The "Z" Word

Cold finger tips brushed across Daryl’s skin, startling him awake. His first thought was that a walker had somehow managed to get into his room. Quickly, he threw the person into the floor, and he jumped from the bed, grabbing his hunting knife off of the bedside table as he did so. In the moonlight, he could see the silhouette of a human figure on the floor, and he readied himself to kill it. However, the sound that escaped from the person wasn’t the sound a walker could make. “Ow!”

“Slater?” Daryl was stunned for a moment. “What are you doing?”

He squinted his eyes, watching her get back to her feet. Then she answered, “I was cold. I thought maybe you could keep me warm.”

“Well, maybe you should have worn pants instead of shorts.”

“I couldn’t find any.”

There was a brief argument, then Slater turned on her heel, “Whatever. I’m sure Glenn wouldn’t mind the company.”

Daryl watched her move towards the door, and as she reached for the handle, he stopped her. “Wait! You can stay with me tonight.”

A small smile formed on her lips as she turned and walked back to the bed. Daryl crawled in beside her, and before pulling the blanket over them, he pulled his shirt off. “What are you doing?” Slater asked.

“You’ll stay warmer through skin contact. Clothes interfere with body heat.”

She rolled her eyes, “I didn’t think you’d know something like that.”

“I might be stupid, but I’m not an idiot.”

She chuckled slightly and allowed him to slide his arms around her. They laid there in silence for a while. Slater closed her eyes, and tried to fall asleep. She could feel Daryl playing with the hem of her shirt, every now and then she’d feel his knuckles brush against her skin. His warm breath was slow and even on the back of her neck. She should have been lulled to sleep by the serenity of the atmosphere, but she was wide awake. It wasn’t long before Daryl quit playing with her shirt, and Slater assumed he was asleep.

Carefully, she moved in his arms so that she was laying on her other side, facing him. She noticed the moonlight shining in his eyes, seeing that he was still awake. “Can’t sleep?” he asked.

“Not at all.”

Daryl reached up and tucked a stray hair behind Slater’s ear. His hand lingered on her face. The air seemed to thicken around Slater as Daryl’s face slowly inched closer to hers. Slater slid one arm around Daryl, and he pulled her against him, their bodies were pressed completely against each other. Slater’s lips parted slightly as his crashed down on hers. She felt his hand travel down her back to her thigh. He grabbed it and pulled her leg over him as he rolled onto his back, taking her with him. Slater broke the kiss long enough to sit up, straddling him, and take her shirt off. His hands slid up her sides, then cupped her breasts as she leaned forward again to trail kisses along his jaw.

Slater trailed more kisses down Daryl’s neck and along his collarbone. In one swift move, Daryl flipped Slater onto her back. He gripped the waist band of Slater’s shorts and pulled the down her legs, tossing them to the floor before ridding himself of his own pants. He kissed Slater’s jaw and neck while she ran her hands down his back, clutching his hips as he pressed against her. She arched her back as his lips moved across her chest. Slater grabbed the waistband of Daryl’s boxers and started pushing them down his hips. Daryl smiled and obliged her, then ridded her of her final article of clothing as well. He pressed against her again, and she closed her eyes, whispering, “Daryl, please....”

He smiled and took her mouth in his once more before sliding into her. Her breath escaped her as her head fell back against the pillow. Her hands clutched his shoulders as he thrust into her with a steady rhythm. Her hips rose to meet his as the speed increased. His mouth covered hers once more, just in time to muffle a moan. Daryl slid one arm around Slater’s waist, holding her hips aloft as he slid out of her. He broke the kiss and stared into her eyes for a moment, he thrust forward again, moving deeper inside her. Slater clung to him, one hand gripping his shoulder while the other tangled in his hair. He held her hips hard enough to leave bruises as they reached their climaxes.

Daryl collapsed onto the bed next to Slater, both of them breathing heavily. Slater turned towards Daryl as he slid one arm around her, pulling her close. Her head rested on his shoulder, and one arm was draped across his waist. They laid there in silence until they were both asleep.

<center>~~~~~~~~~~~~</center>

Morning came, and everyone started packing the few things they had with them. Shane and Glenn started siphoning gas from nearby vehicles while Rick checked to see if the gas station across the street had any left. Daryl and Slater walked inside the gas station to see if there was any thing left of value. Daryl was throwing bags of chips and other snack foods into a duffel bag while Slater roamed the aisles to see what other things were left. “So, you’re ignoring me now?” Slater asked. When they had woken up, Slater had shunned Daryl’s attempt at affection, and had pissed Daryl off.

Daryl didn’t answer.

“I’ve told you before, as long as we’re in this world, I’m not going to let myself feel anything for you. I’ve lost everyone I love, and I refuse to let that happen again. Last night was...nice, but it was only sex.”

“Yeah, you told me that already.” Daryl didn’t even bother to look at her.

Slater rolled her eyes and walked over to a cooler. There were a few bottles of water left. They’d have to share bottles, but it would get them by until they found another town. Slater opened the door and reached for the bottles, putting them in Glenn’s backpack. As she reached in to grab the last one, a hand reached through and grabbed her wrist, pulling her forward. She could see the decaying, yellowed teeth of the walker gnashing together as he attempted to bite her. Slater screamed, unable to get to the crossbow she had slung over her shoulder. She propped her foot up on the wall next to the door for leverage, and made her best attempt to pull her arm away. “Daryl!” she screamed.

He came running, his crossbow loaded and ready. However, he didn’t have a clear shot at the walker’s head, so he wrapped his arms around Slater’s waist, using all of his strength to pull her out of the walkers grip. There was a loud snapping of bone as the two fell to the floor. Slater’s eyes widened as she seen the rotting hand still wrapped around her wrist. Quickly, she knocked it to the floor and kicked it away as a small shudder escaped her.

