Sneaky

Chapter 69

Daryl looked back at the fire, exhaling through his nose.

You don't have to like it. You just have to swallow it; it's the world we live in.

I licked my lips. A question I've been thinking about for awhile now, burning on my tongue. I haven't found the right time to ask but maybe there is no right time. I both want and don't want the answer, so I've been avoiding it for some time.

"Have you decided?"

"What?" Daryl looked at me, confused.

"Have you decided..." I repeated. "If you're gonna stay?"

Daryl stared at me with his jaw tight. Like a kid caught cheating on his homework.

"Did you really think I wouldn't notice?"

He groaned a sigh and stabbed the fire again. Distant thunder caught my ear and apparently Daryl's too as we both turned, looking off into the woods but more at the tree tops than under the canopy.

I didn't notice the temperature dropping sitting by the fire next to Daryl but now that my attention was on it, I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck creeping up.

Thousand one...Thousand two...Thousand three. I steadily counted, trying to determine whether the storm was coming or going. How I used to since I was a kid. Though back then it was rarely for an actual storm. Even if it didn't work, I still did it for some reason. To this day I'm not entirely sure why.

A chilling breeze whooshed the flames consuming the logs in front of us, pushing my hair away my neck to nip goosebumps into my skin. "It's headed this way."

Daryl grunted, looking up at the sky. I followed his gaze to waves of dark grey clouds above us. It's weird that it's the middle of the night but we can see the rolling bank of silver and grey covering the stars.

Something hit my cheek and I flinched more violently than I would've expected, accidentally hitting Daryl's elbow with mine. A zing bolted up my arm as he grunted, both of us grabbing our elbows at the same time grunting in pain.

Daryl hissed, then flinched himself and looked up. "The Hell?"

More drops began hitting me and instinctively my arms lifted to cover my head though it won't do much good.

Daryl hunched with every drop that pelted him and stood up, me right along with him.

Within seconds, it was pouring and Daryl was ripping his tent open, both of us ducking inside, and as if it was just waiting for us to get under cover a loud crack of thunder echoed through the sky and rivers ran from the sky.

Daryl grumbled, scowling outside. "That came outta nowhere"

Yeah no kidding. Is it possible it's been creeping up for a while and we were just too distracted to hear it?

I'm not sure I like that explanation any more than a flash flood.

The campfire outside hissed with every drop that hit it. Like water on a hot pan, until we could no longer hear it over the sound of the rain.

I leaned over a little bit to try to get a look outside but I can barely see the house anymore through this downpour.

I grimaced at the thought of trying to book it back to camp, and looked at Daryl.

"Don't even try." He shook his head, as if reading my mind. "Best to just wait it out."

I nodded, somewhat apologetically.