Lone Survivors

Maggie and Glenn held Comet’s shoulders to keep him still. Daryl and I had forgotten to pick up a collar and lead during our trip, and Comet was a big dog to try to hold down. I rubbed the last of the shampoo roughly across his front legs, trying to get out as much dirt as I possibly could. We had already succeeded in giving him a brush and a bath a few days ago, managing to deduce from his natural colours that Comet was probably a Rottweiler, but this morning he had jumped the fence to the pigsty and rolled in the mud. As I slowly poured the bucket of water across the dog’s back, I thought of how well he had adapted to his new lifestyle. Rick had been sceptical that the dog would be aggressive, but Comet had instead taken kindly to the regular food, lots of cuddles, and the huge backyard to run around safely in. Hell, he even had his own cell to sleep in. I finished washing the shampoo from his coat and Maggie and Glenn let go of the dog. Comet shook, flicking us all with water as we cried out and laughed, then took off running towards the vegetable patch. His speed reminded me of why Carl had suggested the name Comet. No wonder the poor guy had been able to survive the apocalypse.

“He’s fast, ain’t he?” Daryl’s voice said from behind me. I turned and saw my grubby boyfriend smiling as he watched Comet’s antics.

“Ya know what, I think you might need a wash too,” I replied with a scrunched nose. That dirt probably came with a smell too. “And a haircut. How can you see with all that hair in your eyes?”

“It’s all part of my sex appeal,” Daryl shrugged, making Glenn and Maggie chuckle.

“Come on, I’ll give you a haircut,” I said, picking the bottle of shampoo and bucket off the ground before taking Daryl’s hand to lead him away.

“You know I hate haircuts,” he grumbled right before Glenn made a cracking whip noise. We all laughed, though Daryl gave a glare at Glenn for the remark. I somehow managed to cut Daryl’s fringe shorter before leading him to the bathroom for a make-do shower. We were alone, so gladly stripped down and stepped under the dripping water together. Taking our time but not wasting water, we took turns at running soap across each other’s skin, every touch becoming more and more sensual. I took extra care when touching Daryl, scrubbing harder where dirt had stuck to sweat, and massaging muscles that ached from carrying his crossbow or sleeping on our uneven mattress. We then began shampooing with the leftovers from Comet’s bath, and as Daryl rinsed his out I noticed a change.

“Your hair is a whole shade lighter,” I laughed. It seemed like he rolled around in the dirt while hunting. Daryl smiled, stepping aside and letting me quickly rinse my own hair.

“And look at you, back to being a blonde,” he smirked while pulling me into a hug. We stood in our warm embrace well after the water had stopped trickling out, just enjoying each other’s presence. Once again I felt myself lost in a peaceful moment, hoping that Daryl felt it too, and wishing it would never end so I didn’t have to face the horrors of the real world.