my tears ricochet

Chapter Eighty One

"I want you to head straight home," Daryl ordered Ivy, catching her before she could run off with Enid and Beth. It had only been a few days since the herd tore through Alexandria's walls but he still felt restless when she strayed from his sight. "Wait for me there."

Ivy seemed to read his stress because she silently complied without a fuss, waving her friends away as she took off down their street for the apartment. Alexandria's sky had shifted from the previous gun metal grey and into a mess of pink and purple, the sun exhausted as it broke beneath the horizon. Shadows stretched across the pavement like teeth and she looked smaller from the distance, vanishing when she turned the corner.

Aaron had been waiting for him awkwardly while their group splintered off into fragments. "That probably could have gone better today."

They were all tired. Jesus's late night jail break had cost them all hours of sleep and Daryl felt his shoulders go stiff from it. "How'd last night go?"

"They were good. I don't think Eric was expecting to walk in and find them cleaning guns, but he figured out how to distract them with a movie and popcorn. It's probably good that they get to do things like this, remember how it's supposed to be."

"Ivy settle down any?" Daryl asked. He had felt guilty about forcing her to spend the night but leaving her alone in the apartment was a step beyond what he was comfortable with. Aaron and Eric's had the benefit of two adults keeping an eye on their growing collection of foundlings and it had been easier to sit up watch with that knowledge.

Aaron smiled. "She was fine. Just got a little homesick at one point."

Homesickness was a bizarre concept that made Daryl's chest suddenly ache. Sasha waved as she sauntered on by with a rifle slung over her shoulder, clearly heading for one of the look out platforms scattered along the perimeter. Reg had hastily thrown plans to expand their watch posts since the Wolves attacked and they were staffed at regular intervals compared to the relaxed version prior.

"What's your read on all this?"

The smile faded instantly. "On Jesus? Eric ran him through the criteria we set up for when we find potentials. A couple red flags, sure, but he might be okay. Gregory's a cockroach."

Their afternoon at Hilltop had been punctuated with violence. Maggie had waited for the man to finish being temporarily patched before storming into his bedroom with Rosita hot on her heels, the two women seething with molten rage. They had collectively hammered out an agreement with only minimal pain inflicted upon Gregory.

Rosita had exited the room wiping blood from her knuckles with a rag. Abraham practically glowed with pride from where he stood waiting on the pair, a virtual statue of cracking knuckles and towering height.

"He'll get his soon," Daryl snorted. His hand found the lighter in his pocket and he ran his thumb across the metal surface. "You with us on the plan?"

"I have to be," Aaron said plainly. "We need people to keep this place going, and if we don't have food? That means no people. Basic math. Also? I'd rather not have this Negan as a neighbour. He doesn't sound like the Mr. Roger's sort."

Daryl blinked, not fully catching the reference. And then he nodded, giving Aaron a once over. He hadn't liked the man upon their first meeting when Aaron had came across Ivy and Beth alone but eventually he had grown on him, that relentless ease and refusal to step away.

A woman across the street from where the RV was temporarily parked was mending a broken trellis. She lightly adjusted the vines that slumped at a bad angle so they were supported better, protecting fragile flowers from further harm. "Could be worth it. Could also be trouble."