damnation → the walking dead ⁴

[ 010 ] the great rick grimes.

— CHAPTER TEN.
the great rick grimes.

CORI SITS IN THE chair that's pressed against the wall as Harlan bandages up Odessa's broken hand. Her arms are crossed over her chest, all jokes have been drained from her. "Negan do that?" She nods to Odessa wounded hand.

"No," she shakes her head. She then glances at Daryl who hovers by the door, watching Harlan closely. "Some other Savior did. He broke my hand, so Daryl killed him. I mean, I was gonna kill him either way."

All four people in the room know this is a lie. Odessa wasn't going to kill that man, he was going to kill her right there in that hallway. If it wasn't for Daryl, she would've died.

Daryl, who's saved her dozens of times now. She's so incredibly grateful for the gruff man. She looks over at him and flashes him a weak and insanely fake close lipped smile. He doesn't smile back because he doesn't have the energy to muster a fake one as Odessa did.

"No. Um— Negan, he never hurt me." She affirms. Physically. He never hurt he physically. But inside, he killed her. "As for my face, uh, the doctor at the Sanctuary said I did it to myself."

"The doctor there, he's okay?" Harlan asks her.

She doesn't tell him that she threatened him. "Yep," she says. She says nothing of the mental illness he diagnosed her with.

"How'd ya do that to yourself?" Cori asks confusedly.

Odessa goes quiet. Harlan glances at her as he finishes wearing her hand. He cuts the medical tape and tapes the gauze together. It takes her a moment to answer. "It's a lot."

"Well, there's nothing but time in this world." Cori tells her. Odessa's eyes snap to her, shock and panic in her eyes.

"Where'd you hear that?" Odessa whispers.

"What?" Cori laughs. "Hear that? I was just sayin' we have a lot of time in this new world."

"No," Odessa shakes her head. She squeezes her eyes shut. "No."

"Odessa?" Harlan worriedly says her name. Daryl steps up, looking at her with great concern. Odessa opens her eyes, she throws her legs over the side of the bed.

She storms out of the medical trailer without looking back at the others. Confusion and worry lingers over them. "I'm sorry," Cori looks at Daryl. "I didn't know that would trigger her."

Daryl grunts in response before he leaves after Odessa.

It's late in morning the next day when Cori and Flynn look up from the young boy's schooling. They sit at one of the picnic tables.

"Sasha! Enid!" Maggie calls from the watch post.

Worry takes hold of Cori's heart. What if Maggie's hurt? Or if something's wrong with the baby again? What if the Saviors are back already? It could be anything.

Flynn shuts his math notebook and sets his pencil on top of it. He looks at his big sister, "should we go over there?"

She nods, "yeah, let's go."

By the time the two Ackler's reach the gate, Maggie has already climbed down the watch post and the gates are opening.

Cori smiles to herself when she sees the familiar face of Rick Grimes. He's not dead. He walks into the Hilltop. He doesn't stop until he reaches Maggie. He embraces her tightly.