Living Like You're Dead

Daryl took the knife from Merle once it was freed from his pocket. He pulled Addie’s face towards him.

“Don’t move.” He told her.

He needed to delicately cut the stitches from her skin. Because whatever his was, whatever was happening to her, was helping her. The skin was healing over the black thread nearly disappearing from sight in some places, and as Daryl cut the little pieces he could and pulled even more out – her skin had been healing and as he pulled the pieces out, small little holes were left from where the thread had been.

Merle watched in astonishment. Daryl ran his fingers through her hair looking for the scar she had received after she’d been strung up in the forest by a trap. Nothing was there. Clean, soft skin was all he found. All the cuts and bruises he remembered seeing on her beautiful body were absent. He finally took the time to glance at her leg, and it was the same. And Daryl was astounded.

“God, fuck. Addie!”

“You can’t say god and fuck in the same sentence Daryl.”

“I think this time I can. God damn fuck.”

“Addie, I have every reason to think you’re goin’ to be juss’ fine.” Merle said.

“But… I was so sick. It’s so hot.” Addie realized her temperature was back to normal. “Or it was really hot.”

Daryl felt her head, and she was normal to his touch as well.

“But… how the fuck?”

“I had a dream about my grandfather… I don’t know if it’s real… but he gave me a shot in my arm, he told me it was the last one. It was the rest of the dream I had been having at my house – the ones with my mother… only it’s what took place after.”

Merle chimed in: “Wait your mother? At the house?”

“It was her house.” Addie quickly explained. “She tried to drown me when I was little.”

“Addie… maybe cause you were receiving these injections… that’s why she tried to kill you. You know what if you were like a walker?”

“I wasn’t like that. But she was never right in the head to begin with, maybe that’s still what caused her to do what she did.”

“It makes sense.” Daryl said, he held her hand, tightly not wanting to let go, and so grateful she was still with them.

After a few moments of laughter and unstoppable smiling, Merle interrupted the happiness with a trip to the bathroom. Except he announced it with more vulgar manner. However his absence left Daryl with a moment alone with Addie. Something they rarely had now.

She acted very shy when Daryl tried to kiss her, but smiled underneath when he did.

“I told you, I can’t loose you.”

“Daryl Dixon! I didn’t know you’d gone so soft.”

“Don’t make fun of me… I’m juss’ telling you the truth.” He told her.

“I know you were worried. You always get mad when you’re worried.”

“Yeah but, It wasn’t fair, all you’ve been through – ya know to come out in the end with nothing?”

“Well I had you.”

“But not for very long.”

“Yeah, but I was lucky to have what I had. Now I’m lucky all over again.”

“Baby, luck for you is an understatement.”
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Addie took several precautions when walking about the car. They had grabbed numerous medical supplies near by and information the CDC had gathered and were heading back the way they came, looking for the others.

Time traveled quickly for the three of them; Addie would find several odd clues and ask them what they thought. Even though they didn’t know what half it meant they were still able to see ration aspects that normal people would miss. They could find similarities and patterns while Addie worked out the science. And she realized what she had been injected with was a chemical compound of artificial vitamins. Her body like many others accepted them and kept them inside stored away. And when reacted with the odd vitamins, from the last group of test subjects they were able to combine.

After combining, rapid healing obviously occurred. It must’ve been some idea to create new cells or new tissues to help sustain life after injury or serious illness. But the scientists were using two different pieces of the puzzle at two different ends of the spectrum, and were not able to achieve their goal until now. Until their subjects were bit.

But had that been why Alderic had sent her to Georgia?

To put all the pieces together?
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Daryl drove to the last place they knew Rick would’ve been – A small town west of where they had been living. The town was abandoned, there was no sign of life but it occurred to Rick that he should leave word of where he’d be. And Addie had spotted the map taped to a blue post box, with their names written along side it. Now they had somewhere to go.

It was further west, into Alabama. It seemed that there had been immense construction in a small town trying to turn it into a big city, but the condos had never been rented out before the outbreak. So it was likely the town was lowly populated, and the buildings would be empty. Hopefully that was the case.
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About halfway through the drive they found that midnight was not the best time to be driving around. The engine made noise, and they noticed quite a few walkers had been hanging around the roads. They turned off the lights and tried to maneuver their way to somewhere safe near by that they could spend the night.

Daryl pulled over near a hill, with the cover of trees. It seemed without the lights the walkers didn’t notice them as much. He was ready with his crossbow as Addie helped Merle up the hill with the tent. She felt completely regenerated now. She wasn’t as weak as she used to be – she liked the feeling.

Half an hour later Merle and Addie had the tent pitched. Daryl had made several rounds around the perimeter, and he seemed to be cleaning his arrows when he came back. They had to be walkers around.

“I can take the first shift.” Merle said.

“Merle you only have one hand.”

“Then I’ll call if I need help, juss lemme do it.”

“Merle I’d feel better-“

“Git in there with yer girlfriend. You’ve been driving all day, spend some time asleep.”

Daryl let out a defeated sigh, he did miss nights next to Addie. He let Merle continue the walk around while he settled in next to Addie in a large sleeping bag.

Addie felt wide-awake. She hoped that she would go to sleep eventually. But at this point Addie didn’t hear Daryl normal restful slumber, he was awake too.

“Still too much in your head?” she asked quietly.

“Seems like you were dying just a minute ago.” He answered back. “Almost unreal.”

“Well I’m here. I promise.” She said.

“I believe you. I’m really fuckin’ glad.”

“Wanna help me go to sleep?”

“What do you need me to do?” he asked her.

“Oh not a lot, you can just lay there.” She climbed on top of him, straddling him with her legs on either side of him. “I can do most of the work.”

“Baby, but Merle, and the walkers.”

“Exactly, Shhh.” She told him. Daryl was quiet trying to obey, wondering what she actually had in mind. He could hear the tear of his zipper in the silence, or was that hers? He wasn’t sure – but sure enough both of them were undone and they were quietly making love. Daryl was amazed that she had this libido after their day. God it was like she had this immense energy, because she was doing so many things to him in the dark he could swear she’d just woke up from a long nights sleep. Her face was next to his and he deeply kissed her while she tried to keep several moans silent. He was allowed to grunt occasionally because he naturally did that in his sleep. He even thought Addie was a little jealous because she stifled so many moans and perhaps even screams that night until they finished.

“Ya tired yet?” he asked her after a long silence.

“Oh, I’m getting there.” She whispered back.

“Getting there…?” he whispered in her ear. “I think if you lift up your legs I could help you get there faster.” he didn’t even let her reply back before Daryl kissed her, again.