𝐇𝐀𝐙𝐀𝐑𝐃 │ 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐘𝐋 𝐃𝐈𝐗𝐎𝐍 ¹ [✔]

[18]: time bombs

"Dad, look!" Carl exclaimed to his dad. He pointed his hand to the edge of the woods. Rick looked to where he was pointing, and saw Daryl emerging with a certain redhead in his arms, Glenn close behind.

He got up from his seat and walked over to them, Carl holding his hand.

"Is she okay?" he asked.

She had her eyes open and head against Daryl. Daryl simply nodded.

"Well, she has some pretty nasty burns on her hands," Glenn intervened, walking closer to them.

Marley turned her wrists over to show Rick, and Carl made a hissing sound at the sight.

"All right, just take her to the RV," Rick ordered, moving out of their way. Daryl followed his orders and took the girl to the RV.

He laid her down on one of the beds, careful not to drop the girl. She was like a porcelain doll. Her skin was pale enough. Despite living in the sun, Marley had never caught anything close to a tan.

Her eyes closed as soon as she hit the fabric of the bed. It was slightly scratchy, and there were obviously to many blankets to stay cool any night. But it had to do.

It was now just Daryl and her in the RV, whilst they waited for someone to come look at her hands. Most likely Carol.

Daryl just stood there, fiddling with the strap of his crossbow he almost forgot was there. Marley was uttering out incoherent sentences.

Daryl didn't now what she was saying, but he did recognise her saying, "Amy."

She obviously knew that Amy was dead. Being bitten was a death-sentence these days. It was the one thing you do not have a chance of getting out of. Get shot - fine. Get bit - Nope!

Marley opened up her eyes again, and looked at Daryl who was looking back at her. Just then he knew what she was going to say. What she always said - but it didn't turn out that way.

She didn't say thank you.

She said, "I don't want to be scared anymore."

Then Carol came in and Daryl walked out. Worried that he would get caught staring into her haunting eyes.

+

It was another half hour until Marley could muster up the energy to get up. Carl had been so kind to sit with her in the RV after Carol cleaned up her hands. They were luckily only second degree burns. Nothing but a few blisters needed to heal. She had gauze wrapped around her palms. Carl jokingly called her "Mummy-Hands".

Carl helped her up, carefully holding her wrist instead of her hand. He led her outwards.

Walking down the steps, Marley gasped and put a hand to her chest. She had seen Amy. Andrea hunched over her, covered in her sisters blood. No wonder Marley had run away. Who wouldn't want to just run away from all this.

Carl tugged her wrist, knowing it was bad for her to just stand there and look. But Marley wanted to. What she said to Daryl in the RV was true - she didn't want to be afraid anymore. She just didn't exactly know how to go about that.

"Carl, go back to our tent," Lori ordered her son, switching hands with him on Marley's wrist.

Marley looked up to Lori, and Lori smiled down at the much shorter girl, then led her to where everyone was sitting.

+

"Y'all can't be serious. Let that girl hamstring us?" Daryl argued, "the dead girl's a time bomb."

I was sat next to Carol on some old car seats. I had to adjust myself ever so often because some of the springs would be poking at my butt. We were all arguing on what to do with Amy. Andrea still hadn't moved.

"What do you suggest?" Rick asked the pickaxe wielding man. Daryl took a step towards him and said, "Take the shot. Clean, in the brain from here," he made a gunshot gesture to his head. "Hell I can hit a turkey between the eyes from this distance"

"No for God's sake, leave her be," Lori reasoned, taking a seat next to me.

Rick and Shane exchanged looks as if to leave it. Daryl walked away, to probably put some more walkers down.

"I've never had to do it," I said to Lori, wiping away some sweat on my chin. It was scorching hot today. The fires we used to burn walkers weren't helping either. I was wearing what I wore last night - some old faded blue jeggings, and a large (kinda) white shirt that always slipped off my shoulder.

"Never?" Lori inquired, after a long pause. She knew that I was talking about putting a close one out of their misery.

"My parents are already dead. My boyfriend got killed at the start of this. Never really had any close friends." I said to her, watching Glenn, Daryl, and Morales have a dispute.

"I'm sorry," she said to me.

Just then Daryl started shouting. Being the loud-mouth he is sometimes.

"Y'all left my brother for dead!" he exclaimed, "You had this comin'!"

I had had enough of it. His being bipolar. Sure he was nice to me (if he even interacted with me), but I'm sure it was fuelled by pity.

A few more moments later and somebody else was shouting. This time it was Jacqui.

"Y'all, a walker bit Jim," she said. I let out an exasperated sigh. We didn't need any more problems on our plate.

Soon enough T-Dog had grabbed him, and Daryl lifted his shirt to reveal a wound that looked like a crazy person took a bite at him.

Jim kept muttering, "I'm okay, I'm okay".

Now we had two time bombs.