Quiet | Daryl Dixon

𝟸𝟷 - 𝙰𝚜𝚔 𝚈𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏

𓅓

RJ awoke with a jolt. She could still hear the sound of screeching tires and metal angrily screeching against more metal. Her skin was coated in sweat, her breaths were rapid and her chest was slowly loosening its grip on her lungs. She hadn't dreamt of her father since she was a teenager but she figured it was because of last night. She hadn't talked about her dad in a really long time, and after the PB&J sandwich, it seemed that she couldn't stop thinking about him.

"RJ?" A voice called. It was Lori. RJ sat up, calming herself down and wiping the sweat from her body. "Hun, are you okay?"

Lori stepped back as the tent's zipper was quickly yanked up. RJ stepped out in a tank top and sweats. The group heard her scream, and it took Lori telling Daryl to stay put for everyone to calm down. Her nightmares weren't foreign to the Grimes', they just thought that she was better now that her mind was constantly thinking about other things. Rick was out and about, otherwise, he would've been inside RJ's tent, which only left Lori, Shane, and Carl.

Shane felt a great deal of regret and was almost certain that whatever dream she had was due to his cruel words that seemingly picked at healing scabs.

"I'm fine, Lori." The woman spoke hoarsely. She was still recovering from the deep sleep. Her hair was tossed every which way, her tank top could use some adjusting, and she could've used some shoes.

  The air was thick with tension. Lori had been sensing RJ's disappointment for a while. She'd wondered when the highly observant woman would click together whatever puzzle pieces that she and Shane had accidentally left behind. Dale made it rather clear to her that they didn't do the best job at hiding their affairs. So much so, that the group noticed them. RJ seemed a bit upset, and Lori just looked plain awkward. Shane was at the point where he was about to step in, but the group's local clown decided to make an appearance.

  "Damn, girl," T called from around the breakfast fire. "You were sleeping good, weren't you?"

  Snorts were heard around the camp, the tension slowly easing away as the ghost of a smile appeared on RJ's lips. She shut her eyes and her head hung. It was when her shoulders began to shake that T-dog busted out laughing at his own joke, and with his laughter, followed the others.

  "Haha, very funny," RJ tried her best not to giggle as she turned back to her tent to get ready for the day.

  "Thank you," She heard T call as she began to zip her tent back up. "I'm here every day!"

  As RJ got dressed she began to think of how the day was going to go. When she returned with Carl, she and Rick discussed another meeting being set up for the present day. Dave's ears were going to be fine, and according to him when he spoke to Hershel, he was slowly regaining his hearing. Which RJ had predicted as much.

  The other women, minus Andrea, had been doing their best to keep the camp's "at-home" life decent. They'd wash clothes, cook, and pretty much do all that they could to keep things running smoothly for the rest of them. Everyone had their set of chores, and RJ was starting to feel bad. Sure, she was one of the people considered to be, "the muscle" of the group, but what else? She would often help the men by watching over the camp and before, she was searching for Sophia, but Beyond that, what was she doing to help?

  She let out a sigh as she pulled off her sweats and slipped on her BDU pants. Thanks to Andrea skipping out on laundry, it was all RJ had. There were a few blood stains from walkers, but she ignored them. She kept the tank on, she knew Georgia's tricks. It was cool outside now, but it was going to be a sauna by one. She put her heavy combat boots on her feet, debating on going on a run to search for better shoes. They made her footsteps heavier, louder, and quite frankly, they weren't her favorite things to wear.