Crossbow Hearts

I woke up to the scent of Daryl wrapped around me. And it made me feel safe. For a second or two I couldn’t remember where I was or how I got there and a thought flickered through my mind that perhaps I had slept with Daryl. I didn’t think that would be a bad thing, but I didn’t know him. But just as the thought passed I remembered….Carol. She’d turned, tried to kill me last night. She must have been bitten as I fought to get that Z off her at the farm. Which must be where the blood on my arm came from as I pulled her to me before shoving her to the car. I felt movement at my side and opened my eyes slowly to see Caleb. He was safe and that was all that really mattered. He had tear streaks down his little face and was clutching his teddy tightly to his body, but he was asleep and looked peaceful. I slowly sat up the cover dropping from me the cold air shocking to my skin. I realised it wasn’t a cover then, but Daryl’s jacket which explained why I could smell him. I noted Dale was asleep on my other side and that everyone else had chosen to sleep outside. Most everyone was still asleep except for Rick and Daryl. Rick was sat looking defeated on a boulder. He looked like a man who had killed his best friend for the good of a group of strangers. I felt a surge of pity for him and the groups reaction to him after he revealed he had killed Shane and what the guy at the CDC had told him. But there was nothing I could do except tell him I supported his actions which wouldn’t do much for him. Daryl however was keeping lookout on the woods his crossbow at hand. I hope he’d managed to get some sleep as he will have been awake for almost forty eight hours and that was not good in the world we are currently living in.
I stood and carefully folded Daryl’s jacket over my arm holding it to my body before making my way to him. I tread carefully past the sleeping bodies not wanting to disturb anyone.
“Daryl?” He tilted his head slightly to say he’d heard me. “Thanks for your jacket…and last night.” I saw his jaw clench and he still didn’t look at me. I hoped he knew I meant saving me last night and not killing Carol even though it was necessary to save me.
“Keep it, its cold out.”
“I’m sorry what?” I asked looking at him confused, but he still wasn’t looking at me.
“My jacket, keep it its cold out.” He was right it was cold out and each day was getting colder. I could see the goose bumps on my arms and as much I enjoyed the scent of Daryl I had a jacket and he didn’t.
“Yeah it is, here. I got a jacket over there you need this more than I do, but thanks again Daryl.” He finally turned to me, but I wasn’t prepared for his cobalt blue eyes to bore into mine the way they did. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t take my eyes from his. I was lost in his fathomless eyes.
“Jamie I’m hungry.” Caleb complained. I realised then that I had been leaning closer to Daryl and quickly pulled back handing Daryl his jacket. I opened my arms for Caleb and picked him up walking back to where we slept so I could pick up my jacket.
“Caleb you’ll have to wait till everyone else is up to have something to eat.” He just nodded, he was quieter than usual and was clutching his teddy in his hands.
“You nearly died last night.” I didn’t remember much after Carol attacked me last night, but I was sure Caleb was asleep.
“I was attacked that’s all. Nothing to worry about sweetie.” I tried to sooth.
“No Daryl had to save you! You can’t leave me Jamie.” Tears started to spill from his eyes and for once I didn’t know what to do to make them stop.
“And she won’t.” I looked up from Caleb to see Daryl. “If she can’t save herself then I’ll make sure she comes back kid. You won’t lose her.” I was shocked by Daryl’s words, but even more shocked as Caleb held his arms out for Daryl to pick him up. Caleb had been withdrawn from all adults really since our time with the other group. After looking at him Daryl picked him up. Caleb wrapped his arms round Daryl hugging him, but Daryl quickly put him down.
“Grown boys don’t need carrying.” Caleb looked as though he would cry again and I was suddenly angry with Daryl. I knew he was harsh, but that was unnecessary. Daryl ruffled Caleb’s hair and to my surprise Caleb smiled.
“So I’m a big boy now?” Caleb asked looking up at Daryl a small smile on his little face.
“If you don’t need carrying and ain’t going to cry no more.”
“No I won’t!” Caleb replied a full blown smile on his face.
“Well I guess you’re a grown boy.” I let a smile form on my face and mouthed thank you to Daryl. Caleb needed a male figure to look up to. I wasn’t completely sure Daryl was it, but he had saved me three times now and two of those times Caleb saw so he was bound to feel something towards Daryl as he had saved me the only person Caleb had anymore.
We’d shared out the things in Hershel’s SUV. Lori and Rick were arguing about Rick traveling in the same car as her and Carl. I walked over to Rick after passing around the few radio’s I had in my truck.
