𝕃𝕠𝕧𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝔽𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 | Daryl Dixon

70 | THE QUESTION

Her heart raced, and her breaths came in short gasps as the wind grew harsher, matching the truck's increasing speed. It felt like she was spinning, trapped inside a whirling tornado; specs of dust slapped her in the face, slicing invisible cuts into her cheeks.

Her elbows were already burning as she clung to the metal bars of the ladder, her feet almost slipping off the edge as the vehicle sharply turned a corner, putting the gas station, and Rick and Daryl, out of sight.

Her eyes stung with dryness as the wind hit her face, stinging like specs of sand being flung at her. Her long hair flew all over the place, strands getting into her eyes, her mouth, tangling with each other. As she squinted her eyelids shut, tears formed behind them, washing away the clouds in her vision. Her head pounded, the erratic motions of the truck overwhelming her body, her stomach twisting with unease.

Only once they had reached a long stretch of straight road, was she finally able to breathe, to open her eyes and assess her unfortunate position. Her palms were red whilst her knuckles were white, the bones looking like they could break through her skin if she tightened her grip around the metal anymore.

With the road surface steady, and Jesus' driving less frantic than before, Tori managed to manoeuvre her way up the ladder, reaching the truck's roof and collapsing onto her front. She took sharp inhales through her nose, exhaling through her mouth as she caught her breath, her fingers gripping the metal grating on the roof tightly.

She tugged, grunting as she mustered her strength to crawl along the roof from one edge to the other. Gripping onto the sharp edge of the roof, she peered over, ignoring the shiver of anxiety that rushed through her chest as she realised she was much higher than she thought. The road was nothing but a grey blur as the truck sped along, the wheels spinning so fast, they looked still.

She knew that her idea was terrible, and the odds were not in her favour, but no other options presented themselves. Holding onto the edge of the roof for dear life with her left hand, her right hand reached for the gun attached to her thigh, unholstering the weapon and aiming down at the tire.

The bullet burst through the rubber, and the truck jolted as its driver lost control. Tori's gun almost fell from her grip, but she clung to it tightly, every muscle in her body pulled to their limit as she tensed up, hanging on as the truck plummeted to a very sudden stop.

The driver's side door opened and slammed closed, and hidden from view, Tori watched as Jesus jogged to the shot-out wheel, breathless from the shock of the crash.

The click of her gun echoed as she took aim at him, and a smile spread across her face as he raised his eyes to meet hers.

"Hi."

Jesus rolled his eyes in defeat, though his lips curled into an almost amused smile as he held his hands up in surrender. Tori kept her aim on him as she jumped down from the truck, walking toward the stranger, who stayed rooted to his spot.

"Tori, right?" he asked. "Listen, put the gun down, and I'll be happy to talk."

"I don't need you to talk," she shrugged, holding out her free hand. "Keys."

"Where are your buddies?"

"Losers told me to stay back whilst they ran off to fall for your little distraction. What was it, by the way?"

Jesus' smile grew as he answered, "Firecrackers in a trashcan."

"Firecrackers in a trashcan. Smart," Tori nodded, almost finding her own amusement in the man's charm. She kept stern though, stretching her hand out to him further. "Keys."

"There's a lot of supplies in there," he said, taking a slight step backward. "More than enough to share, don't you think?"

"Tell you what, I'll cut you a deal," she mused. Her finger stayed away from the trigger as she lowered the gun, keeping her other hand out as she waited for the keys. "We left my friends back there and they ain't gonna be too happy about that. Soon enough, they're gonna come running over here ready to kill you. Change this tire, tell me who you really are, and maybe I'll make sure they don't shoot you on sight. Sound good?"