FALLEN ANGEL ➵ DARYL DIXON [1] ✓

5: The Money Grabber

5

"Cheers to that!" I say with glee, clanking our two wine glasses together, sipping with a smirk.

"You look beautiful," Gareth Williamson compliments. "Red suits you. It's exquisite."

I hide my blush, scratching the back of my neck, pushing my large sparkling earring to one side. "Why, thank you," I say, just as the musician starts playing his violin, the sweet harmony giving me goosebumps. Our waiter comes with our food, and I can see the light grey stem arising and the smell of it alone drives me more ravish by the very second.

"Here you are, sir," the waiter says to Gareth, giving him his plate of ravioli. It looks divine, the dumplings causing my stomach to rumble.

"And for you, my lady," the waiter says, setting down my duck with mixed vegetables. "Would you like more to drink?" He asks, holding the empty bottle of wine.

"Could we have more of the same wine?" Gareth asks, sipping his wine in the glass.

"Certainly, sir," the waiter nods and walks off. The monumental crystal chandelier up above us is angelic and bewitching, casting a spell of absolute delicacy and gracefulness as I chew my duck, swallowing it and the warmness and the tenderness going down my throat. This is the best duck I've had in years. Gareth speaks.

"How is your daughter keeping? All in good health, I hope."

She lost her job today because of that redneck bastard. "She is doing very well. And how is Jenny?" I ask as the waiter comes and pours us more wine, leaving it on the table then dismissing himself politely.

"She's good. Still working up in the hospital and making an earning for herself. I'm very proud of her," Gareth says and I can't help but to turn green with jealousy. I nod, cutting up my duck.

"Is Kendra still with that Dixon?" Gareth asks and it catches me off guard, dropping my knife I was cutting with. I cough, excusing myself.

"To be honest, I don't really know. One minute they seem to be in love and about to get married, the next they want to slit each others throats," I say honestly, taking a swing of my wine.

"I don't mean to bombard you with questions, Mrs Kelly, but is she still living with him in that runned down small shack. I find it... Quite odd if I do say so myself," Gareth explains. "I mean, why would you leave such a magnificent, beautiful home to go and live in some shack with a dirty redneck? Yes, it is very strange."

I giggle to myself, picking up a carrot with my silver fork. "It must be love."

Gareth giggles as well. "Preposterous! He's a sad excuse for a man who could never love! Him and the rest of his impecunious family."

I nod my head, agreeing. "I do agree with you that they are impecunious... But my daughter won't listen to me! Money is everything nowadays... But she won't listen... She'd rather ride a redneck than think of her wealth. Now, that's what you call preposterous, Mr Williamson."

"My god, woman!" Gareth cries. "What a wicked sense of humor. I like it. This is a date." He changes the subject.

"Tell Kendra I said happy birthday. What age is she now?"

I smile. "She's thirty... I can't believe it."

"Thirty! Woah... So were you like ten when you had her?" Gareth compliments, giving me a cheeky wink.

"No," I simply say, chugging the last of my wine, Gareth pouring more in for me. I thank him. Gareth is the type of character that you would find back in the 19th century. He'd fit in flawlessly, no one expecting he was from the 21st. From his black suit to his mannerism, he wouldn't cause a problem. Or be a problem... Unlike some.

"What is your daughter doing tonight?" Gareth asks. Does he have a thing for Kendra? Why does he keep asking so many questions about her?

I gulp... "She's, ugh, hanging out with Daryl tonight. He's away to pick her up," I say honestly.

Gareth gives me a shocked look. "But he only owns that death machine... You don't mean-"

"No, no! He has an old pickup truck... Well, Merle has a pickup truck. He still hasn't gave it back to him."

"I wouldn't trust that boy as far as I would throw him. You watch yourself... Both you and Kendra."

"I do know how to look out for myself," I murmur to myself and he hears.

"Pardon?"

"OH MY GOD! WHAT IS THAT?!"

A woman comes into the restaurant through the bathroom door, blood and guts all over her. But, it's not a woman... It's something else... Her face is full of blood and her hair is drowned in it, taking slow steps. Everything moves so fast. People begin to scream and run for their terrified lives out through the door.

Gareth grabs ahold of me since I'm completely frozen, running with me to the door. As I look behind, the woman is eating another person! It's the waiter that served us. He's trying to get away, grabbing a bottle to smash over the creature's head but it's no good... The thing chewing his flesh...

Welcome to the apocalypse.