Presley was dreadfully quiet.
Stefan glanced over at her, biting his lip in frustration. She had an arrow loosely in place, ready to pull back and fire at any moment. Her blue eyes were wide with alert, yet, everytime she looked at him, she seemed to be looking right through him. She walked slow, but not slow enough that he would notice.
"You okay?" He asked finally. She looked at him, and once again, she seemed to look right through him. She looked away.
"Everytime somebody says that I say 'yes, I'm fine'." She said quietly. "But I'm never fine. I never should have joined this group, I never should have stayed. Everything good that ever happens in this world always comes to a brutal end. Since this whole thing started, I've been so sure that I could outlast it." She said, shaking her head. "But truth is, I'm only lasting it because I don't know how not to survive it."
Stefan stayed quiet during her little speech. Broken. Broken seemed to be a good word to describe her. "Now Lori and Hershal are dead, and God only knows who else. I mean, we don't even know who got out of the bus. We don't even know if the bus got out of there!" She raked a hand through her hair, letting out a frustrated grunt when her hand got caught in a tangle. "We'll probably never even see any of them again. Rick, Carl, Beth, Maggie, Glenn... We didn't have an escape place. We'll all get away on the bus." She shook her head, throwing her hands up in frustration.
Zeva treaded slowly behind Presley, lacking the usual wag in her tail. Stefan stopped suddenly, earning a confused look from the both of them. He motioned to the abandoned car at the side of the road. "Might as well camp here. Safest we'll get." He noted, shrugging. Presley hesitated, but nodded her head yes.
Soon enough they were all inside the car, windows up and doors locked. Stefan sat in the front, his back against the passenger's window and his legs bent over the center console. Presley sat in the back, with Zeva curled up on the ground. Good thing the SUV was pretty spacious. Presley tapped her fingertips against her knees, staring out into the trees beyond them. "How long do you think it'll take him to find us?" She asked.
Stefan shrugged, picking at the dirt and blood under his nails. "Probably within a day... He probably took his little motorcycle out, seeing as how nobody else knew how to drive it." They both chuckled a bit at that.
"That was Merle's bike." She mentioned, pursing her lips. She wondered where Merle was, and if she would ever see that bastard again. After what he had done to Daryl's trust, she would probably take his other hand if they ever met on the road. That is if Daryl didn't take it first.
"When I got back from Woodbury everybody kept asking me if I was alright, and what exactly had happened. Truth was, I lied to all of them every time." She laughed bitterly. "I wasn't alright. He'd taken me and he had me torn down into nothing, into a stupid little soul trapped in a body I couldn't get out of. I'm tired of telling people that I'm alright, tired of playing the tough one."
"Than stop being it." Stefan said, she looked at him, her expression grim.
"I wish it were that easy." She said softly. "If I stopped playing the tough one, I would lose the game of life. I would die, and turn into one of those creatures out there." She said, closing her eyes and shaking her head.
"I won't let anything happen to you, Presley." He said, reaching through the seats and grabbing her hand. This time when she looked at him, she saw him. She looked pale in the moonlight, but somehow it made her look even more beautiful. The dirt and grime that caked on her skin, the dried sweat that glistened on her brow. To Stefan, she was the most beautiful girl in the world. She stared at him for a minute, giving his hand a little squeeze before pulling it away. It wasn't much, but it meant the world to him that she hadn't jerked away. "And I know Daryl won't let anything even come close to you."
"Stefan why did you come to the prison with me?" She asked suddenly, ignoring the comment about Daryl. Her eyes were wide and focused, and he knew he was treading on thin ice.
"There are many reasons, actually." She seemed disappointed at that answer. "But the main reason? I came for you." She wrinkled her nose, a habit of hers that he had come to learn
"Why?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest. He shrugged.
"There was just something strange about you, something different, Presley. You're not just in the game... You're in it to win it." He said simply. "Women nowaday rely on the men to protect him, but it's almost like the men rely on you." He chuckled. "And so, I decided to risk my ass to save yours." She rolled her eyes, and he laughed.
She looked away from him, drawing her knees to her chest and resting her chin on her knees. Zeva whimpered softly in her sleep. "Do you love him?" Stefan asked suddenly, startling her. She looked at Daryl, eyebrows furrowed at the question.
"Daryl and I are too alike. We're both pigheaded and stubborn as mules. We butt heads on a lot of subjects, and always end up fighting it out by screaming."
"And then making out in the hall way?" Stefan asked, grinning a bit at her. Though he smiled, the pain was still evident in his eyes, the pain caused by jealousy. She didn't even seem to notice, much to his relief.
"You saw that?" She laughed, swiping her forehead with the back of her hand. "But yeah, I guess so." She said, leaning against the seat.
"You didn't answer my question. Do you love him?"
Do I love him? She asked herself. She knew, without a doubt, that there was something between them... But she hadn't thought of actually loving him. They acted more like bickering siblings rather than a couple. Do I love him? Do I love Daryl? "No." She said, though, she wasn't sure if it was actually true. Stefan looked a bit relieved, but she was too distracted to notice.
