(1) Vita Brevis (D. Dixon)

Chapter Seventeen

A/N- Chapter is a little shorter than usual, I thought something was better than nothing. 

.....

Catelyn sits on the porch of the farmhouse as she digs through the bag at her feet. It's her bag. Her supplies. Or what is left of them. She drops her medical supply box into her bag and closes her eyes. Between Carl and Daryl, she's gone through a lot of her supplies. Stuff she had set aside for months has been used in days. If someone else was to get hurt, she would have very little left to help them and from what she's seen of Hershel's own supplies, it will be a very tight push if someone else gets hurt. She might not even have enough to redress Carl and Daryl's wounds until they are fully healed. She purses her lips and lets out a breath, then pulls a face. Her eyes scan over the other survivors until they land on one. Glenn. She hums as she pushes herself to her feet. Catelyn walks towards him from the porch. She needs more supplies and she would go herself but she promised Daryl that she would go out there to look for Sophia so he would stick to his bed. She is willing to hold up her end of the bargain. But that means that she needs someone else to pick up supplies for her and she overheard that Glenn and Maggie would be going to the nearest village to grab whatever they can find. Catelyn clears her throat behind him and then takes a deep breath.

"Are you going into town?" Glenn turns a little to look at Catelyn, blinks in surprise. He doesn't think he's spoken to her yet. He doesn't think she's spoken to anyone outside of Daryl, Rick, Carl, and Hershel, as well as her mother, of course.

"Urm...yeah" He answers.

"Can I...give you a list?" Catelyn asks. "I need some more medical supplies....."

"Yeah, sure..." Glenn assures her. "Of course" He adds softer. From what he has seen of Catelyn, he knows how much this took for her to ask him for help. But this shows some growth. She might not have wanted to come with them, but she did, and her asking him for help means that she is more integrated. "There's a small pharmacy, so I don't know how great those supplies will be" He offers. She pulls a face at that. It's to be expected that small towns have small amounts of supplies and the world has been this way for a while now, so people have picked towns clean.

"Just get what you can" She states and runs her fingers through her hair. Glenn nods a little and she lets out a breath before she walks away, back to the porch to make up a list. She knows that the chances of her getting everything she needs is going to be very slim. It's the end of the world, she is going to have to maybe start thinking about making her own supplies. Maybe find clothing for bandages. Thread for stitches. Alcohol as disinfectant. She is going to have to compromise. To come up with something else.

......

As the farm falls quiet, with everyone undertaking some task, Catelyn readies herself to head out. To leave her mother with these people whilst she goes looking for a little girl she has no emotional connection to. She's packed for the trek. Prepared herself. It would be stupid of her not to. It's a long walk and she has to be prepared. Water. Food. Rope. Etc, etc. Her bow and quiver are strapped to her back. It's a lot to carry so far, but she might need it. From the treeline, she turns to look back at the camp set up in front of the farmhouse, her eyes instantly finding her mother as she sits with Lori, the two of them doing some laundry. Catelyn takes a deep breath and moves her gaze on before she changes her own mind about going out there. Her eyes find someone that should still be in bed. Daryl. He's stood on the porch, leaning against the post at the top of the steps. Catelyn gives him a look and points at the house. He smirks back at her but does lean up and head back inside. Doing as he is told. For now. She won't be able to keep an eye on him whilst she is out in the woods. She has to trust that he will keep his word. That's a hard concept for her to grasp. Trusting these people. Trusting Daryl. She takes a deep breath and then heads into the trees to walk the path he laid out for her to reach the higher point. It's going to be a long day. But she'll stick to her guns. She made a promise. And she is going to keep it. Because she can at least be honourable in the face of everything else going on. She has to trust herself. If she starts breaking promises, then what sort of person does that make her.