“Rick you’re more than welcome to travel with me and Caleb.” He turned to look at me, he wasn’t exactly the friendly man he was the night I arrived on the farm. He took a deep breath and nodded.
“Thanks Jamie.” I motioned him to my truck. “You don’t seem angry about me keeping things from the group.” He asked as we climbed in, Dale in the back seats with Caleb.
“Well honestly I kinda figured you’d killed him. Plus if he came back without one of you I was going to kill him anyway. And as for us all carrying this infection, it was one of the last things I heard before the media blackout.”
“Jamie’s right Rick, Shane was a threat not just to you, but the whole group. It was only a matter of time before he did something that got us killed or decided to kill certain people if he felt they were weighing us down.” I nodded in agreement with Dale and Rick let a small smile cross his face.
“You’re a good man Dale and Jamie I thank you for your understanding. I guess you must have already worked out what Shane was planning.” Rick stated.
“Well not really more a gut feeling. Daryl wasn’t sure about him either and we agreed he came back without you I’d kill him. When Daryl came back and told us what had happened we knew then Shane had done it to kill you and take control of the group.”
“All those years, you think you know someone.”
“I know Rick, but things like this change people. If you knew me back in high school you wouldn’t think I was the same person. I squealed at the sight of blood went into a panic at the sight of the tiniest spider. Well spiders still scare me.” I laughed and everyone joined in. “But the Army changed me, I’d like to say for the best, but some didn’t think so. And this apocalypse of whatever it is; is going to bring out the best and the worst in folk. It just can’t be helped when survival is your number one priority.” Murmurs of agreement went round my truck and then silence fell. It wasn’t awkward just a peaceful silence everyone lost in their own thoughts.
“Hey Jamie stop the car,” Rick asked a few hours later and then got on the radio. “Can everyone stop a second?” Everyone pulled to a stop and that’s when I saw the reason for stopping. I checked my mirrors before getting out and walking to the edge of the cliff. Down below us was a prison.
“What’s wrong?” Hershel asked. I pointed to below as Rick climbed out of my truck Daryl rumbling back towards us on his bike as everyone else gathered near my truck.
“Oh-no it’s full of them, we can’t go in there.” Lori said.
“It may not be safe now, but look at that fence. It can be made to be safe. That place has beds, supplies, clothes maybe even some food- it has to. Look at all the land inside the fence…safe, secure. We could make a life here. No…we can clean it up. There can’t be that many inside. This is too good a place to pass up. We can make this work.”
“Not to knock the idea Rick, but how do you intend to do that? We have hardly any weapons left. We lost them at the farm.” Hershel sighed.
“He’s right, but she has weapons. But ideally we want to do it from a distance. But I’ve only got so many bolts.” Rick was looking more and more depressed by the second. “It’s a shame she ain’t got a sniper rifle,” I was annoyed that Daryl kept referring to me as she or her.
“Well isn’t it a good job I do have one. As for weapons I have a few in my truck mostly handguns though. But Daryl’s right,” I made a point of using his name. “This needs to be done at a distance.” I opened the driver’s door and pulled out a case from under the backseats. I had done pretty well at marksmanship during training, but excelled with a rifle. And when I had come second in the Marine Corps Wimbledon Cup rifle competition my dad had bought me my own rifle. A CheyTac M200 Carbine it had a range of over 2000 metres and weighed 31lbs without the scope. It had a 7 round detachable magazine which held my cartridge of choice the .357 CheyTac. I’d bought my own scope for it a Super Slam Rifle scope. I saw Daryl appreciate it as I fitted it together with practised ease. Then I jumped up on to the hood of my truck and then climbed up on to the roof lying flat and positioning the CheyTac for ease of use.
“Jamie what the hell are you doing?” Rick demanded.
“Quite simple really, ridding the exorcise yard of walkers.” I breathed in deeply only just realising I had used their term for the un-dead. As I continued with my breathing technique relaxing my body I calculated wind speed and direction as I needed every shot to count. Once I was satisfied I put my eye to the scope and started to turn the dial focusing on my first target a walker in the middle of the exorcise yard. I let my body stay relaxed timing my breathing, tensing my finger round the trigger.
BANG!
Perfect head shot. I watched the body crumple to the floor. As I focused on my next target and reloaded I faintly heard Rick complaining how long this would take. No sooner had the words left his mouth I had taken down another walker, which shut him up. After half an hour I had cleared the yard of all visible threats. Now all we had to worry about was how many dead inmates were inside.
“DAD some things coming this way!” We all turned to Carl and where he was pointing as 9 figures marched towards us. Everyone reached for a weapon as they carried on slowly towards us. It looked like we were in for another fight.