In the morning, Daryl and I wake up and get ready swiftly. We leave the tent and join the rest of the group.
Shane starts telling the group the plan for on the road. "Alright, listen up! These are just some precautions so we don't get separated. Those of you with C.B. Radios, we're on channel 40. Contact us if anything goes wrong. If you don't have a C.B, or you can't get a signal, honk your horn once. That'll stop the caravan and we can see what's wrong. Any questions?"
Morales steps forward. "We're not going. We've got family in Birmingham."
"We need to be with our people," Morales' wife says.
"Are you sure? You won't have anyone else to protect you," Shane warns.
"We'll take the chance. I need to look out for my family," Morales says.
"Alright." Rick bends down to the bag of guns at his feet. He pulls out a pistol and hands it to Morales.
Shane hands him a box of bullets. "The box is half full."
Lori hugs Morales' wife while Sophia hugs his daughter. Carl sits on the hood of a station wagon, beginning to cry. Morales' daughter gives Sophia a doll she's holding and runs back to her family. They say goodbye to us, walking to their Jeep, getting in and driving away. Lori and Carol comfort their children, wiping away their tears.
"Alright everyone. We don't have time to waste, let's go!" Rick says, heading to the cars.
Daryl touches my shoulder lightly. As soon as he has my attention, he pulls it away. "Come on Hope. You can ride in my truck."
I nod and follow him. There's a motorcycle in the back, strapped down.
"Is that yours?" I ask.
"It's Merle's," he answers, climbing into the driver's side.
I climb in, dropping my backpack at my feet, and Daryl starts the engine. Our group leaves. The RV leads the way, and all the other cars follow.
Daryl and I sit in silence. I glance back at the hilltop, the final resting place of Amy and Ed and all those other campers that I never knew the names of. I turn my head and face the front again.
Our caravan continues down the road, leaving the quarry campsite behind.
----------
After a while, we come to a halt. I look out the window.
"Wait here, Hope. I'll go see what's up," Daryl says, leaving the truck and walking to the RV. He comes back after a couple minutes. "Damn radiator hose in the RV burst. We're stuck here for a bit," he tells me. "We gotta keep watch. Come on."
I open the door and get out. I take out my knife and walk to the RV with Daryl. He has his crossbow with him again.
Rick and Dale are assessing the problem and Shane is looking through his binoculars when we get there.
"Looks like there's something up ahead," Shane says, lowering his binoculars. "A gas station if we're lucky. T-dog and I can drive ahead and look for spare parts to fix the RV."
Jacqui comes running from the RV. "Y'all, it's Jim. He's worse."
Rick jogs to the RV, opening up the door and going in, closing the door behind him. After what feels like an eternity, he comes back out.
"He wants us to leave him here. He wants to be with his family," Rick says sadly.
We stand silent for a bit longer.
"We should respect his wishes," Dale says.
"I agree. It's the best thing to do," Lori says, her voice breaking.
YOU ARE READING
Daryl's Angel (Book One in the Apocalypse Angel Trilogy)
Fanfiction"Why're you bein' so nice to me?" "I would want the same if I were you." Hope Starling was alone when the dead started rising. She had always been alone, with parents that had disowned her and no friends to help her. Inside the department store in...
