Living Like You're Dead

Daryl held her hips as Addie straddled his waist. She was only wearing her red shirt - everything else seemed to be missing. Underneath the blanket they held each other, well more like caressing each other. He roamed her body with his calloused finger tips. She gave a quivering gasp when he found extra sensitive areas... she moaned his name in his ear, the breath tickled his neck.

Where was everybody? How come they were alone? Daryl felt himself stretch his neck and his brain reverted him back to consciousness. He was no longer asleep.

Damn. That girl had gotten into his head again. It was entirely stupid he was even attracted to her at all. They were complete opposites. She was smart, he wasn't. She was from a different part of the world, and that might as well be different planets to him.

"Well I'm only physically attracted to her." he thought. "If I actually was developing... well feelings... I'd like something stupid about her, like... a laugh or the way she talked." Daryl paused. "I do like her laugh... and I love her accent. Ah fuck. What am I thinking?" he questioned himself.

Her arm moved from the floor to being draped across his torso.

Now she's holding me?" Daryl thought. "You can't love,
-no don't say love... like, love. Damnit.-
anyone like this... she just lost a fiance. We are in a post-apocalyptic world, not exactly the place for romance and love,
-there I go again... -
And we are... just too different." Daryl thought about if he could like this girl, not love her. And at the end of the argument he had decided that it wasn't a possibility.

Of course he could be wrong.

Her hand wasn't resting above the cloth of his shirt, but underneath it. Her smooth finger tips were right next to his naval.

After Merle was gone Daryl knew he was on his own, he didn't think it'd be long for this group even abandoned him... but somehow everyday someone asked him to do something. Maybe he had a purpose after all. Maybe he didn't. No without Merle he definitely didn't.
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Addie awoke next to no one. Carol had awoken her for breakfast - Daryl hadn't woken her when he left... when had he left? Addie was able to sleep so peacefully when he was there, why hadn't she noticed when he left?

"Well morning everyone." Addie smiled. Shane smiled at her and handed her a plate of powdered eggs. She ate them within minutes - she couldn't wait to find their home. Sophia still had curls in her hair and her mother looked at them in awe, Addie believed she had long hair once, maybe having an abusive husband caused her to cut it. Maybe that's why Sophia's was short too. At least Sophias was braid-able, Carols was not.

Andrea showed Dale the wound on the back of her head. Despite the fact that it was really two. Her first fall caused a gash to form, and the second had torn it open and made it bigger. The bleeding had ceased since yesterday - but a large crust of scab was all that remained.

"Well at this point it looks like it's healing - although you'll have one nasty scar, and you hair probably won't regrow there, at least your hair will cover it." Dale said.

"I can live with a scar." Addie smiled. "A bite... not so much." Andrea's face seemed to grow pale at the end of Addie's comment. Of course the subject was sensitive. Everyone had lost someone.
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Addie found Daryl at the Jeep.

"Morning." she said.

"Good Morning." Daryl answered back.

They all loaded into cars, except for the RV and headed down a dirt road that was maybe a mile from where they stayed the night. Daryl hadn't looked at her since she greeted him this morning... maybe something was wrong. They drove for a few miles down the dirt road until Addie spoke:

"Everything alright?" she asked attentively.

"Peachy." he said back. Addie knew he didn't want to talk. They both had gotten used to each other wanting silence sometimes along these trips. So Addie was going to let it go.

"Okay." she paused. "Daryl thanks for the blanket. I wouldn't have been able to sleep without it." he didn't say anything after that. Just nodded his head. Maybe he had been uncomfortable with my actions last night... Addie figured she was just too over zealous.
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Through they came up to another set of woods. Odd... considering the clarity of southeastern Georgia. But through the thickets came a small bridge and as they drove over it they noticed there was a large building they were headed for. They drove fifty or so yards out of the wooded area, and it was again a clear farm land - but one almost hidden from sight.

The cloud had just cleared the sun in time to see the home in its grand attire. The gray stones looked as if there were out of a fairy tale - And there was a gate - something sensible, something nice for keeping out the undead. The home was big - it looked like the photo from her Grandfathers desk.

Addie looked at the home and recognized it from something... a memory not the photo she had seen. When she first saw the photo she had felt a glimmer of recognition - but seeing it up close was drawing something out of her.

Whatever was creeping up in her mind was lost when she noticed drapery being drawn in a lower window. Someone was there... in her house.