyes. It made my heart race a bit, thinking of him worrying about me. God, I was like a friggin school girl. I watched them slowly back away, Daryl never taking his eyes off me. I swallowed hard and felt my heart drop when they disappeared from sight. The guys pulled me back down the stairs and into the garage. They pulled the duct tape from my mouth and cut my wrists free.

"Sorry. Had to keep up our appearances." Guillermo said as I rubbed my sore wrists.

"It's alright, I get it." A sweet old woman came up and tapped him on the shoulder. She smiled down at her and said something to her in Spanish before taking her arm gently and leading her away. "Can I do anything to help?"

"Just mingle, if you want. There's some laundry that needs to be hung too, if you don't mind." I shook my head and went to the back of the room where another old woman was bent over a laundry basket.

"Hello, can I help you with that?" I asked, giving her a small smile. She beamed up at me and nodded.

"Gracias, Amiga. Gracias." she said, taking my hand and squeezing it gently. I smiled again and started folding the laundry. She started rambling but I had no idea what she was saying since it was all in Spanish. I just smiled and nodded when necessary, enjoying her company. Then, I heard wheezing behind me. An elderly black man was clutching his chest, having difficulty breathing. I ran over and knelt down, rubbing his back.

"Easy, easy. Slow, deep breaths." I said as I slowly rubbed his back. He started to breathe better but I knew he needed an inhaler. I sat with him as he tried to get a handle on his breathing. I heard a lot of footsteps and glanced up to see Rick, Glenn, T-Dog and Daryl coming in, their mouths hanging open in shock. The guy who Daryl shot in the ass came over and handed me the inhaler which I brought to Mr. Gilberts mouth. He inhaled and slowly his breathing slowed down to normal. I smiled as he took my hand and kissed my knuckles in thanks. I nodded and suddenly I was yanked to my feet and strong arms were around me, squeezing me so hard the air left my lungs. Daryl had his face buried in my hair as he hugged me tightly. I glanced at Rick and Glenn who were staring, dumbfounded.

"Daryl, I cant breathe." I muttered, patting his back. He pulled back, his face slightly red.

"We thought you were being eaten by dogs!" T-Dog said and I looked over at Guillermo. He rolled his eyes when Rick pulled him away.

"Are you okay?" Daryl asked, looking me over for injuries.

"I'm fine. Just a bump on the head. Really, I'm okay." I said with a smile. He cleared his throat and nodded. "Aww, were you worried about me?" I teased. He grunted and looked away without saying anything but I knew the answer already and I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face. Soon, Rick and Guillermo had made a deal and we were heading out. I tailed behind Rick and T-Dog, my hand tightly gripping my sword again. We went back to where we had left the van and stopped in our tracks.

"Where the hell is the van?" I asked, thinking maybe they used it earlier.

"Who would have taken it?" Glenn asked and I knew the answer immediately.

"Merle." Rick and I said at the same time. Daryl sighed.

"He's gonna be takin' some vengeance back to the camp." he said. I groaned, knowing that we would be running back. Good thing I was in somewhat decent shape. We took off at a steady jog just as the sun was starting to set. I picked up the pace, not wanting to get stuck out here after dark.

"Slow down, speed racer!" T-Dog called. I rolled my eyes.

"Y'all are just old and slow!" I teased, lengthening my strides more. I saw Daryl fall into step with me as we turned onto the dirt road that led up through the quarry to the campsite.

"Race ya'!" I said, smirking at him. He narrowed his eyes in challenge and I took off as fast as I could. I always loved running. It made me feel alive and relaxed, even though I pushed myself to exhaustion most of the time. I could hear Daryl panting next to me and I smiled, liking how carefree he was being. That's when the screams and gunshots started. Neither of us faltered, picking up the pace even more. Whatever was happening at the camp was not good and I wasn't looking forward to burying any more dead friends...