𝕃𝕠𝕧𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝔽𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 | Daryl Dixon

14 | CHUPACABRA

"You know, I have to question the division of labour here," Tori huffed as she chucked a shirt over the washing line and placed two wooden pegs over it. "I mean, I don't even know whose shirt this is. Why am I washing it?"

The cuffs of her flannel sleeves were damp as she rung the excess water out of each garment before pegging them up. Despite the early morning heat, she still kept her sleeves down, hiding her marked skin from the light. The hems of her jeans were rolled up to reveal her ankles, her black boots scuffed at the sides.

Carol laughed as she hung up someone's t-shirt. "I've learned to not question it. Just wait until you come across the boxer shorts."

Tori grimaced, sifting through the damp laundry pile on the bench. "Lovely," she mumbled sarcastically.

"Are you heading out again today?" Carol asked.

"I was planning to," Tori replied. "But I was thinking, maybe I'll stick around here today. I wanted to ask Hershel if he'd show me a few things, like how to do stitches, first aid, things like that."

"Wow, good for you," Carol smiled. "Wouldn't hurt to have another medical expert around."

"I don't know about expert," Tori chuckled. "But can't hurt to know the basics, right? Think of it as my confirming my place here."

"Oh, Tori, you've more than confirmed your place here already," Carol was quick to assure the brunette, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Never doubt it, okay?"

Tori's lips pressed into a thin smile as she nodded her head. "Okay.".

"Mornin'," they heard a gruff voice greet. They both turned around as Daryl walked by, giving the two women a small nod.

"Hi," Tori replied with a small smile. She locked eyes with Daryl for a few seconds as he continued walking away.

When he was gone, Carol folded her arms over her stomach, a small smirk appearing on her lips. "You two get along okay yesterday?"

"Yeah, I guess," Tori replied with a casual shrug, fighting back the blush that as threatening to form on her cheeks. "You know, whatever."

The note Daryl had left with the rose in her truck was now slid into the back pocket of her jeans. The flower was left in her tent, and she'd stood it up in a plastic bottle, filled with a little bit of water try and preserve the plant as long as possible.

"Uh-huh," Carol chuckled, shaking her head in amusement.

She was still trying to cling to any glimmer of happiness she could, despite feeling the fear for her daughter. As afraid as she was that her little girl was still missing days after running away, Carol had faith that her group would find her, safe and well.

"You go ahead," she told Tori. "I can finish this. If you do stay here today, you can help me later. I wanna make dinner for Hershel and his family, just to say thanks for having us."

"Can't promise my cooking skills will be up to par, but yeah, I'll help you," Tori chuckled. "See you later."

She jogged over to where some of the others had gathered in front of the same car as yesterday morning. On the map, several markings had been made, showing where they had already searched. The house Daryl and Tori found was marked with a bold black star, and the path they took along the creek was highlighted.

Rick approached the group just moments after Tori did, greeting them all. "Morning guys. We got a lot of ground to cover," he said, taking the lead in the discussion. "Everyone's getting new search grids today. If she made it as far as the farmhouse Tori and Daryl found, she might've gone further east than we've been so far."