Forsythia - Daryl Dixon (BOOK TWO)

Chapter Twelve

****

****

Cans of food was spread across the table as the candles lit the darkness. The family sat together enjoying a moment of relief together. Natalia's eyes darted over everyone— she was in disbelief that they miraculously found each other after such a horrible event that tore them apart.

As their laughter echoed through the church, Daryl gazed at Natalia in awe as she threw a couple of witty jokes that instantly filled everyone with joy. Daryl always wondered how she did it, how she made everyone feel good about themselves in an instant when she didn't have to try so hard to do so. It was natural to Natalia and he truly admired it.

Natalia's eyes, however, drifted to the back of Maggie and Glenn and a faint outline of Hershel could be seen. Blinking her eyes several times, what she thought was Hershel, disappeared.

Daryl noticed Natalia's sudden shift and wondered what she saw— but the woman simply told herself that it was only her imagination.

Sitting next to Natalia on the ground, Judith was feeding her father and it made Michonne smile brightly as she watched them.

"I'd like to propose a toast." Abraham said loudly as he caught their attention.

"I look around this room and see survivors, each and every one of you has earned that title." Abraham raised his glass of wine. "To the survivors."

"To the survivors." Many raised their glasses up as they cheered.

"Is that all you wanna be?" Abraham continued as the cheers died down. Abraham's words caught everyone's attention. "Wake up in the morning, fight the undead pricks, forage for food, go to sleep at night with two eyes open— rinse and repeat? You can do that, I mean, you got the strength...you got the skills. The thing is, for you people, for what you can do, that's just surrender. Now, we get Eugene to Washington and he will make the dead die and the living will have this world again. And that is not a bad takeaway for a little road trip."

Natalia thought that it was a very strong statement to say so confidently. She didn't believe that Eugene had the cure, whenever she looked at him, she could see a liar. Unfortunately, Abraham and Rosita believed and trusted him. Michonne who sat with Rick and Natalia, watched Natalia shake her head in disagreement.

"Eugene, what's in DC?"

"Infrastructure constructed to withstand pandemics even of this fubar magnitude." As Eugene spoke, Natalia couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"That means food, fuel, refuge."

"Restart." Abraham gently nodded his head. "However, this plays out, however long it takes for the reset button to kick in, you can be safe there. Safer than you've been since this whole thing started. Come with us. Save the world for that little one. Save it for yourselves. Save it for the people out there. You don't have anything else to do but survive."

Rick turned to Natalia and let out a chuckle while Natalia indicated to him that Eugene's claim of a cure wasn't true by a simple raise of the brows and a head tilt.

Judith cooed and Rick immediately turned to his daughter that was in his arms.

"What was that?" Rick said softly before he turned to everyone. "I think she knows what I'm about to say. She's in. If she's in, I'm in. We're in."

Everyone laughed and clapped but Natalia who wasn't sure on how to call out Eugene on his lie, while Carol's eyes were constantly darting towards the church's door— contemplating to leave.

As Rick got up, Natalia immediately followed him.

"Are you serious?" Natalia whispered to Rick. "You believe that we're going to get the good life in DC?"

"I thought you'd be happy that we were going." Rick said softly as he observed his sister's agitated behavior.

"Eugene is lying, Ricky." Natalia said to her brother. "We can't lie to ourselves. Have you forgotten about what happened in the CDC?"

"No, I didn't forget." Rick said as he placed his hand on her shoulder, leaning in closer. "And I know he's lying."

Natalia's nose scrunched and her eyes went wide in confusion and bewilderment.

"But it doesn't matter— there's nothing left for us here. Everyone needs something to drive them to survive. This is it."

Rick's sister was lost for words as she let out a little sigh.

"Now— I need to thank Akon over there for his hospitably."

Rick tried to lighten the conversation with getting in on Natalia's joke about Gabriel, but his sister didn't even crack a smile as Rick left to sit by Gabriel. Natalia simply stared at Eugene from a distance and once the man noticed her sharp eyes on him, Eugene grew nervous.

While Natalia was having a battle with herself in her mind over going to DC, Daryl had followed Carol after he noticed her weird behavior at the church. As Daryl and Carol spotted the car with the cross that took Beth and Johnny, Bob was captured by Gareth and his people.