Daryl got to his feet, and reached down, taking Slater’s hand, and pulling her to her feet as well. “Are you okay?” he asked, as he picked his crossbow up.

She nodded, examining her wrist. They both let out a sigh of relief, but that moment ended quickly as the doors to the back room opened and two walkers came out. Quickly they shot them, and grabbed their bags before running out of the store. “We need to go!” Slater shouted to Rick as they ran by him. In nearby stores, more walkers started to empty out into the street, obviously, they had heard Slater’s screams and were coming to investigate. They shot the ones that were close as they ran to the vehicles. They didn’t have nearly enough ammo to kill the growing horde. Everyone got inside a vehicle and they took off down the road, leaving the walkers behind.

<center>~~~~~~~~~~~~</center>

Slater’s head fell back against the seat of the truck. “What is it this time?” she groaned.

“That piece of shit RV is broken down again,” Merle muttered, “I’d bet money on it if I had some.”

“We see plenty of abandoned vehicles every day, why doesn’t he just trade it for something that isn’t going to fall apart every other week?”

Daryl shrugged in response as he opened the door. Everyone else had fled their vehicles as well, taking the opportunity to stretch their legs. “What is it this time?” Andrea asked Dale, who was bent over the RV, examining it.

“Radiator....again. I can’t just fix it this time. I need a new one.”

“Where are we supposed to find a new radiator out in the middle of nowhere?” Shane asked.

“Carol, don’t you have some road maps in your car?” Rick asked.

She nodded and retrieved them, Rick found one of the area and spread it out on the hood of Carol’s car, examining it. “There’s a town about a mile and a half from here. Maybe they have an auto parts store.”

“A few of us could go there and check,” Andrea said.

“I’ve said it before, and I still believe it, we shouldn’t split the group up like this anymore,” Shane said. “We don’t know how many walkers are nearby, anything could happen, and we’ve lost a considerable amount of man power since this first started. If something were to happen while the group’s split, we’ll be to a great disadvantage. Who knows what would happen.”

“Then what’s your plan Shane?” Rick asked. “Just sit here for the rest of our lives? Look, we have to keep moving. We can’t just sit here. Now, if you don’t want to go, fine. But I’m going. Besides, we’re running low on other things too, so it’s not like the trip is entirely unnecessary. If anybody wants to go too, be ready in ten minutes.”

Ten minutes passed and Rick, Glenn, Daryl, and Slater set out for the nearby town. Slater and Daryl rode in the front of the truck, while Glenn and Rick were seated in the bed of it. It was the first time the two had been alone together since the incident in the gas station three days before. Slater sighed, “I’m sorry.”

“For?” Daryl asked, glancing at her momentarily before turning his eyes back to the road.

“The other day. How treated you after....” she trailed off for a moment. “I basically used you. I had no concern at all for anything other than my own needs. I never stopped to think about how you might feel.”

“It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. I was a selfish bitch and I’m sorry.”

Knowing that it would just lead to an argument, he said, “I forgive you.”

Slater looked at him and smiled. He glanced at her again, a smile on his face as well.

<center>~~~~~~~~~~~~</center>

“Do you hear that?” Slater asked. She paused to listen for the noise again, “It sounds like a ship.” Slater, Glenn, Rick, and Daryl left the grocery store and looked towards the harbor of the ocean-side town. In the distance, they could see the ferry heading for the harbor.

“People,” Glenn whispered.

The four took off running down the street to the harbor. They seen people on the ferry, and they began jumping up and down, waving, hoping to catch their attention. The ferry docked and a tall man with a beer belly, hazel eyes, and graying brown hair greeted them. “I started to wonder if we’d ever see people here again,” the man said. “Allow me to introduce myself, I’m Victor, the captain of this vessel.”

The captain shook hands with the four, and Rick introduced them.

“You and your friends are welcome aboard,” Victor said to Rick. “A lot of other survivors are on an island not too far from here. It’s safe from the infection. It was uncharted, so it doesn’t have an official name, but we call it New Haven Isle.”

“Are you serious?” Glenn asked, unable to believe that after countless days, they were about to be truly safe.

Victor nodded, “All we ask is that you contribute to the community.”

“We have others a couple of miles back. Will you wait for us?” Rick asked.

Victor nodded, “Just be fast. We don’t want to linger too long. The ferry attracts walkers.”

“Are you sure about this?” Daryl asked. “I mean, we don’t know this guy. It could be a trap. After all, walkers aren’t the only ones we have to worry about, or has everyone forgotten about what happened to me and Slater?”

“I assure you Mr. Dixon, it’s perfectly safe. You can come aboard, or stay here and take your chances with walkers.”

There was a little bit of discussion, and then everyone decided to go to New Haven Isle. “You guys go ahead and go aboard,” Rick said. “I’ll go back for the others. Daryl, can I have your keys?”

Daryl dug the key to the truck out of his pocket and tossed it to Rick.

Before Rick headed to the truck, he said, “I’ll be back in ten minutes.”

<center>~~~~~~~~~~~~</center>

Slater stood on the beach, her toes sinking into the sand. She watched the ferry set out once again on it’s bi-weekly trip to the continent to collect any survivors that might be nearby. She was startled when rough, calloused hands landed on her shoulders, and she turned her head to see Daryl standing behind her.

“You know,” he said, “I had almost given up hope that we’d find a safe place one day.”

“Is any place really, truly safe though?”

“It’s safe enough,” he whispered.

Slater turned to face him completely. “Yeah. It’s safe enough.” Her lips curved into a small smile.

“Will you love me now?”

Her smile grew wider, and she stood on the tips of her toes to press a gentle kiss to Daryl’s lips. “What do you think?”