The "Z" Word

Daryl was woken up early the following morning by a noise outside. He sat up in bed, his room was still dark, the sun had just started to rise. He immediately grabbed his crossbow and walked over to the window to see Slater outside. She was standing next to her motorcycle, a helmet in hand. Quickly, he got dressed and went outside. She was already gone.

Daryl got his own motorcycle out of the back of the truck and took off down the road after her. About a mile down the road, she turned off onto a dirt road, Daryl kept close to her. They stopped at the end of the road, and she got off of her bike. She pulled off the helmet, letting her hair fall around her shoulders. It was the first time Daryl had actually seen her hair down. She threw her helmet to the ground and walked over to him, anger evident on her face. "Why did you follow me?"

"I was...I was worried. You were leaving without telling anyone where you were going. What if something happened to you?"

"Nothing is going to happen to me! I can take care of myself. I don't need a....a babysitter!"

"I'm not being a babysitter. I'm just trying to make sure you don't get yourself killed."

She groaned and walked away from him. It was pointless to argue with each other. They were both to stubborn for either of them to win the argument anyways. She sat down at the edge of the little pond she had rode to and pulled her shoes and socks off before putting her feet in the water. Daryl stood there watching her, not sure what to do.

After what seemed like forever, Slater turned around to look at him, "You followed me out here, you might as well join me."

He walked over to her and sat down. "I'm sorry for following you."

She shrugged, "Don't be. It's actually kind of nice to know that there's someone who isn't losing their mind looking out for me."

They smiled at each other and Daryl said, "I probably still shouldn't of followed you though."

Slater sighed and shook her head slightly, "Probably not."

"Aren't you worried about walkers hearing the motorcycles? They're not exactly....quiet."

Slater shook her head again, "I doubt there are any walkers anywhere close to here. The nearest town is twenty miles away. Besides, even if a walker does stumble upon us, we were both smart enough to bring weapons. Not to mention, our bikes are faster than walkers. We'll be able to get away."

"Wouldn't they just end up following us back to the house?"

"Not if we lead them away from the house, then double back when it's safe."

There was more silence, but it wasn't uncomfortable. It was broken again by Daryl, "Why did you leave?"

"I don't know. I think I was running away."

"What from?"

"Everything. My dad, you, feelings, emotions. I thought that if I could get away, I wouldn't have to deal with the loss of my mom, and the sadness of my dad going crazy. I wouldn't have to worry about you, or anyone else. Just myself."

"Why would you worry about me?"

"I told you, when I'm with you, I let down my guard, and I allow myself to not be so....emotionless. I've never been the kind to just be open about everything and share the way I feel with people." She paused as she tried to gather her thoughts once more. "I don't like letting down my guard. If I build up walls to protect myself, nothing can hurt me. I don't want to lose that protection I've built for myself."

Daryl didn't reply. He just sat there thinking about everything Slater had just said. She stared at him for awhile. She was curious as to what he was thinking about. After awhile she stood up and started to walk away. "Wait!" She sat back down and he said, "Maybe...maybe it's a good thing to let someone in. You shouldn't have to keep your fears and worries locked up inside. It might be nice to have someone you can talk to."

"And you're willing to be that someone? My shield?"

Daryl nodded, "I think so."

"Thank you."

He smiled. They sat there for hours, most of it was spent in silence, but it was a comfortable silence. The rest of the time, they told each other about their lives before the outbreak. They had grown up so similarly, and yet so different. They were amazed by the things they had in common, and laughed about their differences. It started to get close to noon and they decided to go for a walk before heading back to the house.

They hadn't been paying that much attention, and didn't notice the trap lying on the ground until Daryl stepped in it. A rope tightened around his ankle and he was pulled up into a tree, which caused him to drop his crossbow. He hung from the limb upside down, the rope tied only around one ankle and Slater couldn't help but laugh at him.

"Will you stop laughing and help me get down?"

She nodded and sat her own weapon down before grabbing a small knife from her pocket. She would have to climb up the tree to cut him down, and she didn't notice the same trap set up until she stepped in it. She was pulled into the tree and the knife fell from her hand, cutting her cheek on it's way to the ground.

"Who's laughing now?" Daryl asked.

She just glared at him.