Status: comment and subscribe!

Full Time Job

"...Don't Mean to be Interrupting Anything..."

All through dinner, everyone who remained at camp continued to give nervous glances towards the barn. After we had finished eating, Carol, Andrea and I cleaned the dishes and Lori went to walk down to the barn to see what was going on. We were waiting quietly by the fire and Vinny had fallen asleep. Carol and I would look at each other in fear every time we heard screams coming from the barn.

I laid Vinny down in the RV, and put on one of Dale’s hooded sweatshirts that hung by the door in the camper. It was growing colder outside and we all could sense the season changing. And with winter, a whole new list of worries began to be made. I closed the door, locking it behind me, and froze when I heard Daryl’s angry voice whispering at me.

“From now on, you don’t leave my sight…” he growled, his eyebrows were knitted together in anger. I looked down at the hand he was nursing, which was swollen and coated with blood.

“What happened?” I asked suspiciously, fear bubbling up in my stomach. He was radiating a certain kind of wrath that I’ve never seen from him. He looked down at his fist and wiped it hastily on his jeans.

“Rick and Shane found a kid… must be about eighteen-nineteen… Well, long story short, our guys killed two from his group when Rick, Shane, Glenn, and Hershel went out last night. They’re raiders… taking from and hurtin’ whoever they need to survive. He wadn’t gonna tell the truth about where they were, so I smacked him around a little bit.”

I looked at him with my eye brows raised. “You smacked him around a little bit? …Daryl?” I asked when he didn’t answer and avoided eye contact with me.

“He told me he was with a group of thirty guys. And what they like to do women.” Menace and hatred dripped from his voice.

“Oh,” I answered quietly. I could feel the coldness of the night as I looked at him with wide eyes.

“I ain’t gonna’ let nothin’ happen to you…or Vinny,” he stated deliberately, lifting my chin up so I could meet his gaze. I nodded solemnly and we walked together towards the group that was seated around the fire. Rick and Dale seemed to be having an argument. I felt Daryl’s hand lead me to the open chairs around the fire by gently nudging the small of my back.

“We can’t kill someone because we’re afraid he MIGHT commit a crime…” Dale pleaded, angry tears forming in his eyes.

“He all but told Daryl that his group raped a group of girls…” Rick started, and I shivered uncontrollably. Daryl scooped up my hand that was resting on the arm rest of the folding chair. At the mention of Daryl’s name, members of our camp glanced over towards him, and they did a double take when they realized that we were holding hands.

“We’re gonna sleep on it. We’ll make a decision tomorrow,” Rick finished with finality. Dale stormed back to the RV, stepped inside and did not return to the fire. The group began to return to have their own separate conversations and Rick and Shane had approached Daryl. I moved to stand up and check on Vinny, to give them privacy, but as I stood up, I felt Daryl pull my arm back down. I sat and looked over at him, but he was in mid-conversation with Rick. I turned to talk to Carol, who was seated next to me.

“What do you think about it, Carol?” I asked her and she looked up from the fire.

“I don’t know. I don’t think I could decide something like that…” she said, looking thoughtful. She turned her focus on Rick, who was talking to Daryl and Shane, congregated right next to us.

“Andrea’s going to take a shift too. No one goes in or out of the barn. No one talks to him.” Rick said, emphasizing the words ‘no one,’ looking towards Shane.

“Daryl, wake me up when your shift’s over. We’re heading to bed,” Rick instructed, and walked towards his tent were Lori and Carl were waiting. Shane walked awkwardly to his own tent. Carol, Daryl and I chatted lightly for a little while. Daryl kept looking towards T-Dogg, who was performing the first watch duty on the barn that night. In the distance, I could see he was sitting outside of the barn door, a long rifle resting on his lap.

Carol had yawned, stood up, and wished us goodnight and I told her that I would be in shortly behind her. She smiled, looked at Daryl, back to me again, and nodded before heading into the RV. I couldn’t help but continue to stare down towards the barn.

“I just can’t believe there are people like him…his group… that prey on the people that are struggling like hell just to make it.” I said quietly.

“There will always be bad people, Gia…” Daryl responded. “It’s easier to be bad then it is to be good.”

“Do you really think that?” I asked thoughtfully. “I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. I couldn’t be a villain.” I mused, staring into the glowing embers in the heart of the fire.

“Tell that to the squirrel you massacred earlier…” he said, chuckling. I looked over and caught him grinning widely and I lightly slapped his bicep. I shook my head sarcastically.

“Not everyone’s like you…” he said, more seriously, “You are…good.” I blushed and fidgeted with my hands in front of me.

“I want to make sure that no one ever takes that away from you. All I want you to worry about is raising that little boy to grow up like you. The world needs more good. But you better believe he’s ain’t gonna’ be afraid of killin’ no squirrel or a walker…” Daryl said, smirking.

“Oh, is that were you come in?” I asked, smirking back. He half smiled at me.

“If ya will let me…” He said, pulling my hand in his. He leaned forward and pressed his lips softly against mine. He backed up slowly and looked directly in my eyes. It felt like my nerves were on fire, and I quickly brought my hand up to the side of his face, feeling his beard stubble on my palm. I pulled his face closer to mine, and crashed my lips into his.

My lips burned as his moved with mine, and I let out a soft moan when he gently sucked in my bottom lip and nibbled gently. Complete desire for him washed over my body, and I hadn’t felt this way in a very long time. I quickly broke the kiss and stood up in front of him. He looked at me in confusion, and I climbed on top of him, straddling his lap. His eyes looked up at me in happy surprise.

I took his face in my hands and started kissing him again. I could feel his own rough hands travel up my hips to my lower back underneath my sweatshirt, where they rested on either side of my ribs, grasping my body on each side under my bra and pulling me closer. I felt like I couldn’t get close enough to him.

“Don’t mean to be interrupting anything…” I heard T-Dogg say uneasily, approaching the camp fire that Daryl and I were making out at, alone. I quickly jumped off Daryl’s lap and stood awkwardly next to him, trying to catch my breath.

“…But, it’s 11 o’clock, your turn Daryl…” he said, yawning. Daryl looked at him and down to his watch in frustration.

“Alright, man. I’ll be right there,” Daryl said, and T-Dogg had trekked off back towards the barn. Daryl stood up in front of me, cracked a smile, and leaned down and kissed me lightly.

“Duty calls, princess,” he said quietly and I felt his lips traveling along my jawline and I shivered as he dragged his lips softly to my neck, which he was kissing softly. My head was swimming.

“Can I come with you?” I asked, still trying to find my breath. He chuckled into my neck and stood back up in front of me. I looked up into his eyes and tried to ignore the butterflies that were flapping around wildly in my stomach.

“No way in hell… You and Vinny need to stay as far away from that barn as possible… I mean it,” he said deliberately, looking at me seriously. I nodded and he wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me off the ground in a tight hug.

“I’ll come in and sleep in the RV tonight when I’m done…” he said, putting me back on the ground and walked with me towards the RV. When we reached the door, he picked up his crossbow that was leaning against the tire and slung it on his back.

I opened the door and turned to face him before stepping inside. Daryl took a step towards me and kissed my forehead lightly.

“Sweet dreams, princess. I’ll see ya in a little bit.” I stepped in to the RV and he closed the door shut behind me. Dale was snoring loudly on the sofa and I tiptoed past him to mine and Vinny’s bunk. I could still feel my skin tingling after what had happened with Daryl and smiled to myself as I quietly changed into my pajamas and climbed into bed with Vinny. Despite Dale’s loud snoring, I quickly dozed off next to my nephew. I felt like I had finally found a home, and started to feel like my old self… before the end of the world.