Future Ghosts • TWD

26. The Aftermath.

"I mean it. Off my land," was the last thing Hershel said before disappearing into the house with his family.

When it was all over, Rosie rushed off on her own, not wanting to be around any of them when they were mad. She went to the RV and sat at the table, leaning down on the table with her head in her arms. She looked up again, though, when she heard footsteps coming into the RV.

Daryl leaned against the counter across from her. "You a'right?" he asked, raising his eyebrows a little.

Rosie chewed on the inside of her lip. "Why?" she asked.

"Never asked after, uh... after Sophia. Prob'ly should've," Daryl replied, lifting himself up to sit on the counter. Rosie just shrugged and fiddled with the brachiosaurus from the four dinosaur toys she left on the table before. Dale had never come back to talk about them. "Hey," Daryl said, making Rosie's eyes flicker up to him again. "Ya gonna answer me?"

"I'm fine. Just thinkin'."

"'Bout what?" Daryl asked, trying to get her to actually say what she was feeling. He could tell there was something off lately. She'd been extra quiet around certain people and had a guilty sort of look on her face.

"Lots a' things."

"What things?"

"Don't think I'm s'posed ta tell," Rosie replied, shrugging.

Daryl furrowed his eyebrows and stared at her for a moment, trying to decipher what the guilty look she had meant. "Ya do somethin'?" he guessed.

"No."

"Someone else do somethin'?"

"I don't know."

"What the hell's that s'posed ta mean?" Daryl scoffed. He slid off of the counter and stepped closer to the table, leaning on it with his right hand. "Someone do somethin' to ya or not?"

"Not to me."

"Jesus, kid," Daryl sighed. He sat down on the booth across from her. "Jus' tell me what the hell yer talkin' about."

Rosie stared at him for a second, hoping he would just leave, but he didn't. He stayed and waited for her to answer. Part of her wanted to tell him everything because then she finally wouldn't have to keep these secrets anymore, but the other part of her said, don't tell or you'll get in trouble.

But the secrets were so hard to keep, and if she was going to tell anyone, she figured Daryl would be the best option. So she let it spill.

"Lori's pregnant and maybe doesn't wanna be, and Dale thinks Shane killed that Otis guy, and Shane was gettin' mad at Dale and bein' scary, and I think he's mad at Rick too, but I don't know why, and Maggie was mad at Glenn, but then she was kissin' him and it was gross, and I don't understand how people can get pregnant on accident," Rosie explained in one long word vomit. Daryl stared at her for a moment, unsure of where to even begin, but then Rosie added on even more to her big, long sentence. "And everyone keeps tellin' me I don't gotta worry about any of it, but I keep worryin' about all of it."

"You been eavesdroppin'?" Daryl asked, raising his eyebrows at her. Rosie tossed her head back with complaint.

"Not on purpose," she groaned.

"Rose, you gotta stop worryin' 'bout people gettin' mad. I told ya, no one's gonna-"

"He killed that guy," Rosie said, rubbing her hands over her eyes.

"I know," Daryl said, sighing. Rosie's eyes widened at him. "Came back with the dead guy's gun, said he was coverin' him. Can't do that without a gun."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Rosie asked, her stomach starting to ache.