Blurred mixtures of green and brown whooshed past the speeding vehicle. In the distance a flock of birds ascended into the sky while two walkers traversed the open field. With squinted eyes one could forget that the two individuals making their way through the waist high weeds were undead devils. Perhaps they were best friends taking an early morning stroll to discuss their present and future. Maybe they were lovers who would tumble down, lips colliding passionately and hands pushing clothes to the side. Or it could be two dead human beings who gaped and groaned searching for something living to tear apart with their rotting teeth. Who knows.
The truck gently shook as the engine worked to match the speed Daryl insisted on going. One hand gripped onto the steering wheel while the other hung out of the open driver side window. Brisk air circulated through the cabin making Arden shiver and scoot closer to the door. “Can you roll up the window?”
Daryl’s grip momentarily tightened on the steering wheel but he did nothing to meet Arden’s request. “Hey,” Arden poked Daryl’s forearm, “I asked if you could roll up the window.”
“I heard ya’,” Daryl leaned away from Arden, as if her touch had burned through his clothing.
“Then….” Arden trailed off, waiting for Daryl to roll up the window but the man didn’t move, “Fine,” The seatbelt clicked as it was unlatched allowing Arden to place her knees on the seat and lean across Daryl’s lap. One hand pressed into the seat while the other attempted to crank the window up but the sudden swerving of the vehicle caused Arden to lose her balance. Her free hand landed on Daryl’s thigh in an attempt to stabilize but this act only caused the car to swerve more and Daryl to roughly push her away. Her back hit the door with a thud as her legs swung out from under her and nearly kicked Daryl in the face.
“The hell do ya think you’re doin!?”
“Oh don’t flatter yourself,” Arden rolled her eyes as she tried to re-adjust herself, “I was trying to close the window!”
“You could have-“
“What!? Asked you! Pretty sure I did now can you please close the fucking window!”
Daryl’s eyes flicked between the road and the female at his side before finally rolling the window up. “You should watch your mouth,” he mumbled, sitting up straight and adjusting his grip on the wheel.
Arden ran her fingers through her hair as she shook her head from left to right. She simply could not understand what this man’s problem was. Granted she hadn’t been all sunshine and butterflies to him but it was only in reaction to him. “You’re such an asshole,” she whispered, turning to look at Daryl, “Or maybe you just act like an asshole, I haven’t decided yet.”
A nearly unnoticeable smirk came to Daryl’s face as he glanced towards her, “I don’t care what you think of me,” his elbow rested on the thin ledge near the window while his hand gently pulled at his hair.
For the first time since they met Daryl’s voice was calm and even and his eyes didn’t hold the murderous intent they once did. Arden averted her gaze not sure how to handle a Daryl who wasn’t acting like he wanted to strangle her. “Yeah well,” her brown eyes looked ahead noticing the blood and oil stained road, “What do you think of me?”
“Don’t matter since you ain’t plannin on stickin around.”
“You say it like it’s a bad thing,” Arden brought her right leg up, her foot resting on the seat while her forehead touched her knee.
Daryl rubbed his bottom lip with his thumb, “Fuckin’ stupid thing.”
“You can’t control me you know?” Her head turned so her temple rested on her knee and her eyes looked upon the driver, “If I want to leave them I’m leaving, nothing you can do about it.”
Daryl didn’t respond, instead he turned so his blue eyes mirrored her brown ones. The staring contest lasted but a second before Arden looked away, unable to handle the look in Daryl’s eyes. Her raised leg bounced slightly, her skull rested against the head rest while her eyes stared out the window in an attempt to determine their current location. A sign proclaiming the fines for littering whizzed past the truck. Arden had walked past that sign before, her hand having banged against the metal before she dared her brother to drop a piece of trash next to the sign. Maybe if they pulled over Arden would find the candy bar wrapper they had left or maybe it had been displaced like everything else in this world.
“We’re close,” A shiver ran down Arden’s spine as memories of a past life filled her mind. A life that consisted of her and her brother, a life the young woman would have been perfectly fine living until her dying breath.
The truck came to a stop off the side of the road, an unearthly silence coming over the pair as the roar of the engine ceased to keep them company. “We walk the rest of the way,” Daryl swung open the door, the metal squeaking but before stepping out he turned to look at Arden. Her wavy jet black hair hit the top of her ribcage and was pulled to one side, her fingers absentmindedly running through the strands. Haunting brown eyes gazed through the windshield while her teeth nibbled on her bottom lip. Her legs shook as if an earthquake rumbled beneath her.
“Hey,” Daryl murmured, slinging his crossbow over his shoulder, “You wanna do this or not?”
Arden removed her hands from her hair and brushed her fingers over the door handle. The tips of her fingers trailed over the cracked leather interior that lined the door before her fingers firmly pulled the handle and foot kicked the door away. Before slamming the door shut she reached inside the vehicle for the knife Daryl had allowed her to borrow. The waist high grass swooshed against her jeans and was crushed beneath her combat style boots.
It was dumb to walk off on her own. The quicker her pace became the further she left Daryl behind but her legs would simply not slow down. She was quivering and her breathing was labored but she continued on. Soft crushing of grass transitioned to the rough snapping of twigs as she walked into the forest. With each step she could feel the darkness which grew inside of her begin to pulsate. The rhythmic thumping of her heart quickened in an attempt to dispel the black hole that threatened to swallow her whole. Its claws scratched at her mind whispering memories that made Arden’s chest cave in and body shake. Her ears rang as the distant groans of walkers grew in its intensity. The world grew much too loud. Every groan of a walker, every snap of a twig, every chirp of a bird, even her own breathing sounded like a gun going off only a few centimeters away from her ear. Then…..silence.
All sound was removed from her world as she stood in the small clearing. Her irrational mind led her to believe that she would find him there. He would be sitting cross legged on the tattered brown blanket; mud stains on his shirt, blood smeared on his dark wash jeans. He would look emaciated and exhausted and nothing like the brother she knew and loved but he would be alive. And that would be enough. But reality was harsh and cold and the only thing sitting on that brown blanket was an undead monster.
The walker sat on its knees, its bony hands holding a rabbit carcass up to its gnashing teeth. Droplets of blood fell from its chin as it looked up at her with cloudy eyes. The creature was missing a patch of skin from its left cheek revealing rotting muscle which had become the home of blood stained maggots. His jaw crackled open as he stumbled to his feet. His growls could not break through the silence surrounding Arden, neither could fear.
“Matt,” her lips formed the name but her voice didn’t reach her ears. The knife dropped from her grip as Arden raised her right hand, reaching out for the dead human who was reaching for her as well.
Dead flesh made contact with her wrist, the decaying hand of the walker grabbing her and yanking her forward. She didn’t fight. She couldn’t. All she could do was look into the dead eyes of the man as her own orbs filled with tears. The putrid odor of decomposing flesh burned her nostrils as the walker approached her, their noses but a spark away. Arden took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of death and tasting the rot on her tongue. Her body convulsed with the terror that the emptiness inside of her would not let her comprehend. But this emptiness did not seem as horrifying anymore. Instead it was inviting and promised Arden the peace of mind she knew she would never be able to find in this world. Her eyelids closed and for the first time in months she felt like everything would be okay if she only allowed the darkness to overcome her.
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Author's Note: Cliffhanger! I really want to know what you guys think is going to happen! Comment telling me your predictions or just overall what you think of the story and please vote and add this story to your library.