Full Time Job

Bright and early the next morning, everyone in our group was standing in a circle, listening to Rick give orders for the day. He was confident that we would be safe with full stomachs by nightfall. I was desperately trying to stay positive. Rick’s plan was for Beth, Carol, and I to drive each vehicle through the prison grounds, while the guys shot and took down walkers. I was going to be driving the green SUV with Vinny, Daryl, T-Dogg, and Hershel.

The group was loading up our supplies and getting into our separate vehicles. I buckled Vinny safely into the middle seat in the back, between Hershel and T-Dogg and climbed up onto the driver’s seat. Daryl chuckled at me when I had to move the seat forward.

“You ready, shortstuff?” he teased, and I turned the ignition and the SUV quietly hummed to life. I pulled the car out onto the highway, leading the way as Rick had instructed. I watched the other two cars pull behind me and accelerated down the highway. Vinny, Hershel and T-Dogg where chatting animatedly in the back seat.

“You drive like a girl! You know there is zero chance of you getting a speeding ticket, right?” Daryl laughed, and I rolled my eyes at him and increased pressure on the gas pedal. We drove for about twenty minutes before Daryl instructed me to turn left at the intersection ahead. I turned on the directional signal out of habit.

We pulled onto a paved road and through a small thicket of dense trees. The road curved ahead, and extreme anxiety took over as I saw a group of about ten walkers stumbling towards us in the street. I looked over at Daryl, who was staring out the passenger window.

“Daryl? What do I do?” I asked, trying to hide the panic in my voice as to not alarm Vinny. Daryl’s eyes snapped to the road ahead. I let the SUV slow down to an idle in the middle of the street.

“Gun it!” he ordered, and I looked at him incredulously. “…Gun it, Gianna!” he repeated and pushed down hard on my right knee, and the car accelerated loudly down the street. I shakily clutched the wheel, watching as the walkers grew closer and closer to the front of the car. I closed my eyes as we smashed directly into one of them, and the car was splattered with blood and walker guts. The sound was way louder than I had anticipated. I turned on the wiper fluid and it smeared the blood around and stained the glass a light pink.

I continued down the street, checking the rear view mirror. Vinny was looking out the window, not shaken at all. I relaxed a little more when I spotted the two cars following closely behind me. We approached a huge open field and the prison came into view. It was a gigantic red bricked building that was surrounded by ominous barbed wire fences. I slowed to a stop as we reached the gate, and watched Glenn running from the car Beth was driving and waited for him to open the gate.

“Vinny, you need to cover your ears, lil’ man,” Daryl instructed, and I watched as he did so in my rear view mirror. After Glenn opened the gate, I pulled forward and the men started to roll down their windows and take aim. I pulled directly to the left like Rick had instructed me to, and the men in the car started to shoot walker after walker. The car rang out with gunshots. After they cleared a small area, I would move forward and stop so they could clear the next.

Within fifteen minutes, our area was secured. T-Dogg exited the SUV to mend a broken fence, and I drove Hershel, Daryl, Vinny and I to the meeting spot by the gate. Rick’s group had beaten us there. I pulled the car behind him, shut it off, and Hershel and Daryl quickly jumped down from the car. I turned around to face Vinny from the driver’s seat.

“Are you alright, sweetie?” I asked and he grinned widely at me.

“That was so cool!” he chanted, and I saw Daryl open the back door that Hershel just exited. He started to unbuckle Vinny and I climbed down from the driver’s seat.

“Daryl, can you teach me to shoot like that?” he asked excitedly and Daryl smirked.

“When you’re a little older, Vin,” he chuckled, and I smiled sweetly to him. He had taken in Vinny as family and I loved to see the two of them interact. It melted my heart. He carried Vinny over to me and gently kissed my lips sweetly.

“Zia, YUCK!” Vinny whined. I smiled into the kiss and chuckled at my nephew.

“Hush,” I answered, and kissed Daryl again.

“Good driving, Princess,” he said, gave me my favorite crooked smirk and lightly squeezed my butt.
We walked together over to where our group was congregating. Daryl handed Vinny to me and we looked around the prison yard, waiting for Maggie’s group to return. Vinny and Carl began to wrestle playfully in the grassy area by the road. I turned when I heard an engine growing louder from the east side of the prison. I smiled, relieved, when I saw Glenn, Maggie, and Beth speeding towards us in Daryl’s pick up. We all made it back safely.

When everyone was finally around to hear Rick’s next plan of action, the group grew quiet, waiting for further instructions.

“Daryl and I are going to go hunt… T-Dogg, Glenn, I was hoping you guys could walk this perimeter here and check for any weaknesses. Double check. We can’t afford to make any mistakes. Everyone else, let’s get set up in this open field and get a fire started…” Rick instructed, and shortly after everyone dispersed to begin their chores.

I was pulling out our bags from the back of Daryl’s pick up when he approached me and wrapped his arms around me from behind.

“We’re leaving, G,” he said, bringing his head around to face mine and gently kissed my cheek.

“Why are you always leaving me?” I complained, leaning my head back onto his chest.

