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Solace

Chapter 70

The man approached his son, who was sitting in a pew and beginning to feed Judith a bottle of formula for breakfast. The boy looked tired, and Rick knew the trip had to be wearing on him, too. Between sunken eyes and hunched shoulders, the image made Rick feel like a failure as a father. He was doing the best he could, but it still wasn’t enough. The depressing thought made him wish for New Canaan once more. They had to make it – they had to.

“Mornin’,” Rick greeted the boy. “Sleep okay?”

Carl looked up from Judith’s face, blinking away the fatigue, and shrugged. “It wasn’t bad. We’ve had worse,” he mused.

Rick sighed. “Indeed, we have. I think those cold storage units take the cake…”

“Oh, please do not talk about cake!” Carl pleaded.

He chuckled. “Sorry… Listen, we may be going to get some more supplies today. I need you to stay here with your sister.”

“But, Dad--!” the boy began to protest.

“Carl, please, just do this for me. I know you want to help, but after yesterday, I’m not taking any chances.” He stared at his son but got no answer. “All right?” Rick urged, prompting a response.

“Fine.” Carl was anything but. In fact, he looked incredibly frustrated.

Deciding to drop it there, Rick ignored the scowl on his son’s face and simply gave the boy a nod. In passing, he swept a tender hand over Judy’s soft hair. Upon exiting the church, he saw Lindsey standing next to Abraham’s truck while she talked to the man himself, plus Daryl, Michonne, and Glenn. Rick watched her frown as he neared the group.

“What’s goin’ on?” he inquired, taking his usual stance with both hands relaxing on his gun belt.

Not to his surprise, Abraham spoke first. “As you probably know, we need more supplies. Finding ‘em could prove to be a challenge, though. This road’s pretty quiet, which is great for traveling, but bad for scavenging.”

“Can’t we just go back for the other truck?” Glenn asked, as if the answer was obvious to everyone else.

“And get stuck again? Hell no,” Abraham griped. “We may be able to go in on foot and bring back only what we can carry. Which brings us to our next issue – finding a second vehicle.”

Daryl eyed a grungy, once-white sedan across the parking lot. “How ‘bout that? Won’t fit everyone, but it’s somethin’.”

“Where’s everyone else supposed to ride? In the truck bed again?” Lindsey asked skeptically.

“I ain’t sittin’ in the back of no damn truck. I’m gettin’ my fuckin’ bike back!” Daryl said.

Rick held back a grin. Daryl’s crossbow and motorcycle were one in the same – the man just wasn’t himself without either.

“So how’s this gonna work?” Glenn piped up.

“Abraham, Rosita, and Eugene can stay in the truck cab. Daryl will be on his bike. Michonne, why don’t you go with him?” Rick suggested casually.

Daryl held up a calloused hand. “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea--”

“That way,” Rick continued, “Lindsey can drive the car with Maggie and the kids. Myself and Glenn will sit in the truck bed. The weather’s gettin’ warmer – the ride shouldn’t be too bad.”

Daryl directed a wary look toward Michonne and she smiled softly, which caught Rick off guard. She wandered past the hunter and said something that sounded like, “Don’t worry. I trust you.” Rick glanced away and took in the sedan once again.

“Daryl, why don’t you go ahead with the others to get your motorcycle? Lindsey and I will get started on the car,” Rick proposed, earning an odd stare from the blonde.

As Daryl nodded, Abraham motioned to Glenn. “Come on, help me round up Eugene and Rosita and we’ll get this thing done.”

Michonne swung herself up into the truck bed, followed by Daryl. The man leaned over and produced a small bag of tools. He handed them over the side to Rick and then took a seat next to the dark-haired woman. Glenn passed by a moment later as Eugene, Rosita, and Abraham mounted the steps into the cab. With one last glance, they were gone.


Lindsey marched after Rick across the stifling parking lot. Apparently he hadn’t been kidding when he’d made the comment about it getting warmer. Out in the direct sunlight, heat radiated off the faded tar and made it harder to breathe. Heaving out an annoyed sigh, she made sure it was loud enough for him to hear. He’d kind of been a jerk this morning and hadn’t said a word to her since. Now he wanted her to help him fix a car? What the hell was that about? She’d chalk the whole thing up to him waking up on the wrong side of the bed, so to speak, but still…

Rick circled the abandoned car and opened the driver’s side door. He reached in to pull a latch, popping the hood. Lindsey remained by the left headlight as he propped it open.

