You Me & the Dead

He jumped out of the truck to join the group that was now pouring out of their cars to converse. "What the fuck? Are we trying to crash or something?"

I saw Rick put his hand up to calm Daryl down, "We need to look at the map to see where we're headed. If we're going to get to a town or anything before sunset or have to make camp on the highway."

I thought this was a very good plan and the Rick was a good leader until he suggested that we make camp on the highway because the next town wasn't for another hundred miles and the sun would be setting in an a couple of hours.

Daryl walked back to the truck. "Come on."

I furrowed my eyebrows, "Come on where? I'll sleep right here. Thanks."

Daryl rolled his eyes at me. "You can't be unsociable - that's my job. Got to go meet the other people here. Like the girls."

I rolled my eyes and got out of the truck and unwillingly made my way over to the side of the highway where they had been setting up camp now. I walked over to the young girl with blonde hair from earlier, "Um, hey."

"Oh, hello! You must be Lexi, right?" She asked as momentarily looked up from the that she was still holding. I nodded. "I'm Beth and this is Judith, Rick's daughter."

I smiled as I looked down at the little baby, she was good six months old.

"She's very beautiful."

"She looks like my mom."

I looked over my shoulder to see the boy from earlier. There was spite in his and lots of it. I didn't know what to say to this so I just looked back at Beth who shrugged.

"Carl quit freaking out the new girl." I looked up again this time to see a woman with a grey pixie cut smiling towards me as she was carrying logs for firewood.

"Oh, let me help you!" I reached out to her and took a few from her hands and followed her a few feet to where the pile was growing,

She smiled at me, "Thanks. I'm Carol - If you need anything let me know."

I instantly liked her. She was nice and I could feel the warmth that came off her, like a mother's warmth. Which made my heart ache.

"Okay, thanks," I said with a half-hearted smile.

I looked around to the rest of the group. There was a super pretty brunette with her arm around an Asian, an older man with white hair and beard on crutches - I noticed almost immediately that he only had one leg. My eyes were probably the size of coconuts as he caught my gaze and waved me over to him. I felt myself turn crimson I walked up to the man.

"Hello, Alexandrea. I'm Herschel," he introduced himself.

I bit my lip on as what to say back; "Hello - I'm sorry about your injury."

"It saved my life, I don't regret it," Now he pointed around the camp.

"That is Maggie, my daughter and her husband Glenn. Over there with Judith, Rick's daughter is my other child, Beth. Beside her building the fire and cooking dinner is Carol and next to her skinning squirrels is Michonne. You already know Rick and Daryl."

I nodded at all of this. I could tell Herschel was a very good natured man. Before the outbreak he probably was a preacher or some sort of doctor, "Herschel, what can you tell me about Daryl?"

He gave me a very wary look before he said anything, "he lost his brother a couple months ago. Since then he has been distant to everyone. But he is a fighter and I believe given half a chance he would protect someone with his life."