“Ya don’t expect Rick to be able to actually hunt alone, do ya?” his southern drawl whispered quietly into my ear. I turned to face him and sniggered. He lightly ran his rough fingertips along my healing cheekbone and I kissed him one last time.

“I love you,” I said as he turned to join Rick. He turned towards me, gave me a goofy smile, and answered, “Sssssh!!! People can hear you!” I laughed and watched him exit the prison yard with Rick before I continued to unload the truck.

The sky was almost dark when Rick and Daryl returned, each lugging a few squirrels and rabbits from their belt. The group relaxed comfortably around the fire. The happy mood was contagious. Hershel was excited to grow crops, we had so much open space, and Lori would finally have a safe place to have the baby.

Carl was tending to the fire as Vinny sat in my lap, leaning against me and listening to everyone talk around us. He was such a laid-back, brave little boy and I loved him with everything I had. I finally felt happy again. I hadn’t felt this comfortable since Daryl and I had our little date night. My stomach fluttered with butterflies as I remembered the details of that evening. As if directly on cue, I felt the warmth radiating from Daryl’s body as he kissed me on the cheek.

“Hey, pretty girl,” he said quietly and Vinny turned to face him.

“Hey Daryl! You want to play cars with me?” Vinny asked, clutching two small toy cars that we had picked up in one of the abandoned houses.

“I’d love to lil’ man, how about after we eat?” Vinny smiled happily. I mirrored his smile. Daryl left to clean the game they had caught and I watched as Carol was dumping some canned carrots, corn, and green beans into our large stock pot. I offered to help, but she politely declined… she instructed me to relax instead.

Lori and I were chatting quietly around the fire when the rest of the group joined us. We all were in high spirits as we waited for Carol’s soup to cook. Daryl, Vinny, and I sat on the tailgate of his pick-up truck giggling and goofing around when Carol called everyone to dinner. We all ate quickly and the group was quiet as we hungrily scarfed down the soup. It was safe to say that we wouldn’t have any leftovers that night.

After dinner, I laid down with Vinny in our tent until he fell asleep. I snuggled him for a while, feeling grateful that we were surrounded by the wonderful people that was now family. After he was fast asleep, I slowly crept out of the tent, searching for Daryl. I squinted in the distance and saw he was standing watch on top of a huge shipping container near the gate and barbed wire fences; his crossbow was propped up against his shoulder as he slowly paced the top of the large crate.

“Are you going down there?” Carol asked, and I broke my gaze towards Daryl and looked towards her and nodded.

“Do you mind if I come with you?” she asked and I smiled widely.

“Not at all… C’mon,” I answered offering her my elbow, like an old-fashioned escort would do for his date. She linked her arm in mine and we walked towards the gate together.

“How are you, Carol? …I mean, seriously… Are you doing okay?” I asked, looking at the ground in front of us as I spoke.

“I’m okay, Gia,” she started, and smiled the familiar warm smile that I loved about her. “We’re here, we’re safe, we’re fed… It’s a lot to be thankful for.”

“Definitely…” I answered. “I’m thankful that you’re here with me,” I said and Carol smiled and we giggled and chatted the rest of the way to the shipping container that Daryl was on. He whistled a cat call towards us as we arrived, and helped each of us to climb on top of the container. It was peacefully quiet, aside from Carol, Daryl, and I’s playful banter as we sat together on the edge of the shipping container, our feet dangling below us. Daryl sat in the middle of us, leaned back slightly, and lightly running his fingertips on the small of my back.

“So what’s really going on with you two?” Carol asked bluntly, smiling at both of us. I could feel my cheeks blush pink and I was thankful that it was dark; the moonlight wasn’t bright enough to give me away. Daryl and I looked at each other and smirked, waiting for the other to answer. After an awkward few moments, we both started to answer at the same time. All three of us laughed and I raised my eyebrows at Daryl, and motioned with my hand for him to go on speaking.

“Well,” Daryl started, and cleared his throat. I was still blushing, “Gianna’s my girl. That’s what’s going on, I guess,” he said and Carol smiled at the both of us.

“Wedding bells?” Carol asked and Daryl and I laughed together.

“What’s the point?” Daryl said and I lightly punched his shoulder. He looked at me, chuckled and dodged my second punch.

“I gotta teach you how to throw a decent punch, Princess,” he snickered and continued, “I mean, the world’s pretty much over with, why can’t we just be together and not have to worry about what society used to say was right… She’s my girl… that’s all there is and that’s all there will be.”
My stomach fluttered nervously and I laid my head on his shoulder as Carol was rubbing her shoulder, wincing slightly.

“What’s wrong?” Daryl asked, looking towards Carol.

“The kick back from the rifle, I’m just not used to it.” She answered and Daryl started to massage her neck. I wasn’t the least bit jealous. Carol was family. After a couple minutes, she pulled her shoulder away and giggled to herself.

“That’s pretty romantic, Daryl… ‘You sleep around?” Carol asked. She and I both giggled lightly and Daryl shook his head. “Shut up…” he answered, making his way to his feet after Carol had stood up. He extended his arm towards me and pulled me to my feet. We were getting ready to head back, and I looked down at the paved road that the shipping container rested on.