- - - -
The moonlight was surprisingly bright, reflecting on the asphalt and making the scenery a lot more peaceful. Daryl swerved back and forth on the back, trying to put an end to his fidgeting. He was eager to find Presley, knowing that they had probably stopped traveling for the night. He kept an eye out for her Jeep or any tracks that led off the road, but so far he could find none.
Walkers drifted across the road occasionally, which gave him a good clue that they had been here before, and the walkers had been there to investigate the noise that was now long gone.Daryl knew that her Jeep had been full on gas, so it'd probably be a few more hours before he stumbled upon them.
Personally, he would have liked it if Presley would have gone alone. Knowing her, she would probably go off track and try to save the day, but she would still be alone and his when he found her. With Stefan taking her, however... It complicated the entire situation. While it wasn't that he didn't dislike Stefan, he just disliked the fact that Stefan had his eyes on Presley. It meant more protection for her, but more competition for himself.
He drove for a few more miles, until he saw something. Instantly he began to slow the bike down, slowing down until he rolled to a stop. Her Jeep, but it was empty. He checked the back, noticing that they had only taken some of the supplies. Two sets of foot prints, and a set of paw prints scattered the ground around the bike, making indents in the dirt. He shook his head, forcing his hair away from his face as he mounted the bike again, revving it a few times before allowing it to peel out in the direction he knew that they would be.
It was only a matter of time before he stumbled upon them. They couldn't be far.
- - - - -
Presley jumped, reaching for the knife in her holster when she heard something slam against the window behind her. She groaned, twisting and looking at the creature clawing and trying to knaw through the window. Stefan stirred slightly, groaning softly and rubbing his face. "I got it." She muttered, unlocking the door and throwing it into the roamer. It toppled to the ground, and she used her boot to keep it down. It desperately reached for her warm flesh, lips parted, silently begging. "Stupid thing, you don't even know you're going to die." She muttered, lifting her arm and dropping the throwing knife into his face. It stuck right in his forehead, almost completely vertical.
"Well you sure don't show any mercy." Stefan chuckled behind her. She turned, cocking an eyebrow.
"I don't think he would even consider showing a sign of mercy." She retorted, cleaning the knife with her pant leg and slipping it back into its holster. She placed her hands on her hips. "I won't be able to sleep now. I barely fell asleep before." She said. Stefan frowned, but nodded. "I'll keep watch, you go ahead and try to sleep."
"Alright... Scream if you're in trouble." Stefan said with much hesitance, stepping back into the car and locking the door after himself. She gave him a small thumbs up before crawling up onto the roof of the SUV, crossing her legs beneath her and laying her bow out in her lap. It was a fairly warm night, but a cold breeze did cause her to shiver occasionally.
Hours passed. Only a few walkers even walked by the car, and each time, she simply laid down on her back and they passed right by. She closed her eyes and huffed a sigh, passing time by plucking the string on her bow repeatedly. She hummed softly to herself, ironically an Elvis Presley song.
After another fifteen minutes, a deep rumble brought her from her daze. She twisted, looking up the hill. The rumble got louder, and eventually, she could see the light of headlights. Her throat constricted and her heart lept, and she propelled herself from the SUV quite gracefully. Within moments, she recognized the single headlight of a motorcycle: Daryl's motorcycle. She approached the center of the road, watching as the bike rolled to a stop. Within moments the bike had no rider, and Daryl was approaching her. She slipped her bow to the ground before running at him, propelling herself into his arms. He spun in order to keep his balance, but didn't let her feet touch the ground. "You're alive." she breathed, burrying her face into his neck even after her toes touched the ground. He was surprised by the embrace, but he enjoyed it, having a feeling it wouldn't happen again... At least for a while.
"Of course.. I promised, didn't I?" He asked into her hair. She nodded into his neck, finally pulling away. He pulled his hands away from her waist, frowning at the sight of seeing her all alone. "Where's Stefan 'n Zeva?"
"Sleeping." She answered, wrapping her arms around herself. He noticed her shiver at the cold gust of wind.
"Where's yer coat?" He asked, frowning as the goosebumps rose on her arms. She smiled a bit.
"In the car. Don't worry about me. Is the Governor dead?" She asked, unable to hide the eagerness in her voice.
"Dead an' walkin'." Daryl confirmed with a grunt. Relief. Relief reflected in her eyes and she smiled, nodding. "I'm sorry ye weren't the one ta kill him. Michonne had fun with it."
Presley shrugged. "As long as he suffered, I could care less who killed him and how he died." They were interupted when they heard a muffled bark, both turning to look at Zeva, who had her paws on the window. Moments later, Stefan emerged. She glanced between the two, frowning when all they did was exchange subtle nods of her heads.
"Now what?"
- - - - - - -
Another update yayyyyy c:
Stesley bonded. yay? nay?
Comment what you guys thought of this update. c:
Comment, heart, follow <3