Daryl's Angel (Book One in the Apocalypse Angel Trilogy)

Chapter 19: Maybe

We found lots of good stuff left behind. I grabbed backpacks, filling them with whatever clothes, water, and food I can find. Daryl stopped after a bit to siphon fuel while I searched the cars. We made a good team; he siphons, I search, he siphons, I search.

We continue this for a while, and I find myself falling into the simple routine.

A hand clamps over my mouth. I almost scream.

"Ssh," Daryl whispers.

He points off in the direction we came from. My eyes widen.

A huge herd of walkers stumbles down the highway like a messed up parade. Rick and the others have ducked under cars. Daryl pulls me down, his hand still clamped on my mouth. He scoots between an overturned truck and another car, keeping me with him. He presses me against him as we listen to the walkers going by.

I'm breathing heavily, but quietly. Daryl removes his hand from my mouth, and I move closer to him, too scared to think straight. I lean against his chest while he keeps his arms around me, protecting me. I can hear his heartbeat quickening, either from the threat of walkers or me being so close to him. It's probably both.

We hear panting and T-dog rounds the corner. His arm is cut and it's gushing blood. He collapses, dizzy from blood loss. I can hear a lone walker groaning, following the trail of blood. Daryl looks at me. He holds his finger up to my lips, telling me to stay quiet before he ducks out from behind the car. He goes up behind the walkers, shoving his hunting knife into the base of its skull, killing it. I watch, clamping my hands over my own mouth, willing myself to stay put. There are more walkers coming, and both men are still out in the open.

Daryl tells T-dog to stay quiet, swiftly grabbing a dead walker and placing it over the injured man like a blanket. He does the same for himself just as more walkers stumble through, and they go unnoticed. Then, the herd is gone. I creep out of my hiding spot, shoving the dead walker off of T-dog. Daryl throws off his walker disguise and helps him sit up. I grab my backpack, pulling out the first aid kit I had found while searching cars. I take a roll of gauze and an almost empty bottle of antibacterial cleanser, wiping the rest of the cleanser on the cut and carefully wrapping the gauze around T-dog's arm. Daryl watches me work, and T-dog tries not to cry out in pain. I finish wrapping and pin it in place.

"You've cut something major; it might just be a vein or simply a nasty cut. Either way, you're going to need stitches, but I don't have anything to do that with. The cleanser wasn't nearly enough to keep off infection for long," I explain to T-dog.

"I have never been more thankful for someone with medical knowledge," he says, patting my shoulder in gratitude.

"I'm your friend. There's no need to thank me."

"Let's go," Daryl whispers, slowly standing up and checking for walkers.

"There's something wrong over there," T-dog says, pointing.

The group is running to the side of the road, staring at the forest. Daryl and I help T-dog up, moving towards everyone. Carol is sobbing.

"What happened?" I ask, worried.

"Two walkers saw Sophia," Lori answers. "They chased her into the woods. Rick went after her."

I look towards the dark trees, my stomach churning.

We wait for a while. Rick comes out of the woods, but Sophia isn't with him.

"You didn't find her?" Carol asks desperately.

"I found her. I had to kill the walkers that were chasing her and I told her to hide. She ran from where I left her. I need Daryl to come with me so he can track her down." Rick glances at T-dog's arm. "T-dog? Are you ok?"