❝last man standing doesn't matter when it's a pile of bodies you're standing on. so you fight but you be good.❞
[twd seasons 1-?]
Ⓒ 2019║asgxrdians i own nothing except lindsey and her plot
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chapter thirty five: clear your head 5193 words
Tired was an understatement for how Lin felt. Wholly and truly nowhere near describing the ache in her bones. Her eyes puffed up overnight, the sleep obviously not doing much at all for her physical state.
She'd stopped Maggie by the arm when she'd woken too, asking her in a quiet breath if there was anything she needed from her, as a medical- somewhat- professional or friend otherwise. The other woman had merely shook her head. She wasn't fine, not by a long shot, but she was alright at that moment. Or rather she was stubborn enough to not take the offered hand. Warm hand offered or rotting hand reached, the people of the day shied away all the same.
But to top it all off, past all the tiring shit she had to deal with before, the entire prison seemed to know exactly what went down between her and Daryl and she was exhausted with the pitying looks everyone tried to hide. They were meddlers at their cores, unable to keep out of one of the biggest relationship developments since Maggie cracked an egg over Glenn's head and Lori had given birth to what everyone imagined was her husband's best friend's baby. They could have written a sitcom, Lin mused, as she sat on the ward steps for the meeting Rick called. Once again, all the meddlers noticed she sat at the stairs whilst Daryl took to pacing the floor above.
A discussion of life and death was hardly a place to mend their wounds, especially when it was a whole lot more than just a kiss and a hug to be given. Forgiveness for hurt took a whole lot more, especially when it was hurt done mostly willingly. Lin had a heart to her, one much bigger than she wanted at the moment. She wanted to forgive Daryl, but that would take so much more than effort just on her side.
The arguing of the group was only furthering Lin's exhaustion, though she figured there was no time like the present to make a plan of action.
"Rick says we're not running, then we're not running," Glenn affirmed his position from beside the stairs. From beyond the locked door at the end of the block, another voice chimed in, one that Lin found grated her nerves more than it probably soothed Daryl's.
"No, better to live like rats." Merle was the chink in the fucked up armor of the group. Another loud mouth to listen to.
"You got a better idea?" Rick snapped. To his assistance, Merle answered. Lin watched it go down from where she sat, hand covering her mouth in mildly-hidden frustration.
"Yeah, we should have slid out of here last night and live to fight another day. But we lost that window, didn't we? Some of y'all were out playing Days of Our Lives for all the biters to hear." Lin didn't miss the jab, especially when Merle looked right at her as he spoke. It may have been her shitty mood to begin with, but Merle's teasing only made Lin press her hand closer to her face. This situation was not her fault, at least not fully. She was the one that stayed behind on the run. She wasn't the one that went off with Merle. This wasn't her fucking fault. And if she had a shred less dignity and respect for her stupid boyfriend, she would have grabbed Merle through the bars and pummeled him as much as she could. One less mouthy retort after everything Rick said was all the more time they could spend fortifying the one place they had left.
