𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕡𝕒𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕠𝕗 𝔸𝕝𝕖𝕩𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕣𝕚𝕒 // Daryl Dixon

𝐨𝐧𝐞

In the basement of one of the large houses on the streets of Alexandria, right next to a garage, was an atelier.

In every corner, there were sheets of painted paper, canvases and a pile of wooden pieces decorated with landscapes and faces. Sitting in the middle of the room in front of a large, patched-up easel was a focused woman with her lip pursed behind her teeth, adding the final details on the snowy shores of a frozen lake. Stretching the paint into long, sinuous branches, she then scraped her palette to catch the last drop of the dark liquid.

Leaning back on her stool to give her work a final look, Sam turned her head and looked down at the child who was busy stamping his finger on the page of an old newspaper.

"What do you think?" she asked, drawing the attention of her little companion, who raising his head towards the woman, gave her a series of small incomprehensible babblings punctuated by a frown.

"I agree. Yours is much more successful, I like your choice of color." Sam said smiling.

Seeing that the child had stopped she deduced that he had finished too.
She lifted the boy and placed him on her hip before bending down to pick up the sheet soaked with a mixture of water and paint. Laying it on the table against the wall, she wrote the artist's name on it with a pencil: Caleb.

"Let's dry it. You know I'm pretty sure that centuries from now, when people will find this, they'll sell it for millions. A painting created by the youngest artist of the apocalypse, it will be a real treasure I tell you." Sam said as she hung the paper on the wire that ran across the room.

"And now little painter, it's time to go wash those dirty hands. Even if I'd find the idea interesting I doubt Eric and Aaron would appreciate you giving their couch a makeover."

For all answer, the little boy left out an uncontrollable laugh as he pressed his hands on both of Sam's cheeks leaving red, yellow and green marks all over.

"You!"  Sam shouted while tickling his belly.

After several minutes and a red-faced baby hiccupping last giggles, she closed the door behind her before heading up the stairs wich lead to the rest of the house.

All clean from a good bath, and fed with a plate of mashed potatoes, Caleb was now lying in his little bed in Sam's room. She was leaning over him, singing their lullaby and stroking his blond locks.

"Starry, starry night

Paint your palette blue and gray

Look out on a summer's day

With eyes that know the darkness in my soul

Shadows on the hills

Sketch the trees and the daffodils

Catch the breeze and the winter chills

In colors on the snowy, linen land..."

"Good night angel," Sam whispered as she gently kissed the sleeping child's forehead.

Going back down to the kitchen, taking care not to make too much noise, she poured herself a cup of tea and then came to sit on the porch, the front door still ajar just in case.

Breathing in the evening air, she looked in the direction of the large metal doors that enclosed them in this extreme tranquility. She thought of her two friends who had gone through them a few weeks earlier to look for potential survivors.

Sam had never really been outside since she arrived in the city after Aaron and Eric found her and Caleb months ago. Her only outings had been to drive a second vehicle and help load up after one or two big food finds.
But on a more regular basis, however, she climbed to the top of the hill, just behind the city's north wall. Thanks to the unobstructed area, she didn't take too many risks and once up there she could have a wonderful view of the nature, which she had reproduced in drawings and paintings many times since her first day in Alexandria.
Still, she could count on Eric and Aaron to tell her what they saw, allowing her to not forget too much of what was really going on outside.

Finishing her cup, she stood up, dusting off her colorfully stained pants.

"Good evening Sam !" she heard. At the end of the street, Deanna and her husband Reg were walking arm in arm having their daily night walk.

"Good evening love birds !" she greeted them with a friendly wave as the couple stopped in front of the house.

"You weren't at the party tonight" Deanna remarked.

"No, we missed it. We did not see the time pass." Sam laughed softly, scratching the back of her neck. Although she liked people, she was not very comfortable with the regular parties that took place at Alexandria.

After a small conversation, and a final "Good night", the Monroe couple set out again, moving away in the night.
Before entering the silent house, Sam took one last look at the city's entrance, praying inwardly that her friends were somewhere safe.
Closing the door behind her, she wondered if this time, they would come back with some new faces,

Little did she know that a few miles away, stopped for the night in an abandoned building, Aaron and Eric were about to bring back into the city a certain Rick Grimes and with him, a whole family.

Sooo first (small) chapter lovelies !

I am beyond excited to start this story omg idk why ahah.

Anyway, hope you liked this beginning !

Feel free to let me know <3

(The song is "Vincent" by Don McLean, it's one of my favorite of all time)

See you soon for the next chapter ! xx

ps : english is not my birth langage, so if with this first chapter you see any mystakes, or if you have things to say about any formulation of my sentences, I'll take every advice !