“I’ll go down first,” Daryl stated, and Carol snickered again.

“Even better…” she added playfully, and we both giggled again.

“Stop!” Daryl said sarcastically, trying to hide the embarrassment that I could see on his face.
We walked together back to the group, and Daryl and I wished everyone goodnight as we climbed into our tent. I turned the lantern in the tent on and the small space glowed a pale yellow. I went through mine and Vinny’s bag and pulled out some sweatpants and a tank top to sleep in. Daryl changed into his only pair of pajama pants before I could even pull mine out. He was laying in his usual spot in the tent, propped up on his elbows, watching me undress. I pulled off the hooded sweatshirt I was wearing, and bent down to change into my sweat pants. I was wearing an old, ripped pair of jeans and a black sports bra.

“Mmmm,” he groaned and I felt his lips press against the arch on the small of my back. A shiver ran up my spine as he yanked my hips back and onto his lap. The skin on my back pressed against his abs and chest as he wrapped his head around the side of my neck and was sucking and kissing gently just below my ear. My breath hitched and warm desire started to pool up in my stomach.

His hands rubbed up in down my bare sides as he kissed me, and I pulled my long dark hair to one side, loving the feeling of his lips on my neck and the tickle of his beard. He started to kiss my shoulders and the back of my spine, causing my nerves to shift to high alert. Every touch of his tongue to my skin, or light brush of his fingertips made me want him more and more. I felt him stop kissing me for a brief second and the tent was suddenly dark as he clicked of the lantern. I felt his hands on my hips in the darkness, as he continued kissing my neck. He started to unbutton my jeans.

“We can’t do this, what if Vinny wakes up?” I asked quietly.

“Can ya be quiet?” he whispered in between kissed on my shoulder. I nodded and he unzipped my jeans and I felt his hand travel downward, under my now loosened jeans and into my panties. When his finger gently brushed along my sweet spot, I moaned uncontrollably and he chuckled.

“Quiet, baby,” he repeated, and started to rub me a little faster and I arched my back, holding back the moans that were trying to escape me. He tugged on my jeans and I slid out of them, taking my panties down with them. His strong arms were wrapped around me, still kissing on my neck, as he moved his hand slightly lower and my body jumped slightly as he slowly pushed his finger inside me. I leaned against him, arching my back, and moaned uncontrollably. He pulled my chin to face him and pulled me into a kiss as he slowly slid his finger back out of me.

“ ‘s this okay?” he asked breathily, whispering into my ear and I nodded, pulled his face closer to mine, demanding he kiss me again. Just one of his fingers on his strong, rough hands filled me deliciously and I could feel my fears and stresses melting away as he pleasured me. He was good with his hands. My moans were muffled into his lips as he started to slide his finger quickly in and out of me, and my body started to tense up as he pushed me closer to climax. Just before I couldn’t take anymore, he pushed hard into me, curling his finger and I felt immediate intense pleasure.

“Come for me now, baby,” he ordered in my ear, his voice quiet and heavy with lust. I covered my own mouth as I felt my body tense and constrict before my nerves felt like they exploded in climax. He slowly removed his finger and lightly circled my sweet spot and chuckled as my entire body jerked momentarily. I giggled and grasped his forearm and pulled his hand away from my groin. He wrapped both arms around me and I felt his hard erection pressed against my back.

I pulled my panties back on and turned to face him, knelt in front of him and pulled his chin up to mine as I kissed him passionately. I pushed his shoulders gently backwards and started to kiss his chest, dragging my tongue along his tummy. He laid his head back onto his pillow and would occasionally lean up to watch me. I glanced up to meet his gaze before I tugged his pajama pants off and his thick erection sprang loose in front of me. I gently licked the very tip and he groaned softly.
I slowly inched him into my mouth, pressing my tongue against him, caressing him and loving the feeling that I was the one in control, just this once. I slowly sucked back up again and glanced up at him, he was watching my every move, and even stroked my hair that fell in my face out of the way. As I started to go faster, his breathing quickened. I rested one hand on his tummy, the other rubbed up and down the base of his shaft. He was rock hard.

“Mmmm, baby,” he would groan every now and again as I curled my tongue around his length. I loved making him feel good. I kept an even pace, running my tongue along his hardness, listening to his heavy breathing.

“I’m close, G,” he said breathy and I quickened my pace. I glanced up at him as he bit his knuckled fist and could feel him throbbing in my mouth as he came. I quickly swallowed the salty liquid, and teased the tip, giggling at the way his body would jerk. I kissed his tummy before sitting up and taking a long swig from the bottle of water that sat nearby our pallet bed. I quickly changed into my pajamas and climbed back into bed, Daryl pulled the covers over the two of us as I rested my head on his chest.

“I didn’t think girls like you did things like that,” he muttered softly, giving a light chuckle.

“You’d be surprised,” I answered, giggling quietly and planting a kiss on his chest. He was smoothing my hair as we snuggled together. I was growing very sleepily, and my entire body felt amazing.

“Good night, love…” he whispered, and kissed the top of my head.

“Good night, Daryl,” I responded sweetly, and we both fell into a deep, restful sleep.