𝕃𝕠𝕧𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝔽𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 | Daryl Dixon

33 | NOT REALLY THERE

Her fingertips tingled in a numbing sensation; her blood flow restricted by just how tightly her fists were clenched. Sitting at the bottom of the stairs in the cellblock, staring at the small dots of blood that had leaked through her clean bandage on her leg. The place felt so empty, so quiet. With moonlight barely providing enough of a glow to see, Tori looked around the cold space, listening to the silence.

Things didn't feel right. With Daryl gone, everyone had their own feelings about it. Beth said she was pissed off, Maggie was indifferent, Glenn was mad. Carol was trying to be understanding. She could compare Daryl's brother to her late husband, knowing how hard it was to break out of the belief that one wasn't good enough to be alone when in the presence of such a character like Merle or Ed. Comparing the feeling to watching the world pass you by, all the good and bright things blocked off by an invisible wall where one can watch, but never break through.

Tori kept her emotions as low at bay as she could. She was heartbroken, and everyone could see it. She hadn't spoken much. After she woke up before, some of the others asked if she was okay, to which she just mumbled a 'yeah'. A lie.

Her gaze kept traveling across to the barred door which led to the common area, locked, and watched by Carl as he paced in front of it. Whilst Tori and the others were away, a new group had showed up in the prison in search of shelter. Now, they were hoping to find asylum with the group already living there. Rick had walked straight passed them when he returned, Tori in his arms, carrying her straight to a cell for Hershel to treat her wounds.

The sheriff placed his hand on Tori's shoulder as he walked down the stairs, lighting patting her back as he went past her. She stood up, using the banister like a crutch to balance herself before limping over to the shadowy corner where some of the others were huddled together.

Axel stood with his arms folded across his chest, a sad, almost tearful glint in his eyes while Carol stood with him, trying to comfort him by rubbing his shoulder. "Whenever Tomas went off, Oscar always stood up for me, you know? He was my friend."

"He went out fighting," Rick said gently, Axel giving a mournful smile, appreciating the words.

"So, what now? You think the Governor will retaliate?" Beth asked, walking up to the others with the baby girl in her arms. 

She'd been named by Carl right before Rick and the others left for Woodbury. Judith Grimes. 

"Yes," Maggie replied from the doorway of a cell.

Glenn was across the cellblock from his girlfriend, a lot of distance between them as he uttered, "Let him try."

"Sounds like he's got a whole town," Carol said quietly. "We're outnumbered and outgunned."

"We could use some reinforcements," Hershel commented, looking right at Rick for a response.

Tori folded her arms over her stomach, a defensive position that made her feel small and out of the way, like she wanted. "That group out there?" she asked.

"They seem like good people," Hershel nodded. "They've been through the mill out on the road, like we were. They've been honest with us all day, answered all our questions." He looked at Rick again, who was yet to react. "It's worth a chance, right?"

They all watched the cogs turn in Rick's head; his almost blank stare trained to the floor ahead of him for several long, silent seconds. Making the decision to hear out the new group, he nodded to Carl, who understood the signal to unlock the door. The metal scraped against the floor, making thicker the semi-circle scratch on the stone. Rick stepped out, followed by everyone else on at a time. The four new people had been sitting around one of the tables, and all stood up as the group entered.