Savage World •••Daryl Dixon•••

Blocked and Herded

Asher didn't look up from Daryl's jacket until she felt the wind of the highway whip her hair out behind her. She pushed her head up against the wind and scanned the environment around her as they whipped by.

"Where are we?" Daryl turned his head a bit to see her warily scanning the horizon.

"A highway. Are you okay? You ain't so much as moved since the CDC." She nodded and pushed a bit further up into the air, wanting to feel the wind against her face. "Oi be careful back there. Don't want ya falling off ya know."

"I know, Dixie, I'll be okay." She moved up a little more so her shoulders were even with his and her head was more to the side. "I've never felt this much wind before. I like it." The girl took in a deep breath and enjoyed the breeze with a small smile. A question welled in the back of his throat, one he had been swallowing since they met all those months ago but it was lodged on hold when a blockage of vehicles halted their drive. Turning back the motorcycle, he pulled up next to the RV with Rick inside.

"See if there's a path through." Daryl nodded and the two of them started to weave slowly between cars looking for an end to the labyrinth.

"Seems like it's gonna keep going." Mutters Daryl as they eased between two cars and a trapped walker. Asher nodded and placed her feet on the stands before pushing to completely stand, using his broad shoulders as her support.

"Asher! Sit down!" She slid back down to the half stand she was in before. "What was that for?!"

"I was looking for an end. I didn't see one. There's no way the others can get through this." He nodded and slid between a minivan and a truck into the grassy midway to turn and go back. They returned to the group and Daryl shook his head no to tell him there's no way. He parked the bike and they slid off to meet the others to plan a new route around to Fort Benning.

"Alright well before we double back, let's scour these cars for fuel and supplies. Anything that looks useful." The group nodded and quickly dispersed to find what they could. Asher slung her bow across her back and tied on her arrows before moving to follow the Dixon brother into the cars, stopping when Dale reaches out and gently held her wrist.

"Hey, I could use your help with the car. If you don't mind, of course." He nodded his head towards Daryl, who had his hands on both his crossbow and his hunting knife.

"You good with it?" His eyes pointed towards the thin blonde girl, whom quickly glanced at the elderly man and then back to the broad biker. Glenn jumped up and offered to take her place, seeing how uneasy and unwilling she was to leave the Dixon man. She slipped free of Dale's hold and jogged after Daryl to vanish into the cars. Once she was gone, Dale turned to Glenn with a raised brow of demand.

"Why did you do that?" The Asian man gave Dale a look that told him not to push the subject.

"She's terrified of us, Dale. Forcing her to stay where she feels vulnerable will do nothing but make her more scared of us. Let her branch out slowly." Dale reaches out and held Glenn's arm tightly.

"You've been told, right? About what the others saw in the showers at the CDC?" He softly sighed and nodded, nobody could keep secrets in this group it seems. "Do you want to let her stay with someone who does that to her?"

"So you weren't told about what happened when they went to break them apart did you? How they saw the way he protects her? Did you not hear a word of what he yelled in that scientist's face? Those scars and ribs were years old, and we've been told that they only found each other after this whole thing started. Now come on, we've got a car to fix." Glenn turned and opened the grill to the RV while Dale looked off between two cars to see if he could spot the girl. He caught the top of her head as she leapt up on the top of a car, bow and arrow readied but loosely held.

Asher had climbed up a car to try and spot anything of use, like a supply semi or an ambulance maybe. All she found was row after row after endless row of family cars and minivans. She pouted and tapped her fingers against the metal bow in thought.

"Shit." Daryl glanced up at her for a second before smirking and turning his gaze back down to the street.

"What did I say about watchin yer mouth?" Asher slid down into the hood of the car and hopped over to the trunk of another, lightly jumping back when a walker slammed itself against the back window with a snarl.

"Dixie, it's the end of the world, and you're worried about me saying cuss words?" He turned to the girl, but her attention was pulled off behind them. "See somethin'?"

"That's a shit ton of walkers." He jumped up on the car with her, seeing the massive herd start to close in of the group. "We need to go help them." He stopped her from leaping back the way she came, green eyes scouring the streets.

"No, they're already hiding. I don't see 'em. See those trees, you go climb one. I'll find a place for me too. Go, now." She nodded and quickly tugged his head down to kiss his cheek.

"Good luck without me, Dixie." His eyes rolled and he ran his index down her nose before she hopped off the truck and vanished into the nearby woods. Finding a tree right next to the road with low hanging branches, she scaled it and found herself a perch about 30 food off the ground. High enough to see the walkers and the group as well as be well away from any hungry stragglers. Her sky blue eyes raked the streets to look for Daryl and she spotted his angel winged vest rounding a truck.

"If you die on me, Dixie, imma kill you."