Finally, she said, “You and I both know that I’m clueless when it comes to cars. Why the hell did you ask me to stay?”

Rick set the bag of tools aside and turned to face her. “I owe you an apology.”

She was well aware of the sincerity that emanated from his cerulean gaze and felt her heart melt slightly.

“I woke up from a bad dream and lashed out at you. I’m so sorry. You didn’t deserve that.”

Lindsey instantly regretted having been so pissy toward him. It was just a miscommunication, a misunderstanding. She’d had problems with that sort of thing even before the dead rose. There was one time in particular that always lingered in her memory. During her first years in college, she’d worked in retail. The boss was always in a bad mood and snapped at the employees on a regular basis. Lindsey wasn’t one to allow repeated verbal abuse, so one day she fought back. The other woman had crumpled into tears and proceeded to tell a stunned Lindsey that her husband was leaving her for another woman and her young children blamed her for the divorce. It was all she could do to get out of bed every day. From then on, Lindsey made a conscious effort to give a small amount of leeway to each person that gave her grief – because you never know what is truly going on in someone’s life.

She wished she’d had the same patience with Rick today. Truth be told, she was tired. So fucking tired. Of everything. The constant struggle to find food and shelter while avoiding people that wanted to eat you was physically draining, and the loss of loved ones was emotionally crushing. Her tolerance level seemed to have no end, but some part of her knew she was close to topping out.

“I forgive you,” she said quietly. “And I’m sorry.”

Rick scoffed. “For what? You didn’t do anything.”

“I don’t know. For not being very understanding?” she asked with a shrug.

His mouth curved into a smile as he took the two steps to bring himself directly before her. They wrapped their arms around each other in a romantic embrace, Lindsey feeling his hard body through her t-shirt. His heat and masculine scent made her hormones go crazy and before she knew it, her hands were grasping the material at his back while her mouth angled over his. Rick returned the kiss with equal longing as he touched her waist and moved his hand to her chest. The thin material of her bra allowed him to feel the soft weight of her breast in his palm. Lindsey moaned into his mouth, biting at his bottom lip. Rick’s tongue stroked hers to the same rhythm as his thumb, which was bringing her nipple to a hard peak.

Somewhere along the way, they began backing up toward the door to the backseat. As he ravaged her mouth with his own, he reached for the handle. The fog of desire in Lindsey’s head was making it hard for her to think. There was something in the back of her mind alerting her as to why they couldn’t do this. Suddenly, she remembered.

“Rick, wait.” She pulled back, their chests rising and falling from labored breaths. “We can’t right now,” she mumbled with regret.

He shook his head. “Why?”

Lindsey looked anywhere but into his eyes as warmth flooded her face. “I’m, uh…”

A rush of air expelled between Rick’s lips, causing her to meet his startled gaze. “Are- are you…?”

Her eyes widened. “Pregnant?” She let out an amused laugh as his brow furrowed. “No! I’m on my period.”

Lindsey’s simple, yet embarrassing, answer made him relax in an instant, a relieved grin spread across his face. “As much as I want that to be true one of these days, today would not be ideal.”

“I know, baby,” she responded, caressing his bearded cheek with a gentle hand.

Rick let out a slow breath and briefly closed his eyes under her touch. Leaning in, he kissed her once more. It was unhurried, deep, and Lindsey felt his love all the way to her toes.

When she and Rick reluctantly separated, they shared a warm smile and then he returned to his spot under the hood. Lindsey got that odd feeling like someone was watching her and glanced up at the steeple. Maggie sat perched on the edge, a rifle resting across her lap. She gave the blonde a brazen smile and wiggled her eyebrows as she lightly fanned herself. Shaking her head, Lindsey fought to hold back a playful smirk, and with the roll of her eyes, turned around to help Rick.

Later that day, after the other group members returned from their salvage mission, they packed up the vehicles and hit the road. Like always, Daryl led the way. Rick never considered himself much of a matchmaker, but the idea of Daryl and Michonne as a couple made him surprisingly happy. While he wished that they could have remained with their significant others, it only made sense for them to end up together. A little nudge here and there couldn’t hurt, right?

Somewhere along the way, he saw Lindsey and Maggie gesture at him through the front windshield of the white sedan. He directed his gaze to an upcoming sign and saw the words: Welcome to Florida - The Sunshine State. He glanced back at the two women and watched them do a silly dance in their seats. He chuckled, and Glenn joined in at the ridiculous sight.

A moment later, the young Asian looked to Rick. “We’re pretty lucky to have them. Don’t cha think?”

