All of Us (The Walking Dead)

Chapter 10

The next day, I was sitting with my feet propped up on my desk in the infirmary when I heard the door open and someone walk in.

"Hey." I looked up to see Daryl nod his head as he came in. "Got a second?"

I put down the book Siddiq had given me to read. "Yeah, what's up?"

He chewed on his lip for a moment like he was debating something. "Wanna come on a run with me tomorrow?"

I raised my eyebrows at him, not expecting that. Before I could reply, he continued. "Asked Rick, but him an' Michonne are takin' the day off," he said, letting me know I wasn't his first choice. I didn't take it personally, though. I had been learning lately not to get offended by what Daryl said or how he acted, just like Glenn had told me. When I kept an open mind around him, I didn't get so frustrated.

"The day off?" I asked, surprised, because ever since I'd met Rick, I hadn't thought he had an off button. He was always working, trying to make sure everyone was safe and make sure everything was running smoothly.

"Yah, spendin' the day with Judith," Daryl said.

In the world today, it was so hard to remember to slow down every once in a while when things were good and appreciate what we had. I thought it was great that they were taking time off. 

"So?" he asked. Right. Go on a run with him.

"Yah, uh, sure," I said. I was still shocked he was asking me, but I would never turn down a chance to help out. "When?"

"Tomorrow mornin'. Just after breakfast. I'll come get ya."

"Great. I'll see you then."

The next morning, I was just finishing eating breakfast when I heard a knock on my front door. I walked over and opened the door. "You really don't have to knock," I laughed.

He followed me into the kitchen without replying to me. I finished packing up my backpack and turned to him.

"Ready to go," I said.

"Sure ya wanna come? I can do it myself-"

"Daryl," I cut him off before he could change his mind about me coming. "I'm sure. Come on," I said as I walked away from him towards the door, leaving him to follow me.

We headed towards the gates and Daryl motioned his head towards the guy on watch to open them.

"Where are we going anway?" I asked, realizing I still didn't know.

"Eugine's lookin' for a battery. There's a store in town he thinks might have it," he said as we got to his bike.

Daryl straddled his motorcycle and waited for me to get on back.

"Wait," I said. "We're going on your bike?"

"You got a problem with that?"

I'd never ridden a motorcycle before. They had always seemed scary to me, and I'd heard enough horror stories from motorcycle accidents that I had never even been tempted to ride one. But things were different now. This wasn't the same world as back then. Everyday there were risks now, and you never knew if you'd even make it to the next day. I guess I had nothing to lose.

I sighed and got on behind him. I wasn't sure what to do with my hands, but when he started up the bike and it started to move forward, I realized I needed to hold onto him. I wrapped my arms around his waist and held tight. I could feel his body stiffen when I first touched him, but he slowly relaxed.

At first, I was scared. I didn't even think about it, I just tucked my head against his back and squeezed my eyes shut. My body was tense. But after a few moments, I started to loosen the tight grip I had on him and I slowly opened my eyes. I looked around as we flew down the road. We were going so fast now, but it felt exhilarating. I started to laugh. These days, all you could do was appreciate the little things that made you happy. And being on this bike right now with Daryl, I felt happy.

After riding for a while, we turned down a dirt road and finally pulled up to a large store where this battery was supposedly at. Daryl and I hopped off the back and headed to the front door.

"Stay behind me," Daryl said as we got to the store and he pounded his fist against the door.

All of a sudden, there was banging against the door from the inside as we heard the familiar moaning of walkers.

Daryl nodded his head to me, signalling for me to get ready.

"You take left, I'll take right," I said. He gave me a sharp look, probably not used to taking orders and used to being the one who made these calls, but this was no time to fight. I stood back and Daryl swung the door open and stepped back with me. Walkers immediately stumbled out of the store and shuffled towards us. 

Just like I had suggested, Daryl took the walkers coming to the left, and I took the walkers on the right. After the last one dropped, we made our way into the store.

We looked around the large electronic store. Daryl started to walk down one aisle, so I decided to go down another one. I was preoccupied looking through the boxes on the shelves when a hand shot out from behind one of the boxes and grabbed my arm, pulling me to the side. I gave a little shriek, caught off guard. I looked around for the walker as I tried to pull away, but it was clearly in the aisle next to me. I grabbed my knife from my belt and tried to find an opening to kill it, but the boxes were in the way. 

I was still frantically trying to pull away when it suddenly went limp. I turned and saw Daryl walk into view, his crossbow up.

"Thanks," I said, panting.

I decided to follow him down the aisles this time since I really didn't know what we were looking for. The shelves were stocked with boxes of electronics. Daryl said he knew what to look for, that Eugine had explained what the battery looked like to him.

As we approached the back of the store, we heard movement. Daryl handed me a flashlight and we slowly made our way to the noise. There was a door at the back of the store that said 'employees only'. That was the source of it. There was banging behind it, probably walkers.

Daryl walked up and grabbed the door handle. He aimed his crossbow up as I tightened my grip on the larger knife I held in my left hand and I reached back and grabbed my smaller knife out from the back of my jeans and held it up in my right hand, ready for anything. He looked at me and then after a moment, he nodded his head and swung open the door. Four walkers instantly came towards us, two coming out first and the other two behind them. Without thinking or taking a moment to talk over our plan, Daryl took out the first one closest to him with an arrow, and I stabbed the one closest to me with my knife. While Daryl quickly reloaded another arrow, I covered him and threw my smaller knife and took out the next walker. With his bow reloaded now, he took out the last one.

I knew this was only the second time I had gone on a run with Daryl, but I was starting to learn and anticipate his moves. Already, I felt like we worked well together.

When I looked at Daryl, he was already looking at me, his eyes squinting slightly. I wondered if he was thinking the same thing. Then, his gaze shifted past me over my shoulder.

"That's it," he said. He walked by me and picked up a box.

I was glad we had someone like Eugene who understood all this, because all things technology went right over my head.

"Let's go," Daryl said after he stuffed the box in his pack and started to walk back towards the front doors.

We got back on the bike, and I wrapped my hands around Daryl's waist again, but this time he didn't flinch.

The ride back was going by fast. I could tell we were getting close to Alexandria. There was a right turn up ahead, but I knew where we were. Alexandria was straight ahead. As we passed by the right turn, my gaze immediately snapped to the right. The motorcycle lurched to a stop as we looked at the herd of walkers coming straight towards us.