Beside The Dying Fire

One-shot

It was as they sat beneath the stars, the fire slowly fading that they heard the continuous groans of the dead.

Magna looks toward Yumiko, the woman she had loved for thirteen years. Ever since they dealt with the Whisperers Magna had grown distant. Blaming herself for those they had lost.

Looking back toward the fire, Magna sighs as it grows dimmer. She didn't see Yumiko now watching her. The brunette now stuck in her own thoughts, she hadn't been there for the battle against the Whisperers. Having accompanied Eugene and Ezekiel on a mission.

She didn't know what Magna had gone through, or what the others had gone through. All she knew is she missed the blonde the entire time she was away and wanted to fix things. But the blonde was different, she didn't talk much anymore.

Maybe it had something to do with being stuck in the cave with Connie. Or losing Connie and making it home in time to watch Hilltop fall. But Magna wasn't herself anymore and everyone could see it.

Magna shivered slightly and pulled her jacket tighter around her body as she watched the fire. She was barely eating as it was so her body had gotten skinnier which didn't help with the cold. She reached down to pull her blanket further up her body.

Daryl was walking around the group and stopped to offer her a second blanket. He worried about the blonde.

Magna shook her head and pointed to a group of children. They needed it more than she did.

"They have more, mine anyways." Daryl responds calmly.

Magna just shook her head again.

"Jus' take it." Daryl grumbled, dropping it on her lap before continuing to walk around.

Magna sighed and curled up under the blanket, eyes back on the fire.

Across the fire, Yumiko continued to silently watch her, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. She really wanted to know what was going on with Manga.

Shifting, Magna closed her eyes. She pulled the blanket over her head to block out all of the light.

****

"What happened to her? She seemed fine when I left. In fact, she told me to go." Yumiko asks, looking at Daryl as he joins her for watch.

"It's hard to explain." Daryl said.

Yumiko frowns in confusion before becoming even more concerned. "Daryl, please."

"It's hard to explain." Daryl said again.

"Try." Yumiko insisted.

Sighing, Daryl runs a hand through his hair. "We were surrounded, we needed to get the dead away to protect the children. So Luke came up with a plan but it involved groups of two going out into the hordes."

Yumiko stared at him as she listened.

"We did it, but not without losing a few people." The redneck continues, shaking his head. "I'm tired of losing people."

Yumiko returned her eyes to Magna.

The blonde was still asleep, but seemed to be shifting a lot.

Yumiko frowned.

"She's havin' a'nother nightmare." Daryl mumbled.

"Should we wake her?" Yumiko asked.

"Nah, she'll jus' get pissed." Daryl responds.

"Then what do we do?" Yumiko asked.

Daryl shrugged his shoulders.

Yumiko groaned in complaint.