to her, the world was silent.
she couldn't hear the birds sing, the leave rustling in the breeze, the crashing of a waterfall.
she couldn't hear the pained cries, the moans of the dead, the sound of the knife breaking through skin.
whether she was b...
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NORA LET OUT A WHISTLE, CATCHING CARL AND RICK'S ATTENTION AS SHE APPROACHED THEM WITH JUDITH IN HER ARMS.
"No Beth today?" Rick asked, wiping his sweat away from his forehead on the back of his arm,
"She asked me to watch her so she can play hooky with Zach." Nora smirked, bouncing the baby on her hip, "Oh, to be a teenager again." She looked over at Carl, "Won't be long till you're like that."
Carl rolled his eyes, "There's no girls my age here."
"Not yet." Nora winked.
"Harley and Daryl back yet?" Rick asked, taking off his gloves and walking over to her, reaching for his daughter,
Nora shook her head, "Not yet. I'm sure they're fine. Harley can handle herself." On the inside, Nora was terrified. What if those men had showed up and took them?
Rick nodded, "They both can." He winced as Judith pulled on his beard.
The brunette laughed and took Judith back into her arms, "I think that's a sign, Rick. Starting to resemble sasquatch."
"Ha ha." Rick smiled at her,
Judith tugged at her necklace and a whistle pierced the air. They all turned to see Daryl and Harley approaching the gate, a deer over Daryl's shoulder.
"Would you look at that?" Rick smirked,
The gates opened and the duo walked up towards the prison. Nora handed Judith off to her brother before walking over to the redhead, "Where have you been?"
Harley glanced over at Daryl who nodded at the both of them and kept going, "Herd found us. Had to camp for the night." Harley signed,
"You okay?" Nora asked,
The redhead nodded, "Fine."
Nora watched as Harley went up to the prison. Carl walked over with Judith, "She okay?" He asked,
The brunette hummed, "Seems like it." She took Judith from his arms, "Let's go, Judy. I think it's almost time for lunch!"
Judith giggled as Nora bounced her. She tossed her around a little, lifting her into the air as they waited for the boiling water in the bottle to cool down.
She poured the formula in and shook the bottle. Nora tested the milk on her wrist before giving it to Judith.
Nora sat at the table, holding Judith as the drank from the bottle.
Harlow hasn't been the same since that night in the woods. Not that Nora could blame her. She hasn't been the same either.
Sleep was harder to find and hard to keep. Every noise, every cough, clatter, or footstep at night made her tense. It made her hold her breath.
"Hey." Nora let out a small gasp and clutched Judith a bit tighter, "Sorry." Maggie gave her a small smile, "You seemed lost in thought."
Nora hummed, adjusting Judith in her grip, "It's hard not to think these days."
"Penny for your thoughts?" Maggie asked,
She shrugged, "It's nothing, really. Just... I'm having trouble shaking off what's happened before this place. I know I'm safe, I know I can trust all of you... but outside those walls is an entirely different place."
"The world went to shit and so did the people with it." Maggie replied, "Are they still out there? The people who hurt you and Harley?"
Nora nodded, "Some of them. We killed the others."
"Sometimes it's us or them."
The brunette smirked at her, "Is this like a confessional? Are you gonna give me some Hail Mary's to say to have my sins forgiven?"
"Nah, you might have to talk to my dad for that." Maggie smiled,
Judith dropped her empty bottle and began babbling, "I think that means it's nap time." Nora smiled, poking the baby on the stomach gently,
Nora stood up with the girl and Maggie looked up at them, "Hey, don't think about it too much."
"Easier said than done." Nora replied before walking into the cell block,
Harley stood with Daryl in the back courtyard, helping him skin the deer he ended up catching on their way back from the cabin that morning.
It was strung up on a rope and he used his thick hunting knife to slice its belly open and dig out the guts.
The redhead stood there, trying not to gag at the stench. Daryl rolled his eyes and turned his head away from her so she couldn't read his lips, "Such a girl."
Normally, she wouldn't have stayed around to help with this part of the hunting process, but if she was stranded out in the woods, Harley thought it would be smart to know how to hunt and skin animals.
Daryl let out a short whistle and caught her attention. He motioned for her to move over to him and he handed her his hunting knife.
He guided her hand, showing her where to cut and how much pressure to put to make sure none of the meat went to waste.
She glanced up at his face as he spoke, "nd' if ya dry this out, it can be a blanket." He muttered,
Daryl felt her eyes on his face, "Ya gonna keep watchin' me or are ya gonna pay attention to what yer doin'?"
Harley's cheeks flushed as she turned back to the deer in front of her. Once they got the skin off, Daryl went to hang it up before they began to strip the meat from its' bones.
They put out some strips into the smokehouse to make jerky for the winter while a large portion went towards the grill for Carol or another person to cook up.
The duo went to separate once they got back to the main part of the prison, "Hey," Daryl grabbed her arm before signing, 'good job'.
She shrugged, "Would've gotten more food if it weren't for the walkers."
"Deer is better than nothing." He said, putting a cigarette between his lips before walking off.
Harley sighed, watching him walk away before heading to her cell to grab her things for a well needed shower.
