Saved

Chapter Two

DARYL

I was gonna kill Rick. This may be my last day alive, but I was seriously contemplating taking my best friend with me. If he hit one more god damned pothole...

I banged my fist on the glass window.

"What?" he called out.

"Pull this fuckin' truck over, Grimes. Now!"

Rick stopped the pickup in the middle of the road and got out. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

I hopped over the side of the truck and landed on my feet jarring every nerve in my body. Once, I got my breath back, I glared at him. "Do you have to hit every motherfuckin' pothole on this road? My ass is sitting on that hard bed being bounced around like a damn ping pong ball. Who the fuck taught you to drive?"

"There ain't nothing wrong with my driving. You decided to sit back there. It was bound to be bumpy."

How could he not see he sucked at driving? Or maybe he just couldn't see the damn craters in the road, but I could. "Yeah, well stupid choice."

"Seems you've been making a lot of them today."

"Fuck you," I growled at Rick. "I'm sitting up front with you. If I turn and take you out...you deserved it."

I walked around the pickup and got in the passenger seat. I went to slam the door with my right hand and saw stars. Literally. When I could move again, I reached across with my left arm and slammed it extra loud.

Rick started the engine mumbling, "Baby" under his breath, to which I replied, "Prick."

The rest of the way home we were both quiet. Neither of us were mad at the other, it was just time that we both needed time to think. Did you miss shit when you were dead? I wouldn't see Lil Asskicker...Judith grow up. Carl was already turning into a man even though he was just a teenager. I could tell he already had those hormones raging. What teen boy didn't? That's kind of what got me into this mess, to begin with. Thinking about the sex I wasn't getting...would never get again. I doubt anyone was going to volunteer to help me out in that area...especially now, so that wasn't gonna happen ever again.

Son of a bitch.

"Daryl? Daryl? Hey!"

I hadn't realized that Rick had started to talk to me. "Yeah...sorry. What?"

"How are you feeling?"

"My arm hurts like a bitch. I'm tired and a bit dizzy, but other than that okay."

"No fever?"

Hmm. Did I have a fever? I didn't think so. "Naw, I didn't think that's hit yet."

Rick looked over at me oddly. "How long has it been?"

"Not sure, since I don't wear a watch. Maybe five or six hours." Did time even matter these days?

He put the back of his hand to my forehead like I was a little kid. I glared back at him. "Let me know when you feel it, okay? We got another hour or two to go at least."

"Yes, Dad," I growled at him. All he did was chuckle back.

By the time the walls of Alexandria loomed in front of us I was on edge. The reality of what was gonna happen hit me square in the gut. Maybe coming back here was the wrong thing to do. Damn, couldn't I make a decent decision at all today?