Home Is Your Heartbeat ('Home Is' Book Two - Daryl Dixon)

Chapter 15 - Wild World (Cat Stevens)

DARYL

"Fuckin goddamn useless piece of crap"  I yelled, thumpin the steering wheel in frustration.

The car slowly ground to a halt. The last of its gas fumes spent.

Over the previous five days....whenever I lost my shit and regressed into a rabid redneck?

Carol's face would turn to me with the look of a long sufferin mother. One who's fed up to the eyeballs with the tantrums of her wayward child.

It's normally enough for me to turn to her with a shamefaced half grin and apologise. But today?

My mouth and temper are like runaway trains. Nuthin is gonna stop em. And she knows it.

We're only a couple of miles from the property now. The Honeymoon Residence is what Nate and me call it. And it's my last hope.

If she isn't holed up in there? Well....I don't know what the fuck I'm gonna do.

I got out of the car, slammin the door behind me. Had meself another hissy fit. Kicked one of the tires as I yanked open the rear door. Grabbed my pack and bow.

Slammed that shut and leaned my butt against it. Giving a final curse before my head tilted towards the ground and my eyes closed.

***

Found the beat-up Pinto about three miles from where we left Mags and Rick. It were on a slope with enough of a run to jump-start it.

Carol drove.

Insisted on it because I was shakin and shivering so much. She was silent when she grabbed an old blanket from the back seat. Covered me up like I was a lil' baby.

"It's shock"  She said quietly, gettin behind the wheel.

"Just breathe slowly, get yourself warm and try to sleep if you can. It'll pass. I've got this for now."

She drove in the dark, on normal roads this time. Headin straight back to the cabin where I'd left Tyreese and the girls.

I got into a bit of a panic. Just wanted her to keep drivin until we caught up with Nate.

But Carol put her foot down, with both me and the car again. Took a few hours, but we finally made it.

"You've lived in the worst possible place for over three weeks now. Been done over from a dozen fists by the look of you. Then that hell hole, nearly dying there. Seeing Nate....and what happened afterwards?"

"Your body is telling you something, Daryl. So stop being fucking stubborn and listen to it! "

She held my arm as I tumbled onto the bed. Covered me up with even more blankets and let me be.

I lay there for a while starin at the ceiling before rollin over and scrunching up the pillow. My fingers came across something.

A tooth?

Wasn't even surprised cos nuthin surprises me anymore. Put it on the side table and fell asleep, smellin Nate on the bedclothes.

Found her on the porch early the next morning. Flopped myself down, shoulders buttin up against one another once more.

"Thanks"  I mumbled.

Carol just bumped me back and we sat there without talkin for a while.

"Aren't you going to ask me?"  She spoke quietly.

"Yer all came back except the girls. No need."

Daylight slowly lit up the yard and I saw the two fresh graves.