Borrowed Time | Daryl Dixon [Book 1]

The Drive

Author's Note: Hey everyone! I have a new story called He Came In With The Rain..it's an original story. Check it out if you want! :D

Theme Song: "Soldier" - Gavin Degraw

The drive was nice and we didn't run into any road blocks or hordes on the way. I ended up sitting in the front with Rick while Maggie and Glenn had taken the back seat together. We were all quiet with our thoughts until Rick broke the silence. We were almost to wherever we needed to be, but I could sense there was something on Rick's mind.

"What I'm about to say, I want this kept between us." Maggie looked to me and then at Glenn with widened eyes as we froze in our seats.

"Michonne and Carol noticed the food rations in the kitchen are dwindling. There wasn't that much when we arrived anyways and Carol has been running numbers. And on top of that, more and more walkers keep showing up to the prison."

We were all silent and Maggie spoke up first, "Are you saying we're gonna' have to leave the prison at some point?"

Rick looked to them in the rearview and I watched as Glenn looked nervous. He swallowed thickly, taking in the conversation. "I'm just sayin', it's a possibility. And if we have to make that call I need to know ya'll are with me."

I knew how the prison gave us walls and shelter, but if we were overrun..well then that was game over. We could try and cultivate and farm, but I saw how that was going and even Hershel had said depending on weather conditions we could lose everything.

We all nodded and Glenn looked to Rick, "We're with you, Rick. I just don't know if the others will be." Rick seemed somber in thought until he looked to us all hesitantly, as if he had something to say, but wasn't sure how to say. He glanced in the rearview at Glenn now.

"While Michonne was out there, before she came back with you and Maggie, she said she'd been in the woods and had seen some railroad tracks...something about a place for shelter. She kept going though because she knew better than to go seek out something like that by herself. Then she found you and Maggie in the bind and didn't think twice about it since coming back to the prison with you two."

Maggie furrowed her brows and looked to me as I turned in my seat to get a better look between the three. She spoke up first, "You mean she saw something about another community? Why haven't you said anythin'?"

She sounded slightly hurt, but I shook my head and answered for Rick, "Why risk traveling if the prison has everything ya'll have needed up to this point?" Rick nodded as if that was the exact reason and Glenn sighed audibly. I looked to Rick suddenly as the gears clicked in my brain, "Rick, while I was with Daniel and his men I overheard them talking about the railroad tracks. They talked about them quite a few times and I know I heard someone say they were close by."

Glenn looked to me, stunned, and so did Maggie. What were the odds that Michonne had come across the same rail tracks that I had overheard Daniel's men talking about?

Rick looked as if he was taking this in and he said tensely, "If we needed to, you think you and Michonne could get us to the tracks?" Without a doubt, I knew Michonne and I could so I nodded at him confidently. "If Hershel still has those maps, then yes. I'm sure between the two of us we could figure it out."

However, one thing remained true. "The problem is not getting there, Rick. The problem would be being so close to where Daniel's hide out is. If the tracks are close to Daniel..and he were to find me or even see me.." I couldn't even finish and my throat tightened in fear. Everyone grew silent in thought until the street came into view and Rick turned onto it, with Daryl following closing behind on the bike.

As they pulled up and stopped, Rick looked me seriously, "I'm not going to let anything happen to you." I looked to him in suprise at the intensity of his gaze before offering a small smile at him. He turned back to Glenn and Maggie, "Same goes for ya'll." Glenn nodded and Maggie smiled at Rick.

Everyone looked up to Rick and it was a pretty solid bet he'd do anything to keep this family of his safe. I was so lucky to have found a group like this. And to have found Glenn again. I looked to Glenn and gave him my signature smirk and he smirked right back at me.

Rick looked to us and as he put the van in park, "Daryl knows, but everyone else back there doesn't. Let's keep it that way until I can figure out how best to break it to everyone." We all nodded and I wondered just how much time we had left at the prison before we were going to have to bail. It was a really frightening thought.

Rick seemed on edge and I knew he had so much on his mind..so much at stake. He felt responsible for all of us and as leader..he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. I reached over to Rick and put my hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently. "Rick, we got your back. We're all in this together. When we need to leave, all of us will follow."

I could see the war going on in his eyes and they spoke volumes without him even having to say a word. Glenn spoke up now, nodding at my words, "Rick, we're with ya'.." He looked to me and then at Glenn, before patting my hand that rest on his shoulder. 

Glenn and Maggie got out, but Rick hesitated and I looked to him as he smiled at me in a fatherly way, "You really are one of us now." Rick offered me a rueful smile and I looked to him, a little stunned for words as the emotion washed over me. Family. One of them. It was a wonderful feeling and I smiled gratefully before hopping out.

Once we were all out Daryl had already started walking towards the van and Rick looked down the street and towards the convenient stores that stood alone closer to the forest. "Alright, who's taking what.." Rick looked around and I noticed the lack of walkers. That was a plus!

"I'll go check out the convenient store at the far end with Red." Daryl spoke up and I arched a brow at him as he pulled his crossbow from his shoulder and held it at his side. Rick looked to me questioningly and I fluffed my hair before shrugging my shoulder casually, "The hair."

Rick smirked and Glenn picked up a few strands of my hair and joked, "Every group needs that crazy red head." Maggie smiled while bumping her hip to mine, "I like it. Red." She said thoughtfully about the nickname to me and smirked.

"It's dark auburn, but whatever." I added with a casual toss of my hair. Glenn laughed and Rick nodded for Maggie and Glenn to follow him into the store he had parked in front of. "Get in, get out. You all know the drill." Rick's words were terse and I nodded once before falling into step with Daryl as we made our way down the street to the other convenient store.

"Surprised you wanted to hang out with me." I mused lightly, looking up to him in the afternoon sunlight. He looked down to me with a questionable gaze before realizing what I meant. He'd been avoiding me and he was caught. I said as much now out loud without spelling out how I felt. He looked away, crinkling his brows in thought and I thought I heard him sigh.

I watched quietly as he fumbled on his words and my smirk made him even more annoyed. "Not avoidin' ya, jus' been busy." Busy? Doing what? Tending to the crops? I thought to myself with a roll of my eyes.

I nodded and answered sarcastically instead, "Right, busy. I saved your life Daryl. It's not like I kissed you or somethin'."

He was about to open his mouth to retort, clearly surprised, but we fell silent as we both came to the front door of the convenience store. He looked to me and raised his brows and I ushered my hand towards the door with a wide smile, "You first, squirrel boy." Daryl gave me a pointed look with narrowed brows, but I smiled all the while awaiting him to take the lead.

"Ya' ever call me that in front of anyone and I'll kill ya, Red." I chuckled at his words and shook my head as he turned back towards the front door and we prepared to enter.