Rick sighed with content, and said over the roar of the truck, “Yeah, we are.”

Bands of pink and purple stretched across the sky as they began to lose the last light of day. Rick and Glenn were keeping their eyes peeled for a suitable place to stay overnight when the truck unexpectedly made a sputtering noise and lurched to a stop. Exchanging an uneasy glance, the two men stood up. As they were climbing down, Abraham exited the cab and came to stand by the side of the truck. He knelt on the ground and peered at the large gas tank. The distinct smell of fuel wafted up from the pavement.

“Son of a dick!” he exploded, hanging his head in exasperation.

“What happened?” Rosita asked.

“We’ve been leaking gas. Not sure how or why, but we’re out…” Abraham stated.

“And we’ve been running on empty for a while now,” Lindsey added, the seriousness of the situation starting to set in.

Maggie appeared nervous as she asked, “What do we do now?”

“There’s only one thing to do – get more fuel,” Rick answered. Hoping that he wouldn’t be met with resistance, he said, “We’ll split up – Lindsey and I will take two gas cans this way, Daryl and Michonne can take two that way, and Abraham and Rosita can search down that side road. Maggie, would you be willing to watch the kids? Glenn and Eugene can keep watch until we get back. If any of you run into a problem, just fire a single shot. We’ll get to you as quick as we can.”

Everyone seemed to agree on the plan because no one spoke out against it, so Rick began walking to retrieve his two red plastic containers. Carl was hot on his heels, saying, “I want to go with you. I can help. Please, Dad?

Knowing he’d said no for far too long, Rick stopped to look at his son. With an unenthusiastic nod, he replied, “All right, fine. You can come with us.”

Lindsey stared down the ever-darkening road, watching the shadows deepen. Loose gravel crunched under the three pairs of boots. Rustling noises in the bushes and sharp echoes of snapping twigs had them on high alert, but nothing presented itself to them. Rick carried one empty gas can, and Carl, the other. Lindsey gripped her Glock, desperately hoping she wouldn’t need an occasion to use it. The impending nightfall made her more uncomfortable than usual. A full moon was rising into the sky, so she was thankful for that at least. Without that, they would have been sitting ducks.

Rick happened upon a mailbox that was lying dented in the dirt. A grown-in driveway led away from it and a house was visible at the end. The moon reflected dimly off a dirty car in the front yard. Signaling with the turn of his head, Rick started down the even darker path. They stuck close together. The last think they needed was to mistake the other for a walker. They reached the car and were relieved to find that it was an older model, therefore it would be easier to syphon any remaining fuel from it. Rick stood aside, allowing Carl to act out the knowledge his father had imparted on him. He opened the lid, removed the gas cap, and threaded in the tubing. Once he had it positioned correctly, he drew in on the end of the tube, creating the suction needed to pull the gas from the tank. Dark liquid snaked thru the clear plastic and into the first awaiting can.

Before they could get started on the second container, the flow stopped – the tank was dry. With a proud pat on his son’s back, Rick capped it off.

“Should we search the house?” Lindsey proposed quietly.

The former deputy looked over his shoulder at the white structure and his eyes paused on the dark word spray-painted under the window.

CLAIMED.

Rick shook his head. “No. Our mission is fuel. We shouldn’t be out here any longer than we need to be.” And with that, they headed back down the driveway.

Notes

A/N: Thank you for your awesome comments! I had an amazing birthday weekend at Boston Walker Stalker Con where I got to meet (the actors that play) T-Dog, Beth, Morgan, Jacqui, Abraham and Eugene. If you ever get the chance to go to one, do it!! :)

Comments

@Corall
Aw thank you so much!! :D

bluecrush611 bluecrush611
5/18/16

I just finished reading this story :) and its the most amazing story ever :D

Corall Corall
5/17/16

@Kandy
No worries. I actually used Paint, haha. I just figured out what size the banner needed to be (by trial and error) and then cut the image down until it fit.

bluecrush611 bluecrush611
4/13/16

@bluecrush611

Also, Another Annoying Question. Where did you make that Banner of Lauren And Andrew? I need to get a good Banner place thingy and i need advice xD

Mother Dick Mother Dick
4/12/16

@Walker Witch
Thank you so much for the kind words and for following along!

@eventualprocrastination
Thanks for all of your comments! I actually just published a book, so that's the direction I'm taking for now, but who knows. Maybe I'll post something here and there. :)

bluecrush611 bluecrush611
4/10/16