°SHADOWS° (DARYLFANFIC)

PARTING WAYS.

CHAPTER EIGHT

"Everybody listen up. Those of you with C.B.s, we're gonna be on channel 40. Let's keep the chatter down, okay? Now you got a problem, don't have a C.B., can't get a signal or anything at all, you're gonna hit your horn one time. That'll stop the caravan. Any questions?"  Shane announces standing outside the RV.

I stand beside Carol, Sophia and Ed who was eyeing me. I folded my arms over chest turning away from him. My swollen cheek had only gotten worse over the night.

"We're, uh… We're… we're not going." Morales says stepping up worry his family.

"We have family in Birmingham. We want to be with our people." His wife says gripping his hand.

"You go on your own, you won't have anyone to watch your back." Shane says crossing his arms.

I walk away from Carol and step up to Morales. "Your really leaving?" I ask looking from him to his wife, Miranda.
She nods grabbing my shoulders and pulling me into a hug.

"Take carful of yourself Harper." She says smiling down at me.
I nod hugging Morales next.

I step back when his two kids move to their parents side. The boy glared while the girl stuck her tongue out at me.

"Uh, be safe." I mutter smiling at them before walking back to Carol.

Rick walks over saying his goodbyes as he hands Morales a gun and ammo.
Lori walks up beside her husband and hugs Miranda. Carl and the kids say their byes.
Sophia pushes past running over and hugging the daughter, Eliza.

"Here." Eliza holds out her doll and Sophia, who had lost hers takes before hugging each other again.

"Channel 40 if you change your minds. All right?" Rick says nodding his head to them.

"Yeah." Morales nods.

I part ways with Carol, Ed and head to Rick's car climbing in the backseat with Carl and Sophia.
I sit against the door with Sophia in the middle and Carl on her other side.

"Ready?" Rick asks glancing in the backseat.
I nod pulling the seatbelt over chest and hooking it in.

"Yeah." Carl says smiling up at his father.

Lori climbs in and shits her door as Rick's starting the engine.
We pull out and i turn in my seat watching as we leave the old camp site behind.

We drove a fee miles before I heard the RV horn.
I looked over my shoulder as Rick slowed the car to a stop.
I pulled my seat belt off and climbed out following Rick.

"Stay here." Lori ordered the kids before following us.

I jogged up to Dale glancing over at the smoking RV engine.

"I told you we'd never get far on that hose. I said I needed the one from the cube van." Dale says shaking his head and tossing the snapped radiator hose to the side of the road.

"Can you jury-rig it?" Rick asks glancing to it on the ground.

"That's all it's been so far. It's more duct tape than hose. And I'm out of duct tape." Dale answers.

I sigh leaning over and looking in the engine. "If would maybe find a new one?"

"I see something up ahead. A gas station if we're lucky." Shane says climbing off the top of the RV.

"Y'all," Jacqui steps out of the RV. "Jim… It's bad. I don't think he can take anymore." She sighs lightly turning back and returning to Jim's side.