We manage to cram ourselves into the fire truck for a while as we head off to reunite the Greene sisters. Although the kids are having the time of their lives in the big red vehicle, it's quite the squeeze and so we're very lucky when we find a station wagon on the way.
The group splits. Majority of the group wanna stay in the truck, including Rory and Sophia and so Rosita and Abraham take to babysitting them whilst Tara and I take the Grimes and Hayden in the other car. Tara drives and I sit up front with her, Judith in my lap and then the boys in the back.
The trip is actually fun, the four of us play silly road trip games, sing songs and just chat about mindless things, I almost forget our situation with the amount of fun we'd all been having. I'm reminded harshly once we take a quick pit stop and a walker slams up against my window. I don't even bat an eye as I throw my door open harshly, throwing the thing to the ground. I don't even have to get out of the car to slam my heel into its head. I grimace a second and rub my shoe against the ground before shutting the door once more and resuming my conversation with Tara as though nothing had just happened.
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅
Before we know it we're pulling up to the hospital. Everyone spills out of the vehicles just as our group are exiting the doors. I stop a second, taking note of everyone's faces extinguishes the excitement, something was wrong.
Something had happened.
It doesn't take long to see Daryl, his body is trembling as tears fight their way down his cheeks. Worst of all, he's carrying Beth's limp body in his arms. I see the crimson matting what was her lovely golden hair. Maggie falls to her knees, her throat unable to hold back her grief. She was too late, mere minutes had robbed her of seeing her baby sister ever again.
My heart churns as I spot my own sister and wonder what it'd be like to be in Maggie's position right now. With the way things were, it seemed unlikely that all three of us sisters would make it in this world. I'd probably lose one if not both of them or they'd lose me. I wonder when that day may be, if there was any way that I could ensure that it would never happen.
We hold a funeral for Beth, Gabriel speaks but Maggie looks dead to the world herself the entire time. I so desperately wanted to help her, I would do anything to ease her suffering but I had no idea on anything that would even begin to make this the slightest bit better.
Nothing is the same after the loss of Beth. We attempt to get Noah home, see if his community was still a safe place. It's a bust and we lose Tyreese in the process. The losses weigh everyone down, I feel myself beginning to numb just as I did every time we lost someone. I miss both Beth and Tyreese, the two with the kindest and most gentle hearts.
Rory herself has become melancholic with the losses. She doesn't speak much anymore, not even to tell us silly made up stories, she drags her feet, her head hung low as she tries to pretend that she's fine. She'd been close with Beth back at the prison, Beth regularly helped out with the kids, she was loved by all. And Tyreese had bonded with Rory when he'd been protecting her out in the woods.
Daryl is the worst for me, I have no idea on how to comfort him. I don't know what to do or say, I don't know if I'll just make things worse but I want to be there for him. He won't let me though, he'd been pulling away and I was scared that the harder I held on the more he'd pull. I know Beth saved him, I know he felt guilty about letting her get taken in the first place. He wouldn't believe me when I told him that there was nothing more he could've done.
We were all walking again. The cars were busted, things weren't looking good for us, little to no water, no food, no transportation and nowhere to go. I wince as I feel Aurora slipping in my arms. Biting on my lip I shift her weight to my other arm and try and persist without anyone noticing. Hayden had already carried her and he'd tried to keep going but I could see that he was exhausted and I couldn't ask anyone to take on the extra weight.
"You want me to take a turn?" Abraham asks from beside me, I am so glad that he's offering but whatever relief I felt was short lived, Aurora shakes her head and clings to me even tighter. "Thank you anyways." I mumble as he sends me an apologetic look. A few days ago Rory wouldn't have hesitated to let Abraham carry her, she'd talk at him the entire time but now she was just holding onto me, head in my neck as a frown pulled her face down.
"Hey." Daryl has joined my side, I hadn't even realised he'd slowed down, he'd been so far ahead a few moments ago. "I'll take her for a bit." He tells me shifting his crossbow so that it wouldn't bother Aurora. "That okay with you Rory?" He asks she looks between us for a second and then nods.
I send him a thankful smile as Rory settles against his shoulder. He shakes his head and squeezes my arm before continue walking side by side. I'm so trapped in my thoughts again, thinking about what I could say to him, to help with his pain. Only once I feel a warm hand on mine do I look up from the ground.
Daryl sends me a soft smile, he squeezes my hand and then links it with his before he pulls me closer to him. "What're you worrying about?" He asks making me try to force myself to relax. "Nothing, everything." I shrug and he nods, "we'll be alright."
