my tears ricochet

Chapter 103

Giggles were audible from the other side of the bedroom door. Daryl could only assume that they were a good sign and not proof of the girls trying to commit to blood rituals or any other act of pure insanity.

Glenn looked at the door nervously. "Aren't we supposed to be watching them?"

"Nah. That window isn't opening up," Daryl said. He had already tested the wooden slat earlier to make sure it would hold out against the pressure of any of the girls trying to remove it. "They're fine."

Probably.

Music started playing softly and Glenn nearly withered at the familiar sound of Fleetwood Mac. Just by listening to it he could tell it was one of the later albums, familiar by fault of Beth's relentless control of the radio. But then Glenn got vaguely serious looking as he leaned forward and braced his one hand against his knee. "I want you to remember that I'm just the messenger here and that you shouldn't shoot me, but Rick wanted me to ask if you'd come check out the bridge work."

The current bridge that sat between four communities was at risk of getting washed out by the river. It was the one clear route that connected them without the hassle of a lengthier detour and with Simon's new border, they had less space to move around. The Hilltop was their closest neighbour but they needed access to The Kingdom and Oceanside. Rick had started bringing in people to start mending the damage so it would hold out and prevent a total washout but it was slow work.

They were missing people who could have made the process easier. Reg knew architecture, Daryl remembered with bitterness as he recalled the bashed in skull. Eugene was dead. Abe was dead. Oscar was dead. Rick was grasping at straws to try and engineer something with limited resources.

"What's he want me for?"

"Alexandria hasn't been represented evenly and he's hoping that a few familiar faces might help with some of the relationships between us and the others," Glenn said, making a face. "Aaron's been holding it up from our side."

"Sure. Whatever," he made himself say. "If someone's looking out for her."

He couldn't afford letting her step foot outside the walls. She was still a flight risk no matter how hard she was trying to settle down. And he could see the progress, the way Ivy was actively working at adjusting back into normalcy. But leaving her unsupervised while he went to the construction site wasn't an option.

"I've got her. Maggie's supposed to be running with Carol to the Kingdom later this week and I think they're bringing Tyreese with them. I could use the company," Glenn offered casually. He took the offered beer and sat back on the couch. More laughter erupted before suspiciously stifling. "You seriously not concerned about that? Last time I heard Beth laughing like that she was taping a knife to a rifle."

Daryl blinked. And then he quickly got up and knocked on the door. The music cut out instantly and Ivy opened it a crack.

"Yeah?"

"You've got Glenn thinking you're up to human sacrifice in there."

She was hiding something. Ivy's face flickered with something almost unreadable, plainly wanting Daryl to remain in the dark to whatever antics were happening. "Nah. That's scheduled for later."

But she tipped slightly to the side, laughing suddenly. Oh, Daryl thought with a flash of fondness. "What are you drinking?"

"Nothing."

He very carefully pushed the door open and Enid and Beth had on their best poker faces as they peered up at him from the floor. "Nah. Let's see it."

They exchanged glances before doubling down on the lie. "We're just listening to music. Talking. Literally nothing is happening," Enid informed him dryly. "Don't make it weird."